Sunfire, Author at From the Trenches World Report | Page 105 of 255

A tangle of skyrocketing rents, stagnant wages, evictions and a lack of affordable housing has led to a boom in homelessness in New York City. The latest figures show 57,448 people sleeping in shelters, and approximately 40 percent are children.

According to the latest Department of Homeless Services (DHS) figures, more than 23,000 of the 57,448 people sleeping in New York City shelters are children. There are nearly 12,000 families in the shelter system. Organizations that help aid homeless people are getting worried that as the cold weather sets in, the numbers will return to the record high of seen in December 2014, when the homeless population numbered 59,068. Continue reading “New York City homeless population nears 60,000, over 40% are children – report”

Continue reading “Rains From Patricia Breach Louisiana Levee”

PHOENIX (AP) — Weeks after a judge ordered an overhaul of his office, an Arizona sheriff with a reputation for retaliation received a fax that critics say proves he was secretly investigating a judge who ruled against him in a racial profiling case.

The 2013 fax from an informant was written as a timeline of key developments in the profiling case: It cited the judge’s assignment to the case, claimed federal authorities were wiretapping the phone of one of Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s aides, and suggested both happened shortly after the U.S. Justice Department allegedly called the judge. Continue reading “Arizona sheriff confronted with recurring retaliation claims”

BEIJING (AP) — A U.S. Navy warship sailed past one of China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea on Tuesday, in a challenge to Chinese sovereignty claims that drew an angry protest from Beijing, which said the move damaged U.S.-China relations and regional peace.

China’s Foreign Ministry said authorities monitored and warned the USS Lassen as it entered what China claims as a 12-mile (21-kilometer) territorial limit around Subi Reef in the Spratly Islands archipelago, a group of reefs, islets, and atolls where the Philippines has competing claims. Continue reading “China warns US Navy after ship sails by Chinese-built island”

Florida’s first bear hunt in decades has resulted in such a high bear death toll in Central Florida it will be the only region where the hunt will not resume on Sunday.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman, hunters in the region have already killed 99 bears – just one short of the 100-bear quota allowed for the area, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Continue reading “Central Florida re-freezes bear hunting after first day sees 99% of season’s kill quota”

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A strong earthquake in northern Afghanistan shook buildings from Kabul to Delhi, cut power and communications in some areas and caused 46 deaths, mainly in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the 7.5-magnitude earthquake was in the Hindu Kush mountains, in the sparsely populated province of Badakhshan, which borders Pakistan, Tajikistan and China. It said the epicenter was 213 kilometers (130 miles) deep and 73 kilometers (45 miles) south of the provincial capital, Fayzabad. Continue reading “Afghan earthquake rocks Asia, dozens dead”

JERUSALEM (AP) — A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli in the West Bank before being shot and killed Monday, the Israeli military said.

The Israeli was stabbed in the neck and “severely wounded” at an intersection near the city of Hebron, and the Palestinian was shot and killed at the site, the military said. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said initial reports indicated the Israeli was a soldier, but the military declined to provide details about the person’s identity. Israeli media identified the wounded Israeli as a 19-year-old. Continue reading “Israeli army: Palestinian stabs Israeli, is shot dead”

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — A black man who was a public housing inspector and part-time drummer was shot three times by a plainclothes police officer near his broken down vehicle on Interstate 95 and never fired his own gun, attorneys for his family said Thursday.

Corey Jones had five wounds — some of them exit wounds — and one shot broke his arm and another entered through Jones’ side and lodged in his upper body, his lawyers said after meeting with the state attorney who is investigating the fatal shooting. Continue reading “Attorneys: Black drummer shot 3 times, never fired his gun”

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana University has expelled a 19-year-old sophomore accused of attacking Muslim woman over the weekend, trying to remove her headscarf and shouting racial slurs, a school official said Tuesday.

School spokesman Mark Land said IU’s dean of students “dismissed” Triceten D. Bickford on Monday night as a “direct result of what happened over the weekend” when the woman was attacked Saturday evening outside of a Bloomington cafe. Continue reading “Indiana University expels student in attack on Muslim woman”

A northern New Jersey elementary school has canceled Halloween parties at the school this year; officials cite community diversity and say some students felt left out at past parties.

NJ.com reports that a school letter sent to parents says different cultures are represented in the Seth Boyden Elementary School community and many students felt left out at past Halloween celebrations. Principal Mark Quiles and two PTA co-presidents said about 20 percent of the student body didn’t participate last year. Continue reading “NJ elementary school cancels Halloween parties, cites diversity”

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A former Romanian president appeared on Wednesday before the nation’s top court, which is prosecuting him for crimes against humanity during a bloody anti-government protest 25 years ago in which six people died and hundreds of others were injured.

