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Former leader of Brooklyn crime-control group pleads guilty to sexually abusing teenage girl

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:50:09 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The former leader of a safety patrol in Brooklyn’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community pleaded guilty Friday to charges he sexually abused a teenage girl.The plea allows Jacob Daskal, who led a neighborhood watch group called a shomrim, to avoid a trial in a case that alleged he groomed a 15-year-old girl for sex.As part of the plea agreement, Daskal must register as a sex offender, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn. Authorities said Daskal subjected to the girl to sexual acts over a three-month period in 2017. He was arrested in 2018.“The defendant has admitted he abused his power, trust and position in the community by committing deplorable acts against a child in his care,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace.Daskal faces a minimum prison sentence of 14 years.Daskal headed the Boro Park Shomrim Society, an Orthodox Jewish crime-patrol group associated with the New York Police Department.The Associated Press

DeSantis would consider Iowa’s Reynolds as running mate, calls Trump’s attack of her ‘out of hand’

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:50:09 GMT

ANKENY, Iowa (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday he would consider Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds as a potential running mate, should he win the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and dismissed former President Donald Trump’s recent complaints about her as “totally out of hand.”“Of course,” DeSantis said when asked whether he would consider the second-term Republican. “I mean, she’s one of the top public servants in America.”Trump last week criticized Reynolds, immensely popular among the state’s GOP base, for her seemingly cozy relationship with DeSantis while stating her public neutrality as the lead Republican figure in the state that hosts the lead-off presidential caucuses in less than six months.Reynolds has appeared with other GOP White House prospects, but has moderated conversations with DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis, while also attending Trump’s first campaign event in Iowa last March.DeSantis noted that he and Reynolds banter over their similar records, an...

APD searching for suspect in north Austin aggravated assault

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:50:09 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Austin Police Department is seeking the public's help in identifying a suspect involved in an aggravated assault in north Austin, police said in a news release Friday.At approximately 8 a.m., May 5, officers responded to the 9300 block of Northgate Boulevard for the assault, the release said. According to police, the male victim, who was not identified by police Friday, was standing in a parking lot waiting for a ride to work, when another man approached him. Then, police said there was a verbal exchange between the two men when the suspect pulled out a black handgun and pointed it at the victim.Police said the suspect was possibly scared away by a passing vehicle, and he walked away headed southbound, crossing West Rundberg Lane.Detectives believe the suspect lives in the 9300 block of Northgate Boulevard, according to police.The suspect is described as:HispanicMale30 to 40 years of ageHe was last seen wearing a white shirt, dark pants, dark socks, light-colored...

Austinites share opinions, concerns about new Barton Springs Bridge

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:50:09 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The City of Austin is one step closer to making major improvements to the Barton Springs Bridge. The bridge has been standing over Barton Creek for nearly 100 years, and though it is still safe, it ranked on a list of the top five bridges in Austin in most need of repair or replacement in 2018. The city also recognizes mobility concerns for vehicles, bikers and pedestrians with the current structure.  PREVIOUS: Barton Springs Bridge in need of major rehabilitation, here is what is coming next In November 2020, voters approved over $100 million dollars for Austin infrastructure improvements, which included potential funding to address the bridge. Before the city decides on a design, stakeholders wanted to get input from the community. In June, more than 1,600 Austinites submitted their thoughts on the pilot design as well as desires for the future bridge. Of all the responders, over half of them indicated they were “uncomfortable” traveling over the bridge...

Cardinals rookie Jordan Walker strikes a new passion for bowling

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:50:09 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Jordan Walker is enjoying lots of hits in his rookie baseball season, but lots of strikes in perhaps his next-favorite sport. Walker told media members Friday about his newly-acquired love for the sport of bowling. During the recent All-Star break, Walker went bowling with close friends on three separate occasions. "I really got into bowling," said Walker. "My friend actually really got into bowling in college, so he's been teaching me how to bowl. It was really fun." John Mozeliak reflects on Cardinals’ nightmare season, insists ‘changes have to happen’ Walker said he ended up with a 220 in his highest game this week. "With a little more practice, I'm going to be a pro," he said jokingly.For Walker, bowling is another passion that helped him stay sports-minded while stepping away from baseball for a few days. "I met with some friends from high school," said Walker. "It worked out well because they're on summer vacation and back from college. A lot of them are going in...

