Polk County, FL

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Fort Meade, FL

Uncovering Florida

The Polk County Sheriff's Office has made an arrest after conducting an investigation into a case of credit card fraud involving 28-year-old Burger King employee, Kellyn Miley. The incident was discussed in detail during this morning's briefing with Sheriff Grady Judd.

Burger King Employee Caught Using Customer's Credit Card for Food at Former Job

Georgia State

Atlanta, GA

Daily Coffee Press

A 40-year-old man has been sentenced to over 28 years in prison for distributing significant amounts of fentanyl and other controlled substances to dealers in the Middle Georgia region. Authorities revealed that investigators uncovered evidence linking the drugs provided by the defendant, 40-year-old Lagary Williams, also known as "Frog," from Atlanta, to a fatal overdose.

Atlanta Man Sentenced to 28 Years for Supplying Deadly Fentanyl Linked to Fatal Overdose

Douglas, GA

Last week, a 32-year-old was arrested on trafficking charges after allegedly fleeing from a traffic stop and abandoning the vehicle with a child in the passenger seat. The chase resulted in the discovery of 230 grams of methamphetamine, which the suspect allegedly threw out while fleeing on foot. According to local detectives, the vehicle the suspect was driving was registered to NFL football player Tyreek Hill.

Man Driving Vehicle Registered to Tyreek Hill Arrested on Drug Trafficking Charges in Douglas

Colorado State

David Heitz

A bill quietly introduced this spring in the Colorado legislature to decriminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia obtained by harm reductionists has become law. As low-key as the legislation was introduced, the bill was signed into law without fanfare June 6. It garnered little to no media attention.

Colorado legalizes needles, pipes for meth and crack if obtained by harm reduction group

Alabama State

The Independent

 The Biden administration has doled out more than $2 billion in direct payments for Black and other minority farmers discriminated against by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the president announced Wednesday.More than 23,000 farmers were approved for payments ranging from $10,000 to $500,000, according to the USDA. Another 20,000 who planned to start a farm but did not receive a USDA loan received between $3,500 and $6,000. Most payments went to farmers in Mississippi and Alabama. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters that the aid “is not compensation for anyone’s loss or the pain endured, but it is an...

Black and other minority farmers are getting $2 billion from USDA after years of discrimination

After an attacker paralyzed his computer, a farmer from Switzerland was no longer able to read his cows’ vital data, resulting in the death of one of his herd. Even small farmers are not immune to cyberattacks. Vital Bircher, a farmer in Hagendorn, Switzerland, between Zurich and Lucerne, recently experienced an attack on his computer systems, which were also connected the dairy farmer’s milking robots, the Luzerner Zeitung first reported. Ultimately, one of Bircher’s cows died as a result of the attack.

Ransomware attack paralyzes milking robots — cow dead

Ohio State

The Lantern

On Tuesday, licensed Ohio dispensaries began legally selling non-medical marijuana to consumers; however, the drug’s possession, growth and/or usage are still prohibited on Ohio State’s campus. Credit: Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times/TNS [Original caption: Four citizen-led petitions with proposals to update Dallas’ charter hit the 20,000 valid signature threshold to make it on the Nov. 5 election ballot, including one that would ban police officers from arresting or citing people carrying less than four ounces of marijuana.] As of Tuesday, students 21 and older can now legally purchase marijuana in Ohio.

Dispensary sales of recreational marijuana began Tuesday; possession and usage still prohibited on Ohio State’s campus

Bright red toadstools, funky jelly fungus, and rounded puffball mushrooms in lawn grass may look alarming. However, lawn mushrooms can be a sign that you have healthy soil. Mushrooms can help lawns grow better by breaking down organic matter and making soil nutrients more available to plant roots. Before we...

Are There Mushrooms in Your Lawn? They're Actually a Good Sign, a Gardening Pro Says

South Carolina State

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Colleton County, SC

Explore Beaufort SC

Some beachgoers were in for a surprise this week when a bizarre looking prehistoric fish washed ashore in Colleton County along Edisto Beach at Edisto Beach State Park. It turned out to be an atlantic sturgeon.

