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Son gets life in drive-thru hit that killed mob-linked dad

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York man will spend the rest of his life in prison after hiring a hitman to kill his father, a reputed Mafia associate gunned down at a McDonald’s drive-thru in what prosecutors called a scheme to control a real estate empire built from mob money.Anthony Zottola Sr. blotted away tears at sentencing Friday in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn. Audible sobs filled the courtroom as his sister and brother addressed him, the culmination of a wrenching family drama that the judge said was difficult to fathom.Welling with emotion, his sister Deborah Ann Zottola, spoke lovingly of her brother even as she talked of the pain of losing their father.A jury last fall found Zottola and an accomplice, Himen Ross, guilty in a murder-for-hire plot that prosecutors said went wrong several times before it finally led to the death of the victim, Sylvester Zottola, 71.The first attack occurred in September of 2017, when a stranger floored the then-70-year-old with a punch to th...

Wet winter gives way to colorful ‘Superbloom’ in US West

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

The tiny rain-fed wildflowers, no bigger than a few inches, are so vivid and abundant across California this year that their hues of purple and yellow look like paint swatches from space.From the mist-shrouded San Francisco Bay area to the deserts of Arizona near the Mexican border, there are flashes of color popping up after an unusually wet winter helped produce a so-called “ Superbloom.”A series of powerful storms dumped record amounts of rain and snow across California, replenishing reservoirs, bringing an end — mostly — to the state’s three-year drought, and setting prime conditions for millions of dormant seeds to sprout. Botanists say wildflowers are expected to be blooming well into May, with some areas just starting.“One of the things unique about this year is how incredibly widespread it is,” said Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs at the California Botanic Garden. “It’s pretty spectacular.”Superblooms often follow wet winters, according to experts....

Ontario court judge facing two assault charges

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

An Ontario court judge is facing a pair of assault charges.In a notice posted Friday, the Ontario Court of Justice says Justice Paul Currie of the Central West Region has been charged with assault and assault causing bodily harm.No further details were provided as to when the charges were laid or the circumstances surrounding them. “Regional Senior Justice Paul Currie will not be assigned any judicial or administrative duties until further notice,” the provincial court statement said. “No further information or comment about this matter will be provided at this time.”Justice Anthony Leitch will be acting as Regional Senior Justice for the Central West Region until further notice.Justice Currie was appointed to the regional position by the Ford government in April 2019. He was called to the bar in 1984 and began his legal career as an assistant Crown attorney before moving into private practice. In 2004, Justice Currie was appointed a judge of the Ontario Cour...

Alberta Premier Smith, with election looming, announces new limits on media questions

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, four days after announcing she won’t answer questions on her ethics investigation, now says she will limit questions on all other topics.Smith told reporters in Calgary that given an election is looming, she will now only allow reporters to ask a single question at news conferences and not allow them the traditional followup query.Smith says the change is because her United Conservative Party wants to get in questions from more reporters during the election campaign, which is set to begin May 1 with voting day on May 29.Political scientists say Smith is making the change to avoid accountability, particularly over her phone call with the accused in an active criminal case which is now the subject of an investigation by Alberta’s ethics commissioner.They say followup questions to politicians are crucial as they are typically used to clarify or, if necessary, challenge the content of the first answer.Opposition NDP Leader Rachel Notley s...

Brazil judge orders police to question Bolsonaro on uprising

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

SAO PAULO (AP) — A Brazilian Supreme Court justice ordered the federal police Friday to take testimony from former President Jair Bolsonaro as part of the investigation itno the Jan. 8 attacks on government buildings in the capital.Justice Alexandre de Moraes gave the federal police 10 days to question the former president, acting on a request from the Prosecutor General’s Office.Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters trashed the presidential palace, the Supreme Court and Congress one week into President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s third term in office.The leftist Lula narrowly beat the far-right Bolsonaro in an October runoff election. Bolsonaro never explicitly conceded he lost the election and sought to sow doubt about Brazil’s electronic voting system.Bolsonaro was in Florida during the attacks, but prosecutors want to know whether he encouraged his supporters to wreak havoc. Hundreds are in jail awaiting trial, but hundreds of others have been released.The former president’s legal t...

