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NORAD to conduct flight exercises over DC

By Luke Lukert

Don’t be frightened if you see and hear military aircraft speeding overhead Thursday night in the D.C. area — it’s all part of an exercise.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is expected to conduct air exercises over the Washington area from Thursday night into early Friday morning. Flights are scheduled between midnight and 5:30 a.m.

NORAD calls the exercises FALCON VIRGO, which are designed to test airspace security — including hijackings and responding to unknown aircraft — around major U.S. cities like the District.

The organization warns that it conducts portions of the flight training at low altitude, sometimes at 2,500 feet above ground level.

The drill will include flights from F-16 aircraft, UC-35A aircraft, a Cessna 182T aircraft and an MH-65D Dolphin helicopter.

If weather interferes with the flights, NORAD will hold the exercises Friday night into Saturday morning.

Former Brazilian au pair testifies her ex-lover plotted to kill his wife, though lacks some details

By The Associated Press
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A former Brazilian au pair testified on Wednesday that she turned against her former lover in a sprawling double homicide scheme involving his wife because she “wanted the truth to come out.” For more than a year, Juliana Peres Magalhães did not speak with officials about the 2023 killings of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan, or about Brendan Banfield’s alleged involvement. But attorneys say that days before her own criminal trial, the former au pair changed her mind and began to talk. Now, Brendan Banfield is facing a trial in the aggravated murder of his wife and Ryan, and Magalhães’ testimony has become a key component of prosecutors’ case. Banfield, who has pleaded not guilty, could face life in prison if convicted. The way officials tell it, Banfield and Magalhães lured Ryan to their house. The two then shot him, staging the scene to look as if Ryan had been a predator stabbing Christine Banfield.
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