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Judges rule against Tennessee Senate redistricting map over treatment of Nashville seats

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:28:57 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Republican-drawn map for Tennessee’s Senate seats violates the state Constitution because lawmakers incorrectly numbered the legislative districts in left-leaning Nashville, which affects which years those seats are on the ballot, a panel of judges ruled Wednesday.The ruling centers on maps passed by the Republican-supermajority Legislature in 2022 during the once-a-decade redistricting process.Tennessee’s constitution dictates that districts must be numbered consecutively in counties that have more than one district. The newly drawn redistricting plan does not do that in Davidson County, which encompasses Nashville. Instead, it’s numbered 17, 19, 20 and 21. The numbering matters because the four-year Senate terms are staggered, putting some districts on the ballot in presidential election years, others in gubernatorial election cycles.Currently, those four districts are represented by three Democrats and one Republican. There are 27 Republicans...

Suspended Alabama priest married the 18-year-old he fled to Italy with, records show

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:28:57 GMT

MOBLE, Ala. (AP) — State records show that a suspended Alabama priest recently married the 18-year-old woman he fled to Italy with this summer, and an archbishop said Wednesday that he expects the Vatican to pursue the man’s official dismissal from the priesthood.A marriage certificate filed Monday in Mobile County shows that Alex Crow, a 30-year-old Catholic priest in south Alabama, married the 18-year-old. Crow left the country in late July with the teen who is a recent graduate of McGill-Toolen High School. Crow was not an employee at the school but sometimes visited theology classes there, news outlets reported. The marriage certificate indicates the woman turned 18 in June.Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi announced in July that he had suspended Crow and forbidden him from acting, dressing, or presenting himself as a priest. Rodi later said he saw no way for Crow to return to the priesthood.“The recent news of Crow’s civil marriage only confirms the Archbishop’s judgment. Archbis...

Police up patrols in Toronto, at Pearson Airport after explosion at U.S.-Canada border

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:28:57 GMT

Toronto police are increasing their presence in the city and at Pearson Airport following a vehicle explosion on the American side of a Canada-U.S. Rainbow bridge in Niagara Falls.The explosion prompted the closure of all four international bridges between Canada and Western New York. Eyewitnesses reported seeing a speeding car and then a ball of flames when a vehicle suddenly crashed and exploded near a U.S. border checkpoint in Niagara Falls, triggering a lockdown along the Canada-U.S. border.According to The Associated Press, two occupants of the vehicle are dead. Videos posted to social media showed smoke and flames and the wreckage of at least one car at the secondary checkpoint complex.As a result of the explosion, Toronto police said it would increase directed patrols of uniformed officers throughout the city out of an abundance of caution. There is no known threat to city residents.A spokesperson for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) also noted that they’re...

Forensic psychiatrist testifies at coroner’s inquest into death of Soleiman Faqiri

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:28:57 GMT

Soleiman Faqiri denied having a history or symptoms of mental illness when he was admitted to an Ontario jail, but even non-medical staff could quickly see signs that he was unwell, a forensic psychiatrist told a coroner’s inquest Wednesday.In health assessments conducted when he arrived at the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Ont., in early December 2016, Faqiri reported no history of psychiatric issues or medication, and marked “no” on a checklist of symptoms for mental illness, the inquest into his death heard.It’s not uncommon for people in his situation to misrepresent themselves, and it’s not clear whether he did so intentionally or by mistake, said Dr. Gary Chaimowitz, a forensic psychiatrist who reviewed several health records related to the case.“What’s apparent is that Mr. Faqiri denied all the symptoms but there’s obviously an opportunity to observe the individual directly as well,” said Chaimowitz, who hea...

Regulators and law enforcement crack down on crypto’s bad actors. Congress has yet to take action

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:28:57 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — While the scandals in the cryptocurrency industry seem to never end, Washington policymakers appear to have little interest in pushing through legislation to codify the structure of the industry.The latest shoe to drop is Binance’s multibillion dollar settlement with U.S. authorities and the resignation of its CEO this week. Before that came the conviction of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried for stealing billions from customers and the implosion of smaller crypto companies that cost investors large sums of money. When cryptocurrencies collapsed and a number of companies failed last year, Congress considered multiple approaches for how to regulate the industry in the future. However, most of those efforts have gone nowhere, especially in this chaotic year that has been dominated by geopolitical tensions, inflation and the upcoming 2024 election.In fact, the appetite for new rules seems more diminished than ever. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said plainly Tuesday...

