Virginia county rebuffs safety request

FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Fairfax County officers have rebuffed a request from Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin to ascertain a safety perimeter across the neighborhoods of U.S. Supreme Courtroom justices dwelling within the county after some have confronted protests exterior their properties.

Youngkin, a Republican, made the request Wednesday in a letter to the county board of supervisors. “I essentially imagine such demonstrations and picketing shouldn’t be allowed on the Justice’s [sic] properties as they’re meant to intimidate and affect the Justices,” he wrote.

Three Supreme Courtroom justices — Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett and Clarence Thomas — reside within the county. Justices dwelling in and outdoors the county have been confronted with protests exterior their properties since a draft of Alito’s opinion that might overturn the Roe v. Wade abortion-rights determination was leaked.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay mentioned Thursday Youngkin’s request for a safety perimeter is pointless and improper. He mentioned establishing a fringe would quantity to creating an unconstitutional neighborhood “checkpoint” that might infringe on First Modification protest rights. He additionally famous that protests which have occurred exterior Alito’s residence within the Fort Hunt neighborhood have been peaceable.

Corruption trial set for N.Y. ex-official

NEW YORK — A January trial date was set Thursday for former New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin to face prices that he traded his clout as a state senator for marketing campaign contributions.

The Jan. 23 date was set by U.S. District Decide J. Paul Oetken in Manhattan throughout an in any other case routine pretrial listening to.

Benjamin’s lawyer, Barry Berke, instructed Oetken he thinks there can be no trial as a result of he’ll show prosecutors overreached by charging Benjamin final month.

The arrest spoiled the Democrat’s plans to affix New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, one other Democrat, in her marketing campaign for governor. Benjamin resigned as lieutenant governor after pleading harmless on the day of his arrest.

Berke mentioned the prosecution’s claims had been “not against the law.” The federal government alleges Benjamin obtained marketing campaign contributions from an actual property developer in change for Benjamin’s settlement to make use of his affect as a state senator to get a $50,000 grant of state funds for a nonprofit group the developer managed.

The lawyer mentioned earlier courtroom circumstances have proven that what occurred between Benjamin and the actual property developer was frequent observe and for hundreds of years has not been unlawful.

Benjamin didn’t remark as he left the courthouse.

Minnesota automobile crash kills storm chaser

MINNEAPOLIS — A storm-chasing meteorologist died in a crash that authorities mentioned was attributable to downed energy strains as extreme storms introduced damaging winds, heavy rain and some experiences of tornadoes to Minnesota.

The wreck on Interstate 90 in southwest Minnesota late Wednesday killed Martha Llanos Rodriguez, of Mexico Metropolis, Mexico, when a automobile during which she was driving tried to keep away from the facility strains on the roadway and was struck by a semi. Three others within the automobile, together with Chilean meteorologist Diego Campos, had been injured.

“We had been doing a little storm chasing,” Campos instructed the Star Tribune from his hospital mattress, when his automobile hit an influence line in Nobles County. “The storm was actually dangerous, and we had been making an attempt to get out of there.”

Tens of hundreds of properties and companies had been with out energy Thursday throughout southern Minnesota as a whole lot of Xcel Vitality workers and contractors labored to revive service. The utility firm mentioned greater than 200,000 prospects misplaced energy in Wednesday night time’s storm, primarily in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Extra doubtlessly extreme climate was forecast for Thursday that would deliver hail, excessive winds and tornadoes from the Dakotas and Minnesota into different components of the Midwest, the Storm Prediction Heart mentioned.

Iowa teen to be tried as grownup in killing

FAIRFIELD, Iowa — An Iowa teenager accused of killing his highschool Spanish instructor realized Thursday that he can be tried as an grownup, a day after a choose rejected his accused confederate’s request to maneuver the case to juvenile courtroom.

District Decide Shawn Showers dominated that Willard Miller, 16, of Fairfield, can be tried in November on a first-degree homicide cost within the beating dying of 66-year-old Nohema Graber, who taught at Fairfield Excessive Faculty. Miller and 17-year-old Jeremy Goodale are charged in Graber’s dying.

The choose mentioned the juvenile courtroom system wouldn’t have sufficient time to rehabilitate Miller “for against the law of such magnitude.” If discovered responsible, the juvenile system wouldn’t have been capable of detain Miller greater than six months previous his nineteenth birthday.

Miller and Goodale had been each 16 once they had been arrested in Graber’s killing. Graber’s physique was discovered Nov. 3 hidden beneath a tarp, a wheelbarrow and railroad ties at a Fairfield metropolis park. Police mentioned she had been crushed to dying with a baseball bat.

Fairfield is about 95 miles southeast of Des Moines.