Three law enforcement agencies are now actively investigating the 1993 killing of Shelley Watkins after a forensic DNA advance cracked open a cold case that went dormant when a corruption scandal derailed the original prosecution. Shelley Watkins was 35 years old, a mother of two small girls, one four, one just 18 months, when she […] The post DNA breakthrough revives 33-year-old Texas murder case of mother who vanished on Labor Day weekend appeared first on American Almanac .
Three law enforcement agencies are now actively investigating the 1993 killing of Shelley Watkins after a forensic DNA advance cracked open a cold case that went dormant when a corruption scandal derailed the original prosecution. Shelley Watkins was 35 years old, a mother of two small girls, one four, one just 18 months, when she disappeared from her home in Corsicana, Texas, on the night of September 6, 1993. Seven days later, fishermen pulled her body from the Trinity River. She had been struck at least eight times in the back of the head, bore a ligature mark on her throat, and was wrapped in plastic, bound with duct tape, and weighed down with two concrete cinder blocks. For more than three decades, no one has been held accountable.…Open
Federal agents have arrested nearly 550 illegal immigrants in the Chicago area under Operation Midway Blitz, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker responded not by addressing the criminal aliens in his state but by pushing to prosecute the agents who detained them. The Department of Homeland Security launched the enforcement operation on September 8, 2025, sending […] The post Operation Midway Blitz: ICE arrests hundreds in Chicago as Illinois Democrats fight federal agents instead of illegal immigrant crime appeared first on American Almanac .
Federal agents have arrested nearly 550 illegal immigrants in the Chicago area under Operation Midway Blitz, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker responded not by addressing the criminal aliens in his state but by pushing to prosecute the agents who detained them. The Department of Homeland Security launched the enforcement operation on September 8, 2025, sending ICE teams into Chicago to target illegal immigrants with criminal records, the kind of offenders that Illinois's own sanctuary policies have shielded from federal authorities for years. DHS named the operation in honor of Katie Abraham, a college student killed in a hit-and-run by Julio Cucul-Bol, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala who should never have been on American roads.…Open
A 43-year-old former Ohio attorney charged at his ex-wife's table with a loaded gun in a crowded Toledo restaurant, and only a forgotten safety switch and a brave waiter stopped him. Matthew Exton walked into a Toledo, Ohio, restaurant on April 11, 2025, where his ex-wife and her family were eating dinner. He ordered a […] The post Ohio lawyer convicted of attempted murder after trying to shoot ex-wife in Toledo restaurant appeared first on American Almanac .
A 43-year-old former Ohio attorney charged at his ex-wife's table with a loaded gun in a crowded Toledo restaurant, and only a forgotten safety switch and a brave waiter stopped him. Matthew Exton walked into a Toledo, Ohio, restaurant on April 11, 2025, where his ex-wife and her family were eating dinner. He ordered a drink sent to their table, spat in their direction, and left. Then he came back with a firearm, one round in the chamber, seven more in the magazine, and rushed the table. He pulled the trigger. The gun didn't fire. He had left the safety on. Before Exton could try again, a waiter tackled him from behind and pinned him to the floor. A jury later convicted Exton of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, and…Open
More than 30 U.S. ski racers escaped a fire that gutted their hotel in Chile days before a major international competition, losing gear, passports, wallets, and medications in the chaos. The fire tore through Hotel Alto Nevados on September 6, forcing a mass evacuation that left the building a smouldering shell and wiped out nearly […] The post American ski racers flee Chile hotel blaze with only the clothes on their backs appeared first on American Almanac .
More than 30 U.S. ski racers escaped a fire that gutted their hotel in Chile days before a major international competition, losing gear, passports, wallets, and medications in the chaos. The fire tore through Hotel Alto Nevados on September 6, forcing a mass evacuation that left the building a smouldering shell and wiped out nearly everything the athletes had brought for the opening event of the FIS Masters Alpine Skiing World Cup. Chile's local fire service received the alert at around 5 p.m. on Sunday and deployed more than a dozen vehicles to the scene, The Sun reported . No deaths or serious injuries were reported. But the material toll was severe. The racers had been preparing for the World Cup curtain-raiser, scheduled for…Open
Donald Trump Jr.'s venture capital firm, 1789 Capital, rejected Rep. Jamie Raskin's investigation demands in a sharply worded legal letter, calling his allegations unsubstantiated and refusing to hand over confidential business records. Lawyers for the firm sent the letter to Raskin's office this week, dismissing the Maryland Democrat's claims that 1789 Capital made suspiciously well-timed […] The post Trump Jr.'s investment firm fires back at Raskin's demand for records, calls probe "political gamesmanship" appeared first on American Almanac .
Donald Trump Jr.'s venture capital firm, 1789 Capital, rejected Rep. Jamie Raskin's investigation demands in a sharply worded legal letter, calling his allegations unsubstantiated and refusing to hand over confidential business records. Lawyers for the firm sent the letter to Raskin's office this week, dismissing the Maryland Democrat's claims that 1789 Capital made suspiciously well-timed investments in companies that later received federal funding or favorable policy treatment. The response, shared with CBS News , accused Raskin of conflating separate entities, mischaracterizing transactions, and contradicting his own cited sources. The clash marks the latest round in a broader Democratic campaign to scrutinize the Trump family's…Open
Finance professionals have shed their post-2008 villain status in New York's social and dating scenes, and the people who know the city's nightlife best say Silicon Valley deserves the credit, for all the wrong reasons. A decade ago, a young banker in Manhattan hid his business cards at parties. The trading floor was social poison. […] The post Wall Street is cool again — and the tech industry's fall from grace made it happen appeared first on American Almanac .
