Georgia audit to trigger hand tally of presidential vote

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s secretary of state on Wednesday announced an audit of presidential election results that he said would be done with a full hand tally of ballots because the margin is so tight.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said at a news conference that his office wants the process to begin by the end of the week and he expects it to take until Nov. 20, which is the state certification deadline.

Central Florida lands hub for Jetsons-like ‘flying cars’

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The nation’s first regional hub for “flying cars” is being built in central Florida and once completed in five years, the vehicles will be able to take passengers from Orlando to Tampa in a half hour, officials said Wednesday.

The Tavistock Development Corp. said it was constructing a Jetsons-like aviation facility in Orlando’s Lake Nona area, the mixed-use planned community it built. Lake Nona already is home to several medical and research facilities.

Judge overturns conviction of Tennessee man serving life

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — After reviewing new evidence, a Tennessee judge has overturned the conviction of a man serving life in prison for a 1998 slaying.

The ruling Tuesday came nearly two weeks after the Davidson County District Attorney’s Office filed a motion to vacate the charges against Joseph Webster, who was convicted of murder in the killing Leroy Owens, news outlets reported. The move came after a unit in the prosecutor’s office investigated the case and found new evidence not presented at trial.

Missouri woman gets federal prison in terrorism case

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Missouri woman has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for participating in a conspiracy to help a former Missouri man who died in Syria while fighting for the Islamic State.

Sedina Unkic Hodzic, 41, of St. Louis County, was sentenced Tuesday for conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and providing material support to terrorists, according to a news release from federal prosecutors.

NYC woman gets ill swan to clinic via foot, car and subway

NEW YORK (AP) — Ariel Cordova-Rojas went to New York’s Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge last week to celebrate her 30th birthday.

She ended up rescuing a swan with lead poisoning, taking it to a wildlife clinic by foot, car and subway with the help of both friends and strangers.

Cordova-Rojas is trained in identifying and rescuing wildlife, the New York Times reported, having worked at the Wild Bird Fund clinic in Manhattan for five years.

She got to the Queens wildlife refuge on Nov. 5 and spotted a swan alone in the grass on the side of the water.

She approached it and saw it was unable to walk or fly. She wrapped the 17-pound bird, which she says is named Bae, in her jacket and carried it a mile to the refuge entrance, the newspaper reported.