A series of breaking news events unfolded on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, including a deadly shooting at a hockey game in Rhode Island, an avalanche in California, and developments in legal cases involving immigration and historical preservation.
In Pawtucket, Rhode Island, a mass shooting at a high school hockey game on Monday left two people dead and three critically wounded. The gunman, identified as 56-year-old Robert Dorgan, targeted family members, according to Tina Goncalves, the acting public safety director and police chief in Pawtucket. Dorgan, who also used the name Roberta Esposito, fatally shot his ex-wife, 52-year-old Rhonda Dorgan, and their 23-year-old son, Aidan Dorgan, before dying by suicide. Police are still investigating the motive behind the attack.
Meanwhile, in northern California, ten backcountry skiers remained missing following an avalanche in the Castle Peak area of the Sierra Nevada. The Nevada County Sheriff's Office reported that a group of 16 skiers, including four guides and 12 clients, were caught in the avalanche on Tuesday. A search and rescue operation is underway amid "highly dangerous" conditions, with efforts focused on getting six survivors to safety, according to the sheriff's office.
Elsewhere, legal battles continued to unfold. An immigration judge blocked the Trump administration from deporting Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian graduate student who led protests at Columbia University. Judge Nina Froes terminated the case due to a procedural misstep by government attorneys, who failed to properly certify an official document. The Trump administration may appeal the decision.
In a separate case, the Trump administration filed an appeal after a judge ordered the restoration of slavery exhibits at the President's House Site in Philadelphia. Senior Judge Cynthia M. Rufe ordered the defendants, including Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and the National Park Service, to restore the site to its previous state and to preserve the items without damage.
Finally, the search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, continued in Tucson, Arizona. Guthrie was reportedly kidnapped from her home on Sunday, February 1. The FBI released photos and videos of an armed person in a mask tampering with a security camera. Authorities announced that DNA from a glove found at the scene did not match anyone in CODIS.
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