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New York judge fired for pointing gun at a Black man in court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:09:17 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — An upstate New York judge who pointed a loaded handgun at a Black man during a 2015 court hearing was removed from office Thursday by the state’s highest court.Justice Robert J. Putorti was a Whitehall Town and Village Court judge. He repeatedly emphasized the race and stature of the litigant when recounting the episode, sometimes boastfully, according to an independent review by the New York State Court of Appeals. Putorti had said he aimed the gun at the man because he approached the stand too quickly, crossing a stop line for litigants.In one instance, Putorti described the defendant to another judge as being 6 feet 9 inches tall (206 cm) and “built like a football player.” In reality, the man was only 6 feet (183 cm) and 165 pounds (75 kg), the decision noted. The high court affirmed the state Commission on Judicial Conduct’s removal of Putorti, and noted the former judge’s description of the defendant “exploited a classic and common racist ...

NCAA investigating allegations of sign-stealing by Michigan. Harbaugh denies knowledge, involvement

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:09:17 GMT

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh denied any knowledge or involvement in plotting to steal opponents’ play-calling signals by sending representatives to their games and said he would fully cooperate with an NCAA investigation into the allegations against his program.“I do not have any knowledge or information regarding the University of Michigan football program illegally stealing signals, nor have I directed any staff member or others to participate in an off-campus scouting assignment,” Harbaugh said Thursday in a statement. “I have no awareness of anyone on our staff having done that or having directed that action.”The Big Ten also announced it had been informed of the investigation. But the conference provided no further details, only to say that it had notified Michigan’s upcoming opponents.The Wolverines (7-0), who started their season with Harbaugh serving a university-imposed three-game suspension for a still unresolved NCAA infractions case, play at Michigan State on Saturd...

Mid-November execution date set for Alabama inmate convicted of robbing, killing man in 1993

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:09:17 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama’s governor has scheduled a November execution date for an inmate convicted of shooting and killing a man during a 1993 robbery.Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday set Nov. 16 as the date for Casey A. McWhorter to die by injection. The 48-year-old inmate was convicted of capital murder for his role in the robbery and shooting death of Edward Lee Williams in Marshall County. Prosecutors said McWhorter, who was 18 at the time, plotted with two younger teens including William’s 15-year-old son to steal money and other items from Williams’ home and also kill him. Prosecutors said McWhorter and a 16-year-old co-defendant went to Williams’ home with rifles and fashioned homemade silencers from a pillow and milk jug stuffed with napkins. An appellate court wrote that evidence in the case showed Williams grabbed the rifle held by the 16-year-old and they began to struggle over it before the man was shot a total of 11 times by both teens, The jury that...

Former officer who shot Breonna Taylor points gun at suspect during arrest in new job

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:09:17 GMT

CARROLLTON, Ky. (AP) — A former Louisville police officer fired for his role in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor collided with a suspect’s truck and pointed his gun at the man during an arrest in a rural Kentucky town where he now works as a sheriff’s deputy.Carroll County Deputy Myles Cosgrove rammed the suspect’s truck before pointing a gun at the man on Monday, witnesses told a Louisville newspaper. Those accounts contradicted the local sheriff, who said the collision was accidental and his actions were justified because he was approached by at least five angry people after the crash.Cosgrove was one of two officers whose bullets struck Taylor, a Black emergency medical technician, during a botched 2020 raid. An FBI analysis determined Cosgrove likely fired the fatal shot and he lost his job as a Louisville officer for violating use of force policies in her death. Cosgrove was responding Monday to a report of a flatbed trailer stolen from another county and brough...

Electric truck maker Rivian says construction on first phase of Georgia factory will proceed in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:09:17 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Rivian Automotive will move ahead with construction on a factory in Georgia early next year, the company confirmed Thursday.The California-based electric truck company made the announcement as it opens a retail location in an intown Atlanta development, the eighth in a network of what the company calls “spaces” that it’s rolling out in select locations nationwide. The company plans additional locations in Colorado, Texas and California in coming months.Customers can’t buy a truck or SUV at Rivian’s Atlanta location — the company only sells online to evade Georgia’s rules requiring auto manufacturers to have dealers. But the company hopes people who have already reserved one of Rivian’s vehicles or who are thinking about buying one will stop by to learn about electric vehicles, climb inside, take a test drive, and even buy a Rivian-branded jacket or backpack.“We sell a physical product, so people want to experience it physically,” said Den...

