News for February 15, 2025

Sam Nordquist, a 24-year-old transgender man from Minnesota, was found dead in New York after police said five people were charged in his disappearance and homicide.

Henry Pacheco was arrested and charged in the 2012 killing of trans performer Lorelise Escalera Ferrer after investigators said they linked him to the fire that killed her in Brooklyn.

Edmond Dede’s long-forgotten opera “Morgiane,” believed to be the oldest existing opera by a Black American, was performed for the first time in 2025 after being rediscovered and restored.

A Colorado State Patrol cruiser was hit while blocking traffic at a crash scene on I-70, but no one was hurt.

The death of Vermont Border Patrol agent David Maland helped expose a violent cross-state investigation tied to Jack LaSota and the cultlike Zizian group.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said deadly flooding and severe storms have hit Kentucky hard, prompting rescues, road closures, and a request for federal disaster aid.

The National Nuclear Security Administration tried to bring back some fired probationary workers, but it could not quickly reach them after their government email access was cut off.

A Moscow court ordered U.S. citizen Kalob Wayne Byers held in pre-trial detention for 30 days after Russian authorities accused him of trying to smuggle drugs into Russia.

The U.S. Army is rapidly testing new drones, vehicles and communication tools shaped by lessons from Ukraine to help soldiers spot threats and act faster.

Volodymyr Zelensky urged Europe to build its own army as fears grow that Donald Trump may pull the US back from supporting the continent and Ukraine.

Wisconsin’s April 1 Supreme Court race between Susan Crawford and Brad Schimel could decide the court’s ideological balance and shape future rulings on abortion, labor rights, and election maps.

A Missouri judge blocked abortion clinic licensing rules, clearing the way for abortions to resume in the state while a lawsuit continues.

Luigi Mangione posted a message on a defense website thanking people who wrote to him while he is jailed over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.