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Federal trial begins for man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:47:28 GMT

(CNN) — The federal trial of David DePape, the man accused of attacking the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in their San Francisco home last year, is now underway.Jury selection for the trial concluded Monday, said Liz Noteware, director of courtroom operations for the US District Court for the Northern District of California. The trial is scheduled to run through next week.DePape has pleaded not guilty to federal charges in connection with the attack on Paul Pelosi, including assault on the immediate family member of a federal official and the attempted kidnapping of a federal official. He faces a maximum of 30 years and 20 years, respectively, if found guilty on the charges.Among those expected to testify are the police officers who responded to the break-in and assault, the neurosurgeon who treated Pelosi for his injuries, and Paul Pelosi himself, court documents show. Nancy Pelosi is not expected to testify, accordin...

Mystery of ‘Stick Man’ on Led Zeppelin album cover finally solved

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:47:28 GMT

London (CNN) — After more than half a century, the identity of the elderly, stick-carrying man featured on the “Led Zeppelin IV” album cover has finally been revealed.The “Stick Man” who featured on the cover of English rock band Led Zeppelin’s 1971 fourth studio album was a thatcher from the late-Victorian era, the Wiltshire Museum in southwestern England said in a statement Wednesday.The thatcher is thought to be Lot Long – sometimes known as Longyear – who was born in the town of Mere, Wiltshire in 1823 and was a widower living in a small cottage when the photograph was taken. He died in 1893, according to the museum.Brian Edwards, a visiting research fellow with the Regional History Centre at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), made the finding after rediscovering the black and white original photograph, which had “A Wiltshire Thatcher” handwritten on it.The photograph is thought to be the original because it has a thumb print in the corner, Edwar...

Massachusetts emergency shelters for homeless, migrants max out, triggering waitlist

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:47:28 GMT

Massachusetts emergency shelters have maxed out at 7,500 families, leaving adults and children with few alternative options as they work their way through a state-run waiting list for temporary housing, according to data released Thursday.Shelters in the state reached the Healey administration’s self-imposed limit just as House lawmakers passed legislation that requires the creation of an overflow site for waitlisted families. But the bill still needs Senate approval and sign-off from Gov. Maura Healey.As advocates warn adults and children could find themselves stuck sleeping outside as they wait for shelter, the Healey administration moved this week to set up a $5 million grant program for nonprofits, community, and religious groups to offer overnight shelters.But overnight shelters are still in the works and any potential opening of an overflow site is still weeks away at best leaving immediate options for people seeking shelter limited. Interim solutions by community-based and fa...

Bruins notebook: Charlie McAvoy lays out his case

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:47:28 GMT

Charlie McAvoy knows he screwed up. His hit on the Florida Panthers’ Oliver Ekman-Larson on October 30, made in the heat of a 2-2 game that he’d just tied up, was late and high and he understands there had to be consequences.But the Bruins’ defenseman appealed his four-game suspension because he felt it should have had a game lopped off of it. Commissioner Gary Bettman, who heard the appeal, did not agree and thus McAvoy was set to serve the fourth and final game of the suspension on Thursday.McAvoy spoke to reporters for the first time since the hit on Ekman-Larson on Thursday morning after the B’s morning skate at Warrior Ice Arena.“What we were hoping for was just to get it reduced. I understand the need for discipline there and take responsibility for my actions. I know I made a mistake on the play,” said McAvoy. “But really the way that we understood it, and sort of the way it was explained to us by (head of Player Safety) George (Parros) and Player Safe...

Chicago White Sox lose another veteran as announcer Jason Benetti leaves for the Detroit Tigers TV booth

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:47:28 GMT

The Chicago White Sox have plenty of holes on the field to fill in 2024.Now they’ll have another one in the TV broadcast booth.Jason Benetti, who replaced Ken “Hawk” Harrelson as the TV voice of the Sox on NBC Sports Chicago eight years ago, was signed by the Detroit Tigers to do a minimum 127 games for Bally Sports.“I’m incredibly proud to join this historic and ascending Tigers franchise,” Benetti said in a statement. “From every single person I talked with throughout the interview process it was clear why so many respected professionals and creative people have joined the organization in the last several years. There’s something special about it, and I’m excited to bring that energy to Tigers fans around the globe.”Benetti, 40, who grew up a Sox fan in Homewood and attended Homewood-Flossmoor High School, said after interviewing with the Tigers it was “clear this was the right place” for him.“I was born...

