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Ohio man pleads not guilty in fiancée’s 2011 homicide

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The fiancé of an art student who went missing nearly 12 years ago pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder in her death during his initial court appearance Monday.

OHIO MAN CHARGED IN FIANCÉE’S 2011 DISAPPEARANCE, MURDER

Bail was set at $1 million for John Carter, 34, of Hamilton, who was arrested Wednesday and remains in the Butler County Jail. A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for April 4.

This booking photo provided by the Butler County, Ohio, Jail shows John Allen Carter. (Butler County Jail via AP)

The charges stem from the August 2011 disappearance of Katelyn Markham, who was last seen at her home in Fairfield. At the time, Markham was a few weeks away from finishing her graphic arts degree at the Art Institute of Ohio—Cincinnati, and Carter has said they were planning to move to Colorado later that year.

POLICE SUSPECT FOUL PLAY AFTER REMAINS OF MISSING OHIO WOMAN FOUND NEAR CREEK

Skeletal remains identified as Markham’s were found in 2013 in a wooded area in Cedar Grove, Indiana, about 20 miles west of her home in Fairfield. Authorities ruled her death a homicide.

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In February, Jonathan Palmerton was arrested in connection with Markham’s death on a felony perjury charge. That case remains active, authorities said, but specific details on why he was charged have not been disclosed.



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Philadelphia officials report no chemicals in water after nearby spill

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Philadelphia water officials say they are monitoring water quality closely and have seen no sign of contamination following a chemical spill into the Delaware River in a neighboring county.

Bucks County health officials said Sunday that a leak late Friday evening at the Trinseo Altuglas chemical facility in Bristol Township spilled between 8,100 and 12,000 gallons of a water-based latex finishing solution. Officials said it is non-toxic to humans, and no known adverse health effects have been reported in the county.

The Philadelphia water department “has analyzed a variety of samples from the river and raw water basin using infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography,” city officials said.

NO WATER ACCESS IN NEW JERSEY CITY AFTER MAIN BREAK

“Contaminants related to the Bristol Township discharge have not been found” in the city water system, officials said.

Philadelphia officials report no chemical contamination in the citys water supply following a spill in neighboring Bucks County.

Officials said they will continue to track the spill closely and vowed to notify the public immediately if water quality sampling indicates a potential effect on the river water entering the Baxter Water Treatment Plant in northeast Philadelphia downstream from the spill.

Officials said earlier that water would “remain safe to drink and use” at least through Monday, based on the time it takes water to move through treatment and water mains before reaching customers. Officials said intakes to the treatment plant were initially closed after the spill. But the intakes were later opened to maintain minimal water levels to avoid damage to equipment and to supply water for fire safety and other essential needs.

PENNSYLVANIA ENACTS STATEWIDE DRINKING WATER LIMIT ON 2 ‘FOREVER CHEMICALS’

Mike Carroll, deputy managing director for Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability, called the health risks from the material “very low if present at all.” But he said officials wanted people to be aware so they could consider using bottled water to drink or cook with to further minimize any risk.

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Coast Guard officials say they and other agencies are working to remove the spill material from the storm drain system and outflow on Mill Creek. So far, 60,000 gallons of contaminated water has been collected, officials said Monday. Shoreline patrols Sunday morning turned up no visible chemicals along the Delaware River, they said.



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California shooting at Sikh temple during religious celebration leaves two wounded: sheriff’s office

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Two people were wounded in a shooting at a Sikh temple during a religious festival in Sacramento, California Sunday, according to authorities.  

The Nagar Kirtan festival began at 9 a.m. Thousands of worshippers and spectators attended the Gurdwara Sahib, a Sikh temple, located at 7676 Bradshaw Road, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said. 

Sacramento sheriff’s deputies, pictured here, responded to Sunday’s shooting at a Sikh temple in Sacramento.  (Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office)

Around 2:30 p.m., sheriff’s deputies responded to a shooting on the temple grounds. Arriving officers found two men suffering from gunshot wounds. 

Both subjects were transported to a hospital for treatment and were expected to survive, the sheriff’s office said. 

Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators arrived on scene to interview witnesses. The evidence they gathered indicated three East Indian men had been involved in a physical altercation. 

