crime

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These 3 Nations Get an Asterisk for Spring Break

US issues travel advisories for popular destinations Mexico, Jamaica, Bahamas over safety threats

(Newser) - For those prepping for spring break, Uncle Sam is waving the caution flag. The United States has issued travel advisories for multiple destinations popular with spring breakers, along with advice on how to stay safe if you do make the trip:
  • Mexico: AL.com reports that the US Embassy and
...

True-Crime Podcasters Insist They 'Honor' Victims. It's a Lie

Annie Nichol, sister of the murdered Polly Klaas, slams the genre

(Newser) - If you're into true crime, you're not alone, as evidenced by the plethora of podcasts, books, and programs dedicated to the topic. One person who doesn't love this "obsession" with the genre: Annie Nichol, the sister of murder victim Polly Klaas, a 12-year-old Californian who was...

Teen Gets 5 Years in Killing Over Sweet-and-Sour Sauce

'It just doesn't make sense,' says the judge

(Newser) - A teenage girl who fatally stabbed a friend in a dispute outside a McDonald's over a condiment has been sentenced to five years in a juvenile detention center in DC, reports the Washington Post . The unnamed assailant from Waldorf, Maryland, is 16 and will remain in the custody of...

Kaiser Issues a Stark Lunch Break Warning

Oakland's biggest employer suggests staying inside for lunch due to crime

(Newser) - Kaiser Permanente staffers in one California city maybe looking forward to heading outdoors for lunch have received a warning to avoid that, apparently due to local crime. KTVU reports that last month, the health care company sent out a memo advising employees in Oakland to remain inside the company's...

California Detective Has Become a Cold Case Ace
California Detective Has
Become a Cold Case Ace
LONGFORM

California Detective Has Become a Cold Case Ace

'San Francisco Chronicle' profiles one who has solved eight of them in seven years

(Newser) - Cold cases hold particular fascination in the true crime genre, and detective Matt Hutchison can relate. He's managed to solve eight of them in seven years as an officer rotating into the robbery-homicide beat in California's Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety. And while detectives disguising themselves as busboys...

Imprisoned Over Huge Scam, He Insists It Was All Legal

'The Walrus' tells the story of Patrice Runner, who pitched psychic services to believers

(Newser) - As a teen, Canadian Patrice Runner was so intrigued by the power of persuasive copywriting that he set out to become one. Eventually, he was running a booming direct marketing business selling numerous schemes and self-help publications—and the abilities of a psychic, Maria Duval . As Rachel Browne writes for...

Online Challenge Ends With 11-Year-Old Arrested

Florida youth sent police on a 90-minute goose chase, say deputies

(Newser) - An 11-year-old Florida girl has been arrested over a false kidnapping report—and she told officers it was part of a YouTube challenge. The Volusia County Sheriff's Office says the girl texted 911 at 9:45am Wednesday and claimed that a friend had been snatched by an armed...

Cops: Woman Mouths 'Help Me' at Police Stop, Is Rescued
Cops: Woman Mouths 'Help Me'
at Police Stop, Is Rescued
in case you missed it

Cops: Woman Mouths 'Help Me' at Police Stop, Is Rescued

Passenger allegedly forced her at gunpoint to drive him away from a shooting

(Newser) - Thanks to a traffic stop made by an observant officer, police say a South Carolina woman is safe and her passenger, a suspect in an attempted murder, is under arrest. Citing a Facebook post from the Myrtle Beach Police Department, USA Today reports that officer Kayla Wallace pulled over a...

Cops: Alleged Robber Used 'Gun' Many Will Recognize

Officials say David Joseph Dalesandro held up convenience store with Nintendo 'Duck Hunt' pistol

(Newser) - An armed robbery this week at a South Carolina convenience store apparently wasn't as "armed" as the clerk thought. CNN reports on the Tuesday incident at a Kwik Stop in the small town of Sharon, where a man donning a hoodie, wig, and mask entered the store around...

Trial Begins in Deadliest Antisemitic Attack in US History

Robert Bowers is on trial for the 11 deaths at the Tree of Life Synagogue

(Newser) - Prosecutors on Tuesday described how a heavily armed suspect barged into a Pittsburgh synagogue and shot every worshipper he could find in the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history, per the AP . Robert Bowers' federal trial got underway more than four years after the shooting deaths of 11 worshippers at...

