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Former federal prison guard sent to prison for violating civil rights of injured inmate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:38 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — A former guard at a federal prison in Massachusetts who prosecutors say caused serious head injuries to a handcuffed inmate with severe mental health disorders has been sentenced to a year in prison.Seth Bourget, 42, of Woodstock, Connecticut, was also sentenced in federal court in Boston on Monday to two years of probation, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office. He was convicted by a jury in December of deprivation of civil rights under color of law.“Corrections officers are placed in a position of public trust and the overwhelming majority of correctional officers do their jobs with professionalism, respect and dedication to protect and serve,” acting Boston U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said. “In this case, a jury unanimously found that Mr. Bourget abused his position of authority when he violently struck a mentally ill and defenseless inmate.”The inmate at the Federal Medical Center in Devens had been acting out in June 2019 and had been spraye...

Court sides with Amish families in case that pits septic tank rules against religious beliefs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:38 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Members of a deeply conservative Amish community in Minnesota don’t need to install septic systems to dispose of their “gray water,” the state Court of Appeals ruled Monday in a long-running religious freedom case that went all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court.A three-judge panel ruled that the government “failed to demonstrate a compelling state interest” to justify overriding the religious freedom of the Amish families that challenged state regulations governing the disposal of gray water, which is water that’s been used for dishwashing, laundry, and bathing, but not toilet waste.The Swartzentruber Amish in southeastern Minnesota are among the most traditional Amish groups in the country, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch noted in a 2021 ruling. It sent the case back to Minnesota courts for reconsideration in light of a high court decision a month earlier in a different religious freedom case. That ruling went in favor of a Philadelphia-bas...

Vote to oust RoseAnne Archibald ‘not taken lightly,’ AFN interim chief tells leaders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:38 GMT

HALIFAX — The dramatic vote to remove RoseAnne Archibald as the first female leader of the largest First Nations advocacy organization in Canada “was not taken lightly,” its interim chief told a gathering Tuesday. Joanna Bernard, a regional chief from New Brunswick who was recently tapped to serve in the role temporarily, addressed the Assembly of First Nations during its annual gathering in Halifax for the first time since Archibald’s dramatic removal. Archibald, who was elected in 2021, was voted out during a recent special chiefs assembly held to address the findings of an investigation into five staff members’ complaints about her conduct.She released a statement before the gathering saying she would attend the first day virtually but may travel to Halifax for the rest of the meeting, which runs through Thursday. Bernard told chiefs in her speech Tuesday that Archibald’s removal puts the organization in a period of transition, but said it has overco...

Owners of some 2003 Ram pickups urged to not drive them after another Takata air bag inflator death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:38 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Stellantis and the U.S. government are urging the owners of some 2003 Dodge Ram pickups to stop driving them after a passenger was killed by an exploding Takata air bag inflator.The company says owners of the pickups should contact a dealer or the company to find out if their trucks are part of a 2015 Takata recall. Stellantis says the trucks shouldn’t be driven until repairs are made. The company says the person was killed in a May 13 crash that caused the air bags to inflate. Neither Stellantis nor the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would say where the crash happened or identify the victim. The person ”succumbed to a serious injury consistent with those observed in previous Takata inflator failures,” Stellantis said in a prepared statement Tuesday.The death is the 26th in the U.S. since May of 2009, and more than 30 people have been killed worldwide. NHTSA said the death was the first due to an exploding front passenger air bag inflator. ...

Feds offer additional money to disaster response groups as climate change worsens

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:38 GMT

OTTAWA — Canadian humanitarian groups that need to deploy on a moment’s notice when disasters strike will receive new funding from Ottawa to ensure they are ready when they are needed.The Canadian Red Cross, St. John Ambulance, the Salvation Army and the Search and Rescue Volunteer Association will share $82 million over the next three years.The money is topping up a fund for humanitarian groups created in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair says the funds will help them recruit and maintain the skilled volunteer emergency responders they need to be able to respond when disasters hit communities.The funds can also be used for equipment and supplies and to upgrade their management practices and policies.Climate change is causing more extreme weather like wildfires and hurricanes, resulting in higher demand for the services of humanitarian aid groups in Canada.This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 11, 2023.The Canadia...

