Latest news with #McIntire
NDTV
08-07-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Scientists Find 200 Million-Year-Old Flying Reptile Species
Scientists have found a new species of pterosaur that lived 200 million years ago along with the dinosaurs. The fossilised jawbone of the creature was unearthed by scientists at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in 2011. They have now identified the fossil as the oldest known species of the pterosaur in North America. The scientists have named the pterosaur, Eotephradactylus mcintireae, which means "ash-winged dawn goddess," referring to the volcanic ash that helped preserve its bones. The name also honours volunteer Suzanne McIntire, who discovered the jawbone. "What was exciting about uncovering this specimen was that the teeth were still in the bone, so I knew the animal would be much easier to identify," McIntire said as quoted by The Independent. The pterosaur is approximately 209 million years old, dating back to the late Triassic period, and was found in Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. Modern micro-CT scanning helped scientists to learn anatomical traits unique to pterosaurs, which confirmed that it was a new species. Eotephradactylus mcintireae was about the size of a small seagull, with winged reptiles likely feeding on armoured fish, as indicated by the heavy wear on its preserved teeth. This discovery fills a gap in the sparse Triassic pterosaur record, providing fresh insight into early powered flight and suggesting that similar Triassic rock deposits worldwide may contain pterosaur fossils. "The bones of Triassic pterosaurs are small, thin, and often hollow, so they get destroyed before they get fossilised," palaeontologist Ben Kligman of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington told BBC. "Our ability to recognise pterosaur bones in [these ancient] river deposits suggests there may be other similar deposits from Triassic rocks around the world that may also preserve pterosaur bones."
New York Post
27-06-2025
- New York Post
College student faces serious prison sentence for firebombing Tesla dealership
The college student accused of firebombing a Tesla dealership in Kansas City faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted on all charges. Owen McIntire, who has been released to receive gender-affirming care, allegedly hurled Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership, blowing up two cars and causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages in March, officials said. The 19-year-old UMass Boston student has pleaded not guilty to malicious destruction of property and unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device. He faces up to 30 years, if convicted on all counts, according to the Kansas City Star. His case was elevated to the Department of Justice's national security division, which is typically focused on terrorism and espionage, after Attorney General Pam Bondi labeled the incident a case of 'domestic terrorism.' Owen McIntire, 19, is facing up to 30 years in prison if convicted. Department of Justice 'Let me be extremely clear to anyone who still wants to firebomb a Tesla property: you will not evade us,' Bondi said in April in announcing McIntire's arrest. 'You will be arrested. You will be prosecuted. You will spend decades behind bars. It is not worth it.' Federal authorities responded sharply to dozens of reports of vandalism at Tesla dealerships across the country in an apparent protest against Tesla CEO and President Trump's pal Elon Musk, who at the time was serving as the head of the administration's cost-cutting agency DOGE. The Federal Bureau of Investigation launched a new task force for investigating such reports. Trump even suggested sending the criminals to serve 20-year jail sentences in El Salvador, where the US recently rented out a prison for deported illegal alleged gang members. McIntire allegedly destroyed two Teslas and charging stations in March, KMBC News Last month, McIntire was granted release by a judge due to 'serious and ongoing' medical needs — which include gender-affirming medical care that requires daily medication as well as mental health support. McIntire is on the autism spectrum and was diagnosed with both ADHD and depression, all of which require medications and treatments that excuse him from remaining in prison, his lawyers successfully argued. He was allowed to move to his parents' Parkville, Missouri, home but must wear an ankle monitor and abide by other conditions, according to the Kansas City Star, Prosecutors wanted to keep McIntire in custody ahead of his trial. His trial is set for Aug. 11.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
KC teen allegedly lit Tesla cars on fire. Feds want to imprison him for ‘decades'
Reality Check is a Star series holding those with power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email our journalists at RealityCheck@ Have the latest Reality Checks delivered to your inbox with our free newsletter. On paper, Owen McIntire's summer looks like a lot of 19-year-old college students: living back home with his parents, working shifts at a sandwich shop, trying to stay out of trouble. Come August, though, McIntire is unlikely to return to the University of Massachusetts for his sophomore year. He is more likely headed to federal prison. McIntire has pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him: malicious destruction of property and unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device. One charge carries a mandatory minimum of five years in prison. All told, McIntire faces up to 30 years. His offense? Torching two Tesla Cybertrucks in a south Kansas City parking lot. There were no casualties. Nobody was injured. No buildings were damaged. But McIntire's case was elevated to the Department of Justice's national security division, an arm typically focused on terrorism and espionage. A small, isolated act of vandalism on State Line Road elicited comment from the top four law enforcement officials in the United States: the attorney general, her deputy, the director of the FBI and the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). 