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An opioid-like drink is masquerading as a wholesome alcohol alternative

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:28 GMT

Teresa Xie, Immanual John Milton | Bloomberg News (TNS)When Krista Marquick discovered kratom, it filled a hole in her life that quitting alcohol had left — kratom is often served at specialized bars, so it provided a way to socialize with friends and unwind after work without, she thought, the risk of addiction.Within a few months, Marquick found herself with a brand new addiction that left her feeling, as she put it, “out of control.” On bad days, she spent $80 on kratom. She bought $10 kratom drinks and $20 concentrated extracts, drinking them when she woke up, during her lunch hour and after work. Some nights, she wouldn’t be able to sleep because of withdrawals, leaving her house at midnight to get her fix.“Your tolerance builds up so fast on kratom,” Marquick said. “So you’re constantly spending more and more money, and you’re having to use more and more kratom.”Kratom is a drink extracted from a plant native to Southeast Asia that’s become increasingly popular in ...

Man charged with father’s murder in Wareham

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:28 GMT

A Wareham man has been charged after allegedly fatally shooting his father on Monday, the Plymouth DA Timothy Cruz announced Tuesday.Robert Gomes III pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Wareham District Court, the DA’s release stated. He is facing murder, firearm assault to murder a person over 60 years old, and numerous other assault and firearm charges, and was held without bail.At approximately 3:35 p.m. Monday, Wareham Police received several 911 reporting a shooting, including one from the defendant, the release stated.Officers and medical personnel found a man on the rear porch steps with a gunshot wound to the chest, the DA said. The victim, identified as 61-year-old Robert Gomes Jr., was pronounced dead at the scene.Police stated they found several shell casings and a black duffel bag containing a “ghost gun” with an obliterated serial number at the scene.Following the findings, state police obtained an arrest warrant for the son, and he was taken into...

Motorcyclist killed in hit-and-run crash identified; suspect arrested

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:28 GMT

CAMPO, Calif. -- A motorcyclist was killed in a hit-and-run crash last week in the Campo area, authorities said.The collision occurred Thursday, Nov. 23, around 5:28 p.m. on Sheridan Rd., located west of Custer Rd, Officer Jared Grieshaber with the California Highway Patrol said in a news release Monday.According to authorities, a 45-year-old man driving a 2015 Jeep Wrangler was traveling westbound on Sheridan Rd. when his vehicle crossed over the into the eastbound lane and collided with a 2020 Kawasaki motorcycle driven by a 26-year-old man. Body found inside hole in Linda Vista The motorcyclist died from his injuries while the driver of the Jeep left the scene, per CHP. The victim has been identified by the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office as 26-year-old Austin Nathaniel Spirz, of Campo. On Friday, authorities found and arrested the 45-year-old hit-and-run suspect, who was not identified, at a home in Campo. He was booked into San Diego County Jail.If anyone has infor...

Family of Los Angeles deputy killed in ambush shooting plans to sue county over forced overtime

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:28 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The parents of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who was shot and killed while sitting in his patrol car plan to file a lawsuit accusing the sheriff’s department and county leaders of putting law enforcement officers at risk by making them work excessive overtime, an attorney announced Tuesday.Investigators said Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, 30, was ambushed Sept. 16 while waiting for a traffic light to change in Palmdale, a city of more than 167,000 residents in the high desert of northern LA County.Prosecutors have charged Kevin Cataneo Salazar, 29, with one count of murder, plus special circumstance allegations of murder of a peace officer, murder committed by lying in wait, murder committed by firing from a car and personal use of a firearm. Cataneo Salazar has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.Attorney Brad Gage, who represents the slain deputy’s parents, said in a government claim filed Monday that Clinkunbroomer was forced to work...

