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☆ Vanessa Bryant reaches $28.85 million settlement with L.A. County over helicopter crash photos
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Phil Helsel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Vanessa Bryant, the widow of late NBA legend Kobe Bryant, has reached an almost $30 million settlement with Los Angeles County over photos taken of the scene of the deadly 2020 helicopter crash, an attorney for the county said. The settlement is for $28.85 million and resolves all claims involving the county, Mira Hashmall, lead trial counsel for Los Angeles County in the case, said in a statement. Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant, 41; his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant; and seven other people died in the crash in Calabasas, near the Southern California coast, northwest of Los Angeles. The almost $30 million settlement includes the $15 million awarded to Vanessa Bryant by a jury in August, Hashmall said. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved the settlement, she said.

☆ Police say Volkswagen refused to track a stolen car with a 2-year-old inside — after the thieves ran over the child's pregnant mother — until the owner paid a fee
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Bianca Giacobone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A carjacker knocked and ran over a pregnant woman to steal her Volkswagen car. Volkswagen said the incident is a "serious breach of the process" it has in place for emergencies. On February 23, a 34-year woman, who's six-months pregnant according to news reports, pulled into her driveway with her Volkswagen car. A man got off the BMW, knocked the woman to the ground, and drove off with her car with the child inside, running her over, according to police. The woman, whose injuries were serious, according to the police statement, is in the hospital in stable condition, and her car was found abandoned in a parking lot.

☆ 5 people including the patient died when a private air ambulance crashed in Nevada on Friday night
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

All five people on an air ambulance died when it crashed in Nevada on Friday night. The PC-12 aircraft had a pilot, nurse, paramedic, patient and a family member on board. Five people, including a nurse, paramedic and patient, were killed when the air ambulance crashed. Care Flight, the air ambulance operator, said in a statement that there were no survivors. The Nevada-headquartered air ambulance service also said it was in a "passive stand down" as a safety measure, meaning that it was not transporting any patients at this time.

☆ Southern California delights in rare snowfall as winter blast lingers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Rich Mckay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] The Hollywood sign is seen through clouds during rare cold winter weather, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 24, 2023. The storm was expected to strengthen on Friday and linger over California through Saturday, the National Weather Service said. In Southern California, "this is a rare case of a cold, significant storm event," Jackson said. SEVEN FEET OF SNOW IN SOME SPOTSEven before the latest storm in California, much of the state has experienced an unusually rainy, chilly winter. Heavy rain will inundate many parts of California through Saturday, the weather service said.

☆ Catalytic converter thefts are on the rise across the country. Russia could make it worse.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Taiyler Simone Mitchell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

NYC saw a rise of 5,000 cases of catalytic converter thefts in just one year. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyThere has been a stark rise in catalytic converter thefts across the country since 2019 and there's a chance Russia could make it worse. "Catalytic converters are easy to steal, but generally very difficult to trace to a specific vehicle, allowing them to be sold on the black market. The lack of traceable identifying marks makes the theft of catalytic converters difficult to curb," a NADA press release says. Catalytic converter thefts have spiked all over the world, including the United Kingdom and Japan, Insider previously reported.

☆ Five former Memphis officers plead not guilty in beating death of Tyre Nichols
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Maria Alejandra Cardona | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Feb 17 (Reuters) - Five former Memphis police officers on Friday pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges stemming from last month's beating of Tyre Nichols, a Black man whose death three days later stirred outrage and fresh calls for reform. Police video captured images of the officers beating and kicking Nichols, hitting him with a baton, spraying him with pepper spray and firing a stun gun at him on Jan. 7 following a traffic stop. [1/3] Five former Memphis police officers who have been charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols appear during an arraignment hearing at Shelby County courthouse in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S., February 17, 2023. Two Shelby County sheriff's deputies who responded to the scene were suspended five days without pay. Officers on the video said Nichols had swerved through traffic dangerously, and one said Nichols attempted to grab his gun during the scrum.

