DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ A Timeline of Events in the Gilgo Beach Serial Killings
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Lola Fadulu | More About Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Four bodies are found along Ocean Parkway. While searching for Ms. Gilbert’s body, the Suffolk County police discovered four bodies over three days along Ocean Parkway between Gilgo Beach and Cedar Beach, nearby. The bodies were spread over about a quarter mile, each roughly 500 feet apart. DEC. 14, 2010Police suggest a serial killer may have been behind the deaths. Image Credit... Suffolk County Police Department/ReutersJAN 19, 2011

Persons: Richard Dormer, Mr, Dormer, Gilbert, Megan Waterman Organizations: DEC, Police, Suffolk County Police Department, Craigslist, . Suffolk County Police Department, Reuters Locations: Suffolk, Gilgo Beach, Cedar Beach, Scarborough , Maine, . Suffolk

An upcoming study from researchers at Stanford University offers a new way to trace far-flung smoke and pollution back to individual wildfires of origin. What’s burning in a wildfire determines what kind of pollution is in the smoke. Dr. Ford and others have studied wildfire smoke patterns, as well as the resulting exposure to particulate matter pollution. But the Stanford researchers have pulled off something new by putting the two together, she said, especially over so many years and so much land area. Aside from that, Dr. Lin thought the Stanford study would be very useful in figuring out the real human toll of wildfire smoke.

Persons: ”, Jeff Wen, Mr, Wen, Bonne Ford, it’s, Ford, John Lin, Lin, Stanford Organizations: Stanford University, Stanford, . Canadian Forces, Reuters, Seaboard, Colorado State University, University of Utah Locations: United States, U.S, Mistissini, Quebec, Georgia, Florida

☆ Bronx D.A. Candidates Debate Crime, Rikers and Incarceration
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As Darcel Clark, the Bronx district attorney, made her way through the crowd at a Juneteenth celebration on Monday afternoon, it was clear she was in friendly territory. The June 27 primary offers Democratic voters in the Bronx something they have not had in recent years: a choice in the race for district attorney. Ms. Clark, 61, a former state appellate court judge, was the first Black woman to be elected district attorney in New York. She grew up in the Bronx and was raised in public housing and went to public schools. She was nominated by Bronx Democratic leaders in 2015 and faced no primary opponent that year or in her re-election bid in 2019.

Persons: Darcel Clark, ”, Clark, Tess Cohen, Cohen Organizations: Democratic, Bronx Democratic Locations: Bronx, Pelham, New York

☆ One Dead After Boat Capsizes on Underground Cave Tour, Officials Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Ed Shanahan | Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One person died and more than a dozen others had to be rescued after a tour boat capsized Monday morning while carrying passengers through an underground cavern in western New York, prompting an all-out rescue effort, officials said. Twenty-nine people were on board when the boat tipped over at the Lockport Cave in Lockport, N.Y., Luca Quagliano, Lockport’s fire chief, said at a news conference. Emergency workers rescued 16 people from the water, Chief Quagliano said; the rest were able to get to safety on their own. In addition to the person who died, eleven people were hospitalized with minor injuries after being pulled from the water, Chief Quagliano said. The city’s police and fire departments and other public safety agencies immediately began rescue efforts, officials said.

Persons: Luca Quagliano, Quagliano, capsizing Locations: New York, Lockport, N.Y, Niagara Falls

☆ New York City Sues Queens Library Architects Over Lack of Accessibility
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A few years back, architects designed a public library in Queens that has been lauded as one of the most stunning public buildings produced in New York in a century. But it is also rife with obstacles for people with disabilities, according to city officials who are now suing the designers for the $10 million they say it will cost to fix. At the Queens Public Library at Hunters Point, a staircase that runs from the lobby to the second floor is the only way to access three areas that have built-in desks with charging stations. A ramp that leads to the rooftop terrace, which has sweeping views of Manhattan, has a slope that is unlawful, the city argues. City officials have accused the architects of a “breach of contract and professional malpractice.” The city’s law department declined to comment beyond what’s in the lawsuit.

