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Aurora dentist sentenced in Nevada power plant fire initially described as terror attack

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:39 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Colorado man was sentenced Wednesday to prison in Nevada following his arrest last January for setting his car afire at a remote facility in what authorities initially characterized as a terror attack on the electric system serving several Las Vegas Strip casinos.Mohammed Reza Mesmarian, 35, was sentenced to two to 10 years following his plea in November to guilty but mentally ill on charges of felony arson and property destruction in the incident at a remote desert solar array about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of downtown Las Vegas. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox “This was not so much an act of terrorism as a person going through personal issues during COVID, the loss of a marriage and his business,” Mesmarian's attorney, Jeffrey Nicholson, told The Associated Press after sentencing. Nicholson said he sought probation, but he called Clark County District Court Judge Ronald Israel's sentence “a good and fair decision.”M...

Threatened Meals on Wheels program gets funding boost

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:39 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — A meal-delivery program for older Coloradans was set to shut down in the new year, but now it's getting a boost of support.Senior Hub runs the Meals on Wheels program in Adams County, which provides one hot meal every weekday to 550 people and frozen meals as a supplement. But the nonprofit said it ran out of funds to keep the program going. When you can take a hike – for free – at Colorado’s national parks That's where Volunteers of America Colorado and the Denver Regional Council of Governments stepped in, according to a release from Adams County. VOA Colorado will now provide volunteers to keep the program going while the council provides funding."As the Area Agency on Aging in the metro area, we’re committed to helping older adults age well in their homes, and nutritious meals are obviously a key to that," Douglas Rex, executive director of the Denver Regional Council of Governments, said in a statement. "We’re happy to work with such great regional partners to...

Monangai runs for 163 yards and a TD in Rutgers’ 31-24 win over Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:39 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Monangai rushed for 163 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries to help give Rutgers a 31-24 win over Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl on Thursday.The victory gave the Scarlet Knights (7-6) their first winning season since 2014, when they went 8-4 in their inaugural Big Ten season.The Scarlet Knights opened this season 6-2 but stumbled in November, losing four straight conference games by an average of 20 points.Miami (7-6) has dropped five straight bowl games.Rutgers took the lead for good at 21-17 after Trevor Yeboah-Kodie blocked a Miami punt that Timmy Ward recovered in the end zone.Hurricanes quarterback Jacurri Brown scored on a 1-yard keeper with 27 seconds to play to draw Miami within seven at 31-24, and then the Hurricanes recovered the onside kick, but the rally fell short when Miami turned it over on downs with seven seconds left near midfield.Brown, who hadn’t taken a snap in 2023, was the only healthy scholarship quarterback on the Miami roster. Tyler ...

13-year-old accused in mother’s murder returns to court as interrogation video is released

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:39 GMT

Derek Rosa, the 13-year-old boy accused of killing his own mother in their Hialeah apartment, appeared in court as a judge listened to his defense’s request in preparation for the trial.Thursday’s procedural appearance in court comes as video from the teen’s interrogation by police is released.The video shows Rosa calmly answering questions from police just hours after, detectives said, his mother, 39-year-old Irina Garcia, was stabbed 46 times. “Where exactly did you cut her?” investigators asked in the video.“At first I cut her right here. There’s like a type of vein that goes to your neck right here on both sides,” Rosa said“OK,” said the investigator.  “And if you stab here, a lot of blood sprays out right here,” Rosa said“Do you know what that’s called?” asked the investigator. “Like an artery or something,” said Rosa. Prosecutors said Rosa confessed to the crime of killing his...

3 men arrested in separate break-ins at churches in South Boston

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:39 GMT

Three men are facing criminal charges in connection with break-ins at two church in South Boston overnight.Officers responding to a reported break-in at St. Vincent’s Church on E Street just before midnight Wednesday arrested Michael Donovan, 37, and Brendan Delaney, 50, both of South Boston, after determining they had broken in to steal copper wire, according to Boston police.“The officers located the suspects bags they had entered the church with and it contained hand tools and numerous pieces of copper wire obtained from the building,” a news release from Boston PD stated.Both men were arraigned the following morning at South Boston District Court after being taken into custody and charged with Possession of Burglarious Instruments & Breaking and Entering in the Nighttime to commit a felony.Then, around 3:45 a.m. Friday, officers arrested Steven Cyr, 61, of South Boston, after responding to a break-in at St. Monica’s Church. Officers credited Duke the ...

