His Parents Didn’t Want Him To Be A Blacksmith — So He Paid A Hammer-wielding Hit Man, Illinois Cops Say

By MICHAEL R. SISAK, JENNIFER PELTZ, JILL COLVIN and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER (Associated Press) NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s lawyers and Manhattan prosecutors made their final pitches Tuesday to jurors who will decide whether the Republican will be the first former U. S. president convicted of a crime, squaring off over the strength of the evidence and credibility of the prosecution’s star witness as his hush money trial drew toward a close. After listening to more than four weeks of testimony, the panel of New Yorkers sat attentively through a marathon of closing arguments — almost three hours from the defense and roughly five from the prosecution — that stretched from morning until dinner time. The jury could begin deliberating as early as Wednesday to decide if Trump is guilty of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments during the 2016 presidential campaign to a porn actor who claimed she had sex with him.

Would “nyctinasty” cause you to stumble? That word — defined as the circadian rhythm-based nastic movement of higher plants in response to the onset of darkness, of course — didn’t trip up 13-year-old Westminster speller Aditi Muthukumar, who spelled it correctly Tuesday in the first round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The eighth grader, who tied for 74th place at last year’s Scripps Bee, also nailed the definition for “viscidity” (answer: stickiness) in the second round and correctly spelled “lamina,” a thin layer, to complete the third round and advance to Wednesday’s quarterfinals. Aditi, who attends Hulstrom K-8 in Northglenn, made it to the Scripps Bee by winning the Denver Post-sponsored state spelling bee. Related Articles Colorado News | No Denver kids made this year’s Colorado State Spelling Bee.

NEW YORK — Albert S. Ruddy, a colorful, Canadian-born producer and writer who won Oscars for “The Godfather” and “Million Dollar Baby,” developed the raucous prison-sports comedy “The Longest Yard” and helped create the hit sitcom “Hogan’s Heroes,” has died at age 94. Ruddy died “peacefully” Saturday at the UCLA Medical Center, according to a spokesperson, who added that among his final words were, “The game is over, but we won the game.” Tall and muscular, with a raspy voice and a city kid’s swagger, Ruddy produced more than 30 movies and was on hand for the very top and very bottom, from the “Godfather” and “Million Dollar Baby” to “Cannonball Run II” and “Megaforce,” nominees for Golden Raspberry awards for worst movie of the year. Otherwise, he had a mix of successes such as “The Longest Yard,” which he produced and created the story for, and such flops as the Arnold Schwarzenegger thriller “Sabotage.” He worked often with Burt Reynolds, starting with “The Longest Yard” and continuing with two “Cannonball Run” comedies and “Cloud Nine.” Besides “Hogan’s Heroes,” his television credits include the movies “Married to a Stranger” and “Running Mates.” Nothing looks better on your resume than “The Godfather,” but producing it endangered Ruddy’s job, reputation and his very life.

On a scale from 1 to 10, how are you feeling about this Broncos training camp roster so far? Also, what’s your overall reaction to the Broncos’ 2024 schedule? — Ed Helinski, Auburn, N. Y. Hey Ed, great questions, so let’s get to the first one first. The bottom line is it’s still too early to say, mostly because the pads haven’t come on yet and won’t until training camp.

Coloradans will soon have an easier time fixing their broken cell phones, gaming systems and other electronic devices under a “right-to-repair” law signed by the governor Tuesday that puts the state on the leading edge of a national movement. Under the new law, tech companies like Apple and Amazon will be required to provide software and physical tools to third-party repair shops and to individual consumers to fix cracked phone screens and malfunctioning equipment.

By AAMER MADHANI (Associated Press) WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Tuesday condemned the loss of life of dozens of civilians as a result of an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, but said it is not planning any policy changes as a result of the Israeli actions. National security spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Israel had not violated President Joe Biden’s “red line” for withholding future offensive arms transfers because it has not, and it appears to the U.