Atlanta officer used Taser on church deacon after he said he could not breathe, police video shows

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:28:57 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — An Atlanta police officer responding to a minor car crash deployed a Taser on a church deacon who disregarded multiple commands to sign a traffic ticket, shocking the man after he repeatedly said he could not breathe, police body camera video released Wednesday shows.Johnny Hollman Sr. became unresponsive during his arrest late on the night of Aug. 10 and later died. An autopsy determined the 62-year-old’s death was a homicide, with heart disease also a contributing factor, and his relatives have called on prosecutors to charge Officer Kiran Kimbrough with murder. An attorney for Kimbrough, who was fired, says the officer acted lawfully.The roughly hour-long video shows Kimbrough arriving at the scene of the crash and gathering information from Hollman, the other driver and a passenger before the confrontation. Relatives have said Hollman was driving home from Bible study at his daughter’s house and bringing dinner to his wife when he collided with another vehic...

Military scientists identify remains of Indiana soldier who died in German WWII battle

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:28:57 GMT

RICHMOND, Ind. (AP) — Military scientists have identified the remains of an Indiana soldier who died in World War II when the tank he was commanding was struck by an anti-tank round during a battle in Germany.The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Wednesday that the remains of U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Gene F. Walker of Richmond, Indiana, were identified in July, nearly 79 years after his death.Walker was 27 and commanded an M4 Sherman tank in November 1944 when his unit battled German forces near Hücheln, Germany, and his tank was struck by an anti-tank round.The tank’s other crew members survived, but Walker was killed and they were unable to remove his body from the tank due to heavy fighting. The War Department issued a presumptive finding of death in April 1945 for Walker, DPAA said.His remains were identified after a DPAA historian determined that one set of unidentified remains recovered in December 1944 from a burned-out tank in Hücheln possibly belonged to Walker. Th...

2 charged with operating sex ring that catered to wealthy clients will remain behind bars for now

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:28:57 GMT

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Two people accused of operating a high-end brothel network with wealthy and prominent clients in Massachusetts and the Washington, D.C., suburbs will remain behind bars for now, a judge said on Wednesday. Lawyers for Han Lee and Junmyung Lee agreed to a voluntary order of detention during a brief court hearing two weeks after their arrest. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy in Worcester, Massachusetts, entered the order without prejudice, which means defense lawyers can move for their release at a later date. Their attorneys declined to comment after the hearing. Authorities have said the commercial sex ring in Massachusetts and northern Virginia catered to politicians, company executives, military officers, lawyers, professors and other well-connected clients. Prosecutors have not publicly named any of the buyers and they have not been charged. But acting Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Josh Levy has said the investigation is ongoing and that prosecutors are commit...

Rebels claim to capture more ground in Congo’s east, raising further concerns about election safety

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:28:57 GMT

GOMA, Congo (AP) — A rebel group with alleged links to neighboring Rwanda claimed Wednesday to have seized a key town in Congo’s conflict-hit eastern region amid intense fighting, raising further security concerns ahead of the country’s Dec. 20 presidential election.Mweso town, which is about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the North Kivu provincial capital of Goma, came under the control of the M23 rebel group following days of fighting with government-backed forces, Lawrence Kanyuka, the group’s spokesman, said.Residents in the area told The Associated Press they witnessed gunfire between the rebels and security forces. “The enemy has managed to reoccupy Mweso,” said one, Alain Kamala.The AP was not immediately able to verify who was in control of the town. The Congolese army confirmed there was fighting under way around the area.M23 rose to prominence 10 years ago when its fighters seized Goma, eastern Congo’s largest city on the border with Rwanda. It derives its name from ...

U.S. egg producers conspired to fix prices from 2004 to 2008, a federal jury ruled

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:28:57 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Illinois jury ruled this week that several major egg producers conspired to limit the U.S.’s supply of eggs in order to raise prices in a case stemming from a federal lawsuit originally filed 12 years ago.Several large food manufacturing companies including Kraft Foods Global, Inc. and The Kellogg Company alleged in the lawsuit originally filed in 2011 that producers used various means to limit the U.S. domestic supply of eggs to increase the prices of eggs and egg products during the 2000s. The time frame of the conspiracy was an issue throughout the case; jurors ultimately determined damages occurred between 2004-2008. A jury unanimously delivered its verdict Tuesday in the Northern District of Illinois and damages will be decided in a trial scheduled for next week.The suppliers include the family company of an Indiana egg farmer running for the U.S. Senate in the state. Attorneys for the four egg suppliers named in the lawsuit did not immediately retu...