Persons: Steven Holl, Christopher McVoy Organizations: Queens Public Library, Steven Holl Architects Locations: Queens, New York, Manhattan

☆ After Death of Girl, 6, Mother Faces Charges Over Surviving Children
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Lola Fadulu | Andy Newman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The mother of a 6-year-old girl who died Friday after the police found her bruised and unconscious in a Bronx apartment has been charged with endangering the welfare of her two surviving children, the police said Sunday. Lynija Eason, 26, has not been charged in the death of Jalayah Eason, whom police found unresponsive and with bruises on her wrists and torso. But her two other children, an 8-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl, were removed from the home, according to a law enforcement official. The cause of Jalayah’s death has not yet been determined, a spokeswoman for the chief medical examiner’s office said on Sunday. Shortly before 4 a.m. on Friday, police officers responded to a 911 call about an unconscious child in an apartment in the Forest Houses complex in the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx.

☆ In Trump’s Trial, a Secret Fight Over a Juror’s Right-Wing News Source
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Court papers unsealed Wednesday revealed a bitter behind-the-scenes dispute, during the trial of the lawsuit accusing former President Donald J. Trump of a sexual attack, over whether to dismiss a juror who said he got his news from an extreme right-wing podcaster. The juror, a 31-year-old man who said he had lived in the Bronx for all of his life, said during jury selection on April 25 that he tended to avoid news, but listened to “independent” podcasts “every now and then” and listed one example. The original transcription inaccurately captured the title as “Temple.” But lawyers for the writer E. Jean Carroll, who filed the lawsuit, later learned that the anonymous juror, identified only as Juror 77, had actually said he listened to Tim Pool. Mr. Pool’s YouTube channel includes dozens of recordings that push hard-right views. His podcast, which has been criticized as a vector for conspiracy theories, is called “The Culture War.”

☆ After Defamation Finding, Trump Again Calls Carroll Untruthful
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Trump’s lawyers had accused Ms. Carroll of concealing Mr. Hoffman’s role; her lawyers had argued that the financial support was irrelevant to her legal claims and that she had nothing to do with obtaining it. Mr. Trump also criticized Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of Federal District Court, who presided over the case, calling him a “terrible person” who was “completely biased, and should have recused himself.”It was unclear what, if any, repercussions Mr. Trump’s after-action comments might incur. In the civil trial, which found that Mr. Trump sexually abused Ms. Carroll decades ago, the jury also found that Mr. Trump had defamed Ms. Carroll, and that she was injured as a result of an October 2022 Truth Social post about her, in which he called her case a “complete con job” and “a Hoax and a lie.”They awarded her $5 million in total damages, of which just under $3 million was related to the defamation. During the two-week trial, Mr. Trump didn’t testify in his own defense, nor did his legal team call any witnesses. Instead, Mr. Trump continued to attack the case from afar, in an interview on a golf course in Ireland and on Truth Social.

On Tuesday, Ms. Carroll nodded along as a court clerk read the verdict aloud, her nod growing more pronounced as the clerk said Mr. Trump was liable for defamation. She walked out of the courthouse grinning from ear to ear, holding hands with her lawyer, Roberta A. Kaplan. A woman yelled to Ms. Carroll, “You’re so brave and beautiful.” Ms. Carroll replied, “Thank you, thank you so much.”In a later statement, she said: “I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back. Now the jury has labeled him not a Lothario but an abuser. The findings are civil, not criminal, meaning Mr. Trump has not been convicted of any crime and faces no prison time.

☆ New York Law Gave Jurors Three Types of Battery to Consider in Trump Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Judge Lewis A. Kaplan on Monday morning walked jurors through a verdict form, explaining what battery meant in the context of a civil lawsuit and that there were gradations of that wrongful act. He offered three types of battery for which Mr. Trump might be liable under New York law: rape, sexual abuse and forcible touching. To find that Mr. Trump raped Ms. Carroll, the jurors needed to believe that it was more likely than not that Mr. Trump engaged in sexual intercourse by physical force. To find that Mr. Trump sexually abused Ms. Carroll, the jurors needed to believe that Mr. Trump subjected Ms. Carroll to sexual contact by physical force. Sexual contact is defined as touching the sexual or other intimate parts of another person, Judge Kaplan said.

