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08/14/2026

VENTURA COUNTY, California — A California case from 1994 that remained unresolved for over three decades has seen a significant new development.

Authorities in Southern California have confirmed that Michael Douglas Brambles, 65, a former Los Angeles Police Department detective with a prior felony conviction history, is back in custody in Santa Barbara County.

Court records show that Brambles was sentenced in Los Angeles County in 1996 to approximately 102 years in prison in connection with a series of felony cases involving at least 14 individuals, with many of the incidents reported in the San Fernando Valley.

He served 25 years. In 2020, at the age of 60, he was granted parole under California’s elderly parole law. During that parole review process, he stated that he had no additional cases beyond those for which he had been convicted in Los Angeles County.

Ventura County investigators revisited the 1994 matter while reviewing preserved evidence as part of a federally funded program known as SAKI, which focuses on resolving older unresolved cases. Through that evidence review, investigators identified a connection between Brambles and a 1994 incident at a gift shop in Ventura County involving a store clerk identified only as S.W. during a reported break-in and robbery.

Due to time restrictions under state law related to cases from that year, prosecutors are not able to pursue certain charges from 1994. The current case is moving forward on charges of burglary and robbery. Brambles is currently being held in Santa Barbara County with bail set at $2 million.

Historical records also show that during his time in law enforcement, Brambles was part of a team involved in a past high-profile arrest involving musician Don Henley.

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said evidence preserved from 1994 played a central role in identifying a connection and advancing the case to its current stage.

The individual identified as S.W. in the 1994 incident shared a statement expressing appreciation for the continued attention to older cases and for the opportunity to see the matter move forward, and emphasized support for others with similar experiences.

Officials noted that the development highlights the importance of evidence preservation and long-term case review programs.

08/14/2026

CHICAGO, Illinois - Authorities in downtown Chicago responded to a two-vehicle collision on DuSable Lake Shore Drive late Thursday that resulted in three people being transported for medical care.

The Chicago Police Department said the incident occurred at approximately 9 p.m. in the 1000-block of North DuSable Lake Shore Drive in the Streeterville neighborhood.

According to preliminary details, a blue sedan traveling southbound made contact with a black sedan traveling in the same direction. Following the contact, the blue sedan struck a center median, and a vehicle fire was reported.

Emergency personnel responded to the scene. The three occupants of the blue sedan, two men ages 20 and 22 and a 21-year-old woman, were transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment. Officials have not released an update on their condition.

The driver of the black sedan, a 45-year-old man, remained on scene and declined medical transport.

Police said the incident remains under investigation.

08/14/2026

An update from Northwest Indiana as communities work through recovery following six tornadoes reported on Tuesday by the National Weather Service.

Local officials have indicated that cleanup efforts will continue over the coming weeks in the most impacted areas.

A statewide emergency declaration has been issued by Governor Mike Braun, with support from the National Guard to assist local teams.

As of Friday, power restoration remains a focus. NIPSCO projects 90 percent of customers will have service restored by the end of Tuesday, with full restoration by the following Friday. In the Chicago area, ComEd expects restoration for nearly all customers by Saturday night.

The forecast remains active. A Flood Watch continues for LaSalle, Grundy, Kankakee, Newton, and Jasper counties until 10 a.m. Friday. A second system is expected Saturday morning, moving quickly eastward. Much of the region is under a Level 1 out of 5 risk for severe weather. Rain is expected to conclude early afternoon Saturday.

Additional advisories have been issued at Indiana Dunes National Park, where swimming is temporarily not recommended at Central, Porter Beach, and Portage Lakefront due to water quality conditions after the storms.

At Illinois State University in Normal, officials reported temporary disruptions to student move-in due to heavy rain and strong winds, with some damage to a campus building. Campus operations have since returned to normal.

08/14/2026

Only in New York City. Pedestrians in Manhattan looked twice this week as a giant ball of human hair rolled down the street.

