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Embattled Oregon school district in court after parents accuse it of violating public meetings law

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon school district that sparked controversy in 2021 over a decision to ban diversity symbols was in court Tuesday after parents sued it for allegedly violating public meetings law.The trial, which opened in Yamhill County, stems from a lawsuit filed in 2021 by a group of seven parents against the Newberg School District and four school board members. In court filings, the parents accused the school board members of meeting in secret, separately from the board’s three other members, to discuss the firing of the district’s superintendent and the hiring of an attorney who helped oversee a ban on Black Lives Matter and gay pride symbols, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.The parents also alleged the district failed to properly notify the public about the meetings during which the votes to fire Superintendent Joe Morelock and hire attorney Tyler Smith occurred, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported, citing court documents.The four school board mem...

Former Indiana lawmaker pleads guilty to casino corruption charge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

INDIANPOLIS (AP) — A former Indiana lawmaker pleaded guilty Tuesday to supporting a bill favoring a casino in exchange for promises of lucrative employment.Sean Eberhart, 57, was charged with conspiracy to commit honest services fraud. He had agreed to plead guilty earlier this month. The offense is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Judge Matthew P. Brookman of the Southern District Court of Indiana said sentencing will follow at an unspecified date. He said prosecutors and Eberhart’s attorneys have not agreed on a recommended sentence but did settle on $60,000 in restitution — Eberhart’s salary as an elected official. Brookman said a $100 fee will be due at the time of sentencing. Eberhart answered the judge’s questions throughout the hearing with “yes” or “no” answers. He declined to take questions from members of the news media as he left the courthouse. The former Republican state representative...

Liz Rodbell to take over as president and CEO of Hudson’s Bay

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

TORONTO — Hudson’s Bay says Liz Rodbell will take over as president and CEO of the company, returning to the helm after serving as president from 2013 to 2017.The Canadian retail arm of Hudson’s Bay Co. says the move is effective Friday, with Rodbell succeeding Sophia Hwang-Judiesch, who is stepping down from her role as president to pursue another opportunity. No CEO was appointed during Hwang-Judiesch’s time as president, which began after former president and CEO Iain Nairn retired in January.Hudson’s Bay Co. governor and executive chairman Richard Baker says Rodbell is expected to drive the continued transformation of Hudson’s Bay.In a press release, the company also highlighted Rodbell’s “strategic oversight and impact on the overall business” while in her preceding role as chief merchant, adding she “brings a wealth of industry expertise to the role, with strongly established vendor relationships.”Rodbell says her foc...

Pop singer Sabrina Carpenter’s music video spurs outrage for using NY Catholic church as a setting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Pop singer Sabrina Carpenter’s use of a Roman Catholic church in Brooklyn as a backdrop for parts of a music video, with her dancing next to pastel-colored coffins, led to its pastor being stripped of his administrative duties after its release and officials holding a Mass to restore the church’s “sanctity.”Carpenter, who as a youth appeared on the Disney Channel, released the video for “Feather” on Oct. 31; in it, she’s in several scenarios with men who behave badly, like taking a nonconsensual photo of her body, and then die in grisly ways. At the end, Carpenter, 24, is filmed dancing in the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, wearing a short tulle dress and a black veil.The day after its release, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, which oversees the Catholic churches in Brooklyn and Queens, issued a statement saying that proper procedures around allowing filming had not been followed and it was “appalled.” A few days later, the d...

Rapper Young Thug’s trial on racketeering conspiracy and gang charges begins in Atlanta

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Young Thug is the ruthless leader of a violent street gang that terrorized Atlanta neighborhoods or he’s an inspiring success who pulled himself out of poverty to rap stardom through hard work and determination. Those are the competing narratives presented to the jury as the rapper’s trial got underway this week.The Grammy winner, whose given name is Jeffery Williams, was charged last year in a sprawling indictment that accused him and more than two dozen others of conspiring to violate Georgia’s anti-racketeering law. He also is charged with gang, drug and gun crimes and is standing trial with five of the others indicted with him. Fulton County prosecutor Adriane Love didn’t dispute that Young Thug is a talented artist, but she said he exploited his gift for a darker purpose, using his songs, clout and social media posts to promote and establish the dominance of his gang, Young Slime Life, or YSL.“Through that music, through that blessing, the...

