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Missouri prosecutor accuses 3 men of holding student from India captive and beating him

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:38 GMT

ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) — Three men held a student from India captive over the course of several months and forced him to work and perform menial tasks, then viciously beat him when he didn’t complete the chores to their satisfaction, a Missouri prosecutor said Thursday.St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Joseph McCulloch announced charges against Venkutesh Sattaru, 35; Nikhil Penmatsa, 27; and Sravan Penumetcha, 23. All three face counts related to human trafficking, kidnapping and other crimes. They are jailed without bond and don’t have attorneys listed yet.The 20-year-old victim is hospitalized with a broken nose, broken ribs and bones in his hands and feet, and severe injuries from being punched, stomped on and beaten with pipes and a wire that left him scarred “from the top of his head literally to the bottom of his feet,” McCulloch said.Authorities said the victim is the cousin of Sattaru, who owns an information technology company. The student came to the U.S. ...

Drivers would pay $15 to enter busiest part of NYC under plan to raise funds for mass transit

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:38 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Most drivers would pay $15 to enter Manhattan’s central business district under a plan released by New York officials Thursday. The congestion pricing plan, which neighboring New Jersey has filed a lawsuit over, will be the first such program in the United States if it is approved by transportation officials early next year.Under the plan, passenger car drivers entering Manhattan south of 60th Street during daytime hours would be charged $15 electronically, while the fee for small trucks would be $24 and large trucks would be charged $36.Cities such as London and Stockholm have similar programs in place, but New York City is poised to become the first in the U.S.Revenue from the tolls, projected to be roughly $1 billion annually, would be used to finance borrowing to upgrade the city’s mass transit systems.The proposal from the Traffic Mobility Review Board, a New York state body charged with advising the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on the tolls, includes d...

Quebec housing minister favoured friend, ethics commissioner concludes

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:38 GMT

QUEBEC — The ethics commissioner for the Quebec legislature has concluded that the housing minister improperly promoted the personal interest of a friend when she met with her in 2022.Commissioner Ariane Mignolet says that while minister France-Élaine Duranceau could be expected to meet with people in the housing sector, her December meeting with developer Annie Lemieux seemed to serve little purpose and was prioritized due to the pair’s friendship.Mignolet says no one should get privileged access to a minister because of a personal relationship.The investigation into the meeting between Duranceau and her longtime friend and real estate business partner, who was registered as a lobbyist, was opened in June.Duranceau said today that she made a good faith error by organizing the meeting in a way that was typical in the business world but not right for politics.The ethics commissioner did not recommend a sanction for Duranceau because she acknowledged her error and agreed to seek...

Fire upends Christmas charity in Michigan but thousands of kids will still get gifts

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:38 GMT

Donations are pouring in at a beloved Christmas charity after smoke damage from a fire stymied plans for the delivery of wrapped gifts for thousands of children in western Michigan.Santa Claus Girls of Kent County has been going door-to-door with gifts for more than a century in the Grand Rapids area, delighting families that are struggling during the holidays.But the all-volunteer group has been scrambling since a fire last week struck a building in Walker where Santa Claus Girls wraps and stores gifts.“It was like my heart stopped,” president Tina Hudson told The Associated Press. ”We were on target to service more than 10,000 kids on Dec. 9. We had half of our gits wrapped and bagged and ready to go out the door.”The good news: Flames didn’t reach the area used by Santa Claus Girls. The bad news: Smoke filled the space for hours.“Everything’s contaminated — that was the word that was used by the insurance company,” Hudson said Thursday. “You could smell a bonfire smell.R...

US says Mexican drug cartel was so bold in timeshare fraud that some operators posed as US officials

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:38 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Mexican drug cartel was so bold in operating frauds that target elderly Americans that the gang’s operators posed as U.S. Treasury Department officials, U.S. authorities said Thursday. The scam was described by the department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC. The agency has been chasing fraudsters using call centers controlled by the Jalisco drug cartel to promote fake offers to buy Americans’ timeshare properties. They have scammed at least 600 Americans out of about $40 million. But they also began contacting people claiming to be employees of OFAC itself, and offering to free up funds purportedly frozen by the U.S. agency, which combats illicit funds and money laundering.“At times, perpetrators of timeshare fraud misuse government agency names in attempts to appear legitimate,” the agency said. “For example, perpetrators may call victims and claim to represent OFAC, demanding a payment in exchange for the release of funds that the perpetrator claim...

