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WORCESTER, MA — A supervisor and three instructors with the Massachusetts State Police Academy were indicted in connection with the death ofEnrique Delgado-Garcia, a recruit who died following a training exercise on defensive tactics in 2024, authorities announced Monday, Feb. 9.

Delgado-Garcia, 25, died on Sept. 13, 2024, a day after becoming unresponsive during a boxing match at the State Police Academy in New Braintree, a town about 68 miles west of Boston. At the time, theWorcester Telegram & Gazette, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported that the boxing program was previously halted due to injury concerns.

Following his death, state police suspended full-contact boxing training activities for recruits, and Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell appointed attorney David Meier toconduct an independent investigationinto the incident.

After anine-month grand jury investigation, Meier said evidence revealed that members of the State Police Academy committed a "series of wanton and reckless acts" in connection with various defensive tactics and physical confrontation training exercises.

The head of the academy's defensive tactics unit, Sgt. Jennifer Penton, and three troopers under her command – Edwin Rodriguez, David Montanez, and Casey LaMonte – were each charged with involuntary manslaughter and causing serious injury to a person participating in a physical training exercise, Meier said.

Penton has also been charged with perjury for allegedly giving false testimony to a special statewide grand jury, according to Meier.

"Each of these individuals owed a duty of care to Enrique Delgado-Garcia and to his fellow trainees," Meir said during anews conferenceon Monday, Feb. 9. "Each of them interacted with Mr. Delgado-Garcia and his fellow trainees on a daily basis, and each of them committed a series of wanton and reckless acts and omissions that resulted in Enrique Delgado-Garcia's death."

Autopsy: Enrique Delgado-Garcia died from blunt trauma

Delgado-Garcia was rushed to a hospital in Worcester, a city about 20 miles east of New Braintree, on Sept. 12, 2024, after being injured during a training exercise.

In a statement, Meier said "wanton and reckless conduct resulted in Enrique Delgado Garcia suffering concussion-like symptoms as the result of unauthorized, unapproved, and unsupervised boxing-related sparring exercises that occurred during Academy training activities on Wednesday, September 11, 2024."

He added that Delgado-Garcia sustained multiple blunt force injuries to the head and "massive brain bleeding" after instructors at the State Police Academy failed to stop a training boxing match on Sept. 12, 2024. Delgado-Garcia died the next day as a result of the "head injuries sustained during the recruit-on-recruit boxing match," according to Meier.

Last year, Michael Wilcox, a lawyer representing Delgado-Garcia's family, confirmed that Delgado-Garcia died from blunt trauma to the head. Citing an autopsy report from the medical examiner, Wilcox said Delgado-Garcia suffered a myriad of injuries to his head, including contusions in both his eyes, thyroid, and neck.

The autopsy report also found that Delgado-Garcia had contusions on his chest and back, as well as on one of his arms and knees, according to Wilcox. Delgado-Garcia's family has previously said they were told the 25-year-old suffered injuries during a few minutes of boxing, which was part of the training program at the academy.

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Law enforcement, lawyers react to indictments

During the news conference, Campbell said it was necessary to conduct an independent investigation into Delgado-Garcia's death due to the "extraordinary nature of these events and the complexity of this case."

Delgado-Garcia's death rocked the Worcester District Attorney's Office, where he had once served as a victim witness advocate, and left members of his family calling for answers. The Worcester District Attorney's Office recused itself from the investigation due to its close connection to Delgado-Garcia.

In response to the indictments announced on Monday, Feb. 9, Massachusetts State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble said in a statement that it was a "difficult and somber day" for the department, which he said has "cooperated fully" with Meier's probe.

Noble said the department has taken several steps to strengthen the academy, including "expanding support" for recruits and commissioning a forthcoming "independent review" by the International Association of Police Chiefs.

Brian Williams, president of the State Police Association of Massachusetts, said "veteran training staff indicted today are entitled to the same presumption of innocence and due process guaranteed to every citizen."

Williams added that the association "stands firmly behind its members and intends to vigorously defend them against these charges as we continue to work collaboratively with the Department to strengthen and enhance training standards, ensuring Troopers are fully prepared to meet the complex and demanding realities of the job."

Lawyers for Civil Rights, a nonprofit based in Boston, praised the charges, saying that while state police "failed" Delgado-Garcia, it was "heartened" to see troopers would be held accountable.

"The grieving Delgado-Garcia family deserves justice, and this tragedy must lead to meaningful reforms," the nonprofit said in a statement.

