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Appeals court upholds conviction of main defendant in 2017 Bloomington mosque bombing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

A federal appeals court on Wednesday affirmed the conviction of the leader of an Illinois antigovernment militia who was sentenced to 53 years in prison for masterminding the 2017 bombing of a Twin Cities mosque, an attack that terrified the local Muslim community.A three-judge panel rejected all the legal arguments raised by Emily Claire Hari. Her attorneys argued that the key federal law involved — which pertains to damaging religious property and the free exercise of religion — was invalid because it exceeded Congress’ authority.The court also rejected Hari’s claim that prosecutors violated attorney-client privilege when authorities seized two pages of notes from Hari’s cell during a shakedown.Emily Claire HariNo one was hurt in the bombing of the Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, but more than a dozen members of the mosque community gave victim impact statements about the trauma they felt. Judge Donovan Frank said at sentencing that the evidence clea...

Probe of care quality at Hastings domiciliary in veterans affairs funding bill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

The veterans affairs budget bill heading to Gov. Tim Walz includes $190,000 to form a panel to probe how well Minnesota is caring for some of its most vulnerable veterans.The inquiry comes after caregivers at the Minnesota Veterans Home in Hastings spoke out about a pattern of bullying, intimidation and reprisals by superiors. Current and former caregivers said the toxic work atmosphere led to the departure of staff and resulted in substandard care for the veterans living there.In response to the allegations, Larry Herke, commissioner of veterans affairs, fired two top officials responsible for overseeing care at the Hastings domiciliary. The Minnesota Senate veterans committee said it would investigate workplace problems and the quality of care at the facility.The panel created by the Legislature will include state officials from the departments of health and veterans affairs; medical professionals; current and former domiciliary staff as well as members of the public.The group wil...

Former Minneapolis police officer pleads guilty to beating Jaleel Stallings in May 2020

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

A former Minneapolis police officer agreed to a plea deal that involves him admitting to assaulting a St. Paul man in the aftermath of the May 2020 police killing of George Floyd.In Wednesday’s agreement, Justin Stetson said he “crossed the line, went too far,” but the man he assaulted, Jaleel Stallings, said that’s not enough and submitted a formal objection to the deal in Hennepin County District Court.In the objection, Stallings said that Stetson wasn’t the only officer involved but was the only one prosecuted. He noted that his punishment as a result of the officers’ actions was worse than the punishment offered in the plea deal.“As the innocent victim in this case, I will have served more jail time as a result of this incident than all of those officers combined,” he wrote.At the very least, Stallings wrote, Stetson should be “convicted for the felony conduct that is captured on video.”Stetson and other officers were e...

Deepfake porn, election disinformation move closer to being crimes in Minnesota

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

Using artificial intelligence to create sexual images of people without their consent or for spreading election disinformation would be a crime in Minnesota under a bill moving closer to becoming state law.The Minnesota Senate on Wednesday advanced a bill aimed at fighting the misuse of “deepfakes” — realistic artificial-intelligence-generated video, images and sound portraying people saying and doing things they’ve never done.The often convincing images have vastly proliferated on the internet in recent years, prompting alarm among ethicists and political observers, who worry about their potential for election manipulation and harassment.“Deepfake technology has the power to damage reputations, ruin lives, and even threaten the integrity of our democracy,” said bill sponsor Sen. Erin Maye Quade, DFL-Apple Valley, reading from an AI-generated speech.“The advancement of AI has been incredibly fast,” Maye Quade continued. “Five years ago, it would have taken a lot of money, time...

How Federal and local agencies solve NY gun crimes, together

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- New York State has some of the strictest gun laws on the books in the United States, but that hasn’t stopped the spread of illegally trafficked firearms. NEWS10 learned about the latest tactics used by federal and local agents to solve and prevent gun violence in the Capital Region and beyond.“It's not like we can just shut one valve off and it goes away,” said Brian DiGirolamo, Assistant Special Agent in Charge at ATF, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for Upstate New York. If you ask him, the phrase “iron pipeline” is actually a bit of a misnomer for the movement of firearms into our communities. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! “We have thousands of different, smaller trafficking networks that are bringing guns up here,” he explained, adding that they aren’t all coming up I-95 from Florida and South Carolina.“As you go further north from the city, you tend to see more of it coming f...

