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Felony convictions vacated for 4 former Navy officers in sprawling ‘Fat Leonard’ bribery scandal

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:26:08 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The felony convictions of four former Navy officers in one of the worst bribery cases in the maritime branch’s history were vacated Wednesday due to questions about prosecutorial misconduct, the latest setback to the government’s yearslong efforts in going after dozens of military officials tied to a defense contractor nicknamed Fat Leonard.U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino called the misconduct “outrageous” and agreed to allow the four men to plead guilty to a misdemeanor and pay a $100 fine each.The surprising turn in the case came at a sentencing hearing in federal court in San Diego.Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Ko, who was brought on after the defendants were tried last year, admitted to “serious issues” with prosecutorial misconduct and asked the judge to vacate the officers’ felony convictions. He said his office does not agree with all of the allegations but said errors were made. “There were pretty ob...

Chicago Cubs sweep the San Francisco Giants behind Jordan Wicks’ quality start as younger players are helping the postseason hunt

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:26:08 GMT

Jordan Wicks took time to look around Wrigley Field, taking in the standing ovation from Chicago Cubs fans to cap his home debut.Wicks had just produced his first quality start in the Cubs’ 8-2 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday to secure a sweep. The 27,443 fans acknowledged Wicks’ performance as he walked off the mound with two outs in the seventh inning. Wicks became the first Cubs starting pitcher since 1901 to record three straight wins to begin his big-league career.“It was especially nice to have fans cheering for you for once instead of against you,” a smiling Wicks said his first start at Wrigley. “It was really special for me.”With their win Wednesday, the Cubs (76-64) moved 12 games over .500 for the first time since Sept. 18, 2019. Coupled with the Milwaukee Brewers’ loss in Pittsburgh, they pulled within 1 1/2 games of first place in the National League Central.Wicks was able to maintain aggressiveness in the zone on...

‘Trust your plan’: Chicago White Sox catcher Korey Lee is hoping to build on a memorable night at the plate

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:26:08 GMT

Korey Lee broke out of a slide in a memorable way.The Chicago White Sox catcher was hitless in his last 23 at-bats when he stepped to the plate in the second inning against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium.Facing Brady Singer, Lee launched a 1-1 slider to left field that cleared the wall for a three-run home run. It was the first homer of Lee’s big-league career.“It’s a great feeling,” Lee told the Tribune before Wednesday’s series finale against the Royals. “It’s something that as a kid you see it on TV and you dream about it. I got to enjoy it.“It was good to have all the teammates in the dugout excited with me and excited for the moment. I’m happy to get it out of the way.”As a bonus, his college teammate Andrew Vaughn homered in the next inning.“Brought back memories,” Lee said. “I got a lot of texts from old Cal guys, and I’m sure he did too. It’s a good feeling to bri...

MBTA van stolen in Woburn with passenger still inside, suspect allegedly crashes into vehicles in O’Neill Tunnel

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:26:08 GMT

A 34-year-old man is accused of stealing an MBTA Ride van with a passenger still inside, driving down Interstate 93 from Woburn to Boston before slamming into several vehicles in the O’Neill Tunnel on Wednesday afternoon.The suspect eventually got out of the MBTA vehicle and fled into the Bostonian Hotel, according to police who swarmed the hotel near Faneuil Hall and found him hiding in a function room.The man, who was not immediately identified by police, was arrested and transported to MBTA Transit Police headquarters for booking.The incident started at around 3:30 p.m. when an MBTA Ride driver parked the vehicle near 2 Elm St., in Woburn. The Ford Flex van had one female passenger aboard, and the woman was described as having intellectual challenges, police said.When the van was parked in Woburn, the driver got out of the vehicle while the keys were reportedly left in the ignition. That’s when the 34-year-old man got in the vehicle and drove away.The passenger began ...

Felony convictions vacated for 4 former Navy officers in sprawling 'Fat Leonard' bribery scandal

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:26:08 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The felony convictions of four former Navy officers in one of the worst bribery cases in the maritime branch's history were vacated Wednesday due to questions about prosecutorial misconduct, the latest setback to the government's yearslong efforts in going after dozens of military officials tied to a defense contractor nicknamed Fat Leonard.U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino called the misconduct “outrageous” and agreed to allow the four men to plead guilty to a misdemeanor and pay a $100 fine each.The surprising turn in the case came at a sentencing hearing in federal court in San Diego.Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Ko, who was brought on after the defendants were tried last year, admitted to “serious issues” with prosecutorial misconduct and asked the judge to vacate the officers' felony convictions. He said his office does not agree with all of the allegations but said errors were made. “There were pretty obviously serious issues that affect our ability to go f...

