National News

Two Cuban migrants flew hang glider to Key West airport: Sheriff's office

Monroe County Sheriff's Office

(KEY WEST, Fla.) -- Two Cuban migrants landed at Key West International Airport on a motorized hang glider Saturday morning, authorities said.

They were taken into U.S. Border Patrol custody after landing at approximately 10:30 am. local time, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, which has deputies assigned to the airport.

No serious injuries were reported, authorities said.

The sheriff's office and Chief Patrol Agent Walter Slosar shared images of the powered hang glider following the incident.

ABC News has reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for more information on the incident.

"Cuban migrants arrive in all manner, typically in makeshift homemade boats," Monroe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Adam Linhardt told ABC News. "This is not a typical event, but it's not completely unusual."

Chris Ferrara, a Key West local and self-proclaimed aviation buff, told ABC News he was driving his golf cart nearby when he heard the distinct noise of the hang glider engine hovering above him.

"I looked up and just knew that it shouldn't be there," Ferrara said.

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'Leveled': Responders, residents describe horror of Mississippi tornado destruction

Medioimages/Photodisc/Getty Images/STOCK

(WINONA, Miss.) -- As a deadly tornado barrelled toward Winona, Mississippi, late on Friday, one local family scrambled for safety inside their home.

"Obviously it was coming right behind us because as soon as we got in there, we heard a big boom and didn't hear anything else for a little while," a local man told ABC News affiliate WTVA.

He added, "So we walked out and then just came out to about 10 trees down in our yard."

The strong and deadly tornado cut eastward across the state, destroying homes and ruining infrastructure. It touched down in cities 100 miles apart within about an hour. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said at least 23 people were dead. Four others were reported missing.

First responders on Saturday morning searched through the destruction, looking for victims. The United Cajun Navy President Todd Terrell said the town of "Rolling Fork is leveled. It's pretty much devastated."

In an interview with "GMA" on Saturday, Edgar O'Neal, a storm chaser who was on the ground in Rolling Fork, described the scene as "complete and utter devastation."

"Houses gone. Gas stations destroyed. Trees, power lines blocking entrances everywhere," he said. "Stray animals, people wandering the streets clearly in shock. Lots of people out there in the community helping."

One Rolling Fork resident told WAPT that residents lost a lot more than their homes.

"I thought I was dead," Rolling Fork resident Shanta Howard said.

"We had to help dead bodies out of the house, so that is very disturbing," Howard said. "Actually seeing people losing their lives over a weather incident."

Yazoo County Coroner Ricky Shivers, who is leading the response team of six corners in Rolling Fork, told ABC News he is anticipating a "really severe" death toll.

"It's going to be catastrophic," he said.

When asked about the damage to the town, his response was two words: "Completely devastated." He said his team of six corners "will be prepared to get in high gear at daylight."

The strength of the tornado, as well as its path, created a devastating result, he said.

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Two dead, five missing after explosion at chocolate factory in Pennsylvania

WPVI

(WEST READING, Pa.) -- Two people are dead, five are missing and multiple others are injured after an explosion at a chocolate factory Friday in West Reading, Pennsylvania, police and city officials said.

One person was found alive overnight in the rubble. Eight people are in the hospital but their conditions are unknown, according to officials.

"Rescue workers continue to search for any other possible survivors. The discovery of life overnight ... provides hope that others still may be found," Mayor Samantha Kaag said at a press conference Saturday.

Officials do not yet know what caused the explosion.

The explosion occurred around 4:57 p.m. at the RM Palmer Company in West Reading, located about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

Teams are still searching through the rubble, according to West Reading Police Chief Wayne Holben.

The explosion caused destruction to one building nearby and damaged another.

Kaag, a former volunteer firefighter, called the incident "pretty scary," adding that the explosion was so strong it pushed a building back four feet. She said the factory building was "pretty leveled" and crews will "probably" be working through the weekend to clear the debris.

Images of the scene showed smoke and flames billowing from the factory on Friday evening.

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'Numerous' migrants reported injured in train car in Texas: Police

Catherine McQueen/Getty Images

(UVALDE, Texas) -- "Numerous" migrants were reported injured in a train car in Uvalde County, Texas, on Friday, police said.

