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An Oklahoma man used pandemic relief funds to have his name cleared of murder

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:49:26 GMT

GREENWOOD, Ark. (AP) — Ricky Dority spends most of his days playing with his grandchildren, feeding chickens and working in the yard where he lives with his son’s family.It’s a jarring change from where he was just several months ago, locked in a cell serving a life prison sentence at Oklahoma’s Joseph Harp Correctional Center in a killing he said he didn’t commit. After more than two decades behind bars, Dority had no chance at being released — until he used his pandemic relief funds to hire a dogged private investigator. The investigator and students at the Oklahoma Innocence Project at Oklahoma City University, which is dedicated to exonerating wrongful convictions in the state, found inconsistencies in the state’s account of a 1997 cold-case killing, and Dority’s conviction was vacated in June by a Sequoyah County judge.Now, the 65-year-old says he’s enjoying the 5-acre property in a quiet neighborhood of well-to-do homes in the rolling, fores...

Stock market today: Asian shares rise with eyes on prices, war in Middle East

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:49:26 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly rose Thursday as investors awaited the release of U.S. consumer price data and kept a cautious watch on the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped 1.6% to 32,442.08. Sydney’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.1% to 7,097.50. South Korea’s Kospi added 1% to 2,474.32. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 1.9% to 18,228.96, while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.7% to 3,099.21. “Recent remarks from FOMC members have leaned dovish, suggesting that the Fed might maintain current short-term rates,” Anderson Alves at ActivTrades said in a report, referring to the U.S. Federal Reserve’s action on interest rates.Tensions in the Middle East are under the spotlight, with a possible escalation if nations like Lebanon or Iran are drawn in, which would set off significant movement in U.S. Treasuries, he said. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 0.4% to 4,376.95 for its fourth straight gain. The D...

Who witnessed Tupac Shakur’s 1996 killing in Las Vegas? Here’s what we know

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:49:26 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Duane “Keffe D” Davis is the last living suspect in one of hip-hop’s most enduring mysteries — the 1996 killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas.Davis, 60, is accused of orchestrating the drive-by shooting near the Las Vegas Strip that also wounded rap music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight. Davis was arrested and indicted Sept. 29 — more than two months after police raided his home outside Las Vegas. He remains jailed on a murder charge and is due back in court Oct. 19.On the night of Sept. 7, 1996, Shakur was in the passenger seat of a black BMW that Knight was driving when a white Cadillac pulled up on their right side and gunfire erupted. Knight was wounded but survived. Shakur died a week later at the age of 25.Police and prosecutors say the shooting stemmed from a fierce competition for dominance in a musical genre that pitted East Coast members of a Bloods gang sect against West Coast members of a Crips sect that Davis has said he led in Compton, Califor...

Inside the East vs. West rap rivalry that led to the murders of Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. in 1990s

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:49:26 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — As the investigation into the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur ramped up, prosecutors dug into the past and took the grand jury back to some of the most pivotal moments in the East-West Coast rap rivalry.The animosity began when Shakur was ambushed and wounded at a New York City recording studio in 1994 and culminated with his death in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, according to grand jury testimony reviewed by The Associated Press. Six months later, his friend-turned-rival Notorious B.I.G, whose legal name is Christopher Wallace, was gunned down.Shakur, 25, and Wallace, 24, died nearly three decades ago, but now there’s a new wave of intrigue in their killings with the recent arrest of longtime suspect Duane “Keffe D” Davis. The indictment of Davis is the first in Shakur’s slaying and raises questions about the unsolved murder of Wallace.Davis has only briefly appeared in court and has another hearing Oct. 19. Hundreds of pages of grand jury testimony detail how h...

The US is moving quickly to boost Israel’s military. A look at what assistance it is providing

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:49:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Within hours of the horrific attack by Hamas, the U.S. began moving warships and aircraft to the region to be ready to provide Israel with whatever it needs to respond. A second U.S. carrier strike group departs from Norfolk, Virginia, on Friday. Scores of aircraft are heading to U.S. military bases around the Middle East. And special operations forces are now assisting Israel’s military in planning and intelligence. The buildup reflects U.S. concern that the deadly fighting between Hamas and Israel could escalate into a more dangerous regional conflict. So the primary mission for those ships and warplanes for now is to establish a force presence that deters Hezbollah, Iran or others from taking advantage of the situation. But the forces the U.S. sent are capable of more than that.The U.S. is also expediting the shipment of munitions and interceptors for Israel’s fight against Hamas.A look at what weapons and options the U.S. military could provide: WEA...

