America Today Staff 
A Cook County judge has sentenced 47-year-old Jimmy Smith, a man with more than a dozen prior felony convictions, to 20 years in prison for the fatal shooting of a grocery store clerk during a 2024 robbery. Smith pleaded guilty to murder before Judge Ursula Walowski, who ordered that the full sentence be served. Prosecutors … Read more
The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal two-vehicle crash that left two men dead Friday night in Kankakee Township. Deputies responded around 9 p.m. to the intersection of State Road 2 and County Road 500 East, where they found both drivers deceased at the scene. According to investigators, a truck driven by 42-year-old … Read more
A 55-year-old man is in custody after the Cass County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant Tuesday evening in the 60,000 block of Eagle Point Road in Calvin Township following a tip about possible stolen property. Deputies say the search uncovered stolen items, methamphetamines, and a large quantity of marijuana inside the residence. The man … Read more
Scott Liggett, a 42-year-old South Bend man and former elementary school vice principal, was arrested Monday morning on a Child Seduction charge, according to the St. Joseph County Police Department. Court documents say the victim came forward on March 2, reporting that Liggett had sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager. At the time … Read more
Chicago police have released a photo of a person of interest connected to the fatal shooting of 14-year-old Armani Floyd in the Loop on Friday night — a violent episode that left Floyd dead and eight others wounded just hours after the city’s official Christmas tree lighting. Authorities say the image, apparently captured from an … Read more
Florida may have escaped hurricane landfalls in 2025, but meteorologists caution that the quiet season should not be mistaken for a lasting pattern. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis noted last week in Crystal River that neither Florida nor the continental U.S. saw a hurricane impact this season. While the Atlantic season doesn’t officially end until Nov. … Read more
Authorities say a member of the Miami-based “Any Body Killer” (ABK) gang has been arrested for scamming an elderly Florida Keys man out of almost $20,000. Sheldon Adams Vandyke, 26, was taken into custody at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after returning from Belize on a warrant issued by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Vandyke is … Read more
Florida Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick posted bond Tuesday after surrendering to federal authorities in downtown Miami. She is facing a 15-count federal indictment accusing her of stealing $5 million in FEMA funds and routing the money through a family business and her political campaign. The congresswoman appeared briefly in court, wearing handcuffs as she acknowledged the charges. … Read more