Wichita

Keep calm and work at home: order prevails at virus-hit German firm

Four of their co-workers have contracted the coronavirus after a colleague from China visited the firm and their factory has been temporarily closed, but staff at German auto parts supplier Webasto insist they are not worried, even as the global death toll rises. The firm later announced three additional co-workers had tested positive for the flu-like virus.

Parnas, former Ukraine fixer, shows up outside Trump trial

Lev Parnas, an indicted businessman who says he worked to pressure Ukraine to investigate one of President Donald Trump's political rivals, created a chaotic sideshow Wednesday as he traveled to Washington for Trump's impeachment trial. Trailed by TV cameras, photographers and a sign that read "FAIR TRIAL," Parnas posed for selfies with a pink-hatted woman as he walked from Union Station to the U.S. Capitol building in an attempt to view the Senate's trial. "It's a surreal feeling," Parnas said.

Trump impeachment trial live updates: Senators to ask written questions to both sides

Trump impeachment trial live updates: Senators to ask written questions to both sides originally appeared on abcnews.go. ...

Ukraine and separatists to pull back troops from a new area

Ukrainian negotiators and Russia-backed separatists on Wednesday agreed on another area to disengage their troops in eastern Ukraine. The talks of between representatives of Ukraine, the separatists, Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe were held in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. The negotiators discussed new confidence building measures to pave way for a meeting of the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany scheduled for April in Berlin.

Steinbeck letters, memorabilia on sale in February in N.J.

Curated Estates in Lincoln Park is offering a trove of materials on Feb. 27 that have been sitting in a Manhattan warehouse for about two decades. Steinbeck, author of ``The Grapes of Wrath'' and ``East of Eden'' among other works, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature, died in 1968. Elaine Steinbeck, his third wife, died in 2003.

A desperate hunt for newborn. Police believe father abducted him after triple murder

A wide and desperate search continued Wednesday morning for a 7-day-old child who police believe was abducted by his father after three family members, including the child’s mother, were found shot to death with a high-powered rifle in rural South Miami-Dade County.

Rock Hill man charged in shooting that led to SWAT search, school lockdown, police say

A Rock Hill man was arrested in Charlotte and now is charged in connection with a shooting last month that led to a school lockdown and SWAT manhunt, police said.

Luke Bryan's boys appreciate the perks of fame: No 'roller coaster' without 'old dad'

It's no surprise Luke Bryan's able to send song after song to the top of the chart since he's put together a unique team that can pick the hits like no other. MORE: Luke Bryan sees dog adoption post online and brings puppy home!

KFC to sell Beyond Meat's plant-based 'fried chicken' in the southern U.S.

Beyond Meat said on Wednesday it will supply plant-based "fried chicken" to several KFC stores in Tennessee and North Carolina, after a test conducted last year showed strong consumer demand. Fast-food chains including McDonald's, Burger King, and Dunkin Brands have raced to add imitation meat products to their menus as Americans cut down on animal protein consumption. The product is 80 calories per piece and looks a bit like a fried chicken nugget, with a sinewy texture designed to feel like chicken.

Nikki and Brie Bella announce they're both pregnant, due a week and a half apart

The Bella twins announced some exciting news Wednesday. The former professional wrestlers are both pregnant. Nikki and her sister Brie, both 36, revealed they are due a week and a half apart in a new interview with People.

Blake Lively pulled off wearing so many outfits in less than 24 hours

After laying low nearly a year after her last press tour and giving birth, Blake Lively made a beautiful return to the public eye in high-style. While out and about promoting her new drama "The Rhythm Section," she was seen wearing not one but several different looks in less than 24 hours.

Teen accuses Scores strip club chain of human trafficking, sex abuse: Lawsuit

A teenage girl filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Scores accusing the nationwide strip club chain of sexual abuse and human trafficking. "Jane Doe," a self-described developmentally disabled and emotionally disturbed teen, said in 2017 a male acquaintance brought her to a Scores in Tampa, Florida, where she said she was put on stage within 30 minutes and sent down a path of abuse, exploitation and prostitution. The lawsuit targeted Scores Tampa but the plaintiff's attorneys said the allegedly reckless and illegal practices were consistent with the chain's business model.

NASA shutting down space telescope, infrared eyes to cosmos

NASA is pulling the plug on one of its great observatories -- the Spitzer Space Telescope -- after 16 years of scanning the universe with infrared eyes. For years, Spitzer peered through dusty clouds at untold stars and galaxies, uncovered a huge, nearly invisible ring around Saturn, and helped discover seven Earth-size planets around a nearby star. Altogether, Spitzer observed 800,000 celestial targets and churned out more than 36 million raw images as part of the $1.4 billion mission.

A Maryland police department charged one of its officers with murder after he allegedly shot a handcuffed man 7 times

William Green, of DC, was handcuffed in the front seat of a cruiser when Cpl. Michael Owen Jr. shot him seven times, his chief said.

