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Jury rules Quebec man ran 20-year mail fraud scheme that stole US$175 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:41 GMT

MONTREAL — A United States federal jury has convicted a Quebec man of running a 20-year mail fraud scheme that stole more than US$175 million.Patrice Runner, 57, was convicted in a New York District Court last week on 14 charges, including conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, mail fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. prosecutors say Runner and his co-conspirators mailed fraudulent letters supposedly from psychics to millions of Americans.The letters promised recipients that the psychic would help them achieve wealth and happiness for a fee.In reality, the letters were mass produced and payments would only lead to more letters asking for money.Four people have pleaded guilty to charges related to their involvement in the scheme, which was run through a Montreal-based company between 1994 and 2014.  This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2023.The Canadian Press

3 men convicted in US trial that scrutinized China’s ‘Operation Fox Hunt’ repatriation campaign

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:41 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Three men were convicted of various charges Tuesday in a trial showcasing U.S. claims that China has engineered pressure campaigns on American soil to bully expatriates into returning home, part of an effort called “Operation Fox Hunt.”American private investigator Michael McMahon and two Chinese citizens living in the U.S. — Zheng Congying and Zhu Yong — all were accused of taking part in scare tactics aimed at a former Chinese official. He was living quietly in New Jersey, and Beijing wanted him back. Zhu was convicted of acting as an illegal foreign agent, stalking, interstate stalking conspiracy and conspiring to act as an illegal foreign agent. Zheng was convicted of stalking and stalking conspiracy but acquitted of the other charges.McMahon was convicted of all except conspiracy to act as a foreign agent. The Brooklyn federal court trial was the first to result from a spate of U.S. prosecutions scrutinizing China’s Operation Fox Hunt, a nearly decade-old initia...

Greek court questions smuggling suspects over migrant ship disaster, as new survivor accounts emerge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:41 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Nine men suspected of crewing a migrant smuggling ship that sank off Greece leaving more than 500 missing appeared in court Tuesday for questioning, as new accounts emerged on the sinking and the appalling conditions on the trip from Libya towards Italy.The Egyptian suspects face charges that include participation in a criminal organization, manslaughter and causing a shipwreck. The hearing took place in Greece’s southern city of Kalamata.Only 104 men and youths — Egyptians, Pakistanis, Syrians and Palestinians — survived one of the worst migrant shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea early on June 14; 81 bodies have been recovered. Survivors said women and children were trapped in the hold as the ship capsized and sank within minutes to one of the deepest spots in the Mediterranean.New survivor accounts emerged Tuesday confirming that about 750 people paid thousands of dollars each for a berth on the battered blue fishing trawler, seeking a better life in E...

Hunter Biden to plead guilty in a deal that likely avoids time behind bars in a tax and gun case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s son Hunter will plead guilty to federal tax offenses but avoid prosecution on a separate gun charge in a deal with the Justice Department that likely spares him time behind bars.Hunter Biden, 52, will plead guilty to the misdemeanor tax offenses as part of an agreement made public Tuesday. The agreement will also avoid prosecution on a felony charge of illegally possessing a firearm as a drug user, as long as he adheres to conditions set by prosecutors. It's somewhat unusual to resolve a federal criminal case at the same time charges are filed in court but not unheard of.The deal ends a long-running Justice Department investigation into Biden’s second son, who has acknowledged struggling with addiction following the 2015 death of his brother Beau Biden. It also averts a trial that would have generated days or weeks of distracting headlines for a White House that has strenuously sought to keep its distance from the Justice D...

67-year-old man critical after Southwest Side shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:41 GMT

CHICAGO — A 67-year-old man is in critical condition following a shooting on the Southwest Side Tuesday morning.At around 8:55 a.m. in the 2500 block of West 77th Street, police said the man was sitting inside a parked vehicle when two unknown suspects approached on foot and opened fire.The shooting took place next to St. Rita of Cascia.The man sustained gunshot wounds to the face and neck. He was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. 14-year-old wounded in drive-by shooting on West Side Police said the two suspects fled on foot by running northbound on 77th Street. No one is in custody.

