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One day removed from being hit with powerful storms that consumed casinos, airports, and parking lots, Las Vegas is still experiencing a soaked start to its weekend.

On Thursday night, the entire Strip, which houses some of the world’s most famous casinos and hotels, was flooded as the city put a flash flood and severe thunderstorm warning in place.

And it seems as though the city’s not out of the woods yet.

At least 16,000 people suffered power outages in the Las Vegas area Friday night, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Rainfall battered the city in the afternoon into evening, with the potential for gusty winds, lightning, and even small hail over the weekend.

Yet another severe thunderstorm warning was put in place for Las Vegas on Friday, which lasted until 11 p.m. People were urged not to drive through floodwater.

The warning impacted Las Vegas and its surrounding cities of Henderson, Mesquite, and Boulder City.

Rain is forecast to keep pouring from midday Saturday with a brief break from the extreme weather before the rain resumes on Sunday afternoon, meaning more flood trouble might be on the way.

The highs for Saturday are expected to be in the high 90s, which is below the 105 average for this time of year — a trend that can continue into next week.

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman rushed to Twitter on Friday to thank emergency services for their quick response to the floods.

“Thank you to our first responders & Regional Flood Control for keeping residents & visitors safe,” she tweeted. “Las Vegas has beautiful weather, but we do have large storms in monsoon season. Knowing this, we have flood control infrastructure to quickly move water out of the city to Lake Mead.”

A driver checks out his vehicle that's stuck in a construction hole following the flooding along Charleston Blvd. on July 28, 2022, in Las Vegas.
A driver checks out his vehicle that’s stuck in a construction hole following the flooding along Charleston Blvd. on July 28, 2022, in Las Vegas.
AP

Thursday’s storm nearly matched the rainfall total for the rest of the year. Social media videos showed lightning flashing across the sky above Sin City, cars left stranded and partially submerged on the street and water pouring into Caesars Palace from ceiling light fixtures.

“While some of our properties in Las Vegas did experience minor damage due to last night’s storm, all of them are operating as normal today,” Caesars Entertainment told The Post. “Repairs are already underway and we do not expect them to impact our guest experience.”

During the storm, seven people were rescued from swift water and one house caught fire, according to Las Vegas Fire & Rescue. There were also 22 crashes and 15 outside fires reported.

Alexander Wolf, a Las Vegas resident, told The Post he saw “curtains” of rainfall outside his window.

“Lightning was nearly constant, and the power went out several times,” he told The Post. “Electric surges set the fire alarms of several buildings off, causing fire responders to have to head out into the storm to respond to them.”



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HARRISBURG, Pa. — In one of this year’s most competitive U.S. Senate races, the biggest moments aren’t playing out on the campaign trail. They’re unfolding on social media.

For one stunt, Democrat John Fetterman of Pennsylvania rolled out an online petition to get his Republican rival, celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, enshrined in New Jersey’s Hall of Fame — a nod to Oz moving from his longtime home in New Jersey to run in neighboring Pennsylvania.

For another, Fetterman paid $2,000 for an airplane to haul a banner over weekend beachgoers on the Jersey Shore welcoming Oz back home to the Garden State. And in particularly viral posts, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, star of the infamous MTV show “Jersey Shore,” and “Little” Steven Van Zandt of “The Sopranos” and Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band recorded videos telling Oz to come home.

“Nobody wants to see you get embarrassed,” Van Zandt says. “So come on back to Jersey where you belong.”

For a campaign that could ultimately cost more than $100 million, the stunts are cheap ways for Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, to generate attention. The millions of views are helpful for a candidate who has largely been sidelined from personal appearances after suffering a stroke in May.

And it’s about more than getting laughs: The social media strategy could prove potent in defining Oz as a carpetbagger disconnected from the state’s residents and culture.

“The reason it stands out is he seems to be doing the best job of anyone this election cycle at contrasting his personality versus that of his opponent,” said Dante Atkins, a Democratic campaign strategist based in Washington, D.C., who has not done any work for Fetterman.

