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Man arrested after $3M worth of drugs shipped to restaurant

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

AUBURN, Maine (AP) — Employees of a Maine restaurant got a surprise when they opened a large wooden crate that they thought was a shipment of mugs they had recently ordered.Instead, they found a plastic tote that contained what law enforcement suspect is 14 kilograms (31 pounds) of the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl with an estimated street value of $3 million, Auburn police Deputy Chief Timothy Cougle said in a statement Saturday.The tote had a shipping label with the restaurant’s address but the name of someone who did not work there. Employees who opened it saw what they thought looked like drugs, so they contacted police, Cougle said.The crate from Arizona that arrived in the Maine town about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Portland was taken to the police department, where a chemical field examination confirmed it contained fentanyl.About an hour later, the man whose name was on the shipment showed up looking for the crate and was arrested, police said.Jeremy Mercie...

Some US states could see northern lights again Sunday: Here's where

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - A handful of states may again have the chance to see the northern lights, just a week after strong solar activity brought the auroras as far south as Alabama.Last week, a coronal mass ejection and a minor solar flare sparked a geomagnetic storm watch and northern lights “visible as far south as Alabama and northern California,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.Coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, are explosions of plasma and magnetic material from the Sun that can reach Earth in as little as 15 to 18 hours, NOAA explains. Slower CMEs, like the one behind last week's activity, can take days to impact us.While both solar flares and CMEs (which can occur at the same time) can impact navigation, communication and radio signals on Earth, CMEs are also able to create a stunning show in the night sky. According to NASA, CMEs can create currents in Earth’s magnetic fields that send particles to the North and South Poles. When those particles interact wit...

Virginia doctor accused of massive illegal oxycodone scheme

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

ARLINGTON, Va. (WRIC) -- A Virginia doctor was indicted on 21 counts of illegally distributing oxycodone as part of a conspiracy with her office manager that lasted a decade.In an extensive indictment, prosecutors laid out allegations that Dr. Kirsten Van Steenberg Ball, 68, was the source of opioids that flooded Northern Virginia, allegedly conspiring with her office manager, Candie Calix, to distribute them to addicts.Calix, 40, was herself sentenced to seven years in prison in September 2022 for her role in the scheme. From 2012 to 2022, Calix alone, as a patient of Ball, was prescribed 40,000 30-mg oxycodone pills."Calix did not, however, function as a typical office manager," prosecutors wrote. "Instead, Calix recruited individuals -- including Calix's mother, Kendall Sovereign, and several other members of Calix's family -- to become 'patients' of Ball."According to the indictment, Calix even paid for Dr. Ball's malpractice insurance. 6 gallons of ‘coma in a bottle’ stopped ...

Reward offered in search for Texas mass shooting suspect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

CLEVELAND, Texas (AP) — Law enforcement officers said Sunday they've been unable to find a gunman who fled after killing five people in a rural Texas town, offering $80,000 in total reward money in hopes of motivating someone to come forward with information about the suspect's whereabouts.“We do not know where he is,” said James Smith, the FBI's special agent in charge. Police were going door to door looking for the suspect.The suspect, Francisco Oropesa, 38, was considered armed and dangerous after fleeing the area Friday, likely on foot, San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said late Saturday. He said authorities had widened the search to 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the scene of the shooting, which occurred after the suspect's neighbors asked him to stop firing off rounds in his yardInvestigators found clothes and a phone while combing a rural area that includes dense layers of forest, but tracking dogs lost the scent, Capers said. Authorities were able to identify Oropesa by...

May starts sunny before humidity and storms return

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin's Camp Mabry reached 90º on Sunday for the 7th time this year. We're even with the number of 90s through April last year. Thankfully it was a dry heat as dew points in the 40s meant the humidity wasn't a factor.Tonight will be another cool and comfortable night with a mostly clear sky and lows in the upper 50s.Monday will be our last mostly sunny day for a little while. Humidity slowly increases through the day, but it won't be too noticeable. High temperatures should reach the upper 80s with very few high clouds at times.Monday's forecastHumidity rushes back in Monday night and the rest of the week will feature way more clouds, especially in the mornings.Humidity this weekTuesday and Wednesday, therefore, start cloudy with some areas of fog and drizzle. Partly sunny skies break through in the afternoon with highs in the low to mid 80s.Daily storm chances returnBeginning Thursday and continuing through next weekend a series of disturbances will bring rain and...

