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Jailers' 'negligence and misconduct' blamed in Jeffrey Epstein suicide: DOJ watchdog

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:01 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department’s watchdog said Tuesday that a "combination of negligence and misconduct" enabled financier Jeffrey Epstein to take his own life at a federal jail in New York City while he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.Inspector General Michael Horowitz cited the federal Bureau of Prisons' failure to assign Epstein a cellmate after his previous one left and problems with surveillance cameras as factors in Epstein’s death.Horowitz also said that Epstein was left in his cell with too many bed linens, which are a security issue and were used in his suicide.The inspector general issued a report detailing findings of his investigation into Epstein's August 2019 death, the last of several official inquiries into the matter. He reiterated the findings of other investigations that there was no indication of foul play, rebutting conspiracy theories surrounding the high-profile death.Horowitz echoed previous findings that some members of the ...

US sending $500 million in weapons, military aid to Ukraine

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:01 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it is sending up to $500 million in military aid to Ukraine, including more than 50 heavily armored vehicles and an infusion of missiles for air defense systems, as Ukrainian and Western leaders try to sort out the impact of the brief weekend insurrection in Russia.The aid is aimed at bolstering Ukraine's counteroffensive, which has been moving slowly in its early stages.It's the 41st time since the Russian invasion into Ukraine in February 2022 that the U.S. has provided military weapons and equipment through presidential drawdown authority. The program allows the Pentagon to quickly take items from its own stocks and deliver them to Ukraine. Because the aid packages are generally planned in advance and recently included many of the same critical weapons for the battlefront, the contents weren't likely chosen based on the weekend rebellion by Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner mercenary group that he has control. It is...

Connor Bedard gets one more award before NHL Draft

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:01 GMT

NASHVILLE — Just for good measure, the likely No. 1 overall pick of the Blackhawks got one more honor before Wednesday's draft.This time it comes from the league that many expect Connor Bedard to excel in over the coming years. On Tuesday night at the annual NHL Honors, the center and likely top draft pick of the Blackhawks was named the recipient of the E.J. McGuire Award. The honor is given to the top prospect in the upcoming draft that shows "commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness, and athleticism." Get to know more about Connor Bedard The McGuire Award has been given since 2015 by NHL Central Scouting, which also decides who gets the annual honor.It's yet another honor for Bedard, who is considered one of the draft's best prospects in years. A few weeks back, he was named the first recipient of the International Ice Hockey Federation’s 2023 Male Player of the Year after his strong performance with Team Canada in world competition.Earlier in Jun...

Illinois waitress surprised with $800 tip in honor of customers' late daughter

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:01 GMT

SWANSEA, Ill. (KTVI) – Tipping stories are not uncommon among folks in the service industry. But an $800 tip? It took waitress Maggie Carty’s breath away.“Well, I was at a loss for words when it all happened,” she said. “I had none.”A family outing brought Karen and Scott Gebke, along with their children Emma and Austin, to Fletcher’s Kitchen & Tap in Swansea, Illinois, last week. The group was commemorating the death of the Gebkes' daughter, Alice, who died at birth 18 years ago on June 21.“We were having a family day for our daughter’s birthday,” Karen Gebke said. “She would have been 18 last Wednesday. So, every year for her birthday, we go out and do a family day.”And on this day, the family had $800 to give away and an idea to do some good. They collected money from friends and family and picked a family-owned establishment to visit.“We didn’t expect [people to contribute] this much,” Karen Gebke said. “We expected people to give $1 or $2 or, at most, $5. Many people gave $...

Former Bears GM Ryan Pace reportedly gets a promotion

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:01 GMT

ATLANTA — A former Bears' general manager is getting a promotion with his new team ahead of the 2023 NFL season. Per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Ryan Pace will get bumped up to the role of Director of Player Personnel for the Falcons.Prior to that, he served as a senior personnel executive in the team’s scouting department under general manager Terry Fontenot. Pace had worked for him during his time with the Saints, with the pair working in the front office together from 2003 through 2014.He was also the New Orleans director of player personnel in 2013 and 2014 before accepting the Bears' general manager job in January 2015. Community meeting with Bears President and CEO held in Arlington Heights Pace remains on the Falcons with another former Bears general manager, Phil Emery, who has served as a scout for Atlanta since 2016. It was Pace who replaced Emery in Chicago in 2015 after he served in that role for three seasons. Hired at 37 years old to lead the Bears, Pace would have...

