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NEW YORK (AP) ā Snowplows cleared the way for ambulances and fire trucks in Rhode Island. New York City workers geared up to dump massive basins of warm water on piles of snow and ice. And in Boston, officials tried to clear sidewalks coated in packed snow that cut off access for people using wheelchairs.The gigantic snowstorm this week across the Northeast U.S. dropped piles of powder from Maryland to Maine and left cities on Wednesday scrambling to clear towering heaps that were not showing signs of melting anytime soon.By Tuesday evening, New York City had spread 143 million pounds (65 million kilograms) of salt, according to Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and signed up at least 3,500 people as emergency shovelers. The $30-per-hour shifts involve clearing snow across public streets and bus stops.But with another storm expected Wednesday, there was plenty more work left to do, especially for the many people with disabilities.Jeff Peters, spokesperson for the Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York, described parts of the city as impassable islands.āYouāll find a portion of a sidewalk that is clear, and then thereās maybe a 6-inch (15-cm) pathway that can only be walked with one foot in front of the other and no room for a stroller, rollator, walker or crutches,ā Peters said. āThen you get to the corner and not only is it unshoveled, but you have basically a glacier at the end of it.āTina Guenette, who uses a motorized wheelchair, had to shovel out her yard this week after more than 33 inches (84 centimeters) fell in Harrisville, Rhode Island, a town about 17 miles (27 kilometers) northwest of Providence.āI really have no choice if my service dog wants to go outside,ā Guenette said Tuesday. Harrisville has a volunteer snow-shoveling program, but it hasn't had volunteers for the last few years, she said.The National Weather Service warned another storm originating in the Great Lakes could push into the Northeast on Wednesday. The clipper storm brings the prospect of a combination of rain and some snow, though itās not forecast to be nearly as severe.NYC Emergency Management warned Wednesday morning commuters that the forecast light snow and freezing temperatures could bring slick roads and sidewalks as well as black ice.Mondayās storm blanketed the region with snow, canceled flights, disrupted transit, downed power lines and killed at least one person. More than 3 feet (0.9 meters) fell in Rhode Island ā surpassing snow totals from the historic Blizzard of 1978 that struck the Northeast, the National Weather Service said.Meteorologist Ryan Maue, former chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said if all of the snow that fell from Maryland to Maine fell just on Manhattan, the snow would tower over a mile high.In Newport, Rhode Island, Joseph Boutros, 21, was found unconscious inside a vehicle covered in snow Monday night, the cityās police department said in a statement. The Salve Regina University student was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead due to carbon monoxide poisoning, police said.Some large school districts moved back to in-person classes on Wednesday, including Philadelphia, which had switched to online learning during the first two days of the week.In New York City, more than 900,000 students in the nationās largest public school system had a regular day Tuesday. Many students and their caregivers scrambled over mountainous snow banks and dodged salt spreaders during the morning drop-off.Power had returned for many of the hundreds of thousands who had lost electricity in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Delaware and Rhode Island. But about 173,000 customers in Massachusetts were still without power early Wednesday.Thousands of flights in and out of the U.S. have been canceled in recent days. By Wednesday, the disruptions seemed to be subsiding, with only around 150 grounded, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.When Jamie Meyers' flight landed in New York from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday evening, the cabin full of relieved passengers burst into applause. The Manhattan resident was supposed to arrive home Sunday but faced a cancellation and significant delay.The weather service referred to Mondayās storm as a āclassic bomb cyclone/norāeaster off the Northeast coast.ā A bomb cyclone happens when a stormās pressure falls by a certain amount within a 24-hour period.___Golden reported from Seattle and Boone reported from Boise, Idaho. Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz, Michael R. Sisak and Philip Marcelo in New York; Mike Catalini in Morrisville, Pennsylvania; Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed.
SEATTLE (AP) ā A man fatally stabbed four people in Washington state on Tuesday morning as sheriff's deputies were on their way to hand him a domestic violence protection order, authorities said. The suspect died after being shot by an arriving deputy.The Pierce County Sheriffās Office said deputies initially responded at 8:40 a.m. to reports that a 32-year-old man was violating a no-contact order at a home on the Key Peninsula, northwest of Tacoma. They obtained a copy of the order, learned it was not valid because it had not been served on the man and headed to the address to provide it to him.While they were en route, at about 9:30 a.m., additional reports came in that the man was stabbing people outside the home, the sheriff's office said. The first deputy arrived within about three minutes and shot the suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Officer Shelbie Boyd, a spokesperson for the Pierce County Force Investigation Team.Three of the stabbing victims were dead at the scene and another died while being taken to a hospital.Pierce County court records show that a woman who lived at the address last May obtained a one-year protection order against her 32-year-old son. She wrote that he had mental health and substance abuse issues, had previously pushed her, and more recently had threatened her by saying that her āgrave has been already dug up.āThe son had been "threatening me, abusing me both mentally and emotionally. Doing witchcraft/occult behavior and doing rituals in my home,ā the woman wrote. āDamaging personal belongings. Hurting my cat. ... I am an elderly disabled woman and he is taking advantage of me and my health.āThe records show that the son had notice of a hearing before the issuance of the restraining order but did not appear for it. The protective order required him not to possess dangerous weapons; to stay 1,000 feet (305 meters) from his mother, her vehicle and her address, which they had shared; and to comply with a previously prescribed mental health treatment plan, including medication.It was not immediately clear why the attacker had not previously been served with the protection order. Typically in Washington state, someone who obtains such an order can request that law enforcement deliver it to the subject of the order or hire a private investigator or āprocess serverā to do so. Not knowing the location of the subject of the restraining order can delay that.Chris Cardenas, who lives just a couple minutes driving from the street where the stabbings occurred, said he was washing his truck in his driveway when he heard the gunfire.āAll of a sudden I just heard like a series of gunshots,ā he said. āYou could really hear it echoing through the trees.āSirens then sounded nonstop for about 40 minutes, he said.āI immediately knew something was up because Iāve never heard gunshots out here,ā he said.He went over to the cordoned-off scene and saw ambulances, a forensics bus and dozens of police vehicles, he said, adding that he couldnāt have braced himself āfor how tragic the news would be.ā___Associated Press writers Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, and Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska, contributed.