The jury found that Ms. Carroll had not proved, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Mr. Trump had raped her, as she had long claimed. Jury members had the option of finding Mr. Trump liable for sexual abuse or for forcible touching, which are less serious charges than rape under state law. Ms. Carroll sued the former president last year. Its findings are civil, not criminal, meaning Mr. Trump has not been convicted of any crime and faces no prison time. Sexual abuse is defined in New York as subjecting a person to sexual contact without consent.

Instead, Ms. Carroll sued Mr. Trump for battery and defamation. That means the jury was asked to determine Mr. Trump’s “liability” — whether Mr. Trump is legally responsible for harming Ms. Carroll in ways that meet New York State’s definition of battery. The jury must also decide how much to award Ms. Carroll in damages if they side with her. Ms. Carroll has not requested a specific amount of damages she is seeking for her battery claim. Last week, an expert witness called by Ms. Carroll testified it would cost as much as $2.7 million to run a campaign that would repair her reputation.

As the civil trial over the writer E. Jean Carroll’s allegation that former President Donald J. Trump raped her neared its end, one of her lawyers focused on the man who was missing from the courtroom. Mr. Trump did not testify on his own behalf or even show up. “He just decided not to be here,” the lawyer, Michael J. Ferrara, told the jury on Monday. The rape allegation, he said, was a complete invention. Mr. Tacopina took an uncompromising line during the two-week civil trial in Manhattan federal court, the first time that Mr. Trump, 76, who has faced years of allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct with women, has had to answer such a claim at trial.

Ms. Carroll said Mr. Trump asked her to help select a gift for a female friend. Mr. Trump directed her to “go put this on,” she said. Ms. Carroll said Mr. Trump used his weight to pin her and pulled down her tights. Ms. Carroll said she used her knee to push Mr. Trump away and fled. Mr. Tacopina also questioned Ms. Carroll about whether she had screamed for help.

Mr. Trump’s statement came after his lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, had said in court that Mr. Trump would not be coming to testify and that no witnesses would take the stand in Mr. Trump’s defense. It was unclear from Mr. Trump’s statement in Ireland whether he wants to testify or merely to observe the proceedings from the defense table. Judge Kaplan implied that Mr. Trump could face a contempt sanction. After Mr. Trump’s son, Eric, later in the day posted his own statement, on Twitter, criticizing the motivation of a prominent backer of Ms. Carroll’s case, Judge Kaplan implied from the bench that more serious remedies might be called for. Although he did not elaborate, he seemed to suggest Mr. Trump might be violating a federal law that prohibits efforts to corruptly influence or intimidate a juror in a trial.

It was Ms. Martin who advised her not to go to the police, Ms. Carroll testified. Ms. Kaplan said they also expected that Ms. Carroll’s sister would testify. Ms. Kaplan said she planned to finish presenting Ms. Carroll’s case perhaps by midday on Thursday. “She said, ‘Lisa, you are not going to believe what happened to me,’” Ms. Birnbach testified. She said Ms. Carroll sounded “breathless, hyperventilating, emotional.”

☆ In Trump Trial, a Lawyer Pushes, and E. Jean Carroll Pushes Right Back
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Tacopina, with an expression of incredulity, tested Ms. Carroll on minute details of events of more than 30 years ago. He repeatedly asked her why she decided to come forward with the accusation when she did — an effort on his part to suggest to the jury ulterior motives: politics, money and fame. Ms. Carroll, who was on the witness stand for three days, described in painstaking detail for the jury of six men and three women how she had run into Mr. Trump as she was leaving the department store. Mr. Tacopina used his cross-examination not only to ask Ms. Carroll about what she said happened, but to question her about what she did afterward. He repeatedly asked her why she hadn’t screamed and why she had called a friend instead of going to the police.

The first person called was Lisa Birnbach, a journalist, author and close friend of Ms. Carroll. Ms. Carroll has said she called Ms. Birnbach shortly after the alleged rape. Ms. Carroll on Monday ended two days of cross-examination by Joseph Tacopina, Mr. Trump’s lawyer, about her allegation. Mr. Trump, who has avoided coming to court, has denied all wrongdoing. As she was leaving through a revolving door, Mr. Trump entered and recognized her, she has testified, and persuaded her to help him shop for a gift for a female friend.

