Rachel Acenas is an experienced journalist and TV news reporter and anchor covering breaking stories and contributing original news content for NTDTV’s digital team.
The conduct of a St. Louis police officer is the focus of an internal investigation after a video captured him nonchalantly smoking a cigar while arresting a suspect. The footage, originally posted by Voice of the People News, showed the moment the officer casually took several puffs of the cigar as he straddled the suspect […]
A massive fuel barge struck a bridge in Galveston, Texas, causing an oil spill, power outages, evacuations, and road closures on Wednesday morning. The barge hit a pillar of the Pelican Island Bridge just before 10 a.m. local time, according to officials. The bridge, which is the only road in and out of Pelican Island, […]
Federal authorities have been called to help with the investigation into Mica Miller, the wife of a South Carolina pastor, who took her own life last month. In a statement to NTD News on Tuesday, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that it has requested assistance from federal agencies on the case. Authorities also stressed […]
A southern California man with a history of antisemitism has agreed to plead guilty to federal hate crime charges for shooting two Jewish men last year after they attended religious services, according to the Department of Justice. Former Riverside resident Jaime Tran, 29, signed the plea agreement on Tuesday. Prosecutors charged the former UCLA dental […]
A controlled explosion took down the large remaining span of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Monday, marking a major milestone in clearing the channel following the deadly bridge collapse in March. The operation was initially scheduled to take place on Saturday, but it was delayed due to safety concerns over lightning. Crews successfully […]
Melinda French Gates will resign as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to pursue her own philanthropic endeavors, according to her announcement on Friday. “The time is right for me to move forward into the next chapter of my philanthropy,” she said in a statement on X. The billionaire philanthropist helped lead the […]
A rape suspect who was caught on camera choking a woman with a belt-like object and dragging her unconscious body on a Bronx street remains at large, New York City police say. Police have identified the male suspect as 39-year-old Kashaan Parks. NYPD is on the hunt for the suspect who was seen on surveillance […]
The family of a slain active-duty airman spoke out on Thursday after authorities released body camera footage of his deadly encounter with a Florida deputy. Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, was fatally shot in his apartment in Fort Walton Beach on May 3. The deputy was responding to a disturbance call, according to Okaloosa County […]
Mortgage rates ticked down for the first time since March but remained above 7 percent, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac, on Thursday. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage fell to 7.09 percent from 7.22 percent last week. The dip follows five straight weeks of increases that pushed the average rate to its highest […]
The California Supreme Court is considering whether to remove a controversial tax initiative from the November ballot. During Wednesday’s oral arguments, the justices seemed split over the debate to nix the measure known as the “Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act” off the ballot. The court listened to arguments for an hour and did not […]
The criminal racketeering trial of billionaire trader Sung Kook “Bill” Hwang kicked off on Wednesday, three years after his fund’s rapid meltdown rocked Wall Street. The co-founder of Archegos Capital Management attended the first day of juror screening in a Manhattan federal courtroom. Mr. Hwang, 60, has pleaded not guilty to 11 federal charges, including […]
The man accused of killing a New York police officer has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges. Guy Rivera, 32, entered a plea during his arraignment on Tuesday. He is accused of fatally shooting 31-year-old NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller during a routine traffic stop on March 25 in Far Rockaway, Queens. He […]
A fugitive accused in a string of high-end jewelry thefts in the U.S. and abroad has been arrested and charged in New York. Yaorong Wan, 49, appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court over the weekend for his arraignment and was charged with two counts of grand larceny. The fugitive was wanted by multiple law enforcement agencies, […]
U.S. taxes are likely to rise in order to tame the federal deficit, according to investor Warren Buffett. The Berkshire Hathaway chairman and chief executive officer offered his prediction at the company’s shareholders meeting in Omaha on Saturday. The billionaire, 93, shared his economic outlook and thoughts on investing during the annual meeting. According to […]
Major players in the fast food industry are scrambling to bounce back from disappointing first-quarter performances. Economists predicted that consumers would reign in their spending amid rising prices of food and the cost of eating out. It finally hit popular American staples McDonald’s and Starbucks, both of which reported same-store sales declines this quarter. “Let […]
