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Ex-Florida lawmaker gets 4 months in prison for defrauding Covid relief program

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:18:52 GMT

(CNN) — A former Florida state lawmaker who acquired more than $150,000 in Small Business Administration loans by lying on applications was sentenced Thursday to four months in federal prison, the US Attorney’s office for the Northern District of Florida said.Former state Rep. Joseph Harding, a Republican, pleaded guilty in March to wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements in connection with Covid-19 relief fraud. Following his prison term, he will face two years of supervised release, a court record said.CNN affiliate WKMG reports that Harding tearfully addressed the court, saying he had “no one to blame but myself.”“I want to express my remorse for the decisions and failures I’ve made,” he said, according to WKMG.CNN has reached out to attorneys for Harding.Prosecutors have said Harding listed dormant business entities on his Covid-19 relief loan applications, fabricated the numbers of people he employed and submitted fake bank statements.Brian J. Payne, a special ...

Dashcam video shows reckless driver head-butting car window following pursuit to escape deputies in Ocala

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:18:52 GMT

OCALA, Fla. (WSVN) – Marion County deputies released dash camera video of a pursuit when a man, dubbed a “hard-headed criminal” by onlookers, used an unconventional method to evade police – head-butting his way out of an SUV.The eight-minute pursuit occurred on Sunday when Marion County deputies noticed a man, later identified as Tyler Fayconsolo, leaving a Circle K gas station at a high rate of speed. Authorities witnessed him running red lights as he drove erratically through a residential neighborhood. Deputies were led on a high-speed chase, where the driver reached speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. The reckless driving nearly resulted in disaster as Fayconsolo narrowly avoided colliding with pedestrians before crashing through a fence and striking a concrete wall behind a home.Tom Anderson, the Homeowners Association President, expressed his relief that the incident did not have more severe consequences. “Gratefully enough, when he went through, ...

Authorities in Maryland are hunting for a man suspected in the killing of a judge who’d heard his divorce case hours earlier

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:18:52 GMT

(CNN) — Authorities are searching for a man accused in the fatal shooting of a judge who’d presided hours earlier over a hearing in his divorce case, according to Maryland authorities and court records.Pedro Argote, 49, is suspected in the killing Thursday of County Circuit Court Judge Andrew F. Wilkinson, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said.Argote may be driving a silver 2009 Mercedes GL450 with Maryland plates, the agency said. He is 5-foot-7 and 130 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.The public should “not approach him but to immediately notify law enforcement,” authorities said.Wilkinson was killed in a shooting in a driveway in the northern Maryland city of Hagerstown, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies responding around 8 p.m. found Wilkinson in a residential driveway suffering from what appeared to be gunshot wounds, it said.The judge was taken to a medical facility where he died, according to the sheriff’s office.Maryland State Police troopers were...

2024 NFL draft watch: How QB Drake Maye is elevating North Carolina’s profile while boosting his own stock

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:18:52 GMT

Drake Maye didn’t slowly materialize as a prospect for the 2024 NFL draft last fall at North Carolina. He burst upon teams’ radar as a redshirt freshman with a blazing start that featured 16 touchdown passes and only one interception through the first four games.“I had three scouts call me last year when they were leaving North Carolina, and they were all like, ‘Holy (crap)! This kid at UNC is the real deal,’” one senior personnel evaluator said. “I know he’s got a ton of physical talent. When we get down to nitpicking time, which is inevitable, I don’t know what it’s going to be for Drake.”The uphill battle for Maye — who has led the 10th-ranked Tar Heels to a 6-0 record this season with an average margin of 16.3 points — is closing the gap between himself and USC quarterback Caleb Williams as the potential No. 1 draft pick in April.The consensus among the 11 evaluators the Tribune spoke to for this story...

2024 NFL draft watch: Caleb Williams’ clunker at Notre Dame doesn’t deter evaluators that the USC QB will be the No. 1 pick

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:18:52 GMT

Josh Lucas was sitting in his Halas Hall office, engaged in the tedious process of going through film, when he was gobsmacked.Play, rewind, play, rewind, play. With each click of the remote, his amazement grew.Caleb Williams, in his second start for Oklahoma on Oct. 23, 2021, handed the ball off to running back Kennedy Brooks on fourth-and-1 with the Sooners, a 38 1/2-point favorite, clinging to a 28-23 lead at lowly Kansas. Less than six minutes remained and the ball was at midfield.Brooks was stacked up by the Jayhawks, about to be dropped for a loss, when Williams ran up, ripped the ball from his teammate’s clutches, spun forward for a first down and propelled the Sooners to victory.“I got up out of my seat,” said Lucas, then the Chicago Bears director of player personnel, “and I walked into (assistant director of player personnel) Champ Kelly’s office and I was like, ‘In three years, this guy will be the first pick in the draft.’“T...