TWITTER SUSPENDS ‘KILLERCOPS’ ACCOUNT THAT PUT BOUNTIES ON POLICE OFFICERS AFTER MASSIVE LAPD DATA RELEASE

One of the men pulled out a handgun and shot one of the other men. The third individual, whom the sheriff’s office identified as 21-year-old Karman Sandhu, also pulled out a gun and shot the first individual. 

Sandhu fled the scene on foot. He was later located and taken into custody by sheriff’s detectives. 

Anyone with information on this incident is being asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 916-874-5115 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-HELP. 

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The violence came a day ahead of a shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee that left three students and three adults dead. The shooter – identified as a 28-year-old woman – was shot and killed by police. 



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Georgia deputies shoot, wound motorcyclist after chase

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Sheriff’s deputies shot and wounded a motorcyclist following a high-speed chase in northern Georgia, authorities said.

The shooting happened early Sunday in Gordon County, where a motorcyclist sped away when Gordon County deputies tried to pull him over for not having a license plate, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

Deputies chased the cyclist through the city of Calhoun, about 65 miles north of Atlanta, until he crashed near a creek.

ARMED GEORGIA HOMEOWNER CATCHES INTRUDER IN THE ACT, SHOOTS HIM DEAD AS NEIGHBORS COOK BREAKFAST

Georgia deputies shot and injured a motorcyclist after a high-speed police chase.

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Deputies told the GBI the man threatened to shoot them and reached as though he had a gun in his clothing. Two deputies then shot the man, according to a GBI news release.

The wounded man jumped into a creek and continued making threats, the GBI said, prompting a two-hour standoff until deputies with a protective shield waded into the water and apprehended him.

No deputies were injured. The wounded motorcyclist was reported in stable condition at a hospital in Rome, the GBI said. It was not immediately known what charges he faced or whether deputies recovered a gun at the scene.



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In Maine, former Chipotle employees get $240K in alleged union-busting settlement

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Chipotle Mexican Grill has agreed to pay $240,000 to former employees as part of a settlement stemming from a complaint that the company violated federal law by closing a restaurant where workers wanted to unionize.

Chipotle announced it was permanently closing its Augusta, Maine, location last year after workers filed a National Labor Relations Board petition for a union election. The NLRB later said the closure was illegal.

The Maine location was the first in the chain to file a union petition. The settlement, released by union officials on Monday, states that two dozen employees will receive payments from Chipotle and they will be placed on a preferential hiring list for other Maine locations.

BIDEN’S BIG UNION POLICIES ARE A DOUBLE-WHAMMY TO MY SMALL BUSINESS

The company must also post a notice in dozens of stores in New England that it won’t close stores or discriminate against employees due to union support, the settlement states.

Chipotle has reached a $240K settlement with former employees who accused the company of closing their location after they tried to unionize. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

“It sends a message to corporations that shutting down a store and blackballing workers didn’t work for Chipotle and it won’t work for them either,” said Brandi McNease, a former employee of the Augusta store and the lead organizer of the union drive, in a statement provided by the Maine AFL-CIO.

STARBUCKS WORKERS ON STRIKE AGAIN, DEMANDING HIGHER WAGES

Chipotle said in a statement that it settled the lawsuit because fighting it would have been burdensome and expensive. The company respects “our employees’ rights to organize under the National Labor Relations Act” and is “committed to ensuring a fair and just work environment that provides opportunities to all,” said Laurie Schalow, chief corporate affairs officer for the company, in a statement.

“We settled this case not because we did anything wrong, but because the time, energy and cost to litigate would have far outweighed the settlement agreement,” Schalow said.

The Augusta location closed last summer. Workers described the closure as retaliation for the union drive, but company representatives said the closure wasn’t related to unionization.

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The payments the workers are receiving vary based on their average number of hours worked, pay rate and longevity prior to store closing, union officials said.



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PA Gov. Shapiro orders flags to half-staff for 7 killed in chocolate factory explosion

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The governor of Pennsylvania has ordered commonwealth flags flown at half-staff in honor of seven people whose bodies were recovered from the site of a powerful explosion at a chocolate factory.