A Utah woman has been charged with murder after killing a friend, but not herself, in an unfulfilled suicide pact. Heavenly Faith Garfield, 21, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder and discharge of a firearm. Police were called to a Saratoga Springs home in the afternoon on a report that a 21-year-old […]
An MS-13 gang member has been sentenced to life in prison for ordering a series of killings in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area during the summer of 2019. Melvin Canales Saldana received his sentence in the U.S. District Court in Alexandria on Tuesday. He was among 12 gang members indicted in 2022 on murder, racketeering, […]
A one-month sales tax holiday is coming to the state of Florida, the governor announced on Tuesday. The “Freedom Sales Tax Holiday” initiative that was launched two years ago will return this summer for the entire month of July, Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press conference in Tampa. The holiday will remove sales tax […]
A man faces kidnapping charges after he was found in a van with the missing child of two high-profile tech founders, according to authorities. Christopher “Kio” Dizefalo, 26, was arrested and charged with suspicion of child abduction and other felonies, according to the Marin County Sheriff’s Office. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of contributing […]
Newly released body camera footage reveals that a top prosecutor in New York state refused to pull over for speeding and instead drove home and called the police chief to get out of it. The interaction between Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley and Officer Cameron Crisafulli was made public on Friday. The video was […]
Luxury home goods company Williams-Sonoma must pay a large fine for making false claims that some of its products are “Made in the USA,” marking the second time the company agreed to a settlement over mislabeling claims, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, headquartered in San Francisco, has agreed to pay a […]
A debacle over an American flag caused a delay in the game between the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros on Wednesday night. Chicago Cubs reliever Luke Little was told to change his glove mid-game due to the “distraction” from the American flag patch. The white on the patch violated league rules regarding gloves, specifically a safety […]
A fifth suspect was arrested and charged in connection with the deaths of two Kansas mothers, officials announced on Wednesday. Paul Grice, 31, faces two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree “based on the evidence and information gathered from the case,” […]
A change in state law makes it more difficult for squatters to take over property that doesn’t belong to them, according to New York lawmakers. Governor Kathy Hochul signed the portion of the New York 2025 budget bill on Monday after the State Assembly and the State Senate passed it over the weekend amid a […]
California lawmakers are pushing to ban the line-skipping service CLEAR from operating in traditional airport security lines over equity concerns. Senate Bill 1372 would require CLEAR to get its own dedicated security lane or lose the ability to operate in California airports, according to Senator Josh Newman (D-Calif.), who sponsored the legislation. According to the […]
Two teens were shot and killed at separate parties following their high school proms in Arkansas and Texas over the weekend. Lorenzo Harrison III, 18, was gunned down during an afterparty in West Helena, Arkansas, in the early morning hours of Sunday. He was a senior at Central High School. A previous graduate of the […]
The decision by World Athletics to offer prize money to track and field gold medallists at this summer’s Olympic games has sparked major criticism among various sports bodies. Despite widespread support among athletes, the Association of Summer Olympic Committee (ASOIF) criticized the move and said in a statement on Friday that prize money “undermines” the uniqueness […]
A California bill to close a loophole in the state’s ban on single-use plastic bags passed its first legislative committee hearing on Wednesday. In a 5-2 vote, the State Environmental Quality Committee approved Senate Bill 1053. The bill would remove a provision in the original ban from a decade ago, which allowed stores to use […]
The man accused of killing four University of Idaho students submitted an alibi on Wednesday that disputes his location on the night of the quadruple murders. Bryan Kohberger, 29, was out for a drive at the time of the murders, the newly-filed document states, but did not drive near the crime scene as prosecutors claim. […]
Accused serial killer Rex Heuermann returned to court on Wednesday for a hearing in the infamous case of the Gilgo Beach murders. The 60-year-old architect is accused of killing four sex workers and disposing of their bodies along a coastal highway in Long Island. The victims, who became known as the Gilgo Four, were all […]
Shares of Live Nation Entertainment (LYV) plunged 7.6 percent on Tuesday after the Wall Street Journal reported that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is planning an antitrust lawsuit against the company for allegedly leveraging its market dominance to undermine competition. The decline marks Tuesday’s worst performer in the S&P 500. Live Nation, Ticketmaster’s parent company, […]
