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Washington County jury convicts man of tax crimes, swindling short-term renters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:31 GMT

A Washington County man who ran a short-term rental business at his properties for weddings and other gatherings has been found guilty of swindling customers and tax-related crimes.Jurors deliberated for about four hours Friday before convicting 56-year-old Karl Evald Auleciems of all 16 charges against him: eight counts of failing to pay or collect or remit sales tax between February 2018 and February 2020, six counts of filing a false or fraudulent return between October 2015 and February 2020 and two counts of theft by swindle for failing to return to customers damage deposits between December 2018 and October 2019.The four-day trial was heard before Washington County District Judge Douglas Meslow, who set sentencing for Dec. 15.The Washington County attorney’s office originally charged Auleciems in August 2021 with 74 counts of alleged tax-related violations and one count of theft by swindle. The charges were reduced to 16 at the time of trial in “consideration of presumptive co...

East Greenbush CSD and Altria vaping litigation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:31 GMT

EAST GREENBUSH, N.Y. (NEWS10) -The East Greenbush Central School District is said to have their board members vote on a partial settlement of vaping litigation on November 8. The resolution is between the district and tobacco company Altria.In their resolution, law firms representing East Greenbush CSD are asking for no less than $6,182 as they say vaping has become more widespread in recent years. The litigation blames Altria and its line of products. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Doctor Jim Saperstone with Community Care Pediatrics agrees with the school. "They manipulated, we all feel, by flavoring these products to attract teenagers."The CDC reports that tobacco use from 2022 to 2023 is down from 16.5% to 12.6% in high schoolers but did have a slight uptick from 1.5% to 2.5% in middle schoolers. They also say of these products, e-cigarettes are the most common, and almost nine out of every ten vapes are flavored. Americ...

Nonprofit, FedEx partner to hand out winter coats to St. Louis school kids

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:31 GMT

ST. LOUIS – Despite the recent warm weather, we know winter weather is around the corner, and major corporations are stepping up to help children in need."We all do our business job day-to-day, but we all recognize that there are more important things," Andrew Moehleah, FedEx’s regional sales manager for St. Louis, said.FedEx partnered with the national nonprofit Operation Warm to hand out 400 coats to children at Buder Elementary School."Connect children in underserved communities to the basic needs they need to thrive," Kylie O’Donoghue, senior manager of Operation Warm, said.Operation Warm provides winter coats and shoes to 18,000 kids across the country, thanks to its partnership with the transportation and logistics giant.

Kiszla: How Steph Curry and Nikola Jokic redefined what it means to be basketball superheroes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:31 GMT

Nikola Jokic and Steph Curry are twin sons of an immaculate conception by basketball gods that got crazy and messed with conventional wisdom.What makes Curry and Jokic so special, said Nuggets coach Michael Malone, is how the Warriors point guard and Nuggets center are two old souls that have invented ways to disrupt the game with innovation capable of leaving everybody else in the NBA dumbfounded by their brilliance.“You see certain players that are throwback players, guys that could play in any era,” Malone said. “I think Steph and Nikola are two great examples of that.”In an early season game that didn’t require a custom-painted court or the contrivance of a made-for-TV tournament to be special, Jokic and Curry worked their magic on Wednesday night during a game between Denver and Golden State, with the four MVP trophies won between them as proof that maybe it’s time we redefine the meaning of athletic brilliance.Warriors coach Steve Kerr declared: “You’re talking about two of th...

Pacific storm system bringing moderate to heavy rainfall in SoCal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:31 GMT

While most Southern Californians have been busy holding onto their hats due to the high winds, a Pacific storm system is moving into the region that could bring moderate to heavy rains across the Southland next week, the National Weather Service reported.  Gusty offshore winds, especially in the canyons and passes, are expected through Thursday and aside from a small temperature dip Friday, a general warming trend is forecast through this coming Sunday.   KTLA 5 Interactive Weather Radar Map As offshore winds start to break down Monday, the weather service said that SoCal is on tap for a “significant pattern shift” between Tuesday and Saturday next week.  (Courtesy: The National Weather Service)The forecast calls for one to two storms with a 90% chance of rain. Rain totals of 1 to 3 inches are the most likely.  However, NWS says that there’s also a 10% chance of a significant storm that could come with anywhere from 3 to more than 6 inches of rainfall, causing ...