☆ Six dead as gunman goes on rampage in small Mississippi town
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Maria Alejandra Cardona | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The bloodshed occurred in Arkabutla, a rural hamlet of fewer than 300 people in Tate County in northern Mississippi, about 40 miles (60 km) south of Memphis, Tennessee. The gunman, identified as Richard Dale Crum, 51, was charged with first-degree murder, Tate County Sheriff Brad Lance told reporters. "Jill and I are mourning for the six killed in today's violence in Tate County, Mississippi - as we have for far too many Americans," Biden said in a statement, referring to his wife. [1/4] A man stands next to the vehicle of the victim of a shooting outside a gas station convenience store in Arkabutla, Mississippi, U.S. February 17, 2023. Deputies recovered a shotgun and two handguns from the suspect, Lance said.

☆ GOP Rep. Andy Ogles claimed to fight international sex crimes and be an economic expert. Like George Santos, his real resume tells another story.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Katherine Long | Bryan Metzger | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) claims he's a real estate magnate, policy expert, and sex crime investigator. Ogles' business experience seems to be limited to owning two restaurants, a short-lived travel agency, and becoming licensed as an insurance agent. Ogles' supposed experience rescuing sex trafficking victims helped propel him into national headlines in his first week in Congress. During one debate during his campaign, Ogles described himself as "a former member of law enforcement" who worked "in international sex crimes, specifically child trafficking." Fighting international sex crimes and traffickingWhen discussing his support for a more militarized border with Mexico, Ogles has repeatedly referenced his involvement in combating human trafficking and working to fight international sex crimes.

☆ Two sheriff's deputies suspended for role in Tyre Nichols incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Daniel Trotta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 15 (Reuters) - The Shelby County sheriff on Wednesday suspended two deputies without pay for five days for unspecified conduct after they appeared at the scene where Memphis city police severely beat Tyre Nichols, a Black man who died three days later. Memphis lies within Shelby County, Tennessee, and while city police usually have jurisdiction within city limits, county sheriff's deputies may also respond. Among those responding to the scene were Shelby County sheriff's deputies Jeremy Watkins and Johntavious Bowers, the sheriff's department said in the statement. Reuters could not determine if the deputies were represented by lawyers who could make a statement in their defense. The Shelby County Deputy Sheriffs Association, the deputies' union, could not be reached for comment.

☆ The wife of the doctor accused of driving his family off a cliff in a Tesla doesn't want him to be prosecuted. A domestic violence expert says this kind of behavior isn't uncommon.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The wife of a man accused to driving his family off a cliff in a Tesla doesn't want him prosecuted. A domestic violence expert told Insider this type of behavior in victims is not uncommon. Prosecutors handling the case are treating it like a domestic violence case, a local DA said. A domestic violence expert and the local district attorney handling the case told Insider on Tuesday this type of behavior in victims is not uncommon. San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told Insider that his office is "viewing" the case as a domestic violence case.

☆ Alec Baldwin's 'Rust' will resume filming amid criminal case over Hutchins death
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Hutchins was killed by a bullet from a gun Baldwin was holding in 2021. Matthew Hutchins, the widower of Halyna Hutchins, will join as an executive producer on the movie, along with the original producers. Bianca Cline, the cinematographer for the Oscar-nominated "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On," will take over as the "Rust" cinematographer. Matthew Hutchins will also serve as an executive producer of a new documentary on his late wife's life and work. Halyna Hutchins' mother, father, and sister filed a separate civil suit against Baldwin last week, which Matthew is not directly involved in.

☆ The Paradox of Prosecuting Domestic Terrorism
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( James Verini | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +52 min

The preventive approach to domestic terrorism goes back even further than the 1990s and it begins with the basic police work and surveillance of the joint terrorism task forces. In fact, there is no section of the U.S. Criminal Code that criminalizes domestic terrorism as such. The absence of clear law around domestic terrorism, and the imperatives of prevention, mean that investigators and prosecutors who work domestic terrorism cases must focus on more common charges: weapons violations, illegal drug possession, burglary, aiding and abetting and so forth. But this was not enough to overrule the fear of domestic terrorism that was gripping the nation and that hung in the courtroom. It reflected the legal paradoxes of the case and domestic terrorism law in general or, maybe more accurately, the absence of it.