Republican Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz speaks to supporters at a rally on June 13, 2022, at Level 20 Restaurant, Bar, & Banquet in Bethel Park, Pa.
PA Senate candidate Dr. Oz is facing gripe from opponent Fetterman due to the fact that he’s actually from New Jersey.
Ariana Shchuka/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP

Republicans acknowledge that Fetterman’s social media game is top-notch. But they question the value. Even at a time when most Americans use social media, many Pennsylvania voters on social media don’t see Fetterman’s material and, anyway, elections aren’t about who’s got the best troll game, they say.

Republicans also argue that Fetterman’s greatest hits are missing the issues that voters are most likely to consider when making up their minds: inflation, gas prices and the economy, for instance.

“People don’t really care where I’m from,” Oz said in an interview. “They care what I stand for.”

A lot of the material comes from Fetterman himself, said campaign spokesperson Joe Calvello. He does a lot of the posting on Twitter and if Fetterman himself doesn’t post it, he helps originate ideas.

In this photo made on Friday, March 4, 2022, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman visits with people attending a Democratic Party event for candidates to meet and collect signatures for ballot petitions for the upcoming Pennsylvania primary election, at the Steamfitters Technology Center in Harmony, Pa. Fetterman is running for the party nomination for the U.S. Senate
The Pennsylvania Lt. Governor is trying his luck by attempting to reach voters on social media platforms like Twitter.
AP

He’ll shoot texts to campaign staff saying, “‘Hey what about this,’ or ‘did you see this,’” Calvello said. “He’s still very involved.”

Other material comes from campaign staff who develop ideas that stay on-brand for Fetterman and on turf that the candidate has staked out, Calvello said. That includes accusing oil companies of jacking up gas prices.

The concept of trolling Oz, and a lot of the memes, also came from Fetterman, Calvello said. The idea for the video by Snooki emerged from a brainstorm by a couple members of the staff, Calvello said.

Campaign staff wrote the script and Snooki — who was paid less than $400 through the video-sharing Cameo website — ad-libbed some of it, but was not in on the joke until afterward.

With 3.2 million views, it scored the most engagement on Twitter ever on Fetterman’s account, “and that’s a high bar,” Calvello said.

Van Zandt did his video for free and ad-libbed his script after the campaign contacted him directly to see if he’d cooperate, Calvello said.

It is difficult to know how much this will help Fetterman in a year when Democrats face stiff political headwinds, including high inflation and a traditional mid-term backlash against the party of the president.

Political scientists have had a hard time isolating the forces that affect how voters make up their minds, said Christopher Borick, an assistant professor of political science at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

In addition, voters tend to be older than the average social media user, Borick said.

Still, Pew Research Center last year estimated that seven in 10 Americans use social media, and it is unquestionable that the medium is becoming more important to reaching voters.

“The proof in the pudding is that campaigns have increasingly turned to it, and so they’re going on the belief that it is a necessary and key component,” Borick said.

Maggie McDonald, a post-doctoral fellow who studies social media in congressional campaigns at New York University’s Center for Social Media and Politics, said Fetterman’s social media game is among the best, if not the best, she’s seen.

“I imagine in future years people will try to emulate this,” McDonald said.

In addition to making people laugh, she said she thinks Fetterman’s stunts could motivate appreciative viewers to contribute money to his campaign and push apathetic Democrats to get off the sidelines to vote for him.

U.S. Senate candidate Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman speaks during a meeting of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party State Committee in Harrisburg, Pa., Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022
Fetterman spent some time out of the campaign spotlight as he recovered from a stroke.
AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Oz has tried to harness the power of social media for his campaign, and tried to respond to Fetterman online. He has drawn particular focus to Fetterman’s absence from traditional retail campaigning in the aftermath of his stroke, including using a meme from the TV series “Lost.”

In response to a Fetterman tweet about high gas prices, Oz retorted, “Curious as to why you have to fill up your tank so often when you’re not out on the campaign trail meeting with Pennsylvanians.”

Fetterman responded, “Dude, you’re literally from Jersey,” before he referred to a New Jersey state law that requires gas station attendants to pump gas for motorists. “I bet you don’t even know how to pump your own gas.”

Fetterman’s campaign argues that its trolling of Oz is on point with issues that matter to voters. Some elements of it — such as a “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” parody video — try to ask whether a man who is worth nine figures can advocate for regular people who are pinched by high gas prices.

