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Iowa judge orders continued probation for teen sex trafficking victim who killed her alleged abuser

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A teenage sex trafficking victim who fatally stabbed the man she accused of abusing her was resentenced Wednesday to probation, telling an Iowa judge that she now has a support system to help keep her on track. Prosecutors agreed that Pieper Lewis should continue her probation rather than be incarcerated. Polk County Attorney Kimberly Graham told the judge that her office “sees her as a human being,” that she is vulnerable to revictimization and that there is low risk she will commit more violence. Lewis, now 18, had faced a 20-year prison sentence for the June 2020 fatal stabbing of 37-year-old Zachary Brooks, who Lewis said she was trafficked to against her will and forced to have sex with multiple times at age 15. She pleaded guilty in September to involuntary manslaughter and willful injury and was sentenced to probation. Polk County Judge David Porter ruled then that Lewis’ charges would have been expunged from her record had she kept to the terms ...

‘That ’70s Show’ actor Danny Masterson’s rape conviction: Key things to know

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday convicted actor Danny Masterson of two counts of rape in a retrial that focused on allegations the “That ‘70s Show’ star raped three women between 2001 and 2003. The verdict sided with two of Masterson’s accusers, but the panel was unable to reach a verdict on similar allegations by a longtime girlfriend of Masterson. The actor, who was led from court in handcuffs after being a free man throughout the proceedings, faces 30 years to life in prison when he is sentenced. The second trial made the Church of Scientology, which Masterson is a member of, a prominent element. Here are some of the key elements that emerged during the three-week retrial and what’s next for the actor.WHAT’S NEXT FOR MASTERSONThe actor will remain in custody while he awaits sentencing, which hasn’t been scheduled yet.The women Masterson is convicted of raping could give victim impact statements during the sentencing hearing, and th...

Hamilton couple killed by landlord planned on moving out this week, police say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

A Hamilton couple shot dead by their landlord last weekend planned on moving out of their Stoney Creek basement apartment this week, investigators say.Hamilton Police were called to the home around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 27, and found 27-year-old Carissa MacDonald and 28-year-old Aaron Stone dead.It was revealed that the suspect was the couple’s 57-year-old landlord, who lived in a unit above his two tenants.A spokesperson with Hamilton Police confirmed with CityNews that concern over mold inside the tenants’ unit led to a dispute between the three and ended in the couple being fatally shot.It was also revealed that MacDonald and Stone, identified by police on Tuesday, were preparing to move out of the unit on Thursday, June 1.Members of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) at the scene of a homicide investigation in the area of Jones Road and Barton Street in Hamilton. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick IwanyshynInvestigators described the couple as “truly innocent vict...

Canada closing in on deal to get Stellantis battery plant back on track: Champagne

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

OTTAWA — A deal to save a $5-billion electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor is inching closer, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Wednesday.“I would say everyone should take a deep breath, things are going well, the negotiations are progressing,” Champagne said following a Liberal caucus meeting in Ottawa.“We’re getting closer to the end of the negotiation.”The federal government, Ontario, Stellantis and LG Energy Solution have been in heavy negotiations for a few weeks after the companies paused construction on their planned factory in a dispute over federal subsidies.The negotiations have been stuck between what Canada thinks is fair and affordable and what the company believes it is due. It has threatened to move the plant out of Windsor if it doesn’t get what it says it was promised by the federal government in a “special contribution agreement” in February.Champagne said the company has to be “reasonable.&...

Court of Appeal overturns ruling directing Ottawa to help repatriate men in Syria

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

OTTAWA — The Federal Court of Appeal has overturned a judge’s declaration that four Canadian men being held in Syria are entitled to Ottawa’s help to return home.In a ruling released Wednesday, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal said the federal government is not obligated under the law to repatriate the men. The Canadians are among the many foreign nationals in Syrian camps and jails run by Kurdish forces that reclaimed the strife-torn region from the extremist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.The latest ruling sets aside a January decision by Federal Court Justice Henry Brown, who directed Ottawa to request repatriation of the men from the squalid conditions as soon as reasonably possible and provide them with passports or emergency travel documents. Brown said the men were also entitled to have a representative of the federal government travel to Syria to help facilitate their release once their captors agree to hand them over. The men include Jack ...

