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Felony convictions vacated for four Navy officers in sprawling scandal due to prosecutorial misconduct

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:39 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Felony convictions vacated for four Navy officers in sprawling scandal due to prosecutorial misconduct.Source

Aurora officers cleared in Jor'Dell Richardson killing

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:39 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Two officers involved in the shooting death of 14-year-old Jor'Dell Richardson will not face criminal charges, the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office announced on Wednesday.Police shot and killed Jor'Dell on June 1 after an Aurora convenience store robbery, with responding officers thinking he was armed. It turned out Jor'Dell was carrying a pellet-gun replica of a 9mm pistol, and his killing led to protests in the city.But prosecutors found that the officer's belief that it was a real gun was reasonable at the time, and body camera video shows the gun "clearly visible" in Jor'Dell's hands, according to the DA's investigative report. Investigators also found that the people involved in the store robbery thought the gun was real.Interim Aurora Police Chief Art Acevedo said the DA's decision is "fair and just.""Regardless of this finding, the death of a young man is a tragedy for his family and extended community, and it will continue to weigh heavily on members ...

Dog found on I-595 exit with large slash wound recovering at Deerfield Beach animal hospital

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:39 GMT

A dog found with his side sliced open on an interstate exit in Broward County is finally healing at an animal hospital, as authorities investigate what appears to be a horrific case of animal abuse.The canine, since named Zeus by those who found him, was spotted on an Interstate 595 exit in Dania Beach, Tuesday night.Now the animal is receiving the medical help he needs, thanks to good Samaritan Kay Khal.“It’s really sad. I couldn’t leave this dog on the side of the road,” she said.Khal said it was around 10:30 p.m. when she was headed east on I-595, and she took the exit to U.S. 1.As she came around the curve, Khal said, she saw the young dog in the middle of the roadway, in an industrial area far from homes. It appears the animal was sliced and then dumped.“His cuts were so bad, he would have bled out, or he would have died,” said Khal. “Somebody would have come around the corner and hit him.”Khal and others stopped to get the dog in...

Former patients meet for the first time since undergoing medical milestone with robot-assisted kidney exchange

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:39 GMT

In a medical feat, doctors were able to successfully perform a groundbreaking two-way paired kidney exchange using robotic surgery. Months later, four former patients are now meeting each other for the first time since the innovative procedure.7News cameras on Wednesday captured the two couples who were part of this medical breakthrough as they greeted and embraced each other.They joined a team of surgeons for a news conference as they described their arduous but rewarding journey.Michael Deitado, 57, received the life-altering diagnosis of chronic kidney disease when he was 28 years old. Over the course of 29 years, his primary physician fought to preserve his diminishing kidney function.“They did tell me at an early age, when I was about 28, that over time, the kidney would fail that I would need a transplant,” said Michael. “It’s kind of hard to accept it at first, but ultimately, I did what I needed to do and tried to live a healthy lifestyle.”But d...

Stolen MBTA vehicle with passenger inside crashes in Boston after pursuit

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:39 GMT

One person was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon after a MBTA transport vehicle was stolen in Woburn with passengers in it, officials said.MSP said the sole passenger, who has intellectual challenges, was calling 911 as the suspect stole the vehicle from a Stop ‘n Shop parking lot in Woburn around 3:30 p.m. The Massachusetts State Police said a patrol located the vehicle in the O’Neill Tunnel just before 3:45 p.m. and attempted to stop the vehicle. The vehicle then crashed into multiple cars while fleeing on Route 93 south into Boston.The trooper lost sight of the vehicle, which was then located at Mercantile Street and Surface Road in Boston just ten minutes later. The suspect was pursued on foot and was arrested in the Bostonian Hotel.There were only minor injuries reported. Drivers stopped at the red light were hit by the incoming vehicle.“Everything was so fast, so I looked through the middle and he was just flying,” Jose Perez said, whose car was hit. SKY7-HD wa...

