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Jury chosen in trial of Las Vegas police officer accused of stealing $165k in trio of casino heists

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:27 GMT

By RIO YAMAT (Associated Press)LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Las Vegas police officer accused of carrying out a trio of casino heists will face trial after a jury was finalized Monday afternoon.Opening statements are set to begin Tuesday with prosecutors for the federal government expected to paint Caleb Rogers as a gambling addict who grew increasingly desperate under a crush of debt. The trial is anticipated to last through the end of the week.Rogers, 35, is accused of stealing nearly $165,000 in three robberies over four months at casinos off the Las Vegas Strip. In at least one of the heists, he was armed with a weapon issued by the police department, prosecutors have said. The officer’s attorney, Richard Pocker, said the government’s evidence allegedly tying Rogers to two of the robberies is weak. He accused the FBI and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department detectives of pressuring two people, including Rogers’ brother, into identifying him as the suspect in the...

After Nantucket shark sightings and predations on seals, swimming banned at wildlife refuge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:27 GMT

After great white sharks were spotted enjoying a “feast” off of Nantucket along with other reports of shark predations on seals, swimming has been banned at a wildlife refuge.Sharks were recently seen thrashing in the water off of Great Point Nantucket Island, as the apex predators devoured prey. Blood was spotted in the water.As a result of the recent shark predation events, a swimming ban is now in place at Great Point, which is located on the northern tip of Nantucket.“After several shark sightings and predation in the area, we’ve decided to implement a swimming closure around Great Point until further notice,” said Sarah Cassell of The Trustees, a conservation and preservation organization.“This is not a decision we’ve made lightly,” Cassell added. “Visitors’ safety is our utmost concern, especially given the remote location of this beach should a serious incident occur. We’ll continue to monitor shark activity in...

Fenway dirt and a dream: Stadium Custom Kicks founder talks Marcelo Mayer’s custom All-Star Futures cleats

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:27 GMT

In Saturday’s All-Star Futures Game, Marcelo Mayer impressed with a single, stolen base, and solid defense, but his footwear had people talking almost as much as his footwork.Starting at shortstop in the annual showcase of the most promising stars of tomorrow, the Red Sox No. 1 prospect donned a pair of bespoke cleats, one painted with his native San Diego, the other bearing the future he’s working towards, Fenway Park. On the latter, the iconic Nike Swoosh was embellished with game-used dirt from the field of America’s oldest and most beloved ballpark.The design, a collaboration between Mayer and Stadium Custom Kicks founder Alex Katz and brought to life by Lead Artist Andrew Urrutia, went viral when the company posted photos on social media.Marcelo Mayer’s (@Marcelo_Mayer10) Futures Game cleats embody the fusion of his baseball journey.The left cleat carries the essence of his future home with Fenway Park's actual dirt infused in the swoosh, while the right cleat pays homage ...

Staff at lodge for LNG workers approve strike, potentially disrupting Kitimat project

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:27 GMT

KITIMAT, B.C. — Employees at a lodge housing workers for LNG Canada’s gas facility in Kitimat, B.C., have authorized strike action, potentially disrupting construction of the massive project.The unions representing workers at the Cedar Valley Lodge in Kitimat on the central B.C. coast say members were 97 per cent in favour of strike action, in a July 7 vote.One of the unions, Unite Here Local 40, says Cedar Valley usually accommodates up to 5,000 camp workers for LNG Canada and is “the only accommodation facility in Kitimat large enough” to house so many people.The 450 lodge workers who voted for strike action are employed by Sodexo, which offers hospitality, food and maintenance services at the lodge.The union says lodge employees are “the lowest compensated workers at the LNG Canada construction site” and did not receive a 12.5-per-cent wage increase that some others working on the project received in 2022.The statement says a strike, if it were to ha...

‘Still waiting for a refund’: Toronto vendors allege they were scammed by organizer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:27 GMT

Several small business owners who were supposed to participate in two cancelled pop-up markets in Toronto are out with damning allegations claiming the organizer is a serial scammer.Vintage clothing store owner Wiley De Paiva initially signed up for “The Next Market,” which was set to take place at BrickBox Studio on May 28 — a venue run by event space providers “Messy House TO.” However, the organizer abruptly cancelled that same morning, citing a medical emergency. The organizer told De Paiva the fees she paid could be put towards a market scheduled for June 25.“I’m still waiting for my refund. I’m hoping I’m gonna get it because $150 is, you know, a good chunk of money,” De Paiva told CityNews. “Then June 25 comes — around 3:30 a.m., and I get an email, a big long email explaining that the market’s not happening.”De Paiva later received an email from the organizer, Jordan Treimanis, saying she wou...

