Two dozen stolen guinea pigs recovered, safely returned to Marana rescue

By Eric Fink

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    MARANA, Arizona (KVOA) — The Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed 24 guinea pigs that were stolen from a Marana animal rescue on Tuesday, were recovered Saturday.

Authorities say a joint investigation with the Phoenix Police Department led to the recovery of the two dozen guinea pigs after a search warrant was executed at a Phoenix home on Friday. Law enforcement confirms one guinea pig died before it could be recovered.

Surveillance footage from the night of the theft showed two juvenile females at the scene. The suspects were identified as two 14-year-old girls from Phoenix. Heather Jenson, the mother of one of the juveniles and known to the rescue, was also identified as a suspect.

The investigation is ongoing. PCSD said possible charges include burglary and possession of stolen property. The Pima County Attorney’s Office will review the charges.

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Tow truck driver arrested after wild chase injuring police officer

By Lucas Kihmm

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    MONONA, Wis. (WKOW) — A dramatic police chase unfolded on Saturday as authorities responded to a reckless driving report involving a tow truck on Highway 51 leaving a Madison police officer injured.

The tow truck was driven by 36-year-old Christopher P. Brugger from Madison and reportedly endangered multiple vehicles before fleeing from police.

Officers arrived at a BP gas station on East Broadway, where the tow truck was spotted. As officers approached, the driver took off and lead police on a pursuit through several parking lots and roads, including Monona Drive and Broadway.

During the chase, a sedan on the truck’s flatbed slid onto the roadway, and the truck struck an object on Highway 51.

The pursuit ended on Terminal Drive when the tow truck collided with a Madison police squad car, causing serious injuries to the officer inside.

Brugger attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended shortly after. He faces charges including felony eluding, reckless driving, and resisting an officer, with additional traffic violations pending.

The Dane County Sheriff’s Office and Wisconsin State Patrol are investigating the crash involving the Madison squad car.

“Our thoughts are with the injured MPD officer, their family and co-workers,” Assistant Chief Deuman said.

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CAUGHT ON VIDEO: Northside High fight results in 4 students arrested

By KADN News Staff

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    LAFAYETTE, Louisiana (KADN) — New details have emerged about a fight at Northside High School that resulted in the arrests of four students. The incident occurred in a boys’ restroom and was captured on video obtained by News 15.

It began as a fistfight between two students and quickly escalated to involve four teens, aged 15 to 18. Police reported that one student used a pair of scissors to cut another during the brawl. All four students were arrested and charged by Lafayette police, with three being charged as juveniles.

Lafayette Parish Superintendent Francis Touchet emphasized the importance of parental involvement in discussing violence in schools.

“And it’s so important that all of our parents understand that they need to make sure they have conversations that violence that is taking place in schools is just a total disruption to the educational experience,” he said.

In addition to facing criminal charges, students involved in such fights can also face expulsion from school, according to LPSS.

A.I. assisted with the formatting of this story.

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Police use ‘decoys’ acting as young kids online, 4 men arrested

By Adam Kight

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    PETERSBURG, Indiana (WEVV) — A month-long sting operation to find child predators online resulted in the arrest of four men, according to the Petersburg Police Department.

A news release shared by PPD says the department used “decoys” acting as young children on social media sites as a part of the operation.

According to Petersburg Police, the suspects contacted one of the decoys online, and one of the suspects traveled to meet the child after having a sexually explicit conversation.

Police say they arrested 44-year-old Jason Loveless of Petersburg for felony Child Solicitation when he arrived to meet the child.

Andrew Brothers, 38 of Greencastle, was arrested on a warrant for felony Child Solicitation with the assistance of the Greencastle Police Department.

Kyle Nelson, 30, of Princeton, was arrested on a warrant for felony Child Solicitation with the assistance of the Gibson County Sheriff’s Office.

Logan McKinney, 34, of Huntingburg, was arrested on a warrant for inappropriate communications with a child, a misdemeanor, with the assistance of the Huntingburg Police Department.

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Gov. Braun allows Oct 10 execution to proceed

By Niki Kelly

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    Indiana (WFFT) — Gov. Mike Braun denied clemency to death row inmate Roy Lee Ward in an announcement early Monday morning.

“After carefully reviewing the unanimous recommendation from the State Parole Board, I have decided to allow the execution of Roy Lee Ward to proceed as planned for October 10,” he said.

Unless a court intervenes, Ward will be the third person executed since Indiana resumed capital punishment in December 2024, after more than a decade-long pause. Braun denied clemency for another death row inmate, Benjamin Ritchie, earlier this year.

