Kidnapping of California woman that police called a hoax gets new attention with Netflix documentary
VALLEJO, Calif. (AP) — The ordeal of Denise Huskins, whose kidnapping from her boyfriend’s Northern California home was first dismissed as a hoax by law enforcement, is getting renewed attention as the subject of a new Netflix docuseries, “American Nightmare.”
Here’s a look at the facts of the case, which captivated the country:
THE KIDNAPPING
On March 23, 2015, Huskins by a masked intruder who broke into the home in Vallejo, a city in the San Francisco
Virginia judge considers setting aside verdict against former superintendent, postpones sentencing
LEESBURG, Va. (AP) — A judge on Thursday postponed the sentencing of a former Virginia school system superintendent convicted in connection with what prosecutors called a retaliatory firing, saying he needed more time to consider setting aside the guilty verdict altogether.
Scott Ziegler on a misdemeanor count of violating the state’s conflict of interest laws for allegedly firing a teacher in retaliation for her testimony to a special grand jury that was investigating him and the school system he oversaw, Loudoun County Public Schools.
Ziegler had been scheduled for sentencing
Astronauts from Turkey, Sweden and Italy launch to space station on latest chartered flight
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Turkey’s first astronaut along with a Swede and Italian launched Thursday to the International Space Station on a chartered SpaceX flight.
The Falcon rocket blasted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in late afternoon, carrying the three men, all with military pilot experience and representing their homelands. Their escort on the trip: A retired NASA astronaut who now works for the company that arranged the private flight.
Their capsule should reach the space station on Saturday. They will spend two
Israeli company gets green light to make world’s first cultivated beef steaks
An Israeli company has received a preliminary green light from health officials to sell the world’s first steaks made from cultivated beef cells, not the entire animal, officials said. The move follows in the U.S. last year.
Aleph Farms, of Rehovot, Israel, was granted the initial go-ahead by the Israeli Health Ministry in December, the company said in a news release. The move was announced late Wednesday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called the development “a global breakthrough.”
Court ruling could mean freedom for hundreds serving life sentences in Michigan
DETROIT (AP) — More than 250 people serving life prison sentences will get an opportunity for shorter terms after a major decision by the Michigan Court of Appeals, attorneys said Thursday.
A for people who were 18 at the time of a murder can be applied retroactively to prisoners who are already in custody, including some who have been locked up for decades, the court said.
The court’s 2-1 opinion came in the case of John Poole, who was 18 when he was involved
Most actively traded companies on the Toronto Stock Exchange
TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Thursday on the Toronto Stock Exchange:
Toronto Stock Exchange (20,756.73, up 61.71 points):
Enbridge Inc. (TSX:ENB). Energy. Down 48 cents, or 0.98 per cent, to $48.29 on 15.6 million shares.
Birchcliff Energy Ltd. (TSX:BIR). Energy. Down 52 cents, or 9.06
Hunter Biden agrees to deposition with House Republican after months of defiance, committee says
WASHINGTON (AP) — has agreed to appear before House Republicans for a private deposition next month, ending months of defiance from the president’s son, who had insisted on testifying publicly.
The House Oversight Committee announced Thursday that the two parties have agreed for Hunter Biden to sit for a deposition on Feb. 28.
“The president’s son is a key witness in this investigation and he’s gonna be able to come in now and sit down and answer questions in a substantive, orderly manner,
9/11 victim’s remains identified nearly 23 years later as Long Island man
NEW YORK (AP) — The remains of a Long Island man killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11 have been identified more than two decades after the 2001 attacks, the New York City medical examiner’s office announced Thursday.
John Ballantine Niven was a 44-year-old executive at Aon Risk Services, an insurance firm on the 105th floor of tower two of the trade center complex, according to at the time. He and his young family split time
‘Stop Cop City’ attacks have caused costs to rise for Atlanta police training center, officials say
ATLANTA (AP) — The longstanding and at times violent protests against Atlanta’s planned police and firefighter training center are partially responsible for a nearly $20 million rise in costs connected to the project, city officials said.
The 85-acre (34-hectare) project, which critics call “Cop City,” is now expected to cost $109.65 million, up from a previous estimate of $90 million, Atlanta Deputy Chief Operating Officer LaChandra Burkes told City Council
Texas AG Paxton won’t contest facts of whistleblower lawsuit central to his 2023 impeachment
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Attorney General sought to end a whistleblower lawsuit by former top staff members on Thursday, announcing his agency would not contest the facts of the case and would accept any judgement.
The lawsuit was brought They alleged they were improperly fired for reporting Paxton to the FBI on claims he was misusing his office to protect a friend and campaign donor, who in turn was helping Paxton conceal an extramarital affair.
The allegations in the lawsuit were among the impeachment charges brought against the Republican last year by