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Former top US diplomat sentenced in Qatar lobbying scheme

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:49:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former top U.S. ambassador was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay a $93,350 fine Friday for improperly helping a wealthy Persian Gulf country influence U.S. policy and for not disclosing gifts he received from a disgraced political fundraiser.Richard G. Olson, the State Department’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan at the end of the Obama administration, pleaded guilty last year to illegally providing aid and advice to Qatar while working for Imaad Zuberi, a once prolific political donor who is serving a 12-year prison sentence for tax evasion, campaign finance violations and failing to register as a foreign agent.Olson is one of the most high-profile former government officials to face prosecution amid the Justice Department’s push in recent years to crack down on unreported or illegal influence campaigns funded by foreign governments seeking to alter U.S. policy.U.S. Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey said at the sentenc...

Judge: Sexual harassment lawsuit against California treasurer by employee she fired can go to trial

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:49:24 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A civil lawsuit brought against California Treasurer Fiona Ma by a high-ranking former employee who alleges Ma made sexual advances toward her before firing her can go to trial, a judge ruled Thursday.Judith Blackwell, the former head of the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, alleged sexual harassment, racial discrimination and wrongful termination in the lawsuit, which was filed in July 2021, six months after she was fired. Ma has said the allegations are without merit and filed a motion to dismiss the case. The lawsuit alleged that Ma often rented hotel rooms and a home in Sacramento for staff to stay in after working late. Blackwell said that while sharing rooms, Ma called her into her bedroom several times, exposed her nude backside and climbed into Blackwell’s bed with her at least once. Ma’s motion for dismissal said the incidents were not sexual in nature and instead typical of what happens when people share a living space. In his rul...

‘Bunch of idiots’: Victim relatives query psychiatric releases, lawyers urge caution

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:49:24 GMT

VANCOUVER — Rebecca Mayrhofer said she felt “100 per cent frustrated” when she heard about a triple stabbing in Vancouver’s Chinatown on the weekend, that police allege was committed by a man on day release from psychiatric detention.But she wasn’t surprised.Blair Evan Donnelly, 64, had previously been found not criminally responsible for stabbing his teenage daughter to death in 2006 and was sent to B.C.’s Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam. “These are things that should not be happening … None of these. Not with this person on the weekend. Not with Ken. They are preventable,” Mayrhofer said.“Ken” is Kenneth Barter, who killed Mayrhofer’s brother Nathan Mayrhofer with a hammer in 2010 during a psychotic episode in Vernon, B.C. He then dismembered his friend, double bagged the remains and put them in his refrigerator.Like Donnelly, Barter was found not criminally responsible for the killing, and was confined to the Forensic Psy...

Excitement abound in Chicago for Mexican Independence celebrations

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:49:24 GMT

CHICAGO — Friday was the official kickoff of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Multiple festivities for Mexican Independence Day should make for an exciting weekend across the Chicago area. In Pilsen, the Mexican Cultural Committee of Chicago and Benito Juarez Community Academy collaborated for the El Grito Celebration from 4 to 10 p.m. El Grito, also known as the Cry of Victory, is a tradition the night before Mexican Independence Day. Friday's celebration at the high school will include Mexican folkloric dance and music by students and community members. SEE MORE: Hispanic Heritage Month news and headlinesSofia Fierro is a part of the Mexican Cultural Committee. "One of the greatest things about being here at Plaza de los Heroes is that we have the statues that represent our Mexican community and we are also able to give a little bit back to the community where that can have a place where they can celebrate independence," Fierro said.Along with festivities at the hi...

Riot Fest returns to Douglass Park but some frown at the fun

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:49:24 GMT

CHICAGO — Riot Fest is back for another year in Douglass Park, to the displeasure of some in the community who continue to make it clear they'd like the annual music festival to make a home elsewhere.Workers were busy Friday, with tens of thousands of festival-goers expected over three days. Many lined up bright and early to see artists such as Ani DiFranco, George Clinton and the Foo Fighters. Anti-Riot Fest graffiti spray painted on fencing around Douglas Park was visible, however. It's the latest sign of backlash after the music festival moved out of Humboldt Park. Fall music releases: Pop powerhouses, country classics, hip-hop heavyweights and beyond For years, residents around Douglass Park have complained about limited access and damage to the park grounds, along with traffic and noise in designated quiet zones right next to two hospitals and a rehabilitation center. When other festivals moved out of the park, Riot Fest stayed, opting to respond to criticism with a year...

