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Toronto police warn of fraud scheme targeting Chinese community

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:59 GMT

Toronto police have issued a public service announcement warning of an ongoing fraud scheme primarily targeting the Chinese community. In most cases, police said the complainant will receive an unsolicited phone call from a Mandarin-speaking person. The caller often identifies as a telephone operator with a major cellular company.Authorities said the caller informs the victim that a cell phone account was opened in China under the complainant’s name and is being used to commit fraud. The victim is then transferred to someone posing as a police officer in China. The fake officer advises the complainant they are being investigated for fraud and then threatens them with extradition unless funds are provided.In another possible case, the “police officer” requests funds be sent for the complainant’s name to be cleared in China. Red flags to watch out forA police spokesperson said the Toronto Police Service Financial Crimes Unit wants the public to be aware of this...

Man allegedly involved in shootout that left him, 2 Philadelphia cops wounded now facing charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:59 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A man who authorities say engaged in a shootout with Philadelphia police that left him and two officers wounded is now facing numerous charges including two counts of attempted murder, prosecutors announced Wednesday.Dioul Devaughn, 40, also faces four counts each of aggravated assault and assault on a law enforcement officer stemming from the shootout. He remained hospitalized in critical condition Wednesday, and prosecutors did not know if he has retained an attorney.The shooting happened around 2:30 a.m. Sunday after officers responded to reports of gunfire and saw a pickup truck that was occupied by a man believed to have been involved. The man initially stopped the truck after an officer activated his emergency lights, but he then drove off as the officer approached the vehicle on foot.Officers soon spotted the truck again, and the pursuit ended when the driver rammed a police car. He then got out and started shooting at police, prosecutors said.Four city of...

Tesla recall will affect roughly 193,000 cars in Canada

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:59 GMT

Tesla’s recall over its autopilot function will affect about 193,000 vehicles in Canada.Transport Canada says Tesla will provide an over-the-air software update to fix the advanced driver assistance features.Transport Canada says the recall will be added to its database of vehicles with safety recalls.Tesla has recalled more than two million cars across its model lineup, which were produced between Oct. 5, 2012 and Dec. 7 of this year, after a lengthy investigation by the U.S. National Highway Safety Administration.U.S. safety regulators had investigated a series of crashes involving Tesla’s autopilot feature, some of which were fatal.Documents posted Wednesday by U.S. safety regulators say the company will send out a software update to fix the problems.Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.In May, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whose department includes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said Tesla shouldn’t be calling ...

Virginia county approves data center project after 27-hour public hearing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:59 GMT

County supervisors in northern Virginia approved one of the world’s largest data center projects after a public hearing that ran through the night and lasted more than 24 hours.The Prince William County Board of Supervisors voted 4-3, with one abstention, in favor of the Digital Gateway project, which would bring as many as 37 data centers over about 2,000 acres (809 hectares) in the western part of the county, not far from Manassas National Battlefield.The final vote came Wednesday afternoon, 27 hours after the public hearing first began Tuesday morning.The project drew significant community opposition from residents concerned about the environmental impact of the project, including noise, the need for electricity and high-voltage transmission lines, and the possibility that it would damage views of the battlefield.The project also had supporters who touted the benefit to the county’s tax base. Developers of the project sought to allay concerns with promises to build co...

Noah Gragson to get 2nd chance in NASCAR after personal growth journey following suspension

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:59 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Noah Gragson has spent the last five months working on personal growth and maturity after his “like” of an insensitive meme of George Floyd nearly cost him his NASCAR career.He’ll get a chance to show if he’s truly evolved with Stewart-Haas Racing, which said Wednesday it has hired Gragson to drive the No. 10 Ford in the Cup Series. It’s a second chance Gragson is not taking lightly after his career imploded in August.Social media users noted that a meme circulating of Floyd, a Black man who was killed in 2020 by white police officers, had been “liked” by Gragson. NASCAR suspended the 25-year-old and he parted ways with Legacy Motor Club, which had hired the Las Vegas native for his first full season racing in the top Cup level.Gragson, who had built a reputation as an aggressive driver both on and off the track in the second-tier Xfinity Series, reached out to good friend Brandon McReynolds and wondered why everything was falling apart in hi...