Former Cardinal Lane Thomas delivers clutch hit; Nats top St. Louis, 7-5, in extras

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:50:09 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Lane Thomas’ single broke a tie in the 10th inning and the Washington Nationals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-5 in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday.Thomas’ single scored Alex Call to break a 5-5 tie. CJ Abrams scored an insurance run on a double play for the Nationals in the game that was resumed after rain halted play Friday night in the third inning.Kyle Finnegan (4-3) earned the decision with two innings of relief. Hunter Harvey earned his ninth save in 14 opportunities.Jordan Hicks (1-6) took the loss for the Cardinals.The Nationals broke a 1-1 tie with three runs scored without a hit in the fifth inning. A pair of Andre Pallante walks set up the rally and Dominic Smith scored on a fielder’s choice after advancing to third on a Pallante wild pitch. Willson Contreras had two throwing errors, the second of which allowed Luis García to score, and Nolan Arenado’s throwing error — the third St. Louis miscue of the frame — allowed Abrams to score to make ...

Authorities respond to a death in Grays and Torreys Peak area

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:50:09 GMT

Emergency crews in Clear Creek County responded Saturday to the death of a back country climber.The incident happened in the area of Grays and Torreys Peak, a pair of popular Colorado 14ers off the Interstate 70 mountain corridor southwest of Silver Plume.Alpine Rescue, Flight for Life, Clear Creek County Advocates and the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office responded, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.The coordinated response effort caused some traffic delays and temporary road closures near the Loveland Ski area.The sheriff’s office said one person died in the incident and the case has been turned over to the Clear Creek County Coroner’s Office. Additional information was withheld pending notification of the victim’s family. 

Kidnapped California woman found in Mexico

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:50:09 GMT

(KRON) -- A woman who was kidnapped in Mexico last year has been found and will soon be reunited with her family in the Bay Area, the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed to KRON. Monica De Leon Barba was kidnapped while out walking her dog on Nov. 29, 2022 in Tepatitlán, Jalisco, Mexico. The FBI released video of her kidnapping to the public in April to help find her. In the video, De Leon Barba can be seen walking along the road with her dog. She was then forced into a vehicle by several suspects. (Photos courtesy of find Monica De Leon Facebook page)In a second clip, three cars were highlighted which were used in the kidnapping, the FBI said. The descriptions of five suspects were released as well. De Leon Barba's dog was later seen running loose in the street, before it was found by a family member."For the past eight months, FBI personnel in California and Mexico have worked tirelessly with the family and with partners here and in Mexico," said Special Agent In Charge Robe...

Would you buy a used bottle of Sriracha sauce for $500?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:50:09 GMT

If you find a bottle of Sriracha on the shelves, consider yourself lucky. The iconic condiment is a hot commodity because of a shortage.Irwindale-based hot sauce company Huy Fong, which makes the sauce, says they don't know when the shortage will end."Unfortunately, we are still experiencing a shortage of raw material," the company told USA Today in a statement. "Although some production did resume this past fall season, we continue to have a limited supply that continues to affect our production."The shortage is caused by a drought in Mexico where the company sources all of its red jalapeño chili peppers for the sauce.Fans of the condiment have keep buying though, keeping demand high. This has created a secondary market, where people are upselling bottles of Sriracha hoping to make big bucks.If you log on to eBay or Facebook Marketplace you'll find hundreds of listings for the product, with some postings offering one bottle of Sriracha for more than $100.One Santa Monica woman is ...

Details about accused Long Island killer Rex Heuermann emerge from his lawsuits against drivers

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:50:09 GMT

(CNN) — The architect accused in a string of Long Island killings has repeatedly filed lawsuits accusing drivers of injuring him in car accidents — and documents from those cases are among public records that reveal details of his life.Rex Heuermann is shown in a booking photo on July 14.Credit: Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office/AP Rex Heuermann, who police say murdered at least three women, filed four lawsuits in New York courts between 2014 and 2022 against drivers who he said had hit him with their cars, causing him “serious and permanent personal injuries,” court records show. Three of the cases were settled or discontinued, while the most recent one is ongoing.In his April 2018 deposition in one of the cases, Heuermann discussed his life and work, saying that he lived at his childhood home in the Long Island suburb of Massapequa Park with his wife of then 22 years, daughter and stepson.The home is across the bay from the beach where the women’s bodies were ...