☆ What to Know About E. Jean Carroll’s Lawsuit Against Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Benjamin Weiser | Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The writer E. Jean Carroll’s case accusing Donald J. Trump of raping her in a department-store dressing room continues Monday in Federal District Court in Manhattan. The case against the former president, who has denied all wrongdoing, began last Tuesday and was expected to last one to two weeks. Mr. Trump’s lawyers on Monday filed a motion for a mistrial, arguing that the court had made “pervasive unfair and prejudicial rulings.”Here’s what to know about the trial so far:The AccusationMs. Carroll, a former advice columnist for Elle magazine, says she visited the luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman, where she was a regular shopper, one evening in the mid-1990s. As she was leaving through a revolving side door on 58th Street, Mr. Trump entered through the same door, and recognized her, the suit says, and persuaded her to help him shop for a gift for a female friend. She has accused the former president of going on to attack her in a dressing room in the lingerie department.

Since Mr. Trump was indicted, his poll numbers have risen. The poll he mentioned Thursday predicted that he would receive 62 percent of the vote in the Republican primary. But the investigations could cause Mr. Trump real harm. No matter the outcome, any direct connection between Mr. Trump’s legal fate in the rape case and his political fortunes is tenuous. In the courtroom, which Mr. Trump has avoided, Ms. Carroll’s team argued that his words were not to be dismissed, even years after they became public.

In a Manhattan courtroom on Thursday, a lawyer for former President Donald J. Trump asked E. Jean Carroll, the writer who has accused Mr. Trump of raping her nearly three decades ago, whether she had screamed for help. “I’m not a screamer,” Ms. Carroll responded, adding that she was in a panic during the encounter in a dressing room. “You can’t beat up on me for not screaming.”Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, said he was not doing that, but Ms. Carroll, her voice rising, said from the witness stand that women often keep silent about an attack because they fear being asked what they could have done to stop it. “They are always asked, ‘Why didn’t you scream?’” Ms. Carroll said. “I’m telling you, he raped me, whether I screamed or not,” she declared.

Ms. Carroll, 79, a former magazine columnist, said nothing publicly about the encounter for decades before publishing a memoir in 2019 that accused Mr. Trump of attacking her. Mr. Trump has not appeared in court since the trial began on Tuesday and his lawyer has not said whether or not he will. Mr. Trump’s lawyers have suggested she invented the story to boost sales of her book. They have also contended that she and her friends schemed to hurt Mr. Trump politically. One of Mr. Trump’s lawyers, Joseph Tacopina, hinted in his opening statement what other lines of questioning Ms. Carroll might expect on cross-examination.

On Wednesday, the judge said Mr. Trump’s out-of-court statements seemed “entirely inappropriate” and suggested Mr. Trump might be trying to influence members of the jury. “I will speak to my client and ask him to refrain from any further posts regarding this case,” Mr. Tacopina said. Mr. Tacopina said the day before that he did not yet know whether Mr. Trump would take the witness stand. Judge Kaplan said that he wanted an answer this week, adding that not knowing was an “imposition” on security and court staff. Ms. Carroll wrote that he pushed her against a dressing room wall, pulled down her tights, opened his pants and then forced himself upon her.

Just before she began testifying in federal court, the former president infuriated the judge overseeing the case by railing against the proceeding on social media. Mr. Trump, who has so far avoided the trial, was not there as Ms. Carroll related a tale she said she had waited decades to tell. “Being able to get my day in court, finally, is everything to me,” she said, her shaky voice rising. I thought it was my fault,” she said, describing how she had initially been laughing and joking with Mr. Trump after she ran into him at Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan. It was funny, and then to have it turn into the …” Her voice then trailed off.

☆ Who Is E. Jean Carroll, the Writer Accusing Donald Trump of Rape?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

E. Jean Carroll is a writer and a former columnist for Elle magazine who doled out sex, career and other advice for more than 20 years. The author, 79, grew up as Betty Jean Carroll in Indiana. She attended Indiana University, where she was crowned Miss Indiana University in 1963. Ms. Carroll had long thought of herself as a writer; she once told USA Today that she sent pitches to magazines when she was 12 years old. Ms. Carroll also wrote for Rolling Stone and Playboy, where she was the first female contributing editor.

Search resuls for: "Lola Fadulu"

25 mentions found