Tag: General News

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Letitia Wright, 30; Patti Harrison, 33; Mike O’Malley, 57; Brian Doyle-Murray, 78.

Happy Birthday: Choose what makes you passionate and head in that direction. Seize the moment and you’ll find extraordinary ways to turn your thoughts into a reality. Your determination will shine through as you conquer your dreams, hopes and wishes through the changes you make and the new beginnings you embrace. Stand tall, speak your mind and follow the path that makes you feel alive. Your numbers are 7, 15, 21, 27, 33, 38, 46.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Monitor and maintain joint ventures and investments. Getting along with your peers will be critical to get ahead. Sharing your personal or political thoughts will leave you in a precarious position. Silence is golden; let your actions speak for you. 4 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Don’t waste time on things you can’t change. Focus on trends and how to use your attributes, funds and peers to reach your goal. A physical show of confidence and presentation will encourage others to join your team. Don’t lose sight of your dreams. 3 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Don’t be fooled by someone’s bravado. A closer look will portray what’s coming down the pipeline. Take notes, verify information and look for opportunities that don’t include questionable people. Your reputation will be poor if you leave your fate in someone else’s hands. 3 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Use connections to help you do things in record time. Your performance will prompt others to mimic you. Have patience with someone close to you. An obstruction will cover up what’s happening around you. Tune in to body language, and don’t act in haste. 3 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Observation can spare you grief. Watch what others do and say, and you’ll make better decisions. You can resolve problems at home with mutual change. Don’t let love cost you if you find it difficult to say no. Know when to walk away. 4 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Pretense and emotional meddling require silence and contemplation without revealing your intentions. Go about your business, get things done on time and treat yourself to something you enjoy. Don’t cater to others; set priorities with yourself in mind. Honesty leads to change. 2 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Learn all you can, ask questions, test theories and do your best to get along with everyone. Patience will pay off when dealing with negotiations and considering changes that can influence your financial, medical or contractual status quo. Don’t display your feelings. 5 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): A change can prompt opportunity if it concerns a cause or a partnership. Look at the possibilities and put a strategy in place. Preparation is vital, and being secretive until you are ready is necessary. Protect your assets and make common sense a priority. 3 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Pay attention to what’s happening around you. A situation based on pretense will take advantage of you and your kindness and hospitality. Please don’t ignore the truth or let someone tell a lie to benefit themselves. Speak up and share valid information. 3 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Choose a lifestyle that frees up enough time to enjoy the people and pastimes that make you happy. It’s up to you to redirect negative energy and take advantage of opportunities. Don’t fold under pressure or let anyone take advantage of you. 3 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Distance yourself from people heading in the opposite direction. Talk is cheap; someone you least expect will make allegations that can hurt your reputation if given the chance. Focus on home, family and what makes you happy, and you’ll gain stability and trust. 5 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Don’t give in to someone using emotional blackmail. Take the initiative to dance like no one is watching, and invest more time and money in the people and pastimes that make you happy. Personal growth, money management and a change of heart are looming. 2 stars

Birthday Baby: You are persistent, calculating and quick-witted. You are ambitious and protective.

1 star: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes. 2 stars: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others. 3 stars: Focus and you’ll reach your goals. 4 stars: Aim high; start new projects. 5 stars: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.

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By David Sharp, Robert F. Bukaty, Jake Bleiberg and Patrick Whittle | Associated Press

LEWISTON, Maine — Authorities in Maine spent Monday piecing together the events that led to the worst mass shooting in the state’s history — with the gunman’s record of interaction with police and warning signs involving mental illness and violent threats emerging as key threads.

Those same authorities are facing growing scrutiny over how the shooter was able to keep his guns and remain on the street despite exhibiting signs that he might commit violent acts.

Robert Card — the gunman who was found dead Friday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound — underwent a mental health evaluation last summer after he began acting erratically at an Army training facility in New York, officials said. A bulletin sent to police shortly after last week’s attack said Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks after “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” a military base.

