Russian news reports say a member of Russian punk protest group Pussy Riot has been hospitalized in grave condition for what could be a possible poisoning.
Ekho Moskvy radio and online news portal Meduza reported Wednesday that Pyotr Verzilov has been in emergency care since late Tuesday. They quoted a fellow Pussy Riot member, Veronika Nikulshina, as saying Verzilov’s symptoms included losing his eyesight and ability to speak.
Nikulshina said Verzilov was being treated in the toxicology unit of a Moscow hospital, indicating a suspected poisoning.
Verzilov, Nikulshina and two other activists served 15-day jail sentences for disrupting July’s World Cup final.
They ran onto the field wearing police uniforms, briefly interrupting the match between France and Croatia. Pussy Riot said they were protesting excessive police powers in Russia.
In recent years, Marc Jacobs has become known for starting his runway show — which traditionally closes out Fashion Week — with military precision at 6 p.m., no matter who’s running late. It was a shock, then, when Jacobs kept his guests waiting for 90 long minutes on Wednesday, tapping their feet and staring at their phones.
What was the reason for the unusual delay? Jacobs’ staff said the issue was an errant clothing delivery, no doubt caught in rush-hour traffic, exacerbated by the rain. Some fans of Rihanna, though, had their own conspiracy theory: Maybe, some speculated on Twitter, he was getting back at the pop singer, who had scheduled a 7 p.m. show in Brooklyn, thereby usurping his finale.
Whatever the reason, those who stayed put at Jacobs’ show in the spare, cavernous Park Avenue Armory seemed delighted they’d done so. They were treated to a needed injection of old-style glamour and charming excess, expressed in eye-catching pastels, 60s-style bouffant hairstyles, and ruffles, ruffles and more ruffles.
After all that waiting, there was audible relief as the lights finally came down and the first model emerged, to a pulsing Philip Glass-like soundtrack, in a yellow-green slip dress and sparkling tights. The next look dramatically upped the brightness quotient: a huge, neon-yellow leather raincoat, with matching Jackie Kennedy-style kerchief over poufy hair.
Other models emerged with stylish veils covering their faces, tied in a bow at the top of their heads, or with little fascinator hats and attached veils (headgear was by master milliner Stephen Jones).
And then there were the aforementioned ruffles, of all sorts, but always big: on a blue plaid dress with giant puffed sleeves, on a one-shouldered polka-dot top, on a brown satin cape lined in light blue, and on giant collars everywhere.
Shades of pink were big, as in a Chanel-style pink tweed jacket paired with pink leather trousers, or a filmy pink-and-orange gown with ruffles from the hip down to the floor, or a fanciful feathered concoction in the identical two shades.
As for the ruffles, they seemed to grow as the show went along; many garments — tops, dresses — weren’t ruffled so much as they were simply one enormous ruffle, covering the body.
The candy-colored scheme extended beyond clothes to hair: A slew of models had their hair bleached and dyed to match their outfits. An oversized peach-hued coat looked great with the model’s hair in the very same peach.
Among those watching: Vogue editor Anna Wintour, filmmaker Sofia Coppola, and rapper Nicki Minaj, who’s been front and center all week and who was decidedly wearing the right thing: A bright red gown with, you guessed it — enormous ruffles for sleeves.
The most powerful typhoon of the season is closing in on the northern Philippines, where officials ordered precautionary evacuations and closures of schools and offices and urged farmers to quickly harvest their crops to reduce damage.
Forecasters said Typhoon Mangkhut, considered as the strongest this year, could hit northern Cagayan province on Saturday. It was located about 800 kilometers (500 miles) away in the Pacific with sustained winds of 265 kilometers (165 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 325 kph (201 mph). It could maintain the strength of a super typhoon when it hits land in the northeastern corner of Luzon Island.
On Guam, residents woke up Tuesday to flooded streets, downed trees and widespread power outages after Mangkhut passed through overnight.
The Pacific Daily News reported government agencies were conducting damage assessments and beginning to clear roads. About 80 percent of the U.S. territory was without power but it was restored by Thursday morning.
With a massive rain band 900 kilometers (560 miles) wide, combined with seasonal monsoon rains, the storm could bring heavy to intense rains that could set off landslides and flash floods, Philippine state forecaster Meno Mendoza said.
Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba said by telephone that northern coastal and island villages in the typhoon’s projected path will begin evacuating residents on Thursday ahead of the expected onslaught. He said classes will be suspended and offices, except those involved in rescue and relief work, advised to close on Friday.
In 2016, a super typhoon lashed the southern section of Cagayan, destroying tens of thousands of houses. Mangkhut is blowing from the Pacific and forecast to directly slam the province’s northeastern coastal and island municipalities, Mamba said.
“I’m stressing that this one is very different, this is more complicated because of possible storm surges,” Mamba said, referring to giant waves whipped inland by a typhoon.
The typhoon is arriving at the start of the rice and corn harvest season in Cagayan, a major agricultural producer, and farmers were scrambling to save what they could of their crops, Mamba said. The Philippines has been trying to cope with rice shortages.
Office of Civil Defense chief Ricardo Jalad said other northern provinces will also start evacuating residents from low-lying areas on Thursday.
“The worst cases are those areas which will be directly hit by strong winds that can topple houses, storm surges and heavy rains that can cause flooding, and there may be landslides in higher areas,” Jalad told reporters.
A missile test aboard a navy ship to be attended by President Rodrigo Duterte off northern Bataan province was canceled due to the approaching typhoon.
After leaving the Philippines, the fast-moving storm is expected to blow toward Hong Kong and southern China on Sunday if it maintains its course, forecasters said.
Mangkhut is the 15th storm this year to batter the Philippines, which is hit by about 20 a year and is considered one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. Typhoon Haiyan left more than 7,300 people dead or missing and displaced over 5 million in the central Philippines in 2013.
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This story has been corrected to show that Typhoon Haiyan struck in 2013, not 2014.
VATICAN CITY (AP) – Pope Francis is summoning the presidents of every bishops conference around the world for a February summit to discuss preventing clergy sex abuse and protecting children.
Francis’ key cardinal advisers announced the decision Wednesday, as the latest chapter in the Catholic Church’s long-running sex abuse and cover-up scandal has thrown Francis’ papacy into crisis.
The Feb. 21-24 meeting is believed to be the first of its kind, and signals a realization at the highest levels of the church that clergy sex abuse is a global problem and not restricted to the Anglo-Saxon world, as many church leaders have long insisted.
Francis’ papacy has been jolted by accusations he rehabilitated a top American cardinal from sanctions imposed by Pope Benedict XVI for having molested and harassed adult seminarians.
NEW YORK (AP) – A television network has aired video of Harvey Weinstein fondling a woman who accused him of rape.
The video aired Wednesday by Sky News was recorded by Melissa Thompson when she met Weinstein at his office in 2011.
It shows Weinstein propositioning Thompson and caressing her shoulder during a business presentation.
The video shows Thompson reacting with discomfort but also joking about his advances, saying that “data is hot.”
In a lawsuit filed in June, Thompson said Weinstein raped her that evening at a hotel.
Only portions of the video were aired on Sky.
Weinstein’s lawyer says the full video “demonstrates that there is nothing forceful” and shows “casual, if not awkward, flirting from both parties.”
Weinstein has been charged in New York with assaulting three women, but not Thompson.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ)- A former teacher in Fayette and Woodford counties says she’s guilty of rape and sodomy involving a student younger than 16 years old.
The Woodford County Circuit Court says 28-year-old Lindsey Jarvis pleaded guilty to the charges Wednesday.
Jarvis was accused of having sex with a 15-year-old boy.
She was a social studies teacher in Woodford County, and later an instructional assistant in Fayette County.
The recommended sentence is 18 months.
Jarvis will be formally sentenced on December 5.
CYNTHIANA, Ky. (WTVQ) – High water and strong currents continue to hamper recovery efforts for a fisherman swept away by flood waters in Harrison County last weekend.
Officials say 77-year old Porter Lamb, of Winchester, and a friend were in a fishing tournament in the South Fork Licking River.
They say their boat got too close to Terry Dam and the two men ended up in the water. Lamb’s friend eventually made it safely to shore, but Lamb hasn’t been seen since.
Despite the high water and swift current, recovery teams have still searched along the shore, which has included the use of cadaver dogs.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Robust competition for Thoroughbred racing prospects among a global contingent of buyers continued Wednesday during the third session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where a colt from the first crop of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah brought $1.4 million and six other yearlings sold for more than $1 million each.
Keeneland says the seven million-dollar sales increased the total number of yearlings sold for seven figures or more through the first three days of the 2018 September Sale to 20, eclipsing last year’s total of 13 for the entire auction and marking the highest number since 2007.