“West Reading, we stand with you — and we’ll continue to provide all of the support your community needs,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a Twitter post Monday, referring to the borough about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia where the R.M. Palmer Co. plant blast occurred at about 5 p.m. Friday.

West Reading Mayor Samantha Kaag, in a statement Sunday night, called it “a devastating loss” but said “we are truly grateful to bring closure to the families involved in the upcoming days.”

PENNSYLVANIA CHOCOLATE FACTORY EXPLOSION KILLS SEVEN AFTER TWO MORE BODIES FOUND

The Berks County coroner’s office on Monday morning identified two of the victims as 49-year-old Amy Sandoe of Ephrata and 60-year-old Domingo Cruz of Reading and said “additional forensic medical examinations” would be needed to positively identify the other five victims. Autopsies are expected to be completed by the end of week, officials said.

West Reading Borough Chief of Police Wayne Holben said at a press briefing just after 9 p.m. Sunday that rescue workers had earlier in the evening found two bodies believed to be the remaining two individuals listed as missing. One of the victims was found around 6:50 p.m. and the other around 8:20 p.m., Holben said. Earlier, Kaag confirmed to The Associated Press that the fifth body was found Sunday morning. Holben said the body of a fourth victim was found under debris early Sunday.

Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has ordered state flags flown at half-staff to commemorate at least seven people who died in a Friday explosion at a West Reading chocolate factory. (Ben Hasty/Reading Eagle via AP)

Rescue crews had been using heat imaging equipment and dogs to search for possible survivors after the blast destroyed one building and damaged a neighboring building. Crews were using heavy equipment to methodically and carefully pull debris from the site, Holben said.

Three buildings around the site will be condemned as a precaution, but that didn’t mean they were uninhabitable or slated for demolition, merely that they would need further examination by structural engineers, Kaag said.

PENNSYLVANIA CHOCOLATE FACTORY EXPLOSION LEAVES FIVE DEAD, TWO MISSING: REPORT

Officials said they had no update on the condition of a woman pulled alive from the rubble early Saturday. Kaag said she had apparently been on the second floor and was found in a “hopeful circumstance,” calling out to rescuers despite her injuries after a dog located her.

Officials also reported no updates on the conditions of those taken to hospitals. Reading Hospital said it received 10 patients and transferred two to other facilities, while two others were admitted in good and fair condition respectively and the others had been discharged.

R.M. Palmer said in a statement Saturday that everyone at the company was “devastated” and it was reaching out to employees and their families through first responders and disaster recovery organizations because its communication systems were down.

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State and local fire investigators are continuing to examine the scene to try to determine the cause of the blast.



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Tennessee crash kills six children; one woman critically injured

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The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that occurred early Sunday morning and claimed the lives of six children.

According to a social media post from Robertson County Emergency Services, crews responded to reports of an accident on Interstate 24 near Pleasant View and Springfield, just before 2 a.m. on Sunday. 

Ambulance and fire truck with lights flashing (iStock)

When crews arrived, they found an overturned vehicle as well as multiple juvenile patients in critical condition, as well as an adult woman who was also in critical condition.

TENNESSEE SCHOOL SHOOTING: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT COVENANT SCHOOL IN NASHVILLE

Along with an overturned vehicle, the first responders saw another vehicle nearby with a man next to it who identified himself as the driver.

The driver did not have any complaints of injury.

The only other vehicle involved was an overturned car with extensive damage. Crews saw a man walking near the car who said he was inside when it overturned. He appeared to suffer minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital.

NASHVILLE SCHOOL SHOOTING: 6 KILLED INCLUDING 3 STUDENTS, SHOOTER DEAD

Outside the overturned car was an adult female who appeared to have been ejected from the vehicle, according to a press release, and she too was taken to a nearby hospital.

The other six people on the scene were ejected from the vehicle, the release read, were pronounced dead and could not be resuscitated.

Photo of a red ambulance at a city street. Blurred motion. Urgency. Emergency

Photo of a red ambulance at a city street. Blurred motion. Urgency. Emergency (iStock)

The six individuals were all females and between 1-18 years old.

NBC station WSMV in Nashville, Tennessee reported that the children were in a red Toyota Camry with a man and woman when the vehicle left the road and flipped.

