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New charge filed against man accused of firing shotgun outside New York synagogue

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A new federal charge was filed Monday against a man accused of firing a shotgun into the air outside a synagogue in upstate New York.Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, 28, was arrested Thursday after shots were fired outside Temple Israel of Albany. The Iraqi-born U.S. citizen said “Free Palestine” when officers arrested him. He later told investigators that he felt affected by events in the Middle East, according to police officials and court filings.Federal prosecutors initially charged Alkhader with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person — a charge authorities said was related to his admitted use of marijuana.He was charged Monday with conspiracy to make a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. The new charge stems from the recent purchase of the shotgun authorities said he used in the shooting. Alkhader did not think he was eligible to buy a firearm because of a previous protective order, so he gave a friend money to buy the shotgun for him. The unident...

1 arrested, another man wanted in Toronto condo robbery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

One man has been arrested, and a second man remains wanted as Toronto police investigate a robbery that occurred at a condominium in the fall. Police were called to the Bay Street and Adelaide Street West area just before 8 a.m. on Sept. 15 for reports of a break-and-enter in progress.It’s alleged that one suspect assisted the other in gaining entry into a condominium building. Once inside, one of the suspects forced entry into a unit within the building.Authorities said one suspect then stole high-end watches and money. No injuries were reported.On Sept. 19, police arrested 44-year-old Trevor Harwood of Toronto. He was charged with break-and-enter and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. Harwood appeared in court on Sept. 20.Authorities have identified the second man as 41-year-old Joel Barnor of Toronto. He’s wanted on the same aforementioned charges.Barnor is described as five-foot-eight and 181 pounds with a medium build and black shoulder-length dreadlocks.

Groups want full federal appeals court to revisit ruling limiting scope of the Voting Rights Act

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Progressive advocacy groups in Arkansas on Monday asked a full federal appeals court to reconsider a three-judge panel’s ruling that private groups can’t sue under a key section of the federal Voting Rights Act. The Arkansas Public Policy Panel and the Arkansas State Conference NAACP asked for the case to go before the full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after a panel ruled 2-1 last month that only the U.S. attorney general can enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.The groups, which are challenging Arkansas’ new state House districts under the law, told reporters in a conference call that the ruling reverses decades of precedent and would remove a key tool for voters to stand up for their rights if it’s not reversed. It also would put future challenges at the whims of partisan politics, since the president nominates the attorney general.“By jeopardizing private parties’ ability to enforce the act, the panel decision threatens ...

Closing arguments begin in trial of 3 officers charged in Manuel Ellis’ death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — After two Washington officers knocked Manuel Ellis to the ground, punched, choked and shot him with a Taser, he said three words: “can’t breathe, sir,” a prosecutor told the jury during closing arguments Monday. A third officer joined in, holding Ellis face down with pressure on his back until he slowly died, said special prosecutor Patty Eakes, who is working for the Washington Attorney General’s office.Had the officers done what most people would do if someone was struggling to breathe, Ellis would be alive today, Eakes said. “They chose instead to treat him like an animal, in the most dehumanizing position you can imagine,” she said. The Pierce County Medical Examiner ruled Ellis’ death a homicide and determined he died of hypoxia due to physical restraint.Two of the Tacoma, Washington officers — Matthew Collins, 40, and Christopher Burbank, 38 — were charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. Timothy Rankine, 34, is charged w...

Hasbro cutting 1,100 jobs amid ongoing slowdown in toy sales

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Toy maker Hasbro said Monday it is cutting about 1,100 jobs, or 20% of its workforce, as the malaise in the toy business extends through another holiday shopping season.The nearly century-old Rhode Island-based company behind Monopoly, Play-Doh and My Little Pony toys disclosed the layoffs in a memo to employees published in a regulatory filing. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news.The company said that the reductions are on top of 800 job cuts that have been taken so far in 2023 as part of moves announced last year to save up to $300 million annually by 2025. As of year-end 2022, the company said it had 6,490 employees. Holiday shopping survey reveals stressful trend among US consumers Like many toy companies, Hasbro is struggling with a slowdown in sales after a surge during pandemic lockdowns when parents were splurging on toys to keep their children busy. Last holiday season, many toy companies had to slash prices to get rid of merchandise due to wea...