On Wednesday, Keeneland sold 151 yearlings for $52,883,000 for an average of $350,219 and a median of $270,000. Through the first three sessions, 457 yearlings have sold for a total of $167,338,000 for an average of $366,166 and a median of $280,000.
Larry Best’s OXO Equine purchased Wednesday’s highest-priced yearling, who was consigned by Sierra Farm. The colt is out of the multiple Grade 2-winnng Pulpit mare Bsharpsonata, purchased by Sierra for $375,000 at Keeneland’s 2016 November Breeding Stock Sale when she was carrying the session-topper.
Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Shadwell Estate Company Ltd. bought two of the day’s highest-priced yearlings.
Shadwell paid $1.2 million for a War Front filly bred by Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm. Consigned by Timber Town, agent, the filly is out of the Group 3-placed Galileo (IRE) mare Betterbetterbetter (IRE) and from the family of Irish highweights Yesterday (IRE) and Quarter Moon (IRE).
Shadwell was the session’s leading buyer, spending $5,195,000 for seven horses. Another purchase, at $1.2 million, was a colt by Medaglia d’Oro out of Irish stakes winner Bunairgead (IRE), by New Approach. He was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.
Taylor Made Sales Agency was the leading consignor on Wednesday, selling 25 horses for $8,097,000.
A $1.1 million War Front colt from the family of Racing Hall of Famer Rags to Riches sold to China Horse Club/Maverick Racing, which bought undefeated 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify for $500,000 at the 2016 September Sale.
Lane’s End, agent, consigned the colt, who is out of the Street Cry (IRE) mare Tiffany’s Honour, a half-sister to Rags to Riches, Irish highweight Man of Iron, Belmont (G1) winner Jazil and Grade 2 winner Casino Drive. Streaming, from the same family, produced the sale-topping $2.4 million War Front colt sold Tuesday.
Trainer Chad Brown signed the ticket for the $1.1 million Quality Road colt purchased by White Birch Farm and Three Chimneys. Consigned by Indian Creek, agent, the colt is out of the Mineshaft mare What’smineismine, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Spring Quality and Grade 3 winner Holiday Star.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Godolphin paid $1.1 million for a daughter of Uncle Mo from the family of champion Lady Eli. Consigned by Runnymede Farm, agent, the Uncle Mo filly is out of Lady Eli’s Grade 3-winning half-sister Bizzy Caroline, by Afleet Alex.
Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables spent $1.025 million for a daughter of Ghostzapper who is a full sister to Grade 1 winner Molly Morgan. Woods Edge Farm, agent, consigned the filly, who is out of the Distorted Humor mare Capitulation.
The September Sale runs through Sunday, Sept. 23, with the final Book 1 session beginning tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET.
No sale will be held Friday. The auction will resume Saturday with the first of the two-day Book 2 beginning at 10 a.m.
The entire sale is streamed live at Keeneland.com.
Two American business groups have released a survey that found almost two-thirds of U.S. companies in China have been hurt by the tariff war between Beijing and Washington and others say they will suffer if the two sides go ahead with more penalties.
The American Chambers of Commerce in China and in Shanghai appealed Thursday to both governments to avoid further damage by resuming negotiations aimed at settling the dispute over Beijing’s technology policy.
The chambers said 63.6 percent of more than 430 companies that responded to the survey said costs have risen and customer demand has fallen. Almost three-quarters said they would be hurt if President Donald Trump goes ahead with plans to raise duties on another $200 billion of Chinese goods and Beijing retaliates.
President Donald Trump‘s assertion that the federal government’s response to Hurricane Maria was “an incredible, unsung success” fell flat in Puerto Rico, where islanders are still struggling to recover from the devastating storm a year later.
“I was indignant,” said Gloria Rosado, a 62-year-old college professor who watched the president’s news conference on TV late Tuesday from San Juan and was still fuming the next day. “The image of my dead husband immediately came to my mind … as well as all the lives that were lost.”
Rosado’s husband, who was hospitalized for respiratory and renal complications and ultimately suffered a heart attack, was one of the estimated 2,975 people who died in the Category 4 storm’s aftermath when medical resources were strained beyond the breaking point.
For many, Trump’s boast about “one of the best jobs that’s ever been done” was hard to square with their daily reality: Blackouts remain common; nearly 60,000 homes are covered by only a makeshift roof not capable of withstanding a Category 1 hurricane; and 13 percent of municipalities lack stable phone or internet service.