Small plane crashes into car on Minnesota roadway; pilot and driver suffer only minor injuries

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:28 GMT

BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (AP) — The pilot of a small airplane and a car’s driver both escaped with minor injuries Tuesday after the plane crashed into the car in suburban Minneapolis.The accident happened just after 10:30 a.m. on a county road in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Police said it appeared that the plane was approaching Crystal Airport when it experienced a mechanical problem and lost power. The pilot tried to make an emergency landing on the county road, striking power lines before reaching the ground and colliding with the car.The 23-year-old pilot was alone in the single-engine plane and was treated at the scene for minor injuries, police said. The 32-year-old man driving on the roadway was alone in his vehicle and was taken to a hospital with what police described as minor injuries.The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.The Associated Press

Former Google executive ends longshot bid for Dianne Feinstein’s US Senate seat in California

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:28 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former California tech executive is ending her longshot campaign for the U.S. Senate seat once held by the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, she announced Tuesday.Democrat Lexi Reese said in a statement that she has been unable to raise the many millions of dollars needed for a first-time candidate to introduce herself to voters across the nation’s most populous state. She called for term limits and campaign finance reform “so the cost to enter is not insurmountable for most people.”“Career politicians have institutional, press, and party support that is very difficult to replicate as an outsider,” Reese said.The former Google and Facebook executive joined the crowded contest in June, positioning herself as “a new candidate with a fresh message.” She was never able to break into the top tier of candidates that includes Democratic U.S. Reps. Katie Porter, Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee. Federal records through the end of September showed Reese raised over $1.8 ...

High-fat flight is first jetliner to make fossil-fuel-free transatlantic crossing from London to NY

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:28 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The first commercial airliner to cross the Atlantic on a purely high-fat, low-emissions fuel flew Tuesday from London to New York in a step toward achieving what supporters called “jet zero.”The Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 flight was powered without using fossil fuels, relying on so-called sustainable aviation fuel made up largely of tallow and other waste fats.“The world will always assume something can’t be done, until you do it,” said Virgin founder Richard Branson, who was aboard the flight with others including corporate and government officials, engineers and journalists.The U.K. Transport Department, which provided 1 million pounds ($1.27 million) to plan and operate the flight, called the test a “huge step towards jet zero” to make air travel more environmentally friendly, though large hurdles remain in making the fuel widely available.While governments have long talked about decarbonizing air travel, the transition has been moving at the pace ...

Québec solidaire loses longtime member after deciding men can’t run in byelections

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:28 GMT

MONTREAL — A three-time Québec solidaire candidate says he’s leaving the left-wing party after it adopted a resolution to nominate only women and non-binary people as candidates in future byelections.Olivier Bolduc, who describes himself as a feminist, says the resolution goes too far and won’t achieve its desired goals. The former candidate says he thinks the policy, which remains in effect for one year, will prevent the party from making gains if people like him feel unwelcome.Bolduc lost an October byelection in Quebec City after overcoming opposition from party leadership who had lobbied for a female candidate.The new resolution was passed with nearly unanimous support from the 600 delegates at a party convention on Saturday.The second largest opposition party in Quebec’s legislature after the Liberals, Québec solidaire currently has four women and eight men in its caucus.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 28, 2023.The Canadian Press

York U group calls for reinstatement of employees charged in Toronto Indigo defacement

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:28 GMT

A group of faculty, staff and students at York University is calling for the reinstatement of three university employees who they say were suspended after police laid charges in the defacement of an Indigo bookstore in Toronto.The exterior of the large Indigo location was splashed with red paint and posters were glued to the doors and the walls earlier this month in what Toronto police investigated as a hate crime amid tensions over the Israel-Hamas war. Heather Reisman, founder and CEO of the books giant, is Jewish and Indigo has long been a target of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement because Reisman and her husband also founded the HESEG Foundation, which offers scholarships to people without family in Israel who nevertheless serve in the Israeli military.Toronto police last week said they charged 11 people with mischief over $5,000 over the incident at the Indigo store. York University associate professor Anna Zalik says York professor Lesley Wood, a univer...

Texas women who could not get abortions despite health risks take challenge to state’s Supreme Court

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:28 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday scrutinized efforts to clarify exceptions to the state’s abortion ban, which a growing number of women say forced them to continue pregnancies despite serious risks to their health.The Texas lawsuit is among the biggest challenges to abortion bans in the U.S. since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year. In July, several Texas women gave emotional testimony about carrying babies they knew would not survive and doctors unable to offer abortions despite their spiraling conditions. A judge later ruled that Texas’ ban was too restrictive for women with pregnancy complications, but that order was swiftly put on hold after the state appealed.The decision now rests with Texas’ highest court, and during arguments Tuesday, one justice on the all-Republican panel signaled concerns about potentially giving physicians too broad discretion to provide exceptions. “This very well could open the door far more widely than you...