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Texas lawmakers issue 20 articles of impeachment against state Attorney General Ken Paxton

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

By ACACIA CORONADO and JAKE BLEIBERG (Associated Press)AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton teetered on the brink of impeachment Thursday after years of scandal, criminal charges and corruption accusations that the state’s Republican majority had largely met with silence until now. In an unanimous decision, a Republican-led House investigative committee that spent months quietly looking into Paxton recommended impeaching the state’s top lawyer on 20 articles, including bribery, unfitness for office and abuse of public trust. The House could vote on the recommendation as soon as Friday. If it impeaches Paxton, he would be forced to leave office immediately. The move sets up what could be a remarkably sudden downfall for one of the GOP’s most prominent legal combatants, who in 2020 asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Joe Biden’s victory. Only two officials in Texas’ nearly 200-year history have been impeached. Paxton has been ...

Div. 1 state track: Boys sting like A-B

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

NORTH ANDOVER — The Acton-Boxboro boys got off on the right foot at the Div. 1 outdoor track and field state championships Thursday afternoon at Merrimack College.Behind a meet-best three event victories and two other top-three finishes on the first day of two, the title-hopeful Revolution dominated the track to set the right tone heading into Saturday’s finale with a first-place score of 51 points. Noah Stegmeier kicked it off by winning the 400 meter hurdles (55.45 seconds), Ajay Raina won the 800 meter run (1:55.69), and Alex Landry’s 21.66 time in the 200 meter dash marked three straight victories to build momentum.St. John’s Prep isn’t too far behind with 37 points from a strong day in the pentathlon, and neither is Lexington with 30 points or Newton North with 24. But A-B boys coach DJ Brock believes this got the ball rolling before another potentially strong day Saturday to make a bid for the title.“Pretty good day,” he said. “Everybody came in knowing we were going to be com...

Division 3 track: Billerica’s Joseph, Stoughton’s Hunyh steal the pentathlon show

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

FITCHBURG — For a high school track athlete, the pentathlon is the mark of all-around excellence. For Billerica sophomore Nyrah Joseph and Stoughton junior Alex Huynh, their efforts on Thursday at Elliot Field were rewarded handsomely.Joseph dominated the girls’ competition from start to finish as she won four of the five events and posted a point total of 3,035, easily besting second place Elyssa Buchanan of Mansfield and third place Athena Cusson from Chicopee for her second straight outdoor pentathlon title.“My coaches did a great job of making me feel better and it’s great knowing that they’re there for me,” Joseph said.Joseph started the day with a win in the event she called her “favorite,” the 100 meter hurdles. Buchanan won the second event, the high jump with a leap of 5-1. Joseph matched that height and they split the first place points.Cusson stuck her nose into the mix with a win in the long jump but it was the shot put that allowed Joseph to pull away. Her throw of 31-8...

Cambodia’s top opposition party barred from July elections, leaving Hun Sen’s party unchallenged

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia’s top opposition party was barred Thursday from participating in elections set for July after the Constitutional Council refused to overturn a decision not to register the party over a paperwork issue.The Candlelight Party, the sole credible challenger to the governing Cambodian People’s Party in the upcoming polls, lost its appeal because its complaint was deemed unlawful, the council said in a brief statement.The decision is final and cannot be appealed.Cambodian courts are widely considered to be under the influence of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government and his Cambodian People’s Party.The National Election Committee on May 16 had refused to register the Candlelight Party, saying it failed to provide necessary documents. A few days later the party officially filed an appeal with the Constitutional Council asking it to overturn the election commission’s ruling.Kimsour Phirith, a spokesperson for the Candlelight Party, said he “regretted” Thurs...

Mayoral candidates spar over budget deficit, affordable housing at debate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

The six leading candidates in Toronto’s mayoral election all began their fourth debate in 48 hours by trying to position themselves as the fiscally responsible choice who can invest in city services and build new affordable housing while balancing Toronto’s massive pandemic-related budget shortfall.The sold-out debate hosted by the Toronto Region Board of Trade and TVO Today Live was held Thursday evening at the Isabel Bader Theatre, where they sparred on issues like livability and prospects for economic growth.The debate featured former federal lawmaker Olivia Chow, city councillor Josh Matlow, ex-police chief Mark Saunders, former deputy mayor Ana Bailão, councillor Brad Bradford and former Liberal MPP for Scarborough-Guildwood Mitzie Hunter, who resigned her seat at Queen’s Park to run in the by-election.Tensions appeared high at the debate, with candidates taking heavy shots and playfully poking at each other after hearing similar rhetoric and repeated anecdote...