“Nobody is singing his praises because we all saw what happened,” San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz told The Associated Press. “He wasn’t up to the task…and the way that he neglected our lives gave permission to other people in his administration to look the other way.”
Cruz criticized Trump in a series of tweets, including one that said, “If he thinks the death of 3,000 people (is) a success God help us all.”
That reignited a longstanding feud between the mayor and Trump, who fired back calling her “totally incompetent” and saying the U.S. government “did an unappreciated great job in Puerto Rico.”
A July report by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, noted several shortcomings in its response, including that it underestimated how much food and water would be needed after the storm and that not enough Spanish-speaking aid workers were deployed to the island.
At the same time, the agency also faced challenges that were arguably beyond its control such as the sheer force of the monster storm and the logistical difficulties of reaching the Caribbean island over a thousand miles (1,600 kilometers) away from the mainland.
And many residents say local officials share much of the blame. Puerto Rico’s government has acknowledged that its emergency plans were designed for a Category 1 hurricane, as well as failures to follow those plans and communications breakdowns.
Ramon Ruiz, a 56-year-old business owner whose father died from heart problems on Thanksgiving after riding out the hurricane alone at home, pressed up against the door to keep it from caving in, is among those who say both local and federal authorities were slow to act.
“If it wasn’t for the churches and private organizations, we truly would not have received help from anyone,” Ruiz said. “They are treating us like second-class citizens. … If we were another state, the response would have been much faster.”
In Maria’s aftermath, according to FEMA data analyzed by the AP, approvals for individual assistance checks in Puerto Rico were slower compared with what happened with large storms last year. From Sept. 30 to Oct. 7, not one of those checks was approved. On Oct. 8 the approvals began rolling again, but with a large spike suggesting a backlog.
In addition, data from the U.S. Small Business Administration indicate that approvals for disaster loans in Puerto Rico were slow — the first one was not approved until 15 days after the storm was declared, four times as long as with Hurricane Harvey.
For Maria, there was a large gap between when the first loan was approved and when loans started ramping up. While 25 percent of Harvey loans were OKed within 42 days, for Maria, that didn’t happen until Jan. 9, more than three months after the storm hit.
Overall, compared with Harvey and Irma, Maria saw more funds loaned to homeowners rather than business owners.
Islanders have also been angered by recent discoveries of supplies that never got delivered. A photo that emerged Tuesday of thousands of water bottles abandoned on a runway in eastern Puerto Rico prompted local officials to say Wednesday that they were opening an investigation.
Ottmar Chavez, the new secretary of the island’s General Services Administration, said at a news conference that Puerto Rican officials requested the water from the U.S. government and were supposed to pick it up in late May. He said some of it was distributed but people complained that it smelled bad. He added that it was unclear why the remainder sat on the runway for nearly four months.
Shortly after Maria hit last year, Trump visited Puerto Rico and was widely criticized for tossing paper towels to storm victims in a manner seen by many as insensitive to the scope of the disaster.
His latest remarks once again dredged up those same hurt feelings.
“I ignore them because none of them make sense,” said Michelle Cruz, a 48-year-old airline worker whose mother died in December from septicemia after contracting an infection in a hospital during surgery after Maria. “It bothers me and it hurts. But I don’t pay attention to him.”
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Data journalist Angeliki Kastanis reported from Los Angeles. Videographer Chris Gillette contributed to this report.
MOREHEAD, Ky. (WTVQ)- We now know the name of the missing 9-year-old boy who was swept away by flood waters Sunday afternoon.
There is still no sign of Bryce Kolton Wade Combs.
Crews are now considering this a recovery effort, rather than a rescue. They plan to start the search again, Thursday morning.
We will have updated coverage on ABC 36 News at 11.
After a five-year battle, Chile’s congress passed a gender identity law Wednesday that allows transgender people over 14 years of age to change their name and gender in official records.
Activists called the with 95-46 vote in favor of the law “historic,” with Chile’s Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation saying it “will change the quality of life of thousands of people.”
The law makes it possible to modify information registered in birth certificates through a simple process done at the civil registry. Those between the ages of 14 and 18 will need permission from a parent or guardian, along with consent granted by a family court.
The bill had been approved by the senate last week. President Sebastian Pinera has 30 days to sign the project into law.
