New York State

Category Added in a WPeMatico Campaign

Search for suspect after barricade incident in Aiken Co., law enforcement on scene

AIKEN COUNTY, S.C. (WJBF) - Investigators are searching for a suspect that reportedly barricaded himself inside a home in New Ellenton, Monday morning. Aiken County Sheriff's Department is on the scene assisting New Ellenton Police Department with the investigation. The home is located on Million Avenue Northwest. At one point, authorities say shots were fired [...]

Read More »

Coronation Street legend David Platt left for dead as he’s hit by a speeding car – but there’s a shocking twist

CORONATION Street veteran David Platt is left for dead after being run over in what looks like a nasty accident.

In shocking scenes set to be shown next week on the ITV soap, he’ll be shown staggering drunk out of the Rovers Return into the path of a car.

A man falling onto the hood of a car.
ITV
David Platt is left for dead after being run over in a nasty accident[/caption]
A man helping a woman who has dropped her shopping bags.
itv
Pregnant Daisy Midgeley is caught in the crossfire[/caption]
A man lies bleeding on the ground as several people attend to him.
itv
Kit Green desperately try to save the life of an unconscious David[/caption]

He then gets hit and thrown into the air before landing with an agonising crunch on the tarmac, before drinkers in the pub come rushing out.

Fellow Corrie characters – including police detective Kit Green and wife Shona – desperately try to save the life of an unconscious David, played by Jack P. Shepherd.

In fact there’s a huge twist to the story because it’s all orchestrated by a suicidal David, who’s hit rock bottom due to his overwhelming debts to Harvey Gaskell.

After attempts to revive him on the spot fail, he’s then rushed into hospital where he faces a fight for survival – but it turns out another Weatherfield favourite gets dragged into his desperate plan.

Pregnant Daisy Midgeley is caught in the crossfire, leaving her and her unborn baby in danger.

In new photos, David is seen pushing Daisy out of the way. But is it too late for the barmaid?

Coronation Street boss Kate Brooks recently said: “The story we’re telling is one of a very desperate David, trying to protect his family and keep Harvey and his goons at bay.

“He is struggling to navigate that, and struggling to pay back this big debt he has. He’s struggling to protect his family.

“It all comes to a massive head in early February, when we play a massive stunt that has huge consequences for David.

“So, in trying to protect everyone and do the right thing, he ends up losing quite a few things that he holds dear.

“So, a real journey for David. He’s well-intentioned, but he fails, messes up and makes mistakes, and there’s massive consequences not only for his own family, but for the wider community as well.

“Somebody does get embroiled in David’s downfall, which is quite unexpected.”

It comes after David’s son Max set fire to their house to pay back notorious gangster Harvey Gaskell after he stole money from him.

Harvey’s thugs were out for David after taking money which belonged to him – putting his whole family in danger.

Meanwhile, The Sun revealed last month that Charlotte Jordan had become the fifth star to leave Coronation Street in just one month.

She will bow out of the ITV soap later this year after four years on-screen. Charlotte told sources that she’s hungry to see what other opportunities await.

A man lies injured on the ground as two people attend to him.
itv
He then gets hit and thrown into the air[/caption]
Two people lying injured on the street.
itv
Daisy is also in danger after the car sends her flying[/caption]
Scene from Coronation Street showing several characters attending to two injured people lying on the ground.
itv
David’s brother Nick Tilsley watches on in horror[/caption]
Still image from Coronation Street showing several characters reacting to a serious accident.
ITV
Sarah Platt is also left mortified by the incident[/caption]
Still image from Coronation Street showing several characters reacting to an accident in the street; two people lie injured on the ground while others rush to their aid.
itv
Daniel rushes to Daisy’s side[/caption]
A woman lies injured on the ground as several people attend to her.
itv
Is Daisy[/caption]

Read More »

Terrifying moment cops storm Taylor Swift dance class to snare Southport killer during heinous massacre in new footage

THIS is the terrifying moment cops stormed a Taylor Swift-themed class to snare the Southport killer.

Axel Rudakubana murdered Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, in the Merseyside town in July last year.

