Evansville

Mass shooting suspect was wrongfully charged with capital murder, Texas lawsuit says

“Brandon became infamous around town as a mass murderer.”

Battleground Pennsylvania urges counties not to delay counting mail-in ballots

Pennsylvania officials on Thursday urged local election offices to begin counting mail-in ballots on Election Day, after several Republican-led counties in the battleground state said they would not start tabulating the votes until a day later. The state is bracing for days of uncertainty over the results of next Tuesday's presidential contest between Republican President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, due to a surge in voting by mail amid the coronavirus pandemic. Trump, who trails Biden in opinion polls in the state, said this week that an extended period of counting mail-in ballots would be "totally inappropriate" and an overall winner should be declared on Tuesday night after polls close.

Lawyers for Black couple shot by police outside Chicago claim officer’s body camera was turned off intentionally

Officer claims couple tried to hit him with their car

Black franchisees at McDonald's file new discrimination lawsuit

The proposed class action led by James and Darrell Byrd, who are brothers with four McDonald's restaurants in Tennessee, was filed by the same law firm representing 52 Black former franchisees who filed a similar lawsuit on Aug. 31. McDonald's was accused of placing Black franchisees in undesirable inner-city locations with high security and insurance costs and below-average sales, and driving many away by failing to support them as debts rise and profits fall short. Jim Ferraro, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, estimated that McDonald's has 186 Black franchisees in the United States, down from a peak of 377 in 1998, who own "700-plus" stores.

U.S. appeals court nixes Minnesota's extended ballot counting

In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals said the deadline extension was an unconstitutional maneuver by the state's top election official, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat. The appeals court said Minnesota election officials should identify and set aside all absentee ballots received after Nov. 3.

Four D.C. cops on leave after Black moped driver's fatal crash

The death of 20-year-old Karon Hylton has sparked two nights of protests and violence in the city.

Children evacuated after Davie school bus catches fire, police say

Schoolchildren were evacuated from a bus that caught fire Thursday afternoon.

From abortion rights to 'magic mushrooms,' U.S. voters will decide

In all, at least 124 statutory and constitutional questions appear on this year's state ballots, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). About two thirds of them were put there by the legislatures, usually because direct voter approval is required on tax and bond issues and on constitutional changes, the NCSL said. In 24 states, mostly in the West, any citizen may collect signatures to put a proposed law on the ballot, although most legislatures can still override them, according to NCSL legislative policy specialist Amanda Zoch.

‘No legal case’ to try sheikh over alleged sex attack

A sheikh and Emirati cabinet minister will not be prosecuted for the alleged sexual assault and torture of a Hay Festival curator, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced on Thursday. Caitlin McNamara, 32, had claimed Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, 69, had kissed and groped her when she went to visit him at his private island villa in February to discuss Hay’s first literary festival in Abu Dhabi. Her lawyers had hoped the CPS would be able to prosecute the Gulf royal under the concept of “universal jurisdiction”, in which serious offences can be tried despite them not having taken place in the UK. But in a statement the CPS said the legal criteria had not been met for charges to be brought against the sheikh, the United Arab Emirates’ tolerance minister. The sheikh has denied the allegations. Jenny Hopkins, the head of the CPS’s special crime and counter terrorism division, said: “Sexual offences can have a devastating and lasting impact on victims, and the CPS will always prosecute cases where our legal test is met. “The CPS has carefully reviewed evidence passed to us by the Metropolitan Police after a British woman reported being sexually assaulted earlier this year while working abroad. Possible charges of sexual assault and torture were considered. “However, after thorough consideration, we have concluded that the evidence does not support a prosecution and will not be taking the case any further. We have explained our reasoning in detail and offered to meet the complainant to clarify any points.

Men charged with intimidating Black voters ordered to call back victims, admit messages were false

Jacob Wohl, 22, and Jack Burkman, 54, were ordered on Wednesday to call back all the recipients of their robocalls whom they spread misinformation to by 5 p.m. on Thursday or they will be in contempt of court. The Attorney General of Michigan Dana Nessel says the men were clearly trying to deter voters.

