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Georgia activist killed by troopers shot first, officers say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:12 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia authorities allege that state troopers in January fatally shot an environmental protester who had fired at authorities after a trooper shot pepper balls into the protester’s tent, according to incident reports obtained Friday by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.The newspaper obtained multiple Georgia Department of Public Safety use-of-force incident reports through an open records request. The records offer the most complete account yet of authorities’ version of the Jan. 18 killing of Manuel Paez Terán, who went by the name Tortuguita and used the pronoun they. Paez Terán was killed in DeKalb County’s South River Forest as officers tried to clear activists who were camping near the site of a planned police and training center that protesters derisively call “Cop City.”Protesters have questioned officials’ assertion that officers shot Paez Terán in self-defense after the 26-year-old shot a trooper. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation continues to e...

Parade disinvites Hawaii lawmaker after pride flag comments

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:12 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — The chair of a parade honoring a Native Hawaiian leader and prince said Friday a state lawmaker won’t be allowed to participate in the event after he questioned a middle school principal’s display of a pride flag supporting LGBTQ+ people.Kūhiō Lewis, the chairperson of the Prince Kūhiō Parade, said he notified Republican state Rep. Elijah Pierick of the decision in a letter. “The LGBTQ+ and mahu community is an essential part of the fabric of Hawaii that we all know and cherish,” Lewis said in a statement. In Hawaiian language and culture, “mahu” refers to someone with dual male and female spirit and a mixture of gender traits.The parade is scheduled to be held in Kapolei on Saturday.“Rep. Pierick’s commentary is hurtful, not aligned to the cultural values that we work to promote, and will serve as a distraction to honoring a true leader of Hawaii, Prince Kūhiō,” Lewis said. He said Pierick will be removed from the parade lineup. Lewis said he looked forw...

Rwanda frees Paul Rusesabagina of ‘Hotel Rwanda’ fame

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:12 GMT

KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Rwanda’s government has commuted the 25-year sentence of Paul Rusesabagina, who inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda” for saving hundreds of countrymen from genocide but was convicted of terrorism offenses years later in a widely criticized trial.Government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told The Associated Press on Friday that the presidential order was issued after a request for clemency on behalf of Rusesabagina, a 68-year-old U.S. resident and Belgian citizen. Senior U.S. officials said Rusesabagina arrived late Friday at the home of the Qatari ambassador in the Rwandan capital of Kigali and was expected to leave the country in the coming days. Nineteen others also had their sentences commuted. Under Rwandan law, commutation doesn’t “extinguish” the conviction, Makolo added.“Rwanda notes the constructive role of the U.S. government in creating conditions for dialogue on this issue, as well as the facilitation provided by the state of Qatar,” she said. Presiden...

Powder, threat sent to Manhattan DA investigating Trump

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:12 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A powdery substance was found Friday with a threatening letter in a mailroom at the offices of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the latest security scare as the prosecutor weighs a potential historic indictment of former President Donald Trump, authorities said.New York City police and environmental protection officials isolated and removed the suspicious letter, and testing “determined there was no dangerous substance,” Bragg spokesperson Danielle Filson said. The substance was sent to a city lab for further examination, police said.“Alvin, I am going to kill you,” the letter said, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person was not authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing investigation and did so on condition of anonymity.The discovery, in the same building where a grand jury is expected to resume work Monday, came amid increasingly hostile rhetoric from Trump, a Republican who is holding the first rally of his 2024 presidential campaign...

Allow unvaccinated Canadians to cross U.S. border, Poilievre asks President Joe Biden

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:12 GMT

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Friday he asked President Joe Biden to remove the U.S. government’s requirement that Canadians be vaccinated for COVID-19 before crossing the border.He told reporters after their meeting that American citizens are no longer required to have their shots and Canada allows unvaccinated Americans to visit. “There are millions of good, decent, honourable people who, through a personal medical decision, are discriminated against at the border,” Poilievre said. “I encouraged the president to lift those restrictions to allow them freedom of mobility.”Poilievre won the leadership of his party a little more than six months ago by mounting a vocal opposition to COVID-19 health restrictions, including mask and vaccine mandates, but he has since focused his message on cost-of-living issues. He met with Biden on Parliament Hill Friday during the president’s 27-hour visit to the Canadian capital, and later share...

