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Finland, NATO’s newest member, will sign a defense pact with the United States

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:23 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — NATO’s newest member, Finland, which shares a border with Russia, is to sign a bilateral defense cooperation agreement next week with the United States in a deal that allows Washington to send troops into the Nordic country to bolster its defense and store weapons and military equipment there, among other things.Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen told a news conference in Helsinki on Thursday that Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen will sign the so-called Defense Cooperation Agreement, or DCA, in Washington on Monday, Dec. 18.The pact, which must still be approved by Finnish lawmakers, “is very significant for Finland’s defense and security,” Häkkänen said, stressing that the deal is judicially binding on both sides.“It bears a very strong message in this time. The United States is committed to our defense also in a tough spot,” Häkkänen told reporters.Finland joined NATO in April after decades of military non-alignment as a direct result of Russia’s assault on Ukr...

Florida man arrested after dragging deputy while handcuffed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:23 GMT

Tampa, Fla. (WSVN) — Keon Hodge, 28, is now in custody facing multiple charges after allegedly dragging a deputy “approximately 49 feet” while handcuffed. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) reports that body camera footage captured the incident on Monday at 7:15 p.m. when deputies attempted to serve an active warrant. According to authorities, Hodge resisted arrest and managed to pull away even after being subjected to a drive stun and two taser attempts.He dragged a female deputy about 49 feet before fleeing on foot.The HCSO aviation unit tracked him and saw him hiding in a nearby car lot; he was later found hiding behind a hot water heater in a storage container.The suspect faces nine charges, including battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence, and attempting to escape. In a press release, Sheriff Chad Chronister commended the deputies’ teamwork and stated that Hodge will face additional consequences for hi...

RI man arrested, charged with armed robbery in Seekonk

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:23 GMT

A Rhode Island man is facing numerous charges after police say he robbed a Seekonk liquor store at knifepoint. Gary Tallo, 32, of Johnston, Rhode Island is set to be arraigned Thursday, charged with armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery, threat to commit crime, malicious destruction of property, and resisting arrest. He also had an outstanding warrant.Multiple police units were dispatched to Winn’s Liquor in Seekonk late Wednesday night after receiving report of an armed robbery in process.According to police they were informed that a white male wearing a black hoodie was threatening the clerk with a knife and had physically assaulted a store employee and robbed the store of “an unknown amount of cash, liquor, and cigarettes”.Arriving on scene, the first responding offer saw the suspect fleeing the area on foot. The officer gave chase and authorities located him in the yard of a nearby residence. Tallo, still armed with a knife, was he...

Manchester police make three arrests following string of jewelry store thefts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:23 GMT

Police in Manchester, New Hampshire, have made several arrests following a string of thefts at local jewelry stores, according to authorities.The police department announced that arrests were made in connection with two thefts at a Days Jewelers store and another that occurred at Market Square Jewelers between Nov. 20-28 – all involving snatch-and-grab tactics to steal gold chains.The first took place on Nov. 20, at Days Jewelers on March Avenue, where authorities say a man walked into the store and asked to see a gold chain, then walked out with the item after viewing it. Following an investigation, Kevin Donnelly, 23, was arrested and charged with Theft by Unauthorized Taking.A second, similar incident occurred at Days on Nov. 25, leading to the arrest of Drae-Shawn Hernandez, 28 – also charged with Theft by Unauthorized Taking.42-year-old Timothy Maclean was the third suspect arrested, following an investigation into another snatch-and-grab-type theft at the Market Sq...

Mass. House advancing bill requiring employers to give time off on Election Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:23 GMT

Employers would be required to provide their workers “sufficient time” off to vote in person on Election Day in a state or municipal election under legislation the House started advancing Thursday morning.In a rare December movement, the House’s budget-writing committee opened a poll of its members on the legislation originally sponsored by Rep. John Lawn, a Democrat, and Sen. Brendan Crighton, a Lynn Democrat.If a voter does not have sufficient time outside of working hours to vote in person during an election or designated earlier voting period, the person may use paid time off to vote on Election Day, the bill said. The employee must give their employer at least three business day’s notice.An employer is barred from requiring workers to vote by mail or during an early voting period. A company that violates the proposed law by not giving “sufficient time off to vote” must pay an employee a “full day’s pay,” the bill said.Employee time off for voting must be at the beginning ...

