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Frustration grows as Houston's power outage goes into 4th sweltering day
More than a million electrical customers in Houston remained without power amid sweltering weather on Thursday and most won't have their power restored until the end of this weekend, a full week after Hurricane Beryl swept in and damaged the energy grid, officials said. Many Houston residents and elected leaders said they were losing their patience with the main utility company in the area, CenterPoint Energy, accusing the company of being slow in restoring electricity. "I'm not in the business of grading. I'm in the business of saying, 'Let's get it done.' We demand that they do better," Houston Mayor John Whitmire said of CenterPoint Energy during a news conference Wednesday. CenterPoint Energy said Wednesday night that of the almost 2.3 million customers who lost power when Beryl came ashore early Monday as a Category 1 hurricane, about a million have had their power restored.
Gunman at large after ambushing, killing deputy following assault on pizza worker over wrong order: Officials
A manhunt is underway in Houston for the gunman who ambushed and killed an on-duty deputy overnight, authorities said. The incident began just after 10 p.m. Wednesday when Harris County deputies responded to an aggravated assault at a Little Caesars pizza shop, Harris County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Mike Lee said at a news conference. "What happened is senseless," Lee said early Thursday. "The suspect came into the location to pick up a pizza that he had ordered." "He was upset because the order was incorrect," Lee said.
Inflation cooled in June, outperforming economists' expectations
Consumer prices rose 3.0% in June compared to a year ago, extending a monthslong stretch of progress in the fight to slow price increases. The latest inflation reading outperformed economists' expectations. Inflation has cooled for four consecutive months, reversing a surge in prices that took hold at the outset of 2024. Price increases have slowed significantly from a peak of more than 9%, but inflation remains more than a percentage point higher than the Fed's target rate of 2%. The prices increases last month marked a slowdown from the 3.3% rate recorded in May.
Inflation expected to have cooled in June
A monthslong stretch of progress in the fight against inflation will face another test on Thursday when a U.S. government agency releases fresh data on price increases. Inflation has cooled for three consecutive months, reversing a surge in prices that took hold at the outset of 2024. Price increases have slowed significantly from a peak of more than 9%, but inflation remains more than a percentage point higher than the Fed's target rate of 2%. Economists expect consumer prices to have increased 3.1% over the year ending in June. That figure would mark a modest slowdown from the 3.3% rate recorded a month prior.
Fourth juror confirms Karen Read was found not guilty on two counts
A fourth juror in the Karen Read trial has come forward to report that the jury found her "not guilty" of second-degree murder and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, attorneys wrote in court documents. Read's attorneys are asking the judge to dismiss the two counts when the case goes to trial again. "There was no manifest necessity for a mistrial as to those counts, and therefore the Double Jeopardy protections of the federal and state Constitutions require that those counts not be retried," Read's defense attorney Alan Jackson wrote in court documents. Judge Beverly Cannone declared the mistrial on July 1 after the jury informed her that they were deadlocked. Read's attorneys have since filed a motion to dismiss the case.
Michael Brown's mom pushes for justice for her son in public hearing
The mother of Michael Brown -- who was shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer in 2014 sparking protests around the county -- gave testimony to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) to review the case of her son's killing in a public hearing on Wednesday. Lezley McSpadden, Brown's mother, joined nonprofit organization Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and Howard University on a Zoom conference to petition the IACHR to recommend for United States prosecutors to criminally litigate Brown's killing. Lawyers from the U.S. State Department and the Department of Justice also attended the hearing. "The PTSD is overwhelming. I do have three remaining children. I was very scared and nervous to let them out of my sight for weeks after Mike was killed," McSpadden said. "I received tons and tons of threatening letters. It got so bad where my lawyers had to look through my mail before I looked through it." The 10-year anniversary of Brown's death is Aug. 9. Legal charges were never issued for Brown's killing.
Police build Lego heist case after $200,000 in sets seized
Police in Oregon have recovered more than 4,000 stolen Lego sets valued at over $200,000 in a massive bust following a three-month investigation, authorities said. The seizure happened on July 3 at approximately 12:30 p.m. when authorities from the Springfield Police Department in Eugene, Oregon, served a warrant to 47-year-old Ammon Henrikson, the owner of “Brick Builders,” accusing him of knowingly purchasing new and unopened Lego sets that had been stolen from other local retail stores, according to a statement from the Springfield Police Department released on Tuesday. “In several instances, suspects stole hundreds of dollars’ worth of Lego sets...
Boy, 14, bitten by shark in Florida, the fourth incident in a month
A 14-year-old boy was bitten by a shark Wednesday in Daytona Beach, Florida, local authorities said. The teen, who was visiting from Missouri, was bitten on his left foot while standing in knee-deep water, according to the Volusia County Beach Ocean Rescue. He was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The incident marks the fourth shark bite reported in Volusia County just this month.
Americans coast-to-coast sweat out historic heat wave
More than 150 million people were under heat alerts coast-to-coast Wednesday afternoon as temperatures soared into the triple-digits in the West and hot, humid weather in the East and South made it feel like it was over 100 degrees. A historic heat wave that has gripped the nation for days continued Wednesday as places like Las Vegas topped the 110-degree mark for the eighth consecutive day. Fresno, California, is expected to surpass 105 degrees Wednesday afternoon for the eighth straight day, according to the National Weather Service. Las Vegas, which recorded its highest temperatures ever on Sunday when it reached 120 degrees, broke another weather record on Wednesday. The city experienced its fifth straight day of temperatures reaching 115 or above, beating its old mark of four consecutive days of such high heat set in 1940 and tied in 2005. Sin City could also break its record of 10 consecutive days of 110 degrees or higher by the end of this week. The temperature in Las Vegas is forecast to climb to a blistering 118 degrees on Thursday, 115 on Friday and 112 on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
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