In the news

■ Brian Benjamin, former lieutenant governor of New York, was “thankful for his vindication,” as a federal judge tossed out bribery and fraud charges against him, leaving the Harlem Democrat to face only records falsification counts, a statement from his attorneys read.

■ Martha Menefield, 82, of Valley, Ala., was arrested for failure to pay solid waste fees of $77.80 and said neighbors visiting after her release from jail “made me feel good that they care about what was going on.”

■ Katie Sigmond , a 20-year-old TikTok influencer with about 7 million followers, was fined for littering during a golf blunder at the Grand Canyon, which was captured in a since-deleted video, according to Joelle Baird, a spokeswoman for Grand Canyon National Park’s Office of Public Affairs.

■ Andrew Lawson, a 23-year-old sheriff’s deputy, was charged with manslaughter in “an extremely dumb and totally avoidable” shooting resulting in the death of his roommate, a fellow deputy, said Wayne Ivey, sheriff of Brevard County, Fla.

■ Maria Kolesnikova, 40, who helped coordinate anti-government protests in Belarus, was taken back to prison to continue her 11-year prison sentence after undergoing a surgery for a perforated ulcer, her father, Alexander Kolesnikov, told The Associated Press.

■ Tamra Malphurs,a spokesperson for Volusia County, Fla., Beach Safety, said residents and visitors of Daytona Beach Shores think an object made of wood and metal protruding through the sand “is an old ship of some sort.”

■ Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was welcomed with a standing ovation at the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony, the 82-year-old businessman’s first public appearance since he was severely injured during an October attack at the couple’s San Francisco home.