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Former CEO at center of fake Basquiats scandal countersues museum, claiming he is being scapegoated

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:18 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A former executive director of a Florida museum that was raided last year by the FBI over an exhibit of what turned out to be forged Jean-Michel Basquiat paintings filed counterclaims Tuesday against the museum, claiming wrongful termination and defamation. The countersuit comes months after the institution sued him and others over the scandal.Former CEO Aaron De Groft said in court papers in Orlando, Florida, that the board chairwoman and outside lawyers for the Orlando Museum of Art had signed off on the exhibit, even after the FBI had subpoenaed the museum’s records over the exhibit in July 2021.De Groft said he was being made a scapegoat and that the museum’s lawsuit against him was a public relations stunt to save face and make him “the fall guy.” De Groft was fired in June 2022 after the FBI raid.After reviewing documents and interviewing De Groft and other staff members, the outside lawyers told the executive director and chairwoman that there was n...

Anchorage adds more shelter beds after unusually high amount of snow and record outdoor deaths

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:18 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Anchorage scrambled Tuesday to come up with more temporary housing for the homeless after back-to-back snowstorms dumped more than 3 feet of snow on the city in just nine days, an amount that is high even by Alaska standards.The concern grows as temperatures are expected to plummet to single digits by the weekend.Four people believed to be homeless have already died this month, part of a record 49 deaths of people living outdoors in Alaska’s largest city this year, according to a count kept by the Anchorage Daily News.The Anchorage Assembly met in special session Tuesday and approved a contract to add 50 beds to a shelter that just opened in October.The current shelter was initially set up for 150 beds in the administration building of a former waste transfer site, the city’s answer after the mass shelter established during the pandemic in a sports arena was closed. It’s part of a patchwork of shelters in old hotels, apartment buildings and social services f...

Man charged with abducting Michigan teen who was strangled dies while awaiting trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:18 GMT

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A man awaiting trial in the kidnapping of a 16-year-old western Michigan girl who was later killed has died from medical complications.Gerald Bennett, 63, of Detroit, was admitted Nov. 7 to a hospital for cancer treatment, U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said Tuesday. Bennett was placed on life support after his health declined. He died Monday.Bennett was found competent last April to stand trial in the abduction of Mujey Dumbuya.In 2017, Dumbuya had accused Quinn James — a maintenance worker at her school — of sexually assaulting her when she was 15. She had been scheduled to testify at his trial in April 2018.But Dumbaya was abducted from a bus stop in January 2018 and her partially clothed body was later found in woods in Kalamazoo, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of her Grand Rapids home. She had been strangled.Totten said James hired Bennett to help him kidnap and kill Dumbuya, and the two men were charged in state court with murder. James was conv...

Colombia begins sterilization of hippos descended from pets of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:18 GMT

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia on Tuesday began the sterilization of hippopotamuses, descendants of animals illegally brought to the country by late drug kingpin Pablo Escobar in the 1980s.Two male hippos and one female underwent surgical sterilization, environmental authorities said. It is part of a larger government effort to control the population of more than 100 of the mammals that roam around unsupervised in some rivers. The plan includes the sterilization of 40 hippos a year, transfer some of them to other countries and possibly euthanasia.The hippos, which spread from Escobar’s estate into nearby rivers where they flourished, have no natural predators in Colombia and have been declared an invasive species that could upset the ecosystem.A group of hippos was brought in the 1980s to Hacienda Nápoles, Escobar’s private zoo that became a tourist attraction after his death in 1993. Most of the animals live freely in rivers and reproduce without control.Sterilization takes time,...

Judge’s ruling advances plan to restructure $10 billion debt of Puerto Rico’s power company

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:18 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday tentatively approved a portion of the newest plan to restructure $10 billion of debt owed by Puerto Rico’s power company amid heated negotiations between creditors and the U.S. territory’s government.The overall debt restructuring plan has been amended four times this year by a federal control board that oversees Puerto Rico’s finances. A confirmation hearing is set for March 2024 as various bondholders continue to oppose the plan.The board did not have immediate comment on the judge’s decision regarding the plan’s disclosure statement, which requires modifications before bondholders vote on it. The decision was issued after an hours-long hearing that drew protesters to the courthouse who are opposed to electric bill increases outlined in the plan.The bankruptcy of Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority has dragged on for years amid intense debate on how to restructure its debt — the largest of any government agency in th...