U.S. officials have pushed back on allegations of sexism following controversy over uniforms for women athletes in the upcoming Olympic Games. The official Team USA attire for women’s track and field athletes became the center of debate after the outfits were unveiled at Nike’s special launch event in Paris on Thursday. One of the uniforms […]
A former administrator at an elementary school in Virginia has been charged with eight counts of felony child neglect more than a year after a six-year-old first grader shot and injured his teacher. Ex-assistant principal Ebony Parker, 39, is the first school official to be charged over the January 2023 shooting. Ms. Parker showed “reckless […]
Americans believe they need $1.46 million to retire comfortably, jumping 15 percent in just a year and more than 50 percent since 2020, according to newly published data. According to Northwest Mutual’s 2024 Planning & Progress study, the new record-high “magic number” for retirement far outpaces the inflation rate, which currently hovers between two and […]
Former Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot has been tapped to investigate accusations against self-proclaimed “super mayor” Tiffany Henyard over alleged corruption, reckless spending, and retaliation. Ms. Lightfoot, a former federal prosecutor, was appointed special investigator during a meeting held by the board of trustees on Monday night. The allegations against embattled Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard come […]
The LAPD has launched an investigation into a trail of violence across Los Angeles County that involved a fatal stabbing, the death of a baby on a freeway, and the suicide of the woman behind it all. The whirlwind of events began early Monday morning when Danielle Cherakiyah Johnson, 34, allegedly killed her live-in boyfriend […]
Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation that increases penalties for retail theft and porch piracy amid growing concerns over the crimes across the country. The state will not tolerate the “lawlessness” that is allowed in “high-crime states,” he said in a press conference on Tuesday. “[HB549] is pretty much doing the opposite of what states like […]
The trial for a man claiming self-defense in a deadly stabbing spree at a Wisconsin river entered its second week on Monday. Nicolae Miu, 54, was charged with first-degree intentional homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide in the stabbings that killed 17-year-old Issac Shuman and injured four others. Mr. Miu pleaded not guilty to all […]
A Wisconsin woman has been sentenced to life in prison for fatally poisoning her friend with eye drop liquid. Jessy Kurczewski, 39, was handed down the life sentence for first-degree intentional homicide on April 5 for the October 2018 murder of Lynn Hernan. The 62-year-old victim died from high levels of the main ingredient found […]
A suspect has been charged in the murder of a Queens mother who was found strangled and brutally bludgeoned to death with an iron inside a Manhattan hotel room. New York prosecutors announced the indictment of Raad Almansoori, 26, for the murder of 38-year-old Denisse Oleas-Arancibia on Feb. 8. “With this indictment, we are one […]
The mayor of Dallas has lobbied the Kansas City Chiefs to move to Texas after voters struck down a sales tax to pay for stadium renovations. Jackson County, Missouri voters rejected the measure in a 58.1 percent to 41.9 percent vote on Tuesday. Its failure prompted Mayor Eric Johnson to invite the Chiefs to come […]
Cleanup crews began the long process of removing debris from the property of a million-dollar home infamously known as the “trash house” in a wealthy Los Angeles neighborhood. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called it a “public health emergency” when she visited the residence in the affluent Fairfax District neighborhood on Wednesday. “This is just […]
Foul play is suspected in the disappearance of two Kansas mothers, authorities announced Wednesday. Law enforcement agencies investigating the suspicious disappearance of 27-year-old Veronica Butler and 39-year-old Jilian Kelley, both of Hugoton, Kansas, have found evidence of foul play inside their vehicle. The two mothers were traveling together in the same vehicle from Elkhart, Kansas, […]
A woman was awarded a $35 million payout in a lawsuit over a glass door collapse that left her with a brain injury that permanently changed her life. A New York jury on Tuesday sided with 36-year-old Meghan Brown, a former JP Morgan employee, following a three-week trial. The verdict comes nearly a decade after […]
A second suspect has been charged for allegedly punching a New York woman in the face, just one of several victims who shared similar stories of unprovoked attacks on Tik Tok. 30-year-old Brooklyn resident Mallik Maiah was arrested in Greenwich Village on Friday in connection to an attack on a young student last week. The […]
A group of stranded cruise passengers has been trying to rejoin a Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) ship that left the small African island nation of São Tomé and Principe without them. The six Americans and two Australians are racing to reunite with the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship as it travels up the West African coast. […]
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a new warning over a device that could perforate the heart and has been linked to 49 deaths and 129 serious injuries. The FDA sent out its highest-level alert for Impella Left Sided Blood Pumps made by Abiomed, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary. “The FDA has […]