WATCH LIVE | U.S. Coast Guard update on their search for the missing Titanic-bound submersible

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:41 GMT

A search is underway for a deep-sea vessel that went missing with five people aboard after it dived toward the deteriorating wreck site of the Titanic ocean liner.The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the search for the small craft, named Titan, in the North Atlantic Ocean. The remote area is where the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in 1912, killing all but about 700 of the roughly 2,200 passengers and crew. This was OceanGate Expeditions' third annual voyage to chronicle the deterioration of Titanic since 2021. The sunken ship is about 2.4 miles (3.8 kilometers) below the surface.This undated photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions in June 2021 shows the company's Titan submersible. On Monday, June 19, 2023, a rescue operation was underway deep in the Atlantic Ocean in search of the technologically advanced submersible vessel carrying five people to document the wreckage of the Titanic, the iconic ocean liner that sank more than a century earlier. ...

Good Humor confirms longtime ice cream treat has been discontinued: 'Ruined my year'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:41 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – That’s a cold move, Good Humor.Good Humor, the ice cream brand that was once synonymous with frozen treats and the trucks that sold them, has confirmed the discontinuation of a longtime offering: the Toasted Almond bar. Trader Joe's: This is why we discontinue items more often than other stores The bar, crusted in crushed almonds and “cake” bits, had debuted over 60 years ago, and prior to Good Humor’s acquisition by Unilever in 1961, TODAY.com reported. Upon its relaunch in 1992, the bar was considered by Good Humor to be among the brand’s “Classics” alongside the Strawberry Shortcake bar and the Chocolate Éclair bar, both of which are still available.The Toasted Almond bar, however, had actually been removed from the Good Humor lineup as of June 2022, though news of its discontinuation was likely overshadowed by reports of Klondike discontinuing the Choco Taco later that same month.At the time, Good Humor attributed the decision to slow sales and an emphasis on prior...

ERCOT asks Texas to conserve energy Tuesday with extreme heat likely

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:41 GMT

Editor’s note: The above video shows KXAN Live’s morning headlines for Tuesday, June 20, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued a Voluntary Conservation Notice from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday due to extreme heat and forecasted record demand. Understanding ERCOT's emergency alert levels This is a voluntary request to reduce electrical use, ERCOT said. While ERCOT said it is not in emergency operations, it is asking the public and "all government agencies to implement all programs to reduce energy use at their facilities."According to the KXAN First Warning Weather forecast, Austin may reach daily record-tying high temperatures of 106° Tuesday with some of the hottest “feels like” temperatures on record. How to save power, money during ERCOT request for conservation On Monday, ERCOT broke the June peak demand record, unofficially, with 79,304 MW, passing last June’s record of 76,718 MW. ERCOT said Texas set 11 new peak demand records last summe...

Heat index explained: How do meteorologists calculate why you feel hot?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:41 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) - With blistering heat this summer, you've likely heard a few people say "it's not the head, it's the humidity." Turns out both things are true: it's called the Heat Index.The heat index is used to calculate not the actual temperature of the air around you, but instead how hot you feel. This all comes down to sweat.When the body gets too hot, it sweats to cool itself off. Beads of sweat form, then evaporate off of your skin. As they evaporate, they pull the heat away with them. When it is more humid outside, sweat has a harder time evaporating. If the sweat can't evaporate, then your body can not regulate its temperature. What is humidity? This means you can't get cool and the temperature around you feels warmer. This feeling is called the heat index.Calculating the heat indexTo calculate the heat index, meteorologists use a complicated formula:HI = -42.379 + 2.04901523*T + 10.14333127*RH - .22475541*T*RH - .00683783*T*T - .05481717*RH*RH + .00122874*T*T*RH + .00085...

Police conduct underage drinking detail in Saratoga County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:41 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Police conducted an underage drinking detail in Saratoga County, scoping out six businesses. Police say three businesses were not in compliance, and as a result, three unnamed people were charged with first-degree unlawfully dealing with a child for allegedly selling alcohol to people under the age of 21. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The businesses not in compliance were the following:Wine & Liquor Shop of Malta, 5 Kendall Way #4399, Malta, NY 12020CVS, 2535 State Route 9, Malta, NY 12020Stewart’s Shops, 2951 State Route 9, Malta, NY 12020The following businesses were in compliance:XtraMart, 2954 State Route 9, Malta, NY 12020Runway Express, 1402 Saratoga Rd, Ballston Spa, NY 12020Valero, 1324 Saratoga Rd, Ballston Spa, NY 12020During their investigation, police say troopers would appear in plainclothes, with one or multiple underage operatives who cannot lie about their age.