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Members of the Tennessee medical examiner’s office were sent to the scene to transport the deceased victims to the coroner’s office, and the investigation is being conducted by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.



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Murdaugh Moselle possessions pop up on eBay with exorbitant price tags

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Items purportedly from the Murdaugh estate known as Moselle that were auctioned off last week are now cropping up on eBay — many with exorbitant price tags, including a crossbow for $21,000 and a camouflage gun case with an opening bid of $4,999.

Alex Murdaugh, 54, was sentenced March 3 to two terms of life in prison for fatally shooting his wife, Maggie, 52, and his 22-year-old son, Paul, on the family’s hunting estate in June 2021 in Hampton County.

Last Thursday, Liberty Auction in Pembroke, Georgia, sold off the decidedly macabre Murdaugh family possessions — including bedsheets, antlers and a custom leather sofa set. 

Many of those items appear to have ended up on eBay. A seller is hawking a black “Murdaugh crossbow” for $21,000 with an opening bid of $14,000, according to a screenshot posted by ABC4News. The listing no longer appears on the site.

MURDAUGH MOSELLE ESTATE ITEMS SELL FOR BIG BUCKS AS BUYERS DESCEND ON SOUTH CAROLINA AUCTION

A Murdaugh gun case, which was sold at an auction last week, is on sale on eBay for $4,999. Alex Murdaugh, left, was convicted earlier this month for the double slaying of his wife and son. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital/eBay)

An item described as “Alex Murdaugh Ducks Unlimited gun case,” which was also allegedly snagged at the auction, shows zero bids since it was posted Monday morning. A Murdaugh hunting jacket sold for $275, and a pair of deer antlers for $399.99.  

Still on offer is a vintage Pendleton flannel shirt, which was listed Friday for $175, and a pair of men’s RedHead Bone-Dry Waders for $125. 

A pair of wading boots picked up at the Murdaugh estate auction in Georgia last week is on offer on eBay. 

A pair of wading boots picked up at the Murdaugh estate auction in Georgia last week is on offer on eBay.  (eBay)

The peculiar Georgia auction attracted true-crime fans who wanted to own a piece of memorabilia from the tragic Murdaugh saga, and sellers looking to flip the possessions for a profit. 

CONVICTED KILLER ALEX MURDAUGH SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON

The family’s leather couch sold for $14,000 to Phillip Jennings, the owner of Broomsedge Rod & Gun hunting club based in Georgia.

A leather couch from Moselle, the Murdaugh family's South Carolina hunting estate, sold Thursday for $14,000 at Liberty Auction.

A leather couch from Moselle, the Murdaugh family’s South Carolina hunting estate, sold Thursday for $14,000 at Liberty Auction. (Liberty Auction)

“We think these are very novel pieces. They came from a very nice plantation lodge in South Carolina, and we want them to live on,” Jennings told Fox News Digital. “We try to specialize at our lodge… very unique things that are conversation pieces for people, and they can sit around and talk.”

Another buyer was looking for Christmas gifts for the whole family, and a man, who won bids on Maggie’s bicycle and tumblers with Murdaugh’s initials, said he had planned to start a local museum.

A crossbow from Moselle, Alex Murdaugh’s family estate, is on display on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, ahead of their auction at Liberty Auctions in Pembroke, Georgia.

A crossbow from Moselle, Alex Murdaugh’s family estate, is on display on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, ahead of their auction at Liberty Auctions in Pembroke, Georgia. (Mom & Paparazzi for Fox News Digital)

Liberty Auction didn’t immediately return a request seeking the sales price of each of the Murdaugh estate items that allegedly wound up on eBay.

The Murdaughs’ sprawling, 1,700-acre Islandton property sold the same day of the auction for $3.9 million to buyers James Ayer and Jeffrey Godley, according to FOX Carolina.

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Alex Murdaugh’s eldest son, Buster, will get $530,000 and the remainder of the proceeds will be divvied up among creditors. 



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This is why SVB imploded, says top Fed official | CNN Business

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New York
CNN
 — 

Silicon Valley Bank imploded due to mismanagement and a sudden panic among depositors, a top Federal Reserve official plans to tell lawmakers at a hearing on Tuesday.