'Let me be extremely clear to anyone who still wants to firebomb a Tesla property: you will not evade us,' Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in April, announcing McIntire's arrest. 'You will be arrested. You will be prosecuted. You will spend decades behind bars. It is not worth it.' The intensity of the federal response reflected the aims of President Donald Trump, who in March said he considered acts of vandalism against Tesla to be 'terrorism.' Trump's comments were made at a time when Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, was a high-profile advisor to the administration at the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Their relationship has frayed in recent weeks as the two men traded blows on X and Truth Social following Musk's departure from the White House. But their political alliance was strong when the Justice Department took up McIntire's case and a handful of other cases involving Tesla vehicles and vandalism. That has put McIntire in a position few defendants in local cases encounter: facing federal charges with severe penalties in a prosecution where the victim is — or, at least, was — a close associate of the president. The Department of Justice declined to comment. McIntire grew up in Parkville, the only child of two music educators. His father, David, a retired college professor and experimental composer, runs a small classical music label from home. His mother, Michelle, teaches voice and piano and directs community theater productions. The McIntires did not respond to requests for comment. As a kid, McIntire trained in ballet, participated in Scholar Bowl, and worked on robotics teams. At the time of his arrest, he was studying physics at the University of Massachusetts. He's tall and rail-thin (6 foot 1, 140 pounds) with long hair that falls halfway down his back. According to court filings, he has long managed a set of diagnoses that includes autism, ADHD and depression. McIntire was back in Kansas City on spring break the night of March 17. Musk had been in the news. His fervor for firing federal workers in the name of government efficiency had sparked protests across the country and already led to some vandalism directed at Tesla cars in other cities. One week earlier, Trump had stood next to Musk at the White House and declared that he would label violence against Tesla dealerships 'domestic terrorism.' According to prosecutors, McIntire drove his parents' Subaru from Parkville to a house a block away from the Tesla dealership near 103rd Street and State Line Road. He proceeded on foot to the dealership, wearing dark clothes and a light-colored brimmed hat with a black ribbon. He carried a bottle of Bragg's apple cider vinegar with gasoline and a rag stuffed inside — a Molotov cocktail. A little after 11 p.m., a Kansas City police officer noticed a small blaze in the parking lot of the dealership. The officer approached the scene and saw that the flames were coming from an empty Cybertruck. KCFD arrived soon after and extinguished the fire, which in the meantime had spread to a second Cybertruck. Two nearby charging stations were also damaged. The dealership had been closed for four hours, and no human beings were anywhere near the fire. The damages were later estimated to be around $215,000. The next day, officials with the ATF, the FBI, and the Kansas City Police Department descended on the dealership to begin an investigation. By the end of the week, they had linked the firebombing to McIntire through surveillance footage and witness testimonies. A month later, he was arrested in Boston. If the severity of the charges hadn't already made clear that prosecutors intended to bring the full weight of the federal government to bear on McIntire's case, that became unmistakable when he made his initial court appearance in Boston. There, prosecutors took the unusual step of arguing that the 19-year-old should be detained ahead of trial, saying he posed a danger to the community due to the alleged use of a destructive device and was a flight risk. They also cited a federal law that presumes detention for terrorism-related offenses. McIntire's federal public defender argued successfully that strict home confinement with GPS monitoring at his parents' house in Parkville would sufficiently mitigate any risk. But back in United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, where the court proceedings moved after McIntire returned home, the government appealed that judge's order. By then, McIntire had hired Dan Nelson and Patrick McInerney of the Kansas City law firm Spencer Fane as his defense attorneys. In their opposition to the government's motion, they pointed to a string of recent cases involving similar or even more serious allegations where federal defendants were allowed to go free on bond. There was James River Phillips, accused of purchasing large amounts of ammonium nitrate and planting an improvised explosive device in an Ohio sports complex parking lot; he walked out on a recognizance bond. In Colorado, a man charged in April with firebombing two Teslas using Molotov cocktails — nearly identical to McIntire's alleged offense — was released on $10,000 bail. In another case, a South Carolina defendant who attacked Tesla charging stations with five incendiary devices was also allowed to await trial at home. Even a former federal agent who leaked classified information to an ISIS target was granted bond, despite national security concerns and government objections. Nelson and McInerney, who declined comment to The Star, also pointed out in their filing that the government didn't arrest McIntire for a month after identifying him as the person who set the fire. 'The Government's investigative conduct itself — waiting 30 days to effect an arrest — demonstrates that they have no genuine fear of public danger or flight risk from McIntire,' they wrote. On May 29, Judge Stephen Bough sided with the defense. McIntire remains out on bond under stringent conditions. He has a location monitor and is allowed to leave his parents' house only to work at the sandwich shop or meet with a lawyer or doctor. His trial is set for Aug. 11. What if McIntire had set fire to a car not made by the man who gave $250 million to Trump's campaign? What if he instead torched a couple of Tahoes in the Chevrolet lot around the corner from the Tesla dealership? McIntire 'would likely be charged in state court, not charged federally as a purported terrorist,' his attorneys argued in May. Several Missouri defense attorneys interviewed by The Star agreed that similar acts of property destruction have typically been prosecuted in state court, where punishments tend to be less severe. Attorney Casey Symonds described the likely state charges as Class E felonies, each carrying up to four years in prison. 