News news summaries
Essential facts and source links for recent news stories.
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Ryan George, 19, dies in Yosemite hiking fall two days after tournament
Ryan George, a 19-year-old Santa Rosa Junior College wrestler, died Sunday after slipping and falling while hiking with friends near Illilouette Falls in Yosemite National Park. Two days earlier, he placed second at Sacramento City College’s Dave Pacheco Invitational. -
A Lehigh Acres wastewater plant leak sent about 2,000 gallons of chlorine onto land
Officials said about 2,000 gallons of liquid chlorine spilled onto nearby ground at Lee County's Lehigh Acres wastewater plant on Sept. 18, without reaching drains or waterways. Possible effects on soil and the shallow aquifer remain unclear. -
Houston Food Finder may close if no serious buyer emerges by Nov. 30
Phaedra Cook is seeking a buyer for Houston Food Finder, the food-news outlet she founded in 2016, and says she will close it if no serious buyer comes forward by Nov. 30. She will keep running the site; Cook says it has 42,000 followers across platforms. -
Butter & Crumble ends North Beach cake-shop lease over permit, zoning hurdles
Butter & Crumble owner Sophie Smith ended the lease for her planned North Beach cake shop at 301 Union St. She said permit, fire-safety and zoning hurdles could make opening cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and take years; she is seeking another site. -
Naoero alone announces ICC withdrawal during Trump’s UN appeal
Donald Trump urged countries to leave the International Criminal Court, but Naoero was the only one to announce a withdrawal during the UN General Assembly this week. President David Adeang said it would formally withdraw, citing the court’s “increasing irrelevance.” -
Jennifer Prudencio sentenced to 4–6 years after son’s death
Jennifer Prudencio received 4–6 years in prison and three years’ probation after pleading guilty to manslaughter and three counts of reckless endangerment in her 3-year-old son Yael’s 2024 death. Prosecutors said she left the vomiting, pale toddler with siblings aged 7 and 8. -
Xi says Ping Ping and Fu Shuang will reach Zoo Atlanta within days
Chinese President Xi Jinping said giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang will arrive at Zoo Atlanta “in a few days,” announcing the move during a Sept. 24 White House meeting with President Donald Trump; the zoo has not shared an exact transport date. -
Darrell Long found guilty of attempted first-degree murder in ex-wife attack
Darrell Long, 63, was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder and other charges after shooting his ex-wife, Dawn, five times at her Lebanon County home in March 2025. The prosecutor said she believes he attacked her after she filed for child support. -
Tennessee funeral home owner arrested after 52-count indictment
Chad Mundy, owner of a Jamestown, Tennessee, funeral home, was arrested Sept. 23 after a grand jury indicted him on 52 counts, including insurance fraud, theft and abuse of a corpse. TBI cited evidence of fraudulent burial-policy claims and mishandled remains. -
Police say Mini Cooper crossed center line in fatal Route 9 crash
Bobbie Stefankiewicz, 49, was killed Wednesday afternoon when her Mini Cooper veered across the center line on Route 9 in Upper Township, police said. A passenger in the northbound vehicle was seriously injured; its driver suffered moderate injuries. -
San Jose suspect Marcelino Castro faces two murder charges; DA warns more bodies may be found
Marcelino Castro, 28, faces two murder charges after telling authorities he killed someone and leading police to two male bodies near San Jose’s Guadalupe River. A deputy district attorney says more bodies may be found; neither victim has been identified. -
James Copenhaver, one of three shot at Trump’s Butler rally, dies at 76
James Copenhaver, one of three attendees shot at Donald Trump’s July 13, 2024, campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has died at 76, the House Republican Conference announced Sept. 24. He was shot twice and suffered serious injuries. -
DHS says Mario David Coronado Juárez was not ICE’s target in fatal Michigan crash
Guatemalan immigrant Mario David Coronado Juárez, 35, died in a fiery Grand Rapids crash Sept. 20 after DHS said he sped away from an attempted ICE stop; agents were seeking the car’s registered owner, not him, and said they abandoned the stop for public safety. -
