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Inmates were locked in cells during April fire that injured 20 at NYC’s Rikers Island, report finds

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:42:24 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Inmates at New York City’s Rikers Island were kept locked in their cells for nearly half an hour while a fire spread through one of the nation’s largest and most notorious jail complexes this past April, injuring some 20 people, according to a report released Friday by an independent oversight agency. The city Board of Correction also found that the water supply for the sprinkler system serving the affected jail unit had been shut off for at least a year and that jail staff had failed to conduct the required weekly and monthly fire safety audits for at least as long. In addition, the correction officer assigned to the area, at the direction of their supervisor, stopped conducting patrols some two hours before the fire was ignited in a unit that houses people with acute medical conditions requiring infirmary care or Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant housing, the board found. Spokespersons for Mayor Eric Adams didn’t reply to an email seeking comment Friday, bu...

Social housing wait-list grows 27 per cent in Metro Vancouver

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:42:24 GMT

VANCOUVER — Data from Metro Vancouver show the queue for social housing in the region has spiked in the past year, with 18,865 households on the wait-list, mostly seniors and families. Metro Vancouver’s Housing Data Book for December 2023 shows BC Housing’s wait-list grew 27 per cent since 2022 in the region that is made up of 21 municipalities and other administrative areas. The data book says homelessness is up 33 per cent since 2020 and 122 per cent since 2005, even as more supportive housing is being built. It says low vacancy rates have seen rent more than double since 2002, including a 30 per cent jump in median rental rates in the past five years. Metro Vancouver says the BC Housing wait-list isn’t “exhaustive” for all regional social housing needs and the last five years have seen wait-lists grow massively in “outlying municipalities.”These include Langley, which saw a 113 per cent jump in its wait-list, Delta with a 108 per cent jum...

Graham declares 'war' against NY to protect Chick-fil-A's Sundays off

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:42:24 GMT

(The Hill) — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) declared “war” Friday over a New York state bill that would require some Chick-fil-A restaurants to operate on Sundays.“This is war,” the Graham wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.He continued in a second post, threatening to introduce legislation that would withhold federal funds from cities that require the fast food chain to stay open on Sundays.“The founders of Chick-fil-A made a decision early on to close on Sunday, consistent with their faith,” the South Carolina senator said. “For any government to try to reverse this decision flies in the face of who we are as Americans.""Chick-fil-A is a great company with thousands of locations serving the public with a quality product and taking care of their employees," he added. "New York is off base and their actions will not go unanswered.”The aforementioned New York bill aims to have restaurants in state highway system rest areas operate for the entirety of the week, according...

Man arrested, victim identified in connection with greenbelt homicide, US Marshals say

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:42:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A man was arrested on Wednesday in connection with a homicide that happened in the West Bouldin Creek Greenbelt last month, according to a U.S. Marshals news release.That man was identified as Melcolm Martin Lee, AKA "Tanto," 24, of Austin, according to officials.Melcolm Martin Lee, 24 | Courtesy Austin Police DepartmentOn Nov. 27, the Austin Police Department homicide unit “received multiple tips” that a murder happened on the greenbelt trail, located in the 1100 block of South Sixth Street. Further information said the murder victim was buried there. APD: Skeletal remains found in greenbelt trail considered homicide The victim was identified as Jehu Patrick Flores, born on April 19, 1993.Then, on Nov. 29, officials “responded to process the scene with a search and rescue K9,” and that is when the skeletal remains were found.Furthermore, an autopsy “revealed injuries consistent with homicide,” according to police.Then, on Dec. 12, APD requested for the Lone Star ...

Texas men's basketball holds on for win against feisty Islanders

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:42:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) - It may not have been as easy as many envisioned, but the Texas men's basketball team held off Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for a 71-55 win Friday at Moody Center."[The Islanders] weren't going to come in here and be intimated," said Texas head coach Rodney Terry. "They have older players, older team. Guys that have played in the NCAA Tournament already."Max Abmas paced the Longhorns with a game-high 17 points. Dillon Mitchell added 14 points and 13 rebounds, six more than anyone else in the game.The story again for Texas may have been Dylan Disu. The senior played in his second game of the season after coming back from a foot injury and making his season debut against LSU.Friday in his home debut, Disu notched 11 points and made a couple highlight plays showing his athleticism.Texas went up by 15 with about 12 minutes left in the second half but the Islanders cut the lead to just five with seven minutes to go. The Longhorns were able to close and separate for their n...