Most charges to be tried in Worcester

As of 5 p.m. local time on Monday, Feb. 9, it did not appear that arraignment dates for the troopers had been set.

Online court records indicated the manslaughter and training injury-related charges against the troopers will be prosecuted in Worcester Superior Court, while the perjury charge against Penton would be prosecuted in Middlesex Superior Court.

Campbell's office did not immediately respond to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette's query about the reason for the different sites. Meier noted during the news conference that the indictments had been brought by a statewide grand jury.

Lawyers for Penton and LaMonte declined to comment. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette has reached out to lawyers listed for other troopers.

State police also did not immediately respond to queries about the job status of the charged troopers. Online records listed Penton as a lieutenant. Campbell's office, which identified her as a sergeant, didn't immediately return a request for clarification.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette:Enrique Delgado-Garcia case: 4 charged with manslaughter

VERNON, France (AP) — In a tightly controlled manufacturing hangar west of Paris, workers put the finishing touches on an enormous silver-colored engine. In just a few days, a similar machine will help propel the most powerful version of Europe's Ariane 6 rocket yet, flying for the first time with four boosters.

On Thursday, the Ariane 64 rocket — named after its four boosters — is scheduled to make its maiden launch from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, aiming to deploy 32 satellites for Amazon Leo's broadband constellation.

The flagship of Europe's rocket industry is racing in a highly competitive environment against heavy weight players across the world, including the global market leader, Elon Musk's SpaceX.

At ArianeGroup's plant in Vernon, engineers design, integrate and test engines for the European heavy-lift launcher. At another site west of Paris, in Les Mureaux, the rocket's main stage components are being carefully built and assembled.

Associated Press journalists were provided rare access to facilities placed under strict security and confidentiality rules where teams of highly-specialized workers make from space conquest a daily reality.

"It's a special launch — something new for us on Ariane 6," ArianeGroup Chief Technical Officer Hervé Gilibert said. This flight marks the debut of the four-booster configuration, making the rocket roughly twice as powerful as the version flown since 2024, he said.

"Don't be surprised if you see it accelerate much more than Ariane 62, the version we have already launched five times," Gilibert said. "It delivers significantly more power, allowing much heavier payloads to be sent into space."

Components make trans-Atlantic journey

The launcher, its engines and avionics are built across Europe as 13 nations, members of the European Space Agency, agreed to cooperate and finance the Ariane 6 program.

"We are working with more than 600 subcontractors," Gilibert said. "Everything comes together at two main sites — Bremen in Germany for the upper stage, and Les Mureaux in France for the lower, or main stage of the launcher."

Ahead of Thursday's launch, all components have crossed the Atlantic to French Guiana for final assembly. The rocket stands about 62 meters (203 feet) tall, roughly the height of a 20-story building.

"We check everything until the very last minute, and then we fly," Gilibert said.

Once airborne, the mission will last about one hour and 50 minutes — nearly a full orbit around Earth — before the satellites are deployed in pairs from the top of the rocket. Amazon Leo's constellation is intended to compete with SpaceX's thousands of Starlink satellites.

The Vulcain 2.1 engine built at Vernon ignites first at liftoff.

"For a few seconds, we verify that it is functioning properly," said Emmanuel Viallon, director of the Vernon site. "Once we are fully confident it will operate correctly for the eight minutes that follow, we ignite the solid boosters and the rocket lifts off."

The four boosters help propel the rocket at launch, consuming 142,000 kilograms (313,056 pounds) of solid propellant in just over two minutes until they burn out.

Ariane 6, through both its launcher and engines, was designed to halve operating costs compared with its predecessor, Viallon said. Ariane 5 was last launched in 2023, concluding a program that began in the late 1970s to give Europe independent access to space.

Engines tested under near-real conditions

Engines produced in Vernon are tested on site under near-real launch conditions. Deep in the surrounding forest, reinforced structures hold the engines in place as they fire at full power, while test teams operate from underground control rooms.

Laurence, the engine firing test director at Vernon, said the full testing cycle takes two to three weeks, before the engines return to the assembly facility for final adjustments. Laurence's last name was not disclosed for security reasons.

For the team, each launch "is always a joy, it's always very intense," she said. "When an engine arrives here, those are really important moments for the team. And then, seeing that the launch goes well ... that brings a great deal of gratitude."

At Les Mureaux facility, engineers have started preparing rocket components for upcoming missions. Huge white cylinders lie horizontally to form the rocket's main stage that is 5.4 meters (17.7 feet) wide including tanks for supercooled hydrogen and oxygen that will feed the Vulcain engine.

