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Ex-Philadelphia labor leader convicted of embezzling from union to pay for home renovations, meals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Former Philadelphia labor leader John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty and a codefendant were convicted Thursday of using more than $650,000 in union funds for personal use, marking the second conviction federal prosecutors have secured against the long-powerful figure since a sweeping 2019 indictment.Dougherty, who led Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers for nearly three decades, was convicted of conspiracy, embezzlement and dozens of other charges by a jury after a monthlong trial. Prosecutors said he and codefendant Brian Burrows, Local 98′s former president, used the money for items including home renovations, concerts, groceries and even a cookie tray for the christening of a relative’s baby.“This was a case where all the members who paid these people’s salaries basically had their pockets picked by them, and we’re glad we can finally hold them accountable,” U.S. Attorney Frank Costell was quoted as saying by The Philadelphia Inquirer...

Jonathan Majors’ accuser pressed about partying at Manhattan nightclub after alleged assault

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — An attorney for Jonathan Majors presented grainy security footage from a Manhattan nightclub in efforts to cast doubt on the accuser’s claim she suffered “excruciating” pain and injuries following an alleged assault by the actor last spring.The video compilation, played to a jury over several hours during the fourth day of trial on Thursday, showed accuser Grace Jabbari partying with a group of strangers she met on a street corner immediately after the confrontation with Majors in the backseat of a car.Jabbari, a 30-year-old British choreographer, has accused Majors of striking her on the side of the head and squeezing her hand until her middle finger fractured amid a dispute that began after she read a romantic text on his phone sent by another woman. The charges have derailed Majors’ budding Hollywood career, lending unusual stakes to a misdemeanor trial as the actor aims to salvage his reputation and future parts – including a now uncertain role as the...

No reelection campaign for Democratic representative after North Carolina GOP redrew U.S. House map

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

A second-term Democratic congresswoman will not seek reelection to the U.S. House under the North Carolina General Assembly’s new redistricting maps.U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning announced Thursday that she will not file under lines that state election data suggests could net Republicans at least three more seats. Manning’s district is now considered a GOP-leaning district. It’s one of four challenged earlier this week by Black and Latino voters in a federal lawsuit alleging the new map weakens minority voting power to strengthen “the state’s white majority.”“Unfortunately, the egregiously gerrymandered maps do not make this race competitive,” Manning said in a statement. “I cannot in good conscience ask people to invest their time, resources and efforts in a campaign that is rigged against us.”If the lawsuit successfully overturns the latest iteration, Manning said she will run. The candidate filing period ends Dec. 15 for a spot on the March 5 primary...

Manon Jeannotte from First Nation in Gaspé appointed Quebec lieutenant-governor

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has appointed Manon Jeannotte as the new lieutenant-governor of Quebec.Trudeau’s office said in a news release that Jeannotte is originally from the First Nation of Gespeg, a Mi’kmaq community on the province’s Gaspé Peninsula.Before her appointment, she was director of First Nations executive education at the HEC Montréal business school.She previously spent 12 years serving in elected leadership roles in her community, first as a councillor and then as chief.A graduate of the McGill-HEC Montréal executive MBA program, she has also been recognized for her contributions to commemorating Indigenous history in Quebec. Jeannotte will replace J. Michel Doyon as the King’s representative in the province. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 7, 2023. The Canadian Press

Von Miller declines to comment on domestic assault allegations after returning to Bills practice

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills edge rusher Von Miller declined to take questions at his locker on Thursday, a week after turning himself in to police in a Dallas suburb after allegedly assaulting the mother of his children, who is pregnant.Miller simply shook his head no and said “not today” when approached by reporters in the first instance he’s made himself available since being charged in a warrant for domestic violence.Miller returned to practice after having a previously scheduled veteran rest day on Wednesday, which marked the Bills’ first session since returning from their bye week off. General manager Brandon Beane on Wednesday said the Bills are letting the legal process play out in allowing Miller to practice and continue playing.Miller is expected to suit up on Sunday, when Buffalo (6-6) travels to face the Kansas City Chiefs (8-4).The 34-year-old Miller faces a charge of third-degree felony assault of a pregnant woman, which is punishable by 2 to 10 years ...