Medical helicopters responded to the scene in an area on US Highway 90 near Knippa, Uvalde police said on Facebook.

Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin told ABC San Antonio affiliate KSAT that people inside the train car called 911.

The incident was not a derailment, a source told ABC News.

The portion of the highway, which runs parallel to train tracks in the area, was closed between Uvalde and Sabinal but reopened Friday evening, police said.

The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating the scene.

Knippa is located about 70 miles west of San Antonio.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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New Utah laws require minors to get parental consent to open, maintain social media accounts

The Good Brigade/Getty Images

(SALT LAKE CITY, Utah) -- Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed two bills into law on on Friday that seek to limit the harm caused by social media to children and teens by requiring parents and guardians to consent to their children having accounts and by prohibiting social media companies from designing addictive features.

"Our administration is very concerned about how social media is affecting our children. Youth rates of depression and other mental health issues are on the rise, and social media companies know their products are toxic," Cox said in a recording posted online. "As leaders and as parents we have a responsibility to protect our young people."

As of March 1, 2024, social media companies will be required to verify the adult age of Utah residents seeking to open or maintain social media accounts. Those under the age of 18 will need the consent of a parent or guardian.

Social media companies will also be required to allow parents full access to their child's account, create curfew settings that blocks access overnight, prohibit direct messages from anyone the child hasn't followed or friended and block underage accounts from search results.

Social media companies will also be prohibited from collecting a child's data or target their accounts for advertising, according to the law.

Violations may be reported to the Consumer Protection Division, which can fine social media companies up to $2,500 per violation and can seek additional remedies through courts.

A second law, which will go into effect on Dec. 31, will implement penalties on social media companies that target users under the age of 18 with addictive algorithms. Social media companies will be prohibited from "using a design or feature that causes a minor to have an addiction to the company's social media platform," according to the law.

Violators could face a fine of $250,000 and a penalty of up to $2,500 per child who is exposed to an addictive feature. Companies that perform quarterly audits and address addictive feature violations within 30 days could avoid the fine, according to the law.

Parents will also be able to sue social media companies directly for the financial, physical or emotional harm to their children. For those under the age of 16, harm would be presumed under the law and social media companies would have to prove otherwise.

"Utah’s leading the way in holding social media companies accountable – and we’re not slowing down anytime soon," Cox said in a tweet.

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Dangerous tornado outbreak heads to the South: Latest forecast

ABC News

(NEW YORK) -- A dangerous tornado outbreak is headed to the South, where intense, long-track tornadoes reaching EF-3 or higher are possible Friday evening.

Damaging winds and large hail are also a threat all the way to Tennessee and Indiana, as is flash flooding, which could stretch from Oklahoma to Pennsylvania.

The storms will start up in eastern Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas Friday afternoon and will strengthen in the evening along the Mississippi River from Louisiana to Mississippi to Memphis.

To the north, along the Ohio River Valley, Friday thunderstorms could spark several inches of rain and flash flooding.

The same storm system will bring snow from Iowa to Michigan on Saturday morning. This storm will then move into the Northeast on Saturday, bringing rainy, windy and chilly conditions.

The severe weather system has been deadly; two men drowned after their car was swept away by floodwaters in southern Missouri Thursday night, as the storm made its way through the Midwest.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol incident report, 19-year-old Alexander Roman-Ranelli and 20-year-old Devin Holt were among six people in a car that was "swept downstream by fast moving current" in rural Wright County.

The four others were found uninjured and were rescued from the water, the report said.

ABC News' Will McDuffie contributed to this report.

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Pennsylvania school district sues Norfolk Southern over East Palestine train derailment

Jason Marz/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) -- Pennsylvania's Blackhawk School District has filed a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern alleging various causes of action including negligence in last month's train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and subsequent controlled release of toxic chemicals.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday, alleges that the derailment and burning of the contents of the rail cars "caused toxic, hazardous, and dangerous chemicals to be released onto and into the ground, into the air, and into the surface and subsurface waterways and groundwater."

A Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in East Palestine on Feb. 3. It was carrying hazardous materials, including combustible liquids, flammable liquids, and flammable gas, and toxic chemicals that subsequently ignited.

Norfolk Southern used explosives to breach the tanker railcars and drained the contents into the ground before burning them.