Caroline Arnoux, business unit director at ArianeGroup, said seven to eight launches are planned this year.

"We have a very strong order book, equivalent to about 30 launches," Arnoux said. "Roughly one-third are institutional missions and two-thirds commercial. And our commercial customers are all waiting for the Ariane 64 version, which will be extremely important in the coming years."

Europe's independence at stake

Ariane 64 "is an additional level of performance," Hermann Ludwig Moeller, director of the European Space Policy Institute, said. "In itself, this is an important step in the whole program, hoping to demonstrate that this configuration works as reliably as Ariane 6 has been working so far."

The rocket's institutional missions last year included launches of a French military reconnaissance satellite, a weather satellite, and EU-sponsored Earth-observation radar and navigation satellites.

Moeller argued there can hardly be any comparison with SpaceX, which dominates the sector with its reusable rocket model.

SpaceX "builds the rockets, builds the satellites and also sells the service" while Europe operates under a different industrial setup with separate companies responsible for launchers, satellite manufacturing and satellite operations, he said.

For Ariane 6, a key challenge will be diversifying its European customer base, which could involve a system of European preference for government missions and further development of commercial markets across the continent, Moeller argued.

Independent access to space remains the core objective of the program to "allow Europe to meet its own needs," stressed Arnaud Demay, the Ariane 6 project manager.

ArianeGroup is also preparing for the future, working "on key technology bricks ... to enable the reuse of certain launcher components. Ideally, we would like to be able to reuse an entire stage, including the engines that powered its liftoff," Demay said.

Demay confided he almost always cries with emotion at seeing the rocket lifting off.

"We do it so rarely, and it's so majestic when it takes off: that little touch of magic inevitably overwhelms me with emotion every time," he said.

Nicolas Garriga contributed to this report.

A record snowdroughtwith unprecedented heat is hitting most of the American West, depleting future water supplies, making it more vulnerable towildfiresand hurting winter tourism and recreation.

Scientists say snow cover and snow depth are both at the lowest levels they've seen in decades, while at least 67 Western weather stations have measured their warmest December through early February on record. Normal snow cover this time of year should be about 460,000 square miles — about the size of California, Utah, Idaho and Montana — but this year it's only California-sized, about 155,000 square miles, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

"I have not seen a winter like this before," said center director Mark Serreze, who has been in Colorado almost 40 years. "This pattern that we're in is so darned persistent."

The snowpack — measured by how much water is trapped inside — in Oregon is not only record low, but 30% lower than the previous record, said Jason Gerlich, regional drought early warning system coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Much of the U.S. east of the Rockies is snowbound and enduring more than two weeks ofbone-chilling abnormal cold, but in West Jordan, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City, Trevor Stephens went to the store last week in gym shorts and a T-shirt.

"Right now there's no snow on the ground," he said in a video interview, looking out his window and lamenting the lack of snowboarding opportunities. "I'd definitely rather have icy roads and snow than whatever is going on out here right now."

Concerns over water supply and wildfires

Ski resorts had already been strugglingthrough a difficult season, but the lack of snow has been persistent enough that concerns are growing about wider effects.

Oregon, Colorado and Utah have reported their lowest statewide snowpack since the early 1980s, as far back as records go.

A dry January has meant most states have received half their average precipitation or even less. Along with sunny days and higher-than-average temperatures, that's meant little snow buildup in a month that historically gets a lot of snow accumulation across much of the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies. Because of heavy rains in December, California is in better shape than the other states, scientists said.

As of Monday, it had been 327 days since Salt Lake City International Airport got 1 inch of snow, making it the longest stretch since 1890-91, according to the National Weather Service.

The meager snow in Colorado and Utah has put the Upper Colorado River Basin at the heart of the snow drought, said Gerlich.

A robust mountain snowpack that slowly melts as winter warms to spring provides a steady flow of water into creeks and rivers. That helps ensure there's enough water later in the year for agriculture, cities, hydropower electric systems and more.

But lack of snow or a too-fast melt means less water will replenish rivers like the Colorado later in the season.

"This is a pretty big problem for the Colorado basin," said Daniel Swain of the University of California's Water Resources Institute.

Experts said the snow drought could also kick-start an earlywildfireseason. Snow disappearing earlier than average leaves the ground exposed to warmer weather in the spring and summer that dries soils and vegetation quicker, said Daniel McEvoy, researcher with the Western Regional Climate Center.

