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Felony convictions vacated for 4 former Navy officers in sprawling 'Fat Leonard' bribery scandal

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The felony convictions of four former Navy officers in one of the worst bribery cases in the maritime branch's history were vacated Wednesday due to questions about prosecutorial misconduct, the latest setback to the government's yearslong efforts in going after dozens of military officials tied to a defense contractor nicknamed Fat Leonard.U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino called the misconduct “outrageous” and agreed to allow the four men to plead guilty to a misdemeanor and pay a $100 fine each.The surprising turn in the case came at a sentencing hearing in federal court in San Diego.Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Ko, who was brought on after the defendants were tried last year, admitted to “serious issues” with prosecutorial misconduct and asked the judge to vacate the officers' felony convictions. He said his office does not agree with all of the allegations but said errors were made. “There were pretty obviously serious issues that affect our ability to go f...

Homicide suspect escapes from George Washington University Hospital in DC

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — George Washington University issued a shelter-in-place order Wednesday afternoon after a homicide suspect escaped from police custody at the university hospital.The Metropolitan Police Department announced on the X social media platform that Christopher Haynes had “escaped custody” at the hospital just after 3:30. In a news release, police said Haynes, 30, had been arrested earlier Wednesday and charged with a “homicide offense.” Further details were not immediately available. The police notice did not say if Haynes was armed, but it advised people not to engage if they saw him and to call 911. The university sent out text messages warning anyone on campus to shelter in place “due to the dangerous individual around campus.”At 6 p.m., more than two hours after the shelter-in-place order had been issued, the university administration sent out text messages saying the order would continue and canceling all evening events and activities. The message stated, “In-p...

California courts may weigh affirmation of child’s gender identity in custody cases

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California could soon require judges to consider whether a parent affirms their child’s gender identity when making custody and visitation decisions under a bill that cleared the state Senate on Wednesday.The vote was split almost entirely along party lines, with Democrats arguing the legislation would help to protect the well-being of LGBTQ+ children whose parents are going through a divorce. Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener, who represents San Francisco, said the bill was a proactive measure.“This is about not having to get involved after a child has been beaten and had their arm broken, or after they’ve been kicked out,” Wiener said. “This is about trying to make sure that something terrible does not happen to them.”Every Republican in the state Senate voted against the bill, with state Sen. Kelly Seyarto, who represents Murrieta in Southern California, arguing that lawmakers were interfering too much with how parents choose to raise their children.“Insertin...

Greek shipper pleads guilty to smuggling Iranian crude oil and will pay $2.4 million fine

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Greek shipper has pleaded guilty to a charge over it smuggling sanctioned Iranian crude oil and agreed to pay a $2.4 million fine, U.S. federal court papers seen Thursday by The Associated Press show. Empire Navigation agreed to be put on corporate probation under the plea agreement, according to the federal court filings. The charge stems from the saga over the oil tanker Suez Rajan, which has become mired in the wider tensions between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic even as Tehran and Washington work toward a trade of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets in South Korea for the release of five Iranian Americans held in Tehran. Iran has been trying to evade sanctions and continue selling its oil abroad, while the U.S. and its allies have been seizing cargoes since 2019 after the country’s nuclear deal allowing the trade collapsed.The saga over the Suez Rajan began in February 2022, when the group United Against Nuclear Iran said it susp...

COPA releases video of deadly Morgan Park police shooting

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

CHICAGO -- The Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) has released video of the fatal Morgan Park officer-involved shooting last month.The Chicago Police Department notified COPA of a fatal officer-involved shooting near the 1100 block of West 111th Street in Chicago's Morgan Park neighborhood around 5:30 p.m. on August 11. Suburban man showed his genitals to children walking home from school, police say Further investigation showed that two CPD officers were in a marked police vehicle when they observed a confrontation between two individuals. The officers reportedly observed one individual with a firearm in their back pocket.When the officers engaged, the armed individual fled, and officers pursued them into a residence. Inside the residence, officers gave verbal commands to drop the weapon, as they struggled over the individual’s firearm.The individual and one of the officers both discharged their weapons, at which time the individual was struck and transported to the ...