NEW YORK (AP) ā Millions across the northeastern United States on Tuesday contended with treks to school and work as they dug out from a major ā and in some areas record-breaking ā storm that blanketed the region with snow, canceled flights, disrupted transit and killed at least one person.Even as the snow moved north Tuesday, giving way to sunshine in parts of the region, the National Weather Service warned another storm originating in the Great Lakes was right around the corner, though it's not forecast to be nearly as severe.Many large school districts remained closed, including in Boston and Hartford, Connecticut. But in New York City, more than 900,000 students in the nationās largest public school system had a regular day, Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared, inviting kids to pelt him with snowballs over his decision.Many students and their caregivers seemed open to taking the mayor up on that idea, as they scrambled over mountainous snow banks and dodged salt spreaders during the morning drop-off.āWeāre walking on thin ice here. One more day wouldāve been fine,ā said Danielle Obloj, the parent of a Brooklyn fifth grader. āThey should never have let these kids come back to school.āNearly 1 in 6 teachers called out sick Tuesday, the first day back after the blizzard and a midwinter break, prompting officials to call in more than 5,000 substitutes.Mamdani, a Democrat, and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels noted that families rely on in-person school for education and many other things, including parentsā ability to go to work. The officials also maintained that it would have been complicated to roll out remote learning at the end of a midwinter break.Others hailed the cityās efforts at snow-clearing.āIt was much better than last time ā an easy commute, no problems whatsoever,ā said Raul Garcia, as he exited a cab with his three school-age children.Preliminary attendance data shows 63% of the roughly 900,000 students came in, Samuels said. City data show the average attendance rate for the last school year was about 90%.Philadelphia switched to online learning Monday and Tuesday, while districts on Long Island and elsewhere in the New York suburbs canceled school again Tuesday.Roads are reopening and mass transit is coming back onlineMondayās storm that meteorologists are calling the strongest in a decade dumped more than 2 feet (0.6 meters) of snow in parts of the Northeast. More than 3 feet (0.9 meters) fell in Rhode Island ā surpassing snow totals from the historic Blizzard of 1978 that struck the Northeast, the National Weather Service said.In Newport, Rhode Island, Joseph Boutros, 21, was found unconscious inside a vehicle covered in snow Monday night, the city's police department said in a statement. The Salve Regina University student was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead due to carbon monoxide poisoning, according to police.Meteorologist Ryan Maue, former chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, calculated the amount of snow that fell from Maryland to Maine using mapping tools and artificial intelligence. If it all fell just on Manhattan, the snow would tower over a mile high, he said.When the snow melts, it holds 2.5 trillion gallons of water, Maue calculated. Thatās enough to fill the Empire State Building with water more than 9,000 times.By Tuesday morning, roads began to reopen, mass transportation came back online in some cities and power had returned for some of the hundreds of thousands who had lost electricity in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Delaware and Rhode Island. More than 100,000 remained without power in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, which operates essentially on a single circuit, according to Douglas Foley, president of electric operations for the utility Eversource.Amtrak canceled some trains between Boston and New York and between New York and Philadelphia on Tuesday morning.But other railroads were open, including New Jersey Transit, and the Long Island Railroad āunleashedā a snow-clearing train car known as āDarth Vaderā to clear snow drifts.Another storm is on the wayThe weather service said it's tracking another storm that could bring snow to the Great Lakes on Tuesday before pushing into the Northeast on Wednesday. The clipper storm brings the prospect of a combination of rain and some snow.The new storm is not expected to be as strong, but even a few extra inches of snow on top of hard-hit areas could make cleanup more difficult, said Frank Pereira, meteorologist for the weather service in College Park, Maryland.Canceled flights and a snowball fightThe weather service referred to Mondayās storm as a āclassic bomb cyclone/norāeaster off the Northeast coast.ā A bomb cyclone happens when a stormās pressure falls by a certain amount within a 24-hour period.Roughly 2,200 flights in and out of the U.S. were canceled Tuesday, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Most of the cancellations involved airports in New York, New Jersey and Boston.Rhode Islandās T.F. Green International Airport halted all flights Monday as it dealt with nearly 38 inches (97 centimeters) of snow, according to the weather service.Along with the disruptions, the storm led to the creation of armies of snowmen and other sculptures as well as snowball fights.A massive snowball fight erupted Monday in New York Cityās Washington Square Park, but video showed two outnumbered police officers being pelted by snowballs. City police commissioner Jessica Tisch called the behavior ādisgracefulā and ācriminal.āPlans for snow removalIn New York City, city workers will soon deploy snow melters ā massive basins of warm water where large amounts of snow and ice will be dumped, acting Sanitation Commissioner Javier Lojan said Tuesday. They helped melt 23 million pounds (11.5 metric tons) of snow during last month's storm.In snowbound Providence, Rhode Island, the city is taking snow to five locations, according to Josh Estrella, communications director for the city government. The challenge is so great that additional dumping grounds may be added, Estrella said.State Rep. David Morales has criticized the city for hauling snow to a vacant lot slated for redevelopment in South Providence.Morales called that part of Providence āthe most polluted part of the cityā and home to a dense population of people of color.Estrella said the five dumping locations are scattered around Providence.Storm strands juror as sex trafficking trial resumesStorm-related travel disruptions even impacted the resumption of a high-profile criminal case in Manhattan federal court.A juror in the sex trafficking trial of wealthy brothers Alon, Oren and Tal Alexander was ātrapped in Miamiā and wasnāt scheduled for a return flight until Friday, prompting Judge Valerie Caproni to dismiss the stranded juror from the case Tuesday.The trial wasnāt held last week to accommodate jurors whose children were on a school break.āI am loath to lose another juror, but I am also loath to lose another week of trial,ā Caproni said.___This story has been corrected to show that more than 900,000 public school students were affected by Mayor Zohran Mamdaniās decision to keep schools open, not more than 1 million.___Catalini reported from Morrisville, Pennsylvania. Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz and Michael R. Sisak in New York; Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu; and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.