After the vote, conservative lawmakers Sergio Bobadilla and Juan Antonio Coloma said they intend to go to the Constitutional Court to argue the project “undermines the right of the biological identity of minors.”
Chile’s Constitutional Court is, in practice, a type of third legislative chamber because it can modify laws already approved by the congress and the senate. Both the ruling party and the opposition file appeals to the court when they do not agree with a law.
While LGBTQ activists applauded the bill, they regretted that it did not include those under 14 years of age.
“Today is bittersweet since the discrimination against those under 14 will translate into more suicides,” said Rolando Jimenez, one of the founders of the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation.
New Zealand’s largest company, which sells dairy products, says it will completely review its business after a disastrous financial year saw it post its first-ever loss.
Fonterra lost hundreds of millions of dollars on its investments in China and also had to pay a large arbitration settlement following a 2013 botulism scare. The company has a new leadership team, which is promising to turn things around after both the chief executive and the board chairman recently quit.
Chief Executive Miles Hurrell says Fonterra failed to meet the promises it had made to more than 10,000 farmers who own the company under a cooperative structure.
Fonterra announced an after-tax loss of 196 million New Zealand dollars ($129 million) for the year ending July, compared to a previous-year profit of NZ$745 million.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ)- The state released updated hepatitis A numbers that put into statistical perspective the scope of the outbreak in Kentucky, which is the worst in the nation.
To date, the state says there have been 1,628 reported cases.
Eighty-six of the state’s 120 counties have reported cases.
A total of 919 people have been hospitalized due to hepatitis A and 13 people have died.
The Top 5 counties with the most confirmed cases are:
- Jefferson County (599 cases)
2. Boyd County (158 cases)
3. Carter County (121 cases)
4. Whitley County (64 cases)
5. Bullitt County (57 cases)
Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus. It can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months. Although rare, hepatitis A can cause death in some people.
Hepatitis A usually spreads when a person unknowingly ingests the virus from objects, food, or drinks contaminated by small, undetected amounts of stool from an infected person. Hepatitis A can also spread from close personal contact with an infected person such as through sex or caring for someone who is ill.
Older children and adults typically have symptoms. If symptoms develop, they can appear abruptly and can include:
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Dark urine
- Clay-colored stools
- Joint pain
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)
Most children younger than age 6 do not have symptoms when they have hepatitis A. When symptoms are present, young children typically do not have jaundice but most older children and adults with hepatitis A have jaundice.
If symptoms occur, they usually start appearing 4 weeks after exposure, but can occur as early as 2 and as late as 7 weeks after exposure. Symptoms usually develop over a period of several days.
Symptoms usually last less than 2 months, although some people (10%–15%) with hepatitis A can have symptoms for as long as 6 months.
The best way to prevent hepatitis A is through vaccination with the hepatitis A vaccine. To get the full benefit of the hepatitis A vaccine, more than one shot is needed. The number and timing of these shots depends on the type of vaccine you are given.
Practicing good hand hygiene – including thoroughly washing hands after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and before preparing or eating food – plays an important role in preventing the spread of hepatitis A.
Colombia’s last-remaining rebel group freed six people it took captive last month amid demands from President Ivan Duque that it release all hostages and cease kidnapping in order for peace talks to resume.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it took part in the humanitarian mission Wednesday in western Choco department. There were no other immediate details.
Duque suspended peace talks with the National Liberation Army, or ELN, upon taking office a month ago, insisting that for negotiations to resume the rebels must stop all criminal activity, including kidnappings and attacks on oil pipelines.
The conservative leader showed little interest in softening his position as news of the release emerged. While celebrating that the captives would soon be reunited with loved ones, he called his predecessor’s decision to negotiate with rebels even as they continued to carry out attacks a “historic mistake” that he would not repeat.
“If there is a genuine desire for peace, the government will be there,” Duque said in a speech in the southern city of Pasto. But “if we want to build peace with this armed group they need to begin by stating clearly that they will suspend all criminal activities.”
The three police officers, army soldier and two civilian contractors were taken captive more than a month ago when the small boat they were traveling on was intercepted by a guerrillas belonging to the ELN who were patrolling a remote river in western Colombia.
Authorities said the group was dressed in civilian clothing and returning a rural zone where members of another rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, had demobilized as part of a 2016 peace deal.
The government maintains that the ELN is holding another 10 civilian hostages. The rebels haven’t confirmed that number.