The Blackhawk School District alleges that the toxic fires and intentional release of dangerous and toxic chemicals contaminated its lands and buildings. The district alleges that "toxic fires and deadly plumes dumped a lethal cocktail on its buildings, property soil and water supplies where deposits of the toxic materials have been found," the suit said.

According to a letter released by the Environmental Protection Agency, vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether were released during the incident and have been detected in samples from several creeks near the derailment site.

The district said it has lands and buildings are all within a 15-mile radius of East Palestine, according to the lawsuit.

The suit alleges that the train derailment occurred due to Norfolk Southern's breach of its duty of care by negligent and reckless acts and omissions. The district alleges that Norfolk Southern's breach of its duty of care caused medical and health issues for its students and staff; testing and monitoring the impact on its property and water sources; monetary expenses for cleanup of property and drinking water; and damage to the property.

The district also alleges that Norfolk Southern failed to require pre-departure inspection and periodic inspection of freight cars and that it violated regulations forbidding a railroad from placing or continuing to place a railroad car in service if it has an axle that is broken.

The rail operator will be required to continue cleaning up the contaminated soil and water and transport it safely; reimburse the EPA for cleaning services; and attend public meetings at the EPA's request and share information, U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced on Feb. 21. If Norfolk Southern does not comply, the company will be ordered to pay triple the cost.

The school district is asking for a trial by jury, compensatory and statutory damages, punitive damages, attorneys fees and relief including future medical monitoring, according to the suit.

On Feb. 13, Norfolk Southern said the company was committing $1 million to a community support fund as a "down payment" on its contribution to rebuilding the village.

On Feb. 24, Norfolk Southern announced it will commit $300,000 to the East Palestine School District and reimbursed the fire department roughly $825,000 for its equipment.

Earlier this month, Ohio sued Norfolk Southern over the train derailment alleging the railway operator violated various federal and state environmental laws and Ohio Common Law, "recklessly endangering" the health of residents and Ohio's natural resources, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said.

After the Ohio lawsuit was announced, Norfolk Southern said that said it is "listening closely to concerns from the community about whether there could be long-term impacts from the derailment."

"We are making progress every day cleaning the site safely and thoroughly, providing financial assistance to residents and businesses that have been affected, and investing to help East Palestine and the communities around it thrive," Norfolk Southern said in a statement.

Adding, "Many residents are worried about what they will do if health impacts related to the derailment are discovered years from now. We appreciate Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's leadership and advocacy on this point. To date, environmental monitoring continues to show the air and drinking water are safe. To provide an additional level of assurance, we are committed to a solution that addresses long-term health risks through the creation of a long-term medical compensation fund."

Norfolk Southern declined to comment to ABC News on the lawsuit, saying it doesn't comment on litigation.

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Police release body camera footage showing fatal shooting of Timothy Johnson

Fairfax County Police

(FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va.) -- The Fairfax County Police Department released body camera footage of the fatal police shooting of Timothy Johnson, 37, who allegedly stole a pair of sunglasses in a Northern Virginia mall.

The surveillance and body camera videos from Feb. 22 were shown publicly for the first time during a Thursday press conference led by Police Chief Kevin Davis, who announced that the officer who fired the fatal shot has been dismissed from the department.

"The other discharging officer has been served a notice administratively separating him from the Fairfax County Police Department. This notice was served today. He will no longer be a Fairfax County police officer," Davis said.

The other officer involved has been placed on modified restricted duty, he said.

Melissa Johnson, the mother of Timothy Johnson, told ABC News she "was pleased to hear about the administrative separation" of one of the officers; however, she "was not pleased to hear about the continuation of restricted duty" for the other.

"They both discharged their weapons. They both had their weapons out," Johnson's mother said, adding that for the first time since Wednesday, she felt like she could breathe.

She also told ABC News that she viewed the body camera video Wednesday before it was released.

"No parent should have to view something like that," she said.

According to police, store surveillance video shows Johnson at a Nordstrom department store inside Tysons Corner Center allegedly stealing at least one pair of sunglasses.

Shortly after the alleged theft, an anti-theft alarm was activated as Johnson was leaving the store, police said, prompting officers to pursue Johnson in a foot chase.