Homicide suspect escapes from George Washington University Hospital in DC

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:26:08 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — George Washington University issued a shelter-in-place order Wednesday afternoon after a homicide suspect escaped from police custody at the university hospital.The Metropolitan Police Department announced on the X social media platform that Christopher Haynes had “escaped custody” at the hospital just after 3:30. In a news release, police said Haynes, 30, had been arrested earlier Wednesday and charged with a “homicide offense.” Further details were not immediately available. The police notice did not say if Haynes was armed, but it advised people not to engage if they saw him and to call 911. The university sent out text messages warning anyone on campus to shelter in place “due to the dangerous individual around campus.”At 6 p.m., more than two hours after the shelter-in-place order had been issued, the university administration sent out text messages saying the order would continue and canceling all evening events and activities. The message stated, “In-p...

California courts may weigh affirmation of child’s gender identity in custody cases

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:26:08 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California could soon require judges to consider whether a parent affirms their child’s gender identity when making custody and visitation decisions under a bill that cleared the state Senate on Wednesday.The vote was split almost entirely along party lines, with Democrats arguing the legislation would help to protect the well-being of LGBTQ+ children whose parents are going through a divorce. Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener, who represents San Francisco, said the bill was a proactive measure.“This is about not having to get involved after a child has been beaten and had their arm broken, or after they’ve been kicked out,” Wiener said. “This is about trying to make sure that something terrible does not happen to them.”Every Republican in the state Senate voted against the bill, with state Sen. Kelly Seyarto, who represents Murrieta in Southern California, arguing that lawmakers were interfering too much with how parents choose to raise their children.“Insertin...

Greek shipper pleads guilty to smuggling Iranian crude oil and will pay $2.4 million fine

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:26:08 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Greek shipper has pleaded guilty to a charge over it smuggling sanctioned Iranian crude oil and agreed to pay a $2.4 million fine, U.S. federal court papers seen Thursday by The Associated Press show. Empire Navigation agreed to be put on corporate probation under the plea agreement, according to the federal court filings. The charge stems from the saga over the oil tanker Suez Rajan, which has become mired in the wider tensions between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic even as Tehran and Washington work toward a trade of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets in South Korea for the release of five Iranian Americans held in Tehran. Iran has been trying to evade sanctions and continue selling its oil abroad, while the U.S. and its allies have been seizing cargoes since 2019 after the country’s nuclear deal allowing the trade collapsed.The saga over the Suez Rajan began in February 2022, when the group United Against Nuclear Iran said it susp...

COPA releases video of deadly Morgan Park police shooting

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:26:08 GMT

CHICAGO -- The Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) has released video of the fatal Morgan Park officer-involved shooting last month.The Chicago Police Department notified COPA of a fatal officer-involved shooting near the 1100 block of West 111th Street in Chicago's Morgan Park neighborhood around 5:30 p.m. on August 11. Suburban man showed his genitals to children walking home from school, police say Further investigation showed that two CPD officers were in a marked police vehicle when they observed a confrontation between two individuals. The officers reportedly observed one individual with a firearm in their back pocket.When the officers engaged, the armed individual fled, and officers pursued them into a residence. Inside the residence, officers gave verbal commands to drop the weapon, as they struggled over the individual’s firearm.The individual and one of the officers both discharged their weapons, at which time the individual was struck and transported to the ...

ERCOT issues EEA 2 due to low power reserves, no controlled outages right now

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:26:08 GMT

Editor's Note: The above video explains the different ERCOT alert levels.AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas' main electric grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, has now issued Energy Emergency alert (EEA 2) due to low power reserves, the agency confirmed on Twitter."There are no controlled outages at this time. Please safely reduce electric use and have a plan to stay safe in case outages become necessary," the agency said on Twitter.However, an emergency alert from ERCOT said controlled outages may be needed to protect the electric system. Texans are being asked to reduce electric use.Earlier in the day, ERCOT issued a conservation alert for Texans Wednesday evening due to potential "tight grid conditions," according to a press release. Understanding ERCOT’s emergency alert levels ERCOT has several different Energy Emergency Alert levels, or EEAs. After Normal Grid Conditions, the levels are Conservation Alert level, then EEA 1, 2, and 3.Here’s what the alert levels m...