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It's early in the college football season, but there are some teams that need to make a major change happen quickly, at quarterback specifically.

Former National Football League reporter Jim Trotter filed a discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and NFL Media Tuesday, alleging that he was let go by the football league because he publicly challenged Commissioner Roger Goodell and other executives on the NFL's "record of race discrimination and lack of diversity."

A sheriff’s office in Oklahoma said self-proclaimed BTK serial killer Dennis Rader is a “prime suspect” in Cynthia Dawn Kinney’s 1976 disappearance, but the local district attorney now says there’s not enough information despite recently requesting a formal investigation on the case. District Attorney Mike Fisher said during a press conference on Monday he’s not at a point where he could file charges against Rader, who is currently behind bars for the murders of 10 people between the 1970s and the 1990s. But Mr Fisher had asked the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to open a formal investigation into Ms Kinney’s disappearance because of the public interest in the revived cold case, and he will file charges if he learns of evidence that would warrant it, he said. Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden fired back at the DA in his own press conference the following day, saying that he was “absolutely furious” at the comments regarding the case. “District Attorney Fisher attempted to derail the investigation by contacting the prison where Dennis Rader is held in an attempt to halt further interviews between Dennis Rader and our Investigators,” the agency said in a release. He said the DA’s comments were based on incomplete information and did not accurately represent the OCSO’s efforts or the progress that has been made. The sheriff also revealed that while he was in an interview with Rader on Monday afternoon, the convicted killer told him, “guess I’m cleared,” according to what he heard from the DA on the news that officials “don’t have anything.” Sheriff Virden said the matter will be addressed in the proper channels. He added that they have numerous leads they will keep pursuing. “We’ll continue to push for justice, honest and true,” he said. “We have something behind us and that’s the honest truth.” Rader, now 78, gave himself the nickname BTK — for “bind, torture and kill,” played a cat-and-mouse game with investigators and reporters for decades before he was caught in 2005. He ultimately confessed to 10 killings in the Wichita, Kansas, area, about 90 miles (144.84 kilometers) north of Pawhuska. He is imprisoned for 10 consecutive life terms. Last month, Rader was named the prime suspect in the 1976 disappearance of 16-year-old Cynthia Dawn Kinney in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, and in the 1990 murder of 22-year-old Shawna Beth Garber in McDonald County, Missouri. Ms Kinney was last seen at a laundromat. A bank was installing new alarms across the street from that laundromat, Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden has said. Rader was a regional installer for security system company ADT at the time, but Virden wasn’t able to confirm that Rader installed the bank’s systems. Sheriff Virden told KAKE-TV he decided to investigate when he learned that Rader had included the phrase “bad laundry day” in his writings. DA Fisher said he sat in on interviews that Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma investigators conducted with Rader about 90 days ago, but the sheriff has not shared any physical evidence with the DA’s office. On Monday, the DA called the information he has received so far “rumours because they’ve not been substantiated yet.” And he said he hadn’t seen anything “that at this point arises to the level of even reasonable suspicion.” He said he had seen things that gave him “pause and concern” about the sheriff’s department, including the way they handled a dig for evidence at Rader’s former property in Park City, Kansas, last month. And he called his relationship with the sheriff “broken.” “I’m not trying to create a conflict with the sheriff of Osage County,” he said. “But, there are certain ways to investigate a case, and I’m concerned that those proper investigative techniques have not been used. That’s why I asked the OSBI to assist.” The prosecutor said he was also concerned for Kinney’s parents, with whom he met for about two hours on Friday. He said they are both in their 80s, and the renewed speculation has taken a physical toll on them. “Cynthia went missing 47 years ago. They’ve got no answers,” Mr Fisher said. “We have reason to believe that it may have been a homicide. We can’t say that with any absolute certainty, but we’ve seen nothing to suggest otherwise as there’s been no contact with Cynthia Dawn since 1976, since her disappearance.” Hours after the DA said there was insufficient information to pursue charges against serial killer, the sheriff announced a National BTK Task Force to provide assistance in the cold case of Ms Kinney. The team includes several renowned experts in the field, including several agencies, Nancy Grace, Former Prosecutor & Media Personality, Sheryl “Mac” McCollum, Task Force Coordinator and CSI, Paul Holes, Cold Case Investigator and Rader’s own daughter Kerri Rawson who has been assisting investigators with the case. Last month, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office released never-before-seen drawings from the killer they believe may hold the key to solving a missing persons case and several homicides. The chilling images depict three different women who are bound and gagged in what appear to be barns, which investigators believe could be in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. Hundreds of Rader’s drawings and writings were recovered after his arrest in 2005, but Sheriff Virden says the images may confirm more crimes were committed. Law enforcement also recently dug up Rader’s former family residence, and reportedly found a “pantyhose ligature”. Rader is currently incarcerated at the El Dorado Correctional Facility in Kansas. Read More Woman bound and gagged in BTK serial killer’s drawing has potentially been identified BTK serial killer’s chilling drawings released amid search for new victims The BTK killer’s need for notoriety led to his capture a decade ago. He’s now a ‘prime suspect’ in at least two other murders

