152 dogs rescued from ‘extremely poor’ conditions in Utah
(OGDEN, UTAH) — Authorities have rescued a total of 152 dogs living in “extremely poor” conditions from a house in Utah, officials said.
Police in Ogden, Utah, along with Ogden Animal Services officers responded to a residence in the 3000 block of Jefferson Avenue after receiving a report of possible animal neglect, according to an Ogden City Police Department press release.
“Upon arrival and further investigation, officers discovered 152 dogs living in extremely poor and overcrowded conditions,” authorities said. “Due to the scale and severity of the situation, additional support was requested from Weber County Animal Services, Roy Animal Services, and Draper Animal Services.”
All 152 dogs were safely removed from the property and are currently receiving veterinary care, evaluations and shelter support, officials said.
“Weber County Animal Services is working with Ogden City Animal Control to provide safe accommodations for the animals in the hording investigation,” Weber County Animal Services said in a statement. “The animals are currently at the Weber County Animal Shelter in kennels in spare rooms, separate from the other animals in our care to prevent the spread of possible diseases.”
Animal services are now working with rescue groups and partners at other animal shelters to provide medical care and possible relocation for these animals.
“We will inform our community when these animals will be available for adoption and/or fostering. Please note that this is an ongoing investigation,” officials said. “The Ogden Police Department and Ogden Animal Services thank all responding agencies and partners who helped ensure the safety and well-being of these animals.”
(HONOLULU) — Hawaii has passed legislation to increase people staying at hotels to help the islands cope with the increasing pressures from climate change.
The bill, SB1396, adds a 0.75% levy to existing taxes on tourist lodging within the state — including hotels rooms, timeshares and vacation rentals starting Jan. 1, 2026. It also imposes an 11% tax on cruise ship bills for each night the ship is in a Hawaiian port.
The new legislation is expected to raise nearly $100 million a year, and will be used for environmental protection and defenses against natural disasters amplified by climate change, including rising sea levels, coastal erosion and shifts in rainfall patterns. The state sees up to 10 million visitors per year, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
Among the projects needed on the island are coral reef protections and clearing invasive grasses that can fuel wildfires.
The new tax will be added to the existing 10.25% tax Hawaii imposes on short-term rentals, raising the total to 11%. In addition, counties in Hawaii charge a separate 3% lodging tax. Travelers also pay a 4.712% general excise tax that applies to virtually all goods and services.
Come Jan. 1, the state’s total tax on short-term rentals will climb to 18.712%.
The bill passed by a large margin in the state’s House and Senate. Gov. Josh Green also supports the bill and intends to sign it, according to a statement released on Friday.
It represents “a generational commitment” to protect the ‘āina — a Hawaiian word that mean “land” but also signifies the deep connection between people and the environment — Green said. It is also the nation’s first statewide tax on lodging meant specifically to address the impacts of climate change, Green said.
“Hawai’i is truly setting a new standard to address the climate crisis, and I want to thank lawmakers for their unrelenting work these past two years in bringing this to fruition,” Green said.
Green told The Associated Press that he predicts visitors will be willing to pay taxes that help to protect the environment.
Care for ‘Āina Now, a local environmental advocacy group, estimates a $560 million gap for environmental stewardship on the Hawaiian islands.
A higher tax increase was initially proposed but was pared down after legislators heard concerns from the travel industry, AP reported.
The governor has until July 9 to sign the bill into law.
Melissa and Mark Hortman attend at Minnesota’s Democratic Farmer Labor Party’s annual Humphrey-Mondale Dinner at the Minneapolis Hilton on Friday, June 13, 2025.(Minnesota House DFL Caucus)
(BROOKLYN PARK, MN) — State Rep. Melissa Hortman and State Sen. John Hoffman, who were targeted by a shooter on Saturday, were longtime members of Minnesota’s state legislature who spent years working to improve their communities, according to leaders who knew them.
Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed at their home in Brooklyn Park early Saturday by a suspect who posed as a police officer, investigators said. They left behind two children.
Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot earlier in the morning by the same suspect inside their home at Champlin. The couple, who have a daughter, were rushed to a hospital and underwent surgery, Gov. Tim Walz said.
Authorities said they’ve identified 57-year-old Vance Boelter as a suspect as they search for the gunman.
Both state leaders were members of Minnesota’s Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), a state party affiliated with the Democrats.
Hortman, 55, nee Haluptzok, had the most experience in the state legislature. She earned a BA in political science and philosophy at Boston University and worked as an intern for then-Sen. Al Gore and later Sen. John Kerry, according to her campaign biography.
Hortman went on to earn a law degree at the University of Minnesota Law School in 1995 and clerked with Judge John Sommerville. She later earned an MPA from Harvard in 2018.
Outside politics, Hortman worked as a private attorney and volunteered her time in the local school board and Sunday school at Saint Timothy Catholic Church in Blaine. She first ran for office in 1998, for the State House of Representatives seat, but lost.
After another defeat for the same seat four years later, Hortman was elected to the state’s District 47B in 2004.
Hortman quickly rose through the ranks of the House, serving as assistant majority leader from 2007 to 2010 and as minority whip from 2011 to 2012. She championed many causes, including reproductive rights and environmental issues.