Cash App glitch: Some users report double charges

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:01 GMT

(WJW) — The popular mobile payment application Cash App notified users Tuesday that a technical issue caused customers to get charged double the amount of their transaction.Around 12:30 p.m. ET the company tweeted that they had fixed the problem and "will refund any amount that was incorrectly charged by the end of the day."In an earlier status report post, Cash App support said it was "aware of an issue causing duplicate Cash Card transactions, which is making some customers see a negative account balance." Fan throws mom’s ashes at Pink onstage: ‘I don’t know how I feel about this’ "We’ll notify customers who were impacted," said Cash App Support in a tweet. While the cash balance should show a refund, it may take up to 24 hours for "activity" and "receipts" to be updated.Earlier this month, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warned customers of Venmo, PayPal, and CashApp that they should not store their money within those apps for a long period of time because the funds m...

Jimmie Johnson won't take part in NASCAR Chicago Street Race

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:01 GMT

STATESVILLE, N.C. — After reportedly enduring a tragedy in his family, one of NASCAR's most accomplished drivers in history won't be racing in Chicago this weekend. Jimmie Johnson will not take part in Sunday's inaugural Cup Series race on Sunday, the Legacy Motor Club said on Tuesday. TMZ is reporting that his wife Chandra Janway's parents, Jack and Terry Janway along with Johnson's nephew Dalton Janway were found dead in Muskogee, Oklahoma.According to the report, police are investigating it as a murder-suicide."Legacy Motor Club has elected to withdraw the No. 84 Carvana Chevrolet from this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series event in Chicago," said the race team in a statement on social media. "The Johnson family has asked for privacy at this time and no further statements will be made."A seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Johnson was scheduled to run the No. 84 Carvana Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the Chicago Street Race. It's part of a part-time schedule for driver who retired from ful...

Starbucks planning 'clearer' store guidelines after clash over Pride displays

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:01 GMT

(The Hill) - Starbucks is planning to roll out “clearer” guidelines for stores on its decoration policies amid a clash with the company’s union over Pride-themed displays this month. Sara Trilling, the executive vice president and president of Starbucks North America, emphasized in a memo to all U.S. partners on Monday that it has not made any changes to its policies on “our inclusive store environments, our company culture, and the benefits we offer our partners.” “To further underscore this, we intend to issue clearer centralized guidelines, and leveraging resources like the Period Planning Kit (PPK) and Siren's Eye, for in-store visual displays and decorations that will continue to represent inclusivity and our brand,” Trilling said. The announcement comes as 3,500 workers from more than 150 stores plan to strike this week over the union’s allegations that Starbucks has banned Pride decorations in its stores. The coffee retail giant has denied that it has banned these d...

You may need to start bringing your ID to Costco, even if you aren't buying alcohol

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:01 GMT

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Costco is known for checking your membership card at the door, but now the big box store might also ask you to prove you are really you. Costco said its membership policy has not changed, but more non-member shoppers are using cards that they didn't pay for. "Our membership policy states that our membership cards are not transferable and since expanding our self-service checkout, we’ve noticed that non-member shoppers have been using membership cards that do not belong to them," company officials said in a statement sent to Nexstar. The company routinely asks for the membership card at checkout, but now, officials say staff will ask for proof of identity at the self-service line. That means asking for photo ID if your membership card does not include a picture. "We don’t feel it’s right that nonmembers receive the same benefits and pricing as our members," Costco staff wrote. Costco says the membership fees are essential to their business m...

University files $1M lawsuit after janitor turns off research freezer over 'annoying' alarm

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:01 GMT

(The Hill) - The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute filed a $1 million suit this month against a cleaning firm after one of its janitor turned off a laboratory freezer, ruining years of research that “had the potential to be groundbreaking,” according to the suit.The janitor, the suit says, was annoyed by an alarm from the freezer and turned it off, causing the fragile cell structures inside to be damaged by temperature changes. Daigle Cleaning Systems, who employs the janitor, is being sued for damages and legal fees.The Troy, N.Y., university alleges that Daigle improperly trained and prepared the janitor to work around fragile lab materials.Lab materials in the freezer were kept at -80 degrees Celsius, or -112 degrees Fahrenheit, and the freezer alarm would sound if the internal temperature rose or fell by two degrees from that point. The alarm sounded on Sept. 14, 2020, but freezer maintenance workers couldn’t reach the unit due to COVID-19 protocols at the time.Researchers determ...