☆ Controlled chemical release scheduled to prevent explosion in wake of Ohio train derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Dennis Romero | Marlene Lenthang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released by the NTSB. Three days after a 150-car train derailed in northeastern Ohio, and risked exploding due to chemicals on board, authorities have announced a planned chemical release. Josh Shapiro ordered an immediate evacuation of a 1-mile by 2-mile area surrounding East Palestine that includes parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Graham on Sunday identified at least 10 of the derailed cars as "hazmat cars," or those carrying hazardous materials or chemicals. In a statement Saturday, the village of East Palestine said "zero health risks" had been discovered so far.

☆ Neo-Nazi and woman charged with conspiring to attack Maryland power grid
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Pinellas County Sheriff's Office via APAn admitted neo-Nazi and a Maryland woman were arrested and charged with plotting to attack several electrical substations in the Baltimore area, federal authorities announced Monday. Russell, who lives in Orlando, Florida, is due to appear in federal court in that city on the charges Monday afternoon. Clendaniel, a resident of Catonsville, Maryland, is due to appear in Baltimore federal court on Monday afternoon. That interview was conducted after Devon Arthurs, a roommate of Russell's in Tampa, killed their two other roommates, the complaint said. Arthurs told law enforcement authorities at the time "that he had recently converted from Neo-Nazi beliefs to Islam," the complaint said.

There are "continued calls for violence directed at U.S. critical infrastructure," the agency warned last February, "as a means to create chaos and advance ideological goals." Law enforcement and utility companies, though, say they're working to resolve the open cases and prevent future attacks. Members of accelerationist groups have been charged with several plots in recent years to attack critical infrastructure. "The critical infrastructure element has become one of the core components of neo-fascist accelerationist movements in the US. "They don't really care who is doing the violence, who's doing the critical infrastructure attacks, Lewis said.

☆ Tyre Nichols funeral draws civil rights leaders, U.S. vice president
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Alyssa Porter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Al Sharpton will eulogize Nichols, and another prominent civil rights leader, attorney Ben Crump, will deliver a "call to action" during a funeral at the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Nichols' adopted hometown of Memphis. Among those planning to join the mourners was U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Crump said the Nichols family invited. Harris spoke with Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, in a private telephone call on Tuesday, he said. Two other officers implicated in the events leading to Nichols' death have been relieved of duty - effectively suspended - and are under investigation. "What happened to Tyre Nichols here is a disgrace to this country," Sharpton told reporters, flanked by Nichols' mother and his stepfather, Rodney Wells.

☆ Eagles' Sills indicted on rape, kidnapping charges ahead of Super Bowl
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 1 (Reuters) - Rookie offensive lineman Josh Sills of the Super Bowl-bound Philadelphia Eagles has been indicted on rape and kidnapping charges, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced on Wednesday. The 25-year-old Sills was indicted by a Guernsey County Common Pleas Court grand jury on one count of rape and one count of kidnapping, both first-degree felonies. The crime was immediately reported, and the Guernsey County Sheriff's Office conducted an investigation. The Eagles did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the team or Sills. Sills has been issued a summons to appear in Guernsey County Common Pleas Court on Feb. 16, four days after the Eagles are scheduled to face the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona.

☆ Alec Baldwin, armorer to be charged over 'Rust' shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 31 (Reuters) - Actor Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will be charged on Tuesday with involuntary manslaughter for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Western "Rust" in 2021, a New Mexico prosecutor said. A sheriff's office investigation has yet to reveal how live ammunition got onto the set outside Santa Fe. Legal analysts have said prosecutors will struggle to win convictions without proof Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed knew live ammunition was present but took no precautions. Live ammunition is strictly forbidden on sets. The armorer testified to New Mexico's worker safety agency (OSHA) on Dec. 7 that the shooting might have been prevented had she had more time to train Baldwin.