Besides contrasting himself with Oz, Fetterman is well versed in internet culture.

“He’s extremely online, he knows his memes, he knows his internet subcultures, his campaign knows how to make things go viral and obliterate his opponent with online owns,” Atkins said.

Don’t expect the posts to stop anytime soon.

Fetterman now says he’ll put up a billboard on the Betsy Ross Bridge connecting the states over the Delaware River that reminds motorists that they are leaving New Jersey for Pennsylvania “just like Dr. Oz.”

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The Philadelphia protester who torched two police cars in 2020 – and was then tracked down by investigators through the website Etsy – was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for the attack.

Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal, 35, pleaded guilty in March to downgraded charges of obstructing, impeding and interfering with law enforcement officers for firebombing the two cop cars outside Philadelphia City Hall as protests raged in the city. 

At her sentencing hearing Thursday, Blumenthal said she was high on drugs and in the throes of addiction when she torched the cars, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. 

“My substance abuse left me feeling utterly self-righteous and impervious to critique,” Blumenthal told Judge Barclay Surrick, according to the paper. 

Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal
Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal set two cop cars on fire in 2020 outside the Philadelphia City Hall during a protest.
FBI
Blumenthal
Blumenthal claims that she was addicted to drugs at the time of her crimes.
LinkedIn

“I channeled all of my outrage and grief into the police, and I wish I’d not done that and had had the coping skills and self-de-escalation I do today,” she added. 

Assistant US Attorney Amanda Reinitz blasted Blumenthal as a criminal, whose actions did nothing to advance racial justice in the US, the Inquirer reported. 

“Her actions weren’t noble. Her actions weren’t free speech. This is a person who knows the difference between right and wrong, and she chose to commit crime,” Reinitz said. 

Blumenthal will likely be cut loose from custody in a number of months because she’s been held behind bars since her June 2020 arrest.

The firebug was busted by feds who tracked her down after noticing her distinctive T-shirt, which had the phrase “Keep the Immigrants Deport the Racists” written on it. 

They linked the shirt to a seller on Etsy and followed online clues from there that led them to Blumenthal. 

Blumenthal
Blumenthal, 35, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for the attack for charges of obstructing, impeding and interfering with law enforcement officers.
FBI
Blumenthal
“My substance abuse left me feeling utterly self-righteous and impervious to critique,” Blumenthal told Judge Barclay Surrick, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
FBI

In a statement after her sentencing, Jacqueline Maguire, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division, chided Blumenthal and other protesters for resorting to violence.

“The actions of Lore Elisabeth Blumenthal and others who similarly crossed the line endangered law enforcement and countless bystanders alike, and proved a huge distraction from the message carried by protesters seeking social justice,” Maguire said.

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A group of men in South Carolina was arrested when police uncovered “extremely disturbing” footage of the punks severely beating local homeless people.

The savage attacks were recorded by the group and took place at several homeless camps outside Greenville in the past year, according to the Greenville County Sheriff’s Department.

Disturbing videos of the attacks were released by the sheriff’s department on Thursday. The footage shows the men pummeling the homeless victims unconscious while others cheered them on. Some were holding firearms.

Police identified and charged four brutes with the senseless violence: brothers Seth “Tyler” Norris and Joshua Shawn Norris, Logan Alexander Holmes, and David Allen Norris.

The Norris brothers had already been charged with murder in a separate case.

Footage captures one of the suspects brutally attacking a homeless person near the tent in South Carolina.
Footage captures one of the suspects brutally attacking a homeless person near their tent in South Carolina.
Greenville County Sheriff’s Office

“You better get the f–k on out of here,” a man says in the video as he and a group approach a homeless man’s tent in a wooded area.

“Get the f–k out of here!” the homeless man yells back. “Get away! Get out.”

The attacker then winds up and kicks the homeless man directly in the face at the entrance of the tent, knocking him backward. He then kicks the man twice more through the door of the tent as the man tries to retreat.

Brothers Seth Norris (left) and Joshua Norris (right) had already been charged with murder in another case.
Brothers Seth Norris (left) and Joshua Norris (right) had already been charged with murder in another case.
Greenville County Sheriff’s Office

The video cuts to another clip of the thugs yelling “Where’s the bread?” at another man as they land blows to his head.