The Indiana Parole Board last week recommended against granting clemency to Ward.

The five-member panel cited the “brutal nature” of Ward’s 2001 rape and murder of 15-year-old Stacy Payne, emphasizing that Payne was conscious during the attack and her “final hours living with the injuries that Roy Lee Ward inflicted on her.”

“Candidly, this Board reviews thousands of cases a year, many with gruesome facts, but the victimization of Stacy Payne stood out to us,” wrote parole board chairperson Gwen Horth.

Ward’s legal team has argued in court that Indiana’s current protocol creates a constitutionally unacceptable risk of pain and suffering, in violation of the Eighth Amendment.

The inmate’s legal team continues to challenge the use of the drug pentobarbital, citing evidence that it can cause flash pulmonary edema and sensations of drowning. They point to Ritchie’s execution in May, when witnesses reportedly saw the inmate “lurch upward, as if to sit up, in a spasm” after the injection, a reaction they say is “inconsistent with the normal effects of unadulterated pentobarbital.”

In pending federal litigation brought by Ward, the Indiana Attorney General’s office confirmed last week that the Department of Correction has obtained “three sets” of pentobarbital.

Indiana State Prison Warden Ron Neal said in a sworn declaration submitted to the Northern District judge that two of those sets will expire at the end of October and the third set expires in March 2026.

The governor previously disclosed that state officials spent $1.175 million on lethal injection doses over the past year — $600,000 of which was spent by former Gov. Eric Holcomb’s administration on drugs that expired before use. The cost has been between $275,000 and $300,000 per dose.

State officials have not responded to the Indiana Capital Chronicle’s questions about the amount paid for the latest three doses.

The state’s court filings also stressed that DOC is using “manufactured injectable pentobarbital” — not a compounded version — to carry out executions. Manufactured pentobarbital is produced in sterile facilities under federal quality controls, with longer shelf lives and stricter oversight than compounded alternatives, according to court filings.

Ward’s attorneys proposed that executions could be carried out more humanely if DOC administered a “pre-dose” of fentanyl or another opioid before pentobarbital, but Neal said in his declaration that the department “does not intend to use fentanyl as part of carrying out the death sentence” and that it is not included in the prison’s directives.

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‘Bus Roadeo’ lifts spirits of transit workers

By Hamilton Kahn

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    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KOAT) — ABQ Ride transit workers are getting thanks from the city and the public Sunday with its second annual whimsical “Bus Roadeo,” a fun-filled concept that is used by transit employees elsewhere.

In addition to rodeo-like events that substitute buses, cones and tennis balls for horses and barrels, the “roadeo” at the Mayor David Rusk Facility displayed cowboy regalia, “wanted” posters, food, a DJ, a bouncy house, a dunk tank, face-painting and more.

“It’s extremely important for the community to recognize transit workers,” said Pauline Alvarado, event coordinator. “We want to keep our drivers and staff happy to continue rolling forward with good, quality public service with excellent public service.”

Sun Van drivers, motorcoach operators, and supervisors compete in buses and vans with maneuvers on an obstacle course and are timed and scored by judges.

ABQ Ride service was not affected by the event. Questions and Sun Van scheduling are available Sunday by calling 505-243-RIDE until 5 p.m.

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FDA approves ‘lifesaving’ drug after Omaha mom’s pleas; ultra-rare condition gets first FDA-approved treatment

By Aaron Hegarty

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    OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — An Omaha mom is celebrating the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of elamipretide for Barth syndrome.

The sign Jordan Karle held outside the White House in late August makes the alternative clear: “We implore the FDA to rescue our babies from certain death.”

Karle’s 1-year-old son Jaylin has Barth syndrome, a condition only 150 people in the U.S. are estimated to have.

At birth, Jaylin’s heart was failing, Karle said. But after beginning elamipretide, Jaylin left the hospital after a month, she said.

Jaylin has had a nightly injection of elamipretide since then, Karle said, but the manufacturer, Stealth BioTherapeutics, would not have been able to support creation for much longer without any FDA approval.

Elamipretide, which has a brand name of Forzinity, was granted accelerated approval on Sept. 19.

Karle and other advocates traveled to Washington, D.C., in August after a second FDA denial this year. While they were there, they landed a meeting with FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, Karle said.

Annie Kennedy, the director of policy and advocacy at the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases, says their advocacy and data marked the reasons why the drug ultimately received approval.

