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Ex-police union boss gets 2 years in prison for $600,000 theft

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The former president of one of the nation’s largest police unions was sentenced to two years in prison Thursday for stealing $600,000 from a fund made up of contributions from members of the Sergeants Benevolent Association.Ed Mullins was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by Judge John G. Koeltl, who said he was balancing the four decades of police work and numerous charitable deeds Mullins had carried out against the crime he engaged in from 2017 through 2021. Mullins was also ordered to forfeit $600,000 and pay the same amount in restitution.Mullins, 61, of Port Washington, admitted the theft in January when he pleaded guilty to a wife fraud charge.He said Thursday that he had “lost” himself in carrying out the crime.“My regret cannot be put into words,” Mullins said. “I make no excuses. I made an incredibly bad decision.”His deal with prosecutors called for a sentence of up to 3 1/2 years in prison, which is what prosecutors requested.The SBA, which...

Ex-Mississippi officers plead guilty to racist assault on 2 Black men during raid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Six white former law enforcement officers in Mississippi who called themselves the “Goon Squad” have pleaded guilty to a racist assault on two Black men who were brutalized during a home raid that ended with an officer shooting one man in the mouth, federal prosecutors say.The civil rights charges were unsealed Thursday as the officers — five former Rankin County sheriff’s deputies and an ex-Richland police officer — appeared in federal court and pleaded guilty.The charges come after an Associated Press investigation that linked the deputies involved in the episode to at least four violent encounters with Black men since 2019 that left two dead and another with lasting injuries.Court documents show that on Jan. 24, the officers burst into the home without a warrant, then handcuffed and used a stun gun on the two men, Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker. The officers assaulted them with a sex object, beat them and used their stun guns repeatedly over ...

US Rep. Manning, of North Carolina, is injured in a car accident and released from hospital

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning, a North Carolina Democrat, was injured in a car accident Thursday in her district and was treated at a hospital, her office said. The second-term congresswoman was traveling in Greensboro in a car driven by a staff member when the accident occurred between 9 and 9:30 a.m., according to a news release and a spokesperson. “They sustained non life-threatening injuries, were taken to the hospital, and have been discharged,” the news release said. Manning was on her way to High Point for a roundtable discussion on gun violence, spokesperson Gia Scirrotto said. The news release thanks first responders and health care workers.Scirrotto said that the staff member driving was not at fault but didn’t have other details. Greensboro police didn’t immediately respond to an email.Manning, who was first elected to Congress in 2020, represents north-central North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District, which covers Guilford, Rockingham and...

Stock market today: Wall Street drifts as its big rally cools some more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting Thursday as Wall Street’s red-hot rally for the year cools a bit more.The S&P 500 was 0.3% lower in late trading after teetering between small gains and losses through the day. It’s on pace for a third drop after setting a 16-month high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 64 points, or 0.2%, at 35,217, as of 3:15 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.2% lower.A day earlier, U.S. stocks tumbled to their worst loss in months. While the drop came after Fitch Ratings downgraded the U.S. government’s credit rating, analysts say they expect the move to mean little for financial markets. U.S. Treasury debt is the cornerstone of the global financial system, but the downgrade likely won’t push any investors to dump theirs.The big questions remain whether the economy will avoid a recession, how corporate profits will do and where interest rates are heading. Hanging over them all is whether the stock market’s big run this year wa...

Italy approves extradition of priest wanted for murder, torture during Argentina dictatorship

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

ROME (AP) — Italy’s justice minister has approved the extradition of an Italian priest sought by Argentina on charges of murder and torture during that country’s last military dictatorship but the priest is appealing the extradition in Italian courts, a lawyer and rights groups said Thursday.Attorney Arturo Salerni, who represents Argentina, told The Associated Press that Justice Minister Carlo Nordio on Wednesday signed off on the request to extradite the Rev. Franco Reverberi, an 85-year-old priest who served as military chaplain during Argentina’s 1976-1983 military dictatorship.However, according to an Italian human rights group monitoring the case, Reverberi is appealing his extradition to Italy’s top criminal court and a ruling isn’t expected for weeks.Due to a clerical error, the justice minister was unaware of the appeal when he issued his ruling Wednesday, explained Jorge Ithurburu, who represents the March 24 human rights advocacy group. Even if the top court rejects Rever...