A cut above the rest: Volunteers in Burlington mow lawns free of charge for those in need

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:39 GMT

A group of volunteers in Burlington have green thumbs and big hearts. The Burlington Lawn Mowers Dream Team has been providing free yard work for the past three years with the aim to help those who can’t do the work themselves, including the elderly, veterans, single parents and those with medical issues.Stew Pruslin is a volunteer with the program.“When someone really appreciates the work you do, that’s a good feeling, and you drive away feeling like you’ve made someone’s day better,” Pruslin said. “It’s a lot of fun, if you’re into doing yard work. You start with a lawn that doesn’t necessarily look like it’s in great shape. When you’re done, it looks so much better, and you know that you’ve made someone much happier with their property.”Jay Barnes started the group after he was inspired to make a difference just by stepping outside.“I was walking, and I see a lot of high grass,” Barnes said. “I’m saying, ‘Is there anything I can do in my community to make a diffe...

Southern rockhopper penguin chick joins colony on display at New England Aquarium

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:39 GMT

A southern rockhopper penguin chick is now on exhibit at the New England Aquarium. Born to parents Pebble II and Fuego in June, the female chick will be named in the coming weeks, the aquarium said. She received a clean bill of health after growing for two months off exhibit. She struggled to break through her shell in June, and aquarium staff said they intervened to ensure her survival.Now, she’ll be joining the colony of 13 rockhopper penguins, who are considered a vulnerable or threatened species. She is the tenth rockhopper penguin chick at the New England Aquarium.

Police: Revere man nearly cut head off his own dog before begging to be killed

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:39 GMT

A Revere man who prosecutors said harbored homicidal and suicidal ideations is facing animal cruelty charges for allegedly stabbing his dog at least five times, killing the animal.Revere police and firefighters rushed to a Lowell Street apartment just before 1 a.m. Aug. 30 for a medical aid call and allegedly found Don Algeni, 57, lying on his bed, covered in blood, and screaming that he wanted the police to kill him, according to the Suffolk DA’s office. He then passed out.Beside the bed, riddled with stab wounds and a gash so deep in its neck that it was almost decapitated, was Algeni’s dog.While the dog was the most visible sign of the violence that allegedly occurred in the home, prosecutors say that Algeni’s roommate described an ongoing problem and had just that night, about four hours earlier, banged on her bedroom door demanding to be let in and threatening to enter with his own key should she not open the door.“I’m going out and I’m not going out alone,” Algeni allegedly sa...

Mexico decriminalizes abortion, extending Latin American trend of widening access to procedure

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:39 GMT

By FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ and MEGAN JANETSKY (Associated Press)MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s Supreme Court threw out all federal criminal penalties for abortion Wednesday, ruling that national laws prohibiting the procedure are unconstitutional and violate women’s rights in a sweeping decision that extended Latin American’s trend of widening abortion access.The high court ordered that abortion be removed from the federal penal code, and a reproduction rights group said the decision would require the federal public health service and all federal health institutions to offer abortion to anyone who requests it.“No woman or pregnant person, nor any health worker, will be able to be punished for abortion,” the Information Group for Chosen Reproduction, known by its Spanish initials GIRE, said in a statement.Celebration soon spilled out on social media.“Today is a day of victory and justice for Mexican women!” Mexico’s National Institute f...

Felony convictions vacated for 4 Navy officers in sprawling ‘Fat Leonard’ bribery scandal

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:39 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The felony convictions of four Navy officers in one of the worst bribery cases in the maritime branch’s history were vacated due to prosecutorial misconduct Wednesday, the latest misstep in the government’s yearslong efforts in going after dozens of military officials tied to a defense contractor nicknamed Fat Leonard.U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino called the misconduct “outrageous” and agreed to allow the four men to plead guilty to a misdemeanor and pay a $100 fine each. The surprising turn of events occurred at a sentencing hearing in federal court in San Diego for the former officers.Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Ko, who was brought on after the officers were tried last year, admitted to “serious issues” with prosecutorial misconduct and asked the judge to vacate the men’s convictions. He said his office does not agree with all of the allegations of misconduct but some were true. “There were pretty obvi...