She also pushed for stricter gun control and attended events with gun control advocates, including Everytown for Gun Safety.
In 2017, she was named minority leader and became speaker in 2019 after the DFL gained a majority in the House. Hortman spearheaded efforts to pass police reform in 2020 following the George Floyd protests.
During this year’s session, the state House Republicans and the DFL engaged in a tense standoff over leadership after Republicans gained seats. A DFL boycott ended in February with a power-sharing agreement where Hortman retained the title of minority leader until a March special election created a tie in the House.
Hortman and her husband were married for 31 years. Mark Hortman worked as a program manager for nVent Electric, a company that specialized in electronics, particularly green electronics, according to his Facebook and LinkedIn pages.
Mark Hortman frequently posted photos and updates about his family on his Facebook page.
“A couple of weeks ago, I posted a video showing off how we taught our dog how to ring the doorbell when he wants to come inside. Well, now that dog has figured out that if he wants to play he rings the doorbell and then ding dong ditches us just to get us to come outside and play!,” he posted in 2023.
The couple attended the DFL’s annual Humphrey-Mondale Dinner at the Minneapolis Hilton on Friday, according to the Minnesota House DFL Caucus.
They were killed on the same day as the birthday of Melissa Hortman’s father, her sister, Lieza Jean Haluptzok, told ABC News.
“We loved them dearly; they will be missed. It’s a horrible thing. I hope they catch him. And they get justice for what happened. It’s devastating,” she said Saturday afternoon.
Hoffman, 60, was elected to the State Senate in 2012.
A Wyoming native, Hoffman earned a bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s University and spent several decades working for various Minnesota businesses and non-profits, according to his campaign bio page.
He was the co-founder of Consumer Credit of Minnesota, a non-profit consumer assistance organization, and served on the Anoka Hennepin School Board starting in 2005, his bio said.
In 2012, he won the state senate seat for District 34 and would win reelection three more times.
He served as the minority whip from 2017 to 2020 and is on the Senate’s Human Services committee.
“Throughout my career, I have been afforded many opportunities to assume progressive management roles, which have allowed me to gain and implement a unique set of expertise,” he wrote on his campaign page.
ABC News’ Mark Guarino contributed to this report.
(NEWARK, NJ) — A Florida man allegedly boarded an Amtrak train in New Jersey carrying ammunition, multiple handguns and an AR-15 style rifle, New Jersey authorities said.
Jeffrey O. Kennerk, 34, of Fort Lauderdale, was indicted on several charges, including aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and causing or risking widespread injury or damage, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and the Division of Criminal Justice said in a press release on Wednesday.
“This defendant allegedly hauled a small arsenal of deadly weapons and ammunition through busy transit stations, and on a train filled with passengers,” New Jersey’s Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said in a statement.
Transit police at Penn Station in Newark, New Jersey, noticed an unattended black-and-white-zebra-pattern bag on Jan. 3, according to officials. A K-9 team cleared the bag for the presence of explosives, then the officers opened it and found inside a case for a Glock handgun, according to a press release, which cites two complaints and an indictment.
Inside the case was a handgun with a loaded 18-round magazine, officials said. Also in the bag were an AR-style magazine with rifle rounds and a “plastic bag containing a shirt and two boxes labeled 9 mm bullets; four boxes of .223 caliber bullets.”
“A zipped secondary compartment in the suitcase contained a pink duffle bag containing a black Zastava Arms AK-47 style rifle with one round loaded in the chamber and multiple loaded magazines,” the A.G.’s press release said.
After law enforcement found the bag, at about 2:55 p.m., they reviewed camera footage from the station, which appeared to show a man, whom police allege was Kennerk, who was carrying two suitcases, including the one with the zebra pattern.
“The subject walked away, allegedly, leaving behind the zebra print suitcase, and went to the Amtrak ticket window,” officials said. “It was learned that the subject was boarding an Amtrak train bound for Virginia and the next stop would be the Trenton Transit Center.”
Two officers boarded that train as it arrived in Trenton, officials said. When they approached Kennerk, he allegedly showed them a valid Amtrak ticket — although it was for another train. Police officers in Trenton had been notified that Newark officials were searching for Kennerk. He was arrested before he could board his ticketed train, officials said.
“The collective actions of law enforcement eliminated the possible carnage that could have been caused by the weapons involved in this case,” New Jersey Transit Police Chief Christopher Trucillo said in a statement.
As Kennerk was arrested, police searched his second suitcase and found multiple other weapons, officials said. He was allegedly carrying in that “dark maroon colored” suitcase an AR-15-style rifle, along with “multiple caches of ammunitions, multiple extended magazines, and multiple handguns,” officials said.
“The indictment of this individual underscores the severe threat posed by those who amass illegal weapons with blatant disregard for public safety,” said Col. Patrick J. Callahan, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, in a statement.
Deputy Attorney General Karen Bracizewsk, of New Jersey’s Division of Criminal Justice, is expected to lead the prosecution against Kennerk, officials said.
ABC News’ Jessica Gorman and Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.
