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No evidence yet to support hate crime charge in death of pro-Israel protester, officials say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:10 GMT

By JOHN ANTCZAK and JULIE WATSON (Associated Press)LOS ANGELES (AP) — California authorities said Friday they have not ruled out that a hate crime was committed in the death of a pro-Israel demonstrator following a confrontation with a college professor but so far the evidence only supports the charges of involuntary manslaughter and battery. Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said his office charged Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji, 50, with those two offenses in the death of Paul Kessler, 69, after reviewing over 600 pieces of evidence and interviewing more than 60 witnesses. “We were not pre-committed to any specific outcome or even criminal culpability, and we never treated the fact that criminal charges would be a forgone conclusion,” he said.The two men got into a physical altercation Nov. 5 during protests over the Israel-Hamas war, and Kessler fell back and hit his head on the ground, which caused the fatal injuries, authorities have said. He died the n...

Worcester-based group adult foster care managers indicted for alleged $1.6M Medicaid fraud scheme

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:10 GMT

The managers of a Worcester-based group adult foster care company have been indicted in connection with an alleged $1.6 million Medicaid fraud scheme, according to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.Union Home Health Care Services’ managers were arrested on Thursday and charged with allegedly defrauding MassHealth of more than $1.6 million, Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s Office announced.Worcester residents Bernice Codjia, 39, and Augustus Kormah, 66, were indicted by a Worcester County grand jury. Their company, Union Home Health Care Services, was also indicted.Each defendant was charged with Medicaid false claims. Codjia and Home Health Care Services were also charged with larceny over $1,200.Group adult foster care services help MassHealth members with performing daily life activities, such as eating, bathing, housekeeping and laundry.Union Home Health Care Services and Codjia are accused of using fraudulent nursing assessments and forms to sign up...

Home Showcase: Updates shine in Wellesley 4-bed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:10 GMT

Between its highly coveted location close to Linden Square in Wellesley, proximity to shopping and dining options, schools, and access to commuting options, 6 Pleasant Street already has a lot going for it. Tack on a sparkling renovation, an ideal layout, and outdoor space and you have a winning space that will find its new family sooner rather than later.Curb appeal? Check. Meticulous but unfussy landscaping? Check. A home that exudes that suburban warmth while being thoroughly updated and close to everything? Yup, check. Although it’s been opened up and brightened significantly, the home’s 1917 bones suit it quite well because it manages to achieve everything buyers want in an open floor plan — the flow, the togetherness — and the coziness of dedicated spaces for dining and resting. With the addition of a sunroom, there are plenty of nooks to curl up in.Four bedrooms are split between the second and third level — there’s also a partially finished basement in case you have ideas fo...

Rosalynn Carter enters hospice care

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:10 GMT

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has entered hospice care at her home in Plains, Georgia, the Carter Center announced Friday.The 96-year-old joins her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, who entered hospice care back in February.The family announced earlier this year that the former first lady is suffering from dementia. The former president entered hospice care at home in February."She and President Carter are spending time with each other and their family," said a statement, shared on behalf of the Carters' grandson, Jason. "The Carter family continues to ask for privacy and remains grateful for the outpouring of love and support."Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter have been married for more than 77 years, through his rise from their Georgia farm to his election to the presidency in 1976. After his 1980 defeat, the couple established The Carter Center in Atlanta as a global center to advocate human rights, democracy and public health.The Associated Press contrib...

Golden Globes find new home at CBS after years of scandal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:10 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The Golden Globes have found a new broadcast home at CBS after the troubled awards show lost its longtime home at NBC and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was dissolved after years of scandal.The 81st Golden Globes will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+ on Sunday, Jan. 7, CBS and the Globes announced Friday. The show will also be available on the CBS app. The network declined to comment on the terms of the deal, including how long the agreement runs for. NBC broadcast the 2023 Globes on a one-year basis after the 2022 edition was essentially canceled. After a 2021 report revealed the Hollywood Foreign Press Association had no Black members, stars and studios boycotted the Globes before returning for this year’s awards. After the 2023 broadcast, held on a Tuesday evening, NBC opted not to renew its contract. A near-record low of 6.3 million viewers tuned in, according to Nielsen. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has since been reorganized an...