Five former Memphis police officers who were criminally charged for beating Tyre Nichols during an arrest that led to his death are now facing federal civil rights charges. The four-count indictment accuses the now-former Memphis Police Department officers of using excessive force against Nichols and failing to intervene in an unlawful assault against him, willfully disregarding his need for urgent medical aid, and then conspiring to cover up the assault by intentionally withholding information and making false statements to supervisors. They also are accused of obstructing the investigation. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin, Desmond Mills Jr and Justin Smith are also facing state criminal charges – including second-degree murder, aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping – after officer-worn body camera and surveillance footage from January captured officers yelling conflicting commands at the 29-year-old Black man, firing a Taser at him, and beating him while he was pinned to the ground. Nichols died in hospital three days later. The first two counts of the federal indictment carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. Counts three and four each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years. Seven Memphis Police Department officers were fired after Nichols’ death. Five are now facing federal and state charges. “Tyre Nichols should be alive today. No one in this country should have to bury a loved one because of police violence,” Assistant US Attorney General Kristen Clarke said during a press briefing alongside US Attorney Kevin G Ritz on Tuesday. The nation “watched in horror as Tyre Nichols was kicked, punched, tased, and pepper sprayed, and we all heard Mr Nichols cry out for his mother and say ‘I’m just trying to go home,’” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a separate video statement. The defendants “willfully deprived” Nichols of his constitutional rights and their actions resulted in his death, Mr Garland added. “Officers who violate the civil rights of those they are sworn to protect undermine public safety, which depends on the community’s trust in law enforcement,” he said. “They dishonor their fellow officers who do their work with integrity every day. The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable officers who betray their oath.” Separately, the Justice Department has opened a civil pattern or practice investigation into the MPD earlier this year to determine whether the agency has a history of excessive force, racist policing and profiling, and unconstitutional search and seizure. Nichols’ family also has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit with prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump seeking $550m in damages and accusing the city of Memphis and its police department of widespread negligence and a failure to properly train officers operating in a now-dissolved controversial unit criticised for its alleged constitutional violations. Read More Four videos, 56 minutes, seven Memphis police officers, one deadly arrest: What the Tyre Nichols footage shows Why America’s skateboarders are riding for Tyre Nichols

The manhunt for convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante continues 12 days after his escape from Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania. The convict fled the facility days after he was sentenced to life for stabbing his ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandao, 33, to death. He is also wanted for a 2017 murder in Brazil. In an interview with The New York Times on Tuesday, Cavalcante’s mother Iracema Cavalcante defended her son’s actions, saying that he killed Brandao after she reportedly threatened to tell American authorities that he was being sought by Brazilian police. “Did it happen? It happened,” Ms Cavalcante told the Times. “But it happened because of the stranglehold she put on him, the stance she took with him ... It wasn’t femicide. He had to, he had no other choice.” In the latest update, Pennsylvania State Police said the search is now centred on South Coventry Township, warning locals that the fugitive is armed and that they should “lock all doors and windows”. At a press conference on Tuesday morning, Police confirmed that Cavalcante stole a .22 calibre rifle from a home in East Nantmeal Township on Monday, whose owner fired seven shots at him as he fled. Read More Police hunting Danelo Cavalcante say it’s ‘advantage law enforcement’ as search zeroes in on township Danelo Cavalcante search expands more than 20 miles from prison after he stole dairy farm van Danelo Cavalcante’s sister arrested by ICE as police reveal his attempts to contact coworkers

Danelo Cavalcante’s mother has spoken out in defence of her murder convict son nearly two weeks after he escaped from a prison in northwestern Pennsylvania. Cavalcante’s mother Iracema Cavalcante said in an interview with The New York Times that she believes her son is better off dead than spending the rest of his life behind bars over the April 2021 murder of his former girlfriend Deborah Brandao. “If it’s to go to a place to suffer and die in that place, it’s better to die soon,” Ms Cavalcante told the Times on Tuesday. “You don’t have to suffer so much.” Ms Cavalcante said “everyone is lying” about the convicted killer. Although she acknowledged that her son brutally killed his former ex-girlfriend, Ms Cavalcante claimed that he only did it because he “had to.” “Did it happen? It happened,” Ms Cavalcante told the Times. “But it happened because of the stranglehold she put on him, the stance she took with him ... It wasn’t femicide. He had to, he had no other choice.” This is a developing story ... check again for updates.