St. Louis court clerk charged in deadly hit-and-run crash

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:42:24 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A St. Louis circuit court clerk faces felony charges after she allegedly struck and killed a pedestrian last week in a hit-and-run crash. The St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office has charged Cierra Sherman, 30, with one count of leaving the scene of an accident (resulting in death) and one count of tampering with physical evidence. FOX 2 has confirmed that Sherman has been employed full-time as a court clerk in the City of St. Louis since July 10. City officials saw bodycam footage after police SUV crashed into bar – Source The hit-and-run crash happened last Friday, Dec. 15 around 6 p.m. at the intersection of Gravois and Nebraska avenues, near the border of the Benton Park West and Tower Grove East neighborhoods. The collision happened right by a QuikTrip gas station, and security cameras caught portions of the incident. According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, surveillance footage indicated that a driver in a white Dodge Nitro SUV struck the pedestrian. Inves...

Aurora paramedics convicted of homicide in Elijah McClain’s death

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:42:24 GMT

Elijah McClain is pictured in this undated photograph. (Photo provided by family of Elijah McClain)Two Aurora paramedics were found guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Elijah McClain on Friday.Jurors found paramedic Peter Cichuniec guilty of criminally negligent homicide and assault by drugging. The jury found paramedic Jeremy Cooper guilty of criminally negligent homicide, but not guilty of assault.Cichuniec also was convicted of a sentence enhancer and was taken into custody after the verdict was read late Friday. Cooper remained free on bail.Neither paramedic was convicted of the more serious count of reckless manslaughter, but rather the lesser-included charge of criminally negligent homicide, a low-level felony.The verdict ends three months of back-to-back jury trials in Adams County that resulted in the conviction of one Aurora police officer and the acquittal of two others charged in McClain’s 2019 death. It closes the chapter on a winding four-year ...

Northglenn scooter rider killed in hit-and-run crash with Subaru

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:42:24 GMT

A 28-year-old Northglenn man was killed while riding a scooter in a fatal hit-and-run crash in southwest Adams County on Thursday, according to the Colorado State Patrol.The man was riding a TIFGALOP standing adult electric scooter and turning left from westbound East 58th Avenue onto Logan Court at approximately 7 p.m. when he was struck by a vehicle heading east on East 58th Avenue.The driver of a white Subaru Legacy Outback hit the scooter in the intersection and fled the scene, according to the state patrol. The scooter driver, who has not been identified, was taken to a hospital and later died.The state patrol is looking for a white Subaru Legacy Outback, believed to be a 2004-2009 model, with damage to the left front, hood and possibly the windshield, according to a Friday news release.The Subaru driver likely continued east on East 58th Avenue and turned north or south on Washington Street, according to the state patrol.Anyone with information about the case can contact the C...

Gov. Jared Polis issues 21 pardons, reduces 7 prison sentences — including for man convicted in 1993 murder

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:42:24 GMT

A man sentenced to life in prison for a 30-year-old Pueblo gang killing will be released next month after receiving clemency from Gov. Jared Polis, who on Thursday granted 21 pardons and commuted seven sentences for people in Colorado’s criminal justice system.Polis issued pardons and commutations to people convicted of drug charges, theft, burglary, trespassing, forgery, menacing and robbery, among other criminal charges.One man was pardoned for driving aggressively with a revoked license so that he will be eligible to become an Alamosa County Sheriff’s Office deputy, according to a letter released by the governor’s office. Polis also commuted the 144-year prison sentence that another man received for breaking into 23 houses in Littleton in 2007.Polis commuted only one sentence involving a murder charge.David Carrillo, 49, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in 1994 after he participated in the 1993 gang sho...

Suspects escape with $16,000 worth of sunglasses from Orange County mall

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:42:24 GMT

Video captured suspects ransacking a store at an Orange County mall and escaping with thousands of dollars worth of designer sunglasses.Footage of the theft released by Irvine police shows three men entering a Sunglass Hut at the Irvine Spectrum on Oct. 6. They entered the shop shortly before closing time.The trio are seen quickly grabbing handfuls of pricey sunglasses off the store’s display shelves and placing them into plastic bags. After grabbing the merchandise without paying, they calmly walk out of the store’s entrance.Suspects wanted for ransacking an Irvine Spectrum store and escaping with thousands of dollars worth of designer sunglasses on Oct. 6, 2023. (Irvine Police Department)Suspects wanted for ransacking an Irvine Spectrum store and escaping with thousands of dollars worth of designer sunglasses on Oct. 6, 2023. (Irvine Police Department)Suspects wanted for ransacking an Irvine Spectrum store and escaping with thousands of dollars worth of designer sunglasses on Oct....