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Violent holiday weekend sees mass shootings in Michigan, Illinois and Kentucky

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Violent holiday weekend sees mass shootings in Michigan, Illinois and Kentucky


CHICAGO (AP) — A shooting at a block party in Detroit left two people dead and more than a dozen wounded, capping a violent holiday weekend in the U.S. that also saw mass shootings in Kentucky and Chicago.

More than 100 people were shot in Chicago, 19 of them fatally, over the long Independence Day weekend, when there is often a spike in violence. One mass shooting Thursday in a neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side, left two women and an 8-year-old boy dead. Two other children were also critically injured.

“We cannot take our eyes off the ball,” Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said at a Monday news conference. “We cannot stop thinking about the people who have been victimized by this crime.”

City officials announced plans for an emergency resource center to open Monday evening for people struggling with trauma, while Mayor Brandon Johnson blamed the pervasive violence on years of disinvestment and poverty, particularly in the city’s Black neighborhoods. Johnson, who took office last year, said Chicago has not received enough federal resources for victims and that he recently renewed a request for help.

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The four-day weekend in Chicago saw a spike in violence compared with the same time period last year when 11 people were killed and more than 60 wounded.

“We are losing a piece of the soul of Chicago,” Johnson said at the news conference. “We will not let criminal activity ruin and harm our city.”

In Detroit, two people were killed and 19 were wounded early Sunday in a shooting at an illegal block party on the city’s east side that was attended by more than 300 people, Detroit Police Chief James White said Monday during a news conference.

Nine weapons and more than 100 shell casings were found at the shooting scene, White said. Fifteen young women and six young men were shot and two of them died — a 20-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man, he said.

“You’ve got a multitude of people that are engaged in this behavior. This isn’t one suspect, one group being targeted. This is a group of people who are essentially engaged in a shootout,” White said.

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Asked if Detroit has ever seen so many people injured in a single shooting, White said he wasn’t sure.

White announced Detroit’s new block party strategy, which includes the establishment of a response team that will specialize in making sure residents comply with the rules governing block parties. Police must now treat 911 calls about illegal block parties as “Priority 1” runs.

Mayor Mike Duggan said shootings occurred at six illegal block parties in Detroit over three days starting July 4, leaving 27 people wounded and three dead. He said nearly 40% of the shooting victims lived outside Detroit — some traveled as far as 50 miles (80 kilometers), lured to the parties through social media.

“This is not your neighbor’s family’s party got large. These are intentional pre-planned events looking to attract people from miles away,” Duggan said. “People are coming here carrying illegal weapons, planning to party into the wee hours of the evening believing that the neighbors and the Detroit Police Department will not the stop these lawless gatherings.”

Shootings during the holiday weekend also took place in California and Kentucky, where police say four people were killed and three others wounded in an early morning shooting during a party at a home. The shooting suspect later died after fleeing the home in Florence, Kentucky, and driving into a ditch during a police chase, authorities said. Florence is a city of about 36,000 people located about 12 miles (19 kilometers) south of Cincinnati, Ohio.

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Former Kentucky FOP spokesperson pleads guilty to wire fraud

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Former Kentucky FOP spokesperson pleads guilty to wire fraud


LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – A former spokesperson for the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police pleaded guilty Thursday to wire fraud after stealing thousands of dollars from the union and fellow officers.

Ryan Straw entered his plea at the Eastern District federal courthouse in Kentucky.

Straw was under investigation for embezzlement as of last November, according to a letter from the FOP board.

According to that letter, Straw convinced other officers to give him money for an investment club. That money was never invested. Straw was also suspected of taking funds from the lodge itself.

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The FOP gave Straw the chance to return the money, but he did not.

Straw previously conducted media interviews and spoke about police matters, including accountability issues at the state level.

He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Sentencing is pending.

Copyright 2026 WAVE. All rights reserved.



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Which Kentucky Derby horses are running in the 2026 Preakness Stakes?

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Which Kentucky Derby horses are running in the 2026 Preakness Stakes?


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Golden Tempo won the Kentucky Derby. He won’t be at the Preakness. And that’s becoming a familiar story.  

This marks the second straight year and the third time in five years that the Derby winner has decided not to compete in the Preakness Stakes despite having a healthy horse. The reason is almost always the same: two weeks isn’t enough time.  

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Trainer Cherie DeVaux made the call quickly after Golden Tempo’s dramatic last-to-first Derby victory on May 2.  

“Golden gave us the race of a lifetime,” DeVaux said in a statement. “We believe the best decision for him moving forward is to give him a little more time following such a tremendous effort.”

DeVaux and Golden Tempo are focused on the June 6 Belmont Stakes instead.  

The pattern is pretty clear.  

From 1997 to 2018, every Kentucky Derby winner ran the Preakness, keeping the Triple Crown path intact. That streak ended with Country House, who won the Derby on the disqualification of Maximum Security, was scratched from the Preakness. The sport has been wrestling with the question ever since. Maryland’s racing leaders have considered moving the Preakness one week later, from the third Saturday in May to the fourth, though no change has been made.  

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Of the 14 horses entered in the Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park on May 16, just three made the trip from Churchill Downs. None of them won the Derby. One nearly caused the biggest upset in recent memory.  

Ocelli (Post 2, 6-1)

The most intriguing Derby returnee. Ocelli finished third at 70-1 odds on May 2, giving trainer Whit Beckman and jockey Tyler Gaffalione a surprise ticket to Laurel Park. He was the lone maiden in the Derby field and remains a maiden heading into Saturday. Nobody expected him to be here.  

Incredibolt (post 12, 5-1)

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The morning-line co-favorite among Derby runners. Incredibolt finished sixth at Churchill Downs and trainer Riley Mott moved quickly to point him to Laurel Park. Jockey Jaime Torres won the 2024 Preakness aboard Seize the Grey. The connections believe the 1 3/16-mile distance suits Incredibolt better than the Derby’s mile and a quarter.  

Robusta (Post 4, 30-1) 

The longest shot of the Derby trio is Robusta, who finished 14th of the 14 in the Derby. The question with any horse coming back this quickly after a tough Derby is how much the race took out of him. At 30-1, it seems the market has answered that question.  



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Northern Kentucky man accused of abusing missing teen girl found at his home

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Northern Kentucky man accused of abusing missing teen girl found at his home


COVINGTON, Ky. (WKRC) – A Northern Kentucky man is in jail, accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl who’d been reported missing.

Matthew Wade, 40, faces charges, including sexual abuse, unlawful transaction with a minor and assault.

Covington Police say they found the teen at Wade’s home on Highway Avenue on Monday. According to the police report, he was knowingly hiding her, knew she was missing and had cut her ankle monitor off.

Investigators say the teen was given alcohol, marijuana and magic mushrooms.

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The girl told police wade slapped her and choked her.

Officers also say they found guns in the home.



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