Surveillance footage of a parking lot with two people walking, and a building labeled "Tackle Ta Is".
Merseyside Police
This is the moment cops stormed a Taylor Swift-themed class to snare the Southport killer[/caption]
CCTV footage of a police officer walking in a car park.
Merseyside Police
New footage shows a member of the public leading a male officer to the building[/caption]
Exterior view of a building with a person holding a taser.
Merseyside Police
The copper, armed only with a baton, is urged by the civilian not to go in[/caption]
Mugshot of Axel Rudakubana.
Reuters
Axel Rudakubana, then 17, murdered three innocent young girls[/caption]

Rudakubana, 18, was jailed for a minimum of 52 years in January.

He also attempted to murder eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as well as businessman John Hayes and class instructor Leanne Lucas.

New Merseyside Police footage in the BBC‘s Panorama programme The Southport Killer shows a member of the public leading a male officer to the building.

Moments earlier Rudakubana had gained entry by sneaking in through an open stairwell to his right.

The policeman, armed only with a baton, can be heard speaking into a radio saying: “It’s all kicking off here mate.

“There’s a member of the public directing me into a building.”

He tells the witness to “wait” at the side entrance as he continues speaking to a colleague on his walkie talkie.

“Ambulance is with a child on the floor not breathing,” he says.

“There’s a male in the building. Going in to try and detain him.”

But the copper is urged by the civilian not to go in before he is told he needs “a f***ing gun” as the suspect has a “knife”.

More officers arrive, including one armed with a taser, and the group can be seen storming the property.

Previous footage released by police shows Rudakubana arriving at the building in the back of a taxi ready to kill.

Hiding behind a surgical mask, the monster refuses to pay the driver, who repeatedly asks him: “Cash or card?”

He then exits the vehicle and makes his way to the community centre, where 26 innocent children had excitedly gathered for the booked-out class.

Blurry CCTV footage of a person outside Hart Space.
Merseyside Police
The policeman tells the witness to ‘wait’ at the side entrance[/caption]
Person in a green hooded jacket standing outside a business center.
Merseyside Police
Previous footage shows Rudakubana arriving at the dance class to begin his rampage[/caption]
Person wearing a face mask in the backseat of a car.
Merseyside Police
The monster had covered his face with a mask as he arrived in a taxi[/caption] Illustration of Southport massacre timeline, showing the killer's movements and the events leading to arrests.

Rudakubana attempts to gain entry through a large door before sneaking in through an open stairwell to his right.

Once inside, the triple killer unleashed his rampage – slashing at children and adults one-by-one.

It comes as a yoga teacher who was repeatedly stabbed has described helping several children to run to safety adding she felt she had to survive in order to save those in her class.

In an interview with the BBC’s Panorama, Ms Lucas told the programme how she was able to get herself and several children out of the room, despite suffering stab wounds to her spine, head, ribs, lung and shoulder blade.

She told the broadcaster: “(Rudakubana) opened the door and just grabbed a child. I didn’t know what he was doing.

“He then grabbed the next child. And the next child. And then I shout: ‘Who is that?’

“Then I struggle to get that part of the memory back because he moves from the girls at the table and he moves over to right next to me.

“I just felt something go in my back … and my brain just said: He’s got me. So he got me and then he got me again.

“But I just knew that if I didn’t get out, everyone was going to die.”

Ms Lucas sustained five stab wounds to her spine, head, ribs, lung and shoulder blade.

Despite this, the yoga instructor and her friend, dance teacher Heidi Liddle, were able to get several children out of the room.

She said: “He was bigger than me and I just thought I need to get some help. So, we were shouting: ‘Run’, and I call 999 from the landing and ask for the police.

“(I) just wanted everyone to get out of the building.

“I just kept saying: ‘There’s children inside. There’s children inside’ … My brain’s going 100 miles an hour but my body won’t do anything.

“And then people are asking me questions and I’m just saying: ‘Go and get the children.’ I just don’t know what else I could’ve done … You just don’t feel brave when you’re the adult …

“The police said we’d all be dead if me and Heidi hadn’t done what we’d done, and that gives nothing for like the children who did die. Like, that doesn’t take that away.”

Fourteen-year-old Sarah – a fellow survivor whose identity is protected by a court order – also spoke to Panorama, telling the BBC of how she managed to fight through serious injury to lead several of the children to safety.

She said: “I saw him stab a child in front of me. And then I saw the knife coming towards me and him coming towards me.

“And that’s when I saw it go into my arm. And that’s when I turned and he must have got my back, but I didn’t feel it at the time, because of the adrenaline … I remember his eyes the most, because he looked possessed and not human … I remember seeing the girls all like huddling around the stairs.

