Army trainee hijacks school bus

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- An Army trainee has been arrested and charged with dozens of crimes after authorities say he boarded a South Carolina school bus with a gun Thursday and held the driver and elementary students hostage before letting them off the bus. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said the incident started at around 7 a.m. near Fort Jackson, the U.S. Army's largest basic training facility, located in Columbia. The trainee, dressed in physical training clothes, "ran off post and escaped" with a rifle from the installation, Lott said. Deputies then started receiving calls about someone standing on a nearby interstate flagging down cars. The trainee, whom Lott identified later Thursday as Jovan Collazo, then went to a nearby bus stop where children were waiting to be taken to Forest Lake Elementary School, Lott said, and boarded the bus himself, armed with the rifle. "He told the bus driver he didn't want to hurt anybody; he wanted him to drive him to the next town," Lott said. Video that Lott played during a late Thursday news conference showed Collazo boarding the bus, shouting at the driver to close the door and drive. He was on board with the students and driver for a total of six minutes, the sheriff said. Some of the 18 children on the bus began using cellphones to call parents to let them know what was happening, Lott said. After some of the children asked repeatedly if Collazo planned to hurt them or the driver, the trainee "got a little frustrated" and ordered the bus stopped, allowing the driver and children to get off, Lott said. He then drove the bus several miles before abandoning it, with the rifle inside. Collazo then "went through neighborhoods" nearby, Lott said, looking for clothes, was subsequently spotted by deputies and arrested without incident. Lott said Collazo was in his third week of basic training at the installation. During a news conference Thursday, Fort Jackson Commanding Brig. Gen. Milford H. Beagle Jr. said the trainee was 23 years old and did not have ammunition in his weapon, which had been issued as part of his training. "He was a very quiet individual, hailed from New Jersey … and we assessed that he was just trying to make an attempt to go back home," Beagle said.

OK overturns death sentence

OKLAHOMA CITY -- An Oklahoma appeals court on Thursday overturned the death sentence of a man who was convicted of killing a teenager, following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the state lacks jurisdiction for crimes committed on tribal reservations in which the defendants or victims were tribal citizens. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the conviction and sentence of Miles Sterling Bench, 30, in the 2012 beating death of 16-year-old Braylee Henry inside a convenience store in Velma, about 70 miles south of Oklahoma City, where Bench worked. Prosecutors say Henry entered the store to purchase a soda and candy when she was attacked. Her body was later found on property owned by Bench's grandparents. Bench worked in the store. The state court found that Bench is a member of the Choctaw Nation and that the crime occurred on land within the historic Chickasaw Nation reservation. The court has now overturned at least four death sentences and could toss as many as six more based on the Supreme Court ruling, known as McGirt. The overturned cases now fall to federal authorities to pursue. Court records show Bench has been charged in federal court with kidnapping resulting in death and faces a potential death sentence.

Girl shoots 3 at middle school

BOISE, Idaho -- Authorities say a sixth-grade girl brought a gun to her Idaho middle school, shot and wounded two students and a custodian and then was disarmed by a teacher. Officials said at a news conference Thursday that the three are expected to survive their injuries. Jefferson County Sheriff Steve Anderson says the girl pulled a handgun from her backpack and fired multiple rounds inside and outside Rigby Middle School in the small city of Rigby, about 95 miles southwest of Yellowstone National Park. A female teacher disarmed the girl and held her until law enforcement arrived and took her into custody, authorities said, without giving other details. All three victims were shot in their extremities. Authorities say they're investigating the motive for the attack and where the girl got the gun. Police were called to the school around 9:15 a.m. after students and staffers heard gunfire. Multiple law enforcement agencies responded, and students were evacuated to a nearby high school to be reunited with their parents. "Me and my classmate were just in class with our teacher -- we were doing work -- and then all of a sudden, here was a loud noise and then there were two more loud noises. Then there was screaming," 12-year-old Yandel Rodriguez said. "Our teacher went to check it out, and he found blood."

Teacher of Year recognized

LAS VEGAS -- The coronavirus pandemic forced students out of the classroom and starkly revealed how learning difficulties, distractions and challenging home dynamics can make it tough to adhere to a rigid curriculum. In a year with so much loss, a silver lining is that educators are embracing a flexible approach that meets students where they are, said Juliana Urtubey, the newly named 2021 National Teacher of the Year. "We, as teachers, are much more open to this self-paced learning, this flipped classroom, which has been an invitation for students who think and learn differently," Urtubey said. The Council of Chief State School Officers recognized the Las Vegas special education teacher with the award Thursday. The council said she is the first Latino recipient since 2005 and the first Nevada teacher to win the award.

