WTIC-AM (Hartford, CT)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Parasitic illness cases linked to recalled iceberg lettuce have now been confirmed in 20 states, federal health officials said Thursday, expanding the scope of the largest outbreak of its kind in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration said government scientists have now identified cases in three additional states: Georgia, Tennessee and Texas. The tally of people sickened by the parasite is now 11,458, up from about 10,900 reported last week.

A Florida grand jury found that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration “misappropriated” $10 million in taxpayer money it diverted to a charity connected to his wife, but it declined to file criminal charges due to a lack of evidence indicating who specifically was responsible.

U.S. officials said about 90 U.S. citizens remained unaccounted for Thursday, a day after catastrophic flash floods engulfed a border area of China and Nepal, killing hundreds of people. In a statement, the U.S. State Department said it is not aware of any U.S. deaths, but three Americans have been rescued. Many of the missing were on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus, Buddhists and others.

CHICAGO (AP) — A beluga whale died days after it was transported hundreds of miles to a Chicago aquarium from a shuttered Ontario park as part of an ongoing effort to rescue Canada’s last captive whales. The whale, a 23-year-old female named Peekachu, died suddenly Tuesday as caretakers tried to rehydrate her, Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium said in a news release.

Air traffic controllers in Washington and the pilots of President Donald Trump’s helicopter met to discuss communication issues one week before a jet and the chopper were allowed to take off at the same time, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday. Both sides met to discuss the failures in communications and agreed to an alternative for such occasions — but that method was also unsuccessful on the day of the Aug.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department has charged more than 80 people in the takedown of a violent Puerto Rican gang, Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Thursday during a visit to the island as part of the Trump administration's efforts to highlight its push to tackle violent crime.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health announces the first human case of West Nile Virus identified in a resident this season. The case is a male resident of Middlesex County and is between 30–39 years of age. He became ill during the first week of August, was hospitalized, and has since recovered. Laboratory tests confirm the presence of antibodies to West Nile Virus. During 2025, a total of 6 human West Nile Virus infections were reported in the state.

A man is arrested in Ledyard on allegations of animal cruelty. Ledyard Police say on Wednesday around 7 p.m., they received a call from Travis Hyde that a cat drowned at his residence on Stoddard's Wharf Road in Ledyard. While Police say Hyde claimed the cat drowned by accident, police are charging Hyde with a charge of animal cruelty.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean police officer's alleged falsification of documents in two missing person cases has exposed gaps in police oversight and fueled public distrust of police. Those two missing people — and two others — were found dead on South Korea’s most popular resort island, Jeju in the past several days, sparking a media frenzy.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer charged with shooting a man and lying about it during the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis was released from a Texas jail Thursday, after a judge refused to order his return to Minnesota. Christian Castro was released at the break of dawn from a detention center in Brownsville. He motioned his hand toward a few camera operators and a reporter crowding around him and quickly got into an SUV that drove off.