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Arizona death row inmate wants to be executed earlier than the state is planning

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Arizona death row inmate wants to be executed earlier than the state is planning

An Arizona death row inmate has asked the state Supreme Court to skip legal formalities and schedule his execution earlier than officials were planning.

Aaron Brian Gunches, 53, had previously pushed for the state to carry out his execution for his conviction in the 2002 murder of Ted Price, his girlfriend’s ex-husband, for which he had pleaded guilty. He is set to be put to death by lethal injection.

Grunches’ execution would be Arizona’s first use of the death penalty since a two-year pause to review execution procedures.

In a handwritten court filing this week, Gunches, who is not a lawyer but is representing himself, urged the state’s high court to schedule his execution for mid-February.

TN ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTION METHOD THAT COULD ALLOW STATE TO RESUME EXECUTIONS AFTER LAST ONE HALTED IN 2022

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Aaron Brian Gunches was convicted of murder in the 2002 killing of Ted Price in Maricopa County, Arizona. (Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry via AP)

He said his death sentence is “long overdue” and that the state was prolonging the process in asking the court for a legal briefing schedule leading up to the execution.

Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes’ office, which is pursuing Gunches’ execution, said a briefing schedule must be set to ensure corrections officials meet execution requirements, including testing for the pentobarbital that will be used for his lethal injection.

Two years ago, Gunches called on the state Supreme Court to issue his execution warrant on the basis that justice could be served and the victim’s family could receive closure.

Lethal injection chamber

Alabama’s lethal injection chamber is shown Oct. 7, 2002, at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama. (AP)

Gunches’ execution had been scheduled for April 2023 before Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs’ office said the state was not prepared to carry out the death penalty because it did not have staff with the expertise to carry out executions.

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Hobbs had vowed not to carry out any death sentences until there was confidence the state could do it without violating any laws. Hobbs had ordered a review that effectively ended in November when she dismissed the retired federal magistrate judge she had appointed to lead the review.

TRUMP PLEDGES TO BRING BACK FEDERAL EXECUTIONS AFTER BIDEN COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCES FOR 37 INMATES

gurney in a penitentiary

FILE: The gurney in the execution chamber at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Oklahoma. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Arizona has 111 inmates on death row, but last carried out death sentences in 2022, when three inmates were put to death, after a nearly eight-year pause sparked by criticism that a 2014 execution was botched and because of difficulties obtaining lethal injection drugs.

The state has since faced criticism for taking too long to insert an IV for lethal injection into a death row inmate.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Woman's body discovered amid house fire in upscale Southern California city

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Woman's body discovered amid house fire in upscale Southern California city

SAN MARINO, Calif. (KTLA) – An investigation is underway after firefighters battling a house fire in San Marino discovered the body of a woman inside, officials announced Monday.  

Fire crews responded to reports of the blaze in the 2000 block of Lorain Road just before 10 a.m., according to a news release from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.  

Sky5 captured aerial footage of the incident, with neighbors telling KTLA’s Jennifer McGraw that they saw fire coming from the rear of the home, near the kitchen.  

It wasn’t until after firefighters knocked the flames down that they made the gruesome discovery.  

“It’s definitely not normal, it’s pretty uneventful around here,” one neighbor told KTLA. “I’ve lived here all my life, and I can say this is not common at all. I think I’ve probably seen two big crimes happen in my 21 years of living here.”  

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  • San Marino death investigation
  • San Marino death investigation
  • San Marino death investigation
  • San Marino death investigation

Responding L.A. County Sheriff’s homicide investigators quickly learned that a husband, wife and their two children live in the home and were working to figure out what the caused the fire and if there’s been any reports of violence at the home in the past.  

“The only thing we’ve been told is that there was a petty theft call and a wild animal call, but nothing of any domestic violence nature,” Lt. Steve DeJong told reporters.  

Authorities added that the woman’s family is cooperating with the investigation and that they are trying to determine if the fire was simply a horrific accident or involved potential foul play.  

Surveillance cameras in and around the property may provide investigators with that information, though officials have to obtain search warrants before getting the video.  

“Due to the sensitivity of [the investigation], we are going to wait before we make any statements about what we’re uncovering,” DeJong said.  

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Southwest

Feral hogs terrorizing Texas town, infuriating locals: 'I can't go out there and start blasting'

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Feral hogs terrorizing Texas town, infuriating locals: 'I can't go out there and start blasting'

A passel of feral hogs has been terrorizing the city of Irving, Texas, frustrating residents as their properties are destroyed by the invasive animals.

As many as 10 hogs have been tearing up yards and rooting through trash left for garbage collectors, according to WFAA.

Locals have become frustrated after they repair their yards dug up by the hogs, just for the animals to return to wreak havoc again.

“A couple of weeks back, I started seeing some diggings on the ground,” homeowner Eric Mendez told WFAA, noting that he set up a camera on a tree to capture the culprit.