Vondrousova wins final five games to reach Wimbledon semifinals by beating Pegula

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:38 GMT

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Marketa Vondrousova won five straight games in the final set to beat fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 and reach the semifinals at Wimbledon on Tuesday.Vondrousova, a left-handed Czech player who reached the French Open final in 2019, trailed 4-1 in the third set but didn’t lose another game after that.“I’m just trying to stay in every game. It can change pretty quickly,” Vondrousova said. “She got so much better in the second set. She was pushing me today.”Pegula is now 0-6 in Grand Slam quarterfinals. The 29-year-old American was playing at this stage at Wimbledon for the first time.Vondrousova had won only four matches on grass heading into the tournament at the All England Club. But she has won five in a row on the surface over the last eight days.“My best result here was second round. It’s amazing. I’m just loving grass now,” Vondrousova said.The victory for Vondrousova is her fourth over a seeded player at this year’s Wimbledon to...

Greenpeace activists fined for crash-landing a parachute in stadium before Germany-France match

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:38 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A German surgeon has been ordered to pay a fine of 7,200 euros ($7,900) for parachuting into the stadium before a European Championship match in Munich two years ago as part of a botched climate protest.A Munich regional court convicted the 40-year-old Greenpeace activist Tuesday of endangering air traffic and negligent bodily harm for crash-landing his propeller-powered parachute inside the Allianz Arena just before Germany were due to play France in June 2021.Three people, including the defendant, were injured in the stunt, during which he first threw a large inflatable ball bearing the words “Kick out oil” onto the pitch before becoming entangled in a steel wire.Greenpeace said it regretted the incident and the defendant apologized for his actions during the trial. He was also ordered to pay 3,500 euros in damages to one of the people who were injured.A 36-year-old man who helped organize the protest was ordered to pay a fine of 3,000 euros.The Associated Press

Pilfered palm tree leads Dutch police to arrest Belgian fugitive who has 18-year sentence to serve

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:38 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A pilfered palm tree led to Dutch police detaining a homeless man who was sentenced to 18 years in neighboring Belgium in the death of a man seven years ago.Police in the southern town of Geldrop said in a statement Tuesday that officers stopped the man Saturday night for questioning when they saw him walking down a street “with a large inflatable palm tree under his arm.”The fugitive from Belgian justice is believed to have taken the tree from a beach volleyball tournament in the town near the city of Eindhoven, police said.When the officers checked his identity, they discovered that he was wanted by authorities in Belgium where he must still serve his prison time. The 34-year-old man’s identity was not released, in line with Dutch privacy rules.Exact details of his conviction in Belgium were not immediately available. Dutch police said he was sentenced in a case centered on the 2016 death of a man in Zonhoven, a Belgian town some 65 kilometers (...

Play, swim and eat: Europe’s largest casino resort opens its doors in Cyprus as tourism rebounds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:38 GMT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A new casino resort touted as the largest of its kind in Europe has opened its doors in Cyprus, aiming to transform the east Mediterranean island nation into a year-round destination for luxury tourism, officials said Tuesday.The 600 million euro ($659 million) City of Dreams Mediterranean is one of the largest development projects ever undertaken in the eastern Mediterranean island nation. The resort boasts a 14-story, 500-room hotel replete with a casino, sporting facilities, a family adventure park, the island’s largest pool complex, an outdoor amphitheater, eight restaurants and bars and a conference center.Lawrence Ho, chief executive of Hong Kong-based Melco Resorts and Entertainment, told reporters the resort “allows Cyprus to unlock new markets in the region and beyond.”Cypriot officials have said that the resort located on the outskirts of the southern coastal town of Limassol would create 6,500 jobs, attract some 300,000 additional visitors to Cyprus...

Police appeal for witnesses to alleged hit-and-run involving two cyclists

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:38 GMT

Police are asking any witnesses to come forward after a crash between two cyclists near Toronto’s lakeshore that has left a woman fighting for her life.The collision occurred around 1:10 p.m. Sunday in the area of Lake Shore Boulevard and Parkside Drive.Police say a 38-year-old woman was riding her bicycle when she collided with another cyclist. The woman was rushed to hospital in life-threatening condition.The other cyclist fled the area before officers arrived.Investigators are now asking any witnesses or anyone who has video of the crash to contact them.Anyone with information can contact police or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).