Colorado mother suspected of killing 2 of her children makes court appearance

LONDON (AP) — A Colorado mother suspected of killing two of her young children and injuring a third has made an initial court appearance in London. Kimberlee Singler was held after her initial appearance in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday. She has a Jan. 29 hearing scheduled on whether she should be extradited to the United States to face two counts of first-degree murder and other charges. The 35-year-old disappeared as Colorado police prepared to arrest her in the deaths of her 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son, who were found slain Dec. 19 in what was reported as a burglary. She disappeared last week and was arrested Saturday in London.

Early morning shooting kills woman and wounds 4 others in Los Angeles County

HAWTHORNE, Calif. (AP) — Police in California say a woman was killed and four people were wounded in a Los Angeles County shooting shortly after the arrival of the new year. KABC-TV reports the Hawthorne Police Department responded to a shooting report around 12:30 a.m. Monday. Hawthorne police say a male victim who suffered gunshot wounds was transported to a hospital from the scene near a shopping mall. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says four other victims arrived at area hospitals by other means. KABC reports an adult female victim was later pronounced dead, one of the others was listed in critical condition and three were listed as stable.

New York rings in the new year with a pay bump for minimum-wage workers

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s minimum-wage workers have more than just the new year to celebrate. A pay bump kicked in Monday as the clock ticked over to 2024. In the first of a series of annual increases slated for the Empire State, the minimum wage increased to $16 in New York City and some of its suburbs, up from $15. In the rest of the state, the new minimum wage is $15, up from $14.20. New York is one of 22 states getting minimum wage increases in the new year.

NJ mayor says buses of migrants bound for NY are being dropped off

SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey mayor says buses of migrants bound for New York City have been stopping at the town’s train station in an apparent effort to evade New York’s efforts to regulate migrant arrivals. Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli said Sunday that four buses are believed to have arrived starting Saturday at Secaucus Junction and dropped off migrants who then took trains into New York City. He called it a “loophole” around the order by New York Mayor Eric Adams. A message posted on a Jersey City social media account said about 10 buses from Texas and one from Louisiana had arrived at various transit stations throughout the state.

Driver fleeing New York City police speeds onto a sidewalk and injures 7

NEW YORK (AP) — A driver fleeing police in Manhattan sped onto a sidewalk and injured seven pedestrians, including a woman who was pinned under a food truck struck by the speeding sedan. New York City police say the 39-year-old woman trapped under the food truck in midtown Manhattan and six other pedestrians struck early Monday morning were taken to hospitals and were in stable condition. The vehicle’s driver and a police officer also were taken to the hospital after the crash, which occurred just after 1:30 a.m. None of the injuries appeared life-threatening.