Federal jury decides Google’s Android app store benefits from anticompetitive barriers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal court jury has decided that Google’s Android app store has been protected by anticompetitive barriers that have damaged smartphone consumers and software developers, dealing a blow to a major pillar of a technology empire.The unanimous verdict reached Monday came after just three hours of deliberation following a four-week trial revolving around a lucrative payment system within Google’s Play store. The store is the main place where hundreds of millions of people around the world download and install apps that work on smartphones powered by Google’s Android software. Are we in a ‘silent depression’? TikTokers claim 2023 economy is worse than Great Depression Epic Games, the maker of the popular Fortnite video game, filed a lawsuit against Google three years ago, alleging that the internet powerhouse has been abusing its power to shield its Play Store from competition in order to protect a gold mine that makes billions of dollars annually. Just as App...

Gophers football: Prior Lake defensive lineman Jide Abasiri decommits after USC visit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

The second shoe has dropped on one of three high school players with questionable commitments to the Gophers football program.Prior Lake defensive lineman Jide Abasiri said Monday he has de-committed from the Gophers recruiting class for 2024. The three-star prospect is coming off a visit to USC last weekend.Abasiri, who is listed at 6-foot-5 and 290 pounds, committed to Minnesota in March. He was set to follow two Prior Lake players to Dinkytown, until the Trojans started showing interest, including a scholarship offer in November.After Abasiri made the announcement, fellow Prior Lake alums turned Gophers, Greg Johnson and Martin Owusu, posted emoji faces with questioning expressions on the social media site X.Minnesota has had five total de-commitments from next year’s class. Two more are feared by the U to be coming down the pike.Esko, Minn., safety Koi Perich visited Ohio State this weekend, while Gaylord, Mich., linebacker Brady Pretzlaff took a trip to Michigan State. Former U...

RPI to join IBM, Meta and more in launching AI Alliance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is joining IBM, Meta and dozens of other companies in an international Artificial Intelligence Alliance. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! It aims to foster advancements, share resources, and mitigate risk as AI technology advances. The alliance hopes to create vetted security tools to enable the responsible development and deployment of AI systems globally.The alliance is comprised by of over 50 founding members and is led by IBM and Meta.

Illinois convenience store owners watch as lottery player wins $1M on scratch-off ticket

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

SPRING VALLEY, Ill. — A $20 holiday-themed scratch-off ticket has turned an Illinois Lottery player into a millionaire.According to the Illinois Lottery, the Merry Multiplier ticket was sold at Happy’s Super Service Convenience Store in the 100 block of East Dakota Street in Spring Valley, and the store's owners say they watched as the big winner scratched their way to riches.“Next thing we know, the customer is jumping up and down and screaming, so we knew it had to be a big winning ticket. It was a pretty exciting moment,” said Lisa West, who owns the store with her husband Fred.The store's owners say Spring Valley, located about 90 miles from Chicago, only has about 5,500 residents, so the million-dollar win is pretty significant.“There’s not a lot of action going on here, so someone winning a million bucks playing the Lottery is pretty big news around and we’re so excited that it happened at our store,” West said.The recently minted millionaire picked up just one of the 61 milli...

LoDo landlord sues to evict 7-Eleven that “attracts vagrancy and crime”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

A landlord at 18th and Blake in LoDo wants permission to evict a convenience store that the landlord blames for difficulties leasing office space above the store.“The 7-Eleven at the premises attracts vagrancy and crime,” its landlord alleges.In September 2021, Seattle-based Unico paid $61.2 million for the five-story office building at 1755 Blake St. 7-Eleven had been a ground-floor tenant for 11 years by that time and had just signed a lease extension to stay there through June 2026, court records show.Unico says that “problems relating to vagrancy around 7-Eleven’s business” date back to at least 2016, when its prior landlord warned about a need for increased security. 7-Eleven initially refused to pay for that security but relented in 2019, according to Unico.Two months after Unico bought the building in 2021, there was a gunpoint robbery. Since then, there has been an overdose, a stabbing suspect who fled into the store, and vagrancy. There were four break-ins between Oct. 4 an...