Body camera footage shows police chasing Johnson as he exited the garage and ran toward a dark, wooded area. There, shots can be heard on the footage, one shot hitting Johnson's chest, according to the police.

Police said they immediately rendered aid to Johnson until a local fire and rescue department arrived.

Johnson was then taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to police.

According to Davis, "The officer's actions do not meet the expectations of our police department."

"They drew their guns and shot and killed him and the only thing they knew was that he was accused of allegedly taking a pair of sunglasses," Melissa Johnson said at a previous press conference.

Police said no weapon was found at the scene.

Both officers are both still under investigation, according to the police department.

The officers did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.

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Trump attorney Evan Corcoran, following judge's ruling, appears before grand jury in documents probe

In this July 11, 2022, file photo, Matthew Evan Corcoran, attorney for former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, arrives to federal court in Washington, D.C. -- Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) -- Trump attorney Evan Corcoran, following a judge's ruling piercing attorney-client privilege, appeared Friday before a grand jury probing President Donald Trump's handling of classified documents after leaving the White House and his possible obstruction of the government's efforts to retrieve them, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

An appeals court ruled Wednesday that Corcoran must testify in probe being conducted by special counsel Jack Smith.

The three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an effort by Trump's attorneys to block Corcoran from having to testify and hand over records to Smith's team, according to court records.

The appeals court ruling came five days after D.C. district judge Beryl Howell ordered that Corcoran should comply with a grand jury subpoena for testimony on six separate lines of inquiry over which Corcoran had previously asserted attorney-client privilege, sources familiar with the filing told ABC News.

According to sources familiar with the filing, Smith was seeking information from Corcoran on whether Trump or anyone else in his employ was aware of the signed certification that was drafted by Corcoran and signed by Trump attorney Christina Bobb, which was submitted in response to a May 11 subpoena from the DOJ seeking all remaining documents with classified markings in Trump's possession.

That certification was later discovered to be false, prompting the eventual court-authorized search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in which FBI investigators recovered more than 100 classified documents -- including some located in Trump's personal office, according to previously released court documents.

Smith's investigators specifically wanted to ask Corcoran whether Trump was aware of the statements in the certification, which claimed a "diligent search" of Mar-a-Lago had been conducted, and if Trump approved of it being provided to the government, sources familiar with the filing said.

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in his handling of classified documents.

"There is no factual or legal basis or substance to any case against President Trump," a Trump spokesperson told ABC News Wednesday. "The deranged Democrats and their comrades in the mainstream media are corrupting the legal process and weaponizing the justice system in order to manipulate public opinion, because they are clearly losing the political battle. The real story here is that prosecutors only attack lawyers when they have no case whatsoever."

Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November to oversee the investigation into Trump's handling of classified documents as well as efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

A spokesperson for the special counsel's office declined to comment.

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Minnesota power plant to temporarily shut down after new leak of radioactive water detected

ilbusca/Getty Images

(MONTICELLO, Minn.) -- A Minnesota nuclear plant where 400,000 gallons of radioactive water leaked last year is temporarily shutting down after discovering a smaller leak this week.

Xcel Energy said it will begin powering down its plant in Monticello on Friday to expedite repairs needed to permanently resolve a leak of tritium-contaminated water. The length of the shutdown has not yet been determined but should not impact customers' electric service, the Minneapolis-based utility company said.

Xcel Energy and state agencies publicly announced last week the initial leak of roughly 400,000 gallons of water containing tritium -- a byproduct of the production of electricity by nuclear power plants that emits low levels of radiation.

The initial leak was detected in late November through routine groundwater monitoring systems and occurred in a water pipe that runs between two buildings at the plant, which is located along the Mississippi River about 40 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

The leak does not pose any health and safety risk to the local community or the environment and the tritium levels are below Nuclear Regulatory Commission safety thresholds, Xcel Energy said. State officials monitoring the cleanup of the water also said the leak had not reached the Mississippi River or contaminated drinking water sources.

Xcel Energy said it had been capturing the water from the leaking pipe and rerouting it back into the plant for re-use until it could install a replacement pipe in mid-April. Though on Wednesday, monitoring equipment indicated that over the past two days "a small amount of new water from the original leak had reached the groundwater," the company said in a press release on Thursday.

