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JESSE BEDAYN

Reporter

Bedayn is a statehouse reporter for The Associated Press based in Denver. He is a Report for America corps member.
A hearse and van sit outside the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colo., on Oct. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
Judge rejects plea deal for funeral home owner accused of stashing nearly 190 decaying bodies
A Colorado judge has rejected the plea agreement of a funeral home owner accused of stashing nearly 190 decaying bodies in a bug-infested building.
 
A hearse and van sit outside the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colo., on Oct. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
Judge to weigh plea deal of funeral home owner accused of stashing nearly 190 decaying bodies
A Colorado funeral home owner has taken a plea deal after stashing nearly 190 decaying bodies in a bug-infested building.
 
The main gate to Camp Lejeune Marine Base is seen outside Jacksonville, N.C., April 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed, File)
US Marine arrested and accused of kidnapping girl with intent to sexually assault her, FBI says
The FBI has arrested an active-duty U.S. Marine it accused of kidnapping a 12-year-old girl in Indiana with the intent of sexually assaulting her.
 
This photo provided by National Geographic shows the North Face of Mount Everest on Sept. 18, 2024. (Savannah Cummins/National Geographic via AP)
How mountaineer Jim Morrison made the first skiing descent of Everest’s most dangerous route
Mountaineer Jim Morrison has skied the last un-skied route on Mount Everest. Morrison told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the his journey down the North Face of Mount Everest on Oct. 15 was a spectacular four hours of skiing down a horrific snow pack.
 
A man took videos as his home floated away with him inside in Alaska’s storms
Typhoon Halong’s remnants hit western Alaska with intense force and even pulled homes from their foundations.
 
The front row of 14 graduates, part of a group who graduated from basic training and were sworn in as new citizens under a government initiative, graduate from Basic Military Training on April 26, 2023, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. (Christa D'Andrea/U.S. Air Force via AP)
What to know about deporting family members of US troops
Federal immigration authorities have detained the parents of a U.S. Marine after the Trump administration changed a policy that sought to protect military families from deportation.
 
A sign that reads "Closed due to federal government shutdown," is seen outside of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, Oct. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
Federal workers endure financial strain and fear layoffs as the government shutdown drags on
Federal workers furloughed or working without pay are feeling the financial squeeze and fear being swept up in the Trump administration’s layoffs.
 
In this photo provided by the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, Alaska Air National Guard rescue personnel conduct a search and rescue mission in Kipnuk, Alaska, on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (Defense Visual Information Distribution Service via AP)
Alaska airlifting hundreds from storm-devastated coastal villages
Officials say one of the “most significant” airlifts in Alaska history is underway to evacuate hundreds of people from storm-devastated coastal towns.
 
Smoke fills the air as debris covers the ground and vehicles after a powerful blast ripped through a military explosives manufacturing plant in Hickman County, Tenn., on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (WTVF-TV via AP)
Tennessee company rocked by a deadly explosion supplied the military with explosives
An explosion has rocked a explosives plant in rural Tennessee owned by Accurate Energetic Systems. The plant processes explosives and ammunition for military, aerospace, and commercial industries.
 
Waves from Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda destroy a home in Buxton, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (Heather Jennette via AP)
6 homes collapse into the Outer Banks surf as Atlantic hurricanes swirl far offshore
Six unoccupied houses along North Carolina’s Outer Banks have collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean. Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda are churning the surf on the U.S.
 
Ryan Wesley Routh takes part in a rally in central Kyiv, Ukraine, April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)
What to know about the man found guilty of trying to assassinate Trump at a Florida golf course
A jury has found Ryan Routh guilty of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at a Florida golf course last year.
 
Tears stream down Alexa Maliwauki's face as she attends a Vigil for Unity at the UCCU Center at Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. Charlie Kirk, conservative activist and the founder and president of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot while answering questions at his American Comeback Tour at UVU on Sept. 10. (Kristin Murphy/The Deseret News via AP)
University where Charlie Kirk was shot confronts unwanted infamy
It took two decades for Utah Valley University to evolve from a small community college into the state’s largest school that boasts of having one of the safest campuses in the nation.
 
A national flag hangs over the site where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University last week, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Jesse Bedayn)
Suspect in Charlie Kirk killing feared being shot by police before surrendering, sheriff says
A Utah sheriff says the 22-year-old man charged with killing with Charlie Kirk was afraid of being shot by police and agreed to surrender as long as it was done peacefully.
 
Defense attorney Greg Skordas, left, speaks before judge Tony Graf, back center left, as Tyler Robinson, accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, attends a virtual court hearing from prison on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Provo, Utah. (Scott G Winterton/The Deseret News via AP, Pool)
Suspect left note saying he planned to kill Charlie Kirk, later confessed in texts, prosecutor says
The man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah university has been charged with aggravated murder.
 
