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Jacksonville shooter killed a devoted dad, a beloved mom and a teen helping support his family

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:28 GMT

By RUSS BYNUM (Associated Press)JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A.J. Laguerre worked at a Dollar General store after finishing high school to help support the grandmother who raised him. Angela Michelle Carr was an Uber driver beloved by her children. Jerrald Gallion relished weekends with his 4-year-old daughter.All three were slain Saturday when a gunman with swastikas painted on his rifle opened fire at the Dollar General where Laguerre worked in Jacksonville. The sheriff said writings left by the killer, a 21-year-old white man, made clear that he was motivated by racism. Each victim was Black.“I never thought I’d have to bury my baby brother,” Quan Laguerre said Monday outside the family’s house not far from the store.“They say don’t question God,” he said. “But I just want to know why.”Residents gather at a prayer vigil for the victims of a mass shooting a day earlier, in Jacksonville, Fla., Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/John Raoux)A.J. Laguerre, 19, was the youngest of five sibl...

Max Scherzer reflects on Mets trade as he returns to Citi Field with Texas Rangers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:28 GMT

Max Scherzer knew something was up.Despite the disastrous season that left the Mets toward the bottom of the NL East standings, the three-time Cy Young Award winner was confident that the club would load up again in 2024 in an attempt to contend for a pennant. Owner Steve Cohen, a shrewd businessman and the richest owner in baseball, had assured him of such in the past.But in the days leading up to the Aug. 1 trade deadline, Scherzer was less and less sure. Players around the league were texting Scherzer to ask if he would waive his no-trade clause. They left Scherzer wondering if there was any truth to the rumors that the Mets were shopping him on the trade market.He sought more assurance from Cohen and was surprised to hear that the team’s plans had changed and that he was no longer a part of them. By the end of the night, he had waived the no-trade and was on his way to join the Texas Rangers.“Where I’m at in my career, where my age is at, I don’t have tim...

Revs left back Brandon Bye recovering from knee surgery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:28 GMT

New England Revolution left back Brandon Bye underwent successful knee surgery on Monday to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. The procedure was performed by Dr. Scott Martin at Mass. General with a recovery period of nine months.Bye suffered the injury making a play in the 49th minute of a 2-2 draw with Atlas FC of LIGA MX in a League Cup match on Aug. 3 at Gillette Stadium. Bye was the Revolution’s first round pick in the MLS SuperDraft in 2018 and has made 153 regular season appearances in his six professional seasons in New England.Bye had started 19 MLS games this season and logged 1,665 minutes with two goals and two assists. Ryan Spaulding will likely start at left back when the Revolution host Red Bulls New York on Wednesday night (7:30) at Gillette Stadium.

QB’s Morehead, Castellanos give BC different looks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:28 GMT

Emmett Morehead will start at quarterback when Boston College opens the 2023 season against Northern Illinois on Saturday (noon) at Alumni Stadium.Not exactly a news flash.Morehead had the benefit of incumbency and being the only quarterback of the roster with Power-5 game experience. Morehead took over the BC offense last season when Phil Jurkovec went down with a season-ending right knee injury in a 13-3 loss at UConn on Oct. 29.He threw for 330 yards and four touchdowns in his first career start against Duke and powered the Eagles to a 21-20 upset victory over No. 17 North Carolina State at Carter-Finley Stadium.Morehead completed 29-of-48 passes for 330-yards and three touchdowns with two picks against the Wolfpack. He finished the season with 1,257 yards on 115 completions with 10 touchdowns and six picks.“Emmett will start and I thought had a good camp,” said BC coach Jeff Hafley during his weekly news briefing on Monday at the Yawkey Center.Despite all his qualifications, the...

News outlet asks court to dismiss former Mississippi governor’s defamation lawsuit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:28 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A local news outlet that helped expose a wide-reaching public corruption scandal has filed its first defense against a defamation lawsuit brought by former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, with the news outlet arguing it engaged in constitutionally protected speech. In Mississippi Today’s first legal response since Bryant sued the outlet and its CEO in the Circuit Court of Madison County on July 26 for allegedly defaming him in public comments on the misspending of $77 million of federal welfare funds, attorney Henry Laird outlined on Friday 19 legal defenses against the former governor’s claims.The attorney also requested that the ex-governor’s complaint be dismissed.“We will vigorously defend this case and ensure the people of Mississippi that the press will not be intimidated,” said Mississippi Today CEO Mary Margaret White in a statement. “We stand for press freedom and will always uphold our mission of building a more informed Mississippi.”I...

