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Medical helicopter service suspended after N. Carolina crash

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

FRANKLIN, N.C. (AP) — An emergency helicopter transport service announced Friday that it suspended operations, a day after one of its helicopters crashed in western North Carolina, leaving three of the four people aboard hospitalized. “Safety is of the upmost concern to our program, and as such we have suspended all LIFE FORCE operations until our crews feel ready to return to service,” LIFE FORCE Air Medical, which is operated by Erlanger Health System, said in a statement posted on Facebook. The service didn’t have information on the circumstances or cause of the crash. Erlanger will still accept patients via air medical transport and it was working with other air medical providers while the program is grounded.The Eurocopter EC135 medical helicopter landed hard in Franklin on Thursday night, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating with the National Transportation Safety Board.Macon County Sheriff Brent Holbrooks said the helicopter was taking a pa...

New Air Force One will stay blue and white, Biden decides

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is sticking with a blue-and-white color scheme for the exterior of the replacement Air Force One aircraft, the first of which is expected to be delivered in four years.The Air Force said late Friday that the light blue on the new model of the modified 747s that transport the president will be a little bit deeper and more modern in tone than the robin’s egg blue on the versions of the aircraft currently in use. Boeing is modifying two of its 747-800 aircraft that will use the Air Force One call sign when the president is aboard. They will replace the existing fleet of two aging Boeing 747-200 aircraft the president currently uses.The choice of the plane’s exterior colors follows an earlier decision by the administration to scrap a red-white-and-blue design favored by Donald Trump, Biden’s immediate predecessor. An Air Force review had suggested the darker colors would increase costs and delay delivery of the new jumbo jets.In 20...

2 LA police officers shot by parolee released from hospital

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two Los Angeles police officers shot by a wanted parolee have been released from the hospital and a third is in stable condition, police said Friday.The officers, all members of a K-9 dog-handling unit, were wounded Wednesday in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood near downtown. Two were released on Thursday, a police statement said.The gunman, Jonathan Magana, 32, was found dead more than two hours after the shooting. The coroner’s office will determine whether he died by suicide or was shot by police during the confrontation.Around 4 p.m. Wednesday, plainclothes officers from a drug enforcement detail were looking for Magana, who was on parole after being released last year after serving time for robbery, according to police. He also was a suspect in an extortion incident, law enforcement said.Officers spotted Magana walking, but then lost sight of him. They called in uniformed officers to help surround an area and asked K-9 officers to assist in searching it, the ...

Judge in E. Jean Carroll's suit against Trump says jury can hear other accusers, 'Access Hollywood' tape

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

(The Hill) – A federal judge ruled on Friday that E. Jean Carroll can use the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape and the testimony of two other women who have accused former President Trump of sexual assault as evidence at trial in her defamation case.District Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected a request from Trump’s team to disallow the tape and the testimony from the two women, Natasha Stoynoff and Jessica Leeds, who separately accused the former president of assaulting them in late 1970s and early 2000s.The disagreement centered on a rule that allows for evidence that a defendant “committed any other sexual assault” when a civil case is “based on a party’s alleged sexual assault.” Carroll has accused Trump of raping her in a department store in the mid-1990s and of later defaming her by claiming that she lied about the incident. The alleged defamation includes a 2019 interview with The Hill in which Trump said Carroll was “totally lying” and “not my type.”Because Carroll has two pend...

Second police officer identified in fatal shooting of Stillwater man

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

A second Stillwater police officer opened fire during a shootout with Stillwater resident Okwan Sims outside of Sims’ apartment building March 4, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.The BCA originally released the name of one of the Stillwater officers involved, Officer Justin Dowley, but has since confirmed that Sgt. Daniel Young also fired his service weapon in the fatal shooting of Sims. The BCA determined that Young fired his department handgun. Dowley fired a rifle.Sims was involved in an altercation at the Curve Crest Villas apartments with a woman and started shooting at her, investigators say. Neighbors called police after hearing gunshots and Dowley and Young arrived at the scene, where they encountered Sims. An exchange of gunfire followed and Sims was hit. He was sent to Regions Hospital in St. Paul where he later died from gunshot wounds, according to the BCA.Dowley has seven years of law enforcement experience and Young has 12. Both are on a...

