<div><p>Families of hostages held in Gaza protested in front of Independence Hall in Tel Aviv on Thursday, demanding an immediate cease-fire deal that would return their loved ones home.</p><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate></div>

The Israeli military says it has recovered the bodies of five Israelis taken back to Gaza as hostages during Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on 7 October. The bodies of kindergarten teacher Maya Goren as well as the soldiers Sergeant Major Ravid Aryeh Katz, Master Sergeant Oren Goldin, Staff Sergeant Tomer Ahimas and Sergeant Kiril Brodski were found in a Hamas tunnel in the southern city of Khan Younis on Wednesday.

Israeli military recovers five hostages' bodies in Gaza

Reuters

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey has blocked cooperation between NATO and Israel since October because of the war in Gaza and said the alliance should not engage with Israel as a partner until there is an end to the conflict, sources familiar with the process said.

Turkey blocks NATO-Israel cooperation over Gaza war, sources say

NBC News

JERUSALEM — Israel will respond forcefully to any attack on it, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, after the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and of a senior Hezbollah leader in Beirut. Netanyahu said Israel had delivered crushing blows to Iran’s proxies over the past...

Netanyahu says Israel will exact heavy price for attacks in response to its strikes in Iran and Beirut

PARIS (Reuters) - France condemned Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's visit to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Tuesday, saying it was in violation of the historic status quo of the holy places in Jerusalem.

France condemns Israeli security minister Ben-Gvir's visit to Al-Aqsa mosque compound

Las Vegas, NV

The Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A former professional football player was sentenced Tuesday to prison in the April 2019 death of his girlfriend’s 5-year-old daughter at his Las Vegas apartment. The sentencing came after Cierre Wood, a former NFL and Canadian Football league running back, reached a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty in April to second-degree murder and felony child abuse, court records show. Wood, 33, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 10 years for the murder charge. Clark County District Court Judge Jacqueline Bluth also ordered him to serve between 28 months and six years for the child abuse charge. He must serve the sentences consecutively. According to a copy of the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed the remaining felony counts of child abuse that they initially had filed against Wood. He entered what is known as an Alford plea, a formal admission of guilt in criminal court that allows a defendant to still claim innocence.

Ex-NFL player gets prison time in death of 5-year-old girl in Las Vegas

Ferguson, MO

FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — Ferguson police on Tuesday released officer-worn body camera footage showing a protester knocking a Black police officer to the ground on the 10th anniversary of Michael Brown’s death, leaving the Missouri officer with a life-threatening brain injury. Police Chief Troy Doyle, speaking at a news conference, said the body camera footage shows that the suspect, 28-year-old Elijah Gantt of East St. Louis, Illinois, had charged at Officer Travis Brown on a sidewalk outside the police station after protesters attempted to pull down a perimeter fence.  Video played at the news conference from two different angles shows that a man, identified by Doyle as Gantt, had a running start and flattened the officer, whose head violently struck the pavement. Officer Brown was unconscious and prone on his back with the suspect lying on this chest as other officers quickly arrived and jumped on the suspect. Many of the 150 or so people at the news conference — including at least three dozen police officers and mayors from several St. Louis-area cities — gasped when they saw it. 

Ferguson police release body camera footage showing protester knocking officer to sidewalk

Colorado State

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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

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A New Zealand charity working with homeless people in Auckland unknowingly distributed candies filled with a potentially lethal dose of methamphetamine in its food parcels after the sweets were donated by a member of the public. Auckland City Mission said Wednesday that staff had...

New Zealand food bank distributes candy made from a potentially lethal amount of methamphetamine

Los Angeles County, CA

Community Voices represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program but not yet verified their accounts. Community Voices are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

community_voice

Herbie J Pilato

It's been 33 years since the handsome actor and Emmy award-winning TV game show host Bert Convy died of a brain tumor at 57 in 1991. This is his story. Bert Convy was born July 23, 1933, in St. Louis, Missouri. His father was in the shoe business, while his parents separated when he was just seven years old. His mother moved the family to California in the San Fernando Valley, where Convy attended North Hollywood High and was named the "class clown."

In Memory of Actor/Game Show Host Bert Convy: 33 Years After His Tragic Death From Brain Cancer

[Note: Unless otherwise indicated, all quotes and commentary from Donna Douglas are from an interview with her conducted by the author.]. Donna Douglas, who died of pancreative cancer at 82 in 2015, was an honest-to-goodness Southern Belle who displayed a natural beauty and talent in her portrayal of the hollering, rope-wearing, whistle-happy, and critter-cuddling Elly May Clampett on the 1960s classic TV hit, The Beverly Hillbillies.