Kennedy said approval was complicated by the fact that clinical trial data were for those 12 and older, though infants who see the onset of the condition in early life are the most adversely affected.

Karle said her advocacy is not done because the approval is only for those 66 pounds and above.

She said one in 10 Americans has a rare disease, and not many have an FDA-approved treatment.

“Disease communities tend to work together,” she said. She said they’re collectively advocating for funding for research for those diseases now. That’s something we’re all depending on right now, is to make sure that our federal agencies, our public health systems remain funded.”

The executive director of the Barth Syndrome Foundation, Emily Milligan, told KETV in a statement that she hopes the FDA’s turnaround marks the beginning of a new chapter for rare disease communities.

“We will continue to encourage the FDA to exercise this logic in the post-approval space regarding confirmatory evidence,” she told KETV. “The FDA’s bar must be achievable and realistic for such small populations like the Barth syndrome community to retain access and preserve children’s rights to life-saving medications.”

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Be cautious of ‘finfluencers,’ Ohio Department of Commerce warns

By Giacomo Luca

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    CINCINNATI (WLWT) — The Ohio Department of Commerce is warning individuals to be cautious when trusting social media for investment advice, particularly from influencers who are not registered investment professionals.

More people, especially younger generations, are turning to so-called financial influencers or “finfluencers” for investment ideas, which could put their money in harm’s way, according to experts with the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Securities.

Nearly a third of Americans have turned to social media for financial advice in recent years, according to Bankrate.com.

One of the biggest risks investors should avoid is following influencer advice from people who aren’t registered investment professionals, said John Crist, director of compliance at the securities division with the Ohio Department of Commerce.

This could be a red flag indicating individuals may be promoting investments for undisclosed pay, chasing short-term trends, or prioritizing clicks over financial well-being.

“What we’re urging is for folks to make sure that they’re exercising a lot of caution to make sure that they’re not giving in to the fear of missing out or making sure that they’re understanding the risks, the ramifications of their investments, and that any sort of advice that they receive that they’re processing through official thought out, registered channels,” Crist said.

To protect your money, the securities division advises investors to verify credentials of financial professionals. Investors can use free search tools like FINRA’s BrokerCheck or the SEC’s tool on Investor.gov.

Investors are urged to seek out multiple reputable sources, do your own research and beware of red flags like high guarantees and a pressure to act quickly.

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Oh Deer: Police rescue fawn whose hoof got stuck in fence

By Josh Wallace

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    PIEDMONT, Oklahoma (KOCO) — Piedmont police recently took an odd call involving a fawn caught up in a fence and quickly responded to save the four-legged leaper.

In a video posted on social media, an officer can be seen with a large set of bolt cutters as the deer struggles with one hoof caught up in the wire fence.

After a few attempts, the officer snapped the wire around the hoof, dropping the fawn to the ground. After being dazed for a moment, the deer’s animal instincts kicked in, as it scurried away from the officer.

Its freedom run was short lived, as it attempted to vault over a nearby water bucket but tumbled to the ground after the failed attempt.

“When you finally get free… but freedom is confusing,” department officials wrote in the social media post. “Sometimes it takes a second to get your bearings after being stuck.”

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Corrections officer hailed as hero after Oklahoma Department of Corrections bus emergency

By Olivia Hickey

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    Oklahoma (KOCO) — A high-speed medical emergency unfolded Thursday morning when the driver of an Oklahoma Department of Corrections bus suffered a medical episode during an inmate transport.

Corporal Justin Black is being hailed as the hero who was able to take control and steer the bus to safety.

Black was not interested in speaking on camera about his actions, but his supervisor described his efforts as heroic, possibly saving the lives of everyone on board.

Bodycam footage captured the moment Black sprang into action.

“I looked up, and he was on the floor, and that’s when I jumped up and stopped the bus,” Black said in the body camera footage. “I’m trying to make sure he stayed awake.”

Sky 5 flew over the scene near Interstate 35 and Bryant Avenue, where many emergency responders were present, and Black was seen assisting.

“Thirteen inmates were on board. Some, during the initial contact, were very concerned with the officer and telling Corporal Black what a great job he did,” Lt. Jed Hasbell, supervisor of the Central Transportation Unit at ODOC, said.

He said the outcome could have been catastrophic.

“Every time he does something great, he’s the first to say, ‘I’m just doing my job,'” Hasbell said. “He potentially saved the lives of 15 people, including himself.”

ODOC has chosen to respect the privacy of the driver and will not be sharing updates on his condition.

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