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City buildings to light up in rainbow colors in honor of Mel King; day of remembrance to be declared for Tuesday

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:44:59 GMT

More than a handful of buildings across Boston will be lit up in rainbow colors Monday and Tuesday in honor of Mel King, a longtime city activist and former state representative who died March 28 at age 94.City Hall, the Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building, Center Plaza, One Financial Center are among the participating venues, while other details on how the city will remember King were released on Friday.Mayor Michelle Wu is set to read a proclamation during a wreath-laying ceremony at City Hall Monday at noon declaring Tuesday as a citywide day of remembrance for King.A public viewing and visitation will be held Monday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Union United Methodist Church, 485 Columbus Ave., with an opportunity for “witnesses from the community” from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.The funeral also will be held at Union United Methodist Church in the South End, on Tuesday at noon. King’s family has invited guests to don bow ties “as a tribute to Mr. King.” Boston Arts Academy students will be pe...

Ecuadorian faces deportation following charges in fatal crash

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:44:59 GMT

The suspect in a crash that killed a 46-year-old Raynham woman has been detained by ICE and faces being deported.Juan Leonardo Parra Altamirano, 33, of Brockton, is an illegal immigrant from Ecuador who was arrested Thursday on charges, including leaving the scene of a crash that caused personal injury resulting in death, related to a Monday night fatal crash on Route 24 in West Bridgewater.The crash killed Erpharo Gilbert, 46, of Raynham.“She’s gone,” Gilbert’s husband, Jean Marie Coquillon, told WPRI, a Providence news station. “It was really tough. My 5-year-old son is still waiting for his mom to come home.”Coquillon told that station that his wife worked for Boston Medical Center and Victory Human Services and was in the process of becoming a licensed social worker.Parra Altamirano turned himself into the Massachusetts State Police barracks in Middleboro on Thursday morning. He was arraigned on the charges in Brockton District Court later that afternoon.The same day...

CHP pursuit ends in K-9 takedown

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:44:59 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A vehicle pursuit ensued Friday morning on the eastbound Interstate 8, after San Diego police responded to a call involving an individual threatening family members with a gun and vandalizing vehicles.Around 9 a.m., officers were dispatched to the scene at the 1800 block of Drescher Street in Linda Vista, according to SDPD. The individual who called the incident in had indicated that the suspect left the area in a white Dodge Ram pickup truck. Boy, 14, among 2 arrested in deadly park shooting Responding law enforcement were able to locate the truck near the intersection of Friars Road and Ulric Street, attempting a traffic stop. According to police, the suspect did not pull over, instead fleeing from SDPD toward I-8.California Highway Patrol took over the pursuit along I-8, up until the end east of Lake Jennings. SkyFOX aerial video showed the hood of the truck was up when the truck pulled over on the side of the highway.The vehicle crashed multiple times in the pursu...

Armed bandits preying on migrants in San Diego wilderness near border, agency says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:44:59 GMT

SAN DIEGO (Border Report) -- The U.S. Border Patrol's San Diego Sector has received increased reports of migrants encountering armed bandits in the Otay Mountain Wilderness area, with three separate incidents in the last two weeks.In one instance, agents apprehended a group of five migrants who informed them that they had been robbed by assailants who had rifles and pistols -- agents on the scene reported seeing at least two of the possible gunmen running south of the southeast of Downtown San Diego. Border Patrol says bandits are using weapons like these to rob migrants in the Otay Mountain Wilderness Area. (Courtesy: CBP)The migrants reportedly stated they had been ordered to pay $1,000 each to continue their journey, but since they did not have the money, their cellphones were taken instead. ‘Border bandits’ shoot 3 migrants in Mexico before agents rescue them on U.S. side, CBP says According to Border Patrol, on March 27, agents apprehended a group of 20 migrants who reported...

Adult content creators claim Canadian banks cancelling accounts over ties to sex industry

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:44:59 GMT

Canadian adult content creators are sounding the alarm; claiming multiple banks have frozen or closed their accounts after discovering they have ties to online sex work. In one case, a user making money through the website OnlyFans posted a letter on Twitter from CIBC alerting her they are closing her accounts. The woman claims it’s because the bank discriminates against sex workers.Websites like OnlyFans surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many searched for extra ways to earn income. The website is a popular social media platform that allows content creators to sell photos, videos, and other content to fans.“I think that this kind of financial discrimination would surprise most people,” says Patrick Keilty, associate professor in the Faculty of Information and Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto. “I don’t think most people know that the bank can shut your account down just because they have a problem with the kind of work you do.&#...