Cops say he drove high on ‘whippets.’ He’s going to prison for running over lawyer, family

Amir Pelleg, a hard-working real estate lawyer, relished moments with his wife and two daughters — including strolls to a park near their Sunny Isles Beach condo.

The doomsday couple whose children haven't been seen since September are also at the center of several death investigations

Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell were located by police in Hawaii on Saturday. Vallow's children are still missing.

Kristen Bell opens up about the 'incredible fight' she had with husband Dax Shepherd

Turns out, even happy couples argue. Kristen Bell admits she and husband Dax Shepard have fights, but one in particular stands out from the rest. "It was about things around the house that I felt I needed to help with," Bell begins, explaining that she asked Shepard to help her with about 10 minutes' worth of chores. The next day, however, Shepard reportedly vented his frustration over the note and that he felt "really controlled" by it.

Video shows ‘not-so-graceful burglar’ fall through ceiling at liquor store, CA cops say

“Burglary is a crime and gravity always wins.”

Video shows ‘not-so-graceful burglar’ fall through ceiling at liquor store, CA cops say

“Burglary is a crime and gravity always wins.”

Explainer: Inside the plans for Trump's expanded travel ban

U.S. President Donald Trump said he plans to expand his travel ban to bar people from several additional countries, a move that could again reignite questions about whether the policy discriminates against Muslims. Trump said during a visit to Davos, Switzerland, last week that his administration planned to add "a couple of countries" to the ban, but did not give further details. According to a source familiar with a draft version, the tentative list of nations included Belarus, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania.

Duchess Kate rocks skinny jeans while serving cereal during nursery visit

During a visit to south London at a nursery, Duchess Kate was spotted serving up great style and cereal. While at Stockwell Gardens Nursery & Pre-School, she wore a teal-colored coat, cream-toned top and a well-fitted pair of black skinny jeans. The Duchess of Cambridge had been initially advised from staff on the importance of nutritious food in a child's development and discussed her landmark early years survey that revealed 10,000 people have signed up in a week since launching.

'It's utter bulls--t': Navy SEAL was promoted despite allegations he choked a Green Beret to death

The Navy SEAL has been charged in the death. His defense attorneys previously said the incident was merely a "prank" that "went bad."

Mississippi: 13th inmate dies in less than a month amid crisis in prison system

* Limarion Reaves, 28, collapsed and died at Kemper-Neshoba * Governor vows to close parts of troubled Parchman prison Shortly after Mississippi’s newly elected governor vowed to close parts of the state’s most notorious prison, officials announced on Tuesday night that another inmate had died in the system – marking the 13th state prisoner death since late December.Mississippi’s ageing and underfunded network of prisons has come under renewed scrutiny in recent weeks after a spate of unrest over the new year led to multiple stabbing deaths and a statewide lockdown.Most of these deaths have occurred at the notorious Parchman penitentiary, a sprawling prison farm complex constructed in the Jim Crow era and modelled on an antebellum slave plantation, situated in the north of the state.Much of the unrest occurred in the prison’s most dilapidated and violent quarters, unit 29, where state health inspections combined with contraband cellphone images have documented numerous instances of decay including vermin, mould, overflowing toilets and broken bathroom installations.During his first state address on Monday, Mississippi’s governor, Tate Reeves, pledged to move towards closing the unit after he toured the facility last week.“We have to turn the page. This is the first step, and I have asked the department [of corrections] to begin the preparations to make it happen safely, justly and quickly,” Reeves said.He added: “We will do better. We will right the wrongs of the past, and we will do everything in our power to protect the dignity of every Mississippi life.”As governor’s annual state speeches are usually focused on economic and legislative priorities, Reeves’s focus on the prison system highlighted just how deep the current crisis has become.Just a day after the announcement, corrections department officials confirmed that 28-year-old Limarion Reaves, an inmate at Kemper-Neshoba regional correctional facility, a medium-security prison and jail in the east of the state, had collapsed and died on Tuesday.The prison’s warden, Johnny Crockett said the inmate, who was serving a three-year sentence for aggravated assault, had been talking on the phone to a relative when he fell ill in the early afternoon. An autopsy was set to determine the cause and manner of death.Like other facilities in the Mississippi prison system, Kemper-Neshoba has been accused of prisoner neglect on multiple occasions. In October 2019 a lawsuit was filed against the warden and jail staff members by the family of Robert Wayne Johnson, who killed himself at the facility in 2018. The family claim jail staff ignored clear evidence that Johnson, who had a long history of mental health problems intended to kill himself.Mississippi is in the midst of a prison funding and staffing crisis, as widespread shortages of corrections officers have led to extended lockdowns in multiple prisons, with proposed funding cuts likely to make the situation worse.Although Reeves has pledged to close unit 29 at Parchman, questions remain about where those inmates will go. The state has the third highest rate of incarceration in the US, and disproportionately imprisons African Americans.

10 years ago, Michael Bloomberg called for my removal as a teacher because of my past in sex work — and I'm just one example of why discrimination against sex workers needs to end

A truly progressive presidential candidate "will embrace a woman's totality, even — and especially — when it includes sex work," Melissa Petro says.