Elections NWT says legislature has delayed October election over wildfires

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:28 GMT

INUVIK, N.W.T. — Members of the Northwest Territories legislature unanimously voted Monday to delay an election scheduled for October because of wildfires as the region saw a significant victory in the battle against a blaze that caused tens of thousands of people to flee Yellowknife.“It’s unprecedented times,” said Kevin O’Reilly, member for Frame Lake. “It’s not going to be possible for us to hold fair elections as originally planned.”O’Reilly noted about 70 per cent of the territory’s population is now under evacuation, affecting most of its constituencies. Although fire officials said Monday the fire threatening the territorial capital is now being held, it’s still not yet safe for people to return. The new date for the N.W.T. election will be Nov. 14. The territory had been scheduled to go to the polls on Oct. 3.The members of the territorial legislature made the decision in an extraordinary session held in Inuvik inst...

Infrastructure woes face B.C.’s Shuswap and Okanagan communities, hard hit by fires

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:28 GMT

Officials in British Columbia’s Shuswap and Okanagan regions are shifting some of their attention from wildfire response to the challenges of recovery as flames abate and many evacuees begin returning home, although crews continue to fight out-of-control blazes.Major infrastructure woes will confront both regions, including hundreds of downed power poles and cables.Neighbourhoods in West Kelowna sustained extensive damage to the power grid and other key infrastructure when the McDougall Creek wildfire swept through nearly two weeks ago, the community’s Fire Chief Jason Brolund told a briefing on Monday.The damage is especially severe in the West Kelowna Estates area, he said.“The power poles have burned, the lines are on the ground, the transformers are tipped over. All of that is being removed, and it’s being rebuilt.”Crews are also assessing whether additional key infrastructure, including the water supply, drainage and roads will need repair or recon...

Guatemala’s electoral registry has suspended the party of the presidential election winner

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:28 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemala’s electoral registry suspended the Seed Movement, the party of Bernardo Arévalo, the progressive candidate who won Guatemala’s presidential elections this month, the party’s lawyer confirmed on Monday.The elimination of the party’s registration comes after one of the most tumultuous elections in the Central American nation’s recent history, and waves of judicial efforts to knock Arévalo out of the race. The question that now stands is: what will it mean for Arévalo as he’s set to take the presidency?Associated Press, The Associated Press

Missouri law banning minors from beginning gender-affirming treatments takes effect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:28 GMT

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Two new laws restricting the access of transgender youth in Missouri to gender-affirming health care and school sports took effect Monday.One law bans minors from beginning puberty blockers and hormones and outlaws gender-affirming surgeries for youths. The other law requires student athletes from kindergarten through college to play on sports teams that align with their sex as assigned at birth. Republican Gov. Mike Parson signed the bills in June after he and other proponents of the laws pressured the GOP-led legislature to act during this year’s session. Both laws are set to expire in 2027.LGBTQ+ advocates who sued to overturn the health care law were dealt a blow last week when a judge allowed the law to take effect as the court challenge plays out. HEALTH CARE The health care law prohibits physicians from providing gender-affirming health care to minors, but young people prescribed puberty blockers or hormones before Aug. 28 can continue to receive th...

GOP silences ‘Tennessee Three’ Democrat on House floor for day on ‘out of order’ rule; crowd erupts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:28 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Republican lawmakers on Monday voted to silence a Democratic member of the so-called Tennessee Three during an already tense House floor session after determining the young Black member violated newly enacted rules designed to punish disruptive members.The move was directed at Rep. Justin Jones, which prohibited him from speaking and debating on bills for the remainder of the floor session. The vote prompted loud cries and chants that drowned out proceedings for several minutes even after the House speaker ordered the gallery to be cleared out.Moments prior, Jones had been criticizing legislation that would have allowed more law enforcement officers in schools and began listing other resources that the state should be providing. House Speaker Cameron Sexton had warned Jones not to stray off topic. Under new rules adopted by the GOP-dominant chamber last week, members can be silenced anywhere from a day to the rest of the year for not sticking to the bill bein...