Suspect in killing of 4 people, including 2 police officers, in Japan captured after standoff

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Police said early Friday that they captured the suspect armed with a rifle and a knife who had holed up inside a house in central Japan for hours after allegedly killing four people, including two police officers.TBS television showed the man with his hands on his head walk out of the house and be ushered into a police vehicle. Police had obtained a court warrant Friday morning to formally arrest the man, NHK television said. Police said they captured the suspect but did not release details before his formal arrest. NHK public television said one of two women who escaped while the suspect was holed up told police that the attacker was her son and that his father was chairman of the city assembly.Police said earlier that two police officers were shot by the suspect when they arrived at the scene after receiving an emergency call saying a woman was stabbed in Nakano city in Nagano prefecture. Police did not comment on the report about the suspect’s identity.A witnes...

GOP field in Pennsylvania Senate race still wide open as hard-right state lawmaker says he won’t run

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A hard-right Pennsylvania state lawmaker said Thursday night that he will not challenge Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, leaving the GOP field wide open as Republican Party officials try to recruit a strong candidate in the moderate battleground state to help capture a Senate majority in 2024.Doug Mastriano, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump in last year’s race for governor but lost in a landslide, said in a livestreamed appearance with his wife that he will not run for Senate “at this moment the way things currently are.”Former hedge fund CEO David McCormick is the favorite of party leaders and has drawn pledges of financial support from top Republican officials — should he decide to run. McCormick, however, is facing a complicated decision, with Trump seeking the party’s nomination for president. A Mastriano candidacy could have further complicated McCormick’s path and was causing heartburn in some GOP circles.At the very least, it coul...

Body-cam footage shows indicted ex-police officers laughing at man who died in their custody

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Three former police officers who were indicted by a Mississippi grand jury joked around about a Black man who died in their custody, with one of them questioning whether to call an ambulance for the man immediately, body-camera footage shows. Officials in the state capital of Jackson announced Wednesday that a Mississippi grand jury had indicted two former police officers on murder charges and another ex-officer on a manslaughter charge in the death of Keith Murriel, who is seen on video being pinned down and repeatedly shocked with stun guns during a New Year’s Eve arrest. The city released hours of body-camera footage detailing the encounter, which The Associated Press reviewed. The officers had tackled Murriel while arresting him for allegedly trespassing at a hotel after they asked him to leave the building’s parking lot. The footage showed then-officers Avery Willis, Kenya McCarty and James Land struggling to handcuff Murriel as he was stunned numero...

What are poppers and why is the FDA warning about them?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning Americans to make sure the tiny bottles they're drinking aren't accidentally something else — poppers, in particular. But you may be wondering just what that means."Poppers" is a term used to refer to a variety of liquid chemicals, typically amyl nitrate, which are sometimes inhaled by people recreationally for enhanced sexual arousal and temporary relaxation. While these items can be sold (and are widely available in places like adult novelty stores), their use is not approved in any way by the FDA and using them as a drug is illegal. Tom Hanks urges Harvard grads to defend the truth and resist indifference While poppers can't legally be sold under the name "poppers," the small bottles can be sold for other uses, like cleaners, nail polish removers or air fresheners. Some popular brands include Rush, Super Rush and Sub-Zero — many such brands come in bottles similar in size to those of energy drinks like 5-Hour Energy.A...

Pflugerville police search for suspect related to homicide investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — The Pflugerville Police Department said it was actively searching for a suspect in connection with a May 20 homicide investigation.PPD said it was working with the Lonestar Fugitive Task Force to find Raul Meza Jr. in connection with a homicide that occurred within the City of Pflugerville. Pflugerville police identify man found dead in home, identify person of interest in case Pflugerville PD said it was working with the Travis County DA's office regarding the case.“Meza has a prior conviction for a murder in Travis County in 1982 and his last known address was within the City of Pflugerville,” PPD said.Anyone with information about this incident or the whereabouts of Raul Meza Jr. was asked to contact PPD at (512) 990-6700, [email protected] or by clicking here.Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling (512) 472-8477. A reward of u...