DNA evidence leads to pardon on ‘Norfolk 4’
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia’s governor pardoned four former sailors who became known as the “Norfolk Four,” ending a decadeslong fight to clear the men of rape and murder convictions based on intimidating police interrogations.
A spokesman for Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe said Tuesday that the governor granted absolute pardons for the men in the 1997 rape and killing of Michelle Moore-Bosko. DNA evidence linked another man, Omar Ballard, to the crimes. He acknowledged he was solely responsible and is serving a life sentence.
Three of the men — Danial Williams, Joseph Dick and Derek Tice — were granted conditional pardons in 2009 by then-Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine and released because of doubts about their guilt, but their convictions remained on the books. Eric Wilson, who was convicted only of rape, had already been released.
Bumblebee endangered
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — The rusty patched bumblebee Tuesday became the first officially endangered bee species in the continental U.S., overcoming a lastminute delay ordered by the Trump administration.
One of many bee types that have suffered steep population declines, the rusty patched has disappeared from about 90 percent of its range in the past 20 years. It previously was common across the East Coast and much of the Midwest.
Its listing as an endangered species means the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will devise a plan for returning the imperiled bee to “a healthy and secure condition,” the U.S. Department of Interior said.
The Natural Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit over the delay, saying it had been ordered without required public notice and comment. On Tuesday, the group said the administration had reversed course.
Sting called retribution
AUSTIN, Texas — Federal agents privately alerted two magistrate judges in late January that they would be targeting the Austin area for a major operation and that the sting was retribution for a policy by Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez that dramatically limited her cooperation with them, according to one of the judges.
The revelation — made Monday in court — conflicts with what Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials told local leaders after the sweep, when ICE characterized the operation as routine and said the Austin area was not being targeted. It also provides evidence after weeks of speculation that Sheriff Hernandez's policy triggered ICE's ire.
Live assault on Facebook
A 15-year-old Chicago girl was apparently sexually assaulted by five or six men or boys on Facebook Live, and none of the roughly 40 people who watched the live video reported the attack to police, authorities said Tuesday.
The video marks the second time in recent months Chicago police have investigated an apparent attack streamed live on Facebook. In January, four people were arrested after cellphone footage showed them allegedly taunting and beating a mentally disabled man.
Also in the nation ...
A family of five from Hollywood, Fla., died Sunday in North Florida after their vehicle swerved off the road and crashed into a tractortrailer that had stopped on the side of the highway. ... Google said it will change its policies after several major brands pulled ads from the platform because they appeared alongside offensive content, such as videos promoting terrorism or antiSemitism.