Star News

Police said jewelry and firearms were recovered after the suspects’ car became trapped under an 18-wheeler. PASADENA, TX — Two armed robbery suspects crashed into two 18-wheelers Thursday morning on Houston’s East Loop after fleeing a Pasadena pawn shop, leaving one suspect critically injured and another in custody, police said. The crash followed a reported robbery at a Cash America Pawn store in the 500 block of Pasadena Boulevard. Pasadena police said the men robbed …

Continue

Search warrants describe new evidence requests in the investigation of former Alexander High School teacher Maris Nichols. DOUGLAS COUNTY, GA — Newly filed search warrants say a former Douglas County teacher accused of sexual misconduct involving students was allegedly blackmailed for better grades after some students learned she operated an OnlyFans account. Maris Nichols, 25, a former Alexander High School science teacher, is facing a widening criminal case that now involves six teenagers, digital records …

Continue

Police said eight people, including teenagers, were struck before the pursuit ended at a McDonald’s drive-thru. CULVER CITY, CA — A Perris man accused of stealing a car at knifepoint and driving into pedestrians during a police chase was arrested Tuesday night after crashing in a McDonald’s drive-thru in Los Angeles, authorities said. Police identified the driver as 45-year-old Juan Luis Estrada. Culver City police said he struck eight people, hit several vehicles and injured …

Continue

Police charged an 85-year-old business partner after Robert Arguelles was shot at Old Hickory Tannery. NEWTON, NC — An 85-year-old Hickory man was charged with second-degree murder after police said he shot and killed his business partner Wednesday afternoon inside a Newton furniture company where more than a dozen employees were working. The killing drew attention beyond Catawba County because the victim, 59-year-old Robert Roger Arguelles of Taylorsville, was a member of the Alexander County …

Continue

Federal filings say Cyber Dive’s former leader spent company money on a Lamborghini, a Miami home and jewelry. PHOENIX, AZ — A former Arizona technology chief executive has been charged in federal court after investigators said he stole at least $1.5 million from a Mesa startup and used the money on luxury gifts for a girlfriend. Jeffrey Gottfurcht, former chief executive and co-founder of Cyber Dive, faces two federal wire fraud counts tied to money …

Continue

Police said the stolen vehicle was later found abandoned nearby. HOUSTON, TX — A man working on his vehicle was killed Thursday morning in northwest Houston after police said someone got into the car, drove away and struck or dragged him near Holly View Drive and Antoine Drive. The death turned a reported vehicle theft into a homicide investigation in the Greater Inwood area, just west of Acres Home. Houston police said the victim had …

Continue

The strike hit the Kapotnya refinery for the second time in a week and forced flight disruptions across Moscow. MOSCOW, RUSSIA — Ukrainian drones struck a major oil refinery in southeast Moscow on Thursday, setting fires at the Kapotnya plant and forcing flight restrictions at several airports in one of the largest attacks on the Russian capital since 2022. The attack marked a sharp expansion of Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign against Russian energy sites. The …

Continue

Frank Thies was convicted after investigators used genetic genealogy to revisit a cold case that had been unsolved for decades. PROVIDENCE, RI — An Indiana man was sentenced Tuesday to two consecutive life prison terms for sexually assaulting two girls at knifepoint in the woods of Exeter nearly four decades ago. Superior Court Justice Sarah Taft-Carter sentenced Frank Thies, 70, in Washington County Superior Court after a jury found him guilty in December of first-degree …

Continue

Police said the body matched the clothing description of Elena Katherine Moore, but formal identification was still pending. LEXINGTON, S.C. — Police found a body Wednesday during the search for Elena Katherine Moore, a 39-year-old personal trainer who vanished after leaving a Lexington gym last week, authorities said. The discovery marked a major turn in a missing person case that drew a large police response, public tips and growing attention across the Midlands. Lexington Police …

Continue

Federal investigators have examined finances tied to Jennifer Siebel Newsom as the governor alleges political retaliation. SACRAMENTO, CA — Federal investigators are examining tax and nonprofit records tied to Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, as the governor accuses President Donald Trump’s Justice Department of targeting his family for political reasons. The inquiry has drawn fresh attention because Newsom is a leading Democratic voice, a frequent Trump critic and a possible …

Continue