ERCOT issues EEA 2 due to low power reserves, no controlled outages right now

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

Editor's Note: The above video explains the different ERCOT alert levels.AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas' main electric grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, has now issued Energy Emergency alert (EEA 2) due to low power reserves, the agency confirmed on Twitter."There are no controlled outages at this time. Please safely reduce electric use and have a plan to stay safe in case outages become necessary," the agency said on Twitter.However, an emergency alert from ERCOT said controlled outages may be needed to protect the electric system. Texans are being asked to reduce electric use.Earlier in the day, ERCOT issued a conservation alert for Texans Wednesday evening due to potential "tight grid conditions," according to a press release. Understanding ERCOT’s emergency alert levels ERCOT has several different Energy Emergency Alert levels, or EEAs. After Normal Grid Conditions, the levels are Conservation Alert level, then EEA 1, 2, and 3.Here’s what the alert levels m...

APD searching for suspect in north Austin hit-and-run

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department said it was searching for a suspect in connection with a north Austin hit-and-run crash.APD said the crash occurred at approximately 5:20 p.m. on Aug. 30 at the Interstate 35 frontage road at Howard Lane.According to police, the driver of a suspect vehicle rear-ended the victim, which caused significant damage to both vehicles. APD said the victim suffered injuries because of the crash.“The suspect did not render aid, nor did he provide the information required by law when involved in a collision,” APD said.Police described the suspect as a 5’8” to 5’9” White man approximately 65 to 75 years of age with a medium to heavy set build and short, grey hair.The suspect’s vehicle was described as a black Ford Expedition King Ranch Edition with heavy front-end damage, primarily on the right side. Police said it had a permanent disability blue placard hanging from the rearview mirror, a TX tag sticker next to the rearview mirror, a vanity front pl...

New COVID-19 variant arrives in Texas

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

TEXAS - A new COVID variant has been identified in Texas, becoming the fifth state where the variant has been confirmed. BA 2.86, also known as Pirola, raised concerns because it has several mutations and it has been detected in several locations within a short amount of time.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Pirola has been detected in Israel, Canada, Denmark, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, and Thailand, including at least five states in the U.S. A member from the genome sequencing team at Houston Methodist Hospital released the news of the first case in Texas on X, formerly known as Twitter.In the Houston area, overall COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions are up a little and the wastewater viral load in Harris County is at 375 percent. In Texas, cases are up by 31.6% compared to the previous week according to the latest report issued Aug 28, 2023.And while the CDC said there is currently no evidence that this new v...

Vikings head into Week 1 with confidence

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

When it was suggested that a season like last year’s would be a good one for the 2023 Vikings, veteran safety Harrison Smith laughed.“Well,” he said, “I hope we win a few by larger margins.”Despite a first-round playoff loss, Minnesota’s 2022 season was one for the ages, resulting in an NFC North championship and a handful of firsts, such as Greg Joseph’s 61-yard, game winning field goal and the biggest regular-season comeback in NFL history in a 39-36 victory over Indianapolis.Overall, the Vikings — as alluded to by Smith — were 11-1 one-score games in a season that ended with a 13-4 record.That mettle isn’t something to dismiss, and while the Vikings have shed some important personnel since last season — a key rush end, their No. 1 running back and longtime middle linebacker — there is a sense at TCO Performance Center that good things could happen again.“My confidence level in our team is pretty darn high right now,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said Wednesday before his team’s fir...

Bruce Springsteen postpones all September concerts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) -- Bruce Springsteen announced that he will be postponing all of his September concerts, starting with his show scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 7 at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! Springsteen announced on his Twitter that he is being treated for symptoms of Peptic Ulcer Disease, and his medical advisors decided he should postpone his September concerts. He had a concert scheduled on September 19 at the MVP Arena in Albany.No makeup dates have been announced, but ticket holders will receive information about rescheduled dates once they are available.