PARIS (AP) ā The Louvre Museum's director resigned Tuesday after months of pressure following the October theft of the French crown jewels, as the world's most visited museum faced widening scrutiny over security failures, labor unrest and a suspected ticket fraud scheme.Laurence des Cars quit after a punishing year for the former royal palace ā the high-profile jewels heist from the Apollo Gallery, a mid-February burst pipe near the āMona Lisa,ā water leaks damaging priceless books, staff walkouts and a wildcat strike over overcrowding and understaffing.The landmark has faced a narrative of an institution spiraling out of control.And that pressure deepened in recent weeks when French authorities revealed a suspected decadelong ticket fraud operation linked to the museum that investigators say may have cost the Louvre 10 million euros ($11.8 million).President Emmanuel Macron accepted des Carsā resignation as āan act of responsibilityā at a moment when the Louvre needs ācalmā and new momentum for security upgrades, modernization and other major projects, according to a statement from his office.Macron wants to give des Cars a new mission during Franceās presidency of the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations, focused on cooperation among major museums, the statement said.For many in Franceās cultural world, the resignation answers months of head-scratching over why no top official had fallen after the heist: a daylight robbery that many in the country saw as the most humiliating breach of French heritage security in living memory.It also came as lawmakers and cultural officials widened scrutiny of the museumās leadership and security practices in the months since the breach.Brazen theftThieves took less than eight minutes in October to steal crown jewels valued at 88 million euros ($102 million) from the Louvre, in a weekend operation that stunned visitors, exposed glaring vulnerabilities and left one of France's most symbolically charged collections in criminal hands.Several suspects were later arrested, but the stolen pieces remain missing.Des Cars, one of the most prominent museum directors in Europe, had offered to resign on the day of the robbery, but it was initially refused by the culture minister.In remarks after the theft, she described the moment as a ātragic, brutal, violent realityā for the Louvre and said that, as the person in charge, it had felt right to offer her resignation.Lightning rodIn an interview published on Tuesday by daily newspaper Le Figaro, des Cars said that she had tried to steer the Louvre through the fallout from the heist, but had concluded that she could no longer carry out the museumās transformation in the current institutional climate.Staying on, she said, would have meant managing the status quo when the museum still needs deep reform.āI was there to take the lightningā as museum director, she said.Des Cars also said that the October break-in exposed problems that she had been warning about since taking office, including aging infrastructure, obsolete technical systems and severe congestion.She had led the Louvre since 2021, taking over one of the museum worldās most prestigious jobs as the institution emerged from the coronavirus pandemic and mass tourism returned.Multifaceted crisisIn June, a wildcat strike by front-of-house staff and security workers forced the Louvre to halt operations, stranding thousands of visitors outside the glass pyramid and underscoring the depth of anger among employees over overcrowding, understaffing and what unions called untenable working conditions.Workers said that the pressure of daily visitor flows ā particularly around the āMona Lisaā ā had become unmanageable and that promised reforms were arriving too slowly. There were growing complaints that the infrastructure and staffing of the crumbling medieval structure havenāt kept pace with the crowds pouring through its galleries.The resignation came at an especially punishing moment, less than two weeks after French authorities revealed the separate ticket fraud scheme.That case widened scrutiny beyond the jewels robbery and toward the museumās day-to-day controls.Fraud schemeProsecutors say tour guides are suspected of ā up to 20 times a day ā reusing the same tickets to bring in different visitor groups, at times allegedly with the help of Louvre employees, in a system investigators believe operated for a decade.In a rare interview just days ago with The Associated Press after the fraud case was made public, the Louvre's No. 2, general administrator Kim Pham, said that fraud at an institution the size of the Louvre was āstatistically inevitable.āHe argued that the museumās sheer scale ā millions of visitors, multiple checkpoints and a sprawling historic complex ā makes it uniquely exposed.But he also acknowledged shortcomings, and said that the museum had tightened validation checks and increased controls.New RenaissanceThe succession of crises has put new political weight on a project Macron has heavily championed: the Louvreās sweeping overhaul plan, branded the āLouvre New Renaissance.āUnveiled by Macron in January 2025, the renovation, which could take up to a decades, aims to modernize a museum widely seen as overstretched and physically worn down by mass tourism.The plan includes a new entrance near the Seine River to ease pressure on I.M. Peiās pyramid, new underground spaces and a dedicated room for the āMona Lisaā with timed access ā all intended to improve crowd flow and reduce the daily crush that has become a symbol of the Louvreās success and its dysfunction.The project is expected to cost roughly 700 million-800 million euros ($826 million-$944 million), with funding from ticket revenue, state support, donations and Louvre Abu Dhabi-related income.The scale and cost of that plan now loom over the search for des Carsā successor.Macron has framed the overhaul as a national priority, comparing its ambition to other landmark French restoration efforts and casting it as part of a broader defense of French cultural prestige.
