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Indian American engineer says he was fired by defense contractor after speaking Hindi at work

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — An Indian-American engineer says he was fired last year from his long-time job with a missile defense contractor’s Alabama office after he was heard speaking Hindi on a video call, according to a federal lawsuit he filed against the company. Anil Varshney, 78, filed a civil rights lawsuit in the Northern District of Alabama against Parsons Corporation and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin, whose department oversees the United States Missile Defense Agency, AL.com reported Monday. “This case arises out of Defendants’ intentional acts to end Mr. Varshney’s highly distinguished engineering career because he is a 78-year-old Indian American,” the lawsuit reads. “Defendants abruptly terminated Mr. Varshney after one of his white colleagues overheard him speaking Hindi to his dying brother-in-law in India and falsely reported him for a violation of ‘security regulations.’ ” Sharon L. Miller, an attorney representing the Virginia-based defense contractor,...

Nigerian leader has announced economic measures to ease hardship as labor unions threaten protests

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu on Monday announced economic measures to ease growing hardship in Africa’s most populous country as labor unions threatened protests to demand more action.Several government policies introduced by Tinubu since he took office in May have further squeezed millions of Nigerians. The government ended decades-long gasoline subsidies that Tinubu said favored the rich, but the decision has more than doubled the price of gas, causing a sharp spike in prices of food and other essential commodities.In a state broadcast late Monday, the Nigerian leader said he understands that Nigeria’s economy is going through a “tough patch” but added the government has saved more than one trillion naira ($1.16 billion) since the subsidy was scrapped in late May. Past funds for the subsidies were “being funneled into the deep pockets and lavish bank accounts of a selected group of individuals,” he added.“What I can offer immediately is to reduce the...

Memphis, Tennessee, police shoot suspect after he fired shots outside Jewish school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis police on Monday said officers shot a suspect after he attempted to enter a Jewish school with a gun and fired shots after he couldn’t get into the building.Assistant Police Chief Don Crowe said the suspect, whose identity has not been released, approached Margolin Hebrew Academy-Feinstone Yeshiva of the South around 12:20 p.m. He fired several shots and then left in a maroon truck. “Thankfully, that school had a great safety procedure and process in place and avoided anyone being harmed or injured at that scene,” Crowe said. Officers soon found the suspect’s vehicle “shortly after that,” Crowe said, adding that officers then shot the suspect after he exited the truck with a firearm in hand. The suspect was sent to a hospital, where he is in critical condition. It was not immediately clear if school was in session. When asked if law enforcement believe the shooting was a hate crime, Crowe said officers were still on the scene and collecting ...

Trump attempt to derail Georgia election investigation rejected by judge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — A judge on Monday rejected an attempt by former President Donald Trump to keep a Georgia district attorney from prosecuting him and from using certain evidence gathered in her investigation into potential illegal meddling in the 2020 election in the state.Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney didn’t mince words in his nine-page ruling, which said Trump lacked the legal grounds to bring the challenge before any indictment has been filed in the case. Any harm alleged by Trump and by Cathy Latham, a Republican fake elector from Georgia who had joined his motion, is “either insufficient or else speculative and unrealized,” the judge wrote.The alleged harms “are insufficient because, while being the subject (or even target) of a highly publicized criminal investigation is likely an unwelcome and unpleasant experience, no court ever has held that that status alone provides a basis for the courts to interfere with or halt the investigation,” McBurney wrote...

Angus Cloud, breakout star of ‘Euphoria,’ is dead at 25

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (AP) — Angus Cloud, the actor who starred as the drug dealer Fezco “Fez” O’Neill on the HBO series “Euphoria,” has died. He was 25.Cloud’s publicist, Cait Bailey, said McCloud died Monday at his family home in Oakland, California. No cause of death was given.In a statement, McCloud’s family said goodbye to “an artist, a friend, a brother and a son.”“Last week he buried his father and intensely struggled with this loss,” the family said. “The only comfort we have is knowing Angus is now reunited with his dad, who was his best friend. Angus was open about his battle with mental health and we hope that his passing can be a reminder to others that they are not alone and should not fight this on their own in silence.”“We hope the world remembers him for his humor, laughter and love for everyone,” his family added.Cloud hadn’t acted before he was cast in “Euphoria.” He was walking down the street in New York when casting director Jennifer Vendit...