Authorities have not said whether they believe the 40-year-old Card planned his shooting rampage in advance. But nearly three months ago, he tried and failed to acquire a device used to quiet gunshots, according to a gun shop owner in Auburn.

Rick LaChapelle, owner of Coastal Defense Firearms, said Card purchased a suppressor, also called a silencer, online and arranged to pick it up at his shop.

Card already had submitted information to the federal government to purchase it, and federal authorities had approved the sale to that point, he said.

On Aug. 5, when Card filled out the form at LaChapelle’s gun shop to pick up the silencer, he answered “yes” to the question: “Have you ever been adjudicated as a mental defective OR have you ever been committed to a mental institution?”

“As soon as he answered that ‘yes’ we know automatically that this is disqualifying, he’s not getting a silencer today,” LaChapelle said.

Silencers are more heavily regulated under federal law than most firearms. Federal law requires buyers to apply with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and be approved. The typical wait time is between six and eight months, said Mark Collins, federal policy director at the gun-violence prevention group Brady.

After the ATF approves the application, the silencer is sent to a licensed firearm dealer, where the buyer is required to fill out another form required for any firearm purchase. The dealer then has to run a background check.

That form asks questions similar to the paperwork required to buy a gun. In Card’s case, he likely would have completed the original federal paperwork months before he was committed to the mental health facility in July.

LaChapelle said he does not know when Card made the online purchase.

He said Card was polite when notified of the denial, mentioned something about the military and said he would “come right back” after consulting his lawyer.

Investigators are still searching for a motive for the massacre but have increasingly focused on Card’s mental health history.

State Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck has said Card believed “people were talking about him and there may even have been some voices at play.”

Family members of Card told federal investigators that he had recently discussed hearing voices and became more focused on the bowling alley and bar where the shootings took place, according to law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in order to discuss details of the investigation. Card’s Oct. 25 rampage killed 18 and injured 13, shocking both the nation and a community where guns are prevalent, but gun violence is rare.

Police across Maine were alerted just last month to the “veiled threats” by the U.S. Army reservist. Two local law enforcement chiefs told The Associated Press that a statewide awareness alert was sent in mid-September to be on the lookout for Card after he made threats against his base and fellow soldiers. But ultimately, after a visit to Card’s home, police moved on.

On Monday afternoon, Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, held a news conference to provide an update on the response to the shooting. The conference turned contentious quickly when Mills declined to provide information about what the investigation has turned up so far.

Mills said state lawmakers would revisit Maine gun control laws. Proposals for tighter laws have stalled or failed in recent legislative sessions.

“I’m not going to stand here today and tell you I’m proposing X, Y and Z,” she said. “I’m here to listen, work with others and get people around the table as promptly as possible.”

The body of Card was found late Friday in a trailer at a recycling center in Lisbon Falls. Card died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound though it was unclear when, authorities said.

Authorities recovered a multitude of weapons while searching for Card and believe he had legally purchased his guns, including those recovered in his car and near his body, said Jim Ferguson, the special agent in charge of the Boston office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He declined to discuss any specifics.

A stay-at-home order in place during the massive search for Card was lifted Friday afternoon, hours before authorities announced they had found Card’s body.

Residents of Lewiston returned to work Monday, the morning after coming together to mourn those lost in Maine’s worst mass shooting.

More than 1,000 people attended Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul for a vigil in Lewiston. Some put their heads in their hands as the names of the people who died in Wednesday’s shooting were read. Others quietly wept.

Hundreds more watched a livestream of the vigil shown on a huge screen in front of the church. Some held American flags and others had lit candles in cups marked with the names of the dead and injured.

Christian leaders along with a rabbi and an imam spoke of the pain from the shooting but also the healing process and the resilience of the community of 40,000. There was also a speaker from Lewiston’s deaf and hard of hearing community, as four of its members were killed in the shooting.