LONDON (AP) ā The British government will release confidential papers related to the former Prince Andrewās appointment as trade envoy after a scathing parliamentary debate in which lawmakers called for greater accountability from the royal family and said the kingās brother had put his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein ahead of his duty to the country.Lawmakers approved a motion Tuesday demanding publication of the documents, after the one-time prince and Duke of York, now known simply as Andrew Windsor-Mountbatten, was arrested on charges related to allegations that he shared government reports with Epstein while he was trade envoy. Prime Minister Keir Starmerās government backed the motion, assuring its passage.āFrankly, it is the least we owe the victims of the horrific abuse that was perpetrated by Jeffrey Epstein and others, the abuse that was enabled, aided and abetted by a very extensive group of arrogant, entitled and often wealthy individuals in this country and elsewhere,ā Trade Minister Chris Bryant said for the government.And unflattering description of the ex-princeHe described Mountbatten-Windsor as being engaged in a constant "self-enriching hustle'' ā a "rude, arrogant and entitled man who could not distinguish between the public interest, which he said he served, and his own private interest.''While the government agreed to release the files, Bryant said the publication of some documents may be delayed until police finish their investigation.A web of influenceThe move co mes as the U.S. Justice Departmentās release of millions of pages of documents related to Epstein exposes how the wealthy financier used an international web of rich, powerful friends to gain influence and sexually exploit young women. Nowhere has the fallout been felt more strongly than in the U.K., where the scandal has raised questions about the way power is wielded by the aristocracy, senior politicians and influential businessmen, known collectively as āthe Establishment.āMountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Thursday at his home on the private estate of his brother King Charles III. He was released later that day pending further investigation.Then on Monday p olice arrested Peter Mandelson, a one-time government minister who later served as ambassador to the United States, on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to allegations that he, too, shared confidential information with Epstein. Mandelson was released early Tuesday morning. That investigation is also continuing.While they havenāt spoken publicly since their arrests, both Mountbatten-Windsor and Mandelson have previously denied any wrongdoing. Epstein died in custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.One Epstein chum reportedly lobbies for anotherEd Davey, the leader of the opposition Liberal Democrats, said he introduced the motion to shed light on why Mountbatten-Windsor was named trade envoy in 2001 amid reports that Mandelson pushed for the appointment. The episode appears to be a case of one friend of Epstein lobbying for a job for another friend of Epstein, he said.āCan there be many people more symbolic of the rot that eats away at the British establishment than the former Duke of York and special trade envoy, and the former business secretary, first secretary of state and ambassador to the United States?ā Davey asked.āTheir association with Epstein and their actions on his behalf, while trusted with the privilege of public office, are a stain on our country,ā he added.Greater accountability for the royalsDuring the debate, lawmakers called for greater accountability from the monarchy and a change in the rules and traditions of the House of Commons, which have historically barred members of Parliament from criticizing members of the royal family.Davey said such changes would help shield the monarchy from the kind of fallout it has suffered because of Mountbatten-Windsor.āThe changes that we think are necessary would indeed protect the royal family, strengthen the monarchy, which in some places is being criticized,ā Davey said. āAnd thatās why we need these reforms.āFor the House of Windsor, Tuesdayās debate was a reflection of a crisis that shows no sign of abating.Buckingham Palace has tried to insulate the monarchy from the scandal by drawing a clear bold line between Mountbatten-Windsor and the rest of the royal family. In addition to removing his royal titles, Charles forced his brother to move out of the 30- room estate near Windsor Castle where he had lived rent free for more than 20 years.But that may not be enough to quell the voices demanding change. The loudest of those comes from the campaign group Republic, which has long called for the monarchy to be replaced by an elected head of state.Soft power role under scrutinyWhile the U.K.ās constitutional monarchy no longer wields political power, it remains hugely influential at the apex of British society. The king is a symbol of continuity who serves as head of state for Britain and 14 other independent countries with ties to the former British Empire. Working members of the royal family support him by making hundreds of public appearances each year, visiting charities, military bases and community groups that still clamor for their attention.Commentators have compared the pressures facing the House of Windsor to 1936, when King Edward VIII abdicated the thrown to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson.āUnlike the last significant family crisis of the modern monarchy, the abdication of 1936, this is not an immediate matter of constitutional crisis, yet its implications may well prove more significant for the monarchy, and so they should,āā royal historian Anna Whitelock wrote this week in the Sunday Times newspaper. āIt is the last of our public institutions to face the full glare of public scrutiny, with questions raised about its role, purpose, governance, financing and accountability.āā
āTodayā show host Savannah Guthrie said her family is now offering a $1 million reward for information leading to the recovery of her mother, Nancy Guthrie, who went missing from her Arizona home more than three weeks ago.Savannah Guthrie said Tuesday that her family is still holding out for a miracle and hopes her mother will be found alive, but she also acknowledged that they realize it might be too late.āShe may already be gone,ā Savannah Guthrie said in an Instagram post. āShe may already have gone home to the Lord that she loves and is dancing in heaven.āNancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her home just outside Tucson, Arizona, on Jan. 31 and was reported missing the next day. Authorities believe she was kidnapped, and the FBI released surveillance videos of a masked man who was outside Guthrieās front door on the night she vanished.Drops of her blood were found on the front porch, but authorities havenāt publicly revealed much evidence. Since the first days of her disappearance, authorities have expressed concern about Nancy Guthrieās health because she needs vital daily medicine.Savannah Guthrie said her family needs to know where her mother is no matter what happened.āSomeone out there knows something that can bring her home,ā she said.Several hundred people are working the Guthrie investigation, and more than 20,000 tips have been received, the Pima County Sheriffās Office has said. The FBI and other agencies are assisting.The porch camera footage released two weeks ago, which showed a man wearing a backpack and gloves outside Nancy Guthrie's house, gave investigators their first major break. But it also has fueled intense speculation.The sheriffās department said Monday that itās aware of differences in the masked personās clothing depicted in various images that were released, namely with and without a backpack.āThere is no date or time stamp associated with these images,ā the department said. āTherefore, any suggestion that the photographs were taken on different days is purely speculative.āSheriff Chris Nanos said a week ago that members of Guthrieās family, including siblings and spouses, are not suspects.Savannah Guthrie said Tuesday that her family also will donate $500,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.āWe are hoping that the attention that has been given to our mom and our family will extend to all the families like ours,ā she said.