Randolph armed carjacking suspect faces a judge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:39 GMT

One of the two people taken into custody in connection with an alleged armed carjacking in Randolph and a subsequent police chase faced a judge on Thursday as police continue to search for a third suspect.Prosecutors say Robinho Belizaire was part of a trio that carjacked a driver at gunpoint on Tuesday night before a chase that spanned multiple jurisdictions, according to Randolph police. The other suspect in custody is a juvenile.Belizaire, who prosecutors said has an extensive criminal history, has been ordered held without bail pending his next court appearance.Randolph police said officers were first called to Francis Drive around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday for a report of an armed robbery.Once on scene, police said, a 40-year-old man told investigators his car had been stolen by three men. One man was reportedly armed with a gun. The other had a knife.Hours after Tuesday night’s response, on Wednesday, Randolph police said officers spotted the stolen car driving through town and tried...

Eversource employee recognized for preventing a tragedy after Massachusetts storm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:39 GMT

An Eversource employee is being called a hero for preventing a carbon monoxide incident from turning much worse at a Marion home following last week’s wicked wind and rain storm.Assessing damage after the storm which caused widespread outages, Eversource employee Ed Gonet noticed a generator running at a home that had power on Front Street in Marion.“There were really bad fumes and I saw a cord going into the house,” Gonet said, per a post on Eversource’s LinkedIn. “The door was ajar and no one responded. … (I) just couldn’t leave without knowing if there was someone in there after smelling the fumes running into the home.”.Gonet called 911, and Marion firefighters responded to the home around 9:20 p.m. last Tuesday, a day after roughly 300,000 Massachusetts households had lost power. By that evening, about 60,000 customers had remained in the dark.Firefighters found a resident sleeping upstairs as they measured low levels of carbon monoxide inside the home but determined there was ...

Chicago White Sox sign left-handed reliever Tim Hill to a 1-year, $1.8 million deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:39 GMT

The Chicago White Sox will have a new left-handed option in the bullpen after signing reliever Tim Hill to a one-year, $1.8 million deal on Thursday, a source confirmed to the Tribune.The team announced the deal Thursday afternoon. In the corresponding move, the Sox designated right-hander Declan Cronin for assignment.Hill, 33, has a career 16-14 record with a 4.16 ERA and four saves in 320 games during six seasons with the Kansas City Royals (2018-19) and San Diego Padres (2020-23). He has 208 strikeouts and 84 walks in 255 1/3 career innings.Left-handed hitters have a career .223/.302/.304 slash line against Hill.Hill made a career-high 78 appearances in 2021, going 6-6 with a 3.62 ERA for the Padres. He was 1-4 with a 5.48 ERA in 48 outings in 2023. He missed most of the second half of the season with a sprained left finger that required surgery on Sept. 20.ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the signing.Aaron Bummer, Garrett Crochet, Tanner Banks and Sammy Peralta were among...

Massachusetts faced wildfire smoke, tornadoes, relentless rain, flooding, and more in ‘very active’ year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:39 GMT

One of the grossest weather years in recent history is finally in the rearview.Some of the most memorable weather events that impacted the Bay State in 2023 included nasty wildfire smoke, several tornadoes, and relentless rain throughout the summer that sparked major flooding.Parts of Massachusetts even had to shovel out from more than 3 feet of snow after a whopper of a mid-March nor’easter.The most unusual weather of the year was the smoke from the Canadian wildfires, which caused the air quality to plummet across the region. The hazardous haze and smoke impacted the area at times for many weeks because the remote wildfires were out of control.“During the summer, we got caught in a persistent pattern where we had winds coming out of Canada, bringing that smoke into the area,” Bill Leatham, meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Boston office, told the Herald this week.While the wildfire smoke was a major story of the summer, so was the rain that ne...

Two Southie churches broken into, K-9 Duke helps bust suspect in basement: Boston Police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:39 GMT

A couple of Southie churches were broken into within a few hours overnight, according to police who arrested three suspects with the help of K-9 Duke.The break-ins Wednesday night and early Thursday were reported at the old St. Vincent Catholic Church on E Street, and St. Monica Catholic Church on Old Colony Avenue.Police officers first responded at around 11:50 p.m. for a breaking and entering call at St. Vincent’s after two suspects were reportedly seen heading into the church with two bags.As responding officers were about to enter the church, the two suspects exited the building and were detained, police said.“Upon further investigation it was revealed that both suspects had broken into the church to steal copper wire,” police said in a statement. “The officers located the suspects bags they had entered the church with and it contained hand tools and numerous pieces of copper wire obtained from the building.”Southie men Michael Donovan, 37, and Bren...