Meanwhile, Lewiston was slowly reopening. Lewiston Public Schools released a limited schedule for the week “with room for reflection as we move forward.” Only the staff was returning Monday; students were due back Tuesday. The Lewiston City Hall planned to reopen Monday afternoon.

The deadliest shootings in Maine’s history stunned a state of 1.3 million people that has relatively little violent crime and only 29 killings in all of 2022.

Three of the injured remained in critical condition at Central Maine Medical Center, and a fourth was stable, hospital officials said. Another was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, and the rest were discharged.

The Lewiston shootings were the 36th mass killing in the U.S. this year, according to a database maintained by AP and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. The database includes every mass killing since 2006 from all weapons in which four or more people, excluding the offender, were killed within a 24-hour time frame.

Whittle reported from Portland. Associated Press journalists David R. Martin and Matt Rourke in Lewiston, Maine, Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington, D.C., and Michael Casey in Boston contributed.

SANTA CLARA – Coach Kyle Shanahan kicked off the 49ers’ bye week with a film review of their third straight loss and it showed some alarming things.

That included the scary way Brock Purdy’s head bounced off the Levi’s Stadium grass with 1 1/2 minutes to go, and only a day after the quarterback had cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol from the previous game.

“It was a scare when you see the tape, or when I saw the tape, but in talking to him after the game and today, he’s been totally fine,” Shanahan said Monday in the wake of a 31-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

When it came to the 49ers’ defense, Shanahan found something that factored into the toxic combination of missed tackles, blown coverages and a pass rush that couldn’t stop the Bengals’ Joe Burrow from entering halftime with 19 consecutive completions on his 28-of-32 day that featured three touchdowns.

“What sticks out the most on tape was how slow and tired I thought we looked,” Shanahan said of the defense. “When that happens, it leads to bigger holes, it leads to more mistakes, it leads to missed tackles.

“I could see on tape a different type of energy that was disappointing. But I also know that they need this rest. That showed the most.”

The 49ers (5-3) will return to work Tuesday for meetings and workouts, then be dismissed for the bye week, aside from players who must rehabilitate injuries, including linebacker Dre Greenlaw (shoulder sprain), left guard Aaron Banks (turf toe) and left tackle Trent Williams (ankle). The team will regroup Monday in advance of their next game, Sunday, Nov. 12, at the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2).

Banks is expected to miss a few weeks, after getting hurt on the 49ers’ second-to-last drive. Greenlaw’s shoulder injury has hindered him for weeks, Shanahan acknowledged, but it is not expected to sideline him long, if at all. Williams is expected to resume practicing next week after a two-game hiatus, and the same could be the case with wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who’s recovering from a shoulder fracture.

Purdy’s health deserves special attention — not for his position as the starting quarterback but more for having experienced concussion symptoms on last Monday night’s flight home from the loss in Minnesota.

Purdy had already thrown two interceptions in the previous 15 minutes before landing hard on a hit from D.J. Reader, who drew a roughing-the-passer penalty to negate a would-be third interception. Purdy was sacked and lost a fumble on the next snap.

“It was just the typical whiplash of a play like that, you know, head goes back, hits the ground,” Purdy said after Sunday’s game. “But it’s like any other body part, you get hit and shake it off a little bit. So, I’m good from that.”

TRADE MARKET

A three-game losing streak will keep general manager John Lynch busy leading up to Tuesday’s 1 p.m. NFL trade deadline, after working on potential deals the past month; the 49ers did trade for defensive end Randy Gregory on Oct. 6.

“It doesn’t sound like there’s a lot of options,” Shanahan said. “It doesn’t mean for sure no. We’ll look all the way up to the deadline.”

Competition in the NFC West also could cajole them to buy again. The Seattle Seahawks, who leapfrogged the 49ers on Sunday into first place in the NFC West, swung a trade Monday that imports defensive lineman Leonard Williams from the New York Giants.