MOSCOW (AP) ā An unidentified assailant detonated an explosive device next to a patrol vehicle in Moscow early Tuesday, killing himself and a police officer, and leaving two other officers injured, officials said.The attack happened minutes after midnight near the Savyolovsky railway station in the Russian capital's downtown, according to Moscow's branch of the Interior Ministry.It said the assailant approached a traffic police vehicle and detonated an explosive device, killing an officer on the spot and injuring two others, who were hospitalized.Russia's top investigative agency later said the assailant was a 22-year-old man from Russia's Udmurt Republic, more than 1,100 kilometers east of Moscow. It said that a probe was ongoing into the motives behind the attack.Speaking at a meeting with top officials from Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the man had been recruited online and given the explosive device unknowingly. It was then detonated remotely, he said.The attack came four years after Russia sent troops into Ukraine.
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) ā Prosecutors portrayed a Utah mother and childrenās book author as a money-hungry killer Monday on the first day of a murder trial in her husbandās death, while her defense team urged jurors not to make judgments before hearing her side.Kouri Richins, 35, faces a slew of felony charges for allegedly killing her husband, Eric Richins, with fentanyl in March 2022 at their home just outside the ski town of Park City. She has vehemently denied the allegations.Prosecutors say she slipped five times the lethal dose of the synthetic opioid into a cocktail that he drank. She is also accused of trying to poison him a month earlier on Valentine's Day with a fentanyl-laced sandwich that made him break out in hives and black out, according to court documents.After her husband's death, Kouri Richins self-published a childrenās book about grief to help her sons and other kids cope with the loss of a parent.As arguments in the case got underway Monday, Richins sat next to her attorneys, taking notes and passing some to them. Her legal team has not said whether she will take the stand in her defense.Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth told jurors that Richins was $4.5 million in debt and wrongly believed that if her husband died she would inherit his estate worth more than $4 million. Prosecutors have argued she was planning a future with another man she was seeing on the side.āThe evidence will prove that Kouri Richins murdered Eric for his money and to get a fresh start at life,ā Bloodworth said. āMore than anything, she wanted his money to perpetuate her facade of privilege, affluence and success."No history of illicit drug useDefense attorney Kathryn Nester started her opening statement by playing the recording of Richinsā 911 call from the night of her husbandās death. Richins was sobbing on the call and seemed barely able to answer the dispatcherās questions.āThose were the sounds of a wife becoming a widow,ā Nester said.Eric Richins had Lyme disease and was addicted to painkillers, Nester argued. She suggested he may have overdosed.However, in body camera footage shown later Monday, Richins tells police her husband had no history of illicit drug use.Eric Richinsā sister, Katie Richins-Benson, also testified that their mother was a drug and alcohol counselor who had instilled in the siblings from an early age the dangers of drug use.The trial is slated to run through March 26. A few dozen people hoping to watch camped outside the courthouse in lawn chairs starting at 4 a.m., four and a half hours before the trial began.Richins faces nearly three dozen counts, including aggravated murder, attempted murder, forgery, mortgage fraud and insurance fraud. The murder charge alone carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.In the months before her arrest in May 2023, Richins self-published the childrenās book āAre You with Me?ā about a father with angel wings watching over his young son after passing away. The book could play a key role for prosecutors in framing Eric Richinsā death as a calculated killing with an attempted cover-up. Bloodworth told jurors Monday about how Richins promoted it on local TV and radio stations.Almost $2 million in life insurance policiesYears before her husband's death, Richins opened numerous life insurance policies on Eric Richins without his knowledge, with benefits totaling nearly $2 million, prosecutors alleged. Court documents also indicate she had a negative bank account balance and was being sued by a creditor.Bloodworth showed the jury text messages between Kouri Richins and Robert Josh Grossman, the man with whom she was allegedly having an affair. She had texted Grossman about her dream of leaving her husband, gaining millions in the divorce and one day marrying Grossman.Bloodworth also showed Richinsā internet search history, which included āluxury prisons for the rich Americaā and āCan cops force you to do a lie detector test?āBody camera footage shows night of husband's deathThe body camera video shown in court from Summit County Sheriffās Deputy Vincent Nguyen showed Richins distraught as she told police that her husband had chest pain before he went to sleep and may have taken a THC gummy.āMy husbandās active. He didnāt just die in his sleep. This is insane,ā she said in the video.Richins appeared to be in pajamas as paramedics worked to resuscitate her husband in a nearby room, the video showed. She held her head in her hands at times and paced around while talking to a deputy and family members who later arrived.Richins-Benson testified that she entered the house that night to find Richins looking āwell-put togetherā with her hair āall done up.āEmpty pill bottles and marijuana gummiesAmong the key witnesses expected to be called later in the trial is the familyās housekeeper, Carmen Lauber, who claims to have sold fentanyl to Kouri Richins on multiple occasions.Defense attorneys argued Monday that Lauber did not give Richins fentanyl and was motivated to lie for legal protection. Lauber is not charged in connection with the case, and detectives have said she was granted immunity.No fentanyl was found in Richinsā house, and the housekeeperās dealer has said he was in jail and detoxing from drug use when he told detectives in 2023 that he sold fentanyl to Lauber. He later said in a sworn affidavit that he sold her only the opioid OxyContin.Nester showed jurors photos of an empty pain pill bottle sitting on Eric Richins' bedside table the night of his death and bags of gummies he was known to use regularly. She said he had asked his wife to procure opioids for him.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) ā The disappearance of āTodayā show host Savannah Guthrieās mother three weeks ago has inspired a small number of volunteers to launch their own searches in the dense desert near her home in hopes of cracking the case.The Pima County Sheriffās Department said while it appreciates the concern for Nancy Guthrie, it asked people inquiring about volunteering to give investigators space to do their jobs.āWe all want to find Nancy, but this work is best left to professionals,ā the agency said in a statement over the weekend.Nancy Guthrie's disappearanceNancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her home just outside Tucson on Jan. 31 and was reported missing the following day. Authorities believe she was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will. Drops of her blood were found on the front porch, but authorities haven't publicly revealed much evidence.Despite the sheriff's request for people not to search on their own, volunteers have continued to look. A small group reported finding a black backpack on Sunday, but it wasn't the same brand as one identified in video surveillance that the FBI released of a masked person at Guthrie's home the night she disappeared.A sheriff's spokesperson told Tucson television station KOLD that the bag and its contents didnāt appear to be viable leads. The Associated Press reached out to the sheriffās department for comment on Monday.Volunteers begin to searchTwo women from the group Madres Buscadoras de Sonora, or āSearching Mothers of Sonora,ā who were carrying digging tools Sunday outside of Guthrieās home, said they, too, would join the search. They posted fliers on Guthrieās mailbox with her picture and their contact information.Lupita Tello, who joined the group after her son disappeared in Mexico in 2020, said Monday she and two other volunteers will continue to post flyers on bus stops and utility poles near Nancy Guthrie's home. Members of the group plan to do the same in Nogales, Mexico.She said the group was contacted by a friend of one of Nancy Guthrie's daughters who asked them for help because of their experience. The group has found the remains of more than 5,000 people in Mexico since it was started 10 years ago by mothers with missing children.