One man in a tan shirt suddenly begins viciously pounding on the helpless man with his fists and feet, the video shows.

In another clip, a homeless man is sitting on the ground when a shirtless man suddenly begins pummeling him mercilessly. Blow after blow lands on the man while the crowd cheers on.

Logan Holmes (right) of South Carolina was charged in the senseless homeless camp beating.
Logan Holmes (right) of South Carolina was charged in the senseless homeless camp beating.
Greenville County Sheriff’s Office

The group yells at him to “get up” before another man in a black shirt jumps in and resumes the brutal beating. Others jump in for a swing at him while he yells out in pain. 

“Investigators worked diligently to identify five victims shown in the videos; however, we have received information that there may be more,” the sheriff’s department said. “Additionally, investigators learned that many victims were afraid to report the attacks fearing retaliation.”

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If you don’t holla back in the Philippines, you may soon be breaking the law.

A legislator in the country wants to make ghosting someone there an “emotional offense,” with penalties potentially including mandatory community service.

Ghosting, defined as when someone cuts off all forms of online and phone communication, can “activate the same pathways in the brain as physical pain,” Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. wrote in his explanatory note along with the proposal, which was posted to Twitter this week by One News.

“The ambiguity with ghosting is that there is no real closure between the parties concerned and as such, it can be likened to a form of emotional cruelty and should be punished as an emotional offense because of the trauma it causes to the ‘ghosted party,’” the lawmaker wrote.

Though no penalty is defined in the proposal, Teves told CNN he didn’t think the penalty should “be heavy.

“We can impose a penalty of community service for offenders to realize that ghosting is not right,” he said, claiming ghosting can also affect a worker’s productivity.

Ghosting proposal
Rep. Teves Jr. wrote that ghosting should be considered an “emotional offense.”

Ghosting proposal
The note included that ghosting could be considered a “form of emotional cruelty and should be punished as an emotional offense.”

Ghosting proposal
One News posted the legislator’s explanatory note to Twitter.

The offense would only apply when two people are in a “dating relationship” – either living together or “romantically involved over time and on a continuing basis during the court of the relationship,” the explanatory note said. Others with ignored text messages wouldn’t be covered in the proposed ghosting ban.

The bill seems unlikely to pass in a country facing more pressing societal issues, leaving critics slamming the move as a publicity stunt.

“It is a calculative move to make him popular and be part of the public conversation,” Arjan Aguirre of Ateneo de Manila University told the Washington Post.

The report noted that Teves recently made a controversial but attention-grabbing push to rename an airport in the country after former despot Ferdinand Marcos.



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A Maine beach was reportedly closed Wednesday afternoon after a great white shark sighting. 

According to Bangor Daily News, Popham Beach State Park was closed less than an hour after the shark sighting was reported at 5:20 p.m. local time. 

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s Sharktivity app confirmed the beach closure. The beach reopened Thursday morning. 

The app also reported an unconfirmed sighting off Small Point, Maine, last week. 

Shark sightings have closed East Coast beaches throughout July. 

Tens of confirmed sightings have been tracked on Sharktivity in the waters near Massachusetts’ Cape Cod. 

For New York beachgoers, bites have been frequent. 

The Florida of Natural History and the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File (ISAF) reported that there have been six possible bites there from June 30 to July 20, 2022. 

“ISAF has not yet confirmed shark involvement in all cases. All victims survived with relatively minor injuries,” it said. 

There has been an increase of shark sightings on the Eastern Seaboard.
A Maine beach reopened after great white shark sightings.
Portland Press Herald via Getty

ISAF said only 12 unprovoked bites had been recorded in New York’s history prior to this year, none of which were fatal. 

It noted that there is a nursery for sand tiger sharks located off Fire Island, New York. 

Scientists also cite warming ocean temperatures and a resurgence of bunker fish for the increase in sightings. 

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Chris Cuomo opened up about being ousted from CNN and his brother’s rapid fall from grace during an interview on Friday night.

Cuomo, 51, appeared on HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher and said “he lost a sense of purpose” when he was fired from CNN amid fallout from former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s sexual harassment scandal.

“This is my brother, obviously I’m not objective. Obviously, I’m going to help him,” Cuomo told Maher about advising Andrew.