Circle K is offering San Diego drivers 40 cents off fuel for three hours only

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:23 GMT

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KSWB) -- Just ahead of the holidays, convenience store chain Circle K is giving back by offering a limited time discount on fuel for California drivers at select locations.Customers across the Golden State can get 40 cents off per gallon of gas from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 14. The price on the pump will reflect the discounted price during that timeframe.Circle K is calling it a "Fuel Day Pop-up." The discount event is also offering 50% off on car washes for the entire day. Here’s where to find California’s oldest general store "In the spirit of the holiday season, we’re very pleased to have a 'Fuel Day Pop-up’ to make it a little easier to navigate through festivities, shopping and travel,” said George Wilkins, Vice President of Operations for the Circle K West Coast Business Unit. “With these exclusive savings and our commitment to adding great value, we hope to make this season extra special and joyous for our customers.” California drivers can fi...

Gang detectives called in after gunfire rings out in Golden Hill, two shot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:23 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Gang detectives with the San Diego Police Department responded to reports of gunfire in the area of Golden Hill Park after dark Wednesday. Police officers first arrived on scene at 2600 Russ Blvd. around 8:33 p.m. after multiple parties called in about shots fired. SDPD said shell casings were located in the parking lot of the park near a picnic table. CBP officer agrees to resign after admitting to using ‘unreasonable force’ A white sedan, similar to a Nissan Altima, reportedly pulled up near the north curb line of 2600 Russ Blvd. and fired multiple rounds at a group of men sitting at the bench, SDPD explained. Two or three of the men in the park returned fire, according to witness accounts.Police confirmed 20 shell casings of three different calibers were located in the area. Two of the men in the park were shot in the leg and were transported to a local hospital. The extent of their injuries in unknown at this time.SDPD gangs detectives will be handling the investi...

Promising new gene therapies for sickle cell are out of reach in countries where they’re needed most

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:23 GMT

Gautam Dongre’s two children in India and Pascazia Mazeze’s son in Tanzania live with an inherited blood disorder that turns blood cells into instruments of pain.Now that new gene therapies promise a cure for their sickle cell disease, Dongre says he’s “praying the treatment should come to us.”But experts say the one-time treatment is out of reach in India and Africa — places where the disease is most common. Vast inequities cut much of the world off from gene therapy in general.While access to all sorts of medicine is limited in developing countries, the problem is especially acute with these therapies, which are among the most expensive treatments in the world. Beyond their sky-high prices, these therapies are extremely complex to give patients because they require long hospitalizations, sophisticated medical equipment and specially trained doctors and scientists. So far, the two gene therapies for sickle cell have only been approved in wealthier countries: both of the...

14-year-old charged with attempted murder in stabbing at Don Mills TTC station

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:23 GMT

A teenage boy is facing an attempted murder charge after a stabbing at Don Mills subway station last weekend.Toronto police were called to the TTC station near Don Mills Road and Sheppard Avenue around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 9.Police allege a fight broke out between two groups of youths when a 17-year-old boy was stabbed. He was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries where he remains in critical but stable condition.Officers say the suspect attempted to flee on a bus but was tracked down by officers and arrested.A 14-year-old boy is facing four charges including attempted murder and aggravated assault.A second 14-year-old boy was also arrested at the scene. He is facing a charge of possession of a weapon.Both appeared in a Toronto courtroom on Sunday. The suspects cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Men charged with illegal killing of 3,600 birds, including bald and golden eagles to sell

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:23 GMT

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A federal grand jury in Montana has indicted two men accused of killing about 3,600 birds, including bald eagles and golden eagles, and selling them on the black market.The indictment returned in U.S. District Court last week charges Simon Paul and Travis John Branson with 13 counts of unlawful trafficking of bald and golden eagles and one count each of conspiracy and violating the Lacey Act, which prohibits trafficking of illegally taken wildlife.“The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act was enacted in 1940 to protect the bald eagle, recognizing that the bald eagle is not merely a bird of biological interest, but this country’s national symbol which reflects America’s ideals of freedom,” the indictment states. The act was extended in 1962 to include golden eagles.Branson, Paul and others hunted and killed thousands of birds, including eagles, on the Flathead Indian Reservation and elsewhere, then illegally sold them for significant sums of cash across the Uni...