WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 45-year-old man has pleaded guilty in the theft of a bronze Jackie Robinson statue that was cut off at the ankles and found days later smoldering in a trash can in a city park in Kansas. Ricky Alderete entered the plea during his arraignment Thursday. A judge signed off on it Friday. Authorities arrested him in February, with court records alleging he entered a Wichita home with the intent to kidnap someone as part of an effort to interfere with law enforcement. He then was charged later that month with felony theft and aggravated criminal damage to property in the statu ..read more

By MOLLY QUELL (Associated Press) THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — South Africa urged the United Nations’ top court Friday to issue more emergency measures to restrain Israel, saying its military incursion in Rafah threatens the “very survival of Palestinians in Gaza.” The request marks the fourth for additional measures by South Africa, which filed a genocide case against Israel late last year at the International Court of Justice. According to the latest request, the previous preliminary orders by The Hague-based court were not sufficient to address “a brutal military attack on the sole remaini ..read more

Polish-American Lowellians and city officials gathered at City Hall on May 5 for a flag-raising ceremony in recognition of Poland’s Constitution Day on May 3 ..read more

Laurie Hertzel | (TNS) Star Tribune This spring’s crop of picture books for children focuses on friendship, history and nature. With belly laughs! Go and Get With Rex, by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka. (Candlewick Press, $17.99) A perfect book for kids who know the alphabet but aren’t yet strong readers — or for any kid who likes to laugh. The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award-winning Minnesota duo (whew!) of LaRochelle and Wohnoutka gives us a lesson in things that start with certain letters: F is for frog. M is for moose. But for every letter, Rex the dog fetches a duck ..read more

Two new series — one an absolute guilty pleasure and the other a sci-fi head trip — are worth a look this week. But two indie features are even better: Oscar winner Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s exceptional eco-themed drama “Evil Does Not Exist” and Francis Galluppi’s noir homage “The Last Stop in Yuma County.” Here’s our roundup. “Dark Matter”: Cerebral sci-fi brain twisters such as Netflix’s “3 Body Problem” and this nine-part series (seven episodes would have sufficed) from Apple TV should come bearing a warning advising viewers to avoid all distractions since they’ll want to devote their full attent ..read more

Linda Gassenheimer | Tribune News Service A sweet and tangy sauce goes perfectly with the fish fillets in this quick stir-fried dinner. I added snow peas and red bell pepper along with microwaveable brown rice to complete this easy meal. Here’s a tip for best stir-frying. Make sure your wok or skillet is hot and the oil sizzling before adding the ingredients. Once they are added let them sit for a few seconds. This gives the oil a chance to regain the heat after adding the cold ingredients. HELPFUL HINTS: Any type of fish fillet such as grouper, mahi mahi or snapper can be used instead of tila ..read more

Noah Bierman | (TNS) Los Angeles Times President Joe Biden spent his Earth Day in a national forest this year with an explicit pitch to young people: a climate jobs corps intended to excite Gen Z the way John F. Kennedy’s Peace Corps inspired their grandparents. Biden took a selfie with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive New York Democrat, to remind voters that he was the first president to truly embrace elements of her Green New Deal, signing a signature $369-billion spending package in 2022 — the biggest climate bill in American history — to ignite the re ..read more

Matt Vasilogambros | (TNS) Stateline.org Preventing people who are not United States citizens from casting a ballot has reemerged as a focal point in the ongoing Republican drive to safeguard “election integrity,” even though noncitizens are rarely involved in voter fraud. Ahead of November’s presidential election, congressional and state Republican lawmakers are aiming to keep noncitizens away from the polls. They’re using state constitutional amendments and new laws that require citizenship verification to vote. Noncitizens can vote in a handful of local elections in several states, but alre ..read more

Arthur Allen | (TNS) KFF Health News When doctors began using the drug sotorasib in 2021 with high expectations for its innovative approach to attacking lung cancer, retired medical technician Don Crosslin was an early beneficiary. Crosslin started the drug that July. His tumors shrank, then stabilized. But while the drug has helped keep him alive, its side effects have gradually narrowed the confines of his life, said Crosslin, 76, who lives in Ocala, Florida: “My appetite has been minimal. I’m very weak. I walk my dogs and get around a bit, but I haven’t been able to golf since last July.” H ..read more

David Matthews | New York Daily News Stormy Daniels blasted Donald Trump on social media Thursday night, just a few hours after she finished testifying against the former president in his Manhattan hush-money trial. “Real men respond to testimony by being sworn in and taking the stand in court. Oh…wait. Nevermind,” she wrote in a post on X — a taunting reference to Trump not testifying in the case and using his own social media accounts to rail against the proceedings. The zinger came after Trump’s lawyers unsuccessfully requested a mistrial based on Daniels’ testimony. If ..read more