Deal or no deal, the 49ers are not one player away from remedying their ills. At least not one player from another team, although a cornerback seems like the most logical target while an offensive or defensive lineman wouldn’t be a surprise, either.

A year ago, the 49ers edged the Los Angeles Rams in a trade for  McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers. McCaffrey, following Sunday’s loss, insisted that the 49ers (5-3) already have in-house assets to reverse course. He pointed to last season’s turnaround from 3-4 one week after he arrived to winning their next 12 games to reach the NFC Championship Game.

“We were 3-4. I didn’t sense an inch of panic,” McCaffrey recalled. “It was a team hungry to win, who knew they could win, and we did just that, then just kept chopping wood. Now we’re 5-3 coming into a bye, with the right guys. This is a tough league. We’ve got the right guys to get everything fixed.”

Other October acquisitions: veteran wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (2019), defensive end Jordan Willis (2020), defensive lineman Charles Omenihu (2021). The 49ers’ 2024 draft chest includes picks in every round except the fifth and sixth, with an extra selection in both the fourth and seventh rounds, and not including compensatory picks that will be rewarded after the season.

BOSA PLAYS ALL SNAPS

Nick Bosa played every defensive snap for the first time in 59 career games. In Sunday’s 63-snap shift, Bosa shared a sack (with Clelin Ferrell), had two quarterback hits and two tackles.

“We didn’t feel there was any time we wanted to take him off, and he seemed up for the challenge,” Shanahan said.

Bosa’s three sacks this season are the fewest of his career through eight games, excluding the 2020 season that ended with a Week 2 knee injury. Bosa had 9 ½ sacks through eight games last year en route to an NFL-best 18 ½.

KITTLE’S HISTORIC MOVE

Tight end George Kittle now ranks first among 49ers all-time tight ends with 5,697 receiving yards. His 149 yards Sunday (nine receptions) vaulted him past previous leader Vernon Davis (5,640 yards). Brent Jones (5,195) is the only other tight end in 49ers history with over 3,000 yards. Next on the list: Monty Stickles (2,993) and Ted Kwalick (2,555).

With Brandon Aiyuk totaling 109 yards (five catches), the 49ers had two players with over 100 receiving yards in a game for the first time since 2012, when Davis and Michael Crabtree did so against the Buffalo Bills.

WILKS’ SPOT

Shanahan said he’ll confer privately with defensive coordinator Steve Wilks about potentially moving him to the sideline from the coaches’ booth. Wilks’ predecessors, Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans, both called games from the sideline.

“If he felt it would help him, it’s something we’ll try but we haven’t done that yet,” Shanahan said.

OTHER SNAP COUNTS

Offensively, all five linemen played every snap, including left tackle Jaylon Moore in his second straight start in place of Williams. Christian McCaffrey, after playing all 53 snaps in Monday night’s loss at Minnesota, played 57-of-59 Sunday.

Also playing every defensive snap Sunday: Fred Warner, Talanoa Hufanga, Tashaun Gipson Sr., Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir.

NEW ORLEANS — Steph Curry had a season-high 42 points in the Warriors’ 130-102 win over the New Orleans Pelicans (2-1) on Monday night.

The Warriors move to 3-1 on the season, and all of their wins have been on the road.

Curry shot 7-of-13 from 3 and 15-of-22 from the field in just 30 minutes played. Curry, 35, has been on a tear to start the year. He scored 24 points against the Phoenix Suns (4-of-14 from 3) then went off for 41 points against the Kings (7-of-10 from 3) and scored 16 of his 24 points (6-of-14 from 3) against the Rockets in a fourth-quarter flurry. Curry is shooting 64.8% from 3 so far this season.

The Warriors were without Klay Thompson and Jonathan Kuminga, who sat out the latter half of the back-to-back with minor injuries. Moses Moody, who has been a consistent shooter from three, made his 15th career NBA start and his first this season.