2 face charges in death of Alaska man after online post

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:12 GMT

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Two southeast Alaska men face charges in the beating death of a man who was attacked because of a social media post, according to an investigator’s affidavit.Moses S. Blanchard, 22, and Blaise A. Dilts, 21, of Klawock, face charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter and burglary in the death of 80-year-old Lincoln Peratrovich, according to the state’s online court records system. An attorney listed for Dilts did not return a message seeking comment. An attorney was not listed online for Blanchard.The investigation was being conducted by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation, which falls under the Alaska State Troopers. The city of Klawock on Prince of Wales Island has a police department but its lone officer died in January, the Ketchikan Daily News reported.An affidavit by Adam Hawkins, a bureau investigator, said troopers on Monday evening received a complaint that a man, later identified as Peratrovich, whistled and catcalled at a minor and follo...

Trudeau says he accepts MP’s choice to leave Liberal caucus amid meddling allegations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:12 GMT

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he accepts Han Dong’s decision to leave the Liberal caucus after an allegation he spoke to a Chinese diplomat about delaying the release of two Canadians.Trudeau sidestepped a question Friday about whether he believes the allegation, saying only that Canadians should watch Dong’s “strong” speech for themselves.He said at a news conference alongside U.S. President Joe Biden, who is visiting Ottawa, that he fully accepts Dong left the Liberal caucus “to vigorously contest these allegations.” Dong, a Toronto MP, announced he would sit as an Independent on Wednesday night, telling the House of Commons that he would defend himself against “absolutely untrue claims” regarding his alleged involvement in Chinese interference.Global News published a report that night, citing unnamed security sources who alleged that Dong spoke about Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who at that time had been detained...

Book thief in plot that duped famous authors avoids prison

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:12 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — It was the stuff of novels: For years, a con artist plagued the publishing industry, impersonating editors and agents to pull off hundreds of literary heists. But the manuscripts obtained from high-profile authors were never resold or leaked, rendering the thefts all the more perplexing.The Thursday sentencing of Filippo Bernardini in Manhattan federal court brought the saga to an end and, with it, finally some answers. After pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud in January, Bernardini was sentenced to time served, avoiding prison on a felony charge that carried up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of at least a year.Bernardini, now 30, impersonated hundreds of people over the course of the scheme that began around August 2016 and obtained more than a thousand manuscripts, including from high-profile authors like Margaret Atwood and Ethan Hawke, authorities have said.In an emotional, four-page letter to Judge Colleen McMahon submitted e...

Police connect with community in Park Ridge after recent robberies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:12 GMT

PARK RIDGE, Ill. — Park Ridge police officers are connecting with the community after a string of armed robberies in the parking lot of a Mariano's.Over the weekend, police announced the arrest of several people after the latest incident. Group commits four armed robberies in Rivers Casino, Park Ridge Mariano’s parking lots On Friday, officers from several police departments are coming together for a roll call in the parking lot after residents voiced their concerns about crime.The officers were from several agencies, including Park Ridge Police Department, the Cook County Sheriff's Office and the Des Plaines Police Department.The first armed robbery in Mariano's parking lot happened on March 10. Two men told police they were approached by three men in masks and robbed at gunpoint of their wallets and phones. Charges pending after 3 juveniles crash stolen vehicle on South Side On March 19, two people were walking to their car when they were approached by three people who got ou...

Bill would remove city protections for 'cedar fever' Ashe Juniper trees

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:12 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A short bill filed by Texas Rep. Ellen Troxclair, R-Austin, would remove municipal protections for Ashe Juniper trees across Texas, a move that ecologists warn could have a serious impact on Central Texas.House Bill 2239 would amend a section of state law that currently only prevents municipalities from preventing the removal of diseased, dead or dangerous trees. Troxclair's bill simply adds the Ashe Juniper to the list. Why can’t we get rid of the trees that cause ‘cedar fever?’ "Just as Ashe Juniper pollen notoriously drifts across Texas each spring, restrictive local policies tend to spread unless stopped," Troxclair said. "Some Texans are already facing a complicated bureaucratic nightmare for just wanting to manage their own land. HB 2239 would let Texas’ private property owners make their own decisions about what grows on their property."Referring to the native plant as overabundant and "almost an invasive species," Troxclair hopes their removal cou...