āWe know the soil. We know when someone has dug deep or when there is a shallow grave,ā Tello said. āWe hope we can help because we understand the pain of having a missing relative.āShe said group members have received training by Mexican forensic experts on how to conduct their searches.The sheriffās department said in a statement late Monday that itās aware of differences in the masked personās clothing depicted in various images that were released, namely with and without a backpack.āThere is no date or time stamp associated with these images,ā the department said. āTherefore, any suggestion that the photographs were taken on different days is purely speculative.āAuthorities say search parties need to coordinateTony Estrada, the former long-time sheriff in neighboring Santa Cruz County, said volunteer searchers have good intentions in wanting to help and can serve as a force multiplier, but itās crucial that their efforts be coordinated with law enforcement.āYou canāt have people all over the place looking for something and not reporting to anybody or letting them know that theyāre going to be in that area,ā Estrada said. āThey may be trampling into things that may come out to be helpful in the future.āNearly all search operations for U.S. law enforcement agencies are staffed with volunteers, said Chris Boyer, executive director of the National Association for Search and Rescue.Untrained volunteers who show up to help in a search may mean well, but experts say they could end up contaminating a crime scene.āItās painful for law enforcement when that happens,ā Boyer said.Volunteers should undergo background checks, be trained in things like administering first aid and preserving crime scenes, and work under the direction of law enforcement authorities, said Boyer, whose group provides education, certification and advocacy for search and rescue efforts across the United States and other countries.Hundreds are working on the investigationSeveral hundred people are working the Guthrie investigation, and more than 20,000 tips have been received, the sheriff's office has said. The FBI and other agencies are assisting.The sheriff's office has watched around the clock lately at Guthrie's house. It also enacted a temporary one-way flow on the road so that emergency vehicles and trash collection trucks could get through. The constant presence of news crews, bloggers and curious onlookers has drawn mixed reaction from neighbors.Some appreciated the attention the case has been getting. Others have placed traffic cones and signs on their properties to keep people off.Meanwhile, the tribute to Nancy Guthrie outside her home keeps growing, with flowers, yellow ribbons, crosses, prayers and patron saints for older adults and in desperate situations.Aran Aleamoni and his daughter Ariana picked out a bouquet of red, pink and white flowers and placed them at the edge of Guthrieās yard, alongside a sign that read āLet Nancy Come Homeā and a statuette of an angel.āMy heart goes out to the entire family,ā said Aran Aleamoni, who has known the Guthrie family for a long time. āWe are all pulling for you. Weāre with you in your corner.ā___Billeaud reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writer Olga R. RodrĆguez in San Francisco contributed to this story.
NEW YORK (AP) ā A massive snowstorm pummeled the northeastern United States from Maryland to Maine on Monday, forcing millions of people to stay home amid strong wind and blizzard warnings, transportation shutdowns, and school and business closures.Meteorologists said the storm is the strongest in a decade, dumping more than 2 feet (60 centimeters) of snow in parts of the metropolitan Northeast, shattering accumulation records in places, immobilizing transit and even leading the United Nations to postpone a Security Council meeting. Officials declared emergencies, schools closed, including in New York City, which had its first āold-schoolā snow day in six years, and people grappled with power failures.Even as the snow moved northward and tapered off in other areas, the National Weather Service said it is tracking another storm that could bring more snow to the region later this week.The weather service referred to Monday's storm as a āclassic bomb cyclone/norāeaster off the Northeast coast.ā A bomb cyclone happens when a storm's pressure falls by a certain amount within a 24-hour period, occurring mainly in the fall and winter when frigid Arctic air can reach the south and clash with warmer temperatures.While it was paralyzing and potentially dangerous for millions along the Eastern Seaboard, meteorologists found themselves rhapsodizing over the combination of power and beauty.The storm hit the āGoldilocks situationā of just the right temperature for wet, heavy snow: Any warmer and its precipitation wouldnāt have fallen as snow, any colder and there wouldnāt have been as much moisture in the air to feed that snowfall, said Owen Shieh, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Serviceās Weather Prediction Center in Maryland.People begin digging out even as snowfall continuesIn Lower Manhattan, snow shovelers appeared to outnumber commuting office workers, and pedestrians walked freely in streets normally blocked by morning traffic.āItās very quiet, except for the howling winds,ā said Luis Valez, a concierge at a residential tower just off Wall Street, as he cleared the sidewalk. āA couple of residents have gone out to get their essentials. Other than that, thereās nothing.āMatthew Wojtkowiak, 57, an attorney, was also shoveling in his Brooklyn neighborhood.āIām from the Midwest, so this is in the zone,ā he said. āNot too bad, not too easy, either.āSchools were closed, and he said he hoped people would get out and enjoy the snow.āWe have sleds at the ready,ā he said.Karen Smith and Adele Bawden are tourists visiting New York from the United Kingdom.āWeāve been dancing in Times Square this morning in the middle of the road in rush hour,ā Bawden said. "Weāve just been dancing and not believing we could do it.āIngrid Devita said she liked to patrol the Lower East Side on skis, checking on people who might need help.