Joliet man sentenced to 35 years in prison for bludgeoning, sexually assaulting brother's girlfriend

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:49:24 GMT

JOLIET, Ill. — A Joliet man will spend three decades in prison for bludgeoning and sexually assaulting his brother's girlfriend and setting fire to his brother's home in 2017, according to Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow.Glasgow announced Friday that 43-year-old Timothy Gregory was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the attack.According to the Will County State’s Attorney, Gregory went to his brother's home along Infantry Drive in Joliet in March of 2017 and attacked his brother's girlfriend, who lived in the home, with a hammer, striking her repeatedly on the head. After the victim had fallen unconscious from her injuries, Gregory then sexually assaulted her in the living room of the home. 10 hospitalized after Salmonella outbreak at Avondale taqueria The Will County State’s Attorney says after the hammer attack, the victim regained consciousness and ran to a bathroom to escape from Gregory, she then passed out while locked in the bathroom of the home. After regaining...

Missouri mom desperate for kidney uses signs to find a donor

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:49:24 GMT

ST. LOUIS, Missouri (KTVI) – One Missouri mother is desperate to find a live kidney donor. Her campaign has expanded to include social media posts, signs in her front yard, coverage by local news outlets, and decals on her family's personal vehicles.“I have had kidney disease for many years, which has been progressing over time. My diagnosis is chronic kidney disease,” said Yelena Gass-Bronstein, a 1991 Ukrainian refugee. She worked as a nurse at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis for many years, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, before retiring due to her illness. Krispy Kreme celebrates new coffee line with free doughnuts “My nephrologist [kidney specialist] told me that I will need a kidney transplant and advised me to be proactive in searching for a living kidney donor. The wait for a deceased kidney donor is very long and can take 3-5 years or longer,” Gass-Bronstein said.(Courtesy of Yelena Gass-Bronstein)Her doctor also mentioned that receiving a kidney from a living donor has b...

'I fight kids': Teen recalls getting brutally beaten at L.A. McDonald's

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:49:24 GMT

(KTLA) – A teen girl who was seen being beaten inside a McDonald's is speaking out after the terrifying incident was caught on video last week.Footage of the violent confrontation shows 13-year-old Kassidy Jones being punched, kicked, and knocked to the ground by a female suspect.She was walking home from school when the attack happened.There were dozens of witnesses at the restaurant and Kassidy’s family said they're disappointed no one stepped in to intervene or help the girl, who was left bloodied with a badly swollen face.Her family said the attack was completely unprovoked and they're still trying to understand what exactly happened."I'm okay,” Kassidy said, as she recovers from the attack. “Just trying to keep it together. Still getting to process it."Video of 13-year-old Kassidy Jones getting beaten by an unknown woman inside a Harbor City McDonald's on Sept. 6, 2023. (Angelina Gray)The assault happened on Sept. 6 at a McDonald's on Lomita Boulevard in the Harbor City neighbo...

Why ATCEMS still has paramedics at Austin's airport

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:49:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — In need of medical care at the airport? EMS personnel can help without making you leave the terminal.Austin-Travis County EMS has had a team staged past security at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport for about six months.Before this program started, if someone needed medical help at the airport, EMS would typically have to send an ambulance.In the past three months, ATCEMS said it has helped about 450 patients at the airport, which means about 450 times EMS could administer medical care without tying up an ambulance in the field.ATCEMS EMT Division Chief Stephen White spoke on how the paramedics assist at the airport.“Now because we have paramedics in the airport, the ambulances are more available to run requests out in the county and in southeast Austin,” White said.If airport medics determine a patient needs more serious medical care, they still take them to the hospital.The agency is still in the process of building its mini station inside the airport, whi...

Pumpkin Nights returns to Austin

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:49:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Pumpkin Nights is expected to return to Austin on Sept. 21 and run through Oct. 30 from 6 p.m. until 11 p.m.Tickets for the event are now available online for purchase. Early bird tickets for adults start at $16. According to event organizers, there would not be walk-up ticket sales.The event’s venue is Pioneer Farms, located at 10621 Pioneer Farms Drive in northeast Austin, just east of Interstate 35.“At PUMPKIN NIGHTS, you will venture along a half-mile walking path, where you’ll discover the Forbidden City, a Pirate’s Cove, and more fantastical lands built using over 5,000 hand-carved real and artificial pumpkins. The celebration continues with entertainment and games in The Village, our festival area,” event organizers said.According to organizers, Pumpkin Nights was founded in 2016 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds but has since spread to many cities across the US.