Kari Lake loses suit to see ballot envelopes in 3rd trial tied to Arizona election defeat

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:38 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — A judge has rejected Kari Lake’s request to examine signed ballot envelopes of 1.3 million early voters, giving the defeated Arizona Republican candidate for governor another loss in her third trial related to last year’s election.In an order filed Thursday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge John Hannah Jr. argued their release would undermine the ballot verification process in future elections.“The broad right of electoral participation outweighs the narrow interests of those who would continue to pick at the machinery of democracy,” Hannah wrote.Bryan Blehm, Lake’s attorney, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Lake has yet to comment directly on her social media but has been retweeting supportive posts on X, formerly known as Twitter. The majority of the two-day bench trial was spent hearing testimony from Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, who is named as a defendant. Richer explained Lake’s initial request to see the envelopes w...

'I am embarrassed': Corey Perry releases statement after getting cut by Blackhawks

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:38 GMT

CHICAGO — Corey Perry has released a statement to hockey media members apologizing after getting cut from the Blackhawks.Perry was cut from the team on Tuesday after he did not start Nov. 22 at Columbus.In a statement provided to several hockey reporters, Perry said that he was "sickened" by speculation and rumors and that he is working to address his "struggles" with alcohol."I would like to sincerely apologize to the entire Chicago Blackhawks organization, including ownership, management, coaches, trainers, employees, and my teammates. I would also like to apologize to my fans, and my family. I am embarrassed and I have let you all down.As a result of my actions, there has been speculation and rumors. I am sickened by the impact this has had on others, and I want to make it clear that in no way did this situation involve any of my teammates or their families. Most importantly, I want to directly apologize to those who have been negatively affected and I am sorry for the additional...

Search underway for missing Albany Park man

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:38 GMT

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Police Department is asking for the public's help in locating a missing 58-year-old man who was last seen in over two weeks.Kim Antonio Biggs was last seen at his residence on the 3400 block of West Montrose Avenue in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood on Thursday, Nov. 9. CPD officer charged, relieved of police powers after allegedly falsely reporting robbery He reportedly also may have been seen in the Roseland neighborhood on Wednesday, Nov. 15.Biggs is described as 5-foot-10, weighing 163 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Kim Antonio Biggs are asked to contact the Chicago Police Department at 312-746-6554.

Court docs: Indiana man admitted to officers that he killed teen, buried her in homemade box

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:38 GMT

ARLINGTON, Ind. — Court documents reveal that Patrick Scott, the neighbor and boss of missing teenager Valerie Tindall, reportedly admitted to officers that he killed the 17-year-old girl on June 7 — strangling her with a belt and then burying her in a homemade box in his backyard. Patrick Scott, 59 of Arlington, was arrested on Tuesday evening after federal agents and local authorities descended upon his property in a concentrated search for the missing teenager who hadn't been seen alive since June 7. Body found in neighbor’s barrel during search for Indiana teen missing since June Previous reports detail how Scott was not only a trusted neighbor to Tindall and her family, but that the teenager worked for him as part of his landscaping company; mowing lawns in the summer. On Wednesday, the Rush County Sheriff's Department announced that Scott had been arrested on a preliminary charge of murder after human remains were found on his property. On Thursday, the Rush County Coroner ...

House Republicans push to impeach Homeland Security Secretary

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:52:38 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - Several House Republicans are pushing to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas yet again.They say Mayorkas should be removed from his job due to his handling of the southern border.This is the second time this month that a resolution to impeach Mayorkas was introduced.“It's clear that as long as Secretary Mayorkas remains in office, our border will remain unsecured and vulnerable to human and drug trafficking," said Texas Republican Beth Van Duyne.Van Duyne and several House Republicans like Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene are once again calling for Mayorkas to be fired.“Mayorkas has made it easier for illegal aliens and drugs to enter the United States — endangering American citizens,” Greene said.This is the second time Greene has introduced an impeachment resolution against Mayorkas this month, the first time failed.California Republican Tom McClintock says he agrees Mayorkas has failed to maintain operational control of the border but...