MN pharmacist refused to fill emergency contraception prescription. Court to decide if that was discrimination

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:55:51 GMT

MN pharmacist refused to fill emergency contraception prescription. Court to decide if that was discrimination MINNEAPOLIS — Attorneys for a woman who was denied emergency contraception in 2019 told the Minnesota Court of Appeals Thursday that the pharmacist who refused to fill the prescription discriminated against her on the basis of her sex.But an attorney for George Badeaux, the pharmacist at Thrifty White in central Minnesota, said his refusal to provide the drug due to his religious beliefs was not a violation of state and federal law.A jury ruled last year that Badeaux did not discriminate against Andrea Anderson, a mother and foster parent, when he refused to fill her prescription for Ella, a drug that is used to stop a pregnancy before it starts. The jury also awarded Anderson $25,000 due to emotional harm — money she can’t collect because there was no finding of discrimination, said Jess Braverman, one of Anderson’s lawyers.Gender Justice, an advocacy organization for gender equity, and other lawyers for Anderson appealed the jury’s ruling this year.“This was pregnancy-related disc...

Crews respond to explosion and fire at Glenville bridge

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:55:51 GMT

Crews respond to explosion and fire at Glenville bridge GLENVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Firefighters and first responders responded to an explosion and fire on Maple Avenue in Glenville. Pictures and video from the scene show a large fireball at the Maple Avenue Bridge after it was hit by a large vehicle. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! Town Supervisor Christopher Koetzle held a briefing to relay some details. He said that around 6:30 p.m., a tractor trailer carrying compressed fuel hit the Maple Avenue Bridge. The driver suffered third-degree burns and was taken to Westchester Medical Center.The Maple Ave Bridge lets trains pass over Glenridge Road just south of the traffic circle. A train was actually crossing on the bridge at the moment the vehicle hit. Delivery truck hits Maple Avenue Bridge in Glenville The explosion was felt as far away as Clifton Park and was visible on radar. The entire Woodhaven neighborhood is without power, representing about 200 homes. Witnesses who live near the sc...

Thieves escape with thousands of dollars worth of jewelry in San Bernardino County

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:55:51 GMT

Thieves escape with thousands of dollars worth of jewelry in San Bernardino County Video captures burglars ransacking a jewelry store and escaping with an estimated $300,000 worth of jewelry in San Bernardino County.The group is believed to be responsible for at least seven break-ins targeting San Bernardino County businesses in the early morning hours of Dec. 19.One of the victims, Abraham Tekin, the owner of Ozel Jewelers in Victorville, said the thieves destroyed his business while escaped with thousands of dollars worth of merchandise.“Five guys breaking in the window first, the glass, the door panel and then they cut the rebar,” Tekin said.Surveillance video captured the suspects arriving at the shop around 3:40 a.m. A masked and hooded suspect peers through the front door. Moments later, they shatter the glass and begin sawing through the metal security bars.Surveillance video captured five thieves escaping with thousands of dollars worth of jewelry from a Victorville jewelry shop on Dec. 19, 2023. (Ozel Jewelers)Surveillance video captured five thieves esca...

Joshua Tree man charged with murder in connection with fatal fentanyl overdose 

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:55:51 GMT

Joshua Tree man charged with murder in connection with fatal fentanyl overdose  A man has been arrested more than a year after he was first linked to the fatal overdose of another man, authorities said. According to a release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, deputies from the Morongo Basin Station responded to the 56800 block of Navajo Trail in Yucca Valley on Nov. 2, 2022 for a death investigation.  Video shows pedestrian being fatally run over in South L.A. Upon arriving, they discovered a deceased male victim. Preliminary information revealed that the victim, 33-year-old Steven Lockhart, died due to a fentanyl overdose. Once the death was confirmed to be an overdose, the department’s Overdose Response Team (ORT) assumed the investigation and identified the suspect as Nicholas Koeller, 26, of Joshua Tree, SBSD said. “After the investigation was completed and autopsy results were received, the case was presented to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office and murder charges were filed,” authorities confirmed in a release...

Indian state of Tamil Nadu braces for more heavy rain, floods

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:55:51 GMT

Indian state of Tamil Nadu braces for more heavy rain, floods By Rhea Mogul and Robert Shakleford | CNNIndia’s southern state of Tamil Nadu is braced for more downpours after heavy monsoon rains brought deadly flash floods and submerged entire neighborhoods earlier this week.The Indian Meteorological Department (MET) forecast further heavy rain after more than 400 millimeters (15.7 inches) fell in parts of the state from Sunday into Monday. That’s nearly half of what Tamil Nadu typically receives in a year, according to a CNN Weather analysis of MET data.At least 10 people died in the flooding, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena told reporters on Tuesday.The downpour also occurred as the state of 72 million people reels from the aftermath of Cyclone Michaung, which battered Tamil Nadu earlier this month, killing at least 12 people.Video and photo broadcast on local television this week showed people wading waist-deep in the muddy water. Indian Air Force helicopters have been dropping food and essential items to people stranded on roofto...

