In the news

Ariauna Lillard, 19, of Lincoln, Neb., was cited for negligent burning after, police said, she caused about $4,000 in damage by sparking an apartment fire when she used a butane torch to burn love letters from an ex, setting a carpet ablaze.

Clarence Smoyer, 96, of Allentown, Pa., a Pershing tank gunner known as the "Hero of Cologne" for destroying a German Panther tank during World War II, went to the Pentagon to sign copies of a book detailing his exploits and instead was awarded a Bronze Star, 75 years after the battle that made him a hero.

Nelson Vargas-Torres, 42, a San Antonio truck driver who pleaded guilty to trying to smuggle more than 70 migrants in a locked trailer through a Border Patrol checkpoint in June, faces up to 10 years in prison, federal prosecutors said.

Faith Jolley, spokeswoman for Utah's wildlife resources division, said Orem police used their vehicle sirens to drive a 2-year-old black bear that was roaming city streets up a tree long enough for it to be tranquilized and relocated to the Wasatch Mountains.

Neil Parker, 54, a hiker who said he crawled for two days through rugged Australian woodland with a broken leg and arm after falling 20 feet down a waterfall and dropping his cellphone in a creek, is recovering in a Brisbane hospital after being rescued by helicopter.

Edward Buck, 65, of West Hollywood, Calif., a prominent donor to California Democrats who was described by prosecutors as a "violent, dangerous sexual predator" who took advantage of drug addicts and homeless men, was charged with running a drug house where two men died of overdoses.

Mike Folmer, 63, of Lebanon, Pa., a Republican state senator, has resigned after being charged with possessing child pornography and other counts when authorities, acting on a tip, said they found images of child pornography on his cellphone.

Mary Jo Hall, 59, a school bus driver in Winder, Ga., was charged with possessing a firearm on school grounds after a student on her bus found a purse containing a gun and bullets and reported it to administrators, investigators said.

Eudean McMillan, 74, Darryl Parker, 37, and a 15-year-old boy were arrested after being accused of taking turns using a handgun to shoot and kill a man who was in a group of people who attacked Parker outside a coin laundry in Trenton, N.J., police said.

A Section on 09/19/2019

Upcoming Events