An American social media influencer has been kidnapped and held hostage for a $600,000 ransom during a trip to interview a powerful gang leader in the violence-ravaged Caribbean island of Haiti. YouTube star Addison Pierre Maalouf, known online as “Your Fellow Arab,” was set to meet with notorious gang boss Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier but was […]
Authorities are investigating a string of unprovoked attacks against women on the streets of New York in a concerning trend going viral on social media. The New York Police Department (NYPD) announced the arrest of 40-year-old Brooklyn resident Skiboky Stora on Wednesday in connection to one of the alleged attacks in Manhattan earlier this week. […]
The Illinois Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal from actor Jussie Smollett, more than two years after he was convicted for staging an elaborate, hate crime hoax against himself. The decision comes after the former “Empire” actor filed a petition last month for his conviction to be overturned. The state’s high court will […]
Preparations are underway for services to honor the life of a New York Police Department (NYPD) officer who was recently killed in the line of duty. Services will be held this week for 31-year-old Jonathan Diller, who joined the NYPD in 2021 and leaves behind a wife and 1-year-old son. Former President Donald Trump is […]
The typical American household makes roughly $30,000 less than needed to afford a median-priced home in the U.S. according to a new Redfin analysis. The report released on Tuesday shows buyers need to earn an annual income of $114,000 to afford the typical home. That’s 35 percent more than the average household income of $84,072. […]
The United States Labor Department has fined a Tennessee parts manufacturer nearly $300,000 for employing children. An investigation found that ten minors were subject to dangerous child labor at Morriston-based Tuff Torq Corporation. The manufacturer produces components of outdoor power equipment for major companies, including John Deere and Yamaha. The probe first uncovered evidence of […]
A Texas school bus involved in a crash that killed two people, including a five-year-old child, was not equipped with seatbelts and was not required to have them. The Hays Consolidated Independent School District (CISD) revealed that the bus involved in Friday afternoon’s crash was a 2011 model. “The district began buying buses with seat […]
Authorities in Pennsylvania have arrested two teenage squatters suspected of brutally beating a woman to death in an upscale New York apartment. Halley Tejada, 19, and Kensly Alston, 18, were tracked down and captured by the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force in Philadelphia on Friday morning. The suspects were on the run following the […]
The body of missing college student Riley Strain was pulled from a river on Friday morning, two weeks after he disappeared after a night out with friends. Metro Nashville Police Department confirmed his body was recovered from the Cumberland River in West Nashville, Tennessee, about eight miles from downtown. The 22-year-old still had the same […]
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is at the center of a new probe over accusations it uses artificial intelligence (AI) to unlawfully monitor the private financial information of American taxpayers, lawmakers announced on Thursday. Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) opened the new inquiry on Thursday. The GOP lawmakers sent letters to […]
Marine veteran Daniel Penny will stand trial for manslaughter on Oct. 8 for the chokehold death of a homeless man on a New York subway, a judge determined on Wednesday. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Maxwell Wiley set the trial date during a brief status hearing in criminal court. Mr. Penny, 25, appeared in court along […]
Kentucky became the latest state to defund its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at state-funded universities. In a 68-18 vote, the Kentucky House passed House Bill 6 on Friday, which would, if it passes in the Senate, prohibit race-based and sex-based scholarships, DEI offices, and DEI training as a program requirement at the state’s […]
Police shut down a southern California mall following a fight that was part of a viral social media meetup. The Long Beach Police Department deployed officers to The Pike Outlets in downtown in anticipation of a large mob of teens on Saturday night. Police Chief Wally Hebieish said officers were prepared for “hundreds of juveniles” […]
New body camera footage captured the moment a missing college student told a police officer that he was “doing good” the night he disappeared. Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) released the video of 22-year-old Riley Strain on Monday, 10 days after he vanished. The video is now the last known sighting of the University of […]
The nation’s largest real estate trade group agreed to a landmark deal that would change how Americans buy and sell their homes. Under the agreement reached on Friday, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) would pay $418 million over four years to settle nationwide claims brought by home sellers over the group’s long-standing commission rules. […]