Wilber Garces Perez remains detained after ICE shooting in Austin
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez remains detained with a bullet in his back, four days after being shot in Austin, his mother told Reuters. She said a video call moments after the shooting was their last conversation; how the shooting unfolded remains unclear. -
After Austin shooting, DHS says Texas ICE operations won't slow
DHS said it would not slow Texas ICE operations and would “never apologize” for migrant arrests and removals after an ICE agent shot and wounded Venezuelan Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, 28, in Austin on Sept. 20. His lawyer said he was released from hospital into ICE custody. -
Tesla app renders show a more enclosed look for Optimus Gen 3
Renders reportedly extracted from a Tesla Android app update show Optimus Gen 3 with a more enclosed lower body and refined hands than Gen 2.5. Tesla has not verified the images or confirmed a final design; the reported 22 degrees of freedom for the hands is unconfirmed. -
A four-person household’s SNAP maximum rises to $1,023 on Oct. 1
From Oct. 1, the maximum monthly SNAP benefit for a family of four in the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C., rises to $1,023, about 3% higher. Most households receive less: SNAP subtracts 30% of household net monthly income from the maximum. -
Google plans next-week Suncatcher launch to test AI chips in orbit
Google plans Project Suncatcher’s first in-orbit test next week, launching a prototype satellite on SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare with Planet Labs to assess whether its Tensor Processing Units can operate reliably despite launch forces, radiation and extreme temperatures. -
Whitmer orders review of fatal Grand Rapids crash after ICE stop attempt
Mario David Coronado Juarez died Sunday in Grand Rapids when his car hit a tree and burst into flames as he tried to avoid an ICE traffic stop. Whitmer ordered a review, and the Grand Rapids police chief asked Michigan State Police to join the investigation. -
Peter Wetche arrested after Sandy Springs PIT stop; no injuries reported
Sandy Springs police arrested Peter Wetche after officers stopped his car with a PIT maneuver on Aug. 22, following a flight from a traffic stop. He faces charges of fleeing or attempting to elude and failure to obey a traffic-control device; no injuries were reported. -
Lawyers say at least 45 Mexican drivers report alleged US forced-labor scheme
Twenty-nine Mexican drivers are plaintiffs in a pending federal suit against Omega and U.S. carriers, alleging forced labor linked to promises of lawful U.S. work, fees, document retention and threats. Their lawyers say they represent at least 45 drivers with similar accounts. -
Emmy-winning bishop Fulton Sheen set for beatification in St Louis
Fulton Sheen, the US bishop whose TV show drew nearly 30 million viewers a week and won an Emmy, is set to be beatified in St Louis on Thursday. The ceremony is the penultimate step in a 25-year process that could make him the first US-born bishop canonized a saint. -
Vladimir Z. can be extradited to Germany in Nord Stream case, Croatian court rules
A Croatian court has ruled that Vladimir Z., a Ukrainian man suspected of involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream blasts, can be extradited to Germany, Suspilne reported. He denies involvement; his lawyer says an appeal is planned. -
Economist proposes cash requirements to curb gambling problems
Economist Jay L. Zagorsky proposes requiring U.S. gamblers to use cash to place bets or fund accounts, arguing that in-person transactions could slow impulsive betting and make large wagers more visible. He says it would not solve all gambling problems. -
Drone-related grain export disruption prompts emergency in Russia’s Krasnodar region
The governor of Russia’s Krasnodar region declared a state of emergency Wednesday over Ukrainian drone attacks that have slowed grain exports; affected producers can receive compensation as disrupted sales create a domestic surplus. -
Lindenwold settles recording-policy suit with $15,000 legal-fee payment
Lindenwold agreed to pay $15,000 in legal fees to settle Alfonso Penna’s suit after Mayor Roach ordered him out of a June council meeting for filming. Penna had lost a council primary to two Roach-aligned incumbents the week before; his suit said the timing was no coincidence.