The ELN has said it will only cease attacks if the government agrees to a bilateral ceasefire.
The ELN was created in 1964 by a group of Catholic priests and Marxist activists inspired by the Cuban revolution. It has approximately 1,500 fighters and it became the country’s last remaining guerrilla group after the much-larger FARC disbanded as part of the peace deal with Duque’s predecessor.
Former President Juan Manuel Santos began peace talks with the ELN that have yielded few commitments so far. The talks were suspended at the beginning of this year after the rebel group broke a bilateral ceasefire that had lasted for three months, but they resumed in May even while fighting between the government and the ELN continued.
BOSTON (WTVQ) – GasBuddy has now expanded its fuel availability tracker for
motorists in Georgia, joining North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia motorists looking for fuel ahead of Hurricane Florence’s arrival, which has prompted millions of people to evacuate.
“Stations aren’t able to refill their storage tanks as quickly as drivers are filling up due to the influx of demand,” says Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy. “Supply continues to flow out of refineries at normal levels, so the outages at stations are more of a headache than a panic – there’s many stations that still have fuel as refiners and gasoline production have continued countrywide. There have been no refinery shutdowns as a result of Florence.”
GasBuddy says drivers in the affected regions can expect some continued bottlenecks as stations try to catch up. After the storm, power disruptions may make filling up more challenging, but motorists should not worry. There is plenty of gasoline. The delay is due to the logistics of getting gasoline to the stations.
More delays may occur after Florence has moved on due to possible storm damage, debris or flooding.
“The good news for motorists is that this is not an event that will result in widespread gas price spikes. Refiners are unhindered and out of the way of the storm, so gasoline keeps flowing.” says DeHaan. “Gas prices are still likely to fluctuate in the days and weeks ahead, but it will likely be due to other factors, such as the price of oil rising or falling. There may be minor price movements, mainly in the hardest hit areas as a result, but only in a worst case scenario. Gas prices will eventually fall due to lower autumn demand and a switch to cheaper winter gasoline that takes place this weekend. This event is very unlikely to drive broad large price increases.”
Those in need of fuel can download the GasBuddy app to find out which gas stations have gas, diesel and power.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) — A United States district judge has sentenced a Cold Spring man for carjacking and possessing a firearm.
Court officials say 35-year-old Christopher Pinguely was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in federal prison. They say earlier this year, Pinguely admitted that, in September 2017, he carjacked a semi-truck in Henry County, by pointing a rifle at the truck driver and threatening to shoot him. Shortly after the carjacking, law enforcement officers, with the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office and the Kentucky State Police, located Pinguely and the semi-truck in Gallatin County. They say Pinguely was in possession of a MP-15 rifle.
Under federal law, Pinguely must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence; and upon his release, he will be under the supervision of the United States Probation Office for five years.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – After officials said students’ actions at a football game in Kentucky were racially insensitive, their volleyball team has offered a token of friendship as the two high schools competed again.
News outlets report Ballard High School’s volleyball players gave yellow roses to their opponents from Louisville Central High School. The gesture Tuesday night was in response to Ballard students passing a watermelon around in the crowd when the schools played Friday night.
County schools spokeswoman Renee Murphy says Ballard’s volleyball team discussed what happened last week and wanted to display a sign of respect when they played Central.
Central tweeted that Ballard’s move was “great sportsmanship.”
Schools data show Central’s student body was 77 percent black and 8 percent white last year. Ballard’s was 33 percent black and 55 percent white.
PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WTVQ) —A United States district judge has sentenced a former Tennessee constable to 10 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute oxycodone.
The Department of Justice says 67-year-old Bobby Roy Justice has also been ordered to pay a $60,000 fine.
Court officials say a federal investigation revealed that, over a five-year period, Justice imported over 90,000 oxycodone pills, from suppliers in Florida, to the Pike County area for distribution. During one of the trips, the Kentucky State Police found Justice in possession of hundreds of pills and a firearm. They say Justice also used others to distribute pills on his behalf. Justice pled guilty to the charges against him in May of 2018.
Prior to his indictment, Justice was serving as a constable in Dandridge, Tennessee. He has since resigned that post.
Under federal law, Justice must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence, and, upon release, will be under the supervision of the United States Probation Office for three years.
An ex-convict pleaded guilty Wednesday to killing a University of Utah student from China using a gun stolen after another slaying.
