Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

Monsoon storms brought rain and lightning across Phoenix and the wider Valley on Thursday as new details emerged about the arrest of Kyrsten Sinema’s former bodyguard. Matthew Ammel, 39, was arrested on 17 September on suspicion of aggravated criminal damage after deputies accused him of causing more than $200,000 in damage at the former Arizona senator’s home in Cave Creek. According to a probable-cause statement, the incident took place on 30 August while Sinema was away. She told deputies that Ammel demanded she post a video to her X account and threatened to damage one of her paintings every ten…

A police officer has been killed in an early-morning crash in Redfern, inner Sydney, after a marked police vehicle collided with a tree while travelling under lights and sirens. The female constable was a passenger in the vehicle when it crashed on Gibbons Street at about 1.30am, just outside Redfern Police Station. Police said she died instantly. The male constable driving the car was taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in a stable condition. A crime scene has been established and a critical incident declared as police investigate the circumstances of the crash. Regent Street has been closed in both…

Amtrak’s new Airo trains will enter passenger service on the Amtrak Cascades route on 30 September, marking the national debut of the next-generation fleet in the Pacific Northwest. The first two trainsets will operate four daily services linking Vancouver, British Columbia, Seattle, Portland and Eugene, Oregon. More trains are expected to join the route in phases through early 2027 as the existing Cascades fleet is replaced. Amtrak Airo trains to make Pacific Northwest debut Each trainset will carry more than 300 passengers and feature panoramic windows, redesigned seating with adjustable headrests, larger tray tables, tablet holders and updated lighting. Passengers…

A police officer has been killed in a crash involving a marked police vehicle in inner Sydney, while a second officer has been taken to hospital in a stable condition. The female constable was a passenger in the vehicle, which was travelling under lights and sirens along Gibbons Street in Redfern when it struck a tree at about 1.30am. Police said she died instantly. The male constable, who was driving, was taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. A crime scene has been established and a critical incident declared as police investigate the circumstances of the crash. Regent Street has been…

Houston ISD is cutting or reallocating staffing and other campus spending after enrolment fell below projections, prompting the Houston Federation of Teachers to demand clearer information about the effect on staff, pupils and school programmes. The district began its annual “campus levelling” process for the 2026-27 school year on September 22. Schools whose pupil numbers are lower than expected are being asked to bring spending into line with the resources available to them. HISD said its funding and staffing decisions are based on enrolment projections made in the spring, which are then compared with actual pupil numbers and student needs…

The United Arab Emirates has suspended all flights operated by Iranian airlines as new US sanctions against companies with ties to Iran come into effect. The suspension affects Iranian airlines flying to and from the UAE, though no further details were provided.

A Detroit nurse has been found guilty of two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, while a jury acquitted him of three further charges. Wilfredo Figueroa-Berrios was arrested in 2025 and faced five criminal sexual conduct charges. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office previously alleged that he assaulted a 31-year-old patient while working at Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit. Figueroa-Berrios was remanded in custody after the verdict. He is due to be sentenced on October 23, 2026. The defendant is also facing sexual assault charges in several other cases. Prosecutors have previously said those allegations involve incidents connected to patients and others…

Flights operated by Iranian airlines have been suspended by the United Arab Emirates and several neighbouring countries after the United States imposed sanctions on companies in third countries that do business with Iran. The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority said all flights by Iranian carriers had been halted until further notice as a result of the new US policy. The UAE is the Middle East’s largest travel hub. Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that services had also been stopped to Oman, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Baghdad in Iraq. Authorities were said to be working to divert flights to Najaf, a major…

A large laser light show is illuminating San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral this week, with beams projected from the roof of the Fairmont Hotel through the landmark’s historic Rose Window. The Grace Window installation, organised by San Francisco arts non-profit Illuminate, runs until Friday, September 25. Twenty-five laser beams stretch roughly 720 feet across Nob Hill before converging on the cathedral’s stained-glass panels. The lasers operate from sunset until sunrise, while Grace Cathedral is open to the public from 8pm until midnight each evening. Admission is free and no ticket is required. Visitors inside the cathedral can see the Rose Window…

Julia Jacklin has released her fourth album, The Gem, a stripped-back record made in a cramped studio above the Collingwood pub that inspired its name. The Melbourne-based songwriter spent a year and a half recording with producer Robert Muinos at Rat Shack, a small space above The Gem. The room included a piano in an old laundry and a persistent leak from the ceiling, while the work was carried out around the pub’s kitchen, neighbours and other businesses in the building. “It felt like I was in the world while making music instead of tucked away in a hidden studio,…