“I feel like I lost a sense of purpose for a while because of how things ended.”

The cable news broadcaster said his older brother had been downcast since leaving Albany in disgrace amid a slew of allegations of impropriety and harassment.

“I’m supposed to say, ‘Oh, he’s great!’ But that would be what we call bulls–t, right?” Cuomo said of the 64-year-old former gov.

“This has been hard, and you learn a lot about the people in your life when you watch them struggle. It’s true, when you struggle you learn who your friends are. I’ve always known who my friends are, I’ve had them for a very long time. But he has been in a struggle, and I have watched it.”

Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo appears on Friday night's episode of Real Time with Bill Maher.
Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo appears on Friday night’s episode of Real Time with Bill Maher.
YouTube / Real Time with Bill Maher
Chris Cuomo and Bill Maher
The ousted CNN host opened up on “Real Time with Bill Maher” to share how he felt following his dramatic firing.
Real Time with Bill Maher via Youtube

Cuomo recently landed another gig at NewsNation and said he was not happy to see his old cable network now struggling to attract viewers in his old prime time slot.

“I want good things for people there. I don’t like how it ended. I had a great team I didn’t get to say goodbye to. I just want to move on,” Cuomo said.

The journalist advocated for an end to the US’ two-party system and said he was glad to be getting back into the news with his podcast and new TV role where he was looking forward to “breaking through the toxic twosome of partisan politics.”

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 26: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Chris Cuomo attend the HBO Documentary Film "RX: Early Detection A Cancer Journey With Sandra Lee" during The Tribeca Film Festival at SVA Theater on April 26, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for HBO)
“Obviously, I’m going to help him,” Cuomo told Maher about advising his brother.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for HBO

He also explained why his late father former Gov. Mario Cuomo didn’t make a bid for the White House after being considered a front runner for the Democratic nomination in 1988 and 1992.

“It wasn’t because we’re in the mob,” Cuomo said of innuendo associated with his family’s Italian heritage.

“He didn’t run because he didn’t think he was good enough to be president,” Cuomo explained.

Cuomo was fired for breaking journalistic standards after he acted as an adviser for his brother’s failed public relations effort to dodge sexual misconduct allegations.

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The three young men accused in connection with the alleged beating death of Ohio teenager Ethan Liming have been indicted on lesser charges related to the fatal fight. 

A grand jury in Summit County, Ohio, indicted brothers DeShawn and Tyler Stafford, ages 20 and 19, respectively, and their 21-year-old cousin, Donovon Jones, in connection with the early June incident fight that was allegedly started over the use of a water-bead gun. 

Court papers from earlier this week show the grand jury indicted DeShawn Stafford on two counts of involuntary manslaughter – felonies in the first and third degree, respectively – and one count each of first-degree assault and fourth-degree aggravated assault. 

Tyler Stafford was indicted on single counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter and first-degree assault, while Jones was indicted on two counts of first-degree assault, records show.

Attorneys representing each of the three men did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment and additional information. 

From bottom to left -- Tyler Stafford, Donovan Jones, and Deshawn Stafford Jr. were all indicted on lesser charges for the killing of Ethan Liming.
From bottom to left — Tyler Stafford, Donovan Jones, and Deshawn Stafford Jr. were all indicted on lesser charges for the killing of Ethan Liming.
U.S. Marshals Service

Summit County Prosecutor’s Office Chief Counsel Brad Gessner told the Akron Beacon Journal investigators had obtained new information related to the case after the trio had initially been charged. 

The three men were each originally charged with murder and felonious assault, past records showed. Authorities also charged Jones with disrupting public service. All three pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges. Each were ordered held on $1 million bond.

The three suspects reportedly declined to testify before the grand jury. 

Gessner told the Beacon Journal the new information related to the case could not yet “be made public,” but said no additional people had been arrested on related charges. 

Ethan Liming's killers were each originally charged with murder and felonious assault, according to past records.
Ethan Liming’s killers were each originally charged with murder and felonious assault, according to past records.
Family Handout

“At this point, we have been focused on the acts that led to Ethan’s death and those who committed the offenses,” he said, according to the report. “We have not focused on the passengers in his (Liming’s) vehicle.”

