News

Buffalo’s ABC affiliate reports: The Diocese of Buffalo placed Monsignor Peter J. Popadick on leave for the second time Wednesday, after previously allowing the priest to return to ministry. In a statement, a spokesperson for the diocese wrote that Popadick was placed on administrative leave after it received a child sexual abuse complaint. Popadick serves as the pastor of St. …

Bloomberg News reports: Barney Frank — the former congressman known for the Dodd-Frank Act, which overhauled US banking regulation to prevent another global financial crisis — said there was one thing lawmakers and regulators didn’t reckon with back in 2008: cryptocurrencies. “Digital currency was the new element entered into our system,” the 82-year-old Frank said in an interview Sunday. “A …

The New York Times reports: When film historians look back at the 95th Academy Awards, they may mark it as the start of a new New Hollywood. Voters honored A24’s head-twisting, sex toy-brandishing, TikTok-era “Everything Everywhere All at Once” with the Oscar for best picture — along with six other awards — while naming Netflix’s German-language war epic “All Quiet …

NPR reports: The Texas Department of Public Safety has urged residents to avoid spring break travel to Mexico, warning that drug cartel violence and other crime pose a significant safety threat. “We have a duty to inform the public about safety, travel risks and threats,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw in a statement on Friday. “Based on the volatile nature …

The New York Times reports: If there is one enduring axiom in banking, it is this: Don’t run out of money. Silicon Valley Bank, a lender to some of the biggest names in the technology world, did just that on Friday, becoming the largest bank to fail since the 2008 financial crisis. The move put nearly $175 billion in customer …

Fortune reports: Elon Musk has reportedly bought thousands of acres of land about 35 miles outside of Austin and plans to build his own town there for employees to live and work. The Wall Street Journal reports Musk has described the city as a “sort of Texas utopia along the Colorado River.” By creating the town, Musk would be able …

The Associated Press reports: Frozen human embryos can legally be considered property, or “chattel,” a Virginia judge has ruled, basing his decision in part on a 19th century law governing the treatment of slaves. The preliminary opinion by Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Richard Gardiner – delivered in a long-running dispute between a divorced husband and wife – is being …

CBS News reports: Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell suffered a concussion after tripping at a Washington hotel on Wednesday and is expected to remain hospitalized for several days, a spokesman for the senator said. “Leader McConnell tripped at a dinner event Wednesday evening and has been admitted to the hospital and is being treated for a concussion. He is expected …

The Associated Press reports: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are getting the vegan treatment. The Hershey Co. said Tuesday that Reese’s Plant Based Peanut Butter Cups, which go on sale this month, will be its first vegan chocolates sold nationally. A second plant-based offering, Hershey’s Plant Based Extra Creamy with Almonds and Sea Salt, will follow in April. The chocolates are …

ABC News reports: Former “Boy Meets World” star Ben Savage is running for Congress in California’s 30th Congressional District, he announced on Monday. “I’m running for Congress because it’s time to restore faith in government by offering reasonable, innovative and compassionate solutions to our country’s most pressing issues,” Savage wrote in an Instagram post. Savage is running for Democratic Rep. …

Gothamist reports: Seven people were injured after an e-scooter battery exploded in the back of a Bronx supermarket Sunday morning, officials said. The fast-moving blaze ripped through a commercial building on 181st Street and Grand Concourse, causing “an extraordinary amount of damage,” according to FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh. Hundreds of firefighters were still working to contain the fire on Sunday …

Miami’s NBC affiliate reports: A Southwest Airlines flight bound for Fort Lauderdale returned to Havana Sunday after the aircraft was reportedly struck by a bird and cellphone video showed smoke filling the cabin. Southwest flight 3923 returned to José Martí International Airport after passengers reported the engine catching fire mid-flight. “Southwest flight #3923 departing Havana, Cuba, for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, …

The New York Post reports: A passenger aboard a rocky Southwest Airlines flight to North Carolina Friday passed out due to the turbulence — while others were left vomiting as the plane shook “like crazy.” The mayhem erupted when Flight 3094 from Maryland hit wild weather as it approached Raleigh-Durham International Airport Friday night. The rough landing was eventually aborted …

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: The bill to change Utah’s state flag squeaked by on the House floor Thursday morning on a razor-thin 40-35 vote, thus ending debate on the surprising controversy that engulfed the Legislature since the start of the 2023 session. The process of redesigning the state flag began in 2019. The new design emerged from more than …

Tampa’s NBC affiliate reports: A Florida resident died after being infected by a rare amoeba last week, health officials say. According to a WFTX report, Charlotte County health officials said the unidentified male patient likely contracted Nagleria fowleri after rinsing out his sinuses with tap water. Eric Milbrandt, director of the marine laboratory at the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, said the …

CBS News reports: Sen. Dianne Feinstein is undergoing treatment for shingles at a San Francisco hospital. The California Democrat was diagnosed with the infection in late February and has missed multiple votes this week. “I was diagnosed over the February recess with a case of shingles,” Feinstein said in a statement Thursday. “I have been hospitalized and am receiving treatment …

The Washington Blade reports: Prince George’s County, Md., police announced on Thursday morning that they have arrested the gay mayor of the City of College Park, Patrick Wojahn, 47, on 56 counts of possession and distribution of child pornography. “On February 28, 2023, PGPD detectives served a search warrant at Wojahn’s College Park Home,” a statement released by PG police …

People Magazine reports: The Duchess adopted the monarch’s two surviving corgis, Sandy and Muick (pronounced “Mick”), gifted to the Queen by Ferguson, her ex-husband Prince Andrew and their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. But caring for the U.K.’s most famous pets comes with some stress. “They are national icons, so every time they run chasing a squirrel, I panic,” …

Via press release: Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it has taken action to restrict the unlawful entry of xylazine active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished dosage form drug products into the country to address a growing public health concern. The chemical xylazine has increasingly been found in illicit drugs such as illicitly manufactured fentanyl and other drugs …

Law & Crime reports: A 72-year-old man in Florida was arrested last week after authorities say they recovered so many images depicting child sexual abuse that the total weight of the printed photos tipped the scales at more than 2,600 pounds, well over one ton. Paul Stephen Zittel was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with 25 counts obscene …