“So I remember shouting for them to get down and get out.

“So I was physically pushing them down the stairs to get everyone out.

“I thought that he wasn’t going to stop until he killed everyone.”

Handout photo of Elsie Dot Stancombe, a young girl who was murdered.
PA
Elsie Dot was stabbed to death at a dance class[/caption]
Young girl wearing a Wicked-themed shirt.
PA
Bebe King was among the youngsters stabbed to death[/caption]
Girl in white dress standing next to illuminated cross.
PA
Alice Dasilva Aguiar was also left dead in the rampage[/caption]

Read More »

Reading on brink of being saved from extinction as hated owner Dai Yongge enters negotiations with anonymous buyer

READING are in exclusive negotiations with a new unnamed buyer.

Current Chinese owner Dai Yongge has had the club up for sale the past 18 months.

Reading F.C. flag at Madejski Stadium.
Getty
Reading have faced years of off the pitch turmoil[/caption]
Dai Yongge, Chairman of Renhe Commercial Holdings Co Ltd, toasting.
Dau Yongge bought Reading in May 2017
Rex Features

And were on the brink of being taken over by ex-Wycombe owner Rob Couhig in the summer.

Dai Yongge pulled out and there is currently a legal battle between the two parties.

Reading fans are in fear of what will happen this summer with only five first-team players currently contracted for next season – despite the Royals sitting just three points behind the League One play-off spots.

A club statement said this period is “to complete final due diligence and legally complete the transaction. Whilst timelines cannot be guaranteed, the structure of the deal should allow for a quick completion, which would be for the benefit of all concerned.”

It includes “the transfer of Mr Dai’s shareholding in The Reading Football Club Limited, as well as the Select Car Leasing Stadium and Bearwood Park training ground.”

The Royals were relegated from the Championship in 2023 after 10 years in the second tier, with a six-point deduction for breaching profitability and sustainability rules proving the difference between staying up and going down.

They were docked a further two points at the beginning of the following season for failing to pay their players.

Reading fans protesting on the pitch during a soccer match.
PA
Reading fans invade the pitch during the League One match with Port Vale[/caption]
Fans protesting at a Reading football match.
Alamy
The Port Vale match was abandoned in the 16th minute following the pitch invasion[/caption]

Fans soon launched a ‘Sell Before We Dai‘ campaign, urging Mr Yongge to sell his stake in the club and labelled their decline under his ownership an “unmitigated disaster”.

More points deductions followed, and Reading’s home game against Port Vale was abandoned in January 2024 after fans invaded the pitch in protest at the ongoing ownership woes.

Just last week a petition was launched calling for MPs to scrutinise Reading’s woes, and called on a DCMS committee to launch an investigation.

The petition, hosted on local MP Yuan Wang’s website, takes aim at Mr Yongee and his sister Dai Xiu Li, who co-owns the club.

According to the BBC, more than 8,400 people had signed the petition as of Monday evening.

Read More »

4 gardening jobs you must do BEFORE spring & the common mistake green-fingered Brits should avoid warns Monty Don

AFTER a long and chilly winter, we finally have the hope of warmer weather on the horizon.

Gardeners can start preparing their outdoor spaces for spring and TV legend Monty Don has shared a list of jobs you should start with before the end of February.

Monty Don and his dog Ned in a garden.
Monty Dom has revealed the top gardening jobs to tackle by the end of February
PA

From sewing seeds to pruning back older plants, there are many jobs on the to-do list.

On his blog, BBC star Monty shared: “February is the month when the garden really starts to come alive and grow even if the weather can be severe and the days are still short.”

With the sun starting to set past 5pm, it could be the perfect time to tick a few items off to ensure you get a beautiful garden for summer…

Sow seeds

While it may seem too cold for many plants, it’s actually a good time to start planting seeds, claims the gardening expert.

You can start by filling some seedling trays with soil to start growing plants inside with some light and a bit of warmth.

Some seed trays come with a lid and can be plugged in to warm up the seeds – giving the effect of an incubator or greenhouse in summer.

Monty advised that you should remove seedlings from a warm heat source when they have started to sprout so it builds up hardier plants.

He wrote in Gardener’s World: “It’s very tempting to mollycoddle seedlings, especially early in the spring. This is always a mistake.”

