Like hundreds of thousands of others, Brayan Palencia decided to migrate to the United States to financially support his family. He didn't earn much in Colombia and had a daughter to look after. He crossed the Darien Gap with an injured knee; he paid bribes to cartels in Mexico so that he would be allowed to continue his journey. Even so, he emphasizes, nothing compares to what he experienced at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), the mega-prison in El Salvador built by President Nayib Bukele.
A Marblehead man was arrested Friday in California after allegedly defrauding more than 100 high school students and chaperones in Florida out of $400,000, authorities said. Robert Goodwin, 56, owner of Stone & Compass travel agency, is facing two counts of grand theft and two counts of organized scheme to defraud, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said in a Sept. 30 press release. His bond is set at $4 million.
"This tragedy thirteen years ago is one of the worst to ever occur in Connecticut, and our hearts will forever be with the twenty innocent children who were taken all too soon and the six devoted educators who lost their lives protecting the students they heroically guarded," Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said. "Let this anniversary serve as a reminder of the courage and strength of our school teachers and faculty, the ongoing need to dedicate ourselves to being sources of love and humanity, and our collective responsibility to work toward a more peaceful, kind, and hopeful world."
Joe Berman explained that he met his friend at the library and was preparing to sign in. And right in front of us, talking to a different library clerk was was a woman who was very sad on the phone. Her friend had just seen someone lying on the ground and said they had to call 911, Joe Berman said. And what happened immediately after was the librarian said they gotta lock the doors. Everyone should go inside, to get away from windows, and just follow those people trying to get to safer spaces.
Oxnard Pacifica had loads of motivation heading into Saturday's CIF state 1-A bowl game. Having fallen to Sacramento Grant in the 2-AA state final last season, the Tritons were anxious to redeem themselves against Fresno Central East in one of the weekend's marquee matchups. The game showcased two high-octane offenses, but every spectacular play by the Tritons was answered by the opponent as they were dealt their first defeat, 42-28, in the second of three games at Saddleback College.
On December 10, 2025, the Federal Reserve announced a quarter-percentage-point rate cut, bringing the benchmark rate to the 3.5%-3.75% range. This was both the final rate cut and the final Fed meeting of 2025, so the Fed ended up delivering a total of three rate reductions over the course of this year. This means 2025 ends with the benchmark rate three-quarters of a percentage point lower than the 4.25% to 4.50% target rate we started the year with.
Turn your attention skyward Saturday evening and you should be able to catch the peak of the annual Geminids meteor shower. The yellow dancing streaks light up the night sky every December with meteors zipping through the heavens at a rate of 120 an hour, according to NASA. Stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere will have the best view, but the meteor shower will be visible in the Southern Hemisphere as well.
The Los Angeles County district attorney's office charged Cabrera with one count of murder after the remains of 33-year-old Sheylla Cabrera, also known as Sheylla Lisbet Gutiérrez Rosillo, were discovered in Angeles National Forest on Aug. 16. She had been reported missing four days earlier. On Aug. 13, authorities uncovered surveillance footage showing Cabrera dragging a bulky covered object from the Lancaster Boulevard apartment building where he lived with his wife and their children. Officials suspected foul play and began an investigation.
According to a report released Friday by the local medical examiner, Kevin Rodriguez Zavala suffered a deep cut on the left side of his forehead, a fracture to the bone ridge above his eye and bleeding above his skull. Additional injuries included bruises on his arms and abdomen, a broken nose and a fractured right thigh bone.
Julio Cesar Nevarez-Erunez, 24, was sentenced to nearly six years in prison on Dec. 4 after pleading guilty to a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy charge. His co-conspirator, Juan Niebla-Osuna, 28, struck a plea agreement with U.S. attorneys for the same charge and was out on bond, but was reported missing in late August, according to a pretrial services violation petition.
Judge Clifford Blakely's ruling came after Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson's office asked to bring an end to the case, citing concerns about proving the allegations at trial, which was been scheduled to begin in late January. The dismissal closes the first Alameda County case of a police officer charged in an on-duty killing since BART Officer Johannes Mehserle was tried - and convicted - in the fatal shooting of Oscar Grant more than 15 years ago.
A United Airlines flight returned safely to Dulles International Airport in Virginia on Saturday after the plane experienced an engine failure during its departure, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. The flight was bound for Tokyo, Japan, when the engine on the Boeing 777-200ER failed shortly after takeoff, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X. A piece of the engine cover separated and caught fire, sparking a brushfire on the ground, he said.
A woman is facing felony charges in Evansville, Indiana over a DoorDash delivery in which she allegedly sprayed the food with a substance that made the customers vomit. In a press release, the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office said that it was contacted on December 7 by a man who said that he and his wife vomited and experienced a burning sensation in their mouth, nose, throat, and stomachs after eating fast food ordered through DoorDash. The man told NBC News that he noticed something red had been sprayed on the delivery bag, so he checked footage from their doorbell camera. According to the sheriff's department, the footage shows that after dropping off the food and taking a photo, the woman appeared to spray a substance towards the food from a small aerosol can attached to her keychain.
Every December, the small city of Macon, Georgia-about 90 minutes from Atlanta-transforms into a dazzling holiday destination. The Macon Christmas Light Extravaganza, launched in 2017, is a spectacle of over 1 million lights across more than six blocks. The LED show is choreographed to upbeat tunes from the Macon Pops, an local orchestra with a flair for energetic renditions. Here's what you need to know about one of the great unsung holiday experiences in America.
She is accused of helping a man try to evade arrest by immigration authorities at the county courthouse last April. A grand jury indicted Dugan the following month. She faces one count of obstructing a proceeding, a felony, and another count of concealing an individual to prevent an arrest, a misdemeanor. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Dugan could face up to six years in prison if convicted.