Charlie Kirk hands out hats before speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)
Utah campus where Charlie Kirk was shot provided less security than other venues as he toured nation
Security at Charlie Kirk’s speaking events and college campus debates around the country varied greatly.
 
People hold candles and sing during a memorial and prayer vigil for Charlie Kirk at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
DNA evidence found near scene of Charlie Kirk’s shooting matches suspect, FBI director says
FBI Director Kash Patel says DNA on a towel wrapped around a rifle found near where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated matches that of the 22-year-old accused in the killing.
 
Women pray at a memorial outside Utah Valley University after Turning Point USA CEO and co-founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
They witnessed Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Now students reckon with the trauma
Students who witnessed Charlie Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University are reckoning with trauma and grief.
 
Wendy Lucas, a Utah Valley University student, looks at a memorial set up for Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Suspect in Charlie Kirk killing became more political, opposed activist’s views, authorities say
A 22-year-old Utah man who was booked on murder charges in the assassination of Charlie Kirk held deep disdain for the conservative activist’s provocative viewpoints and indicated to a family member that he was responsible for the shooting.
 
The crowd reacts after Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, is shot at the Utah Valley University Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)
Utah governor pleads for public’s help in finding person who shot Charlie Kirk on university campus
The shooter who assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk and then vanished off a roof and into the woods is still at large more than 24 hours later.
 
Heather Colley, right, poses with her son, Michah, outside their home Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Talbott, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Trump wants to axe an affordable housing grant that’s a lifeline for many rural communities
President Donald Trump and House Republicans want to cut new funding for a housing grant that many rural areas rely on to help fund affordable housing.
 
People gather at a vigil at Lynnhurst Park after a shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
Minneapolis Catholic schoolchildren listened to a prayer, then ducked for cover from gunfire
The pews of a Minneapolis church were packed with teachers, parents and schoolchildren paired with older ‘buddies’ listening to a prayer on their third day of the new school year.
 
Crystina Page, back, hugs a well-wisher outside the El Paso County Courthouse after a judge ruled against accepting a plea deal in the case of a funeral home owner who stored roughly 189 decomposing bodies in a building Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado judge rejects plea deal for funeral director who acknowledged abusing 191 corpses
A Colorado judge has rejected a plea agreement for a funeral home owner who acknowledged abusing 191 corpses.
 
House Speaker Dustin Burrows gavels out at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
Trump’s new congressional map in Texas still stymied as Gavin Newsom urges president to give up
Texas Republicans were unable again Monday to approve new congressional districts to meet President Donald Trump’s demands.
 
A tarp covers the wreckage of a helicopter after it clipped a power line spanning the Mississippi River and crashed onto a barge Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, in East Alton, Ill. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Two die when helicopter strikes powerlines and crashes into a barge on the Mississippi River
A helicopter flying over the Mississippi River ran into a powerline then crashed into a barge and sparked a fire, killing two people. Cpl.
 
Texas state Rep. Marc LaHood looks over a map as lawmakers prepare to debate a redrawn U.S. congressional map in Texas during a special, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
What states are doing in the battle for partisan advantage in US House redistricting maps
A redistricting battle for partisan advantage in Congress is spreading across states. Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday signed legislation creating a new U.S.
 
FILE- This image provided by the Muskogee County, Okla., Sheriff's Office shows Carie Hallford. (Muskogee County Sheriff's Office via AP, file)
Funeral home owner who sent families fake ashes pleads guilty to fraud
A Colorado funeral home owner has admitted to sending customers fake ashes and defrauding the federal government in a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.
 
Dentist James Craig, front right, is led away as Judge Shay Whitaker, back, looks on after verdict rendered in his murder trial in district court in Arapahoe County, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Centennial, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, Pool)
Colorado dentist convicted of murder, gets life sentence for lacing wife’s shakes with poison
A Colorado dentist has been convicted of murder in the poisoning death of his wife and sentenced to life in prison without possible parole.
 
Prosecutor Michael Mauro, front, makes a point during closing arguments as an image of Angela Craig is cast on a screen in the murder trial of dentist James Craig, who is accused of killing his wife Angela, in district court in Arapahoe County Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in Centennial, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, Pool)
Colorado dentist gave his wife a fatal dose of poison while she was hospitalized, prosecutor says
A prosecutor says a Colorado dentist accused of killing his wife by poisoning her wanted out of their marriage but didn’t want a divorce.
 
This image taken from video provided by WSVN-TV shows Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and others in boats around what appears to be a barge involved in an accident with a group of kids and an adult on a sailing boat during a sailing camp, Monday, July 28, 2025, in Miami. (WSVN-TV via AP)
2 kids killed at Miami sailing camp after barge collides with their boat, authorities say
Two kids have died, and two others are in critical condition after a barge reportedly struck their sailing boat near Miami.
 
Parents were given their deceased son’s brain by funeral homes, lawsuit alleges
Two funeral homes allegedly gave grieving parents their deceased son’s brain in a box, which began to smell and leak.
 
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