Monty shared how they should be planted in a sheltered area with plenty of ventilation.

The gardening expert recommended that vegetables that you can plant now include “leeks, peas, kale and rhubarb.”

Child planting seeds in eggshells.
Getty
While it may be too cold outside for some plants, you can start sowing seeds inside[/caption]

Mulch soil

If you have a large enough outdoor space, mulching is one of the most important jobs you can do in your garden.

The process includes spreading a layer of leaves, compost or organic material over the soil, to achieve three jobs all at once.

Monty shared how it suppresses weeds, increases water retention in the soil and improves the structure and nutrition of the soil by feeding worms and other bugs.

On his blog, he advised of mulching: “It is important to spread it thick enough – no less than two inches deep and twice that if you have enough material.

“It is better to do half the garden properly than all of it with too thin a layer of mulch.”

Person adding pine needle mulch to a hole in a garden.
Getty
You should add mulch – leaves, compost or organic material – to your flowerbeds[/caption]

Pruning 

Monty shared how pruning can be left until March, but you’ll want to do it before spring is in full swing.

The gardening expert advised that when you tackle the job, make sure you use very sharp tools and be targeted about where you chop.

He shared: “Do not snip at random but make your cut just above a bud or a leaf or the joint of another stem.”

When it comes to thick branches, avoid using secateurs as they are too small.

Meanwhile, with clematis, Monty said you shouldn’t be afraid to go to town and snip it right back, and roses can also take “a mauling.”

He wrote: “The old rhyme ‘if it flowers before June do not prune’ will get you out of most trouble.”

Tomatoes 

Close-up of cherry tomatoes on the vine.
Getty
Monty plants two staggered batches of tomatoes ready for summer[/caption]

In preparation for summer salads, you can start thinking about tomatoes.

Monty shared how he plants his in two batches – one in February and the second in March or April – which is an insurance against bad weather.

The gardening whizz shared how you should scatter the seed lighting on the surface of compost in a seed tray and then cover with another layer of compost.

When it comes to helping them grow, he advised that you don’t hold back with water, and they should be put in a warm spot to germinate.

When the first set of true leaves appears, you should move them into bigger pots as they then have roots.

When May comes, they can be put in even bigger pots or in a vegetable patch.

Two birds feeding on peanuts at a bird feeder.
Getty
Help feed birds in your garden but putting out feeders of nuts and seeds[/caption]

Feed birds

Finally, Monty shared how encouraging birds into your garden can help bring joy and life.

And now is a key time to feed them up so they are strong as it’s the time when they start to mate, nest and lay their first batches of eggs.

The best food to put out is nuts and seeds, as well as ensuring they have clean water to drink and bathe in.

February gardening jobs

The Sun's Gardening Editor, Veronica Lorraine has a few jobs to do in February.

Get new plants for free

Things start gearing up in February – and it’s a good time to split large clumps of grasses, snowdrops and hostas to get new plants for free. 

Cut back ivy

If your ivy has got ridiculously overgrown, it’s a good time to cut it back before the birds start considering it as a nesting place.  Warning though – and I’ve learned this from experience – ivy is very difficult to compost unless you shred it – and take out any viable roots which could sprout again. Take it to a council compost instead. 

Prune winter-flowering shrubs

Prune back your winter-flowering shrubs like mahonia and Winter Jasmine. Remove dead- diseased and damaged and cut back any long shoots hanging down so they don’t form new roots. Take off around 20 per cent. 

Cut back Cornus Sanguinea AKA Dogwood – right back down to its base. It’s ok to be brutal, it will grow back – and will be even better and brighter in Winter. 

Get seed-ready

Get your seedbeds ready – as long as it’s dry, firm it down by wallking on it, sprinkle with fertiliser, rake until level removing all stones, add some compost and break up clumps. 

Find new places for trees

If you want to move deciduous trees – now is the time to do it – but make sure the soil isn’t frozen. Dig a circular or square trench, put a bit of sand in the bottom, water well the day before and once in the hole, water and mulch around it – although keep the base free from mulch. 

Start chitting potatoes

Start chitting first early potatoes on your windowsill – old eggboxes are perfect for it. This basically means encouraging them to sprout before planting.

Get ahead with slugs and snails

Start the fight against slugs and snails early – if you track down the overwintering ones, you might manage to deplete the numbers later in the year. 

Read More »