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Entertainment consultant targeted by shooter who had been stalking his friend, prosecutors say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

By STEFANIE DAZIO (Associated Press)LOS ANGELES (AP) — A high-profile entertainment marketing consultant was targeted by a woman who had been stalking one of his friends before she fatally shot him after her forcing her way inside his Los Angeles home, prosecutors said Thursday.This week’s slaying of Michael Latt sent shockwaves through Hollywood as the suspect faces charges of murder and burglary. Latt, 33, had worked on projects with filmmakers including Ryan Coogler and Ava DuVernay, as well as rap artist Common.He was pronounced dead Monday in the hospital. Prosecutors allege that Jameelah Elena Michl, 36, knocked on his home’s door and forced herself inside once it was open. She had sought out Latt’s home “after she targeted him for being friends with a woman she had been stalking,” the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release Thursday. She allegedly fired at him with a semi-automatic handgun.Authorities have...

Judge extends pause on John Oates’ sale of stake in business with Daryl Hall as arbitration proceeds

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

By JONATHAN MATTISE (Associated Press)NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A judge sided with Daryl Hall on Thursday in his request to keep John Oates temporarily blocked from selling his potentially lucrative share of the Hall & Oates duo’s joint venture without his longtime partner’s permission.Chancellor Russell Perkins in Nashville extended his pause on the sale of Oates’ share of Whole Oats Enterprises LLP to Primary Wave IP Investment Management LLC while the music duo moves through the early stages of arbitration. The temporary injunction in the lawsuit filed by Hall blocks Oates from selling until an arbitrator weighs in, or until Feb. 17.The joint venture in question includes Hall & Oates trademarks, personal name and likeness rights, record royalty income and website and social media assets, according to a court declaration by Hall, who has called Oates’ planned sale the “ultimate partnership betrayal. ″At a hearing Thursday, Christin...

Escondido students team up with police to collect toys for children in need

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

ESCONDIDO, Calif. -- The Escondido Police Department is getting ready to make this holiday season an extra special one for dozens of families in need, and they’re doing it with the help of a local school.Every year, Escondido Christian School partners up with the local authorities to collect toys for the department's annual Children’s Christmas Party. Three San Diego-area eateries among best new restaurants in US: Esquire On Thursday morning, a caravan of police officers showed up at the school to collect the gifts.The Grinch himself was also on hand.Then, one by one, students handed over the toys to officers.“They (the students) told me that they wanted to help them because they might not have a present otherwise, that their families were in situations where they couldn’t maybe give them a wonderful gift like this," said Mrs. Palmbert, a kindergarten teacher at the school. "And that they wanted to make those children happy.” Sgt. Jeff Udvarhelyi said the event is just as rew...

Child care workers advocate for better wages in Queen’s Park rally

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

Child care advocates and workers rallied on the front lawn of Queen’s Park Thursday, urging the Ford government to hike wages for early childhood educators to help recruit more workers to the sector.The rally was part of the Canada-wide Day of Action for Early Learning and Childcare. Carolyn Ferns with the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care said hundreds of thousands of families are stuck on waitlists for affordable child care – a crisis being driven by the workforce shortage.While the national childcare program will reduce fees for families to $10/day by 2026, daycare operators say the provincial funding formula doesn’t cover all of their expenses or provide proper compensation for workers.The province announced an increase to the wage floor for a Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE) from $20 per hour to $23.84 per hour. It’s expected to rise to $25.86 by 2025.Ferns said it’s not enough to recruit and retain workers.“When you look at it, the majority of...

Suspect arrested in Morocco believed to be responsible for bomb threats across Ontario

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says they believe a person of interest arrested in Morocco for their alleged involvement in a series of bomb threats made in Belgium is also responsible for similar threats across the Canadian province.OPP said multiple schools and other public facilities received threatening messages from an unknown individual, indicating that bombs had been placed at their locations.On Nov. 1, 2023, Kipling Collegiate Institute, Lakeshore Collegiate Institute and Western Technical Commercial School were evacuated, and students were sent home for the day before a sweep of the schools revealed no threat.Police in Halton Region said Nelson High School in Burlington was also evacuated due to a similar threat. No injuries were reported.OPP said the threats also included a demand for money in exchange for details about the alleged explosives. No actual explosives were ever found.On Thursday, OPP revealed that Belgian police arrested one person in Morocco in connection wit...

