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Texas man involved in online romance scams gets 3 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:04 GMT

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Texas man was sentenced on Tuesday to more than three years in prison for his role in an online romance scam in which the identities and images of real U.S. military generals were used to cheat victims from across the nation out of a total of $1.5 million, federal prosecutors said.In addition to three years and a month behind bars, Fola Alabi, 52, of Richmond, Texas, was also sentenced in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island to three years of probation, ordered to pay full restitution and forfeit his home valued at $560,000, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office.The victims were often women in their 70s and 80s and either widowed or divorced, according to court documents.In one case, a widow from Rhode Island was contacted by a member of the conspiracy claiming to be a “General Miller,” who convinced the woman to hand over $60,000 to help pay for the shipment of his personal belongings to the U.S., prosecutors said.A check from the v...

New Washington gun law already faces federal court challenge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:04 GMT

OLYMPIA Wash. (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a trio of bills meant to address gun violence Tuesday, one banning the sale of certain semi-automatic rifles, one imposing a 10-day waiting period on firearms purchases, and one clearing the way for lawsuits against gun makers or sellers in certain cases.A crowd of gun-control activists and Democratic lawmakers broke into cheers as Inslee signed the measures, which he said would not solve all gun violence but would save lives.“Just because they don’t solve all the problems does not mean the state of Washington does not take action,” Inslee said. “Inaction against gun violence is unacceptable.”White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre praised state officials for passing the ban on selling specific semi-automatic weapons. President Joe Biden, who has been pushing for additional gun control measures, “commends the leadership of Washington Governor Jay Inslee and legislative leaders as well as the advocates, survivors and...

Protesting N.L. crab fishers watch from shore as Maritime fishers head out to harvest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:04 GMT

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — As a standoff between crab fishers and processors enters its third week in Newfoundland and Labrador, all eyes are on Maritime fishers who have begun their annual harvest.Fishers in Canada’s easternmost province have refused to harvest snow crab since the season began on April 10. They say they can’t make a living off this year’s price of $2.20 per pound – a precipitous drop from last year’s opening price of $7.60 per pound.But in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, the crab fishery is in full swing. The catch from Maritime fishers could push up prices, according to the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union, which represents inshore harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador.“With fresh crab starting to enter the market from the gulf, it’s possible we may (see) an upswing in market prices,” said FFAW president Greg Pretty in a news release Monday night.Crab is a lucrative species for Atlantic Canada, and it was Canada’s second-largest...

EU farm chief: Bloc close to ending Ukraine import standoff

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:04 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s top farm official said Tuesday that the bloc was on the cusp of ending a damaging internal standoff over a destabilizing glut of Ukraine farm imports by granting five eastern member states the right to temporarily ban the most contentious produce. Resolving the issue quickly would allow the EU to maintain a unified stance in the face of Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said after daylong talks among the 27 farm ministers that the EU is close to allowing Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania a temporary import ban on five farm products that make up the overwhelming mass of exports from Ukraine that have flooded their markets during the war. “I can see that everything shows that this decision will be approved by the member states, by the (European) Council in the spirit of solidarity,” Wojciechowski said. ”We are very close to the final agreement,” he added without elaborating ...

Cities with the worst commute in Illinois

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:04 GMT

When the COVID-19 pandemic made millions of Americans remote workers, it also abruptly ended many of the commutes that bookend the workday. As some of those workers return to the office, conversations around the drawbacks of commutes have become more intense. For a while, those workers enjoyed more time in the morning and evening that wasn't spent simply traveling to and from work—an unpaid portion of the day that ate up time and energy. And it's not a small amount of time, either: Pre-pandemic, the average commute in the U.S. was a hair over 27 minutes one way, according to Census Bureau data. It was a record high. Cumulatively, 27 minutes each way translates to 54 minutes a day, or four-and-a-half hours per week. That's 18 hours a month and 216 hours a year spent commuting.Those who commute know it's not particularly idyllic. While a very small portion of workers live in the ideal scenario—a short, walkable distance from the office, along a sidewalk that is presumably regularly sh...

