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Former Colombian priest, child molester sentenced for passport fraud and stripped of US citizenship

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Former Colombian priest, child molester sentenced for passport fraud and stripped of US citizenship

A former priest with a child molestation conviction who was stripped of his American citizenship has been sentenced to a year in prison, authorities said Thursday. 

Antonio Velez-Lopez, a 69-year-old Colombian citizen, was handed jail time for passport fraud and ordered to be deported after serving his time, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said. 

“Child molesters like Velez who lied about their crimes to become citizens thought they could hide behind those who earned what they stole,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations New Orleans acting Field Office Director Scott Ladwig. “They thought ICE would have to search through thousands of records to find them. They were right. That’s exactly what we did.”

VANCE TAKES VICTORY LAP IN BORDER VISIT AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT NUMBERS PLUMMET 

Antonio Velez-Lopez, a 69-year-old priest.

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“ICE and our partners will relentlessly defend the integrity of our nation’s naturalization process,” Ladwig added.

On Feb. 19, 2020, Velez was arrested in Maryland and charged with five counts of third-degree sex offense and one count of fourth-degree sex offense. He pleaded guilty on May 14, 2021, to sexual abuse of a minor for whom he had temporary responsibility and was sentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

TRUMP HONORS LIVES OF LAKEN RILEY, JOCELYN NUNGARAY WHILE CELEBRATING STRIDES ON SECURING BORDER

He admitted to sexually abusing a child from June 2003 through June 2009 while serving as the child’s priest.

Velez entered the United States in 2003 as a temporary religious worker. When he applied for permanent residency on May 15, 2007, he falsely stated that he had never “knowingly committed any crime of moral turpitude,” ICE said. 

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He was granted permanent residency on Nov. 6, 2007. When he applied for U.S. citizenship, he again lied about his criminal history and about lying to U.S. government officials. 

He was naturalized as a U.S. citizen on May 29, 2013. Authorities said that Velez had lied again when he applied for a U.S. passport in 2012. 

On Feb. 28, he was stripped of his American citizenship and ordered by a judge to be deported, ICE said. 

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Pennsylvania

3 dead in apparent murder-suicide spanning from Pennsylvania to Illinois, police say

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3 dead in apparent murder-suicide spanning from Pennsylvania to Illinois, police say



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Two women are dead in Pennsylvania and a man is dead in Illinois after an apparent murder-suicide, police said on Wednesday.

According to a report from the Pennsylvania State Police, the investigation began in Hillside, Illinois, when police there were dispatched after a man reported two women dead in Jackson Township, Pennsylvania. Police said that when officers got to Hillside, about 15 miles west of Chicago, they found that the man had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

After identifying him, troopers said Hillside officers contacted police from Jackson Township to request a welfare check at the man’s home on Dior Drive, about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh. 

Map shows distance from Hillside, Illinois, to Zelienople, Pennsylvania

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KDKA


Police said officers used forced entry to get into the home and found two women dead from apparent gunshot wounds. It’s believed the two women were family members of the man who died by suicide in Illinois, investigators said. 

Pennsylvania State Police said they’ve assumed control of the case and are “actively investigating” what happened surrounding the three deaths.

Police didn’t release any names, saying the process of formal identification and notification of next of kin hasn’t been completed. Sources told KDKA that the victims were a husband, wife and their daughter.

“At this time, investigators believe there is no ongoing threat to the public, and law enforcement is not searching for any additional individuals in connection with this incident,” police wrote in the public information release report. “This remains an active and ongoing investigation.”

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State police didn’t release any other details on Wednesday but said more information will be made public when it’s available.  

“My first reaction was shocked because this is such a close-knit neighborhood, and to think something that horrible could happen here is very tragic because they were such a good family,” neighbor Danielle Sporer said on Wednesday. 



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Rhode Island

RI Lottery Powerball, Numbers Midday winning numbers for March 4, 2026

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The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 4, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 4 drawing

07-14-42-47-56, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Numbers numbers from March 4 drawing

Midday: 2-7-4-4

Evening: 7-6-0-2

Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Wild Money numbers from March 4 drawing

08-11-12-18-24, Extra: 15

Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 4 drawing

12-13-36-39-58, Bonus: 03

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

  • Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
  • Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
  • Winners of the Millionaire for Life top prize of $1,000,000 a year for life and second prize of $100,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.

When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
  • Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. ET daily.
  • Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
  • Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
  • Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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Vermont

19 Vermont school budgets fail as education leaders debate need for reform

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19 Vermont school budgets fail as education leaders debate need for reform


MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Most Vermont school budgets passed Tuesday, but 19 districts and supervisory unions saw their spending plans rejected — an uptick from the nine that failed in 2025, though well below the 29 that failed in 2024.

Some education leaders say the results show communities are largely supportive of their schools.

“We’re starting to kind of equalize out again towards the normal trend of passage of school budgets each year,” said Chelsea Meyers of the Vermont Superintendents Association.

Sue Ceglowski of the Vermont School Boards Association said the results send a clear message. “Vermont taxpayers support Vermont’s public schools,” she said.

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Meyers said the results also raise questions about the scope of education reform being considered in Montpelier. “If we are going to reform the system, it might not require sweeping broad changes as are being considered right now, but a more concise approach to consider that inequity,” she said.

But in districts where budgets failed, officials say structural changes are still needed. In Barre, where the budget failed, Barre Unified Union School District Board Chair Michael Boutin said the Legislature must, at a minimum, create a new funding formula. “We have to have that in order to avoid the huge increases and decreases — the huge increases that we’ve seen in the last couple years,” Boutin said.

He said the rise in school budgets is separate from why property owners are seeing sharp tax increases. The average state increase in school budgets is 4%, but the average property tax increase is 10%, driven by cost factors including health care. “There’s a complete disconnect, and that’s a product of the terrible system that we have in Vermont with our funding formula,” Boutin said.

Ceglowski says the state should address health care costs before moving forward with rapid education policy changes. “Addressing the rapid rise in the cost of school employees’ health benefits by ensuring a fair and balanced statewide bargaining process for those benefits,” she said.

The 19 districts that did not pass their budgets will need to draft new spending plans to present to voters, which often requires cuts. Twelve school districts are scheduled to vote at a later date.

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