Final defendant gets 15 years for role in fatal shooting of White Bear Lake man in St. Paul

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

The last of six co-defendants charged in the 2021 killing of a White Bear Lake man during a botched robbery at a downtown St. Paul hotel has been sentenced to prison.Leneil James Colbert (Courtesy of Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)Ramsey County District Judge Paul Yang sentenced Leneil James Colbert Jr. to 15 years Tuesday for his role in the shooting death of 37-year-old Alexander Christoff, who prosecutors say was lured to SpringHill Suites by a prostitute.A jury in November found Colbert, 33, of St. Cloud, guilty of aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder-while committing a felony. The presumptive sentence for Colbert, who had a criminal history score of zero, was 12½ years in prison.Prosecutors sought an aggravated sentence of 25 years, arguing that Colbert learned from Danell Ann Christner, who was working as a prostitute, that Christoff was a wealthy target and that he then helped plan the robbery.Meanwhile, Colbert’s attorney, Eric Newmark, while asking t...

Inmate charged in ‘life-altering’ assault on Oak Park Heights prison sergeant

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

An inmate at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights was charged Friday in connection with a January attack on a sergeant that left her with permanent vision loss, according to prosecutors.Dominique Antoine Jefferson (Courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Corrections)A first-degree assault charge filed against 36-year-old Dominique Antoine Jefferson comes after five correctional staff were assaulted and injured this week in three separate attacks at the Stillwater and Oak Park Heights prisons.“Correctional officers face the daily challenge of maintaining order and safety in some of the most challenging and dangerous environments, often at great personal risk,” Washington County Attorney Kevin Magnuson said in a statement announcing Friday’s charge. “We are grateful to the Minnesota Department of Corrections and the department’s Office of Special Investigations for their dedicated efforts in bringing this case forward.”According to the cri...

Schenectady mayor proposes all-smoking ban in public parks

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Leaders in one local community are considering additional restrictions on smoking and vaping. Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy submitted a proposal to the city council to ban all smoking in the city's public parks.Smoking cigarettes is already prohibited. The new proposal would add marijuana and e-cigarettes. The mayor said it's both a public health and a quality of life issue. Get all of the latest news, weather, sports, and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "We want people to be able to enjoy the parks, want to be able to go out and have a good time and don't want some of the irritant that tobacco smoke or other products cause for people," McCarthy said.Officials said violators would face a $50 fine. A public hearing on the proposal will be held during the city council meeting on Monday, March 13.

Pittsfield renews ties with Irish sister city

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (NEWS10) -- The city of Pittsfield hosted a reception on Friday in honor of the 25th anniversary of Pittsfield's sister city relationship with Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland. Ballina also celebrated 300 years since its formal establishment. Get all of the latest news, weather, sports, and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Music, speeches, and proclamations were made. Gifts were also exchanged. A delegation from Ballina came to Pittsfield to check on their partner, and party alongside them.Afterwards, they enjoyed two different Irish pubs.

New York Air Guard gets new top enlisted leader during change of responsibility ceremony

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:45 GMT

LATHAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A veteran pararescue jumper, who served in the 1991 Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan, will become the top enlisted leader in the New York Air National Guard.Outgoing Command Chief Master Sgt. Denny Richardson formally turned over his duties as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to Command Chief Master Sgt. Michael Hewson. Get all of the latest news, weather, sports, and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Hewson is a pararescue jumper who has served in the New York air National Guard since 1989 after serving two years in the active Air Force. He is also a retired Suffolk County police officer, who served for 25 years, retiring from the emergency services unit in 2018. He's won many awards over a very long career.Richardson is not formally retiring. He is going to be the first Air Force Command Chief and Senior Enlist Leader in Florida.