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Howie Carr: Conviction won’t stop these thieving Massachusetts State Police troopers

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:26 GMT

Christmas in the hackerama is the most wonderful time of the year.Santa Claus knows who’s been naughty or nice. But if you’re a crooked cop, old St. Nick will never, ever put a lump of coal in your stocking.That $10,913-a-month kiss in the mail just keeps on coming, more than three years after you’re indicted, month after felonious, thieving, sticky-fingered month.This morning let’s consider two very naughty little boys who did their stealing as members of the Mass. State Police.Ex-Lt. Daniel Griffin and ex-Sgt. William Robertson started embezzling thousands of dollars in federally-funded overtime in 2015. After years of stealing, when the stench got so bad, the feds say they “took steps to avoid detention by shredding and burning records.”The two crooked cops were indicted more than three years ago. And yet they weren’t convicted of conspiracy, wire fraud and theft from government programs until last week in Worcester.So much for a speedy trial. Which has been very convenient for t...

Feds award Massachusetts $372M to replace Sagamore Bridge

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:26 GMT

The Biden administration awarded Massachusetts more than $370 million Friday to replace one of the Cape Cod bridges deemed “functionally obsolete” and no longer meeting the needs of the traveling public.U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey and U.S. Rep. Bill Keating said the federal Department of Transportation approved an application from the state and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for $372 million to start replacing the Sagamore Bridge.“This funding is a critical down payment on the effort to replace the Sagamore and Bourne bridges and a recognition that replacing the aging bridges will bring immense economic, environmental, and social benefits to Cape Cod, the Islands, and the entire Commonwealth,” the trio said in a statement.Both the nearly 90-year-old Bourne and Sagamore Bridges are the only roadways leading onto Cape Cod, and a March 2020 report from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found the “most cost effective” means of providing safe and reliable crossings would be pr...

Trump wants New Hampshire to put him on a path to the nomination before rivals find their footing

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:26 GMT

DURHAM, N.H. (AP) — Donald Trump asked New Hampshire voters on Saturday to help him secure the Republican nomination before any rivals find their footing with the campaign’s opening contest just weeks away.The appearance in Durham was part of a swing taking the former president through early nominating states as he cites his wide polling lead over a dwindling field of GOP hopefuls. They are trying to block his political comeback as Trump navigates multiple indictments and looks ahead to a potential rematch with President Joe Biden, the Democrat he lost to in 2020.“We are going to win the New Hampshire primary, then we are going to crush crooked Joe Biden next November,” Trump said, reminding supporters that he ensured their state would continue to host the nation’s first primary after Iowa’s kickoff caucuses.“New Hampshire is going to weed out the insincere RINOs … Republicans in name only,” Trump said, referring to rivals Ron DeSantis, the Florida gove...

Original AC/DC drummer Colin Burgess has died at 77. The Australian helped form the group in 1973.

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:26 GMT

Australian drummer Colin Burgess, an original member of the hard rock band AC/DC in the early 1970s, has died, the band confirmed on its social media accounts. He was 77. “Very sad to hear of the passing of Colin Burgess,” says an unsigned post on the band’s official Facebook page late Friday. “He was our first drummer and a very respected musician. Happy memories, rock in peace Colin.”No cause of death was given. Burgess was recruited in November 1973 to help form AC/DC with Malcolm Young on rhythm guitar and his brother Angus on lead guitar, lead vocalist Dave Evans and bassist Larry Van Kriedt. The band fired Burgess in February 1974, accusing him of being drunk on stage, and he later said someone had spiked his drink. He was followed by a succession of drummers and filled in for one for a few months in 1975. Before AC/DC, Burgess played with the Australian rock group The Masters Apprentices, which was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame...

Probation ordered for boy, 13, after plea in alleged plan for mass shooting at Ohio synagogue

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:26 GMT

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — A 13-year-old Ohio boy accused of planning a mass shooting at a local synagogue has been ordered to spend a year on probation.The Canton Repository reports that the Plain Township boy pleaded true, the juvenile equivalent of guilty, on Friday to misdemeanor counts of inducing panic and disorderly conduct. Authorities said that a “detailed plan to complete a mass shooting” at Temple Israel in Canton, south of Akron, was posted on the live-streaming platform Discord.Stark County Family Court Judge Jim James then ordered probation, according to a court document, but suspended a 90-day sentence at the Multi-County Juvenile Attention Center. The boy was also barred from using the internet without supervision and ordered to continue counseling with a licensed therapist. The boy was also told to read a book about Carl Lutz, the Swiss diplomat credited with saving the lives of tens of thousands of Jews from the Holocaust in Budapest, Hungary, during World War II. T...