Rosati’s Pizza franchisees to pay $250K in back wages, damages to employees

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:04 GMT

CHICAGO -- Six Rosati's Pizza franchisees must pay $250,000 in back wages and damages to restaurant and delivery employees who never received their overtime pay.According to the U.S. Department of Labor, a federal court has required the operators of six Rosati's Pizza franchise location in Illinois and Indiana to pay $250,000 in back wages and damages in an effort to recover unpaid overtime wages for 35 restaurant and delivery employees. Illinois’ 10 most popular baby names revealed On Wednesday, April 19, a federal judge ordered Kalpesh Patel and Ketan “Kevin” Limbachiva, who own Rosati’s Pizza locations ­in Bloomingdale, Matteson, Plainfield and Richmond, Illinois; and Dyer, Indiana, to pay the back wages and damages owed in three payments.Investigators found the Patel and Limbachiva misclassified delivery drivers as independent contractors, even though store management controlled their hours and assigned tasks.They also determined Patel and Limbachiva failed to pay some workers...

For Flatley, Sikora Chicago Golden Gloves led to success beyond ring

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:04 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Long before he created “Riverdance” and “Lord of the Dance” and performed before millions of people worldwide, Michael Flatley thought he might make a living dancing around the ring.Actor Joseph Sikora knew he wasn't destined for a career in boxing. But he and Flatley have a few things in common when it comes to the sweet science.Both credit lessons they learned from boxing for their success in the entertainment world and consider competing in the Chicago Golden Gloves a key part of their development. The two were among the seven “Titans” who were honored April 13 for their success outside of boxing as part of the event's 100th anniversary celebration. A Century of Champions: The 100th anniversary of Chicago’s Golden Gloves “It taught me the value of hard work, determination, perseverance, preparation,” Flatley said. “Good qualities, because there's no one in that ring except you. Your trainer's not there. Your mates aren't in there. Once that bell rings, you're on ...

'You can't ask for a bigger stage': Semi-pro Chicago House AC face Fire in US Open Cup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:04 GMT

CHICAGO — One of the great things about the longest-running soccer tournament in America is the opportunity it gives to any club to be a champion, amateur or professional.That's the case for a semi-professional team in Chicago, which is getting its chance to face the team in town that plays at the highest level in North America on Wednesday. Chicago House AC, a club in the Midwest Premier League, will face Chicago Fire FC in the third round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.This comes after the House got through three qualifying rounds late last year and then picked up two victories in the main US Open Cup tournament over the last month. "It's special for the guys who have been with the club since the beginning, to see if progress forward when last year there was so much doubt with what would happen with the club," said manager Matthew Poland of the opportunity to face the Fire on Wednesday. "For the players, it's an amazing oppor...

Cook County's Road Home Program expanded to help newly released inmates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:04 GMT

CHICAGO — A program designed to help former prison inmates re-enter society is expanding.       "We're committed to this work because we know the need is great. Data shows that nearly 2 million people in this country are in prison or jails and approximately 76,000 of them are in Illinois," said Cook County Board of Commissioners president Toni Preckwinkle about the reentry navigation initiative. Each year, about 26,000 men and women are released from Illinois prisons. Cook County corrections officer charged with murder after Niles nightclub parking lot shooting Cook County is investing $450,000 to grow the Road Home Program. It was previously available to Chicago residents, and it's now opening up in the suburbs. The money is coming from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. The program provides navigation, career coaching, training, support services and paid work experience to people released from behind bars.  It also helps prevent repeat offenses.  Read more: Latest Chicago new...

Orioles’ Brandon Hyde calls Red Sox manager Alex Cora’s comments ‘disrespectful to our hitters’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:04 GMT

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said he was “pretty disappointed” in comments made by Boston Red Sox skipper Alex Cora on Monday night questioning Baltimore’s success at the plate, calling them “disrespectful to our hitters.”After Baltimore’s 5-4 win, Cora was asked about starting pitcher Chris Sale’s struggles, which included getting just two whiffs on the Orioles’ 42 swings against him. The Orioles didn’t strike out in the game, the first time they’ve achieved that feat since Aug. 8, 2010.“At one point there, there was no swings-and-misses and tough pitches,” Cora told reporters. “But we better give credit to them, I guess. There was one at-bat there by [James] McCann that was sliders down and in, and he kept fouling off, fouling off, fouling off and then he got a fastball. It was down, the location wasn’t great, and he hit a rocket the other way. I don’t know. We got to take a look at it and se...