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‘Fat Leonard’ seeks new attorneys ahead of sentencing in Navy bribery case, causing another delay

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:45:40 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Defense contractor Leonard “Fat Leonard” Francis, who fled to South America weeks before he was scheduled to be sentenced in one of the biggest bribery schemes in U.S. military history, said Thursday that he wants new attorneys now that he is back in U.S. custody after a Venezuelan prisoner swap.An enigmatic figure who was 6-foot-3 and weighed 350 pounds at one time, Francis was visibly thinner at the hearing in U.S. District Court. He told the judge he has agreed to end his relationship with Warren & Burstein, the law firm that has represented him during much of the decadelong salacious saga involving dozens of American Navy officers. The change was initially requested by the firm, which made the decision with a “heavy heart,” attorney Jeremey Warren said. “We have a loyalty to our clients. We don’t like to step away.”Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Sheppard objected to the change, saying it would set back Francis’ sentencing yet again because it would...

Arbitrator blasts Mayor Johnson, City Council for 'big lie' about cop discipline

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:45:40 GMT

CHICAGO — An independent arbitrator who oversaw months of negotiations between the city and the Fraternal Order of Police is now accusing the mayor and city council members of engaging in “Chicago’s version of ‘The Big Lie.’”The arbitrator said the mayor and 33 alderpersons violated their oaths to the Illinois constitution by attempting to strip officers accused of the most serious wrongdoing of their right to arbitration as prescribed in state law. WGN Investigates: Investigating public corruption, crime & fraud In December, Mayor Brandon Johnson led the fight to have cases that could result in suspensions of one year or longer decided by the Police Board rather than an independent arbitrator.The Police Board is a nine-member civilian body appointed by the mayor.“Misinformation, un-truths and half-truths about the arbitration process have been fed to the public and have been repeated over and over to the point...[they] have now become fact,” wrote arbitrator Edwin Benn. ...

Actress Glynis Johns, 'Mary Poppins' star, dies at 100

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:45:40 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Glynis Johns, a Tony Award-winning stage and screen star who played the mother opposite Julie Andrews in the classic movie “Mary Poppins” and introduced the world to the bittersweet standard-to-be “Send in the Clowns” by Stephen Sondheim, has died. She was 100.Mitch Clem, her manager, said she died Thursday at an assisted living home in Los Angeles of natural causes. “Today’s a sad day for Hollywood,” Clem said. “She is the last of the last of old Hollywood.”Johns was known to be a perfectionist about her profession — precise, analytical and opinionated. The roles she took had to be multi-faceted. Anything less was giving less than her all.“As far as I’m concerned, I’m not interested in playing the role on only one level,” she told The Associated Press in 1990. “The whole point of first-class acting is to make a reality of it. To be real. And I have to make sense of it in my own mind in order to be real."Johns’ greatest triumph was playing Desiree...

Clash over border security funding set to be first conflict for Congress in 2024

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:45:40 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – A political fight four decades in the making is coming to a head in the New Year. House Republicans are vowing to play hard ball to ensure Trump era immigration policies are part of a deal to secure the border.During a visit to the Texas-Mexico border Wednesday they demanded the final text include changes to the country's asylum laws and renewed construction of the border wall."We know what works, it's not rocket science," said newly elected Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La).After border crossings spiked in recent weeks, Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) compared the situation at the border to war times and threatened extreme consequences if Republican demands are ignored."If that means having to shut down the government…do it" said Van Duyne.The visit comes as bipartisan negotiations between senators and the White House resumed this week in Washington. The same group tried but failed to strike a deal before the holidays."We think those negotiations are hea...

Whataburger reveals new menu item: Whatawings

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:45:40 GMT

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Texas' beloved fast food chain has launched a limited-time menu item to ring in the new year.Whataburger is introducing Whatawings, a nine-piece boneless bite-sized chicken meal that comes in four classic flavors.Credit: Gabriela GonzalezWhatwings can be found at a Whataburger location near you, just like you like it.Boneless wing fanatics can choose from buffalo, sweet and spicy, honey BBQ, honey butter wings or even get them plain.Whataburger has not confirmed how long the limited-time only Whatawings will be on their menu.