Southern California university mourns loss of four seniors killed in Pacific Coast Highway crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:09:17 GMT

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California university wrestling with the deaths of four seniors who were struck by a car sought to comfort students and faculty Thursday in a prayer service that recalled the young women as “bright lights with promise and aspirations.”Provost Jay Brewster gave that description of the Pepperdine University’s Seaver College of Liberal Arts students and read each one of their names aloud: Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams. The four were among at least six pedestrians authorities said were hit by a speeding BMW as they walked along the scenic Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, only a few miles from the private Christian university.Brewster said the university was in despair from the deaths.Sobbing could be heard from the crowd gathered at the school’s gymnasium as speakers urged members of the campus community to turn to God and each other for solace at a time of heartbreak.“Keep loving each other through this tragedy,” sai...

Reporter wins support after Nebraska governor dismissed story because the journalist is Chinese

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:09:17 GMT

Advocates and Nebraska lawmakers are defending a reporter after Gov. Jim Pillen said her story about environmental concerns at his farms wasn’t worth discussing because the reporter was from “communist China.”The Asian American Journalists Association, the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and some state lawmakers have condemned Pillen and demanded that he apologize to Flatwater Free Press reporter Yanqi Xu.The comments, which received a flood of publicity this week when the online media organization’s executive director wrote a scathing column, is just the latest in the nation in which an elected official has personally attacked a reporter. The scrutiny the story is getting also comes amid a wave of pandemic-driven anti-Asian racism and new laws restricting foreign ownership of farmland.Pillen’s staff has not responded to emails or phone messages seeking comment, although he likely will be asked about it Friday during a news conference to di...

Workers at Mexico’s federal courts launch a 4-day strike over president’s planned budget cuts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:09:17 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Hundreds of judicial employees, from administrative staff to judges, took to the steps of Mexico City’s largest federal court Thursday to launch a national, four-day strike against proposed budget cuts.In the first labor action to emerge in Mexico’s judiciary in decades, workers are protesting planned reductions in funding for the judiciary in next year’s federal budget. Pending Senate approval next week, 13 of the 14 special funds used to finance employee benefits will be closed. The lower house of Congress approved the measure on Tuesday.Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who floated the cuts in Congress, blamed senior legal officials for inciting the strike. That prompted courthouse workers to call for unity, chanting “we are all the federal judiciary” and cheering when judges joined the picket line.The strike will last at least until an open session of the lower house of Congress on Tuesday, which leaders of the Federal Jud...

Chicago delegation tours migrant situation at Texas border

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:09:17 GMT

CHICAGO — A delegation of leaders from Illinois, including several Chicago City Council members and state politicians, travelled to the United States' southern border in Texas Tuesday to gain more insight on how the migrant crisis is impacting the City.According to the delegation, their conclusion is that the process and reality for thousands of people trying to cross into the United States is a disaster, with more money needed to be spent on humanitarian re-settlement efforts versus border patrols."This is a serious crisis," said Ald. William Hall (6th Ward). "What we need is congress to act immediately, change these border policies."Hall and fellow aldermen Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward) and Lamont Robinson (4th Ward) were among the delegation that made the trip South, where they gained a firsthand look at the migrant crisis happening at the Texas border.These pictures were taken inside of a city shelter in El Paso, Texas, and the delegation also visited a base camp along the bord...

FBI warning Chicago residents about growing threat of hate crimes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:09:17 GMT

CHICAGO -- The Head of Chicago's Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) office is warning the community about the growing threat of hate crimes.Special Agent in Charge Robert "Wes" Walker Jr. told WGN-TV that his team's are working to deal with an alarming surge in hate crimes. State Department issues ‘Worldwide Caution’ and warns of potential for violent protests and terror attacks “It’s a priority for us to work those matters, particularly for historically victimized or vulnerable populations," Walker Jr. said.Agent Walker said ongoing relationships can often lead to valuable information to short circuit hate crimes before they happen. He also said his team will continue to work with the Chicago Police Department to address the persistent presence of street crime around the city. FBI crime statistics show anti-LGBTQ hate crimes on the rise The FBI encouraging community organizations to contact them when it comes to hate crimes or other urgent issues.“The Jewish community, the ...