The new leakage is estimated to be in the "hundreds of gallons" and "will not materially increase the amount of tritium the company is working to recover and does not pose any risk to health or the environment," Xcel Energy said.

Continued monitoring has determined that the leaked water "remains fully contained on-site and has not been detected beyond the facility or in any local drinking water," the company said.

"While the leak continues to pose no risk to the public or the environment, we determined the best course of action is to power down the plant and perform the permanent repairs immediately," Chris Clark, president of Xcel Energy–Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, said in a statement. "We are continuing to work with and inform our state, federal, city and county leaders in the process."

The company reported to state officials on Thursday that the new leak was still ongoing, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, which is overseeing the cleanup of the impacted groundwater along with the Minnesota Department of Health.

The agencies said they are "encouraged" by the "immediate action" taken by Xcel Energy to address the leak.

"State agencies have no evidence at this point to indicate a current or imminent risk to the public and will continue to monitor groundwater samples. Should an imminent risk arise, we will inform the public promptly," the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said in a statement Thursday.

So far about 32% of the released tritium has been recovered, Xcel Energy said Thursday.

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Kentucky governor vetoes restrictive GOP transgender measure

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

(FRANKFORT, Ky.) -- Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed a massive bill Friday passed by the Republican-led state legislature last week that banned gender-affirming healthcare for minors, placed strict rules on how teachers can address transgender students and other restrictions related to sexuality.

In his one-page summary for the veto of Senate Bill 150, the Democratic governor cited the high rates of suicide among transgender youth and the concerns from parents across the state for his opposition to the bill.

"My faith teaches me that all children are children of God and Senate Bill 150 will endanger the children of Kentucky," Beshear wrote.

The bill was passed quickly on March 16 and bans gender reassignment surgery for anyone under 18, the use of puberty blockers and hormones, and inpatient and outpatient gender-affirming hospital services.

It also prohibits school teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity, and requires school districts to come up with a policy that prevents students from going to restrooms that aren't aligned with their gender identities.

School staff members are required to alert parents if lessons on human sexuality are taught, under the bill's provisions.

Beshear said the bill would turn teachers and school staff into "investigators that must listen in on student conversations and then knock on doors to confront and question parents and families about how students behave and/or refer to themselves or others."

The Kentucky GOP slammed Beshear over his move.

"Andy Beshear thinks it's okay for children to have access to life-altering sex change surgery and drugs before they turn 18," Sean Southard, a spokesman for the Kentucky GOP, said in a statement.

The governor, however, told reporters Friday that his office has received many messages from transgender youth and their parents who are scared about the bill's repercussions.

"I heard from children that believe this bill is picking on them, and asking...why?" Beshear said.

The Kentucky House passed the bill with veto-proof margins last week with a 75-22 vote while the Senate passed it with a 30-7 vote.

The Kentucky ACLU has indicated that it is looking into legal action if the bill gets passed.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Minnesota power plant to temporarily shut down after new leak of radioactive water detected

Eric Yang/Getty Images

(MONTICELLO, Minn.) -- A Minnesota nuclear plant where 400,000 gallons of radioactive water leaked last year is temporarily shutting down after discovering a smaller leak this week.

Xcel Energy said it will begin powering down its plant in Monticello on Friday to expedite repairs needed to permanently resolve a leak of tritium-contaminated water. The length of the shutdown has not yet been determined but should not impact customers' electric service, the Minneapolis-based utility company said.

Xcel Energy and state agencies publicly announced last week the initial leak of roughly 400,000 gallons of water containing tritium -- a byproduct of the production of electricity by nuclear power plants that emits low levels of radiation.

The initial leak was detected in late November through routine groundwater monitoring systems and occurred in a water pipe that runs between two buildings at the plant, which is located along the Mississippi River about 40 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

The leak does not pose any health and safety risk to the local community or the environment and the tritium levels are below Nuclear Regulatory Commission safety thresholds, Xcel Energy said. State officials monitoring the cleanup of the water also said the leak had not reached the Mississippi River or contaminated drinking water sources.

