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Former Colombian soldier pleads guilty in 2021 assassination of Haiti’s president

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:07 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — A former Colombian soldier pleaded guilty Friday to conspiring in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, which plunged the Caribbean nation into violence and political turmoil.Mario Antonio Palacios Palacios, 45, pleaded guilty to three charges, including conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States, during a brief hearing before federal Judge José E. Martínez. Seated next to his attorney, Alfredo Izaguirre, Palacios answered “Yes, your honor,” in Spanish when the judge asked if he was pleading guilty.Palacios is the fifth of 11 defendants in Miami to plead guilty in the 2021 assassination. As part of a deal with prosecutors, he agreed to cooperate with the investigation and to plead guilty. He could get up to life in prison when he’s sentenced March 1, but under the deal, prosecutors conceded that he played a minor role in the plot.“He didn’t know what he was going to get into. He wasn’t part of the plan,” Izaguirr...

Red Cross assisting family after house catches on fire in North Lauderdale

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:07 GMT

A family’s house in North Lauderdale went up in smoke.The fire happened at the home, located Southwest 80th Terrace and Fourth place, Friday mornng.According to officials, the fire broke out in the home’s kitchen.The father, who was at the home, was able to put out the fire before firefighters arrived.There were no injuries reported and the Red Cross is now helping the family.

Report of person with knife in Back Bay ends with two arrests, police finding gun in fanny pack and thousands of dollars

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:07 GMT

What started as a report of a person armed with a knife in Boston’s Back Bay ended with two arrests, police finding a gun in a fanny pack, and a man being summonsed for allegedly seeking sex for a fee.The Boston Police Department said the case first started after officers were called to the area of 40 Dalton Street on Thursday night, after authorities received a report of “a person with a knife.”Police arrived to learn a man had ventured into a hotel there to “meet a female for sex for a fee,” according to a news release, only for the woman to allegedly threaten to stab the victim and rob him of $200. The victim later returned to the hotel lobby and reported what happened to staff. Police also learned a male suspect appeared to be involved in the incident, as well.Police proceeded to make their way up to the floor the armed robbery took place on, only to encounter a male suspect in a hallway who attempted to flee the scene.The suspect was stopped soon a...

US medical schools grapple with first admissions since end of affirmative action

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:07 GMT

Richard Abbey, Ilena Peng, Marie Patino | (TNS) Bloomberg NewsAmerican medical schools are confronting their first major challenge since the U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision to outlaw race-based college admissions.As medical schools sift through their first round of applications since the ruling, there’s already a nascent response to diminish the impact on the pipeline of future Black doctors.The National Medical Association, an organization for Black physicians, is raising money for a new scholarship. The Association of American Medical Colleges will get involved in K-12 education for the first time.Underrepresentation is a long-standing problem: only 5.2% of practicing physicians in the U.S. were Black even before the ruling, despite Black people making up about 14% of the overall population.But participants at multiple stages of the education process say the ruling laid bare the urgency of eliminating systemic obstacles, many of which begin a lot earlier in a potential medical ...

Judge clears way for hearing on top cannabis regulator Shannon O’Brien’s suspension

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:07 GMT

A Suffolk County Superior Court judge denied an attempt by suspended Cannabis Control Commission Chair Shannon O’Brien to adjust the format of a hearing that could end in her removal from the regulatory board.The order, issued Friday by Judge Debra Squires-Lee, cleared the way for state Treasurer Deb Goldberg to hold a hearing on O’Brien’s fate at the Cannabis Control Commission, which has been in limbo for the past three months after Goldberg suspended O’Brien in part for alleged racist remarks.In a 17-page ruling, Squires-Lee wrote that she does “not agree” with O’Brien’s claims that the suspended pot boss is entitled to a public hearing, compulsory attendance of witnesses, or a separate fact finder other than Goldberg.“I am persuaded that the treasurer understands her obligations and has put together a protocol for the hearing that recognizes the importance of the decision to be made and affords O’Brien a full, fair, and meaningful opportunity to be heard consistent with the stat...