Biden gets a chance to bring holiday spirit to Washington by lighting the National Christmas Tree

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s President Joe Biden ‘s turn to bring some holiday spirit to the U.S. capital. The president and his wife, Jill, are participating Thursday in the annual tradition of lighting the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse, an area known as President’s Park, on the south side of the White House.This year’s tree is a 40-foot (12-meter) Norway spruce from West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest.There was a moment’s doubt earlier this week about whether the 101-year-old tradition would go ahead as planned after the tree was felled by strong gusty winds Tuesday. But the tree was upright again within hours after a cable securing it was replaced, according to the National Park Service. The tree lighting ceremony is an annual White House holiday tradition with a countdown and musical performances. The Norway spruce was planted about two weeks ago, replacing an older tree that the park service said had developed a fungal disease that cause...

Eyeing 2024, Michigan Democrats expand voter registration and election safeguards in the swing state

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Democrats are building on an effort to overhaul election laws in the state by allowing 16-year-olds to register before they can legally vote at 18 and adding more protections for election officials ahead of a 2024 presidential election that the swing state could play a critical role in. The election bills package, signed Thursday by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, also includes legislation that will automatically register individuals to vote when they are released from incarceration. Michigan is the first state in the nation to implement such legislation, according to the advocacy group Voters Not Politicians. “This groundbreaking step will cement Michigan as a voting rights leader and ensure every eligible voter can participate in our democratic process,” Kim Murphy-Kovalick, programs director for Voters Not Politicians, said in a statement.The package is the result of Michigan Democrats prioritizing expanding voting rights after the party fli...

Toronto man arrested after attempted carjacking in Etobicoke

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

A Toronto man is facing charges after police allege he assaulted a man and then tried to steal his vehicle in Etobicoke on Wednesday night.Officers responded to reports of a robbery in The Queensway and North Queen Street area at around 10:23 p.m.Investigators say the victim parked his vehicle in the area when he was approached by a man who attacked him before attempting to steal his vehicle.“Members of the Provincial Carjacking Joint Task Force (PCJTF) arrived on-scene and arrested the accused,” a release states.Louie Hodge, 35, is facing charges of robbery and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

Missouri prosecutor accuses 3 men of holding student from India captive and beating him

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) — Three men held a student from India captive over the course of several months and forced him to work and perform menial tasks, then viciously beat him when he didn’t complete the chores to their satisfaction, a Missouri prosecutor said Thursday.St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Joseph McCulloch announced charges against Venkutesh Sattaru, 35; Nikhil Penmatsa, 27; and Sravan Penumetcha, 23. All three face counts related to human trafficking, kidnapping and other crimes. They are jailed without bond and don’t have attorneys listed yet.The 20-year-old victim is hospitalized with a broken nose, broken ribs and bones in his hands and feet, and severe injuries from being punched, stomped on and beaten with pipes and a wire that left him scarred “from the top of his head literally to the bottom of his feet,” McCulloch said.Authorities said the victim is the cousin of Sattaru, who owns an information technology company. The student came to the U.S. ...

Drivers would pay $15 to enter busiest part of NYC under plan to raise funds for mass transit

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Most drivers would pay $15 to enter Manhattan’s central business district under a plan released by New York officials Thursday. The congestion pricing plan, which neighboring New Jersey has filed a lawsuit over, will be the first such program in the United States if it is approved by transportation officials early next year.Under the plan, passenger car drivers entering Manhattan south of 60th Street during daytime hours would be charged $15 electronically, while the fee for small trucks would be $24 and large trucks would be charged $36.Cities such as London and Stockholm have similar programs in place, but New York City is poised to become the first in the U.S.Revenue from the tolls, projected to be roughly $1 billion annually, would be used to finance borrowing to upgrade the city’s mass transit systems.The proposal from the Traffic Mobility Review Board, a New York state body charged with advising the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on the tolls, includes d...