In a lengthy statement provided by family spokesperson and attorney Michael Callahan, Bill Liming, Ethan’s father, said he and his family “are grieving.” 

“We are a beautifully multi-cultural family with white, African American, and Filipino family members who share the vision of strength by coming together rather than pulling apart everything we hold dear at the seams,” he wrote. “Rather than become bitter, we are choosing to fall back on our faith.” 

Liming said that he and his family have “always taught all of our children to love everyone.” 

Police said Liming’s was riding around in a vehicle shooting a SPLATRBALL Water Bead Blaster at possible unsuspecting people.
Police said Liming’s was riding around in a vehicle shooting a SPLATRBALL Water Bead Blaster at possible unsuspecting people.
Akron Police Department

“We will continue that lesson knowing full well that not everyone in the world we live in feels the same. Our family will continue to let faith guide us through these unbelievable times and we will pay better attention to our surroundings and where we go,” he went on.  “This summer has been a horrific summer of violence and tragedy here in Akron.  Our family is not the only ones who have had to suffer.”

He added: “We stand shoulder to shoulder with all of the families who are struggling in their grief just as we are struggling beside them with ours.  Love will win. Of that, I am certain- not politics, not division, but love.”

Liming, 17, died after suffering blunt force trauma to his head on the night of June 2. Police said Liming was in a vehicle with friends as the group was “riding around the surrounding area shooting a SPLATRBALL Water Bead Blaster at objects and possibly unsuspecting people.”

Jennifer and Bill Liming visit a memorial for their son Ethan Liming at Firestone High School in Akron.
Jennifer and Bill Liming visit a memorial for their son Ethan Liming at Firestone High School in Akron.
PHIL MASTURZO / USA TODAY NETWOR

The group then pulled into the I Promise School – a property that is supported in part by The Lebron James Family Foundation – and made its way toward the basketball court.

“The teens then appeared to have targeted or approached the subjects who were on the court and fired the gel soft gun at them,” police said at the time. “The collective actions of the teens in the car appear to have unfortunately provoked the altercation.” 

At least two of the people who were in the car with Liming exited the vehicle and fired the water bead gun at the crowd on the basketball court, police said. They then allegedly ran back to the car, where both groups converged, and a fight broke out. 

Affidavits related to the suspects’ arrests, provided to Fox News Digital in June, described how police believed each of the men were involved “in an altercation with Liming” and his three friends. They allegedly “punched” and “assaulted” each of the four victims, and “beat Liming until he was unconscious.” They each “then beat him more” while “he was unconscious on the ground,” the affidavits state. 

The affidavits further allege that each of the boys then repeatedly “stomped and kicked Liming” in his head.

Jones then allegedly took Liming’s friend’s cell phone as he tried to call 911. Meanwhile, Tyler and DeShawn Stafford “took Liming’s car and drove it to the other end of the lot” when Liming’s friends tried to take him to the hospital, the affidavit states.  

Liming was unresponsive by the time police arrived at the scene, authorities said. 

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A South Florida woman has been sentenced to life in prison plus additional time for her role in a murder-for-hire plot that resulted in the shooting death of a local law professor. 

Katherine Magbanua was sentenced Friday morning to life behind bars without the possibility of probation or parole, as well as two consecutive 30-year prison terms. Magbanua, 37, was convicted in May of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation to commit murder. 

Prosecutors said she acted as a go-between for her ex-boyfriend, dentist Charlie Adelson, and the men whom he allegedly hired to kill Florida State University law professor Daniel “Danny” Markel eight years ago. 

Magbanua’s attorney, Tara Kawass, had asked for the lightest possible sentence, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. 

Kawass read a statement on her client’s behalf, in which she told the court: “She does think about Dan Markel every single day, She does think about his kids every single day. … Not a day goes by that she’s doesn’t express how her heart is broken for the Markel family. One thing that I can say that Ms. Magbanua hopes and prays for is that justice is ongoing and has not been reached in this case, and she wants each and every person who had a hand in this and knows something about this to be brought to justice.” 