Experienced skydiver dies in Central Texas after possible parachute malfunction

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Federal Aviation Administration said it was made aware of a skydiving accident that occurred around 1 p.m. Friday in Fentress, Texas, which is about 20 minutes outside of San Marcos.The FAA said it would investigate the packing of the main and reserve parachutes, and the rules of flight for the pilot and aircraft.Skydive Spaceland San Marcos, a skydiving center in Caldwell County, released a statement surrounding the incident.The skydiving center said a 31-year-old licensed, experienced skydiver died while skydiving over Fentress, Texas. According to the center, the skydiver, who had been licensed to skydive solo for at least four years and had done several successful skydives at this location previously, was wearing their own parachute system for a self-supervised skydive when the incident occurred.“The investigation is ongoing, but early indications are that the primary parachute malfunctioned and the backup parachute was used. However, the skydiver did not sur...

Anthropos Arts celebrates 25 years offering free music lessons to low-income students

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Tucked away in a small studio space off I-35 is Anthropos Arts, a nonprofit that has provided musical training and mentorship to thousands of local students from lower-income backgrounds. Now, the organization is celebrating the latest milestone in its tenure, with a 25th anniversary showcase planned for May 7.Dylan Jones, executive director of Anthropos Arts, told KXAN the inspiration for the nonprofit came through the very same musical mentorship he received as a teenager. He credited his bass teacher, Dwayne Heggar, with planting the seed that has since led to Anthropos Arts' musical ecosystem. AUSTIN ART NEWS: Here's the deeper meaning behind Austin's new 'La Mujer" mural "I was at a very critical point in my life and was going off a really bad path, and I credit him with not just changing my life, but saving it, ultimately," he said. "Every kid needs that in their life: That adult, professional non-authority figure to be able to guide and encourage and inspire...

Police seek woman who allegedly stabbed St. Paul man in Bloomington Saturday night

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

A St. Paul man was stabbed in Bloomington on Saturday night, and authorities are looking for a female suspect.Bloomington police gave the following details in a press release:About 11 p.m., a 911 caller reported that a man had been stabbed at an apartment on the 9900 block of Briar Road.Officers arrived to find the 30-year-old victim with a chest wound.They provided medical care until paramedics arrived. The victim was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he’s in stable condition, according to police.Witnesses said the man had argued with a woman he knew prior to the stabbing. She was gone by the time officers arrived. A knife was recovered at the scene.The suspect remained at large on Sunday afternoon. Police say there is no danger to the public and ask anyone with tips about the case to call them.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Arrest made in Minneapolis mosque fires that rattled metro-area Muslims Crime & Public Safety | ...

3 teens, 1 adult killed in Highway 79 collision in Lincoln County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

OLD MONROE, Mo. - Three teenagers and a young woman were killed late Saturday night in a head-on collision on Highway 79 in Lincoln County.According to a report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crash happened just after 11:45 p.m. on Highway 79 near the town of Old Monroe, just south of Route C.A 2016 Chevrolet Impala occupied by four teenagers was traveling southbound on the two-lane highway. The driver, a 16-year-old, attempted to pass a vehicle in front of her, and pulled into the northbound lane. Kim Gardner wants new judge in effort to remove her from office The Impala traveled into the path of an oncoming 2022 Hyundai Elantra, and the vehicles smashed into one another.The driver of the Elantra, identified as Racheal Neldon of Elsberry, was pronounced dead at the scene. Neldon was 23.The driver of the Impala and two passengers, ages 16 and 15, were killed in the collision. A fourth passenger, an 18-year-old from Wright City, was airlifted to a St. Louis hospital wi...

Inland Empire high school goes viral for recreating Rihanna's halftime show

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

The varsity dance team at Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga recreated Rihanna's Super Bowl halftime performance at their recent prom rally, and video of the performance is going viral on social media.The video was originally posted on Instagram and TikTok. It has garnered more than nine million views, with viewers commenting that they hope Rihanna sees the rendition.The NFL's official TikTok account even commented "This is amazing omg" on the video.It's the culmination of lots of hard work and dedication, and head dance coach and choreographer Rachel Muego is jubilant at how the routine turned out."Proud is an understatement," Muego said on Instagram. "The fact that they learned this in a month and a half...no matter what crazy ideas I throw out there, they take it with complete trust and bring everything to life."Now, all that's left is for Rihanna herself to see the performance and give her take.