Iraq pulls prank TV show

BAGHDAD -- Responding to viewer outrage, Iraq's media regulator canceled a TV prank show that lured guests into simulated ambushes by militants, forcing participants and viewers to relive some of the terror and fear that were widespread under the rule of the Islamic State group. The show, Tannab Raslan, was being aired by the local Asia TV as a special during the holy month of Ramadan until Iraq's Communication and Media Commission this week ordered it off the air. The show -- a form of reality TV -- follows Iraqi celebrity guests, including actresses and soccer players, who are invited to what is described as a "charity event" but then fall prey under various scenarios to a staged ambush by actors playing militants. They are later freed by other actors playing Iraqi security forces. The ambush re-enactments include fake weapons and stunt explosions while the "militants" threaten to detonate fake suicide vests. The show's name Tannab Raslan refers to the name of its presenter, Raslan Haddad, and a popular Iraqi game that children play with marbles in which a score is called "tannab." Hidden cameras film everything -- and the fear that grips the show's guests is real. The show has raised ethics concerns and provoked outrage from angry viewers who said its content was highly offensive. "The scenes bring back memories of Daesh once again," said Baghdad resident Bashir al-Saddi, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group. "Frankly, this is not acceptable, it is inhuman and uncivilized." But some, like one of the show's actors and presenter Haddad, said the cancelation was unfair as the show also depicts the heroism of Iraqi security forces. "The decision is unjust," he said.

Pizza chef gets jail, evaded taxes

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- Bruno DiFabio, a celebrity pizza chef who owns restaurants in Connecticut and New York, was sentenced to 30 days in prison Thursday for tax evasion. DiFabio, 51, known as "Lord of the Pies" and for appearing on "Chopped" and other TV shows, was sentenced in federal court here. He was ordered to report to prison on July 12 and remains free on $100,000 bail. DiFabio, of Ridgefield, Conn., schemed with others to hide income from the restaurants, resulting in a more than $800,000 loss in tax revenue to the federal government. He pleaded guilty in 2018 to conspiracy to file false income tax returns and false payroll tax returns. "Everything is true," he said in court, according to a Hearst Connecticut Media report. "I engaged in negligent behavior and I'm not proud of it. I did this fully knowing that I was doing something illegal and I minimized the extent of it. And I allowed it to go on as I became more successful in business and I opened up more restaurants. "

Alcohol deaths at 20-year high

LONDON -- Alcohol-related deaths in England and Wales jumped by a fifth last year to reach their highest level in two decades. The Office for National Statistics said there were 7,423 deaths attributed to alcohol misuse in 2020, a 19.6% increase from the year before. It said the majority were due to chronic conditions, such as alcohol-related liver disease. The rise began in March 2020, when the U.K. began its first coronavirus lockdown, and the rates for the rest of the year remained significantly higher than in previous years. The provisional data showed that alcohol-specific deaths among men were 4.2 times higher in the poorest areas of Wales and England than in the most affluent areas. The statistics office said complex factors contributed to the rise in deaths and that it may be some time before the causes are fully understood. It said, however, that it was clear high-risk drinkers increased their consumption during the pandemic.

Weinstein wants legal fees back

NEW YORK-- Harvey Weinstein wants his money back. The convicted rapist is suing his one-time lawyer Jose Baez for breach of contract and is seeking a refund on $1 million in legal fees he says he paid the high-profile attorney for a short stint on his legal team. Weinstein alleges Baez was regularly preoccupied with other matters, pawned off important work on other lawyers, was often unavailable to speak with him about his New York City rape case and later provided fraudulent billing records. Baez, a Florida-based lawyer best known for representing Casey Anthony, joined Weinstein's defense in January 2019 and left six months later, saying the former movie mogul had tarnished their relationship by communicating only through other lawyers and by failing to abide by a fee agreement. Weinstein, in the lawsuit filed Tuesday, claims he agreed to pay Baez and another lawyer $2 million in $200,000 monthly payments for their defense work on the landmark #MeToo case but that Baez violated New York law by stating in his agreement that his retainer was non-refundable and non-negotiable.

Goats help out at Reagan Library

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. -- More than 350 goats are using their mouths to help protect The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum from wildfire danger. The herd returned this week to eat brush around the institution's campus in the Southern California community of Simi Valley. The goats create a firebreak between the natural vegetation and the facility, library spokeswoman Melissa Giller told the Ventura County Star. Goats were credited with helping keep the library safe from a wildfire in 2019. "During the huge fires a year and a half ago, many of the firefighters who were battling the fire that came within feet of the library said that it was the perimeter created by the goats that allowed them to fight the fire and stop it from getting onto our campus," Giller said. This year there is not as much for the goats to eat because there has been little rain and little vegetation regrowth.

