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Former Methuen police chief indicted on 17 fraud counts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:30 GMT

The former police chief for Methuen, described as akin to a mafia “Don,” was indicted by a statewide grand jury on 17 fraud-related charges.A 203-page report, released March 27vand commissioned by Methuen, alleged that former Chief Joseph Solomon, which it described as running the department like a “‘Don’ of an organized crime family,” conspired to get Sean Fountain, an unqualified city council president, a police detective job that defrauded the city out of $400,000.“On 1 July 2016, Fountain was appointed an Intermittent Police Officer by the City of Methuen’s Police Chief Joseph Solomon. Fountain was the beneficiary of a level of preferential treatment that was so blatant that it was criminal,” the report states. “He was treated differently from the four intermittent officers hired when he was.”The offices of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell and Essex District Attorney Paul Tucker partnered to further investigate reports of “past serious misconduct ...

Sharon police officers fined for plan to get into Gillette Stadium suite without tickets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:30 GMT

A pair of Sharon police officers are paying up after the two tried to devise a plan that would have allowed one of them and a friend to enjoy a Patriots game at Gillette Stadium from a high-end suite without tickets.Officers John Avelar and Robert Awad have paid $8,000 and $4,000 civil penalties, respectively, for violating the conflict of interest law, as the two tried to sneak their way into the Putnam Club without tickets last December, according to the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission.Tickets to the Putnam Club, a suite where fans can watch the game from the indoors as well as exclusive outdoor seats, and enjoy upscale food and drinks, range from $6,000-to-$10,000 per season and are only available to the general public as part of season ticket packages.But officials say Avelar tried to ignore that by seeking assistance from Awad who had been scheduled to work security detail at the Dec. 1 game against the Bills.Several weeks before that Thursday night tilt, Avelar contacted...

Trump won’t try to move Georgia case to federal court after judge rejected similar bid by Meadows

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:30 GMT

By KATE BRUMBACK and JEFF AMY (Associated Press)ATLANTA (AP) — Former President Donald Trump will not seek to get his Georgia election interference case transferred to state court, his attorneys said in a filing Thursday, three weeks after a judge rejected a similar attempt by the former president’s White House chief of staff.The notice filed in federal court in Atlanta follows a Sept. 8 decision from U.S. District Judge Steve Jones that chief of staff Mark Meadows “has not met even the ‘quite low’ threshold” to move his case to federal court, saying the actions outlined in the indictment were not taken as part of Meadows’ role as a federal official. Meadows is appealing that ruling.Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges, including an alleged violation of Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He was indicted last month along with Meadows and 17 others.The notice, fi...

Will Grier: Patriots ‘didn’t interrogate me’ about Cowboys

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:30 GMT

FOXBORO — Contrary to Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer’s insinuation, the Patriots did not hold a light over quarterback Will Grier’s head and grill him about his time in Dallas’ offense this week.Schottenheimer said his team would change hand signals this week out of fear that Grier and running back Ezekiel Elliott — both ex-Cowboys — would be “interrogated” by Patriots coaches.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots offseason approach with Matt Judon paying off New England Patriots | Patriots-Cowboys injury report: Dallas gets healthier, 5 Patriots remain limited Thursday New England Patriots | Patriots look healthy before Cowboys game — with one exception New England Patriots | Patriots rookie Christian Gonzalez recognized for stellar start to career New England Patriots | How JuJu Smith-Schuster feels about role on Patriots through ...

Cardin eyes changes on Egypt, Turkey and around the world as he takes powerful Senate foreign post

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:30 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The new chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee pointed Thursday to possible policy shifts affecting Egypt, Turkey, the war in Ukraine and other issues around the globe as he took over the powerful leadership of the panel, replacing indicted Sen. Bob Menendez.Sen. Ben Cardin, a veteran Maryland Democrat, will have an abbreviated term leading the committee because his term expires in January 2025 and he is not seeking reelection. He described him unexpectedly inheriting the chairmanship, with its power to help shape how the United States approaches the rest of the world, as a “pinch yourself” moment.Cardin spoke to reporters under the chandelier and vaulted ceiling of the historic 19th-century committee room on his first full day on the job. Menendez was indicted on Sept. 22 on charges he and his wife, Nadine, accepted bribes including cash and gold bars in transactions that included using his position as committee chairman to influence some U.S. policy d...

