Month: October 2025

By Tia Maggio

Click here for updates on this story

    CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WJCL) — A Chatham County commissioner is pleading with the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles to keep his brother’s killer in prison — nearly four decades after the crime.

Commissioner Dean Kicklighter says his family was blindsided by a letter notifying them that his brother’s murderer, Christopher Lucas, had been tentatively granted parole.

“I woke up yesterday morning and opened a whole piece of hell out of my mailbox,” Kicklighter said.

Lucas was convicted in the 1987 murder that left 23-year-old Randy Kicklighter dead outside his home at Foss Mobile Homes. Investigators later revealed that Lucas — Randy’s father-in-law — had hired a man, James Edward Smith, to kill him.

Kicklighter still vividly remembers the night his family’s life was shattered.

“He was laying outside beside his truck on his back, shot in his head, and my mother was begging me to go wake him up — that was when all the hell began,” Kicklighter said.

Lucas was sentenced to life in prison. He has served 32 years and been denied parole 11 times. But Georgia law allows parole eligibility for life sentences after seven years. In a statement, the parole board said:

“This offender has been considered for parole according to statute and denied parole eleven times. The tentative grant is not a final decision.”

The board is required to review new information during a 90-day period before making a final ruling. That decision is expected in December. Still, Kicklighter is determined to stop his brother’s killer from being released.

“When a person takes a life, they should atomically be giving up their life — whether that be by the death penalty or spending their entire life in prison,” he said.

The commissioner has taken to social media, urging the public to contact the parole board and ask them to reverse course.

This content is imported from Facebook. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles says it will make a final decision after the 90-day review period ends.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Adam Bartow

Click here for updates on this story

    PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WMTW) — Dozens of people detained by United States Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) in Maine have been flown out of the state.

Border Patrol says on Friday, May 23, they flew 42 detained undocumented migrants on a single flight from Presque Isle to Detroit, Michigan for further removal proceedings.

Maine’s Total Coverage previously reported that Border Patrol agents in Maine made 113 arrests in the month of April, the highest number of immigration arrests made in the state in a single month in nearly 24 years.

CBP said 113 people from 16 countries were arrested in Maine last month after they were accused of living in the United States without legal permission. There have already been more total arrests by CBP in Maine in 2025 than in any year since 2002.

“Houlton Sector Border Patrol Agents work tirelessly to keep our nation and communities secure,” said Acting Chief Patrol Agent Christopher Kuhn on Friday. “The rise in apprehensions over the course of this year reflects the hard work credited to the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol in carrying out national security priorities with interagency partners. This flight demonstrates those partnerships in action to ensure that individuals illegally present in the U.S. are apprehended and repatriated to their country of origin.”

CBP Home is now offering a voluntary, incentivized process for undocumented migrants in the United States to return to their home country or another country that will accept them. Participants use the CBP Home App to record their intention to voluntarily depart the United States. Eligible migrants may qualify for travel assistance, document help, and de-prioritization for detention and removal while preparing to leave. Any undocumented migrant who uses the app and confirms their departure through the app will receive a $1,000 stipend.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Emily Maher

Click here for updates on this story

    METHUEN, Mass. (WCVB) — The mayor of Methuen introduced Thursday a new task force designed to hold spas accused of human trafficking accountable, after several businesses were shut down by city inspectors.

Earlier this week, two spas were shuttered, with employees now facing charges and accused of trafficking women for sex.

A warrant is out for the arrest of another employee.

Police said they found living quarters for two women in the basement of one of the spas, Beauty Garden Spa on Wallace Street, after a lengthy investigation.

Methuen Mayor D.J. Beauregard said five spas were shut down and four others closed on their own accord.

“When inspectors arrived at those four locations, they were ghost towns,” Beauregard said.

In a press conference on Thursday, Beauregard said that the newly-formed task force would also hold accountable the people frequenting the spas.

“To the so-called Johns who fuel these crimes: you are not invisible. The city of Methuen is continuing to invest in enhanced law enforcement technology, including new license plate readers and an expanded public camera network,” Beauregard said. “If you engage in this vile activity, we will know who you are, and we will hold you up to public shame.”

Methuen Police Chief Scott McNamara said it is possible that letters could be sent to vehicle registration addresses of those who visited the spas.

“We’re currently exploring sending written notifications to the homes of registered owners of vehicles repeatedly observed at locations known or expected to be involved in human trafficking,” McNamara said.

He also said that some of the women forced to work at the spas have been taken to New York.

A website has been launched to provide support and resources to these victims.

The task force came as positive news to Methuen residents like Beth Foote, who saw suspicious activity at the spa in her neighborhood and called the police.

“I am thrilled that this is happening,” Foote said. “We have serious people doing serious things about serious problems.”

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Breana Ross

Click here for updates on this story

    BALTIMORE (WBAL) — The Maryland Food Bank and its partners across the state are bracing for a potential increase in food insecurity as the government shutdown continues.

The groups are working to meet the need if the shutdown lasts for a prolonged period of time.

“At this point, what we’re doing is we’re making sure we’re having a lot of good communication with our partner network,” said Anne Wallerstedt, vice president of government relations and strategic initiatives at the Maryland Food Bank. “We have about 800 partners located all across the state. Making sure that they know that we are ready in case they have an increased need.”

The potential increased need comes as the Maryland Food Bank has already lost around $4.5 million in federal funding. At the same time, Maryland is already seeing a growing need.

“We know that Marylanders were already facing economic challenges. One in three Marylanders are at risk of food insecurity just this year,” Wallerstedt said.

Wallerstedt expects the number of people at risk of food insecurity to grow as the shutdown continues.

“Realistically, once paychecks start going away, when public benefits start to see sort of a rollback in any way, that’s really what we’re preparing for,” she said.

The National WIC Association anticipates that the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, has enough funding to remain open for about one or two weeks.

In a statement, the group said: “The timing of this shutdown at the start of the new fiscal year puts WIC at risk of rapidly running out of funds. This failure needlessly jeopardizes the health and nutrition of millions of pregnant women, new mothers, infants and young children who rely on WIC.”

A prolonged shutdown could also impact SNAP benefits.

The food bank is no stranger to filling in the gaps, having experienced the 35-day government shutdown that started in 2018 and carried into 2019, during which the food bank set up pop-up food pantries. They’re prepared to do that again if needed.

“If need be, we can do targeted food distribution events and really make sure the food is going into the right geographic areas in the state and for the right populations as well,” Wallerstedt said.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Fenly Foxen
Fenly.Foxen@cnn.com
7-9473