Northwestern fires coach Pat Fitzgerald amid hazing scandal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:27 GMT

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Northwestern has fired coach Pat Fitzgerald amid a hazing scandal that called into question his leadership of the program and damaged the university’s reputation after it mishandled its response to the allegations.Fitzgerald’s dismissal on Monday completed a rapid fall from grace for the former Northwestern linebacker. The 48-year-old Fitzgerald had been firmly entrenched at his alma mater, an annual fixture on any list of college coaches with the most job security.“The head coach is ultimately responsible for the culture of his team,” Northwestern President Michael Schill said in an open letter. “The hazing we investigated was widespread and clearly not a secret within the program, providing Coach Fitzgerald with the opportunity to learn what was happening. Either way, the culture in Northwestern Football, while incredible in some ways, was broken in others.”Fitzgerald began a two-week suspension on Friday after the school said an investigation by ...

Aid to Syria’s rebel-held northwest from Turkey certain to continue – but for 6 or 12 months?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:27 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria’s rebel-held northwest from neighboring Turkey is virtually certain to get a green light to continue from the U.N. Security Council — but the big question is for how long.The council’s current authorization for aid deliveries through the Bab al-Hawa crossing is set to expire Monday, but the council has two rival extension resolutions before it to vote on. A Russian resolution would continue aid deliveries for six months and a Brazil-Switzerland resolution backed by most council members and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would authorize a 12-month extension.The vote had been scheduled for Monday but was delayed until Tuesday morning.Brazil, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates are seeking a compromise with Russia on the time frame and a vote could take place later Monday or Tuesday, diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because discussions have been private.The delivery of aid to the area has increas...

A woman accused of burning a Wyoming abortion clinic has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:27 GMT

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A college student who authorities say admitted setting fire to a building slated to become Wyoming’s only full-service abortion clinic has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors, federal court documents showed Monday.Details of the proposed plea deal for Lorna Roxanne Green weren’t available to the public pending a judge’s approval of the agreement.Green, 22, pleaded not guilty to an arson charge in U.S. District Court in Cheyenne in June. Green faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.The plea agreement means Green could avoid going to trial, set for July 24.Reached by phone, Green’s attorney, Ryan Semerad, declined to comment on the plea agreement. Federal prosecutors did not immediately return an email message seeking comment Monday.Green told investigators she opposed abortion and was experiencing anxiety and having nightmares over the Wellspring Health Access clinic that was to open in Casper, Wyoming, last year, so she decided to ...

Murder suspect sheds handcuffs and shackles to escape at gas station during transport in Montana

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:27 GMT

THOMPSON FALLS, Mont. (AP) — Authorities in western Montana were searching Monday for a Michigan murder suspect who escaped custody over the weekend by removing his handcuffs and shackles at a gas station while being transported to face charges.Suspect Chadwick Shane Mobley, 42, escaped on Sunday while being moved by a private company under contract with the U.S. Marshals Service through the town of Plains, the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office said.The town of about 1,000 people along the Clark Fork river is surrounded by mountains and portions of the Lolo National Forest.Local residents were advised to remove their keys and guns from their vehicles, lock their houses and report any suspicious activity. It was unknown if Mobley remained in the area, said Sanders County Undersheriff Jerry Johnson.Michigan’s attorney general announced last week that Mobley would be charged with felony murder and other offenses in the death of Andrea Eilber, once he was returned to the state. Eilb...

Northwestern fires head coach Pat Fitzgerald

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:27 GMT

EVANSTON, Ill. — A hazing scandal surrounding Northwestern University's football team has led to the ouster of its longtime head coach. .@NorthwesternU has officially fired Pat Fitzgerald this evening..President Michael Schill released the following letter on the decision..@WGNNews pic.twitter.com/5P2AZdW1qs— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) July 10, 2023Pat Fitzgerald has been fired in the wake of the release of an investigation into alleged hazing in the program on Friday, and then more details coming out over the weekend.After severe hazing allegations were levied by a whistleblower, which was first reported by The Daily Northwestern, the school added to its initial punishment for Fitzgerald, which was a two-week unpaid suspension.That came from an investigation that was launched late last year into these allegations and was led by former Illinois Inspector General Maggie Hickey of ArentFox Schiff. In her investigation, she found that anonymous whistleblower’s claims against th...