North Carolina sports, horse-race betting legislation backed by Senate in key vote

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Legalized sports gambling in North Carolina cleared what could be one of its final legislative hurdles on Wednesday as a measure to authorize and regulate betting and tax revenues received a strong affirmative vote in the Senate. Senators voted 38-11 for the chamber’s version of the measure, which also would authorize adults over 21 to bet on live horse racing in the state or elsewhere. The bill needs one more Senate “yes” vote on Thursday before it gets sent to the House, which passed a version in March that omitted horse racing and directed the state to levy a lower tax on gambling operators who receive licenses to offer the games. The House will have to decide whether to vote to accept the Senate’s changes. Doing so would send the Senate proposal to the desk of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who has expressed support for legalized sports wagering. Rep. Jason Saine, a Lincoln County Republican and chief sponsor of the House bill said in a text that he...

B.C. pharmacists set to treat minor ailments, prescribe contraception starting June 1

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

VANCOUVER — Pharmacists in British Columbia will have more responsibilities starting June 1 in an effort to improve access for those without a family doctor and ease the stress on an overburdened health system.The College of Pharmacists of BC says 75 per cent of eligible community pharmacists have completed the training required to be able to diagnose and prescribe medications for 21 minor ailments like acne, shingles or urinary tract infections, as well as prescribe contraception.Health Minister Adrian Dix says the new services will make it easier and faster for patients to get medication and take the pressure off nurses and doctors who can focus on those with more complex needs. He says the province is launching a website on June 29 so residents can book appointments with pharmacists online, similar to the system used to get vaccines.These latest powers come after changes last October that allowed pharmacists to administer more vaccines and renew prescriptions for up to a two-year...

American Airlines says it will appeal a ruling that would break up a partnership with JetBlue

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — American Airlines said Wednesday it will appeal a court decision that would force the airline to break up its partnership with JetBlue Airways in the Northeast.American and JetBlue face a late-June deadline to end the agreement in which they coordinate flights and share revenue. The Justice Department sued to block the alliance, and a federal judge ruled last week that the partnership violates antitrust law.“We’ve got a system that allows for appeal, and we are going to do that,” American CEO Robert Isom said during an investor conference. “In the meantime, we are going to have to work with (the Justice Department), work with JetBlue, to find out exactly what we do in the interim.”American could seek a stay of the judge’s order while it appeals. The Justice Department declined to comment.Losing the alliance would be a setback for American, which would need to find another way to grow in New York and Boston, where it has retreated over many years in the face...

Born in a typhoon: Many, including newborns, remain without electricity as Guam recovers from storm

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — About a week after Typhoon Mawar tore through Guam as the strongest typhoon to hit the U.S. Pacific territory in over two decades, most of the island remained without electricity and the governor appealed for patience during a recovery process expected to take at least a month. Even though Mawar caused no deaths or catastrophic destruction, officials said that as of Wednesday only 28% of power had been restored on the oppressively hot and humid island. About 44% of cell towers were functional Wednesday and about half the water system was operational, Bob Fenton, regional administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency told The Associated Press via phone from Guam.Mawar briefly made landfall as a Category 4 storm late on May 24 on the northern tip of the island of roughly 150,000 people, flipping cars, tearing off roofs and leaving trees bare. There have been long lines for gas and officials estimate it will be four to six weeks before power is fully restore...

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says he never heard of Jeffrey Epstein until after his 2019 arrest

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has testified that he never heard of Jeffrey Epstein and his crimes against teenage girls and young women until the financier was arrested in 2019, according to a transcript of the videotaped deposition released Wednesday.Dimon said he first heard about it “when the story blew wide open. He was arrested, and all the stories came out about all the people he knows. And the reason I remember that is I was surprised that I didn’t know about it before.”Asked by a lawyer if he’d ever heard the name Jeffrey Epstein before his arrest, Dimon responded, “Not that I recall.”Dimon made the revelation during a videotaped deposition recorded last week in connection with lawsuits filed against the nation’s largest bank.The lawsuits on behalf of Epstein victims and the U.S. Virgin Islands in Manhattan federal court seek to hold JPMorgan financially liable for Epstein’s decadeslong abuse of teenage girls and young women.The bank, besides denying t...