Minnesota trooper fatally shoots Black driver fleeing traffic stop on freeway

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota State Patrol trooper shot and killed a driver early Monday who tried to flee a traffic stop, and the resulting investigation kept a busy interstate closed for more than seven hours in Minneapolis throughout the morning rush hour.Authorities did not identify the driver, but family members told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the driver was 33-year-old Ricky Cobb II, of Spring Lake Park, who was Black.The Minnesota State Patrol said in a statement that the driver was stopped shortly before 2 a.m. on Interstate 94 because the taillights on the Ford Fusion he was driving were out. After the driver stopped, troopers learned he was wanted in connection with a felony in Ramsey County.But the State Patrol said the driver refused to exit the car and when troopers tried to remove him he drove away. At that point, a trooper fired his gun and shot the driver.Emergency aid was provided, but the driver died.The State Patrol promised to quickly release body camera ...

Man hits hole-in-one at Geneva golf tournament honoring late stepson

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

GENEVA, Ill. -- A miraculous hole-in-one shot was hit at a charity golf tournament honoring the memory of cancer victim by his stepdad in Geneva on Monday."Jay's Hope" foundation hosted their seventh annual charity golf tournament to honor the late Jay Burger, who has been described as a kind and generous soul who succumbed to bone cancer in 2016. Hundreds of Loretto Hospital workers on strike Monday Kelly Jo Golson, Jay's mother, remembered the diagnosis when her son began a grueling 20 months of surgery and cancer treatments before losing his battle in 2016.The grieving family launched "Jay's Hope," a non-profit aimed at helping to fund a teen lounge with the Chicago Bulls at Advocate Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn and Advocate Lutheran in Park Ridge.Hundreds of golfers teed off at Eagle Creek County Club on Monday.For more information for Jay's Hope, click here.

'Euphoria' actor Angus Cloud dies at 25

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

(KRON) – Angus Cloud, the actor best known for his role in the HBO series "Euphoria," has been found dead at his family's home in Oakland, according to his publicist, Cait Bailey.In a statement sent to TMZ, the first outlet to report the death, Cloud’s family confirmed his passing:“It is with the heaviest heart that we had to say goodbye to an incredible human today. As an artist, a friend, a brother and a son, Angus was special to all of us in so many ways,” the statement read. “Last week he buried his father and intensely struggled with this loss. The only comfort we have is knowing Angus is now reunited with his dad, who was his best friend. Angus was open about his battle with mental health and we hope that his passing can be a reminder to others that they are not alone and should not fight this on their own in silence.” Variety also reported the actor's death, citing his family. A statement from HBO Monday read:We are incredibly saddened to learn of the passing of Angus Cl...

Cubs acquire Jeimer Candelario from Nationals, reports say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Not only are the Cubs not going to be selling at the 2023 Major League Baseball trade deadline, they're actually going to be buyers as they hope to end a three-year playoff drought. The first of those moves went down on Monday, about 24 hours before the deadline. Per multiple reports, the first from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Cubs have acquired third baseman Jeimer Candelario from the Nationals. In exchange, Washington will receive Cubs minor league pitcher DJ Herz, who is currently at Double-A Tennessee, and shortstop Kevin Made, who is currently at High-A South Bend.The clubs have yet to confirm the move.This is a full-circle moment for Candelario, who returns to the team that gave him his start in Major League Baseball. The Cubs signed him in 2010 as he joined their minor league system before earning his call-up to the majors in 2016. Candelario play in 16 games for the club before being traded to the Tigers in 2017 in a deadline deal for catcher Alex Avila and ...

Beyoncé vs Taylor Swift vs NASCAR: Who’s been the biggest boon to Chicago?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:00 GMT

Ed Sheeran concluded a weekend concert at Soldier Field by claiming, “this is the largest concert that’s ever been here." Since the 2003 stadium renovation, this statement can be considered true.But when it comes to Chicago's tourism, new numbers show the true king of Chicago is still a queen.Downtown hotel occupancy peaked at 97% on the early June weekend of Taylor Swift’s concert, according to numbers shared with WGN Investigates by data analytics firm CoStar. That was followed closely by the 95% occupancy rate of central business district hotels on the opening night of Beyoncé's Chicago concert.   “What we like seeing is this is happening over and over again driving-up leisure travel,” said Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association spokesperson Michael Jacobson. However, he cautioned that Chicago hotels are still not back to their pre-pandemic booking levels because conventions and business travel has been slow to recover.“If you look at what’s supporting the hotel industry right ...