Federal prosecutors say 29-year-old Uber driver Jonathan Rinderknecht has been charged with arson for starting the Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and burned more than 23,000 acres in January. U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said Rinderknecht, a Palisades resident who later moved to Florida, used ChatGPT to help plan the fire and was arrested Tuesday in Orlando. (Story URL)
The last inmate who escaped from a New Orleans jail in May is back in custody. Police said 28-year-old Derrick Groves was arrested Wednesday in Atlanta after a brief standoff. Tips to Crimestoppers led them to a southwest Atlanta home, where Groves was found hiding in a crawl space. Atlanta Police used gas canisters and a canine team to locate him. No one was seriously hurt. (Story URL)
Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty Wednesday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. The case, advanced by President Trump, includes one count of making a false statement and one count of obstruction tied to Comey’s 2020 Senate testimony. U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff set the trial for January 5th. (Story URL)
A Brown County Sheriff’s Office K-9 team found two missing 11-year-old children deep in the Hoosier National Forest on Sunday. Deputies said the children became separated from their mother near Sundance Lake around 5:48 p.m. Officials did not say how long the children were missing but credited teamwork for the successful outcome. (Story URL)
Seventy percent of Americans believe the U.S. economy is moving in the wrong direction, according to Fannie Mae’s September Home Purchase Sentiment Index. The survey of 1,086 household decision makers found 73% consider it a bad time to buy a house, while 32% expect their personal finances to improve next year, with 23% anticipating decline and 45% seeing no change. (Story URL)