Condors trash woman's home

TEHACHAPI, Calif. -- Giant California condors are rare -- but not at Cinda Mickols' home. About 15 to 20 of the giant endangered birds have recently taken a liking to the house in the city of Tehachapi and have made quite a mess. Mickols' daughter, Seana Quintero of San Francisco, began posting photos of the rowdy guests on Twitter. She told the San Francisco Chronicle the birds showed up at her mother's home sometime last weekend. The birds have trashed the deck -- ruining a spa cover, decorative flags and lawn ornaments. Plants have been knocked over, railings scratched and there's poop everywhere. "She's definitely frustrated but also is in awe of this and knows what an unusual experience this is," Quintero said of her mother. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which runs a program to save the species from extinction, responded on Twitter. The agency noted that the house is in historic condor habitat, and suggested that Mickols try harmless hazing like shouting and clapping or spraying water. California condors almost vanished in the 1980s before the few remaining birds were captured and placed in zoos for captive breeding. A few hundred birds are now in the wild.

Endangered condor egg hatches

PAICINES, Calif. -- A California condor egg has hatched in Northern California's wild, the newest member of Pinnacles National Park's recovery program for the endangered species. The egg hatched April 12 after two months of round-the-clock incubation by both parents who protected their fragile egg from the elements and potential predators, park rangers said in a social media post. Their nest has a video camera installed to help with monitoring and videos shared by the National Park Service this week show one parent feeding the fluffy chick while the other stands guard by the entrance to their refuge. Since 2003, park rangers at Pinnacles, a 26,000-acre park in rural San Benito County about 120 miles south of San Francisco, and Ventana Wildlife Society wildlife biologists have managed a release site at the park for captive-bred California condors. The two parents have been a pair for about five years, and this is their third offspring. They are condors 589, which is managed by the park. The other parent -- 569 -- is managed by Ventana Wildlife Society. "Condors typically only have one chick every two years. 589 and 569 are clearly doing their part to help their species and maintain their status as a Pinnacles power couple!" park rangers wrote.

1 dead after car strikes crowd

KATY, Texas -- One woman died and several other people were injured when a driver struck a group of people in the parking lot of a suburban Houston restaurant following a reported fight early Thursday. Investigators believe the driver, who is about 20 years old, intentionally struck the crowd. They were gathered outside Pinchy's Tex-Mex Restaurant in Katy about 1 a.m. when they were struck. One woman, believed to be about 35, was pronounced dead at a hospital. Another person was in serious condition while several others suffered minor injuries. The driver initially fled but returned to the parking lot, where he was taken into custody. A fight inside the restaurant had spilled out into the parking lot before the group was struck.

Biden pushes infrastructure plan

LAKE CHARLES, La. -- With a badly aging bridge as his backdrop, President Joe Biden stood in reliably Republican Louisiana on Thursday to pressure GOP lawmakers to support his $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan -- and yet express a willingness to compromise on the corporate tax hikes he's recommending to pay the cost. Biden leaned into the stagecraft of the presidency by choosing to speak in the city of Lake Charles, which has been battered by historic storms and is home to a 70-year-old bridge that is two decades past its designed lifespan. Where to find the money for replacements and repairs here and elsewhere? The Democratic president, who wants to raise corporate taxes, challenged Republican dogma that low taxes for corporations and the wealthy fuel economic growth. But he also declared he was willing to make a deal and dared them to do the same. "I'm willing to hear ideas from both sides," said Biden. "I'm ready to compromise. What I'm not ready to do is, I'm not ready to do nothing. I'm not ready to have another period where America has another Infrastructure Month and it doesn't change a damn thing." Even as he engages with Republicans in Washington, Biden is trying to sell their voters on the idea that higher corporate taxes can provide $115 billion for roads and bridges and hundreds of billions of dollars more to upgrade America's electrical grid, make the water system safer, rebuild homes and jump-start the manufacturing of electric vehicles. To drive home the point, he also toured a water plant in New Orleans.

Florida gov signs voting law

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a wide-ranging list of new voting restrictions into law Thursday, staging a ceremony meant to tout his credentials on a top priority for the Republican Party's conservative base. At a live bill-signing event aired on Fox News, DeSantis said the new law would prevent fraud and restore confidence in Florida's elections -- although the state has found no evidence of widespread fraud. The move made Florida the latest GOP-led state to enact tighter voting rules over the objections of Democratic critics who charge the law only makes it harder for people, particularly the elderly and people of color, to vote. But DeSantis' unusual promotion of the bill -- on the GOP-friendly morning show Fox & Friends -- demonstrated the rising Republican leader's confidence the new law would only boost his standing. "Right now I have what we think is the strongest election integrity measures in the country," the governor said. Florida's new law restricts when ballot drop boxes can be used, and who can collect ballots -- and how many. It mandates that drop boxes must be guarded, and available only when elections offices and early voting sites are open.