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Dog the Bounty Hunter is considering joining the manhunt for escaped Danelo Cavalcante in Pennsylvania, according to sources close to the former reality TV star. For 12 days now, US Marshalls, FBI and SWAT teams and local and state police have led the search for Cavalcante in suburban Chester County. Cavalcante, a convicted murderer who is now armed, has managed to elude authorities and sneak nearly 30 miles past the perimeter of his initial hiding spot in Longwood Gardens in Pocopson Township. Authorities said on Tuesday that the search is no longer contained to a perimeter and they’ve switched their focus to South Coventry Township after Cavalcante was spotted in the area stealing a .22 rifle on Monday night. Sources close to Duane “Dog” Chapman have now told TMZ that the veteran bounty hunter is weighing on joining the multi-agency operative and has already been making calls to law enforcement to coordinate his potential role in the manhunt. Mr Chapman is said to have been keeping up with developments in the full-scale search since Cavalcante escaped Chester County Prison on 31 August. The unnamed source told TMZ that if Mr Chapman feels confident he is familiar with the perimeter and up-to-date with all the information available, he could be joining the search as soon as this week. Authorities have blamed the vast wooded area in Longwood Gardens for Cavalcante’s success in eluding hundreds of officers. Despite remarks by US Marshalls on Monday that law enforcement now had the upper hand after Cavalcante moved to an urban area, Lt Col George Bivens said that search teams are facing the same challenges they did in the immediate aftermath of Cavalcante’s escape nearly two weeks ago. Around 8pm on Monday, a motorist told 911 dispatchers that a male figure had crouched near the woodline near Route 100. Troopers responding to the scene investigated the sighting and found footprints on the mud consistent with Cavalcante’s prison shoes, which were also found in the area. Mr Bivens said that although authorities arrived at the scene within minutes, Cavalcante managed to travel a significant distance during that time. “Just because they found a footprint doesn’t mean that we know what direction he travelled,” Mr Bivens said. A resident of the area called shortly after to report that a pair of workboots on her porch had been stolen. Then at 10.10pm, a homeowner reported that a “short Hispanic man” broke inside his garage. Mr Bivens said that Cavalcante stole a .22 rifle with a scope and a flashlight on it. The homeowner opened fire on Cavalcante with his pistol but the fugitive is not believed to have been injured. Cavalcante fled before Pennsylvania State Police arrived at the scene. Near the edge of the driveway, authorities found clothes that Cavalcante had been spotted wearing over the weekend. Around 500 officers were hunting for Cavalcante on Tuesday as one school district remained closed and residents were told to secure their homes and be vigilant. The search is now focused near Route 23 to the North, Route 100 to the East, Fairview and Nantmeal roads to the South and Ambridge and Country Park roads to the West. Cavalcante was sentenced to life in prison for the April 2021 murder of his former girlfriend Deborah Brandao. In Brazil, prosecutors in Tocantins state said Cavalcante is accused of “double qualified homicide” in the 2017 slaying of Válter Júnior Moreira dos Reis in Figueirópolis, which they said was over a debt the victim owed him for repairing a vehicle. A $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his capture. Read More Danelo Cavalcante update: Escaped prisoner is ‘armed’ as Pennsylvania police hold press conference Where has Danelo Cavalcante been spotted since his Pennsylvania jailbreak? Pennsylvania police defend against criticism of Danelo Cavalcante manhunt after revealing killer is armed

It’s been 12 days since murder convict Danelo Cavalcante escaped from a prison in northwestern Pennsylvania. Cavalcante, 34, has not only eluded hundreds of US Marshalls, SWAT, FBI and state and local law enforcement officers — he has also managed to sneak past the established search perimeter time and time again and is now armed. Over the weekend, the fugitive drove more than 25 miles from his initial hiding spot in Longwood Gardens after stealing a van that he then discarded in East Nantmeal Township. Then on Monday night, he broke inside a garage in South Coventry Township and stole a .22 rifle before fleeing the scene. Residents of the suburban Pennsylvania county are growing increasingly frustrated as police scramble