Rare Atlantic sturgeon washes ashore on South Carolina beach

Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville Today

A historic marker could be erected to honor the victims of the racist mass shooting at the Dollar General store in Jacksonville’s New Town neighborhood nearly a year ago. If approved by the Jacksonville City Council, a marker would be installed at Kings Road and Canal Street on Aug. 25, a day before the first anniversary of the shooting, when a white gunman took the lives of three Black people.

Memorial considered to honor Dollar General victims

Kansas State

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Missouri State

CJ Coombs

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) helps to locate missing children. Since July 1, 2024, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), 174 children have been reported missing in the U.S. Since January 1, 2024, there was a total of 1,445 reported missing in the country.

Missing Missouri children as of July 17, 2024, according to the NCMEC

A man died in police custody Sunday after he was arrested when he scuffled with firefighters and police, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said. Joseph Lawson, 43, was the second person to die in the past week while in police custody. Both were hospitalized at the time they died, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Suspect dies in custody; he’s the second in six days

J. Souza

According to cruise industry reports, the world's largest cruise ship is sailing well above 100% capacity, thanks to more beds being filled on recent sailings. Royal Caribbean’s newest flagship, the Icon of the Seas, is proving to be an unprecedented success, with occupancy rates far exceeding expectations.

The Largest Cruise Ship in the World is Sailing at 132% Capacity: How This is Even Possible

Winder, GA

A 50-year-old former jailer has been charged by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) with cruelty to inmates and violation of oath of office. On Sunday, July 21, the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office requested the GBI to investigate an incident involving one of their jailers, Lolita Lightner of Winder, Georgia.

Former Jailer at Georgia County Jail Arrested

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced changes last week to the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Farm Loan Programs, effective Sept. 25, 2024 — changes that are intended to increase opportunities for farmers and ranchers to be financially viable. These improvements, part of the Enhancing...

USDA Updates Farm Loan Programs for Farmers

Camden, NJ

Cornelius, NC

Morristown Minute

CAMDEN, N.J. – Lisa Smith, 61, of Cornelius, North Carolina, has admitted to her role in a fraudulent scheme involving over $3.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today that Smith pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court on July 17, 2024, to a charge of bank fraud conspiracy.

Woman Pleads Guilty to $3.5M COVID Relief Scam

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has allocated $63 million to advance battery recycling and smart manufacturing in America. The program is designed to help state and local governments to increase battery recycling and modernize American manufacturing by making cutting edge technologies easier to implement for small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs). The program will be administered by the DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC).

U.S. government invests $63 million to advance battery recycling and smart manufacturing

Appling County, GA

A 40-year-old man from Appling County, Christopher Eric Stone, with a significant criminal history, was recently sentenced to over five years in prison after pleading guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, according to officials from the Department of Justice.

Georgia Man Sentenced to Over 5 Years for in Federal Prison for Meth Distribution

Louisiana State

Natrona County, WY

Houma, LA

WyoFile

A worker died Aug. 5 when the crane he was operating toppled at a wind farm construction site in remote Natrona County, state and local officials say. The victim, John William Hoffpauir, Jr., 55, of Houma, Louisiana, was working as a crane operator at the Cedar Springs wind energy construction site north of Casper and Glenrock under the control of Blattner Energy at the time of the accident. Hoffpauir was a Blattner Energy employee, a spokesperson for the company told WyoFile.

Worker killed in accident on wind energy construction site in Natrona County

Denver, CO

In addition to collecting more than 8,000 used needles in the past year from Denver drug users, the Harm Reduction Action Center passed out 10,000 meth pipes and “snort kits,” according to a newsletter sent to its supporters Thursday. They also connected about 1,700 people to medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Denver group hands out 10K meth pipes, ‘snort kits,’ connects 1,700 to treatment annually

NewsBreak

Budget Commission approves motion to distribute county’s local government funds to townships and villages

PUTNAM COUNTY — Last Monday, the Putnam County Budget Commission, composed of main members County Prosecutor Gary Lammers, County Treasurer Tracy...

Budget Commission approves motion to distribute county’s local government funds to townships and villages

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