Too warm to snow

While it's been dry, the record-low snowpack is mostly due to how warm the West has been, which is connected to climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, several scientists said. Since Dec. 1, there have been more than 8,500 daily high temperature records broken or tied in the West, according to NOAA data.

Much of the precipitation that would normally fall as snow and stay in the mountains for months is instead falling as rain, which runs off quicker, Swain and other scientists said. It's a problem scientistshave warned about with climate change.

Going snowless happens from time to time, but it's the warmth that has been so extreme, which is easier to tie to climate change, said Russ Schumacher, professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University and Colorado State Climatologist.

"It was so warm, especially in December, that the snow was only falling at the highest parts of the mountains," McEvoy said. "And then we moved into January and it got really dry almost everywhere for the last three to four weeks and stayed warm."

Wetter, cooler weather is coming

Meteorologists expect wetter, cooler weather across the West this week with some snow so this may be the peak of the snow drought. But it'll still be warmer than usual in many areas, and scientists aren't optimistic the snow will be enough.

"I don't think there's any way we're going to go back up to, you know, average or anywhere close to that," said Schumacher. "But at least we can chip away at those deficits a little bit if it does get more active."

The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP's environmental coverage, visithttps://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas climb picked up more steam Monday night as the No. 9 Jayhawksknocked off top-ranked Arizona82-78.

Arizona Kansas Basketball

Less than a month after falling out ofThe Associated Press Top 25, Kansas (19-5, 9-2 Big 12) has won eight in a row and clawed its way back into Big 12 title contention, trailing previously unbeaten Arizona (23-1, 10-1) by one game. Houston is currently in second, a half-game ahead of Kansas. The third-ranked Cougars face Utah on Tuesday night.

"We couldn't lose this game," senior guard Melvin Council Jr. said after knocking off Arizona. "We were just ready and prepared and we knew it was going to be a long game with a bunch of runs."

Kansas trailed by as many as 11 points in the game and did not hold a lead until the clock read 9:32 in the second half. Four Jayhawks finished in double figures, led by Flory Bidunga and Council Jr, who scored 23 points apiece. Bidunga also grabbed 10 rebounds.

The Jayhawks played without freshman standout Darryn Peterson, who wasexperiencing flu-like symptomsand missed the game. Self revealed after the game that Peterson had missed practice on Sunday and didn't know until about a half hour before the game that he would be unavailable. Despite missing 11 games, Peterson leads the Jayhawks in scoring, averaging 20.5 points.

"A lot of teams, this time of year, when you get to early February, they know where their ceiling is, and the great teams are operating pretty close to their ceiling, Kansas coach Bill Self said. "I don't know where our ceiling is, and I know that we're not close to it yet, though."

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The victory ended a 23-game winning streak for Arizona. It was the second-longest streak in Division I men's basketball behind Miami (Ohio), which has won 24 straight.

With the win, Kansas improved to 2-2 against top-10 opponents this season. It was also the Jayhawks' first win against the AP's top-ranked team at Allen Fieldhouse.

"Kansas is a hell of a team," Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said after the game. "They beat the No. 1 team in the country at home tonight. They did a hell of a job and their coach did a hell of a job."

Four Jayhawks finished the game in double figures, with Bryson Tiller scoring 18 and Jamari McDowell adding 10.

Brayden Burries led all scorers with 25 points for Arizona. Teammate Motiejus Krivas recorded a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds, and Ivan Kharchenkov scored 13.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign uphereandhere(AP News mobile app). AP college basketball:https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-pollandhttps://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Brad Keselowski has been cleared to race in the Daytona 500, nearly two months after breaking his right leg.

Keselowski, who suffered the injury when he slipped on ice during a family ski vacation, passed a driving test Monday at Charlotte Motor Speedway and was officially given the green light to get behind the wheel in the No. 6 Ford for RFK Racing.

"So much work to get here!" Keselowski wrote in a post on X. "Special thanks to my family, the 6 crew, all the medical professionals and my fans for all your help and support."

Keselowski had surgery in mid-December and always believed he would be ready for the season-opening Daytona 500. Corey Lajoie filled in during the exhibition Clash last week at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Keselowski, the 2012 Cup Series champion, is winless in 16 starts in the Daytona 500. He turns 42 days before "The Great American Race" and is entering his 17th full season of racing at NASCAR's top level. He spent the bulk of his career at Team Penske but purchased a stake in Roush Fenway Racing in 2022 and became an owner/driver of the rebranded team.

AP auto racing:https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing