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A judge is set to hear the last day of testimony in the Oxford High School shooter’s sentencing

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:57:32 GMT

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan judge is expected to hear the third and final day of testimony Tuesday at a sentencing hearing for the Oxford High School shooter, though an immediate decision is not anticipated.Ethan Crumbley, 17, pleaded guilty to murder, terrorism and other charges in a mass shooting that killed four students and wounded seven others in 2021 at the school about 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of Detroit.Because of his age — 15 at the time — an automatic life sentence would be unconstitutional. Oakland County Judge Kwame Rowe first must consider the shooter’s mental health, unstable family life and other factors before deciding whether a life term would fit.Crumbley otherwise would face a minimum sentence somewhere between 25 years and 40 years in prison, followed by eligibility for parole.The shooter left behind a journal and text messages that were rife with dark writings, confusion and paranoia. Defense attorneys revealed messages last week that were sent ...

Roam like at home: Roaming rules extended for 10 more years 

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:57:32 GMT

The EU's roam like at home policy ensures that Europeans can call, message and use mobile data anywhere in the EU at no extra cost, Society.In April 2022, the European Parliament and the Council adopted the extension of the roaming rules that allow EU consumers to continue to call and transfer data across EU borders for the same cost as at home. The legislation is part of the digital transformation strategy, one of EU’s priorities.Roam like at homeSince the introduction of the roam like at home rules in June 2017, about 170 million people have enjoyed the benefits of staying connected during their travels across Europe while paying the same prices as at home. The system operates across the European Economic Area, which comprises all 27 EU countries as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.The policy has been very successful, for instance data roaming usage increased 17-fold in the summer of 2019, compared with the summer before the abolition of roaming charges.Better quality, mo...

Video shows L.A. deputy open fire on man ramming patrol car with SUV

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:57:32 GMT

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department released video Monday of a deputy opening firing on a 45-year-old man seen repeatedly ramming the deputy’s vehicle with his SUV in Bell Gardens last month.  The incident occurred at around 4:30 a.m. on June 22 at the intersection of Eastern and Florence avenues, and was captured on nearby surveillance cameras, a witness’ cellphone camera and the deputy’s body-worn camera.  The suspect, identified as Jesus Cerda, can be seen entering the intersection against the red light as the deputy was behind him. In response, the deputy turned on his sirens and entered the intersection “to warn and block oncoming traffic,” LASD officials said in the critical incident briefing.  The 45-year-old, driving a white SUV, began driving in circles before ramming the deputy’s vehicle.  “After Cerda rammed the patrol car a third time, the deputy discharged his service weapons,” officials said.  Footage from the deputy’s body-worn camera ...

Two fires at Berkeley apartment building investigated as possible arsons

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:57:32 GMT

BERKELEY – Two fires at a Berkeley apartment building in the span of less than a week are being investigated as possible arsons, police said.No one has been arrested in connection with either fire, Berkeley police Officer Jessica Perry said Monday.Both blazes happened at the same three-story apartment building in the 1100 block of Oxford Street.The first fire was reported around 5:35 a.m. on July 19. Perry said a resident used a garden hose and a fire extinguisher to partially put out the fire before firefighters arrived.The blaze scorched the south side of the structure, but no one was injured, Perry said.Residents mentioned seeing a “strip of gasoline fuel on fire” next to the apartment building during the fire, Perry said. Two gasoline cans were also spotted on the sidewalk following the fire.The second fire was reported around 3:55 a.m. on July 25. This time, the fire involved the east side of the structure, Perry said. Firefighters evacuated the residents, put out the fire and ...

Four-bedroom home sells in Piedmont for $2 million

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:57:32 GMT

264 Saint James Drive – Google Street ViewA 2,516-square-foot house built in 1958 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 200 block of Saint James Drive in Piedmont was sold on June 23, 2023, for $2,000,000, or $795 per square foot. This single-story home offers a roomy layout with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Additionally, the house is equipped with a garage. The property encompasses a generous 0.3-acre of land.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:A 4,590-square-foot home on the first block of Wyngaard Avenue in Piedmont sold in October 2022, for $4,200,000, a price per square foot of $915. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.On Selborne Drive, Piedmont, in July 2022, a 4,130-square-foot home was sold for $4,082,500, a price per square foot of $988. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.In November 2022, a 3,758-square-foot home on Selborne Drive in Piedmont sold for $2,850,000, a price per square foot of $758. The home has 4 bedrooms an...

Powerful Typhoon Khanun lashes southwest Japanese islands, grounding flights and closing businesses

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:57:32 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — A powerful Typhoon Khanun was approaching Japan’s southwestern island of Okinawa on Tuesday, lashing the region with strong winds and high waves, and forcing transportation to halt and stores to close.The slow-moving Khanun, which means jackfruit in Thai, was heading northwest at speeds of 20 kph (12.4 mph) on Tuesday morning, packing surface winds of up to 162 kph (100 mph). It was at sea southeast of Okinawa’s main island, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.The city office in the Okinawan prefectural capital of Naha was closed Tuesday due to violent winds, while supermarket chains were also shut or operating under shorter hours.Footage on NHK national television showed fallen trees on the street in Naha. No injuries were reported.Hundreds of flights into and out of the Naha airport, including a more than a dozen international flights connecting Seoul, Hong Kong, Taipei and Shanghai, were canceled, according to the airport. Public transportation on Okinawa, inc...

Analysis: Buildup of American forces in Persian Gulf a new signal of worsening US-Iran conflict

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:57:32 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Thousands of Marines backed by advanced U.S. fighter jets and warships are slowly building up a presence in the Persian Gulf. It’s a sign that while America’s wars in the region may be finished, its conflict with Iran over its advancing nuclear program continues to worsen, with no solutions in sight.The dispatch of the troop-and-aircraft-carrying USS Bataan to the Gulf, alongside stealth F-35 fighters and other warplanes, comes as America wants to focus on China and Russia. But Washington is seeing once again that while it’s easy to get into the Middle East militarily, it’s difficult to ever get fully out — particularly as Iran now enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels after the collapse of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.There is no sign that diplomacy will revive the deal soon, and Iran in recent weeks has resumed harassing and seizing ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Some 20% of the world...

The Crimean Peninsula is both a playground and a battleground, coveted by Ukraine and Russia

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:57:32 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Its balmy beaches have been vacation spots for Russian czars and Soviet general secretaries. It has hosted history-shaking meetings of world leaders and boasts a strategic naval base. And it has been the site of ethnic persecutions, forced deportations and political repression.Now, as Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its 18th month, the Crimean Peninsula is again both a playground and a battleground, with drone attacks and bombs seeking to dislodge Moscow’s hold on the territory and bring it back under Kyiv’s authority, no matter how loudly the Kremlin proclaims its ownership.Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to retake the diamond-shaped peninsula that Russia’s Vladimir Putin illegally annexed in 2014.For both presidents, backing off Crimea is hardly an option.Moscow deployed troops and weapons there, allowing Russian forces to quickly seize large parts of southern Ukraine when the war began in 2022. Kyiv says the militarization of Crimea thre...

16 workers killed in the collapse of a crane being used to build a bridge in India

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:57:32 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — A huge crane collapsed at a highway construction site in western India, killing at least 16 workers, the country’s National Disaster Response Force said TuesdayTelevision footage showed the collapsed crane on the ground as rescue workers looked for survivors near the site in Thane, a city just outside Mumbai. At least three people who were injured were rushed to a hospital.Press Trust of India reported the crane is used to install precast box girders while building highway and high-speed rail bridges.Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi expressed his condolences in a message on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.“My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are injured,” his office said in a post.Source

Editorial: Time to act on Mass & Cass

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:57:32 GMT

The wasteland known as Mass and Cass can’t be allowed to fester like a perpetual sore in the middle of the city forever.The Long Island bridge reconstruction project remains the best solution, but that is years away. So it is time for bold action.Lawmakers have just passed an idea pushed by Hub state Sen. Nick Collins to study the practicality of bringing back a floating hospital in the Harbor. Addicts could be put on the ship to be treated and businesses could get back to work and not be forced to deal with the unsanitary conditions along the Methadone Mile.The FY24 budget entry states: “Not less than $50,000 shall be expended for a studyto be conducted by the Department of Mental Health, in consultation with the naval construction and marine engineering program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, on the feasibility of converting a decommissioned ship or other water-based vessel into a floating hospital for mental health, substance use treatment and recovery s...