Officers kill man who killed a police dog and wounded two people in South Carolina

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:30 GMT

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — A man who shot two people, including a sheriff’s deputy, along the South Carolina coast was killed by officers after he fatally wounded a police dog, authorities said.The dog, named Rico, was sent into a home on Johns Island, west of Charleston, Thursday afternoon to search for Ernest Robert Burbage III in places a robot couldn’t reach, State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel said. After killing the dog, he came out of the home and pointed the same high-powered rifle at officers, who shot and killed him, authorities said, ending the daylong ordeal.Law enforcement had been looking for Burbage since he randomly fired at a car on the island on Wednesday, authorities said. After shooting at the vehicle, Burbage fired on members of a SWAT team as they got out of an armored vehicle late Wednesday, and one of the shots struck the deputy driving the vehicle in the head, Sheriff Kristin Graziano said.Charleston County Master Deputy James Gilbreath...

Authorities in Maui will open more of the burn zone to visits by residents next week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:30 GMT

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Authorities in Maui are opening more of the burn zone from last month’s devastating wildfire for visits by residents and property owners who lost homes.Early this week, officials began permitting those who lived in a small section in the north end of Lahaina to return for the first time since the Aug. 8 wildfire demolished the historic coastal town. Next Monday and Tuesday, residents of three more streets in that area will be allowed back, Maui County said in a news release Thursday.The wildfire killed at least 97 people, making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century, and destroyed more than 2,000 buildings, most of them homes. It first erupted in the morning when strong winds appeared to cause a Hawaiian Electric power line to fall, igniting dry brush and grass. The fire was initially declared contained, but one flared up again in the same area around 3 p.m. and raced through the town.Lawmakers probing the cause of the wildfire did not ge...

Suzanne Morphew’s remains found 3 years after she went missing in Colorado. What happened to her?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:30 GMT

DENVER (AP) — The discovery of Suzanne Morphew’s remains more than three years after the Colorado woman went missing on Mother’s Day is raising new questions about what happened and whether her husband remains a suspect since murder charges brought against him were dropped.Barry Morphew reasserted his innocence in a statement issued through his attorneys Thursday. They said he and the couple’s two grown daughters had held out hope Suzanne Morphew would return alive. He previously filed a $15 million lawsuit against county officials, accusing them of violating his constitutional rights.Authorities are not answering questions about how last week’s discovery of the remains impacts the case, saying only that the investigation continues.Here’s what to know about the case:WHAT HAPPENED TO SUZANNE MORPHEW?Morphew, originally from Alexandria, Indiana, was 49 when she was reported missing by a neighbor near the small city of Salida, Colorado, on May 10, 2020 — Mother&...

Before senior aide to Pennsylvania governor resigned, coworker accused adviser of sexual harassment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:30 GMT

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A senior adviser to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro who abruptly resigned this week had been accused earlier this year of sexual harassment by a coworker who said his behavior forced her to quit her job in the governor’s office.Mike Vereb, who served as Shapiro’s secretary of legislative affairs until his resignation on Wednesday, was accused in the woman’s complaint to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission of subjecting her to lewd, misogynistic and unwanted sexual advances during her brief stint working in the governor’s administration.Vereb didn’t immediately respond to a message left on his cellphone Thursday.A former state lawmaker, Vereb worked closely with Shapiro when he was attorney general. After the Democrat won the governor’s post, Verb assumed the role of shepherding the governor’s agenda through the politically divided Legislature.In a statement dated March 31 to the state Office of Administration, the wom...

Back-to-back tropical storms: Newly formed Rina trails Philippe out in the Atlantic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:30 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Rina formed Thursday in the Atlantic to the east of Tropical Storm Philipe, and forecasters said it was too early to tell how much further Rina might strengthen because of possible interaction between the back-to-back storms. Hours after gaining tropical storm status, Rina still had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.Rina was centered 1,110 miles (1,785 kilometers) east of the Northern Leeward Islands. No coastal watches or warnings are in effect for either, and there were no hazards affecting land. Rina was traveling north-northwest at a clip of about 14 mph (22 kph).Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Philippe was crawling slowly across the ocean at 2 mph (4 kph) in a west-northwestly direction. Forecasters said top sustained winds were about 45 mph (75 kph), with little change in strength expected. The hurricane center said the storm’s fate remains uncertain, adding Philippe could dissipate in the next f...