AP-Newswatch

Mother’s warning to Georgia school raises questions about moments before shooting

ATLANTA (AP) — The mother of a student at the Georgia high school where a teen allegedly killed four people says information indicating staff were warned he was having a crisis shows the shooting could have been prevented. Rabecca Sayarath says administrators at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, didn’t do enough to protect students. She said Sunday that “the school failed them.” Sayarath’s daughter says administrators appeared to be looking for Colt Gray, the 14-year-old charged with four counts of murder, before the gunfire began. Others are declining to blame school or law enforcement. Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia said Sunday that he won’t “referee or second-guess” the response.

Kate, princess of Wales, says she’ll return to public duties

LONDON (AP) — Kate, the princess of Wales, says she has completed chemotherapy and will return to some public duties in the coming months. The 42-year-old wife of Prince William is expected to undertake a light program of engagements until the end of the year. Kate announced in March that she was being treated for an undisclosed type of cancer. Kate attended a ceremonial birthday parade for her father-in-law King Charles III in June, and the following month presented the men’s winner’s trophy at the Wimbledon tennis championships.

Funeral held for an American activist a witness says was shot dead by Israeli troops

NABLUS, West Bank (AP) — The Western-backed Palestinian Authority has held a funeral procession for a U.S.-Turkish dual national activist who a witness says was shot and killed by Israeli forces while demonstrating against settlements in the occupied West Bank. Dozens of mourners — including several leading PA officials — attended Monday’s procession. Security forces carried the body of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi which was draped in a Palestinian flag while a traditional black-and-white checkered scarf covered her face. The 26-year-old’s body was then placed into the back of a Palestinian ambulance. Turkey’s foreign ministry says it is working on repatriating the remains.

Pope cheers East Timor’s recovery while acknowledging a bishop’s abuse scandal

DILI, East Timor (AP) — Pope Francis has indirectly acknowledged the abuse scandal in East Timor involving its bishop and Nobel Peace Prize-winning independence hero. He spoke after receiving a raucous welcome on arrival in Dili Monday. He arrived to encourage the country’s recovery from a bloody and traumatic independence battle and celebrate its development after two decades of freedom from Indonesian rule. And he spoke about abuse in general. East Timor is overwhelmingly Catholic and eagerly awaited Francis’ arrival. He recalled the scandal involving Timorese Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, who was secretly sanctioned by the Vatican for sexually abusing young boys.

Schools close as search for gunman who wounded 5 people on Kentucky interstate drags into third day

LONDON, Ky. (AP) — More than a dozen school districts have canceled classes across a wide swath of southeastern Kentucky as a grueling search stretched into a third day for a gunman who opened fire on an interstate highway and wounded five people over the weekend. Administrators in Rockcastle County, just north of where the shooting took place, told the school community they decided to close classes while the shooter is still at large ”out of an abundance of caution” to ensure the safety of students and staff. Classes were also cancelled at three regional college campuses. Authorities are vowing to keep up a relentless search as the stress level remains high for residents and police.

Tropical Storm Francine forms off Mexico and is expected to hit Louisiana as a hurricane

MIAMI (AP) — The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Tropical Storm Francine has formed off the coast of Mexico. It’s expected to drench the Texas coast before coming ashore in Louisiana Wednesday night as a hurricane. The center says Francine is located about 245 miles southeast of the mouth of the Rio Grande, and about 480 miles south-southwest of Cameron, Louisiana. Francine’s top winds right now are about 50 miles per hour. Forecasters say Francine should be a hurricane as it approaches the northwestern Gulf Coast. They’re predicting a storm surge of up to 10 feet and warning of flooding across coastal Texas and southern Louisiana.

Trial for 3 former Memphis officers charged in Tyre Nichols’ death set to begin

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A federal trial in Memphis is beginning for three former officers charged with violating the civil rights of Tyre Nichols. The 29-year-old man’s fatal beating was caught on police cameras and triggered protests and outcry for police reform. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith have pleaded not guilty to depriving Nichols of his rights through excessive force and failing to intervene and obstructing justice through witness tampering. Nichols was pulled over in January 2023 and ran from police after he was yanked from his vehicle. Police video shows officers caught up with Nichols and repeatedly hit him. Jury selection begins Monday.

Pregnant migrants struggle to survive on the streets of a Colorado city

AURORA, Colo. (AP) — Over the past two years, an unprecedented number of Venezuelans have traveled to the U.S. border, seeking a better life. They’ve found themselves in American communities roiling with conflict about how much to help newcomers — or whether to help at all. These migrants are unable to legally work without filing expensive and complicated paperwork. Some have found themselves sleeping on the streets. In Aurora, Colorado, one pregnant migrant gave birth and returned to the tent she was living in. Then her whole family, including the baby, contracted chicken pox. She incurred thousands of dollars in medical debt. Now, she’s afraid it will jeopardize her chances of staying in the U.S.