A small police department in Minnesota’s north woods offers free canoes to help recruit new officers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

The police department in the remote north woods Minnesota town of Ely faces the same challenges of recruiting and keeping new officers as countless other law enforcement agencies across the country. So it’s offering a unique incentive: canoes.Ely, a former mining and logging community that’s best known as a gateway to the popular Boundary Waters Canoe Area, will provide free Kevlar canoes worth $3,800 to the next officers it hires — and to current employees. The lightweight craft, made from the same strong synthetic fibers as bulletproof vests, are perfect for paddling off into the nearby wilderness and exploring its more than 1,000 pristine lakes. The department — consisting of the chief, an assistant chief, and five slots for patrol officers — has one opening now with another coming soon.Police Chief Chad Houde said he’d already had two calls expressing interest as of Thursday morning and he’s expecting at least several more because of the unusual offer. Lo...

Lawsuit accuses NCAA of antitrust violation in college athlete transfer rule

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A federal lawsuit filed by a group of states alleges the NCAA’s transfer rule for college athletes violates antitrust law.The lawsuit, filed in West Virginia’s northern district, challenges the NCAA’s authority to impose a one-year delay in the eligibility of certain athletes who transfer between schools. The suit said the rule “unjustifiably restrains the ability of these college athletes to engage in the market for their labor as NCAA Division I college athletes.”The lawsuit filed by West Virginia and six other states alleges violations of the Sherman Act.NCAA rules allow underclassmen to transfer once without having to sit out a year. But an additional transfer as an undergraduate requires the NCAA to grant a waiver allowing the athlete to compete immediately. Without that waiver, the athlete would generally have to sit out for a year at the new school.But the NCAA this year has implemented stricter guidelines for granting those waivers for second-time tr...

Retail group pulls back on claim organized retail crime accounts for nearly half of inventory loss

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The National Retail Federation, the nation’s largest retail trade group, has revised a report released in April that pulls back the claim that organized retail crime accounts for nearly half of overall industry shrink, which measures overall loss in inventory, including theft.The revision of the group’s organized retail crime report on Dec. 1 follows an analysis from Retail Dive that found mistakes in the data. Retail Dive is an online news site that covers retail trends. The trade association released the original report in partnership with K2, a financial crimes risk management firm. The report erroneously stated that of the $94.51 billion in so-called industry shrink, nearly half was to organized retail crime. David Johnston, the national retail group’s vice president of asset protection and retail operations, told The Associated Press in an interview on Thursday that the discrepancy was based on K2 referencing U.S. Senate testimony delivered in 2021 b...

Telus urges support for broadcast distributors as CRTC hearing set to wrap up

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

GATINEAU, Que. — Telus Corp. says that in a “dramatically” changing broadcasting landscape, the CRTC should make changes to the regulatory framework to account for subscribers and revenues shifting from the traditional system to foreign streaming services.The company’s comments to the commission came Thursday, which marked the penultimate day of the CRTC’s three-week hearing held in response to the Online Streaming Act.The law, which received royal assent in April, is meant to update federal legislation to require digital platforms such as Netflix, YouTube and TikTok to contribute to and promote Canadian content.It has prompted the regulator to explore whether streaming services should be asked to make an initial contribution to the Canadian content system to help level the playing field for domestic companies already required to support Canadian content.Telus says that as a first step, foreign streamers should be required to contribute three per cent of annu...

Gunman who killed 3 at UNLV did not appear to be targeting students, AP sources say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A gunman who killed three people and critically wounded a fourth at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, before dying in a shootout with police, did not appear to be targeting students, according to two law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the investigation.Terrified students and professors cowered in classrooms and dorms as the gunman roamed UNLV's Lee Business School on Wednesday and opened fire just before noon on the fourth floor, where faculty and staff offices for the accounting and marketing departments are located.One of the officials said the gunman was a longtime business professor who had unsuccessfully sought a job at UNLV. The other law enforcement official identified the suspect as Anthony Polito, 67. Both officials spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to release the information publicly.Investigators searched an apartment in Henderson, Nevada, late Wednesday as part of the ...