to keep up with Cavalcante’s moves. During a press conference on 12 September, authorities said that the search is no longer contained to a perimeter. State police and the US Marshalls Service blamed the vast wooded areas in Chester County for Cavalcante’s previous success in breaking past the search area but noted that law enforcement now has an advantage over Cavalcante as he’s believed to be hiding in a more urban area. As the manhunt for Cavalcante drags on, these are all the sightings confirmed by officials so far: 31 August - Cavalcante escapes Chester County Prison Cavalcante escaped from the Chester County Prison in Pocopson Township, Pennsylvania, at around 8.50am on 31 August. At the time, other inmates in the exercise yard were playing basketball. Video of the incident showed him crab-walking up a wall and pushing through razor wire in order to gain access to the prison’s roof. He then jumped down into another area of the prison and left on foot. The unconventional method is exactly the same that was used by another inmate back in May, Chester County Prison acting Warden Howard Holland said. During that incident, the inmate was captured within minutes after a tower officer reported the break to prison staff. In Cavalcante’s case, the tower officer tasked with surveilling the escape route failed to report the jailbreak, which went unnoticed for nearly an hour. Cavalcante’s absence was only noticed during a head count when his block returned back inside around 9.50am after the basketball game. The jail was then put into lockdown and the 911 centre was notified 10 minutes later. The tower officer who was tasked with surveilling the area where Cavalcante’s block was at the time of the escape has since been fired. “We can confirm that the corrections officer on duty when Danelo Cavalcante escaped was terminated yesterday afternoon,” a source told CNN in a statement on 8 September. “He was an 18-year veteran of the prison.” Acting warden Howard Holland said that an investigation into the escape was being conducted by the state attorney’s office. Mr Holland said that following the escape attempt in May, the prison had brought consultants in to increase security at the facility. Razor wire — which Cavalcante pushed through — was placed to prevent access to the roof, but officials didn’t expect “the human element” to fail, Mr Holland said. “While we believed that the security measures we had in place were sufficient, they have proven otherwise,” Mr Holland said. “And we will work to enhance our security ... One key difference in [this] escape is the role of the tower officer whose primary responsibility is to oversee the inmate in the exercise yard.” Mr Holland declined to say what the prison officer was believed to be doing during the escape, only noting that he was at the post. CCTV footage shows Danelo Calvacante’s prison escape 1 to 7 September – Sightings in Longwood Gardens, Pocopson and Pennsbury townships Following his escape. Cavalcante was spotted several times in Popocson and Pennsbury townships. He was seen at the intersection of Route 926 and Route 52, north on Route 52 to Parkersville Road, southeast to Route 926 and west to the intersection of Route 926 and Route 52. Local authorities received a report of an attempted burglary in the area just an hour before Cavalcante was captured on a trail surveillance area in Longwood Gardens botanical parks on 6 September. He was seen walking through the area with a duffel bag, backpack and hooded sweatshirt he apparently stole while on the run. That sighting led officials to move the search area farther south after they determined that Cavalcante had likely slipped through the original perimeter set by hundreds of local, state and federal law enforcement officers, but they said his movements showed he was feeling the pressure of the massive search and that his options were dwindling. On 7 September, authorities said they had expanded the search perimeter to between eight and 10 square miles. The manhunt forced officials in two school districts within the large search area to cancel classes, citing “an overabundance of caution.” Longwood Gardens cited the same reason as it remained closed for an entire week. “That pressure we put on him is working. We squeezed him hard enough in a period of a few days where he couldn’t get some relief, and he squeezed out,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt Col George Bevins said at a press conference on 5 September. “I wished we could’ve got him, but it’s a large, dark area, with difficult terrain.” Yet, in the following days, Cavalcante would sneak more than 20 miles past the perimeter. 