Bodies of Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa unclaimed a month after discovery

The bodies of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa have still not been claimed, a month after the couple was found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

As of Thursday, two individuals — identified as Hackman, G. and Hackman, B. — are still noted on the New Mexico medical investigator’s list of unclaimed decedents. The list is updated each Monday and Friday.

The New York Daily News reached out to the medical investigator’s office to inquire whether either decedent has been claimed since the latest update on March 24.

Hackman and Arakawa, as well as one of their three dogs, were found dead in their home on Feb. 26. Officials later said the two-time Oscar winner likely died on Feb. 18 from “severe heart disease” coupled with advanced Alzheimer’s. He was 95.

Arakawa, a 65-year-old classical pianist, is believed to have died roughly a week earlier due to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare but sometimes fatal disease transmitted from rodents to humans.

Earlier this month, documents obtained by TMZ showed that Hackman left the entirety of his $80 million fortune to Arakawa, designating her as his sole beneficiary in 1995. They married four years prior.

None of Hackman’s three children — Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 62, and Leslie, 58 — were named in his will. He shared his family with his late ex-wife, Faye Maltese.

Hackman had occasionally spoken about the sometimes difficult relationships he had with his kids, admitting that his commitment to his career meant he wasn’t always around during their formative years.

“You become very selfish as an actor,” he told The New York Times in 1989. “Even though I had a family, I took jobs that would separate us for three or four months at a time.”

While Hackman and his children had reportedly grown closer in recent years, it’s unclear where they stood prior to his death. His “devastated” daughters and granddaughter said in a statement they would “miss him sorely.”

Leslie also said she was “very saddened” by the death of Arakawa, who she praised for taking “very good care” of her father. She said the two shared a “wonderful marriage.”

In bodycam footage from outside the actor’s home, Elizabeth requested that an officer cremate the couple’s deceased dog, Zinna, and bury the remains with Arakawa.

—New York Daily News

Fully in power, GOP targets Planned Parenthood

WASHINGTON — Lobbyists are pushing Capitol Hill and the White House to elevate pregnancy resource centers and to fulfill promises to slash funding for Planned Parenthood ahead of Supreme Court arguments next week that will examine if states can choose to exclude Planned Parenthood from Medicaid reimbursements.

Domestic health organizations that provide abortions can be eligible for federal family planning funding depending on how an administration chooses to regulate the Title X family planning program.

Under Democratic presidents, abortion providers can still apply for this funding if it is used for nonabortion purposes. Since the Reagan administration, Republican presidencies have prohibited abortion providers from being eligible for this funding.

Federal Medicaid dollars, similarly, cannot be used to cover most abortions under the Hyde amendment, a spending provision that bans the use of federal funds for most abortions. Still, states like California and Illinois can use state funds to cover out-of-pocket costs for abortion. Clinics can still seek reimbursement for providing other services like birth control, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment or well woman exams to Medicaid patients.

Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest network of abortion providers and the biggest recipient of Title X funds during Democratic administrations, has been a punching bag for conservatives. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have called for defunding the organization at-large.

The Department of Health and Human Services is currently reviewing Title X grant recipients to ensure they are compliant with federal law and recent executive orders.

An HHS official said the agency has not made any final decisions about changes to funding for Planned Parenthood.

—CQ-Roll Call

Military troops, armored vehicles deployed to Texas' Big Bend National Park as part of Trump's plan to crack down on immigration

DALLAS — The U.S. military is deploying troops and armored vehicles to West Texas, including inside Big Bend National Park, as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

About 200 troops from the Army’s 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado — a trained combat unit — are already on the ground in and around Big Bend. That number is expected to grow to some 500 in coming weeks, Army officials say.

At a news conference this month in Alpine, Army and border officials said troops will not arrest people suspected of entering the country illegally, according to Marfa Public Radio. Instead, soldiers will assist U.S. Customs and Border Protection with surveillance and intelligence gathering, the Department of Defense announced this week.

Troops will patrol both on foot and in armored vehicles, known as Strykers. The 19-ton vehicles are well-suited for navigating rugged terrain. Army officials did not disclose how many Strykers are being deployed. The vehicles could be outfitted with weapons, if needed.

“If the mission dictates for security purposes that we put our weapons systems on those Strykers, then they will be put on the Strykers,” Major Jared Stefani, who is leading the Big Bend area Army battalion, told reporters.

This is the second wave of troops being sent to beef up border security since Trump took office in January. About 1,500 Marines and Army soldiers arrived shortly after inauguration, joining 2,500 Army forces already there.

Encompassing the rugged Chisos Mountains and Chihuahuan Desert, Big Bend is one of the nation’s largest and most remote national parks. The park spans more than 800,000 acres, making it larger than the state of Rhode Island.

It also sees few border crossings compared to other parts of Texas. In February of this year, Customs and Border Protection reported 165 migrant encounters in Big Bend, compared to 1,600 in Laredo and 2,600 around El Paso the same month. Overall, apprehensions in February dropped to the lowest levels in decades.

Critics of the deployment called the plan a waste of taxpayer dollars and a political stunt.

—The Dallas Morning News

Death toll rises to at least 27 as South Korea wildfires rage on

SEOUL, South Korea — The death toll from the wildfires sweeping through southeastern South Korea has risen to at least 27, with 32 more people injured, news agency Yonhap reported on Thursday.

The fires, which have been raging in the south-east of the country since Friday, have already burnt down some 36,000 hectares of forest, making them the largest in South Korea's history, Yonhap reported.

Although light rainfall was forecast for the south-east of the country on Thursday, it is unlikely to be enough to make a significant difference to the firefighting efforts.

Around 37,000 residents have so far had to be evacuated from their homes and taken to emergency shelters. Some of the affected areas are also suffering from water shortages and power outages.

The fires, which began in Sancheong County, about 250 kilometers southeast of Seoul, have caused significant destruction, including to several historical sites.

Goun Temple in Uiseong, built in 681, was destroyed, Yonhap reported, adding that national treasures stored in the ancient temple had been relocated before its destruction. The historic Hahoe village, which UNESCO declared a World Heritage site in 2010, is also threatened by the flames.

Residents have been ordered to evacuate.

The fires have been fueled by dry winds and a prolonged drought, according to officials.

—dpa