Last minute shopping? Beware these gift card scams

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:07 GMT

Marvin Clemons | Las Vegas Review-Journal (TNS)Millions of shoppers turn to the quick and traditionally easy choice for giving a Christmas present — a gift card.Don’t be quick to go that route, experts say. And if you do, take extra precautions.Scammers have found ways of turning the popular choice into a minefield that could steal your money and leave your intended recipient with no gift.“Gift cards have been the number one requested gift for nearly 20 years,” says Martha Weaver, spokeswoman for the Retail Gift Card Association. “Unfortunately, like other payment tools, criminals have found ways to abuse gift cards and take advantage of honest shoppers.”Those codes on the back of a gift card can be manipulated to send scammers the value of the card the minute you purchase it.Gift card tampering (which can lead to “skimming,” where criminals drain the value of gift cards after tampering with the packaging and stealing the card numbers) is not a new type of scam, Weaver said. “Unfort...

America’s sugar shortfall leaves candy-makers scrounging

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:07 GMT

Ilena Peng | (TNS) Bloomberg NewsBonbons and candy canes may dominate the American holiday aesthetic, but U.S. confectionery companies are feeling anything but jolly as they head into one of the sugar market’s tightest years in recent memory.Prolonged droughts in major cane-producers Mexico and Louisiana have helped push U.S. sugar futures to the highest ever for this time of year and forced users to turn to high-cost imports instead. Sweets-makers paying up to snag supplies are choosing to protect their margins by raising prices for consumers — and hoping shoppers don’t balk at the mark-up.“We just found that it was better to just pay more for sugar and pass it along to the consumer than to be completely out of sugar,” said Kirk Vashaw, chief executive officer of Dum Dums lollipop maker Spangler Candy Co. “And there’s a lot of other companies that I think thought the same thing.”Candy is big business in the U.S.: Confectionery retail sales are forecast to be $48.8 billion this year...

‘Turtleboy’ released, stripped of restraints following arraignment in Karen Read case witness intimidation charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:07 GMT

For the first time, a blogger known for attracting large crowds to the Norfolk Superior Court hearings of Karen Read appeared on the other side of the court’s gallery.Aidan “Turtleboy” Kearney appeared ahead of his noon arraignment on 16 counts of witness intimidation and conspiracy related to his coverage and activism in the case wearing not one speck of his signature green, nor any turtle emblem or pattern. Instead, he wore a cream suit, a light blue shirt, and a dark blue tie, suggesting a new seriousness to the proceedings.And he got an early Christmas present: he was released on personal recognizance and now absent the various restrictions imposed on him when the case was at the District Court level, which included stay-away orders from various witnesses in the Read case, from whom he was also barred from “directly or indirectly” harassing or encouraging his followers to harass.And followers he has. While this appearance was not nearly as raucous a...

Buying a house in 2024: How to overcome the challenges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:07 GMT

By Abby Badach Doyle | NerdWalletFrom high prices to low inventory, potential home buyers know it’s gnarly out there. But if you’re ready for homeownership, the long-term benefit of buying often outweighs the pain of toughing out the search — even these days.Think of it like your 5 a.m. spin class: You know it’s good for you, even if it takes grit (and leaves you feeling sore).With some market savvy, you can make the most of today’s challenging conditions. Here’s your game plan for buying a house in 2024.The challenge: Stubbornly high mortgage rates squeeze shoppers’ buying powerBuyers have been at the mercy of mortgage rates’ meteoric rise, holding on as the average 30-year fixed rate climbed from 3% to nearly 7% in 2022. In October 2023, rates topped 8% for the first time since 2000 — a surprise even many top economists didn’t predict. But throughout November, they dropped slightly, landing at an average of 7.03% for the week ending Dec. 7.Higher interest rates make it more expens...

2 charged, over $40,000 in property recovered from retail theft where items were re-sold in Toronto

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:07 GMT

York police’s Criminal Investigations Bureau has charged two people in connection with organized retail thefts, where items were being re-sold at a convenience store in Toronto.On Dec. 16, an investigation began into commercial thefts from drug stores in Vaughan and Richmond Hill. Stolen products included high-end cosmetics, hygiene items and over-the-counter medications, such as vitamins and pain-relievers. Police identified two suspects, learning that the items were being re-sold from a commercial business in Toronto.On December 20, 2023, a search warrant was executed at two locations in Toronto. More than $40,000 worth of property was recovered, and police discovered the accused were also allegedly re-selling alcohol from their business.Thi Hong Hanh Luu, 52, of Toronto and Tan Dung Nguyen, 68, of Toronto, were both charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, trafficking in possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, and selling/offering liq...