9 September – Cavalcante captured on former coworker’s doorbell camera in Phoenixville Cavalcante showed up at an old associate’s home around 9.50pm on 9 September and requested through the doorbell camera to meet with him. The individual was out having dinner with his family and had a brief conversation with Cavalcante in Portuguese. He later arrived at his home, reviewed the footage and alerted local police to the sighting. Doorbell video images showed Cavalcante to be now clean-shaven and wearing a green hooded sweatshirt, black baseball cap, green prison pants and white shoes. The fugitive then travelled to the home of another former coworker’s home in Phoenixville. A female who was at the home when Cavalcante rang the bell called a friend, who eventually informed law enforcement about the sighting. Once notified of the developments, authorities started looking into the possibility that Cavalcante had stolen a vehicle. It was later determined that Cavalcante stole a white 2020 Ford Transit near a dairy farm in Longwood Gardens that he used to drive to Phoenixville. 10 September – Authorities find van stolen by Cavalcante in East Nantmeal Township Around 10.40am on 10 September, police found the van that Cavalcante had stolen in a field behind a barn in East Nantmeal Township, about 15 miles from Phoenixville. Lt Col George Bivens said he believed Cavalcante abandoned the vehicle at least in part because it was low on fuel. Authorities are concerned that he would attempt to obtain another vehicle or has already done so. The area where Cavalcante abandoned the van is roughly 25 miles, or a 40-minute drive, from the previous eight-mile perimeter police had established near the popular Longwood Gardens botanical park. Mr Bivens said that he is confident Cavalcante remains in Pennsylvania as he “does not have the resources” to leave the state. “We don’t have a defined search area at this point,” Mr Bivens said on 11 September. “We are considering and acting and investigating any tip or piece of information we receive. There are areas in Nantmeal Township that may have more of our resources.” Mr Bivens said that he was aware of some weaknesses in the previous 10-mile perimeter, but refused to acknowledge that the several agencies collaborating in the manhunt had made any mistakes. He went on to say that the perimeter was “strong” but not infallible. “No perimeter is 100 per cent secure. It’s not a wall, it doesn’t have a ceiling ... all of the elements that you might use to contain someone,” he said. 11- 12 September - Cavalcante steals rifle, spotted in South Coventry Township Around 8pm on 11 September, a motorist told 911 dispatchers that a male figure had crouched near the woodline near Route 100. Troopers responding to the scene investigated the sighting and found footprints on the mud consistent with Cavalcante’s prison shoes, which were also found in the area. Mr Bivens said that although authorities arrived at the scene within minutes, Cavalcante managed to travel a significant distance during that time. “Just because they found a footprint doesn’t mean that we know what direction he travelled,” Mr Bivens said during a press conference on 12 September. A resident of the area called shortly after to report that a pair of workboots on her porch had been stolen. Then at 10.10pm, a homeowner reported that a “short Hispanic man” broke inside his garage. Mr Bivens said that Cavalcante stole a .22 rifle with a scope and a flashlight on it. The homeowner opened fire on Cavalcante with his pistol but the fugitive is not believed to have been injured. Cavalcante fled before Pennsylvania State Police arrived at the scene. Near the edge of the driveway, authorities found clothes that Cavalcante had been spotted wearing over the weekend. Around 500 officers were hunting for Cavalcante on 12 September as one school district remained closed and residents were told to secure their homes and be vigilant. The search is focused on South Coventry Township in Chester County — near Route 23 to the North, Route 100 to the East, Fairview and Nantmeal roads to the South and Iron Bridge and County Park roads to the West. Read More Police hunting Danelo Cavalcante say it’s ‘advantage law enforcement’ as search zeroes in on township Danelo Cavalcante updates: Search area expanded dramatically after escaped murder convict steals van Danelo Cavalcante’s former roommate speaks out about ‘quiet and shy guy’ murder convict

The Atlantic hurricane season typically reaches its peak this week, but record-warm ocean temperatures are fueling a hyperactive season that experts say shows no signs of slowing.