Mexican life, culture, and cuisine to be celebrated at Day of the Dead Festival

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:18:52 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- It's time to grab those Catrin and Catrina costumes -- a Day of the Dead Festival is bringing together the best in Mexican food, entertainment, and art this weekend in San Diego.According to event organizers, this celebration will be a "beautiful and memorable experience that you won't want to miss."Held at Fashion Valley mall, the Day of the Dead Festival will be offering a space to embrace the richness of Mexican life, culture, and cuisine.  Haunted Ghost Town offers immersive experience in North County The two-day event has been described as "a gourmet Mexican food festival, where food lovers and cultural enthusiasts can sample culinary delights from Mexico."There will be an array of local and international restaurants showcasing the rich flavors of Mexico with a touch of cultural heritage. Around 20 chefs will provide bite-sized creations paired with crafted drinks.Here's a look at what this Day of the Dead Festival has to offer:-- Culinary samples craft...

Russian foreign minister dismisses US claims of North Korea supplying munitions to Moscow as rumors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:18:52 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s top diplomat shrugged off U.S. claims that North Korea transferred munitions to Russia, saying Washington has failed to prove the allegation.Russian state television broadcast Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s comments on Friday. Lavrov made a two-day trip to Pyongyang this week for talks on ways to boost the two countries’ ties following a September summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The White House said last week that North Korea had delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and weapons to Russia. It released images that it said showed the containers were loaded onto a Russian-flagged ship before being moved via train to southwestern Russia. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. believes Kim is seeking sophisticated Russian weapons technologies in return for the munitions to boost North Korea’s military and nuclear program.Lavrov scoffed at the U....

UK stage and screen star Haydn Gwynne dies at 66 after cancer diagnosis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:18:52 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Haydn Gwynne, a versatile and acclaimed performer on British stage and screen, has died. She was 66 and had recently been diagnosed with cancer.Gwynne’s agent Alex Irwin said the actress died in a London hospital early Friday, “surrounded by her beloved sons, close family and friends.”Born in 1957, Gwynne taught English in Italy before becoming an actor. She had her breakout role as a harried television news producer in 1990s sitcom “Drop the Dead Donkey,” a sharp but affectionate depiction of the world of journalism.She also starred in medical drama “Peak Practice” and was a standout in royal roles, playing Queen Camilla in royal satire “The Windsors” and lady-in-waiting Susan Hussey in “The Crown.”Her many stage roles included Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher opposite Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II in “The Audience.”Mirren paid tribute to Gwynne as “a delight as a person and a consummate dedicated actress.”“She was both funny and serious at the same time, a brill...

In Lebanon, thousands are displaced from border towns by clashes, stretching state resources

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:18:52 GMT

TYRE, Lebanon (AP) — More than 4,200 people have been displaced from villages in south Lebanon by clashes on the border with Israel, and local officials said Friday that they are ill-prepared for the much larger exodus that would ensue if the the limited conflict escalates to an all-out war.Some 1,500 of the displaced are staying in three schools in the coastal city of Tyre, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the border.As children ran through the courtyard and women hung out clothes to dry on chairs at one of those schools on Friday, Mortada Mhanna, head of the disaster management unit of the municipalities in the Tyre area, said hundreds of newly displaced people are arriving each day. Some move on to stay with relatives or rent apartments, but others have no place to go besides the makeshift shelter, while Lebanon’s cash-strapped government has few resources to offer.“We can make the decision to open a new school (as a shelter), but if the resources are not secured, we...

UAW chief to say whether auto strikes will grow from the 34,000 workers now on picket lines

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:18:52 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — United Auto Workers union President Shawn Fain is expected to update members Friday afternoon on progress in contract talks with Detroit’s three automakers as movement was reported with General Motors.Fain is scheduled to do a live video appearance, where he could call on more workers to walk off their jobs, joining the 34,000 already on strike at six vehicle assembly plants and 38 parts distribution warehouses. The union’s strikes at targeted plants at each company, began on Sept. 15 and are nearing the start of their sixth week.A person briefed on the talks says the union is exchanging offers with GM and will meet again Friday with the company. The person didn’t want to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak on the record about the bargaining. There also were meetings on Thursday with Jeep maker Stellantis.On Thursday, GM posted a video indicating that bargainers are still some distance apart. Gerald Johnson, the company’s glob...