EU to fund transfer of COVID-19 patients across borders to prevent hospitals collapse

The European Union will finance the transfer of patients across borders within the bloc to prevent hospitals from getting overwhelmed as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations spike in the continent. After a video conference of EU leaders to discuss the health crisis on Thursday, the head of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen said the EU executive had made available 220 million euros ($260 million) to move COVID-19 patients across borders. At the meeting leaders agreed to better coordinate efforts to battle the virus as infections in Europe exceeded 10 million, making the continent again the epicenter of the pandemic.

Walmart pulls firearms, ammunition from U.S. store floors as civil unrest flares

Walmart Inc removed firearms and ammunition from U.S. store floors this week to protect customers and employees as tensions across the country have been rising, the world's largest retailer said on Thursday. The move comes days before the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3, with many worried that the result could be contested or spark violence. "We have seen some isolated civil unrest and as we have done on several occasions over the last few years, we have moved our firearms and ammunition off the sales floor as a precaution for the safety of our associates and customers," a Walmart spokesman said.

Man arrested after YouTuber posts video of racist remarks

"This is a no [N-word] zone," the man said to Andre Abram, who was recording him.

Global coronavirus cases rise by single-day record of half a million

Global daily COVID-19 cases have risen by nearly 25% in less than two weeks as the world witnessed 400,000 daily reported cases for the first time last Friday. Most western countries and parts of Latin America have reported their highest single-day surges in the past few weeks. Many governments, with the notable exception of the United States, have started taking stronger measures to bring the spread of the virus under control.

U.S. Postal Service has delivered 122 million ballots ahead of election

The U.S. Postal Service said on Thursday that it had delivered 122 million blank and completed ballots ahead of next Tuesday's presidential election in which there has been record early voting. The USPS said the figure was up from 100 million ballots delivered as of the prior week. It added that since Oct. 1, it had been delivering all first-class mail, including ballots, in an average of 2.5 days, while 97.5% of all first-class mail was delivered within five days.

Opinion: Is California's most progressive district attorney a Republican?

The progressive (or 21st century, or reform, or modern) prosecutor movement is not securely tied to gender or race, or even to political party.

Apple: Fiscal 4Q Earnings Snapshot

(AP) _ Apple Inc. (AAPL) on Thursday reported fiscal fourth-quarter net income of $12.67 billion. The average estimate of 11 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 69 cents per share. Eight analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $63.39 billion.

Woman shot by suburban Chicago police sues officers, city

A Black woman who was seriously injured when a suburban Chicago police officer shot her and killed her boyfriend is suing the officer who opened fire and the officer who initially questioned them minutes earlier. Tafara Williams’ lawsuit was filed late Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago against the officer who fired the shots the night of Oct. 20, Dante Salinas; the officer who stopped the couple earlier that evening, James Keating; and the city of Waukegan. Salinas is Hispanic, and Keating is white.

Twitter: 3Q Earnings Snapshot

The San Francisco-based company said it had net income of 4 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for stock option expense and non-recurring costs, came to 19 cents per share. The average estimate of 13 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 6 cents per share.

Constable slams handcuffed woman into ground in ‘worst use of force’ ever seen: senior officer

A stunning new video released by a judge at a constable’s trial has shown a Canadian police officer violently slamming a handcuffed woman into the ground face-first. According to local reports, Monday, provincial court Judge Michelle Christopher agreed to release the video to the media of the 2017 arrest of Dalia Kafi who was 26 years old at the time.

Trump administration lifts federal protections for gray wolf

The move gives states in the continuous United States the authority to manage their local wolf populations, including by allowing them to be hunted. It will mainly affect wolf populations in the upper Midwest, Colorado and Pacific Northwest because wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains were previously delisted. Wolves have never been federally protected in Alaska.

Amazon: 3Q Earnings Snapshot

SEATTLE (AP) _ Amazon.com Sixteen analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $92.92 billion.