Charges dismissed in 2020 beating of mechanic

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

HUDSON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Nearly three years after an alleged attack at a July 4 party, charges have been dropped against the four defendants in the case.Charges were dropped against Columbia County Sheriff’s Deputy Kelly Rosenstrach, her husband Alex Rosenstrach, IRS agent Bryan Haag, and Corey Gaylord. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The group was accused of acting together to attack and restrain Columbia County mechanic Harold Handy, III at a Fourth of July party held at the Rosenstraches' home in 2020. Handy was injured, but the four defendants claimed Handy started the incident.They were facing charges of Gang Assault and Unlawful Imprisonment; however, the judge ruled there was no legitimate reason for the case to continue.

School bus crashes in Berkeley; 2 drivers, 1 child hospitalized

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

BERKELEY, Mo. - An investigation is underway after a crash involving a school bus Wednesday afternoon in Berkeley. The crash happened near the intersection of Airport Road and North Hanley Road around 4:30 p.m. According to Berkeley Police Chief Art Jackson, a bus carrying kids was struck by another vehicle.Two drivers were injured and taken to the hospital. Six children were on the bus at the time of the crash, one of whom was transported to a hospital with unspecified injuries. Circuit Attorney refuses charges to woman arrested in Cherokee St. shooting SkyFOX, powered by Bommarito Automotive Group surveyed the scene. The school bus appears to have some major damage to the driver's side. A stop sign is down at the scene of the crash and lots of debris is scattered.This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.

St. Louis drug ring leader, five others linked to murders plead guilty

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Six members of a St. Louis drug ring, including the leader, have pled guilty to various drugs and gun charges linked to two murders investigations. The U.S. Department of Justice says 17 people in the case have pled guilty, including six since the start of May. Among those include...Maurice Herbert Lee II (drug ring leader)Michael JohnsonChristopher Jerrin Warlick Jr.Jerome Lamont Fisher Jr.Delvin BostCharles Daniel GuiceThese suspects were identified for their involvement a wide-ranging conspiracy to distribute large amounts of fentanyl in St. Louis, a conspiracy also blamed in two killings. The group is accused in the May 2017 death of Alexander Noodel, and the July 2017 death of Kevin Davis. Circuit Attorney refuses charges to woman arrested in Cherokee St. shooting Several years ago, Lee obtained bulk fentanyl and crystal methamphetamine in Arizona. As part of the conspiracy, he would dilute the fentanyl and supply it to co-conspirators. At the height of the conspi...

Boy, 12, killed in Long Beach drive-by shooting; 14-year-old wounded

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

A 12-year-old boy was killed, and a 14-year-old girl was wounded in a drive-by shooting in Long Beach Tuesday evening that has devastated the community.Officers were dispatched to the 2200 block of Lewis Avenue around 11:30 p.m. where they found three victims, all under the age of 18.Investigators say the children were walking on the sidewalk when they were approached by a vehicle with at least two males inside who opened fire on them. It was unknown how many suspects fired shots, authorities said.Officers were dispatched to the 2200 block of Lewis Avenue around 11:30 p.m. where they found three victims, all under the age of 18. May 9, 2023. (LBCODE3MEDIA)The 12-year-old victim, identified as Eric Gregory Brown III of Long Beach, suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the upper body and died at a hospital.The 14-year-old girl had a non-life-threatening injury to the lower body, and a 13-year-old female victim was uninjured, Long Beach Police said in a news release.“The shooting that took...

DOJ sides with Orange County religious group that was ordered not to feed homeless

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

An Orange County ministry group that feeds the region's homeless picked up a legal victory this week in its ongoing battle with the City of Santa Ana. Micah's Way, a faith-based organization in Santa Ana, was ordered to stop providing the city's homeless with food or drinks at its resource center, which the city argued was in violation of its zoning ordinance.As part of the spat, the city denied the ministry group its certificate of occupancy and threatened organizers with fines and potential criminal prosecution if it continued the practice.Micah's Way sued the city, arguing that it put a substantial burden on the organization and that distributing food and drinks to people in need was a "religious duty" and an act of religious exercise.The city disagreed with that assertion and called for the lawsuit to be tossed out.On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a statement of interest in federal court, which argued that feeding the homeless could be interpreted as a protected ...