Ohio voted on abortion. Next year, 11 more states might, too

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:47:28 GMT

Bram Sable-Smith | (TNS) KFF Health NewsUNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. — As activists parse the results of Tuesday’s vote to protect abortion rights in Ohio, Jamie Corley is already well on her way to putting a similar measure in front of Missouri voters next year.Corley, a former Republican congressional staffer, filed not one, but six potential ballot measures in August to roll back her state’s near-total ban on abortion, triggered by the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision to end federal protections for terminating pregnancies.“I can’t emphasize enough how dangerous it is to be pregnant in Missouri right now,” Corley said at a restaurant near her home in this St. Louis suburb. “There is a real urgency to pass something to change the abortion law.”Missouri is one of at least 11 states considering abortion-related ballot measures for next year, part of the wave of such actions since the Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. And while November 2024 is s...

Spanish conservative politician is shot in the face in Madrid. The gunman fled on a motorbike

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:47:28 GMT

By ALICIA LEÓN and JOSEPH WILSON (Associated Press)MADRID (AP) — Veteran Spanish right-wing politician Alejandro Vidal-Quadras was shot in the face in broad daylight on a central Madrid street on Thursday. His life was not in danger, according to the hospital where he was rushed for treatment.Police said Vidal-Quadras was attacked at around 1:30 p.m. local time near his home and that he was conscious when taken to a hospital by emergency crews. A motive for the shooting wasn’t immediately disclosed.According to Spanish state news agency EFE, police believe the shooter fled the scene on a motorbike, wearing a black helmet.Four hours after the shooting, Madrid’s Gregorio Marañón hospital issued its first public medical report on Vidal-Quadras’ condition. The hospital said the gunshot had fractured his jawbone and that he will undergo surgery. It said he was in stable condition and that his life was not in danger. Vidal-Quadras, 78, was a long-tim...

Commission weighs whether to discipline Illinois judge who reversed rape conviction

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:47:28 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — A western Illinois judge could face removal from office after a judicial oversight body considered allegations this week that he circumvented the law when he decided to reverse a rape conviction.The move sparked outrage in the victim’s hometown of Quincy, Illinois, and beyond.The Illinois Courts Commission, which rules on complaints against judges in the state and has the power to remove, suspend, or reprimand them, heard arguments in Chicago on Wednesday over the allegations Adams County Judge Robert Adrian acted with willful misconduct by throwing out his own decision to avoid sending the defendant to prison.Adrian presided over a three-day bench trial in which Drew Clinton of Taylor, Michigan, was accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl during a graduation party in May 2021.In October of that year, Adrian found Clinton — who was 18 — guilty of criminal sexual assault. The offense carries a minimum sentence of four years in prison in Illinois.But at Clinto...

Democrats postpone a subpoena vote in the Supreme Court ethics probe after a blowup with Republicans

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:47:28 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee abruptly adjourned a meeting on Thursday without holding an expected vote on subpoenas for two conservatives who have helped arrange luxury travel and other benefits for Supreme Court justices.The panel’s Democratic chairman, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, gaveled out after Republicans on the committee made clear they would call for subpoena votes on a raft of Democratic officials and others, a protest of the planned subpoenas for Republican megadonor Harlan Crow and conservative activist Leonard Leo. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the panel, warned majority Democrats that the hearing would be contentious.Jammed with amendments and the possibility of hours of debate, Durbin gaveled out. He said in a statement after the meeting that there were “scheduling issues” but that they would try again. “We will continue our efforts to authorize subpoenas in the near future,” Durbin said. “The highest co...

Online gaming operator fined $150K for failing to protect player from massive losses: AGCO

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:47:28 GMT

An online gaming operator in Ontario has been hit with a fine of $150,000 for failing to help a player who was flagged as “high-risk” from accruing massive gambling losses, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) said in a release Thursday.The AGCO levied the financial penalties after claiming PointsBet Canada Operations 1 Inc., a registered internet gaming operator, failed to meet the province’s responsible gambling requirements.More specifically, the AGCO says the company failed to “intervene and provide assistance to a player who was potentially experiencing gambling harms. In this case, a player lost over $500,000 in under three months,” the AGCO said.“The player was flagged as potentially high-risk by the operator’s systems on multiple occasions, including due to incurring significant losses and making repeated withdrawal cancellations,” the AGCO added. “Despite this, no interventions were provided by the gaming site o...