Daniel Markel was a law professor at Florida State University.
Daniel Markel was a law professor at Florida State University along with his ex-wife, Wendi Adelson.
FSU College of Law

Markel, a prominent lawyer, was on the heels of a contentious divorce with Adelson’s sister, Wendi, when he was gunned down in his car on July 18, 2014. The pair had disagreed and sparred in court documents over certain issues, namely, Wendi’s relocation from Tallahassee to be closer to her family in south Florida.

Tallahassee Police Department investigators said Markel dropped his children off at daycare around 8:50 a.m. roughly five miles from his home and then made his way to Premier Health and Fitness Center, where he arrived around 9:12 a.m., according to a probable cause affidavit shared online in 2016.

Police found that a Toyota Prius had followed Markel not only into the parking lot of the fitness facility, but was also “trailing Markel’s car” before and after his time in the gym.

“Investigators believe the suspects in the Prius followed the victim throughout the morning and back to this residence, where the victim was shot in the head as he sat in his car,” the affidavit states. “Markel’s neighbor heard what he believed to be a gunshot and looked out the window, where he saw a small silver or light-colored vehicle, resembling a Prius, backing out of the victim’s driveway.”

Dentist Charles Adelson allegedly orchestrated the murder of his sister's ex-husband, Daniel Markel.
Dentist Charles Adelson allegedly orchestrated the murder of his sister’s ex-husband, Daniel Markel.
Broward County Sheriff’s Office via AP

Markel was rushed to a local hospital, but could not be saved. 

Magbanua had lived with one of the accused gunmen, Sigfredo Garcia, with whom she had two children. She had previously had a relationship with Charlie Adelson, and had once worked for Adelson’s family’s dental office. 

Garcia and his alleged accomplice, Luis Rivera, were charged in June 2016. Magbanua was arrested months later in October 2016. Garcia was convicted in 2019 of first-degree murder, and has appealed his conviction. Rivera pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. 

Charlie Adelson, age 45, was arrested in April 2022 after he was indicted by a grand jury. He was charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation to commit murder. He pleaded not guilty. 

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Las Vegas is bracing for more rain and lightning Friday night — a day after Sin City was pummeled by downpours that flooded casinos on the Strip and turned streets into rivers.

The desert city may see another round of showers in the afternoon into evening, with the potential for gusty winds, lightning and even small hail — and residents can bet this won’t be the end of it, forecasters say.

“We’ll do the same dance tomorrow, with again potentially some storms in the area,” Fox Weather senior meteorologist Greg Diamond told The Post. “I think a little less in coverage than yesterday and today, but one still very much could pop up right over the city tomorrow.”

Thursday’s storm nearly matched in one day the rainfall total for the rest of the year — wild social media videos showed lightning flashing across the sky above the city, cars left stranded in water on the street and water pouring into Caesars Palace from ceiling light fixtures.

LV floods
More rain and lightning are expected to hit Las Vegas on Friday night, following severe floods by extreme weather.
AP

During Thursday’s rare storm, seven people were rescued from swift water and one house caught fire, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue said on Twitter. There were also 22 crashes and 15 outside fires reported.

A wind gust of 71 mph was recorded on the Las Vegas Strip, according to Fox Weather.

At the Circa, water poured into the sportsbook and leaked from a TV on the wall onto the floor, News3LV reported.

LV flooding
Thursday’s storm already almost matched the rainfall total for Las Vegas’ entire year.
AP
LV flood
There were 22 car crashes, 15 outside fires, seven people rescued from flooding and one house fire reported Thursday.
AP

Vegas has an annual precipitation of only 4 inches, Britannica.com said, making it the driest major city in the US. From Jan. 1 until Wednesday, it received only 0.37 inches of rain — but 0.32 inches were recorded at the Harry Reid International Airport on Thursday alone, Diamond said.

Some “pockets” of the city experienced a full inch, according to the National Weather Service’s Las Vegas office.

The entire Southwest is experiencing a summer wet spell, and although it’s not clear if Las Vegas will get hit with floods again, there is one benefit for the typically humid city — it’s cooler than usual.

LV flooding
Some sections of Las Vegas experienced an entire inch of rain on Thursday alone.
AP

The highs for Friday were expected to be in the high 90s, which is below the 105 average for this time of year — a trend which can continue into next week, Diamond said.

“It’s all relative, but still it’s not as hot as it could be this time of the year,” he said.



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