Friend of slain kids’ mom describes ‘zombie’ claims to jury

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A mom accused of killing her two youngest children and a romantic rival described some people as possessed or “zombies,” four of whom were later killed or shot at, the woman’s former friend told jurors. Melanie Gibb testified Thursday in the Idaho trial of Lori Vallow Daybell, telling jurors that the two became friends at a church event in 2018 but that Vallow Daybell’s spiritual beliefs soon veered away from what they had been taught at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Prosecutors say Vallow Daybell and her fifth husband, Chad Daybell, used those religious beliefs to justify the deaths of anyone who stood in the way of their romantic relationship. Both are charged with murder, conspiracy and grand theft charges in the deaths of 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and Tylee Ryan, who was last seen a few days before her 17th birthday. They face the same charges in connection with the death of Daybell’s late wife, Tammy Daybell. Both hav...

Man shot, killed in broad daylight shooting on South Side

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

CHICAGO -- Chicago police are investigating a homicide that left one man dead on the city's south side Friday afternoon.According to the Chicago Police Department, officers responded to the 7400 block of South Dorchester Ave in the Grand Crossing neighborhood just after 1 p.m. Friday on reports of a shooting. Driver dies after falling out of Jeep, being struck by 2 vehicles on Dan Ryan Expressway CPD said a 22-year-old male was inside a vehicle when he was shot in the armpit area. The victim was transported to the University of Chicago Medical where he was later pronounced dead.No arrests have been made at this time. The investigation is ongoing.Stay with WGN as this story develops.

Air National Guardsman suspected of Pentagon leak faces espionage charges

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) -- The 21-year-old Air National Guardsman accused of stealing and leaking Pentagon documents appeared in court Friday.According to court documents, authorities were able to track down the suspect through billing records of the social media platform he was using.Jack Teixeira, 21, faces charges under the Espionage Act.“There are very serious penalties associated with that,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said.Authorities say Teixeira was the leader of the private chat group where the military documents were first leaked in December. The Justice Department says it will seek the most serious consequences.“We intend to send that message, how important it is to our national security,” Garland furthered.Court documents reveal that before his arrest, Teixeira tried to find out if authorities were on to him by searching the word "leak" in a classified system.“This individual and any of his accomplices need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. They b...

Chaos erupts in Illinois courtroom after murder sentencing

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) -- A courtroom in Urbana erupted into chaos on Wednesday after a teenager was sentenced for his role in a Champaign murder that happened in the fall.About 30 spectators were in the courtroom to see Thomas Woodson, 17, be sentenced in connection to the murder of 18-year-old Nizeri Carter the night of Nov. 4, 2022. Judge Randy Rosenbaum decided on 10 years in prison, which was met with outrage from the friends and family of both Carter and Woodson.Carter's mother had wanted the maximum 15 years in prison and viewed the sentence as too light. Woodson's family and friends wanted less than eight-and-a-half years and viewed the sentence as too harsh. Source: Chase with possible armed robbery suspect in stolen car ends in Elmhurst crash The unfolding chaos prompted Rosembaum to retreat to the safety of his chambers. There were 10 security officers in the room, plus four Champaign Police detectives watching the proceedings. They tried, but failed, to restore order.The ...

The Script guitarist Mark Sheehan dies at 46 following 'brief illness'

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

(NEXSTAR/KTLA) — Mark Sheehan, co-founding member and guitarist of the Irish pop-rock band The Script, best known for their no. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit "Breakeven (Falling to Pieces)," has died at the age of 46. Sheehan had been dealing with a "brief illness," the band announced on social media Friday. The Script confirmed news of his death via its official social media accounts, writing: "Much loved husband, father, brother, band mate and friend Mark Sheehan passed away today in hospital after a brief illness. The family and group ask fans to respect their privacy at this tragic time." Disneyland has paused the sale of select Magic Key annual passes Mark Sheehan, member of The Script, an Irish indie rock band from Dublin, appears on the NBC "Today" television program, in New York, Friday, June 10, 2011. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)The band was formed in 2001 by Sheehan and keyboardist Danny O'Donoghue, who the Guardian reports had been best friends since the pair were 12. O'Donoghue a...