Glenview man arrested, charged with 3 felony counts of manufacturing child pornography

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:59 GMT

GLENVIEW, Ill. — A Glenview man has been arrested and charged with three felony counts of manufacturing child pornography.According to the Glenview Police Department, Bruce Claver, 58, of Knollwood Lane was arrested and charged Tuesday. He was taken to the Skokie Courthouse on Wednesday for a detention hearing.The charges are Class X felonies, which carry mandatory prison sentencing, for a victim under 13 years of age.Police say an investigation was started on Dec. 1 after agents with the U.S. Secret Service identified that Claver was posting child pornography content online. Glenview Police detectives conducted the investigation with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Cook County Sheriff’s Police and and the County State’sAttorney’s Office.There is no further information available at this time. If anyone has information regarding this incident, please contact the Glenview Police Tip Line at 847-901-6055.Claver, however, was...

These are Illinois' Top 5 favorite Christmas movies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:59 GMT

ST. LOUIS - There's a good chance you'll sit down to watch a Christmas movie with family members or friends sometime soon. Almost everyone has a favorite, but choosing what to watch within a close group isn't always an easy choice. If you live in Illinois, you're likely a fan of a holiday classic. 6 Christmas films set in and around Chicago Research teams from IllinoisBet.com recently published lists naming the Top 5 favorite Christmas movies in the state. The most popular Christmas movies in Illinois were based on Google Trends research, specifically search results for dozens of movies over the last three Christmas holidays. Interestingly enough, the research finds Illinois and nearby Missouri share their top choice in common. That would be Home Alone. The 1990 film stars Macaulay Culkin, and much of the filming took place in Chicago. These Illinois towns make America’s Most ‘Christmassy’ list According to IllinoisBet.com, these were the Top 5 favorite Christmas films among I...

Hillary Clinton to Bill: 'Our ability to keep talking' has helped our marriage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:59 GMT

(The Hill) -- Hillary Clinton says while she’s not one to dole out relationship advice, her and former President Bill Clinton’s “ability to keep talking” is one of the reasons they’re still married.“We have carried on a conversation now for more than 50 years,” the former secretary of State said to her husband, who appeared as a guest on her iHeart podcast “You and Me Both” on Tuesday.“Part of, I think, the real core of our relationship, our marriage, has been we started a conversation and we never stopped,” Clinton told the 42nd president.“Through good times and hard times, through happy times and sad times — it doesn't mean we don't get frustrated and upset with the other because that's human nature. But we always kept talking,” she said. Trump unveils digital trading cards ‘mugshot edition’ The Clintons tied the knot in 1975.The former first lady has previously said she had “no regrets” about choosing to stay in her marriage following her husband’s affair with th...

Travis County DA’s office pursuing 337 sexual assault cases out of 1,000+ reported

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:59 GMT

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — There have been more than 1,000 sexual assault cases reported in Travis County over the last two years, according to the Austin-Travis County Sexual Assault Response and Resource Team (SARRT).So far, the district attorney's office said it has decided to move forward with 337 of them, according to details provided during Tuesday’s Travis County Commissioners Court meeting.Out of those accepted, 252 were brought before a grand jury with 246 indictments.However, county leaders said the program needed more funding.Because the SARRT coordinator was not a full-time position, Shelli Egger with the Texas Legal Services Center said there was an imbalance within the team.“Not having more funding that is just dedicated to the SARRT really helps maintain the power imbalance,” Egger said.Officials said more funding for the program would also go toward training and maintaining a database for sexual assault investigations.

APD officer's new murder trial, following hung jury, reset to Sept. 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A judge set the date for Christopher Taylor's retrial for Sept. 23, 2024, in court Wednesday. Taylor was charged with murder in the 2020 shooting death of Michael Ramos. PREVIOUS: Austin police officer’s murder trial ends in hung jury, mistrial Last month, a mistrial was declared after jurors could not come to a unanimous decision. Prior to that, a judge also granted a mistrial in May due to various issues during jury selection.Taylor also faces a murder charge for the 2019 death of Mauris Nishanga DeSilva. Taylor's attorneys requested that the courts try Taylor on DeSilva's death in September instead of Ramos' due to Taylor's invocation of his right to a speedy trial in the DeSilva case. Attorneys said they've now waived the right to a speedy trial in the Ramos case.The State said it intends to retry Taylor on the Ramos case.Attorneys on both sides will now provide briefings to the judge and meet for a hearing in February or March to determine which of Taylo...