Texas linebacker found dead

AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas linebacker Jake Ehlinger, the younger brother of former Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger, was found dead near campus Thursday. Officers found the 20-year-old Ehlinger after responding to a call at 12:18 p.m. Police did not detail how they found him but said the death is not considered suspicious. No cause of death was immediately released. Jake Ehlinger did not play the last two seasons after arriving as a walk-on from Austin's Westlake High School. Sam Ehlinger was a sixth-round pick in the NFL draft last week by the Indianapolis Colts after a college career that saw him rank among Texas' career passing leaders. When Sam Ehlinger was drafted, Jake's face was accidentally shown on the NFL Network instead of Sam. "Jake deserves all the screen time you can get," Sam joked with reporters. Jake's death is the second tragedy to hit the Ehlinger family. Ross Ehlinger, Sam and Jake's father, died at age 46 in 2013 of an apparent heart attack while competing in a triathlon.

Subway survivor changed cars

MEXICO CITY -- A decision to change cars to get closer to a station exit may have saved Erik Bravo, a 34-year-old financial adviser who survived the collapse of an elevated line in Mexico City's subway system that killed 25 people and injured around 80. Bravo said Thursday that he and two colleagues from work were accustomed to taking the Number 12 line home from their jobs. His two friends got off late Monday, as usual, at their stops. Alone, Bravo decided to put on his headphones and use the time before his stop at the Olivos station to walk forward through a couple of subway cars, to be closer to the exit at the end of the platform when he arrived. The move likely kept him from disaster. "You realize that, in some way, you got a second chance, because that could have been you," Bravo said.

Fate of nuclear pact up to Iran

WASHINGTON -- The Biden administration is signaling that Iran shouldn't expect major new concessions from the United States as a new round of indirect nuclear talks is set to resume. A senior administration official told reporters Thursday that the U.S. has laid out the concessions it's prepared to make in order to rejoin the landmark 2015 nuclear deal that former President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018. The official said success or failure now depends on Iran making the political decision to accept those concessions and to return to compliance with the accord. The official spoke to reporters in a State Department-organized conference call on the eve of the negotiations' resumption in Vienna. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the U.S. position going into the fourth round of closed-door talks at which the remaining participants in the nuclear deal are passing messages between the delegations. The

At least 25 dead in police raid

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Police targeting drug traffickers raided a slum in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday and at least one officer and two dozen others died after being shot, authorities said. The civil police's press office confirmed the death of the cop and 24 alleged "criminals" in a message to the Associated Press. A police helicopter flew low over the Jacarezinho favela as heavily armed men fled police by leaping from roof to roof, according to images shown on local television. One woman told The Associated Press she saw police kill a badly wounded man she described as helpless and unarmed who they found after he had fled into her house. Felipe Curi, a detective in Rio's civil police, denied there had been any executions. "There were no suspects killed. They were all traffickers or criminals who tried to take the lives of our police officers and there was no other alternative," he said during a press conference.

Accused of lying about group hike

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- A Washington state man is accused of defying federal regulations that limit the number of people who can hike rim-to-rim at Grand Canyon National Park. Joseph Don Mount, of Chehalis, organized a trip in October with more than 150 people who hiked from the canyon's North Rim to the more popular South Rim, according to a complaint filed this week in U.S. Magistrate Court in Flagstaff. A special use permit is required for groups of 12-30 people in normal years. Larger groups aren't allowed, even if they split up. The park has further restricted group sizes during the pandemic. The complaint also alleges that Mount wasn't authorized to provide commercial services. Park officials combed through Mount's social media postings and discovered he was planning a large group hike and had charged fees for it, the complaint states. When park officials told him that wasn't allowed, they say he denied planning the trip. Through a Facebook group, he recommended that people separate themselves in smaller groups and communicate through handheld radios while hiking. "Remember, there is nothing stopping you from hiking the Grand Canyon on this day," Mount wrote online, according to an affidavit. Some of the hikers told park officials they were in a group of 100 or more "from all over," the complaint states. Most were evasive when asked about the planning efforts or the trip leader.

2 freed from bank standoff

ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- A standoff between police in St. Cloud, Minnesota and an alleged hostage-taker continued into the evening Thursday despite the release of two employees. The women were released from a Wells Fargo Bank branch, according to authorities. The first woman ran from the bank toward members of a SWAT team with her hands up. After being searched, she was escorted to safety. A second woman later emerged and was led to safety. It wasn't immediately clear if other bank employees were being held against their will. Earlier, law enforcement officials said an unspecified number of hostages were being held by a male suspect. Police said negotiations were continuing with the suspect, and there were no reports of injuries. St. Cloud resident Abdi Kadir told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune he was in the bank drive-through just before 2 p.m. when the teller hurriedly told him to leave. As he drove off, he saw people running out the bank's front door, he said. Wells Fargo spokeswoman Staci Schiller confirmed "a hostage situation" at the bank's south branch. She said bank officials are cooperating with local law enforcement and will do whatever they can to assist the authorities.