FLORIDA MAN ATTACKED BY BEAR CUB AND BITTEN ON STOMACH WHILE DEFENDING DOG SAYS HE COULDN’T ‘WATCH HER DIE’

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A passel of feral hogs has been terrorizing the city of Irving, Texas. (Getty Images)

“To my surprise, a pig was on the camera,” he said.

But there was more than one pig digging up the property. There were as many as 10, and some were quite large.

Others have reported destruction by the pigs as well, including Mendez’s neighbor, whose landscape had been dug up, and Barbara Bush Middle School.

Garbage has also been scattered across several properties.

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The City of Irving said it is aware of the issue and has hired a wildlife contractor to address the situation. Officials said they believe the hogs are coming from a wooded area near Grapevine Creek.

Feral hogs cause an estimated $400 million in damage per year in Texas, according to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, while national costs are estimated at about $1.5 billion annually.

Feral hogs

As many as 10 hogs have been tearing up yards and rooting through trash left for garbage collectors. (Getty Images)

Farmers and ranchers who often experience much of the pigs’ destruction can hunt or hire someone to hunt the animals without a license on private land, with no limits to how many can be killed. But a standard hunting license is needed to hunt them on public land, WFAA reported.

Homeowners in Irving initially came up with the idea of shooting and killing the pigs, but then realized they should not be firing a gun at the animals in a suburban neighborhood.

“My first thought was, like, well, I can go shoot them,” Mendez said. “But I’m like, yeah, I’m in a neighborhood. I can’t just go out there and start blasting.”

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Searching for alternatives, Mendez landed on the idea of using slingshots and clapping two pieces of wood to scare off the hogs.

TEXAS TEEN ALLEGEDLY KILLED RIVAL COMPETITOR’S SHOW GOAT IN ACT OF JEALOUSY

Feral hogs at a ranch

Feral hogs cause an estimated $400 million in damage per year in Texas. (Rodger Mallison/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

“I was thinking, can I do anything here?” he said.

The hogs are known to attack pets and humans if they feel threatened. They also reproduce at a rapid rate, as a single sow can birth up to two litters of six to eight piglets each year.

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“I did not expect something this big to start creeping from the creek,” Mendez said.

“It’s a hassle,” he added.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes $322B budget with no deficit

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Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes 2B budget with no deficit

TURLOCK, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed a $322 billion budget without a deficit, a welcome change after two years of significant budget shortfalls in the nation’s most populous state.

But the budget Newsom announced Monday is mostly a placeholder as California waits to see if incoming President Donald Trump will follow through on threats to revoke billions in federal dollars, which could force lawmakers to make painful cuts to essential programs. About a third of California’s budget relies on funding from the federal government, including tens of billions to provide health care services. Trump takes office Jan. 20, and Newsom must sign the final budget by the end of June.

California lawmakers already opened a special session to consider giving a fresh $25 million to Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office to defend against or take on potential legal challenges from the Trump administration. Fights are likely between California and Washington, D.C., over climate policy and immigrant rights. State senators have also proposed additional funding to provide free legal services to immigrant communities.

Newsom’s administration plans to provide more details on the budget proposal on Friday, the deadline to present it to lawmakers. Newsom announced the numbers early before heading out of state for former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral services.

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Newsom said he’s proposing little new spending, but the budget does allow the state to fully implement the country’s first universal transitional kindergarten program, which will make such school free for some 400,000 4-year-olds in California. That’s an effort Newsom has championed since 2021. His plan also includes doubling the state’s film and TV tax credit to $750 million annually to bring back Hollywood jobs that have gone to New York and Georgia.

He said good planning in the last budget allowed the state to avoid a major shortfall this year.

“Last year, we endeavored to make this year’s budget a nonevent,” Newsom said.

The governor’s office also estimates tax revenues for this year are $16.5 billion above projections, thanks to the booming stock market and rapid income growth for high-income Californians.

That has helped the state weather the sluggish economy with limited job growth and ongoing weak consumer spending.

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California’s economy is the fifth largest in the world. Last year the state faced an estimated $46.8 billion budget deficit and in the year before, a $32 billion budget shortfall. The state also saved $1.2 billion over two years by eliminating roughly 6,500 vacant positions in state departments and another $3.5 billion from cutting travel budgets and modernizing IT systems, Newsom said.

Still, such deficits have forced the state to pare back or delay some of its progressive policies that were fueled by record-breaking surpluses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Newsom poked at Trump’s planned Department of Government Efficiency, to be run by Elon Musk, by noting he created an Office of Data and Innovation designed to streamline government back in 2019.

“Our D.O.G.E. is spelled O.D.I.,” he said.

Unlike most states, California taxes capital gains — mostly money made from investments and stocks — the same rate as money made from wages and salaries. The result is nearly half of the state’s income tax collections comes from only 1% of the population. That has led to unpredictable, large swings in revenue in California’s budget.

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In November, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office warned the state will face double-digit shortfalls in the next five years. That could curtail California’s ability to shield its programs from Trump’s attacks.

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