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Florida man guilty in 2019 fatal shooting of 5 women at bank

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man has pleaded guilty to fatally shooting five women at a small-town bank branch in 2019 and will face either life in prison or a death sentence during the penalty phase next year.Court records show 25-year-old Zephen Xaver entered guilty pleas Tuesday to five counts of first-degree murder. He had previously pleaded not guilty, with a trial initially set for January in Sebring, located about 84 miles (135 kilometers) southeast of Tampa.Now, a Highlands County judge has set the penalty portion of the case to begin Jan. 16, 2024.Xaver admitted shooting four employees of a SunTrust Bank branch and one customer on Jan. 23, 2019. All five female victims were ordered to lie on the floor and then were shot one by one, investigators said. They added that robbery did not appear to be a motive and that Xaver had no connection to the victims.““We believe it was a random act,” Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund said shortly after the slayings. “Aside ...

Miami man charged by federal grand jury after operating fraudulent cryptocurrency, stock investment scheme

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

A man who ran a fraudulent cryptocurrency and stock investment scheme was indicted on eight counts of wire fraud Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Miami.On Monday, Ryan James Crawford, 30, appeared in Denver federal court after being arrested in Colorado. Based on the charges from June 2020 through March 22, Crawford tricked his victims into investing roughly $800,000 into his scheme. He accomplished this by claiming to be a successfully licensed stockbroker who made millions of dollars through other cryptocurrency and stake investments. Crawford also claimed he had access to enough money to repay potential investors promptly and falsely claimed he developed an artificial intelligence trading software that would never lose. He also misrepresented the investment as low-risk and high reward. Crawford was accused of not returning the funds to any of his victims and generating the massive returns he promised. On some occasions, he diverted investors’ funds and cryptocurren...

Cringe alert as Treasury mocks Matt Hancock’s WhatsApp leaks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

LONDON — It’s official: Matt Hancock isn’t funny anymore.The always-beleaguered former U.K. health secretary found himself back in the spotlight Wednesday as the British government unveiled its budget — and found time to made a couple of jibes about the leak of tens of thousands of Hancock’s private messages while it was at it. Westminster’s journalists looked on in horror.Over 100,000 WhatsApps from Hancock’s mobile were leaked last month by a reporter who had helped him to write his memoirs on handling the coronavirus pandemic. Hancock called the resulting stories — some of which have raised major questions about government decision-making — “partial” and “agenda-driven,” and hit out at the “betrayal.”That didn’t stop the U.K.’s Treasury mocking up a group chat to sell its budget Wednesday with the promise: “BREAKING NEWS: Spring Budget WhatsApp Files leaked.”The department even offered a lin...

EU Commission refuses to back transport chief who took free flights to Qatar

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

The European Commission refused to back its top transport official, who faces an internal probe for breaching the EU’s rules when he signed off on his own free flights to Qatar. A Commission spokesperson was asked whether the EU executive retained confidence in the director general of the transport department, Henrik Hololei, after disclosing that he personally decided that there was no conflict of interest when he took free Qatar Airways tickets while his team negotiated an open skies deal with Doha. Speaking at a daily briefing for journalists, the spokesperson declined to say whether the Commission still had confidence in Hololei, replying: “We cannot jump to any conclusions before having the facts established.” The Commission launched an internal probe into Hololei following revelations from POLITICO that he accepted free flights from the Qatari government while his team was negotiating a major aviation deal vital to the Gulf state’s own airline.The Estonian official flew ...

Residents evacuated after gas leak at Newbury Court senior living facility in Concord

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

Two residents were evaluated Wednesday morning following a gas leak at Newbury Court senior living facility in Concord, according to fire officials.Crews responding to Deaconess Abundant Life Communities just after 7:30 a.m. found alarms sounding and “elevated levels” of carbon monoxide in the basement of the north building. Coordinating with the facility’s staff, first responders evacuated residents and transported them to another location on site. Fire officials say a total of 70 residents have been temporarily relocated. Two contractors working at the site and two residents of the facility were transported to an area hospital to be evaluated as a precaution. The Concord Police Department has closed Old Road to Nine Acre Corner except for emergency vehicles and Emerson Hospital visitors.Officials say some windows in the Newbury Court building remain open as firefighters vent out parts of the building.The cause of the leak remains under investigation by the town’s...