Finance professionals have shed their post-2008 villain status in New York's social and dating scenes, and the people who know the city's nightlife best say Silicon Valley deserves the credit, for all the wrong reasons. A decade ago, a young banker in Manhattan hid his business cards at parties. The trading floor was social poison. Clubs turned suits away at the door. Soho House famously asked members not to bring Wall Street types to drinks. Venues like Don Hill's and Socialista were, in the words of one nightlife executive, "mostly forbidden" territory for anyone who smelled like a Bloomberg terminal. That era is over. The New York Post reports that finance workers are now welcomed, even courted, at the city's most exclusive clubs,…Open
Alex Van Halen called former bandmate Sammy Hagar "a complete idiot" in a Brazilian magazine interview, and Hagar responded on Instagram by asking for peace, the latest chapter in a feud now spanning more than two decades. Van Halen, the 73-year-old drummer who co-founded one of the biggest rock bands in American history, made the […] The post Alex Van Halen rips Sammy Hagar in magazine interview — Hagar fires back with a call for peace appeared first on American Almanac .
Alex Van Halen called former bandmate Sammy Hagar "a complete idiot" in a Brazilian magazine interview, and Hagar responded on Instagram by asking for peace, the latest chapter in a feud now spanning more than two decades. Van Halen, the 73-year-old drummer who co-founded one of the biggest rock bands in American history, made the remark in an interview with Roadie Crew, a Brazilian music publication. USA TODAY reported that Alex dismissed Hagar's 2011 autobiography without having read it. "I don't know what he wrote, and I don't want to know," Alex Van Halen told the magazine. "In my opinion, Sammy Hagar is a complete idiot." Hagar, 78, did not match the hostility. In a post shared by the Rock Celebrities account on Instagram, the…Open
Grand Theft Auto VI's optional relationship mechanic, letting players text, date, and flirt with a fictional female character, has sparked a social media fight over whether a video game can count as infidelity. Shelby Haas, a bride-to-be, posted a TikTok video that racked up more than five million views with a blunt declaration: she would […] The post Women vow to ban boyfriends from GTA 6 over in-game romance feature they call 'cheating' appeared first on American Almanac .
Grand Theft Auto VI's optional relationship mechanic, letting players text, date, and flirt with a fictional female character, has sparked a social media fight over whether a video game can count as infidelity. Shelby Haas, a bride-to-be, posted a TikTok video that racked up more than five million views with a blunt declaration: she would not allow her fiancé anywhere near the game. Her objection centered on a feature that lets players maintain a romantic relationship with Lucia Caminos, GTA 6's female protagonist, complete with flirty text messages, dates, and the possibility of physical intimacy. The game, set for release on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, reportedly takes roughly 80 hours to complete. But it is not…Open
Archaeologists working near Cairo have unearthed the remarkably preserved tomb of a Fifth Dynasty judge and his father, a find Egypt hopes will draw fresh attention and tourist dollars to its ancient heritage. A joint Egyptian-Spanish mission discovered the burial site during this summer's excavation season at Saqqara, the sprawling necropolis south of Egypt's capital. […] The post Egyptian-Spanish team uncovers 4,300-year-old tomb of ancient judge and his father at Saqqara appeared first on American Almanac .
Archaeologists working near Cairo have unearthed the remarkably preserved tomb of a Fifth Dynasty judge and his father, a find Egypt hopes will draw fresh attention and tourist dollars to its ancient heritage. A joint Egyptian-Spanish mission discovered the burial site during this summer's excavation season at Saqqara, the sprawling necropolis south of Egypt's capital. The tomb, a flat-roofed structure known as a mastaba, dates back roughly 4,300 years to the reign of Pharaoh Djedkare Isesi, one of the most influential rulers of Egypt's Fifth Dynasty. CBS News reported that the find came from the Mariette Cemetery area of northern Saqqara, part of a long-running collaboration between the Autonomous University of Barcelona and Egypt's…Open
The fallout from Mike Vrabel's relationship with reporter Dianna Russini has spread well beyond New England, with assistant coaches across the NFL saying the scandal has changed how they interact with female colleagues and reporters. Two anonymous assistant coaches told ESPN that the controversy, which began with photos of the New England Patriots head coach […] The post NFL coaches say they're 'under surveillance' as Vrabel-Russini scandal ripples across the league appeared first on American Almanac .
The fallout from Mike Vrabel's relationship with reporter Dianna Russini has spread well beyond New England, with assistant coaches across the NFL saying the scandal has changed how they interact with female colleagues and reporters. Two anonymous assistant coaches told ESPN that the controversy, which began with photos of the New England Patriots head coach and the former Athletic reporter at an adults-only resort in Arizona, has created a climate of suspicion inside NFL facilities nationwide. Coaches who had nothing to do with Vrabel's conduct say they now watch every interaction, worried that colleagues, players, or their own spouses will read something into routine professional contact with women. The situation worsened last week…Open