Cow, Alpha Media A man is accused of stealing a cow by using a bad check to pay for the animal’s purchase. John D. Ayars, 80, of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, was charged last week in Sibley County Court with felony theft by false representation. A criminal complaint says Ayars wrote a $12,700 check to purchase the cow at a cattle auction in Sibley County in April. Court documents say when the victim went to cash the check the following day he was told Ayars did not have enough funds to cover the check. The complaint says Ayars stopped payment on the check at the victim’s request, but never returned th ..read more

Waseca Police Department Logo Waseca police are investigating the death of a man. Officers were dispatched at 12:24 p.m. Wednesday for a welfare check on the 900 block of 3rd St SW. Police say after multiple attempts to contact the resident failed, officers entered the home. A 64-year-old man was found deceased inside the house.  He was transported to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is assisting with the investigation, which is ongoing. Police say they do not suspect any ongoing danger or threat to the public.   ..read more

Credit: MGN WASHINGTON (AP) — The rate of guns stolen from cars in the U.S. has tripled over the last decade, making them the largest source of stolen guns in the country. That’s according to an analysis of FBI data by the gun safety group Everytown. The rate of stolen guns from cars climbed nearly every year and spiked during the coronavirus pandemic along with a major surge in weapons purchases. The findings are in a report provided to The Associated Press that analyzed FBI data from 337 cities in 44 states. The director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says the ala ..read more

Credit: MGN (Associated Press) – Steve Albini, a legendary rock producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61. Brian Fox, an engineer at Albini’s studio, Electrical Audio, says Albini died after a heart attack Tuesday. In addition to his work on canonized rock albums such as Nirvana‘s “In Utero,” the Pixies’ breakthrough “Surfer Rosa,” and PJ Harvey’s “Rid of Me,” Albini was the frontman of the underground bands Big Black and Shellac. He dismissed the term “producer” and requested he be credited with “Recorded ..read more

Credit: MGN SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Federal Communications Commission has voted to restore rules to prevent broadband internet providers such as Comcast and AT&T from favoring some sites and apps over others — for instance, by slowing or blocking certain content or by offering higher speeds to customers willing to pay extra. The move on Thursday effectively reinstates a “net neutrality” order the commission first issued in 2015 during the Obama administration. Under then-President Donald Trump, the FCC overturned those rules in 2017. The telecommunications industry opposed the latest chan ..read more

Credit: MGN LOS ANGELES (AP) — The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to bank and tax fraud in a sports betting case. Prosecutors alleged Ippei Mizuhara stole nearly $17 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts. Mizuhara’s scheduled arraignment Thursday in federal court in Los Angeles was postponed earlier Tuesday. The scandal shocked baseball fans from the U.S. to Japan when the news broke in March. Mizuhara was initially charged with one count of bank fraud. Authorities say there was no evidence that Ohtani was involved ..read more

FILE - A trainer walks with a service dog through the Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport while taking part of a training exercise, Saturday, April 1, 2017, in Newark, N.J. All dogs coming into the U.S. from other countries must be at least 6 months old and microchipped, according to new government rules published Wednesday, May 8, 2024. The new rules were prompted by concerns about dogs coming from countries where rabies is common, and applies to dogs brought in by breeders or rescue groups as well as pets traveling with their U.S. owners. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File) NEW YORK ..read more

FILE - Solar panels work near the small town of Milagro, Navarra Province, northern Spain, Feb. 24, 2023. Billions of people are using different kinds of energy each day and 2023 was a record-breaking year for renewable energy sources, according to a report published Wednesday, May 8, 2024, by Ember, a think tank based in London. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos, File) (Associated Press) – Billions of people are using different kinds of energy each day and 2023 was a record-breaking year for renewable energy sources — ones that don’t emit planet-warming pollutants like carbon dioxide and metha ..read more

FILE - Visitors pass through Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., April 30, 2021. Disney is seeking approval from local officials to expand its California theme park offerings over the next four decades. The proposal wouldn't increase the company's geographic footprint in Anaheim, Calif., but would allow for new attractions, for example, on what is currently a large parking lot. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Disney has received another key approval to expand its Southern California theme parks in its first push to make major changes to its iconic Disneyland in decades. The Anah ..read more

This illustration provided by NASA in 2017 depicts the planet 55 Cancri e, right, orbiting its star. A thick atmosphere has been detected around the planet that’s twice as big as Earth in a solar system about 41 light years away, researchers reported Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP) DALLAS (AP) — A thick atmosphere has been detected around a planet that’s twice as big as Earth in a nearby solar system. Researchers reported Wednesday that the rocky planet 55 Cancri e is wrapped in a blanket of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, making it one of the few planets outside our sola ..read more