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Public defender calls on DA to release names of Antioch police officers who sent racist texts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:34 GMT

ANTIOCH – Contra Costa’s top public defender is calling on the district attorney’s office to release the names of more than 40 Antioch Police Department officers who exchanged or received racist and homophobic text messages, as well as to dismiss any public defender cases involving the embattled law enforcement agency.In a letter Friday, Public Defender Ellen McDonnell told District Attorney Diana Becton she had received two redacted investigative reports — which were also obtained by this news organization — written by Becton’s senior inspector, Larry Wallace. The reports, McDonnell wrote in the letter, revealed a “deeply entrenched, department-wide culture of racism, homophobia, targeted violence against Black people, selective enforcement of laws against Black people, fabrication of evidence and utter disregard of civil and human rights.”According to McDonnell’s letter, at least 16 of the 45 involved officers hold leadership roles in the police department. They include detectives...

MacKinnon has hat trick as Avalanche win Central Division

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:34 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon had three goals and an assist, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Nashville Predators 4-3 on Friday night to win the Central Division title.Devon Toews also scored and had an assist and Alexandar Georgiev made 18 saves for Colorado, which finished a point ahead of Dallas in the division. Mikko Rantanen had two assists.Kiefer Sherwood scored twice, Luke Evangelista added one and Kevin Lankinen made 30 saves for the Predators.MacKinnon’s first hat trick of the season and fourth of his career gave him 42 goals for the season.The reigning Stanley Cup-winning Avalanche will begin their championship defense against Seattle in the first round of the playoffs. SABRES 5, BLUE JACKETS 2COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jeff Skinner had a goal and two assists, lifting Buffalo past Columbus in the season finale for both teams.Casey Mittelstadt had a goal and an assist, and Victor Olofsson, Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs also scored for Buffalo. Devon Levi stopped...

Man accused of fleeing to Dubai after fatal 2021 shooting in Ashburn found guilty

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:34 GMT

A Leesburg, Virginia, man who was accused of killing an Ashburn woman and then fleeing to Dubai in 2021 has been convicted.A Loudoun County jury found Furqan Syed, who was 40-years-old at the time of his arrest in March 2022, guilty on Friday of first-degree murder, statutory burglary and a felony weapons charge in the killing of 57-year-old Najat Chemlali Goode.Goode was found inside her home on Connie Marie Terrace on Dec. 30, 2021, with three gunshot wounds, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. She later died at a hospital.“It is unfortunate for all involved because there is so much loss, but it is great to be able to have clarity and accountability for such a tragic act,” Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj said in a statement. “We also thank the more than one hundred witnesses who provided evidence and testimony over the last year to ensure that we delivered to the family and the community safety, and justice.”Surveilla...

Japan’s NHK TV reports a loud explosion at a Japanese port during Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit, but no injuries

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:34 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s NHK TV reports a loud explosion at a Japanese port during Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit, but no injuries.Source

Woodford, Cards’ pen shut down Pirates in 3-0 win

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:34 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — John Woodford and three relievers scattered eight hits, Nolan Gorman drove in two runs, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0 on Friday night.Woodford gave up seven hits in 5 1/3 innings but only one for extra bases, a double by Austin Hedges leading off the fifth. He retired the next three batters to escape that jam.Zach Thompson (1-0) worked 1 2/3 innings, striking out four, Drew VerHagen was perfect in the eighth, and Giovanny Gallegos followed suit in the ninth for his first save.Johan Oveido (1-1) was outstanding for Pittsburgh, allowing one run in seven innings, striking out 10. Oviedo made 33 appearances and 19 starts for St. Louis over three seasons before being traded to the Pirates last year at the deadline for veteran left-hander Jose Quintana.Nolan Arenado went 3-for-3 with a walk. He hit a one-out single in the sixth and later scored on Gorman’s single, ending a 14-inning scoring drought for the Cardinals against the Pirates....