Republican Steve Scalise is seen as a fighter, but becoming House speaker might require a brawl

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:49:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — With his walker positioned on the mound, Rep. Steve Scalise threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Washington Nationals ballpark, a breathtaking comeback for the Republican congressman who just months earlier was fighting for his life after a gunman had opened fire on lawmakers at their own charity baseball game practice.An “American hero,” is how Republican colleagues describe Scalise after the 2017 shooting and on Wednesday, a narrow majority of them nominated him as their next House speaker following the unprecedented ouster of the former speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy.Scalise, 58, and recently diagnosed with blood cancer, spent the rest of the day holed up in the stately Speaker’s office at the Capitol, vigorously working to secure the support he will need from his detractors to lead the divided Republican majority ahead of a full House vote to take the gavel.“As we’ve all witnessed, he is a fighter,” said Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky. “He has proven against all o...

To reach their goals, Twins know they’ll need to vanquish the Astros

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:49:26 GMT

When he stood up to address his teammates after the Twins were eliminated from the playoffs on Wednesday night, Carlos Correa had multiple messages he wanted to get across to the assembled group.Remember this feeling, he told his teammates, because you don’t want to feel this again. And also show up to spring training ready — they’ll be seeing more of the Houston Astros, and they need to be prepared to beat them.“We’re going to compete against those guys again,” Correa said. “If you want to get to a World Series, you’ve got to beat that team. We’re going to prepare for that.”With the 3-2 win over the Twins on Wednesday night at Target Field, the Astros advanced to the American League Championship Series for the seventh straight season. They’ve been to the World Series in four of those seasons and have won two rings. Simply put: The road to the World Series in the American League runs through Houston, as it has for the better part of a decade.“We’re not that far from playing in...

Why did the Twins pull starter Joe Ryan so early in their elimination game?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:49:26 GMT

The writing was on the wall for starter Joe Ryan early on with the Twins facing elimination against the Houston Astros.Not long after Ryan served up a home run to Astros left fielder Michael Brantley, things started to stir in the bullpen. Though he managed to get out of the frame without allowing any more runs, Ryan exited after a couple of innings, ceding the rest of the game to the collection of relievers.Why did manager Rocco Baldelli decide to pull Ryan so early in the elimination game?“Truthfully, in an elimination game like we were in today, there’s no need to ride our starter,” Baldelli said. “We wanted to get the best stuff out of Joe possible.”In the end, the Twins suffered a 3-2 loss to the Astros on Wednesday night at Target Field, with lefty reliever Caleb Thielbar serving up the home run to Astros first baseman Jose Abreu that proved to be the difference.“I feel terrible about it,” Thielbar said. “I know it’s not all on m...

Winning $1.73 billion Powerball ticket sold in Southern California; 3rd SoCal jackpot in a year

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:49:26 GMT

For the third time in less than a year, a Powerball jackpot worth more than $1 billion has been sold in Southern California, this time crowning a $1.73 billion winner in Frazier Park.  The winning numbers were: 22, 24, 40, 52, 64 and the Powerball 10. Before someone won the giant prize, there had been 35 consecutive drawings without a big winner, stretching back to July 19 when a player in California matched all six numbers and won $1.08 billion. The jackpot is the world’s second-largest lottery prize after rolling over for 36 consecutive drawings, since the last time someone won the top prize on July 19. That streak trails the record of 41 draws set in 2021 and 2022. The only top prize that was ever bigger was the $2.04 billion Powerball won by a player in California last November. Earlier this week, a $1 million ticket was sold in Orange County.  The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

USPS provides shipping deadlines ahead of busy holiday season

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:49:26 GMT

With the holiday season quickly approaching, many people will be sending holiday gifts and packages all across the world. To help customers plan their shipping timelines during the busy holiday season, the United States Postal Service has released their holiday shipping and mailing deadlines. To allow ample time for packages to arrive to their destination by December 25, USPS advises shoppers to adhere to the shipping deadlines listed below: USPS Ground Advantage — Dec. 16First-Class Mail (including greeting cards) — Dec. 16Priority Mail — Dec. 18Priority Mail Express — Dec. 20 USPS Ground Advantage is a new shipping option that provides a simple, reliable and affordable way to ship packages in 2-5 business days based on distance. USPS also announced that there will be no holiday peak or demand surcharges this year to allow customers to accurately budget for shipping costs. Shipping deadlines for international mail vary depending on the destination. Check out Int...