Xcel Energy said it had been capturing the water from the leaking pipe and rerouting it back into the plant for re-use until it could install a replacement pipe in mid-April. Though on Wednesday, monitoring equipment indicated that over the past two days "a small amount of new water from the original leak had reached the groundwater," the company said in a press release on Thursday.

The new leakage is estimated to be in the "hundreds of gallons" and "will not materially increase the amount of tritium the company is working to recover and does not pose any risk to health or the environment," Xcel Energy said.

Continued monitoring has determined that the leaked water "remains fully contained on-site and has not been detected beyond the facility or in any local drinking water," the company said.

"While the leak continues to pose no risk to the public or the environment, we determined the best course of action is to power down the plant and perform the permanent repairs immediately," Chris Clark, president of Xcel Energy–Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, said in a statement. "We are continuing to work with and inform our state, federal, city and county leaders in the process."

The company reported to state officials on Thursday that the new leak was still ongoing, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, which is overseeing the cleanup of the impacted groundwater along with the Minnesota Department of Health.

The agencies said they are "encouraged" by the "immediate action" taken by Xcel Energy to address the leak.

"State agencies have no evidence at this point to indicate a current or imminent risk to the public and will continue to monitor groundwater samples. Should an imminent risk arise, we will inform the public promptly," the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said in a statement Thursday.

So far about 32% of the released tritium has been recovered, Xcel Energy said Thursday.

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Coyote injures two toddlers in separate attacks in Scottsdale: Officials

Mark Newman/Getty Images

(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.) -- Arizona officials are searching for a large coyote who they say injured two toddlers in separate attacks in Scottsdale this week.

Kelly Pirozzi told ABC News she was standing in her driveway on Wednesday when the coyote approached and bit her 21-month-old son on the arm in a shocking moment caught on her surveillance camera.

The coyote knocked the toddler down, and once the boy started crying, the animal released his arm from its grip, Pirozzi said.

She then rushed her son into the house. Pirozzi said he's OK and only suffered minor bite marks.

"It happened so quickly," she said.

Just half a mile away from Pirozzi's home, another toddler was on a playground near an elementary school on Saturday when he was attacked by a coyote, according to Darren Julian, an urban wildlife specialist with Arizona Game and Fish.

His injuries were also minor, with "showings of scrape marks on his stomach," Julian told ABC News.

Julian said coyote attacks are rare. He said this week's incidents were the first in the Phoenix area since 2017.

But as officials search for the animal, Julian warned that parents should be "extra vigilant" -- even in their own backyards.

Arizona's Game and Fish Department said in a statement that this "coyote shows little fear of people and may have been illegally fed in the past."

The Game and Fish Department said it's patrolling the area with help from Scottsdale police. The department asks anyone who spots a coyote to immediately call 623-236-7201.

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Colorado dentist formally charged with murder in wife's fatal poisoning

Witthaya Prasongsin/Getty Images

(DENVER) -- A Colorado dentist accused of killing his wife by putting poison in her protein shakes was formally charged with first-degree murder on Thursday.

James Toliver Craig, 45, appeared in an orange prison jumpsuit at the Arapahoe County District Court in Centennial, Colorado, where prosecutors filed formal charges while the defense requested all law enforcement notes to be preserved and for pretrial public comments to be limited. Craig, of Aurora, Colorado, also waived his right to a preliminary hearing within the 35-day window to give his lawyers more time.

A status hearing was set for April 7 at 3 p.m. MT.

Craig was arrested early Sunday and preliminarily charged with first-degree murder. He was ordered to be held without bond, according to a press release from the Aurora Police Department and an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by ABC News. A public defender representing Craig did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.

The charge stems from the poisoning death of his 43-year-old wife, Angela Craig, who was hospitalized three times in the span of 10 days due to severe headaches and dizziness. She was admitted to UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora on the morning of March 15. Soon after, she had a seizure and was placed on a ventilator in the intensive care unit as her condition swiftly deteriorated. She was declared medically brain dead on Saturday afternoon and subsequently taken off life support, leaving doctors at a loss as to what would have caused her rapid decline, according to the affidavit.

The Aurora Police Department's Major Crimes Homicide Unit was called in to investigate and ultimately discovered that Angela Craig was fatally poisoned.

