JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 995

Washington. The Justice Department released more than three million pages of records this week related to Jeffrey Epstein, officials said. Reporters reviewed files that include alleged notes Epstein wrote to himself in 2013 referencing Bill Gates, documents mentioning President Donald Trump, and communications with other prominent individuals. The Gates Foundation denied the allegations as false. Some materials remain heavily redacted or unverified screenshots, and prosecutors said additional files are still withheld. Journalists and investigators are examining the records to verify claims and identify corroborating evidence. Independent forensic review teams are also involved. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

Washington — Senator Lindsey Graham blocked a Senate vote Friday on a bipartisan spending package as he demanded restoration of a provision allowing senators to sue the Justice Department and notification before investigators access their phone records. Leadership had attached a House-approved repeal of that provision to the funding bill ahead of a midnight deadline. Graham sought separate commitments for votes on related measures, including criminalizing sanctuary-city leaders. Senate leaders negotiated to advance funding for most agencies while resolving the dispute. Lawmakers continued talks into Friday evening to avoid a lapse in appropriations. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

Nashville residents faced prolonged outages after Winter Storm Fern struck last weekend. NES mobilized workers and mutual aid, initially deploying 120 company linemen and 40 contractors, then expanding crews to more than 1,000 lineworkers and support personnel, including National Guard members. Outages peaked near 230,000 in the NES service area and 315,533 statewide. By Friday, tens of thousands remained without power, prompting Governor Bill Lee to demand improved communication. NES released targeted zip-code restoration estimates and a My Outage Tracker tool, projecting 85% restoration by Feb. 1 and 99% by Feb. 8. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

LAKE PROVIDENCE, La. — Eight inmates escaped from the River Bend Detention Center late Thursday, and authorities discovered the breach about 1:20 a.m. Friday. Louisiana State Police and multiple local agencies launched an ongoing manhunt that captured three escapees by midafternoon while five remained at large. Officials identified several escapees facing homicide charges in East Baton Rouge Parish and warned residents not to approach them. Investigators said the sheriff’s office deployed most deputies to the search and are examining how the inmates left the facility. One escapee was reportedly captured in Arkansas. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles announced that beginning Feb. 6 all knowledge and skills examinations for every driver license classification will be administered exclusively in English. The agency fully updated its statewide testing system, removed printed exams in other languages and will prohibit translation services and interpreters. The policy replaces prior multilingual options for most noncommercial exams and the English-and-Spanish availability for commercial permits. Officials said the change seeks clearer communication and safer roadways. Related federal enforcement recently sidelined about 9,500 commercial drivers for English-proficiency failures. Based on 7 articles reviewed and supporting research.

Atlanta prosecutors charged state Rep. Dexter Sharper with making false statements to obtain $13,825 in federal pandemic unemployment benefits, authorities announced Friday. Sharper allegedly certified he had not worked since March 13, 2020, submitting 38 weekly claims while earning income from the Georgia General Assembly, a party rental business and musical performances. He was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Russell G. Vineyard and faces federal counts based on Department of Justice and Georgia inspector general findings. U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg said the charges reflect a broader investigation into lawmakers’ pandemic benefit claims. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

Washington — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday directing the Interior and Transportation departments to coordinate with D.C. mayor to stage an IndyCar street race during the nation's 250th anniversary. The order charges the agencies to identify a route near the National Mall, secure permits within specified timeframes, authorizes Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to allocate funds and work with the FAA on aerial operations. IndyCar and organizers listed an August weekend for the Freedom/America250 Grand Prix, and officials said the event will be free to spectators and broadcast on Fox Sports. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

Washington — The Justice Department released more than three million pages, over 2,000 videos and about 180,000 images from its Jeffrey Epstein investigative files on Friday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said. The disclosures, posted to the department’s library under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, follow prior partial releases and include extensive redactions to protect victim identities, notably removing images of women except Ghislaine Maxwell. The department said roughly 3.5 million pages have been produced and that some material remains withheld under statutory exceptions. The release updates publicly available records about Epstein’s investigations. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

Ithaca, N.Y. Tompkins Financial reported fourth-quarter results Friday, announcing net income of $96.2 million and adjusted earnings per share of $1.78, beating estimates. The company disclosed $226.7 million in quarterly revenue and annual profit of $161.1 million for the year. Revenue net of interest expense reached $194.8 million, topping Street forecasts this week. The adjusted EPS figure excludes non-recurring gains disclosed in the company's filings. The firm said revenue increased year-over-year and noted a prior-quarter EPS miss of $0.05. Markets reacted to the disclosures after the Friday morning release. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

Washington — Federal agents arrested former CNN journalist Don Lemon in Los Angeles this week in connection with a Jan. 18 protest that disrupted a service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, his attorney and multiple news outlets reported. Independent journalist Georgia Fort was also taken into custody. A magistrate judge had recently rejected prosecutors’ initial bid to charge a journalist in the case, and officials have not disclosed the specific charges against Lemon. Attorney Abbe Lowell said Lemon was reporting and will contest any charges in court. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.