The installation is called “Tumblehair,” a large-scale public art activation by hair-care brand K18. The car-sized sphere was built to visualize hair retention and was seen moving through several Manhattan neighborhoods including Midtown, the West Village, Chinatown and the Seaport.

The stunt was created to highlight the conversation around hair longevity, shedding and scalp health, tied to the launch of their FutureIQ Hair Longevity Serum. According to the brand, the structure was constructed as a physical prop with city permits and was scheduled to complete its route at Gansevoort Plaza outside Sephora in the Meatpacking District, where a temporary Hair Longevity Lab was set up for scalp analysis and product education.

What many first thought was an AI video turned out to be a very real, very hairy moment on the streets of New York.

08/14/2026

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Makes Box Office History With $700 Million Milestone

Sony Pictures has a new record holder on its hands.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day has become the fastest movie ever to cross $700 million at the domestic box office, reaching $704.5 million on Wednesday. Released on July 31, the film now stands at No. 6 on the all-time North American chart, passing Black Panther. Its next target is Top Gun: Maverick with $718 million.

The international performance is just as historic. The film has earned $1.108 billion overseas, officially overtaking Spider-Man: No Way Home at $1.106 billion to become Sony's biggest international release of all time. That total places it at No. 10 on the all-time international box office list.

For comparison, No Way Home concluded its global run at $1.9 billion in 2021, a run that benefited from the return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield and a moviegoing audience returning after the pandemic. That global figure is now within range for Brand New Day.

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the film stars Tom Holland with Zendaya, Sadie Sink and Jon Bernthal. From its first weekend, it has been setting records, including a $360 million domestic opening that surpassed Avengers: Endgame for the largest domestic debut ever. It also recorded the highest-grossing first week in domestic history and became the second fastest film ever to reach $1 billion worldwide.

The film from Marvel Studios and producer Amy Pascal was made with a reported $225 million budget and follows Peter Parker during a period of isolation as he confronts a new unseen adversary.

Together with other summer hits like The Odyssey and Toy Story 5, Brand New Day helped push the 2026 summer box office past $4 billion, marking only the second time the summer season has reached that level since the pandemic.

08/14/2026

The small river city of Quincy, Illinois is at the center of a nationwide mystery after a local gas station sold a ticket worth $1.04 billion and the winner has not yet come forward.

The winning ticket for Wednesday night's Powerball drawing was sold at Hy-Vee Gas Fresh & Fast convenience store. Store manager Jon Marshall, 47, said he learned the news around 3 a.m. Thursday when another manager in town called to wake him up and tell him his location had sold the jackpot ticket. Marshall said his first reaction was shock.

He had bought a ticket himself from the same store, so his first move was personal. He went to his kitchen to check his own ticket right away. It was not the winner.

As of late Thursday afternoon, the holder of the ticket matching 4, 26, 66, 67 and 69 with Powerball 9 had not been identified. The odds of matching all five white balls and the red Powerball are about 1 in 292.2 million, according to Powerball data.

Quincy is a historic community of about 39,000 residents on the Mississippi River. Marshall said most of his customers are regulars and described the town as having an old-school feel. That familiarity has made the story even bigger locally. Throughout the day, people have been stopping by the store to ask for updates on whether the winner has been found, while others have been buying tickets from the same machine.

This is the first Powerball jackpot ever sold at this location. It is the second-largest lottery prize ever won in Illinois and the eighth-largest in the history of the game. The store will receive a $500,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket under Powerball rules.

The prize comes with time to decide. In Illinois, the ticket holder has one year from the August 12 drawing to claim the prize. If the winner wants the one-time cash option, that choice must be made within 60 days. The cash option is $450.5 million before taxes, while the full $1.04 billion is paid as 30 graduated payments over 29 years. Lottery officials advise whoever holds the ticket to sign the back and keep it in a secure place.

Marshall estimates about 15 percent of the store's customers are travelers passing through on the highway, so the winner could be a longtime local or someone who was just driving through. For now, the ticket remains unclaimed, and the town continues to follow the story as it develops.

08/14/2026

Severe weather moved through Northwest Indiana on Tuesday afternoon, bringing strong winds and widespread reports of damage across the region.

In Gary, officials have identified a resident who was involved in a weather-related incident. According to the Lake County Coroner’s Office, 58-year-old Paula Plebanski was located in a parking lot in the 5200 block of East Dunes Highway shortly after 12:20 p.m.

Authorities reported that roofing material was displaced by the high winds during the storm. Officials stated that Plebanski came into contact with the airborne debris while in the area. The Lake County Coroner’s Office has confirmed the circumstances and classified the incident as an accident.

The same storm system affected other nearby communities. In Portage, Indiana, a separate incident was reported involving 86-year-old Leona Rice. Officials said the incident involved a home and occurred around the time severe weather was beginning to move through the area. At this time, investigators are still reviewing the details and have not confirmed if weather conditions were a factor.

Local officials continue to assess the impact of Tuesday's weather across Northwest Indiana as crews work to review damage and monitor conditions in the area.

08/13/2026

Authorities in Hopkins, Minnesota are investigating a domestic incident at a residence that also operated as an in-home daycare.

According to the Hopkins Police Department, officers responded Wednesday morning after receiving a report from a parent arriving at the location. Inside the home, they found three people deceased, including a 41-year-old woman, a 7-year-old girl, and a 41-year-old man. Investigators believe the man and woman co-owned the daycare facility.

Police confirmed that six other children who were present at the home at the time were unharmed and have been safely reunited with their families.

In a separate but related investigation, authorities in nearby Burnsville found a 78-year-old woman deceased at another residence. Police believe the woman was a close family relative and that the two investigations are connected.

Officials have stated there is no ongoing threat to the public and that this appears to be an isolated incident. The identities of those involved have not been released pending notification of family members. The investigation remains ongoing.

08/13/2026

Lottery officials have confirmed a $1.04 billion Powerball jackpot win from a ticket sold in Illinois.

The ticket was sold at Hy-Vee Grocery Store at 310 N 36th Street in Quincy, Illinois, and matched all six numbers from Wednesday night's drawing. The winning numbers were 4, 26, 66, 67, 69 and red Powerball 9, with a Power Play multiplier of 2x.

According to the Multi-State Lottery Association, this is the largest Powerball jackpot awarded so far this year and ranks as the eighth-largest in the game's history. It concludes a rollover streak of 44 consecutive drawings since the previous jackpot was won on May 2.

The prize is listed as $1.04 billion as an annuity paid over 29 years, or $450.5 million as a one-time cash option. Both amounts are before tax deductions.

08/12/2026

A dream vacation in Yellowstone turned into a night this Queens couple says they will never forget.

Bill and Yelim Kim were spending their last night in a yurt at Yellowstone National Park on July 24 when their phone buzzed. It was an alert from their home security system at their apartment on Purves Street in Long Island City.

When they opened the live feed, they saw an unidentified woman inside their home. She was sitting on their couch, pouring herself a drink, and moving around the apartment as if she lived there.

According to the couple, the moment became even more unsettling when the woman noticed the security camera on the bookshelf and removed it, cutting the feed.

From thousands of miles away, the Kims said they had to spend hours contacting friends and local police to check on their apartment. Two friends arrived before officers did and confronted the woman, who initially left.

Minutes later, however, she returned and allegedly used a set of keys to let herself back inside. The police arrived shortly after and the woman was transported from the building by ambulance. No belongings were reported missing.

In an email later sent to residents, building management stated the woman had posed as a dog walker for the couple and was allowed upstairs by a front desk staff member. The building said that staff member has since been removed from the property and that security protocols are being updated.

The NYPD is investigating the incident as a burglary. The woman has not been publicly identified.

The Kims said the apartment no longer feels like home. With their lease renewal coming up in September, they are now looking for a new place to live.

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