San Lorenzo man charged with kidnapping, robbery, extortion of his Uber driver

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:55:51 GMT

San Lorenzo man charged with kidnapping, robbery, extortion of his Uber driver It started off like any other Uber ride, with a vehicle pulling up to a Fremont apartment complex for a drive to nearby San Lorenzo.But by the trip’s end, police say the driver had survived a terrifying ordeal, which involved his male passenger allegedly making unwanted sexual advances, kidnapping and robbing him at gunpoint, threatening him for additional regular cash payments, and the suspect warning him that he could get him deported if he came forward to police, before finally asking to be dropped off at the predetermined location.Now, Alameda County prosecutors have charged 23-year-old Gabriel Torres with a litany of felonies, including kidnapping, robbery, attempted extortion, ATM robbery and dissuading a witness. In Santa Rita Jail on a no-bail hold, Torres is set to enter a plea to the charges on Jan. 3, in a Dublin courthouse.The charges stem from what police describe as a Dec. 1 Uber ride from hell. Authorities allege that Torres almost immediately asked his driver i...

USAF to reclaim Pacific airfield that launched atomic bombers

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:55:51 GMT

USAF to reclaim Pacific airfield that launched atomic bombers By Brad Lendon | CNNThe US Air Force plans to bring the Pacific island airfield that launched the atomic bombings of Japan back into commission as it tries to broaden its basing options in the event of any hostilities with China, the service’s top officer in the Pacific says.Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, commander of Pacific Air Forces, told Nikkei Asia in an interview published this week that North Airfield on the island of Tinian will become an “extensive” facility once work has been completed to reclaim it from the jungle that has grown over the base since the last US Army Air Force units abandoned it in 1946.“If you pay attention in the next few months, you will see significant progress, especially at Tinian North,” Wilsbach said. The Air Force is also adding facilities at Tinian International Airport in the center of the island.Pacific Air Forces confirmed Wilsbach’s comments to CNN but said there was no official release on the subject.Tinian is part of the Commonwealth of the Norther...

Santa Clara man dies after crashing into tree at Highway 101 and Montague Expressway

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:55:51 GMT

Santa Clara man dies after crashing into tree at Highway 101 and Montague Expressway SANTA CLARA — A 51-year-old Santa Clara man was killed in a traffic collision Wednesday night at Highway 101 and Montague Expressway in Santa Clara, the California Highway Patrol said.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | San Jose: Bicyclist dies from injuries following Monterey Road collision Crashes and Disasters | Man sentenced to 10 years after killing another driver while on fentanyl following San Bruno police pursuit Crashes and Disasters | One of three women killed in Pleasanton freeway crash is identified Crashes and Disasters | Woman killed in Oakland traffic collision is identified; suspect facing multiple charges Crashes and Disasters | Pair of men killed Monday in Campbell crash The solo-vehicle crash happened around 8:53 p.m. when a 2000 Mercedes-Benz ML430 ran off the Montague Expressway off-ramp from northbound Highway 101 and hit a tree, the CHP said in a news release.The driver — and s...

Pac-12 legal saga: After wipeout in court, 10 departing schools agree to settlement with WSU and OSU

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:55:51 GMT

Pac-12 legal saga: After wipeout in court, 10 departing schools agree to settlement with WSU and OSU The fight for control of the Pac-12 is over. The 10 departing schools have agreed to a settlement with Washington State and Oregon State that ends three months of internecine litigation and provides clarity on the future of the conference.Announced Thursday afternoon, the deal comes less than one week after the Washington Supreme Court declined to review a lower court’s ruling that had established WSU and OSU as the only members of the governing board.The high court’s decision left the outbound schools with little leverage and few options.As part of the settlement, the 10 schools “have agreed to forfeit a portion of distributions over the remainder of the 2023-2024 year and provide specific guarantees against potential future liabilities,” according to a joint statement issued by WSU and OSU.Additionally, “The conference retains its assets and all future revenues.”(The full statement is below.)“We are pleased to have reached an agreement in princi...

Jury acquits 3 Tacoma officers in death of Black pedestrian

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:55:51 GMT

Jury acquits 3 Tacoma officers in death of Black pedestrian By Martha Bellisle and Maddy Grassy | Associated PressTACOMA, Wash. — A jury cleared three Washington state police officers of all criminal charges Thursday in the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who was shocked, beaten and restrained face down on a Tacoma sidewalk as he pleaded for breath.Two of the officers — Matthew Collins, 40, and Christopher Burbank, 38 — had been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter, while Timothy Rankine, 34, was charged with manslaughter. The jury found the three not guilty on all counts.There was a gasp from the gallery when the first not-guilty verdict was read. Rankine sat forward in his seat and wiped his eyes, while Collins hugged his lawyer.Matthew Ericksen, a lawyer representing the Ellis family, said it was hard to convey how devastating the verdict was for the family and community.“The biggest reason why I personally think this jury found reasonable doubt is because the defense was essentially allowed to put Manny Ellis ...