National ‘bring a friend to the mosque’ event aims to foster dialogue and combat hate

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:26 GMT

MONTREAL — A Muslim group is organizing mosque visits across Canada this weekend in hopes of building bridges with other communities after an uptick in Islamophobic and antisemitic hate incidents nationwide.Jari Qudrat, faith outreach director with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, says more than 20 mosques are hosting tours for the two-day “bring a friend to the mosque” event.He says the goal of the event is to foster dialogue between participants of all backgrounds.He says he hopes non-Muslim Canadians will take advantage of the opportunity to learn more about Islam and converse with members of the Muslim community.Qudrat says creating opportunities for better mutual understanding is the only way to combat hate like the Islamophobia and antisemitism that emerged following the outbreak of war in Gaza.The Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association is using an online sign-up sheet as a security measure to facilitate mosque visits.This report by The Canadian Press was first ...

US military leaders press Israel to shift from major combat as Iranian-backed ship attacks escalate

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top two U.S. military leaders are traveling to Tel Aviv to advise the Israeli government on how to transition from major combat operations against Hamas in Gaza to a more limited campaign and prevent a wider regional war. Their trip comes as Iranian-backed militants on Saturday launched a wave of attack drones against ships in the Red Sea and said they would continue until Israel’s “aggression” ends.One of the American warships assigned to the Ford carrier strike group, the destroyer USS Carney, “successfully engaged” 14 one-way attack drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. Britain reported that a Royal Navy destroyer downed another drone that was targeting commercial ships. It was the latest in a series of attacks threatening commercial and U.S. Navy ships in the Red Sea that have escalated after Israel intensified its response to the Hamas’ strike against Israel on Oct. 7. Israel is stingin...

Chicago Bears release linebacker, promote tight end, linebacker to active roster

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:26 GMT

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears elevated a tight end and a linebacker from the practice squad Saturday ahead of their matchup against the Cleveland Browns, while also releasing a veteran linebacker from the active roster.Tight end Stephen Carlson and linebacker DeMarquis Gates will be active Sunday against the Browns, while seventh year NFL linebacker Dylan Cole was released by the Bears, according to a press release from the team.Carlson signed with Chicago in the off-season after spending two seasons in Cleveland from 2019-20. An undrafted free agent, Carlson appeared in 25 games with the Browns, making seven starts, where he accumulated 6 catches for 62 yards and a touchdown. Chicago Bears Injury Report: Moore, Brisker questionable heading into Browns matchup Gates played his first year in the NFL in 2022, appearing in three games for the Bears, after bouncing around several professional football leagues like the USFL, XFL, CFL and AAF. In the USFL's inaugural season, Gat...

Who is Miller High Life's 'Girl in the Moon'?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:26 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Roughly 120 years ago, Miller High Life became the flagship beer of Miller Brewing Company. Since then, it has been dubbed “The Champagne of Beers,” a title it proudly sports on its label. There’s another icon you’ll find on the brew’s label: a woman, sitting on a crescent moon, wearing a red dress and hat while seemingly toasting to the stars. But who is she?Let’s first back up a little. On December 30, Miller High Life will celebrate its 120th birthday. When it was launched, Milwaukee’s Miller Brewing was already serving other beers throughout the Midwest. Miller High Life was meant to be different than those, Daniel Scholzen, an archivist for the company, explained in a Molson Coors blog post.  Over 2,000 Miller High Life cans destroyed in Europe over ‘Champagne of Beers’ slogan Instead of being advertised as a tavern or saloon serving, Scholzen said Miller High Life was presented as a beer to appear “on the tables of the best restaurants in the city ...

Williamson County sexual assault convict 'on the run' after release before sentencing

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:26 GMT

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – The Williamson County District Attorney’s office is requesting help from the public in finding a fugitive who did not go to his scheduled sentencing hearing on Thursday.A jury found Augustine Dafe Ikolo, 44, guilty in November of sexually assaulting a woman he connected with on a dating application. He faced up to 20 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. A warrant was issued for his arrest, according to the Williamson County District Attorney’s office. Prosecutors requested Ikolo be detained without bond before his sentencing hearing, but retired visiting Judge Rick Kennon released Ikolo on a $75,000 bond, according to the Williamson County DA. The office said that Ikolo, a Nigerian citizen, has a prior federal conviction involving falsifying visas and other identifying information.“This decision by the visiting judge has put the public at risk and denied justice to the victim. Ikolo is a dangerous predator who should have been detained so he di...