Austin Boutain, 24, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the plea agreement that allowed him to avoid the death penalty. He pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping charges.
He and his wife were charged with hatching a carjacking plot that led to the October 2017 death of Chenwei Guo, whose parents live in Beijing and were devastated over the death of their only son at age 23.
He “was a perfect son to them,” said prosecutor Chou Chou Collins.
Boutain stood in the courtroom shackled, surrounded by guards. He also pleaded guilty to attacking another inmate and damaging a sprinkler in jail.
“I know sorry doesn’t mean much, but I am truly sorry,” he said.
His wife Kathleen Boutain, 24, has been charged with criminal solicitation, theft and other counts. She has yet to enter a plea.
They were drifters who fled to Utah after cutting the throat of Mitchell Ingle, 63, in Golden, Colorado, in a plan to steal his trailer home, authorities said.
After Ingle’s death, they drove his truck to Salt Lake City, ditched it and set up camp in a canyon near the university campus, police said.
There, they decided to find a car, force the driver to drive to Tennessee, using the driver’s money to fund the trip before killing the person, according to charging documents.
After hours of looking for potential victims, Kathleen Boutain got frustrated and left, prosecutors said.
Austin Boutain walked up to Guo’s car and knocked on the window to ask if he had seen her. When Gou, who was with a female friend, didn’t answer, Boutain “became enraged” and fired at the car until the gun was empty, documents state. Guo was fatally struck in the neck.
The woman escaped and Boutain ran away, setting off a manhunt in the foothills near Salt Lake City. He eluded police for hours by crawling on his belly through thick underbrush and circling back to the city, authorities said.
He was caught when an alert librarian spotted him at the downtown library.
The couple has also been charged with murder and other counts in Colorado, though it’s not clear when they’ll face those charges. The two states are still negotiating whether Austin Boutain would be brought to Colorado following his Utah sentencing or would have to first complete his sentence there, said Pam Russell, a spokeswoman for Utah prosecutor Peter Weir.
Austin Boutain’s criminal history includes drug, car theft and weapons charges dating to when he was a juvenile. He was released from an Alabama prison in spring 2017.
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Associated Press writer Kathleen Foody in Denver contributed to this story.
Michelle Obama will visit 10 cities to promote her memoir “Becoming,” a tour featuring arenas and other performing centers to accommodate crowds far too big for any bookstore.
The former first lady will begin at the United Center in her native Chicago on Nov. 13, the book’s release date. She will finish at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Dec. 17, Live Nation and the Crown Publishing Group announced Wednesday. In between, appearances will include Barclays Center in New York City, the Pepsi Center Arena in Denver and The Forum in Los Angeles.
Obama and former President Barack Obama each have been working on memoirs, for which they negotiated a multimillion dollar deal with Crown. No date has been set for his book, although it’s expected in 2019.
Western leaders have scheduled more visits to Macedonia ahead of an upcoming referendum that would change the country’s name and get it fast-tracked for NATO membership.
European Union foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell plan to be there Thursday.
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has a weekend stop planned. The referendum on changing the country’s name to North Macedonia is scheduled for Sept. 30.
If voters back the new name, Greece has agreed to stop blocking Macedonia from joining NATO. The Macedonia name has been a source of tension between the neighboring nations for decades.
Greece has a region named Macedonia, and said the use of the same name by the small former Yugoslav republic to its north could imply a claim to the territory and ancient heritage of the Greek province.
The Macedonian government, led by center-left Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, launched its referendum campaign earlier this week, urging people to support the new name. Zaev negotiated the agreement with the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
Macedonia’s conservative opposition vehemently opposes the agreement with Greece, saying it was a national humiliation.
The opposition leader, Hristijan Mickoski, reiterated those objections Wednesday but told supporters to vote “with their conscience.”
Westerns governments have been vocal in their support of the deal. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were in Macedonia’s capital, Skopje, last week to urge voters to support the name change.
At a Pentagon briefing Tuesday, Defense Secretary Mattis told reporters he was concerned about alleged acts of “mischief” by Russia to try to block Macedonia’s path to NATO membership.
Russia denies claims of interference, but openly opposes NATO expansion eastward.
Kosovo’s President Hashim Thaci endorsed the “yes” campaign at a meeting with Zaev, saying the referendum was “an historic moment that needs to be seized.”
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AP Writer Derek Gatopoulos contributed from Athens, Greece