In prepared testimony released on Monday, Michael Barr, the Fed’s vice chair for supervision, details how SVB leadership failed to effectively manage interest rate and liquidity risk.

“SVB’s failure is a textbook case of mismanagement,” Barr says in testimony to be delivered before the Senate Banking Committee.

The Fed official points out that SVB’s belated effort to fix its balance sheet only made matters worse.

“The bank waited too long to address its problems and, ironically, the overdue actions it finally took to strengthen its balance sheet sparked the uninsured depositor run that led to the bank’s failure,” said Barr, adding that there was “inadequate” risk management and internal controls.

Depositors yanked $42 billion from SVB on March 9 alone in a bank run, a panic that appeared to be fueled in part by venture capitalists urging tech startups to pull their funds.

“Social media saw a surge in talk about a run, and uninsured depositors acted quickly to flee,” said Barr.

The Fed official echoed comments from other top regulators in assuring the public about the safety of banks.

“Our banking system is sound and resilient, with strong capital and liquidity,” Barr said. “We are committed to ensuring that all deposits are safe. We will continue to closely monitor conditions in the banking system and are prepared to use all of our tools for any size institution, as needed, to keep the system safe and sound.”

Facing questions over how regulators — including at the Fed itself — missed red flags at SVB, the Fed has launched a review of oversight of the bank. Barr, who is leading that review, promised to take an “unflinching look” at the supervision and regulation of SVB. He said the review will be thorough and transparent and officials welcome and expert external reviews as well.

In his testimony, Barr discloses that near the end of 2021, bank supervisors found “deficiencies” in the bank’s liquidity risk management. That resulted in six supervisory findings linked to SVB’s liquidity stress testing, contingency funding and liquidity risk management.

Then, in May 2022, supervisors issued three findings related to “ineffective” board oversight, risk management weaknesses and internal audit function lapses, Barr said. Bank supervisors took further steps last year that show regulators were aware of problems at SVB.

Barr’s testimony indicates the Fed’s review will examine how the 2018 rollback of Dodd-Frank may have contributed to SVB’s failure. That rollback, under then-President Donald Trump, allowed SVB to avoid tougher stress testing and rules on liquidity, funding, leverage and capital.

Barr said the Fed will weigh whether the applying those tougher rules to SVB would have helped the bank manage the risks that led to its failure.

Looking ahead, Barr said the recent events have underscored how regulators must enhance rules applying to banks and study banking has been changed by social media, customer behavior, rapid growth and other developments.



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Columbus Zoo regains key accreditation following inspection

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The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium says it has regained its most important accreditation almost a year and a half after accreditation was denied.

The zoo announced Monday that it had been granted full accreditation by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums following an inspection in December.

HOUSTON ZOO’S 90-YEAR-OLD TORTOISE ‘MR. PICKLES’ IS A FIRST-TIME FATHER OF THREE

Tom Schmid, the zoo’s president and chief executive officer, said the zoo is “a much stronger institution” following restructuring of its animal care program and development of more than 30 new financial policies and procedures.

Ohios Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has regained a top accreditation following an inspection.

Schmid said inspectors in December lauded the zoo’s animal acquisition and disposition policy, which had been identified as a concern during the previous inspection in 2021. He said the timing of the accreditation is ideal since the zoo will host the association’s annual conference in September.

DALLAS ZOO INCREASES REWARD TO $25,000 FOR INFORMATION ON MONKEY THEFTS, OTHER BIZARRE INCIDENTS

The accreditation denial in October 2021 by the association, considered the nation’s top zoo-accrediting body, was a major blow to the nation’s second-largest zoological park, an institution once widely admired in its industry and by the general public and associated with celebrity director-turned-ambassador Jack Hanna.

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The accrediting group had cited concerns about the zoo’s animal programs department and inappropriate business practices by its former leaders that prompted investigations and reviews. It also voiced concerns about acquisition of ambassador animals. A documentary, “The Conservation Game,” raised questions about how celebrity conservationists acquired exotic animals. The zoo later cut ties with animal vendors who don’t meet certain standards of animal care.



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