Organized crime figure Gregory Woolley killed in daytime shooting near Montreal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:10 GMT

MONTREAL — An influential organized crime leader has been killed in a daytime shooting in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, southeast of Montreal. Police did not immediately identify the victim but The Canadian Press has learned he was Gregory Woolley, who has long been associated with the Hells Angels biker gang as well as with the Mafia and street gangs.St-Jean-sur-Richelieu police responded to a call of shots being fired at around 10:30 a.m. in a parking lot located near a health-care facility, and found a 51-year-old man who was later declared dead in hospital.Quebec provincial police say they have taken over the investigation because of its apparent links to organized crime, and nobody has been arrested.Woolley has been described by authorities in the past as a street gang boss and confidant of the late Hells Angels kingpin Maurice (Mom) Boucher.Woolley was sentenced to eight years minus time served in 2018 after pleading guilty to gangsterism and drug trafficking and was released in 2020...

Tropical disturbance hits western Caribbean, unleashing floods and landslides in Jamaica

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:10 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A potential tropical cyclone moved across the western Caribbean on Friday, knocking out power to thousands in Jamaica as it unleashed landslides and floods, authorities said.The disturbance was located about 50 miles (85 kilometers) southwest of Montego Bay, Jamaica with top winds of 35 mph (55 mph). It was moving northeast at 16 mph (26 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.Some 14,000 customers were without power in Jamaica after heavy rains downed trees, severed power lines and caused landslides, according to the Jamaica Public Service Company.At least 24 people were rescued from floodwaters in the island’s southeastern region, according to the Jamaican Defense Force.A tropical storm watch was in effect for Jamaica, Haiti, the Cuban provinces of Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, Holguin, Granma and Las Tunas, the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.The disturbance was expected to move across southeast Cuba by early Sa...

Snoop Dogg says he’s giving up ‘smoke.’ It caught some of his fans off guard

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:10 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Asking for privacy, hip-hop legend and longtime marijuana enthusiast Snoop Dogg says he’s going to stop smoking — though he didn’t specify exactly what that might mean.“After much consideration and conversation with my family, I’ve decided to give up smoke,” Snoop wrote in a message shared on Instagram and X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday. “Please respect my privacy at this time.”The rapper and entrepreneur, who has become known for his own weed-related ventures over the years, provided no additional details in his brief announcement, which came the week after a new marijuana-adjacent product was introduced bearing his name. Representatives for the 52-year-old Snoop, born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ requests for comment Friday.That didn’t stop ample speculation from fans, many of whom filled the comments of Snoop’s post after being caught off gu...

Joe Burrow is out for the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his throwing wrist, Bengals say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:10 GMT

CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will be out the rest of the season due to a torn ligament in his right wrist, the team announced Friday.Coach Zac Taylor said the injury would require surgery. Burrow left the Bengals game in the second quarter of a 34-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night.When Burrow tried practice throws on the sideline, the ball slipped out of his hand as the quarterback winced. Burrow then went to the locker room and looked frustrated.This is the second time in Burrow’s four-year NFL career he has suffered a season-ending injury in Week 11. He tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee during a game against Washington in 2020.Burrow was 11 of 17 for 101 yards and a touchdown when he left. Backup Jake Browning replaced him and will likely be the starter for the rest of the season.Cincinnati is 5-5 after two-straight losses. The NFL will investigate why Cincinnati did not list Burrow on the team’s injury report, a person familiar w...

Amazon lays off hundreds in its Alexa division as it plows resources into AI

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:10 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is cutting hundreds of jobs in the unit that handles its popular voice assistant Alexa as it plows more resources into artificial intelligence. In a note to employees on Friday, Daniel Rausch, Amazon’s vice president of Alexa and Fire TV, wrote that the company is eliminating certain roles because it is ditching some initiatives. “As we continue to invent, we’re shifting some of our efforts to better align with our business priorities, and what we know matters most to customers — which includes maximizing our resources and efforts focused on generative AI,” Rausch wrote. He said “several hundred” positions would be cut but did not give a more precise figure.Seattle-based Amazon is in fierce competition with other tech companies rushing to capitalize on the generative AI craze. The company has been implementing a host of AI initiatives in the past few months, from infusing the technology into customer reviews to providing services that allow developers to build...