The case of a California mother accused of running a multi-million dollar makeup theft ring has renewed concerns over the rise in organized crime across the country. Michelle Mack, 53, has been charged over the sprawling operation that stole eight million dollars worth of beauty products from retail stores nationwide, including 21 counties in California. […]
The United States is bracing for a possible influx of migrants attempting to flee the civil unrest in Haiti. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced in a statement on Wednesday that he has dedicated significant resources to combat illegal vessels coming to Florida from countries such as Haiti. In response to the worsening crisis in the […]
Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) revealed he rescued a group of Americans from Haiti as the U.S. braces for a possible migrant influx from the crime-ravaged Caribbean nation. The lawmaker announced he evacuated 10 Americans working at an orphanage in the capital of Port-au-Prince on Monday night amid the country’s worsening political, humanitarian, and security crisis. […]
Convicted killer Scott Peterson returned to court as part of his effort to get a new trial, two decades after he was found guilty of killing his pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner. Mr. Peterson, 51, virtually attended the status hearing on Tuesday at the San Mateo County courthouse, backed by his new […]
A 12-year-old Missouri boy on life support has died nearly three months after an illegal immigrant driving the wrong way collided with his family’s car. Travis Wolfe of St. Charles passed away on March 6, according to an online obituary. The head-on crash happened the day before his 12th birthday on Dec. 20, 2023, and […]
A Missouri teen is fighting for her life while another teen faces charges after a brutal brawl that went viral. The fight happened last Friday near Hazelwood East High School in St. Louis and video of the shocking fight quickly spread on social media. The video showed a brief confrontation between the two teens before […]
Three prison escapees from Grenada are charged with murder over the slaying of an American couple presumed dead after they went missing from their yacht in the Caribbean. The suspects made their first court appearance on Thursday in St. George’s Magistrate Court. The men were jointly charged with two counts of capital murder in the […]
A commercial United Airlines jet skidded off an airport runway in Houston on Friday, in the latest incident sparking nationwide concern over aviation safety. “After landing at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, United Airlines Flight 2477 rolled onto the grass when exiting onto the taxiway” according to a statement by the Federal Aviation Administration […]
Lawmakers advanced a federal immigration bill named after Laken Riley, a college student who was allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant. In a 251–170 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Laken Riley Act, named after the 22-year-old University of Georgia nursing student killed during a run on campus last month. According to Immigrations […]
Another high-profile hearing on Capitol Hill has put the spotlight back on the issue of child sexual abuse and exploitation, marking the latest efforts to crack down on a crisis that advocates fear is getting worse. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance held the hearing on Wednesday. “The United States has […]
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is cracking down on credit card late fees, slashing the typical fee from $32 to $8. The new rule, adopted on Tuesday, will save Americans more than $10 billion a year, according to the CFPB. It also closes a 2010 loophole “exploited by large credit card giants” that allowed […]
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs plans to erase up to $2 billion in medical debt for residents by using federal coronavirus relief funds. “In partnership with RIP Medical Debt, I am launching a program to cancel medical debt for up to one million Arizonans, freeing working families from financial hardship brought onto them through no fault […]
A reward of up to a quarter million dollars is being offered in the murder of a postal worker who was shot and killed while delivering mail on his route in Warren, Ohio. The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) announced the $250K reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the suspect […]
Republican lawmakers in California are expressing outrage over a new law that raises the minimum wage for fast-food workers—except for those who work at bakeries such as Panera Bread. The top Republican leader in the California State Assembly, James Gallagher, is demanding an investigation into the special exemption, which he calls a “crooked deal” between […]
Tensions grew high as Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz addressed the city’s immigration status and new safety measures following the murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus last week. During Wednesday’s press conference, a resident accused the mayor of allowing the crime to happen: “You’re guilty! You have blood […]
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration is cracking down on the sale of pill press machines used to make fentanyl pills, warning that the country is “in the midst of an unprecedented drug poisoning epidemic.” The DEA announced on Feb. 26 that it has issued a warning to online retailers selling pill press machines, which […]