Rescue crews save young skiers lost in ‘extremely remote’ area behind Wachusett Mountain ski resort

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

Two young skiers lost on the back side of Wachusett Mountain were rescued Tuesday night as nor’easter snow continued to bear down on the area, according to officials.The Princeton Fire Department said its crews were called in after two boys became lost while exploring outside the ski area’s boundaries.According to the department’s Facebook page, Princeton Fire/EMS worked with Wachusett Mountain’s ski patrol and snow grooming department to get to the skiers, using dispatch technology that used cell phone signals to lock in GPS coordinates.Authorities said the skiers, whose phones only had a remaining charge of around 9%, were approximately “2 miles from any civilization.”“Personnel battled the elements, darkness and dangerous snow pack,” the department stated. “This could have ended tragically but these boys are very lucky and used their heads and shared body heat to survive.”According to snow total observations from the Nat...

Nets approaching season-defining stretch of games

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

The Nets found success through an arduous road trip. The upcoming homestand, however, projects as less than kind.After wrapping their five-game road trip in Oklahoma City on Tuesday — a stretch that also featured pit stops in Houston, Milwaukee, Minnesota and Denver — the Nets now welcome the NBA’s elite to Barclays Center for a four-game stretch sure to test the bounds of their newfound No. 1 defense.The Nets host the Western Conference’s No. 3 Sacramento Kings on Thursday; host Nikola Jokic and the West’s No. 1 seeded Nuggets in a matinee game on Sunday; then welcome Donovan Mitchell and the Eastern Conference’s fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in back-to-back games.The Nets just defeated the Nuggets in Denver in one of their best games of the season, but the Nuggets believe they got caught sleeping. Expect that team to make a statement in Brooklyn.The stretch then continues on the road in Miami against a Heat team that may have turned a corner...

Americans Prefer to Know Hotel Costs Upfront — Fees and All

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

Few things contribute to the end-of-vacation doldrums like checking out of your hotel and getting hit with a resort fee.Resort fees tend to run from $20 to $50, and they’re usually calculated per night instead of per stay. At some properties, these fees cover amenities like bikes, snorkels, yoga classes and cucumber-infused water. But other properties offer few resort-style amenities at all. Fees that cover menial amenities, like use of the room phone, can feel frustrating and wasteful.Resort fees have become a hot issue in travel. President Joe Biden went so far as to reference them in his 2023 State of the Union speech when he touted his administration’s Junk Fee Prevention Act, which is proposed legislation that would limit hidden fees and surcharges across a handful of industries, including travel.Those fees encompass surprise surcharges for families to sit together on airlines or service fees for buying tickets to concerts and sporting events. And, yes, the proposed legis...

Summer Travel Tips: Five Reasons to Book an Accessible Hotel Room with accessibleGO

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

AccessibleGOParalympic Gold Medalist Andrew Kurka Joins accessibleGO as Brand AmbassadorNEW YORK, N.Y., March 15, 2023 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — With three in four Americans hoping to travel this summer, the time to start planning is now. But those with disabilities often face challenges at every step of the travel-planning process and journey, resulting in fear, anxiety and frustration. Today, accessibleGO, the first hotel booking site for people with disabilities, is sharing solutions to common problems that people with disabilities face when they travel. The company is also proud to announce that two-time Paralympic medalist Andrew Kurka has joined as brand ambassador to inspire travelers that “Anything is Possible” when they book on accessibleGO.“After being disabled at a teenager, I built a new identity and adapted to all the possibilities that life had to offer. But when it came to travel, I still faced the same accessibility issues as anybody else,” said Andrew Kurka. “That’s w...

Patriots move to retain restricted free agent OT Yodny Cajutse on 1-year deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

The Patriots have tendered restricted free agent offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste at an original-round level, according to a source.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots reportedly signing veteran OT Riley Reiff, expect him to start New England Patriots | How Devin McCourty helped the Patriots create cap space in retirement New England Patriots | Patriots sit out initial days of NFL free agency despite ample cap room, lack of spending New England Patriots | Patriots re-signing S Jabrill Peppers to 2-year deal, per reports New England Patriots | Patriots reportedly signing Broncos O-lineman to 2-year deal Cajuste should return on a 1-year, $2.73 million deal, which is non-guaranteed, indicating he will have to fight for a roster spot this summer. Opposing teams can still approach Cajuste with an offer sheet, and if he signs, the Pats can either match or receive a third-round pick as compensation.C...