āI find people fall in the snow and they canāt get up,ā she said.Central Park in New York City recorded 19 inches (48 centimeters) of snow. Warwick, Rhode Island, exceeded 3 feet (91 centimeters), topping the nation so far. The highest wind gust of 83 mph (133 kph) was recorded in Nantucket, with hurricane-force gusts seen all over Cape Cod.In Connecticut, crews at the Mystic Seaport Museum prepared to clear snow from a fleet of historic ships, including the 113-foot-long Charles W. Morgan, a wooden whaling ship from the 19th century American merchant fleet.Shannon McKenzie, vice president of watercraft operations and preservation, said shipyard staff will clear the snow by hand using rubber or plastic shovels because machinery or metal shovels could damage the boats.Storm fuels power outages and disrupts flightsNew York, Philadelphia and other cities, as well as several states, declared emergencies.More than 5,600 flights in and out of the United States were canceled Monday, and a further 2,000 flights scheduled for Tuesday were grounded, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Most of the cancelations involved airports in New York, New Jersey and Boston. Almost 2,500 flights were delayed.Rhode Islandās T.F. Green International Airport announced Monday that it was temporarily ending all airport operations. The Weather Service reported that the facility got nearly 38 inches (96.5 centimeters) of snow, breaking a record set in 1978.Public transit ground to a halt in some areas, while DoorDash suspended deliveries in New York City overnight into Monday.Meteorologists said strong winds and heavy, wet snow are a recipe for damaged trees and prolonged power outages.More than 450,000 utility customers nationwide remained in darkness Monday evening, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide.Snow slows commuter transport and forces snow daysThe Metropolitan Transportation Authority said Monday evening that subway lines are mostly operational after earlier delays, with the exception of the hard-hit borough of Staten Island, where rail service remained suspended. Delays would likely continue on lines that run outdoors.Commuter rail service to suburbs to the north and east of the city were expected to resume limited service ahead of the Tuesday morning commute, the MTA said. Bus commuters should also expect long wait times.Outreach workers meanwhile tried to coax homeless New Yorkers into shelters and warming centers.Various landmarks and cultural institutions were closed Monday, including New Yorkās Museum of Modern Art and the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. Broadway shows were canceled Sunday evening.New York City and Boston canceled public school classes for Monday, while Philadelphia switched to online learning. Districts on Long Island and elsewhere in the New York suburbs said they would cancel school for a second day on Tuesday.But New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said class would be back in person.Officials in one of the city's Republican strongholds criticized the Democratic mayor's move. Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella said schools should remain closed because roads are impassable and sidewalks are blocked. The teacherās union, the United Federation of Teachers, advised its members to be cautious and put their safety first when deciding whether to report to work.Spokespersons for Mamdani didnāt respond to an email seeking comment but his schools chief defended the decision on social media.Chancellor Kamar Samuels said the district ācouldnāt be 100% certainā that every student would have access to the devices they needed for remote learning, despite school officialsā ābest effortsā to distribute them ahead of the storm.āWe are confident in our decision to reopen,ā he wrote on X. āOur schools and city are ready to welcome students and staff back tomorrow.ā___Izaguirre reported from Albany, New York, and Rush reported from Portland, Oregon. Associated Press writers Mike Catalini in Morrisville, Pennsylvania; Mark Kennedy and Mike Sisak in New York; Darlene Superville in Washington; Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; and Philip Marcelo in Buenos Aires, Argentina contributed.
NEW YORK (AP) ā Dr. Peter Attia, a medical influencer whose emails with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were revealed in the latest U.S. Justice Department release of files, has resigned a post with CBS News.Attia, podcast host and author of āOutlive: The Science & Art of Longevity,ā was one of a group of people named last month by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss as a contributor to network programming. He was the subject of a ā60 Minutesā profile that ran on the network last October.But shortly after the appointment, Attia's name surfaced in hundreds of Epstein documents. While Attia said he was guilty of no wrongdoing and did not attend any of Epstein's sex parties, he admitted in an apology earlier this month that some of his emails were āembarrassing, tasteless and indefensible.āDespite some public pressure, CBS News did not cut ties with Attia after the documents surfaced. Instead, Attia resigned from the network on his own, according to published reports confirmed by CBS News on Monday.Attia is one of several public figures, including some in the corporate and public sectors, whose relationships with Epstein have surfaced in recent weeks, causing resignations.
LOS ANGELES (AP) ā Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood luminary Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, pleaded not guilty Monday to two counts of first-degree murder more than two months after their deaths, denying for the first time that he fatally stabbed his parents.Reinerās attorney, Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene, entered the plea on his behalf as he stood behind glass in an enclosed custody area of the packed Los Angeles courtroom.The third of Rob Reinerās four children, Nick Reiner has been held without bail since his arrest hours after beloved actor-director Reiner and photographer and producer Singer were found dead on Dec. 14 at their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles.Reiner appeared in court with a shaved head and light facial hair, wearing brown jail clothes. He talked to his lawyer briefly through the glass before the judge began the hearing. At one point a low door in the enclosure was opened and they crouched down and spoke face-to-face. During the hearing, he spoke only to answer yes when the judge asked if he waived his right for next steps of the case to proceed speedily.Reiner was not wearing the suicide prevention smock he wore in his first court appearance in December days after his parent's killings. It was the third time he had been set to enter a plea, but issues surrounding the high-stakes, closely watched case, including a surprising change in defense lawyers, kept it from happening until Monday.The judge told Reiner to return to court April 29 for the scheduling of a preliminary hearing where prosecutors will present evidence and a new judge will decide if itās enough for Reiner to go to trial.The case will now be handled by longtime Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta. He has had many prominent murder, manslaughter and public corruption cases in his courtroom in recent years, but none have drawn the national media attention this case has.District Attorney Nathan Hochman said outside court that his office still hasnāt decided whether it will seek the death penalty for Reiner. Hochman said the death penalty decision āgoes through a very rigorous process. We will be looking at all aggravating and mitigating circumstances.āReinerās not guilty plea is common for criminal defendants at this stage of the case, whatever their longer-term plan might be.Reinerās former attorney, the high-profile private lawyer Alan Jackson, had to quit the case at the previous hearing, citing reasons beyond his and his clientās control that ethics wouldn't let him reveal. But in parting, he adamantly declared that āpursuant to the laws of California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder,ā a stance made official by Reiner's plea Monday.Authorities have said nothing about possible motives, and leaks in the case have been virtually nonexistent on both sides, leaving some of the most basic questions about the killing unanswered publicly.Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, died from āmultiple sharp force injuries,ā the LA County Medical Examiner said in initial findings. Authorities said they were killed hours before the bodies were discovered. A court order has prevented the public release of more details.Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian said Monday that his office is still awaiting the full autopsy report from the Medical Examiner, but all other evidence has been turned over to the defense.Rob Reiner was a prolific director whose work included some of the most memorable and endlessly watchable movies of the 1980s and ā90s. His credits included āThis is Spinal Tap,ā āStand By Me,ā āA Few Good Men,ā and āWhen Harry Met Sallyā¦ ,ā during the production of which he met photographer Michele Singer. They wed soon after and were married for 36 years.