Police shoot, kill suspect with woman, children barricaded in Northglenn

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:34 GMT

NORTHGLENN, Colo. (KDVR) -- A Thornton police officer was involved in a shooting with a suspect on Friday night, the Thornton Police Department said.The Northglenn Police Department and Thornton SWAT said they were trying to contact a person who violated probation on attempted murder out of Denver in the 300 block of Malley Drive around 5 p.m. The department tweeted that a shelter-in-place had been issued at 5:40 p.m. after the suspect barricaded himself. Man allegedly takes badge, uses it to slice Denver officer’s neck The suspect had a woman and three children barricaded with him and when police tried to negotiate their release, shots were fired at officers, TPD said. The suspect later fired more shots at police and a Thornton officer returned fire, striking the suspect, TPD said. Police rendered life-saving measures but the suspect died at the hospital, the department said. The shelter-in-place was lifted just before 7 p.m. and NPD said there was no threat to the community. Th...

Klietmann: Inflation Reduction Act puts cancer drugs in jeopardy

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:34 GMT

An obscure component of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act will jeopardize patients’ access to an entire class of medicines that could be key to beating cancer and reversing Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological conditions.It’s crucial that Congress acts to fix this structural defect — and soon. Our policy environment should encourage drug companies to pursue the most promising potential treatments and cures, no matter what form they take. Unfortunately, the hastily written IRA is doing just the opposite.Here’s the crux of the issue. The IRA permits the federal government to impose draconian price caps on a range of prescription drugs covered under Medicare. However, the law exempts newly approved medications from price setting for a specified number of years to allow drug makers time to recoup their upfront R&D investments.Small molecule drugs — which are chemical compounds, usually pills — are exempt from Medicare pri...

Eliza takes a stand in ‘My Fair Lady’ revival

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:34 GMT

“My Fair Lady” is a bold investigation of gender roles, sexual politics, clashing cultures, and privilege. It also features the endlessly romantic and dreamy musical number “I Could Have Danced All Night.”The musical has always worked at an odd balancing act. It’s part subversive piece of art, part sweet-and-magical bit of popcorn. In 2018, director Bartlett Sher put his thumb on the scale tipping his revival of “My Fair Lady” toward the subversive – the touring production of the show plays April 18-30 at the Citizens Bank Opera House.“Audiences might remember the show in a more romantic light or remember it as a really offensive piece because they’ve seen an iteration where [main character] Eliza [Doolittle] is being abused,” Madeline Powell, who plays Eliza, told the Herald. “In Bartlett’s version of this play, his biggest goal was to give Eliza agency… he was really intentional about restoring George Bernard Shaw’s original Eliza.”Both Shaw’s 1913 play “Pygmalion” and “My Fair La...

Lowry: Women’s sports suffer in Title IX expansion

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:34 GMT

Decades from now, when scholars are debating how the executive branch jumped the rails of any legislative accountability or rational rules, the new Biden administration Title IX edict should be the prime exhibit.It is a sweeping expansion of regulatory power, not in the service of the original goal of the underlying statute, but in opposition to it.This is brazen even for the Biden administration of the student loan forgiveness program and the rent moratorium.The new draft rule forbids blanket bans on transgender athletes competing in sports against athletes of their adopted gender, but allows, in theory, more narrowly tailored prohibitions. This is being portrayed as a moderate, compromise approach to the issue. It is nothing of the sort. The more fundamental issue, though, is that it lacks any foundation in the law.Congress passed Title IX ensuring equal access “on the basis of sex” and President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972. The idea that Nixon and leaders...

Michel: Who pays what, and where your taxes go

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:34 GMT

The annual tax-filing ritual sends Americans across the country scrambling to gather documents and brace for the inevitable confusion that results. For a lucky few, it can be a straightforward process. But tax filing can be a complicated and time-consuming ordeal for many, particularly for lower-income taxpayers. As we reconcile our tax bills, it’s natural to wonder: who pays taxes, and what do they fund?You’re not alone if Tax Day triggers fear and confusion. Even Americans who use tax software or an accountant face a seemingly endless list of questions.This is because politicians on both sides of the aisle get carried away with designing new tax programs without considering how the whole system works when families file their taxes. As a result, the United States has at least six sets of rules on how a child might qualify a family for tax benefits, 15 programs targeted at higher education, 18 tax-advantaged savings accounts and 14 deductions for people who itemize. The task of mere...