Airbnb: Call the Police On Loud Rental Home Parties

The short-term rental giant expects 300 million bookings this year

(Newser) - Airbnb is trying to crack down on disruptive parties this summer, especially over the Memorial Day and July 4th weekends, reports Quartz . And one big part of the strategy is having neighbors snitch on partying renters, per CBS News . In a blog post, Airbnb announced a “party prevention system,...

Major Gang Takedown Snags Drill Rapper Sheff G

He was among 32 people indicted by the Brooklyn DA

(Newser) - Rappers Sheff G—born Michael Williams—and Sleepy Hallow, AKA Tegan Chambers, are well-known in the popular New York drill music scene, having racked up more than 100 million views and plays on YouTube and Spotify. On Tuesday, they racked up something else—charges. The New York Times reports the...

Preschool Teacher Arrested During Naptime in Murder

Diana Ornelas was picked up on Stanford campus in relation to an April killing

(Newser) - A preschool teacher in California has been arrested on suspicion of murder—and the arrest came during the children's naptime, reports SFGate . Diane Ornelas, 22, worked at a preschool used by Stanford University's faculty, students, and staff. Ornelas and Dennis Novoa, 27, were arrested in connection with...

Mom: Kidnap Scam Used AI Clone of Daughter's Voice

Jennifer DeStefano is spreading the word after terrifying phone call

(Newser) - Jennifer DeStefano got a call from an unknown number while her 15-year-old daughter Brianna was at an athletic event. Fearing an emergency, she answered, reports CNN . DeStefano heard a girl's voice identical to Brianna's. She screamed that she'd "messed up," then the terrified mom heard...

Cops: Florida Man Killed, Dismembered Uber Eats Driver

'This was demonic,' sheriff says

(Newser) - A Florida man is charged with murder and other offenses in the slaying and dismemberment of an Uber Eats driver who had brought food to the assailant's house, authorities said Tuesday. Oscar Solis Jr., 30, is charged with killing the driver during a delivery Wednesday, April 19, at a...

Man Kneeling at Friend's Memorial Killed in Hit and Run

Michael Berry was visiting a memorial that had been erected on State Road 415

(Newser) - A Florida man lost his life at the very spot where a friend had died two years prior—with both having been killed in the same way. Sanford resident Michael Berry, 42, was at the roadside memorial honoring his late friend on April 12 when Berry was struck and...

Lightfoot's Loss Illustrates a Problem for Democrats
Lori Lightfoot's
Successor Has
Been Determined
updated

Lori Lightfoot's Successor Has Been Determined

Brandon Johnson wins runoff election over the more conservative candidate

(Newser) - Union organizer and former teacher Brandon Johnson will be the next mayor of Chicago. Johnson won Tuesday's runoff election over the police union-backed Paul Vallas, in what the AP calls "a major victory for the Democratic Party’s progressive wing" in the city. Johnson will succeed Lori Lightfoot,...

Pandemic Changed the Way Cocaine Moves Around World

Production is at a record high, and smugglers are using parcel services more

(Newser) - In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, production of cocaine has skyrocketed and new distribution hubs have emerged in Africa, reports the BBC . Cocaine production rose by 35% between 2020 and 2021, marking the biggest increase in seven years, per CBS News , which also cites a new report from the...

Biden Says He'd Sign Measure Overriding Changes in DC Laws

House Republicans argue council's overhaul would increase crime

(Newser) - President Biden said Thursday he would sign a Republican-sponsored resolution blocking new District of Columbia laws that overhaul how the nation's capital prosecutes and punishes crime. City officials have spent nearly two decades trying to redo Washington's criminal laws, including redefining crimes, changing criminal justice policies, and reworking...

Cops Say Renowned Music Teacher Was a Serial Rapist

Elliott Higgins, late founder of New Mexico music camp, called 'master manipulator and liar'

(Newser) - Elliott Higgins was 73 when he died in 2014. At the time he was a respected French horn teacher who had run a music camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and even conducted the Albuquerque Philharmonic. But in October 2022, DNA and genetic genealogy linked Higgins—who had never been a...

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