1 woman in critical condition a day after knife attack at Louisiana Tech University

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:18 GMT

RUSTON, La. (AP) — One woman remained in critical condition Tuesday after what officials say was a random knife attack on a college campus in north Louisiana. Two other women were still hospitalized. One was in serious condition, according to an email from Louisiana Tech University, and the other was recovering and could be released as early as Wednesday. A fourth victim had not required medical attention.The suspect in the case, Jacoby Johnson, was taken into custody soon after the Monday morning attack outside a recreation center on the Tech campus in Ruston. Johnson, a senior at the university, was being held on four charges of attempted second-degree murder. Neither the court clerk nor the district attorney’s office in Louisiana’s Lincoln Parish had information on whether Johnson had an attorney who could comment.Debby Hollimon of Ruston, was grazed by the attacker’s knife, according to The Ruston Daily Leader. She told the newspaper she heard screams and saw a...

Semi-truck fire shuts down portion of I-294 in Willow Springs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:18 GMT

WILLOW SPRINGS, Ill. — Emergency crews are on the scene of a semi-truck fire that broke out on the Tri-State Tollway on Tuesday.A car hauler truck, which appeared to be carrying at least two vehicles, was in flames when SkyCam 9 was over the scene along northbound I-294 in Willow Springs around 4:45 p.m.Illinois State Police say the fire broke out after a crash involving two commercial vehicles, and no injuries were reported. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines At least two overturned vehicles could be seen immediately next to the fully engulfed truck and another overturned vehicle could be seen nearby, as fire crews worked to get it under control. Troopers with the Illinois State Police say all northbound lanes at milepost 21.25, near LaGrange, are closed due to the fire. It is unclear how long the closures will last. WGN Traffic Map: Get the latest real time traffic updates This is a developing story, stay with WGN News for the latest updates.

Skilling: Sunny, breezy Wednesday ahead for Chicagoland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:18 GMT

A third consecutive mild, 100% sunny day in Chicago.  The last time we put three straight days of 100% of our possible sun together was Oct 1, 2 and 3----a month and a half ago.It's Pacific air which is behind the beautiful weather—and Pacific air is DRY!! Dew points in the 20s underscore the fact—so do 20 to 25% relative humidities.  When you have dew points, which are a measure of atmospheric moisture, in the 20s and air temps in the 60s, THAT'S VERY DRY AIR!  The Pacific air has much of the country running MILD. Nearly 87% of the Lower 48 has enjoyed 50-deg or warmer temps today---a percentage that will fall to half that level over the coming weekend as more seasonable cool autumn air moves in.Dry air both warms by day and cools at night very quickly. So you get a WIDER THAN NORMAL SPREAD between daytime highs and nighttime lows.  From yesterday's low 60-deg highs, nighttime lows crashed into the low 20s away from the warmth of the city and Lake Michigan.  Morning lows botto...

The man accused of attacking Pelosi's husband apologizes for hammer assault

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:18 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The man accused of attacking former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer apologized Tuesday, echoing right-wing conspiracy theories to explain to jurors that he went to the Pelosis’ home as part a bigger plot to end what he viewed as government corruption.David DePape spoke for more than an hour in which he tearfully recounted about how his political leanings went from leftist to right wing after reading a comment on a YouTube video about former President Donald Trump. He said he bludgeoned Paul Pelosi after realizing his larger plan might be unraveling. Testimony wrapped up later Tuesday, with closing arguments expected Wednesday. DePape has pleaded not guilty to attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official with intent to retaliate against the official for performance of their duties. His attorneys argue that he was not seeking to go after Nancy Pelosi because of her official duti...

In survey, more Minnesota hospitals say they are losing money this year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:18 GMT

The Minnesota Hospital Association reported Monday that many of the state’s health systems are losing money at a growing clip.The MHA, a trade group that represents care providers that include large Twin Cities health systems and small rural hospitals, said that 67% of its members that took part in a recent survey reported losses in the first half of 2023. That’s a sharp increase over the 55% that reported negative operating margins in 2022.“These hospitals are clinging and hanging from the side of a very dangerous cliff, and their arms are getting tired. We must act before they crash,” MHA President Dr. Rahul Koranne said in an interview with Minnesota Public Radio News.Koranne said that overall, labor costs are up 7%, and inflation has pushed up supply and service costs 6%. He said hospitals are also taking on larger numbers of Medicare and Medicaid patients, and those programs’ reimbursement rates are far below what providers spend on care.Another problem is that a lack of capaci...