"When the suspicious details of this case came to light, our team of officers and homicide detectives tirelessly worked to uncover the truth behind the victim's sudden illness and death," Mark Hildebrand, chief of the Aurora Police Department's Investigations Divisions, said in a statement Sunday. "It was quickly discovered this was in fact a heinous, complex and calculated murder. I am very proud of our Major Crimes Homicide Unit's hard work in solving this case and pursuing justice for the victim."

In the week's before his wife's death, James Craig used a computer at his Aurora dental practice to create a new email address and conduct online searches related to poison, including "how many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human" and "is arsenic detectable in autopsy," the affidavit said. He also purchased arsenic online on Feb. 23 and the shipment was delivered to his home on March 4, according to the affidavit.

Two days later, Angela Craig sent a text message to her husband complaining of dizziness and that she felt "drugged," the affidavit said. James Craig responded: "Given our history I know that must be triggering. Just for the record, I didn't drug you. I am super worried though. You really looked pale before I left. Like in your lips even."

When he asked if she had "eaten anything," Angela Craig said she "had my protein shake," according to the affidavit. She was admitted to Centura Parker Adventist Hospital in Parker, Colorado, where she was treated and released. That same day, James Craig ordered the toxic plant extract oleandrin, but the package was "intercepted by FedEx" and never delivered, the affidavit said.

While his wife was hospitalized again from March 9 to March 14, James Craig ordered the highly lethal chemical compound potassium cyanide, which was delivered to his dental practice on March 13, according to the affidavit. When Angela Craig was hospitalized for the final time on March 15, one of her husband's business partners told an attending nurse about the potassium cyanide delivery and how there was no need for it at their dental practice, prompting the nurse to contact police, according to the affidavit.

James Craig was known to make his wife protein shakes regularly and investigators believe he had administered the poison through these drinks, the affidavit said.

Investigators spoke to Angela Craig's sister, who described the couple's marriage as tumultuous and said James Craig had multiple affairs with other women, according to the affidavit. Angela Craig had also told her sister that she was drugged by her husband several years ago because he was planning to commit suicide and didn't want her to be able to stop him. After Angela Craig's death, her sister told investigators that James Craig "said he would not allow hospital staff to conduct an autopsy," according to the affidavit.

Investigators learned that James Craig had told some of his employees that "his marriage was failing" and "he was in financial turmoil," the affidavit said. After Angela's Craig's death, James Craig also told the Colorado Department of Human Services that his wife had been suicidal and "he had saved her many times but never reported it," according to the affidavit. However, the affidavit noted that none of the people interviewed by investigators suggested Angela Craig had suicidal ideations.

The investigation determined that James Craig "has shown the planning and intent to end his wife’s life by searching for ways to kill someone undetected, providing her poisons that align with her hospitalized symptoms, and working on starting a new life" with another woman, according to the affidavit.

James and Angela Craig shared six children, according to an obituary published online by Angela Craig's family. Her brother, Mark Pray, said relatives on both sides are "heartbroken over the loss of our sweet Angie."

"She was deeply loved by both the Pray and Craig families, and this is a very difficult time for all of us. We thank God for the knowledge that we will be able to be reunited with her someday," Pray told ABC News in a statement on Friday. "We are overwhelmed by the love and service extended to us by those who knew and loved her here in Aurora. We are so grateful for the compassion and concern everyone has shown for Angie and would ask for your continued thoughts and prayers. We also invite you to allow us some time to mourn her passing in privacy."

ABC News' Kendall Coughlin, Jenna Harrison Esseling, Jenn Leong, Michelle Mendez, Dominick Proto, Darren Reynolds and Ben Stein contributed to this report.

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Top Trump attorney appeared before grand jury last December in classified docs probe: Sources

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(NEW YORK) -- A top attorney for former President Donald Trump gave previously undisclosed testimony before a grand jury late last year regarding efforts by Trump's team to locate any classified documents that remained in Trump's possession after the FBI's unprecedented August search of his Mar-a-Lago estate, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

The Dec. 22 testimony from attorney Timothy Parlatore was ordered after months of wrangling between Trump's attorneys and officials in the Justice Department, who had grown increasingly concerned that Trump still continued to hold onto classified documents after more than 100 were discovered in the August 8 search, sources said.

