Judge extends agreement date for Oklahoma poultry lawsuit
A federal judge is giving Oklahoma and nearly a dozen poultry companies, including the world’s largest poultry producer, Tyson Foods, 90 more days to reach agreement on plans to clean the Illinois River watershed polluted by chicken litter. U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell in Tulsa on Friday scheduled a June 16 hearing, saying both sides requested the extension. Frizzell in January ruled that Arkansas-based Tyson, Minnesota-based Cargill Inc. and other companies polluted the Illinois River and gave the two sides until March 17 to present an agreement on how to remedy the pollution’s effects, which includes low oxygen levels in the river, algae growth and damage to the fish population.
Tejano musician Fito Olivares dies in Houston at 75
HOUSTON (AP) — Tejano musician Fito Olivares, known for songs that were wedding and quinceanera mainstays including the hit “Juana La Cubana,” has died. He was 75. His wife, Griselda Olivares, says the noted saxophonist died Friday morning at home in Houston. She says he was diagnosed with cancer last year. Fito Olivares was born Rodolfo Olivares in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas on April 19, 1947. He started playing professionally in his teens. In 1980 he and his brothers formed Olivares y su Grupo La Pura Sabrosura and moved to Houston. Other tunes he is known for include “Aguita de Melon,” “El Chicle” and “El Colesterol.”
1 dead, 1 hurt in shooting during Miami Beach spring break
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Police say one person was killed and a second wounded when gunfire erupted in an area of Miami Beach crowded with people on spring break. The Miami Beach Police Department tweeted that two males were shot Friday night and that one person was detained at the scene. It isn't clear if the person being held was the shooter. Police also say three guns were recovered. The shooting happened on South Beach’s Ocean Drive. It is closed to vehicle traffic along its busiest stretch. One of the victims died at a hospital and the second person was listed in critical condition.
Lance Reddick, 'The Wire' and 'John Wick' star, dies at 60
NEW YORK (AP) — Lance Reddick, a character actor who specialized in intense, icy and possibly sinister authority figures on TV and film, including “The Wire,” "Fringe” and the “John Wick” franchise, has died. He was 60. Reddick was often put in a suit or a crisp uniform during his career, playing tall taciturn and elegant men of distinction. He was best known for his role as straight-laced Lt. Cedric Daniels on the hit HBO series “The Wire,” where his character was agonizingly trapped in the messy politics of the Baltimore police department. He earned a SAG Award nomination in 2021 as part of the ensemble for Regina King’s film “One Night in Miami.”
Lights out for Philly's famous Boathouse Row, for now
The bright lights of Philadelphia’s famous Boathouse Row are going dark, at least for now. Thousands of lights outline the historic boathouses along the Schuylkill River near the Philadelphia Museum of Art. They form one of the most indelible images of the city. Tara Rasheed of Fairmount Park Conservancy calls it “our postcard shot of Philadelphia.” Starting Monday, the lights will be switched off and taken down as work gets underway on a $2.1 million replacement project expected to last eight months. Officials say an upgraded lighting system should be ready for the winter holiday season.
Heathrow security guards to strike for 10 days over Easter
LONDON (AP) — Security guards at London’s Heathrow Airport will walk out of their jobs for 10 days over the Easter break, the latest in a wave of strike action to affect the U.K. The union Unite said Friday more than 1,400 security guards employed by Heathrow Airport will strike from March 31 to Easter Sunday, April 9, to demand better pay. Unite said those striking include guards who work at the airport’s Terminal Five, which is used exclusively by British Airways, as well as those responsible for checking all cargo that enters the airport. The strikes will coincide with the two-week Easter school holidays, traditionally a peak time for travel for many in Britain. The union said workers need to be better paid amid Britain's cost-of-living crisis.
Elizabeth Holmes returns to court in bid to avoid prison
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes has made what might be her final court appearance before beginning a 11-year prison sentence. That's unless a federal judge grants her request to remain free while her lawyers appeal her conviction for masterminding a blood-testing hoax. The hearing came four months after Holmes’ last court hearing, when a judge sentenced her for duping investors in Theranos. The company was a startup Holmes founded 20 years ago and then rode to fleeting fame and fortune. The judge says he expects to issue a ruling in early April. If he rejects Holmes request, she is due to report to prison April 27.
Regulators: Nuclear plant leak didn't require public notice
Minnesota regulators knew four months ago that radioactive waste had leaked from a nuclear power plant in Monticello — but they didn’t announce anything about the leak until this week. The delay in notifying the public about the November leak of tritium raised questions about public safety and transparency. But industry experts say there was never a public health threat. They said the leak of 400,000 gallons of radioactive water never reached a threshold that would have required public notification. State officials said they delayed sharing the information until they had more details.
Lack of hugs caused US fentanyl crisis, Mexico's leader says
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's president has said that U.S. families are to blame for the fentanyl overdose crisis because they don't hug their kids enough. The comment by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador caps a week of provocative statements from him about the crisis caused by the synthetic opioid. Fentanyl has been blamed for about 70,000 deaths per year in the United States. López Obrador said family values have broken down in the United States, because parents don't let their children live at home long enough. He has also denied that Mexico produces fentanyl. On Friday, the Mexican president said the problem was caused by “a lack of hugs, of embraces.”
Ann Summers lingerie chain boss Jacqueline Gold dies at 62
LONDON (AP) — Jacqueline Gold, who helped make lingerie and sex toys a female-friendly mainstream business as head of Britain's Ann Summers chain, has died. She was 62 and had been diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago. Gold’s family said Friday that she died on Thursday with close family by her side. Gold joined the sex shop chain owned by her father and transformed it. She ditched the shops’ forbidding men-only atmosphere, with female-friendly products sold through women-only, at-home gatherings inspired by Tupperware parties. Ann Summers became a familiar feature of the British high street, with more than 80 stores nationwide. Gold said in 2018 that “female empowerment has always been at the heart of everything we do."