Ion Iliescu, 85, went to the High Court of Cassation and Justice on Wednesday to hear charges connected to the violent repression of the June 1990 protest. He denies wrongdoing, but made no statements during the session. Continue reading “Romania’s ex-president prosecuted for crime against humanity”

DETROIT (AP) — A man has been arrested in the stabbing and slashing of two emergency medical technicians as they tried to help an injured woman on a Detroit street, police said.

The Detroit Police Department announced the man’s arrest Tuesday night by members of its Violent Crimes Task Force. Police said the man was also being held on warrants in an inactive 2006 homicide case and a sexual assault case. Continue reading “Man arrested in vicious stabbing attack on 2 Detroit EMTs”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration on Monday expressed support for bipartisan Senate legislation that would reduce prison sentences for some nonviolent drug offenders, a rare issue where conservatives and liberals agree that the current system is overwhelmed and in desperate need of reform. Continue reading “Obama administration backs bill to reduce prison time”

BOSTON (AP) — A mother and her boyfriend are due in court in the death of a 2-year-old girl who became known as Baby Doe after her remains washed up inside a trash bag on a Boston Harbor beach.

Rachelle Bond and her boyfriend, Michael McCarthy, were charged last month in connection with the death of Bond’s daughter, Bella. Both are due in Dorchester District Court Tuesday, although not much activity is expected because they haven’t yet been indicted. Continue reading “Mother, boyfriend due in court in ‘Baby Doe’ killing”

A man in Chicago has been charged by police with child endangerment after his 3-year-old son died. The boy was accidentally shot in the head by his 6-year-old brother while playing a game.

The fatal incident happened shortly after 9:00pm local time on Saturday when the 6-year-old got a hold of a loaded revolver which was being stored on top of the refrigerator in his home, Chicago police reported on Sunday. Continue reading “Father charged after child, 6, fatally shoots brother, 3, playing ‘cops & robbers’ in Chicago”

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Authorities have charged a man with second-degree murder after he called a Milwaukee television news station and discussed details of a cold case involving a Milwaukee seventh-grade girl whose body was found more than 30 years ago.

Prosecutors say Jose Ferreira is responsible for the death of 13-year-old Carrie Ann Jopek, who went missing in 1982. The case resurfaced last week when WISN 12 News reported that Ferreira called its newsroom and discussed the case. Continue reading “Man charged after calling TV news on girl missing since 1982”

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar’s government and eight smaller ethnic rebel armies signed a cease-fire agreement to end more than six decades of fighting, but other more powerful groups refused to come on board, signaling that peace will remain elusive for some time to come.

The pact was signed at a ceremony in Myanmar’s administrative capital, Naypyitaw, by President Thein Sein and representatives of the groups. The refusal by the larger armies, such as those of the Kachin and Wa ethnic groups, to sign it robs Thein Sein of what he had hoped would be the crowning achievement of his five-year term. Continue reading “8 ethnic rebel armies sign cease-fire pact with Myanmar govt”

NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. (AP) — The fatal beating of a young man and the savage attack on his younger brother by relatives and fellow members of an upstate New York church was intended to get them to confess their sins, investigators said, but they still haven’t determined what those supposed sins were.

Police said spiritual “counseling” at the Word of Life church turned into an hours-long attack Sunday night in which Lucas Leonard, 19, and his 17-year-old brother, Christopher, were pummeled with fists and kicked. They suffered injuries to the abdomen, genitals, back and thighs. Continue reading “Police unsure what ‘sins’ provoked attack on brothers”

BALTIMORE (AP) — Activists opposed to the permanent appointment of Baltimore’s interim police commissioner occupied City Hall on Wednesday night and told police they wouldn’t leave until the commissioner and mayor agreed to a list of their demands, including changes to police tactics and significant investment in education and social services.

Members of the Baltimore Bloc had begun shouting from the upper gallery of a conference room as a city council subcommittee prepared to vote for Kevin Davis as permanent commissioner. The full council will vote on the appointment Monday. Continue reading “Activists occupy Baltimore City Hall; oppose commissioner”

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Even as stewards of a historic cruise ship that carried princes and presidents frantically pursue deals to preserve the vessel, they fear rescue efforts will sink without a large infusion of cash by month’s end.

The SS United States has issued many mayday calls over the past few years, but its overseers recently retained a broker to explore selling the defunct luxury liner for scrap. “She’s faced peril before, but this feels different,” said Susan Gibbs, executive director of the SS United States Conservancy. “And what is so excruciating about it is that we have made so much progress during the past year on redevelopment.” Continue reading “Historic cruise ship sends out mayday call for funding”