'Probation would be the floor, and the ceiling is eight years in prison,' he said, adding that because McIntire is a first-time offender, probation would be the most common outcome. Tony Miller, a former county legislator and assistant prosecuting attorney in Jackson County, said that for a first-time offender with no criminal history, probation or a short jail term followed by probation would be the likely result. 'As a defense attorney, I'd be aiming for probation with no time served,' Miller said. 'As a prosecutor, if I were being zealous, maybe a 120-day callback. That's basically a shock time situation where they do 120 days in jail and undergo a treatment program, a substance abuse evaluation or life skills program. And then they are released on probation.' He added that restitution for the damaged vehicles would also be a priority. Greg Watt, a former Jackson County prosecutor who now does federal defense work, agreed, saying that in a typical arson case involving property damage but no injuries, 'at most he would have a 120-day callback with a restitution plan in place.' Roughly 2% of federal cases actually go to trial. The vast majority are resolved through plea agreements where defendants plead guilty to reduced charges and receive a lighter sentence. But federal crimes that carry mandatory minimums — such as the malicious destruction of property charges against McIntire — give prosecutors a great deal of leverage in plea negotiations. If McIntire pleads guilty to that charge, the judge has no choice but to sentence him to at least five years in prison. A plea deal in this case could involve the government dropping that charge if he pleads guilty to the other charge of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device. In such a scenario, the judge would not be bound to issuing a minimum sentence. But that assumes the Trump administration's Department of Justice is willing to bargain. Deputy attorney general Todd Blanche — the second-highest-ranking law enforcement officer in America — said in an April press release announcing McIntire's arrest that 'the people behind these violent and dangerous attacks on private property will face decades in prison — we will not make deals and we will not negotiate.'
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
After pandemic struggles, Hagerstown is upbeat about revived local economy
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (DC News Now) — Business owners in Hagerstown say the future is hopeful as the city rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has been a challenge for attracting visitors and investment, with many businesses closing their doors, especially those in the travel and tourism industries. Dan Spedden, with Hagerstown's Convention & Visitors Bureau, says he's '…seeing more people visiting here and they're spending more money when they're in our community.' In addition to the influx of visitors, Hagerstown Mayor Bill McIntire says the new minor league baseball franchise is also a big economic driver. 'We have that one major project,' says McIntire, '…with the stadium and everything seems to be filling in around it.' But closer to City Hall, some once-vacant storefronts are filling up, with plans underway to expand the local shopping selection. 'We have three new storefronts coming downtown,' says McIntire, 'so everything's starting to fall into place.' Entrepreneur Farruka Jamil has opened a dozen convenience stores in and around the city since the pandemic and is upbeat about the city's future. 'In Hagerstown, yes,' says Jamil, 'there is a lot of growth going on, and we have several businesses here, and we welcome everyone to come here and invest in Hagerstown.' But horizons are even brighter, says Spedden, with a new downtown visitors center on the drawing board. 'It will be right on the cultural trail,' says Spedden, 'steps from the arts and entertainment district and right at the foot of the stadium with a brand new parking garage across the street. It's a perfect location.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Grand jury indicts 19-year-old accused in Kansas City Tesla arson case
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A grand jury on Thursday indicted the 19-year-old accused in the . A federal grand jury has indicted Owen McIntire, 19, on the following charges: Malicious destruction of property Unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device Black bear struck, killed in southern Missouri crash McIntire is out on bond after being arrested by federal agents in April while attending college in Boston. Investigators believe McIntire used a Molotov cocktail to start the fire at the Kansas City Tesla service center in March. Two Tesla Cybertrucks were damaged, but no one was injured. McIntire is expected to appear in a federal courtroom in Kansas City on Friday at 1 p.m. Prosecutors have asked the judge to consider revoking the alleged arsonist's bond. McIntire's attorneys, however, have asked the same judge to reject the prosecutors' request. The 19-page document filed this week by the defense claims the 19-year-old 'is not an unmanageable danger to the community' and has met all the conditions set for McIntire's release. McIntire's attorneys also argue that prosecutors have failed to uncover any new evidence suggesting McIntire should be forced back to jail. The defense filing also points out that judges have allowed the release of suspects in other similar Tesla arson cases around the country. Two Cybertrucks damaged in fire at Kansas City Tesla service center 19-year-old charged in Kansas City Tesla facility arson fire Suspect in Kansas City Tesla arson freed from federal custody Federal prosecutors want Kansas City Tesla arson suspect sent back to jail Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