TV's Beloved 'Beverly Hillbillies' Actress Donna Douglas: Nine Years After Her Death

Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville Today

A former Jacksonville police officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Josue Garriga III, 34, faces a mandatory penalty of 10 years to life in federal prison and must register as a sex offender. A sentencing date has not been set.

Former cop pleads guilty to enticing 17-year-old girl

Ocala, FL

A white Florida woman told investigators she fired a shot through her door at a Black neighbor because she panicked as the other woman pounded heavily on her door and threatened her amid an ongoing dispute over the neighbor’s children, according to a video statement played in court Wednesday. The mother of the woman who was fatally shot disputed that, telling reporters at a news conference that Susan Lorincz was not in fear for her own life but was intent on harming Ajike “A.J.” Owens on June 2, 2023, in Ocala, Florida.  Lorincz is on trial for manslaughter in the shooting. “She set out to cause harm. She set out to kill. That’s exactly what she did,” said Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias. “She has no regard for any form of human life. Certainly, not my family.”

White Florida woman says she fatally shot Black neighbor amid fear for her own life

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that Ukraine is reaching its “strategic goal” in the offensive in the Kursk region. Zelenskyy said in a nightly address that the advance had significantly increased the “exchange fund” for Ukraine. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that his country’s troops had taken full control of Sudzha, which would be the largest Russian town to fall under Ukraine’s purview since the start of its cross-border incursion more than a week ago. Although it only had a prewar population of around 5,000 people, Sudzha is the administrative center for the border area of Russia’s Kursk region and is larger than any of the other towns or settlements that Ukraine says its forces have taken since the incursion began Aug. 6. Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s military was setting up a command office in Sudzha, which suggests that Ukraine might plan to remain in the Kursk region long-term — or just signal Moscow that it may intend to do so. He didn’t elaborate on what functions the office might handle, though he said earlier that Ukraine would be distributing humanitarian aid to Sudzha residents in need. 

Zelenskyy says Ukrainian troops have taken full control of the Russian town of Sudzha

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

Writers represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. Writers are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

writer

J. Souza

In a dramatic rescue operation captured on video, the Italian Coast Guard airlifted a pregnant woman from a cruise ship in the Adriatic Sea on Sunday. According to news reports, the woman, who was experiencing complications and "at risk of miscarriage", was successfully transported to a hospital for medical care.

Pregnant Woman Evacuated from Cruise Ship "At Risk of Miscarriage"

ST. LOUIS (AP) — One of the people accused of damaging a Ferguson Police Department fence moments before a police officer was critically injured has withdrawn as an uncommitted alternate delegate to the Democratic National Convention, the Missouri Democratic Party said Wednesday. Keith Rose was charged with felony first-degree...

Delegate who was arrested at Ferguson protest withdraws from DNC as bodycam video is released

South Carolina State

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

Virginia State

Kentucky Vibes.net

Disclaimer: This article was written with the help of A.I. software. On July 28, 2024, a TikTok video posted by Erica W., known as @tasteofmelanin on the platform, garnered significant attention after she exposed disturbing racist decorations in an Airbnb rental. The incident occurred in a rental property that Erica had booked, although the exact location remains unspecified. The video has since gone viral, prompting widespread concern and leading to the removal of the listing from Airbnb's platform.

Airbnb Listing Taken Down After Black Woman Finds Hanging Monkeys and Cotton Used As Decor

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

BERLIN (AP) — Andrei Pivovarov knows there are about 1,000 hours in 42 days. Doing the math in his head and quietly marking milestones left in his sentence helped the Russian opposition politician survive more than three years in prison, much of it spent in complete isolation. “You have no one to talk to, so you come up with causes” for celebration, Pivovarov said in an interview with The Associated Press. A scrap of a letter from his wife fashioned into a bookmark also became precious to him. Freed on Aug. 1 in the historic East-West prisoner swap, Pivovarov now is figuring out a new life in Germany, where he reunited with his wife, Tatyana Usmanova.

Longest-held Russian dissident freed in swap says ‘colors get brighter by the day’ in his new life

Families of hostages held in Gaza protested in front of Independence Hall in Tel Aviv on Thursday, demanding an immediate cease-fire deal that would return their loved ones home.

Families of hostages held in Gaza protest in front of the Independence Hall in Tel Aviv

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