PETA asks Lake Station mayor to recuse police department after dogs die in box truck

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

LAKE STATION, Ind. — PETA has asked the mayor of Lake Station and its city council to recuse its own police department in an investigation related to several police K9s dying in a box truck.On July 27, a driver carrying the German Shepherds from O'Hare stopped at Road Ranger gas station on Ripley Street to get the dogs out of their crates after hearing them bark.Lake Station police said the AC unit in the back of the box truck failed and the driver became stuck in a two-hour traffic delay.There were 18 German Shepherds traveling in the truck and eight of them died.The executive director of the Hobart Humane Society, Jennifer Webber, was among the first on the scene and claims several municipal codes were broken. The driver was allowed to leave with the remaining dogs who were not hospitalized as residents looked on.On Wednesday, PETA sent a letter to Lake Station Mayor Bill Carroll and the city's council urging Carroll to recuse police department in the investigation. Several K-9s...

Chicago shootings, murders decline; Still not back to pre-pandemic level

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago police are reporting continued declines in several key categories of crime in the first seven months of the year.There have been 1,448 shootings so far this year, a decline of 9% from the same period last year. The 363 murders so far this year is 6% fewer than 2022, according to newly released department data. However, murders remain 23% higher than the year before the pandemic.Police brass are also trumpeting the highest murder clearance rate since 2015. While detectives report solving more murders, the 52% reported homicide clearance rate still means a killer essentially has the same odds as a coin flip when it comes to getting away with murder. More Coverage: WGN Investigates The department’s press release fails to mention that when you factor in other major categories of crime – including criminal sexual assault, burglary, aggravated battery and motor vehicle theft - crime is actually up 36% this year and 55% from 2019.    From 2019: Odds of getting away wi...

Here are the top education issues to watch going into the new school year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

(The Hill) -- Schools are preparing for a new academic year amid growing political polarization in the classroom and mounting concerns about learning loss. As the 2024 election heats up and reports indicate plummeting test scores, educators are at the forefront of navigating the line to satisfy students, parents and politicians. From advances in technology to books pulled off a classroom shelf, the new year is expected to bring serious challenges to educators, along with battles at the legislative level on how and what should be taught in the classroom.Here are the biggest education issues to watch heading into the new school year:Learning loss Students are still feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their learning, with numerous studies showing children have fallen behind in vital subjects such as math and reading. Despite most students getting back to the classroom in 2021, the learning loss experienced from online or hybrid learning reverberates toda...

Austin's 27-day streak of consecutive 100° days ties as the longest in recorded history

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin is currently experiencing the longest stretch of triple-digit heat in recorded history.Camp Mabry, Austin's official weather reporting site, has reached 100° or hotter every day since July 8.That means temperatures have reached the century mark for 27 days in a row. With records dating back to the 1890s, that ties with 2011 as the longest stretch of triple-digit temperatures ever recorded in Austin. MORE HEAT RECORDS: What is Austin's hottest month ever? The KXAN First Warning Weather team is currently forecasting at least seven more days at or above 100°, which would extend the streak past 30 days. How often does Austin hit 100°? Here’s a breakdown by date, month, year and decade The record streak currently stands at 27 days, set between July 17 and Aug. 12, 2011. That summer went on to have a record-breaking 90 days of triple-digit heat.Meanwhile, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport's streak of triple-digit days came to an end Thursday, July 27, with ...

Waymo gears up for ride-hail service launch in Austin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After announcing its autonomous vehicle prototype testing in Austin back in April, Waymo is slated to begin initial commercial ride-hail operations in the Texas capital this fall before a more public rollout later on.Austin marks the company's fourth ride-hail market, joining the Phoenix metro, San Francisco and Los Angeles, per a company release. Over the past several months, Waymo has tested its all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles in Austin."With this early testing successfully concluded, we’ll begin an initial phase of operations this fall, with fully autonomous deployment and our first rides with the public in the months following," company officials said in the release.Its Austin operations will provide ride-hail services both during the day and in the evenings, with earmarked travel locations including downtown along with the Barton Hills, Riverside, east Austin and Hyde Park neighborhoods. PAST COVERAGE: New autonomous vehicle company en route for testing i...