MEXICO CITY (AP) ā The Mexican army killed the countryās most powerful cartel leader and one of the United Statesā most wanted fugitives, notching a major victory while cartel members responded with a wave of violence across the country.The killing Sunday of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes during an attempt to capture him in Jalisco state was the highest-profile blow against cartels since the recapture of former Sinaloa cartel boss JoaquĆn āEl Chapoā GuzmĆ”n a decade ago.Following Oseguera Cervantesā death, security forces were placed on alert throughout the country as gunmen unleashed violence. Cars torched by cartel members blocked roads in 20 Mexican states. People locked themselves in their homes in Guadalajara, Mexicoās second-largest city and Jaliscoās capital, and school was canceled Monday in several states.The killing could give the government a leg up in its dealings with the Trump administration, which has been threatening tariffs or unilateral military action if Mexico does not show results in the fight against the cartels. But the long-term effect on Mexicoās security landscape remains unclear.Hereās what to know:āEl Menchoā was the leader of a fast-growing criminal groupOseguera Cervantes, better known as āEl Mencho,ā was 59 years old and originally from the western state of Michoacan. His ties to organized crime went back at least three decades.In 1994, he was tried for trafficking heroin in the U.S. and sent to prison for three years. Upon returning to Mexico, he quickly rose through Mexicoās drug trafficking underworld.Around 2009, he founded the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which became Mexicoās fastest-growing criminal organization, moving cocaine, methamphetamines, fentanyl and migrants to the United States, and using violence with the use of drones and improvised explosive devices.The cartel earned a reputation for brazen attacks on Mexican security forces, including downing a military helicopter in Jalisco in 2015 and attempting a spectacular, but unsuccessful, assassination of Mexico City Police Chief Omar GarcĆa Harfuch, who is now Mexicoās federal security secretary.It recruited aggressively, experimenting with new ways to reach potential members online, and generated revenue through fuel theft, extortion and timeshare fraud, among other activities.Oseguera Cervantes died in a battle with troops sent to capture himOseguera Cervantes was killed during an attempt to capture him, as his followers attempted to fight off Mexican troops.Mexicoās Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla said Monday that the army and National Guard launched an operation in the southern part of Jalisco state to capture Oseguera Cervantes, involving the Mexican air force and special forces. Intelligence gathered about one of Oseguera Cervantesā romantic partners led them to his hideout, he said.The cartel counterattacked, and in the ensuing confrontation, federal forces killed eight members of the criminal group. Oseguera Cervantes and two of his bodyguards were wounded and died later during transfer by air to Mexico City, Trevilla said.Rocket launchers capable of shooting down aircraft and destroying armored vehicles were seized at the scene.Mexico is keen to show Trump results in the fight against cartelsOseguera Cervantesā death will help Mexicoās government show results to the U.S., which is pressuring its neighbor to pursue drug cartels more aggressively. Both countries said intelligence cooperation helped lead to Sundayās operation.Oseguera Cervantes was facing multiple indictments in the United States and the U.S. State Department had offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest. The Trump administration designated his cartel and others foreign terrorist organizations a year ago.U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, who was U.S. ambassador to Mexico during the first Trump administration, applauded the operation via X, writing: āThe good guys are stronger than the bad guys. Congratulations to the forces of law and order in the great Mexican nation.āMike Vigil, former chief of international operations for the DEA, said Mexico had sent āa strong message to Donald Trumpās administration that they are fighting aggressively and effectivelyā against the most powerful cartels. He added that āthe majority of the information came from the Mexican armed forces and all credit goes to Mexico.āCartel leaderās death leaves a power vacuumItās not clear who will succeed Oseguera Cervantes, or if any one person can.The Jalisco cartel has a presence in at least 21 of Mexicoās 32 states and is active in almost all of the United States, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. But it is also a global organization and the loss of its leader could be felt well beyond Mexico.āEl Mencho controlled everything, he was like a countryās dictator,ā Vigil said.His absence could slow the cartelās rapid growth and expansion and leave it initially weakened against the Sinaloa cartel on several fronts where they or their proxies are fighting. The Sinaloa is locked in its own internal power struggle, however, between the sons of āEl Chapoā and the faction loyal to Ismael āEl Mayoā Zambada, who is in U.S. custody.Vigil said Mexico should seize the moment to launch āan effective frontal assault based on intelligence.āāThis is a big opportunity for Mexico and the United States if they work together,ā he said.Security analyst David Saucedo said that if relatives of Oseguera Cervantes take control of the cartel, the violence seen Sunday could continue. If others take power, they could be more willing to turn the page and continue operations.The greatest fear would be that the cartel turns to indiscriminate violence. They could decide to ālaunch narcoterrorism attacks ... and generate a scenario similar to what Colombia lived in the 1990s,ā a full-on attack against the government ācar bombs, assassinations and attacks on aircraft.ā