Army sergeant guilty in fatal Texas shooting of protester

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:44:59 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A U.S. Army sergeant was convicted of murder for fatally shooting an armed protester in 2020 during nationwide protests against police violence and racial injustice, a Texas jury ruled Friday.Sgt. Daniel Perry was working for a ride-sharing company in July 2020 when he turned onto a street and into a large crowd of demonstrators in downtown Austin. In video that was streamed live on Facebook, a car can be heard honking before several shots ring out and protesters begin screaming and scattering. The 28-year-old protester, Garrett Foster, was taken to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.Perry, who faces life in prison, now awaits sentencing. “We’re happy with the verdict. We’re very sorry for his family as well. There’s no winners in this,” Stephen Foster, the victim’s father, told reporters Friday.The jury deliberated for two days. During closing arguments, Perry’s attorneys said he had no choice but to shoot Foster as he approached Perry’s car ...

Russia loses election to three UN bodies over Ukraine

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:44:59 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia lost elections to three United Nations bodies this week, a sign that opposition to its invasion of Ukraine over a year ago remains strong.The votes in the 54-member U.N. Economic and Social Council follow approval of six non-binding resolutions against Russia by the 193-member U.N. General Assembly. The latest — on Feb. 23, the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion — called for Moscow to end hostilities and withdraw its forces and was adopted by a vote of 141-7 with 32 abstentions.In the ECOSOC votes, Russia was overwhelmingly defeated by Romania for a seat on the Commission on the Status of Women. It lost to Estonia to be a member of the executive board of the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF. And it was defeated by Armenia and the Czech Republic in secret ballot votes for membership on the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after Wednesday’s votes, “This is a clear signal from ECOSOC mem...

US: Unjustified force, bias still plague New Orleans police

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:44:59 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Unjustified use of force, dangerous vehicle pursuits and racially biased policing continue to be problems for the New Orleans Police Department, the U.S. Justice Department said in a Friday court filing, opposing the city’s move to terminate a decade-old court-backed reform agreement.The city has made progress in turning itself around, Justice Department lawyers said. “But progress towards compliance is not the same as full and effective compliance that has proven durable,” Friday’s court filing said.The pact, known as a “consent decree,” was negotiated in 2012, after a harshly critical Justice Department review of the long-troubled police department. It came after the deaths of unarmed civilians in the chaotic aftermath of levee failures during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan approved the decree in 2013. It is one of nearly two dozen such consent decrees in cities around the country.Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administrat...

US states consider ban on cosmetics with ‘forever chemicals’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:44:59 GMT

A growing number of state legislatures are considering bans on cosmetics and other consumer products that contain a group of synthetic, potentially harmful chemicals known as PFAS.In Vermont, the state Senate gave final approval this week to legislation that would prohibit manufacturers and suppliers from selling or distributing any cosmetics or menstrual products in the state that have perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, as well as a number of other chemicals.The products include shampoo, makeup, deodorant, sunscreen, hair dyes and more, said state Sen. Terry Williams, a Republican, and member of the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare.“Many known toxic chemicals are used in or found as contaminants in personal care products, including PFAS, lead and formaldehyde,” Williams said in reporting the bill to Senate colleagues. California, Colorado and Maryland passed similar restrictions on cosmetics that go into effect in 2025. Other proposals are under consideratio...

How Tennessee GOP’s majority used power to expel Democrats

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:44:59 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The expulsion of two Tennessee Democrats over a gun control protest is an extraordinary showcase of how the levers of single-party power in America’s statehouses can be pulled not only to shut down opponents, but to also punish them. On any given day in Tennessee, Republicans have the commanding majority to pass just about any law they want. The lopsided dynamic is common in many U.S. statehouses — including where Democrats are in charge — and it has widened under gerrymandered voting maps that redraw legislative district boundaries to dilute the opposition party’s votes.But in ousting Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson altogether from the Tennessee Legislature on Thursday, Republicans went beyond their typical ability to steamroll Democrats. They instead maximized their parliamentary power to exact retribution. Not only did Republicans have the votes to oust the lawmakers — one of the few times such drastic action has been taken since the Civi...