Lee, Olson: Books we read in 2023 to prepare us for the future

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:45:40 GMT

It has been an overwhelming 12 months in the technology world. Rapid developments in artificial intelligence, which went into overdrive in late 2022 with the release of ChatGPT, have generated countless column inches, panel discussions and political debate.For those who want to contribute to the discourse, understanding the core issues at play has never been more important. Yet the deluge of hype, news coverage, fear-mongering and misinformation can leave us feeling lost. What are the innovations that truly matter? What are the consequences worth thinking about?It helps, then, to take a good step back and to take the time to slowly ingest information and consider what may lie ahead. As we enter 2024, we wanted to share the books we read (or read again) in the past year that have helped frame our thinking.“The Worlds I See” — Fei-Fei Li, 2023Fei-Fei Li was a young woman from China when she arrived in the U.S. in the early 1990s. Back then, with barely any grasp of E...

Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan superintendent Mary Kreger plans to retire after school year

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:45:40 GMT

After six years at the helm of the state’s third-largest school district, Superintendent Mary Kreger announced Tuesday that this school year will be her last.Mary Kreger, superintendent of Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school district, announced Jan. 2, 2024 that she will be retiring at the end of the school year. (Courtesy of District 196)Under Kreger, District 196, which includes Rosemount, Apple Valley and Eagan, established an Equity and Inclusion Department, won voter approval for $493 million of facility improvements, approved an operating levy to provide funding to support students’ mental health and navigated challenges brought on by budget cuts and the COVID-19 pandemic.Before taking over as superintendent in 2018, Kreger worked for 13 years as the district’s director of special education. Kreger’s 35 years in education have spanned Minneapolis, Lakeville, South Washington County Schools and District 196, according to a news release from the district. An Apple Valley residen...

Lawmaker calls for NY nursing home report to be released

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:45:40 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)-- Senator Jim Tedisco said a report about COVID-19 nursing home deaths should have been released to the public over a month ago. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "What we realize right now, and this is why the study is so important, is that pandemics and viruses don’t go by legislative time," said Tedisco. "They come willy-nilly, and they may be coming in the near future."The senator wants the information to be released so that the state can learn from past mistakes. Over 15,000 nursing home deaths are being blamed on a March 2020 executive order by then Governor, Andrew Cuomo, which placed COVID positive-patients in nursing homes. According to Tedisco, a firm was given a 4.3 million dollar contract to conduct a year-long review of New York’s pandemic policy. "I’m just asking, Governor. Give us the report. You signed a contract. The Olsen Group from Virginia signed a contract. I want to see what they put f...

DEC: Summer camp registrations open on March 24

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:45:40 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (WWTI) - New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced that online registration for the 2024 Summer Camps program will open at 1 p.m. March 24. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Guardians can register youth for a week of camp, manage their accounts, and complete required forms and waivers through a link from the DEC Summer Camps webpage. Parents and guardians are encouraged to register early since many weeks fill up quickly and are advised to monitor the webpage for upcoming announcements on 2024 camp forms.DEC’s summer camps are a great way to introduce kids to the outdoors and everything it offers. DEC’s summer camps provide children and teens with opportunities to experience outdoor activities and environmental stewardship, all while encouraging our next generation of conservationistsBasil Seggos, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation commissionerNo...

AG's office opens investigation into I-87 shootout

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:45:40 GMT

NEW YORK, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation is launching an investigation into the civilian death on I-87 on Wednesday. The civilian, Rakim A. Tillery, 35, was involved in a shooting on Hudson Avenue in Albany earlier in the day. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! According to Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins, Tillery shot a victim in Albany at around 1 p.m. He then fled the scene, driving southbound on I-87.State Police were notified and located the vehicle on the highway in Ramapo. Tillery fired a gun at the troopers, who returned fire. Tillery was struck and killed. A gun was recovered at the scene.The OSI is required to assess all incidents where a law enforcement officer may have caused the death of a person.