☆ Tesla driver taken from hospital to jail without bail after being accused of intentionally driving his family off a cliff
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A man accused of intentionally driving off a cliff was moved from a hospital to jail, local news reported. The San Mateo District Attorney's Office said the driver was booked without bail. Authorities are seeking to rule out any mechanical issues with the Tesla, including brake failure. The San Mateo District Attorney's Office did not respond to a request for comment from Insider ahead of publication. The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said in a tweet on January 2 that the children were "unharmed" at the time of rescue.

☆ Tyre Nichols' death has reignited the debate around police brutality. Here are 5 proven ways to reduce it - and 2 strategies that don't work.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Michelle Mark | Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Here are five proven, data-based changes that could make a difference, and two approaches that don't seem to work, according to Campaign Zero. Track complaints about officers' use of forceMost complaints against officers aren't public, making them hard to track. These changes, along with requiring departments to report and publish online data on all uses of force, could reduce police violence. Body cameras are another method that haven't been proven effective when it comes to excessive force instances. Research has shown that 93% of prosecutors' offices have used body cameras mostly in cases against citizens, not against police.

☆ Tyre Nichols: After his fatal beating ignited rage, Memphis streets remained calm despite warnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Some residents told Insider they hunkered down all of Saturday expecting the worst. "It could have been me," he told Insider, asking only to be identified by his first name in fear of his job. Demonstrators protest in Memphis on Jan. 28, 2023 following the release of video showing the deadly encounter between Tyre Nichols and police. Demonstrators protest in Memphis on Jan. 28, 2023 following the release of video showing the deadly encounter between Tyre Nichols and police. Demonstrators protest in Memphis on Jan. 28, 2023 following the release of video showing the deadly encounter between Tyre Nichols and police.

☆ The Memphis Police Department's original report on Tyre Nichols death is full of discrepancies and outright omissions, newly released bodycam footage shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

On January 8, Memphis Police released a statement about a "confrontation" with a reckless driver. New bodycam video shows officers beating Nichols, which is omitted in the police version of events. But bodycam footage of the incident, released Friday, revealed a different story of the brutal beating that left the 29-year-old dead. —Memphis Police Dept (@MEM_PoliceDept) January 8, 2023The statement continued: "Officers pursued the suspect and again attempted to take the suspect into custody. Later in the footage, Nichols' cries become less coherent, his speech slurs, and he struggles to stand up.

☆ Kanye West named a suspect in a battery investigation after a video appeared to show him throwing a woman's phone, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Gabi Stevenson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kanye West is named a suspect in a battery investigation after throwing a woman's phone, TMZ reports. A video shared by the outlet Friday shows the rapper confronting several people filming him. If I say stop, stop with your cameras," he said in the clip. If I say stop, stop with your cameras," West said. In the video, West then appears to take the woman's phone from her hand and throws it in the street before approaching a man with a camera near the rapper's car.

Remains found last week have been identified as those of a missing 4-year-old Oklahoma girl, authorities said Thursday. The state bureau said Thursday that the Oklahoma Office of Chief Medical Examiner positively identified the remains as Athena. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation via FacebookOn Jan. 16, investigators said their search had shifted to a “recovery operation” to find her remains. The remains were found outside of Rush Springs, about 16 miles southeast of Cyril, in neighboring Caddo County, the state bureau said. Cyril is a town about 65 miles southwest of Oklahoma City in Caddo County.

☆ North Carolina couple accused of performing 'exorcism' on child, 4, who died
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Minyvonne Burke | Minyvonne Burke Is A Senior Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A North Carolina couple are accused of performing an amateur exorcism on their 4-year-old son, who later died. Skyler died Jan. 9 "from injuries related to the abuse sustained by his parents," authorities said. The sheriff's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. They are alleged to have restrained and isolated the child and performed an exorcism, the station reported. They had other children in their custody who are now in the care of the Department of Social Services, the sheriff's office said.

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