Le Journal

A plea deal is now on the table, for a man, charged in a deadly boat accident on Labor Day of 2024. The deal extended was a 30 year sentence, suspended after 15 years, with five years probation. “Whatever decision you make in the end is yours,” the judge said to Clayton Hackling in court on Tuesday. Hackling is charged in the deaths of three people and causing injuries to six others. According to an arrest warrant, he was operating the boat at the time of the crash. He’s also accused of being drunk at the time. The judge requested he make his decision by March 23, the next court date. “The next date that I have decided as a judge, I believe, listening to the lawyers, everyone needs to make a final decision about what we are going to do to resolve the matter,” the judge said. Three young men, Christopher Hallahan, Ryan Britagna, and Ian Duchemin, were killed when the boat slammed into the breakwater at the mouth of the Connecticut River in Old Saybrook. “You need to sit down with your lawyer and have any final discussions about the evidence the state has against you, possible defense you may have, possible exposure if you go to trial and are convicted,” the judge said. “You need to sit down and get all those final questions answered.” Hackling’s attorney is still working on the evidence in the case and requested to see the boat itself. It is currently in the custody of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The state said they are lining up a time for him to access the vessel. The families continue to pursue justice, but well over a year after the crash, some have chosen to work on advocacy as well. Last legislative session, they advocated for a law change that ties licenses together when facing DUI charges while operating a boat, or a car. They have also made headway on boating and water safety. The breakwater itself was also lit at the end of 2025, in honor of all three men killed.

Trump also declines to offer any reassurances about his commitment to the stability of Nato allianceDonald Trump ratcheted up the uncertainty over how far he would be willing to go to acquire Greenland and warned the Nato alliance on Tuesday that it was only as strong as the United States allowed it to be.“You’ll find out,” Trump said in a terse reply at a White House press briefing before moving to the next question. Continue reading...

Incident in Spain took place days after collision between two high-speed trains in Andalucía that killed at least 42A commuter train has hit a collapsed retaining wall near Barcelona, injuring several people, officials in the Catalonia region of north-eastern Spain have said.The incident on Tuesday came just two days after the collision of two high-speed trains in Andalucía, in the south of the country, which left at least 42 people dead and dozens injured. Continue reading...

Government opts against phasing out new boilers by 2035 in effort to cut energy bills by as much as £1,000 a yearAnalysis: Labour’s warm homes plan is all carrot and no stick for UK householdsThere will be no phaseout date for gas boilers in the government’s warm homes plan despite its pledge to wean the UK off fossil fuels, but billions of pounds will go towards heat pumps and insulation upgrades.Labour’s principal attempt to solve the UK’s cost of living crisis, the £15bn warm homes plan, will overhaul 5m dwellings, aiming to cut energy bills by as much as £1,000 a year, in the biggest public investment yet made into home upgrades.£5bn for upgrades, including insulation, solar panels, batteries and heat pumps, for people on low incomes.£2bn towards low-cost loans for people who can afford them.£2.7bn for the boiler upgrade scheme, by which people can swap their existing gas boilers for £7,500 on a new heat pump.£1.1bn for heat networks, which distribute heat from a central source, which could be a large heat pump or geothermal or other low-carbon source.£2.7bn towards innovative finance through the warm homes fund, which could include schemes such as green mortgages offering a lower interest rate to homes that have been insulated and equipped with solar panels and heat pumps. Continue reading...

UVA basketball has not hosted ESPN’s College Gameday since 2019, the year Tony Bennett’s squad won the national title, and Saturday’s duel with North Carolina looked like a prime opportunity for the pregame show to make its return to Charlottesville in 2026. The Cavaliers are now in the top-15 of the AP poll, and just two weeks ago, UNC was as high as No. 12. Instead, College Gameday will head to Lubbock, Texas, ahead of No. 12 Texas Tech hosting No. 6 Houston. With that potential opportunity now in the rearview mirror for Virginia fans, we’re taking a look at the chances to host for the rest of the season, including whether Virginia’s road opponents have an opportunity to do so while the Cavaliers are in town. UVA has six Saturday games remaining, three of which are at home against Syracuse (Feb. 7), Miami (Feb. 21), and Virginia Tech (March 7). While none of those teams are currently ranked, things can change quickly in college basketball. The Miami one is particularly intriguing. Here’s a quick breakdown of how Virginia’s Saturday matchups stack up the rest of the year. Jan. 24 vs. No. 22 North Carolina, 2 p.m. on ESPN This was Virginia’s best chance of hosting coming into the season and as recently as two weeks ago. The Cavaliers are on a roll, having won five straight to start 2026, including a trio of road games at NC State, then-No. 20 Louisville, and SMU. However, UNC has now lost three of its last four games, all to unranked teams, including its past two games to Stanford and California. After being ranked No. 12 in the AP poll two weeks ago, the Tar Heels have now dropped ten spots to No. 22.  So, despite Virginia’s continued rise in the rankings up to No. 14 in Monday’s latest AP Top 25, the Virginia-North Carolina rivalry was snubbed in favor of No. 12 Texas Tech hosting No. 6 Houston. As always, the near certainty that the show will go to both UNC-Duke games looms as a notable factor, too. With those two weeks typically locked up, it leaves just five other weeks open to other matchups. Notable games: No. 6 Houston at No. 12 Texas Tech, 6:30 p.m. on ESPN (selected) No. 11 Illinois at No. 4 Purdue, 3 p.m. on FOX Jan. 31 at Boston College, 1:30 p.m. on The CW This has no chance, even if you ignore the fact that the game is on The CW rather than an ESPN network. It’s at Boston College, and the Eagles are currently 8-10, including 1-4 in the ACC, tied for second-to-last behind only Florida State. They lost to FAU, Central Connecticut State, Davidson, and Tulane, all in November. And then December brought a loss to UMass.  Boston College picked up its only power conference win of the season thus far this past Saturday against Syracuse in overtime. Jan. 31 doesn’t feature a great slate otherwise, with only one ranked vs. ranked matchup, No. 13 BYU at No. 19 Kansas, but there is no chance whatsoever that College Gameday heads to Chestnut Hill on Jan. 31. Notable games: No. 13 BYU at No. 19 Kansas, 4 p.m., network TBA UR Kentucky at No. 20 Arkansas, 6:30 p.m. on ESPN No. 8 Gonzaga hosts 17-3 St. Mary’s, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN Feb. 7 vs. Syracuse, Noon, TV network TBA Considering the loss to Boston College, you might think that Syracuse is having a similarly poor season, but that’s not entirely the case. While the Orange did lose three times in November, they all came to good teams: then-No. 3 Houston, Kansas, and then-No. 15 Iowa State. December featured an upset of then-No. 13 Tennessee but also home losses to unranked Hofstra and Clemson. Even if both UVA and Syracuse were to go undefeated until this game, it would still have no chance of hosting College Gameday for one reason only: it is the same day as Duke-UNC. The Blue Devils and Tar Heels are already scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on ESPN, and I can’t recall the last time ESPN did not go to that game. This first meeting is in Chapel Hill, but even if the Tar Heels were to continue their recent stretch of poor form, this game is too much of a ratings juggernaut…