Man found with over $8 million worth of fentanyl pills in Southern California

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:31 GMT

A suspect was arrested after officers discovered over $8 million worth of fentanyl pills inside his truck.The suspect, who only identified as a 23-year-old man, was attempting to cross the border into the U.S. from Mexico on Nov. 3 at around 9:55 a.m.He was driving an older-model 1995 pickup truck to the Calexico West Port of Entry, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.His truck was moved to an inspection area where an imaging scan detected “irregularities” within the vehicle, authorities said. A K-9 was brought to the scene where officers received a “positive alert to the presence of narcotics.”While examining the man’s truck, officers found 41 packages concealed inside the vehicle’s spare tire and rear seat area.The packages contained around 840,000 blue pills that tested positive for fentanyl. A man was arrested after Southern California border patrol officers discovered over $8 million in fentanyl pills inside his truck at the U.S.-Mexico border on Nov. 3, 2023. (U.S....

Siakam, Raptors beats Doncic, Mavs 127-116 to finish 2-game sweep in Texas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:31 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — Pascal Siakam had 31 points and 12 rebounds, OG Anunoby scored 26 and the Toronto Raptors finished a two-game sweep in Texas with a 127-116 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.Three nights after Toronto rallied from 22 points down for a win at San Antonio, Siakam and Anunoby combined for all the points on an 11-0 run that broke a 73-all tie in the third quarter.Luka Doncic scored 31 points and Kyrie Irving had 22 for the Mavericks, who lost for the first time in four home games this season with Texan and two-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs watching courtside with his wife, Brittany.Siakam finished with season highs in points and rebounds in what has been a sluggish start offensively for the two-time All-Star. He was 15 of 25 from the field and had five assists.The Mavericks were without rookie center Dereck Lively II for the first time due to a non-COVID-19 illness and got outrebounded 50-38 while matching a season high by...

Suns outlast Bulls 116-115 in OT in Bradley Beal’s season debut

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:31 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Jusuf Nurkic powered to the basket for a layup with 7.3 seconds left in overtime and Phoenix outlasted the Chicago Bulls 116-115 on Wednesday night in Bradley Beal’s Suns debut.Grayson Allen scored 26 points, hitting a career-high eight 3-pointers, and Kevin Durant added 25 points to help the Suns improve to 4-4 with their second straight straight victory. Nurkic had 20 points. He failed to iced it with a pair of free throws with 0.4 seconds left — missing the first, then missing the rim on the second when he was trying to miss.Beal had 13 points after sitting out the first seven games of the season because of a back injury. Acquired from Washington in June, the three-time All-Star guard played 23:33. The Suns still await Devin Booker’s return from a calf injury.Nikola Vucevic scored 26 points for Chicago, which used a pair of gritty comebacks to make it a contest. Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRoza each had 22, and Alex Caruso came of the bench to add 19.Caruso, know...

Toledo beats Eastern Michigan 49-23 to clinch the MAC West Division title

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:31 GMT

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Dequan Finn threw for 407 yards and three touchdowns, Peny Boone rushed for three touchdowns, and Toledo beat Eastern Michigan 49-23 on Wednesday night to clinch the Mid-American Conference West Division title.Toledo (9-1, 6-0) has won nine straight games, following a 30-28 loss at Illinois, for the first time in 40 years. The Rockets secured a return trip to the MAC championship game in Detroit on Dec. 2. Toledo was a co-West champion with Eastern Michigan last year but went to the MAC title game thanks to its win over the Eagles.Toledo led 35-3 at halftime behind Finn’s 275 yards passing and three touchdowns. Jacquez Stuart and Boone each had a touchdown run in the half, and Junior Vandeross III caught two touchdown passes. Finn’s third touchdown extended the Rockets’ lead to 49-9 with 10:48 left in the fourth quarter.Boone had 52 yards rushing on 11 carries and he also caught four passes for 116 yards. Newton added 108 yards receiving on six catche...

Israel-Hamas fighting heats up in Gaza City, accelerating the exodus of Palestinians to the south

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:31 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinians living in the heart of Gaza’s largest city said Wednesday they could see and hear Israeli ground forces closing in from multiple directions, accelerating the exodus of thousands of civilians as food and water become scarce and urban fighting between Israel and Hamas heats up.The Israeli army has not given specifics on troop movements as it presses its ground assault, vowing to crush Hamas after its deadly Oct. 7 assault inside Israel. But residents said Israeli forces had moved into inner neighborhoods of Gaza City amid intense bombardment all around the surrounding north.Clashes took place within a kilometer (0.6 miles) of the territory’s largest hospital, Shifa, which has become a focal point in the war.The Israeli military says Hamas’ main command center is located in and under the hospital complex and that senior leaders of the group are hiding there, using the facility as a shield.Hamas and hospital staff deny the claim and sa...