Tennessee governor unveils push for statewide school voucher expansion, no income limitations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday backed a plan to expand beyond a three-county school voucher program for low-income kids by offering public money for private schooling statewide, regardless of family income.State lawmakers narrowly approved the so-called education savings accounts initiative for the three counties in 2019. It awards eligible families around $8,100 in public tax dollars to help cover private school tuition and other preapproved expenses. The newest initiative will also need the approval of the state Legislature, where Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers.In 2019, lawmakers agreed in a tight vote to enact the original program after receiving assurances that it would only apply to Davidson and Shelby counties, both Democratic strongholds in Tennessee. Nashville, Memphis and civil rights leaders sued to stop the program, which was tied up in the courts and only implemented starting in the summer of 2022 after the Tennessee Supreme...

Toronto drop-in centre for older homeless men holds clothing drive on Giving Tuesday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

Haven Toronto is one of the few organizations in the country that’s entirely dedicated to supporting elder men experiencing homelessness – a group they say is often forgotten and neglected.The organization was established during the Great Depression in 1933 and 90 years later, their services still remain critical for many.“Without this place, there’d be nowhere for me to go,” Mike Day tells CityNews, a Haven client for 17 years.“I joined here when I was 50. I’m 67 now. I come here every day.”The drop-in centre is membership based and open to men 50 and older, 365 days a year, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m“They just come in and see us at the front desk. We ask a few basic questions and provide them with a membership card. For a lot of the guys, that’s the only ID they have, and so it’s really important for them to have that,” says director of operations Natasha Wakaruk. “Our staff do a pretty good job of directing them to various oth...

Ex-prison guard gets 3 years for failing to help sick inmate who later died

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A former high-ranking guard at a federal prison in Virginia has been sentenced to three years in prison for failing to help an inmate who suffered a medical emergency and later died, the Justice Department announced Tuesday. Michael Anderson, 52, was a lieutenant at a medium-security prison in Petersburg. He was the second-highest ranking officer there during several hours when the inmate’s health crisis took place in 2021. The inmate, identified only as W.W., exhibited sudden symptoms that included incoherence and the inability to stand, according to court filings by federal prosecutors. He continuously fell inside his cell and later in a suicide-watch cell.He later fell headfirst into a doorframe, according to prosecutors. “As W.W. laid alone on the floor, naked and covered in bruises and abrasions, no correctional officer responded to his medical emergency or otherwise rendered aid to W.W. for nearly an hour and forty minutes,” prosecutors wrote. W.W. d...

FBI agents offer reward for information on man who attempted to rob banks along Michigan Ave.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

CHICAGO — FBI agents are offering a reward for information about a man who attempted to rob banks along Michigan Avenue three separate times over the last two and a half months.According to the FBI, the man has attempted to rob a bank in Chicago every three to four weeks since September and agents say they worry he may soon strike again. Man dead, child injured after shooting, rollover crash on Southwest Side Agents are now offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading directly to an arrest.Authorities say the three attempted robberies happened at two Citibank locations along Michigan Avenue less than half a mile away from each other between Sept. 19 and Nov. 7. Agents provided the following timeline of the attempted robberies:September 19 at 3:29 p.m. at the Citibank at 100 South Michigan Avenue. Agents say during this attempted robbery, the man was spotted wearing a hooded sweatshirt, a mask, and a black button-down jacket. October 11 at 3:35 p.m. at the Ci...

Sean 'Diddy' Combs temporarily steps down as Revolt chairman amid sexual abuse allegations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:17 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs has temporarily stepped down as chairman of his cable television network Revolt amid multiple sexual abuse allegations against the music mogul.Revolt announced Combs’ decision on social media Tuesday. It’s not clear when he will return to his media company — which said Combs previously had “no operational or day-to-day role” at the network.“This decision helps to ensure that Revolt remains steadfastly focused on our mission to create meaningful content for the culture and amplify the voices of all Black people throughout this country and African diaspora,” the network said in the statement.Combs, a founder of Revolt, declined to comment further on the matter. The network has been preparing to celebrate its 10th anniversary.Earlier this month, R&B singer Cassie accused Combs of raping and beating her over the duration of their decadeslong, on-and-off relationship — which began in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37. The singer, whose real nam...