In fact, just days before his testimony, Parlatore revealed to the DOJ and D.C. district court Judge Beryl Howell that a search of Mar-a-Lago conducted by Trump's legal team on Dec. 15 and 16 had discovered four additional documents with classification markings, according to sources.

Parlatore was not subpoenaed for his testimony, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Parlatore, when reached for comment by ABC News, said, "I voluntarily and happily chose to go into the grand jury so that I could present my client's case to them in the context of our search efforts. During my testimony, it was clear that the government was not acting appropriately and made several improper attempts to pierce privilege and, in my opinion, made several significant misstatements to the jury which I believe constitutes prosecutorial misconduct."

A spokesperson for Trump didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Parlatore spent more than seven hours inside the courthouse on the day of his testimony, according to a pool report from a broadcast producer stationed at the court that day.

News of Parlatore's appearance comes as another Trump attorney, Evan Corcoran, is expected to appear before a grand jury on Friday to answer questions from the special counsel that he had previously refused to address, citing attorney-client privilege. As ABC News first reported, Judge Howell last Friday found that prosecutors in special counsel Jack Smith's office had made a "prima facie showing that the former president had committed criminal violations" in the course of using Corcoran's legal services, and that his claims of privilege could therefore be pierced, sources said.

According to sources familiar with the details of Judge Howell's order last week, the judge said the government had provided no direct evidence thus far that Trump was aware of the four documents with classified markings that were found at Mar-a-Lago in December. Her ruling to pierce Corcoran's privilege was instead based more on evidence presented to her by the government about Trump's actions in advance of the August search, sources said.

The discovery, however, only exacerbated what was already a breakdown in trust between the two sides, sources said, as senior DOJ officials pressed in sealed court proceedings to have Trump's team ordered to comply with their original May 11 subpoena demanding Trump hand over any remaining documents with classified markings in his possession.

On Nov. 15, a month before the discovery of the four documents at Mar-a-Lago, Parlatore notified Howell and DOJ that two other documents in folders marked "Secret" were found when Trump's representatives searched a General Services Administration (GSA) rental storage unit in West Palm Beach, Florida, the sources said.

Smith, whose Nov. 18 appointment as special counsel overseeing the classified documents investigation came in the middle of the behind-the-scenes court fight with Trump's lawyers, eventually moved for Trump's team to be held in contempt by Judge Howell over their failure to comply with the May subpoena, as ABC News previously reported.

While Judge Howell declined to hold Trump or his legal team in contempt at a Dec. 9 hearing, sources said, she did order Parlatore to testify on issues surrounding a signed certification he had provided that outlined the results of his team's searches of locations where records responsive to the DOJ's original subpoena could be located.

Howell also suggested at the hearing that Trump's legal team include Mar-a-Lago in their list of locations to be searched again, despite the FBI's previous court-authorized search of the property months earlier, sources said.

On Dec. 16, following a two-day search of Mar-a-Lago, Parlatore submitted a revised certification that acknowledged the discovery of the four additional documents in a closet near Trump's office, sources said. Parlatore has said publicly that Trump wasn't aware of the records, and that they were inside a box transferred into the closet by a young staffer who believed it contained daily summaries of Trump's activities while president.

Parlatore said in the certification that no further classified documents were found in other searches in October and November of Trump's Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, his Trump Tower office in New York, and a GSA-leased office location in Florida.

Prior to his Dec. 22 testimony, Parlatore had previously volunteered to testify on a narrow line of questions around his certifications to the government regarding the results of the searches, but Howell's order expanded upon the topics the government would be permitted to question him on, sources said.

According to sources, Parlatore was ordered to answer questions on how he determined which locations needed to be searched, the identities of individuals involved in the searches, and how they were carried out.

The sources said Howell also ordered that Parlatore answer questions on concerns raised by the Justice Department that Trump's team could potentially engage in a "shell game" to prevent documents from being found by moving them between locations before the locales were set to be searched.

It's not immediately clear how Parlatore answered to those concerns, but sources said that he invoked attorney-client privilege over any questions that related to his interactions with Trump.

It's also not known whether the special counsel moved to compel Parlatore to answer any such questions, as prosecutors did in the case of Corcoran and another Trump attorney, Jennifer Little.

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