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St. Louis woman targeted Instagram users in $57K fraud scheme

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:37 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A St. Louis woman was sentenced to several years in federal prison after targeting Instagram users in a $57,000 fraud scheme. A federal judge sentenced Nikia French, 30, to three years and one month in prison on Monday. French has also been ordered to pay back tens of thousands of dollars in restitution. Earlier in the year, French pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud and admitted to recruiting people on Instagram who were willing to let French use their bank accounts. Breaking: Justice Center guard being held hostage According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice, French created counterfeit checks, deposited them in the accounts and withdrew money or made debit card purchases before the bank learned that the checks were fake. Between February and April 2022, French deposited or attempted to deposit counterfeit checks totaling at least $73,000 and received at least $34,000 in proceeds.Court documents allege French also submitted two fraudulent Pa...

Alan Turing’s stolen mementos sat in a Colorado home for decades. Now they’re being returned to England.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:37 GMT

An all-boys boarding school in the United Kingdom on Tuesday welcomed back a collection of stolen mementos that once belonged to Alan Turing, the famed mathematician known for cracking German codes during World War II.United States government officials, during a repatriation ceremony at the Sherbourne School in southern England, formally handed back Turing’s 1938 Princeton University Ph.D. diploma in mathematics, an Order of the British Empire medal and a letter from King George VI, among a host of other objects.The momentous return comes more than five years after U.S. authorities seized the keepsakes from a Colorado woman who claimed Turing as her father. The woman, who even changed her last name to Turing, had no relation to the legendary British codebreaker, but became obsessed with him over the course of her life.“Few people have had a greater positive impact upon the world than Alan Turing,” said Sherborne headmaster and CEO, Dr. Dominic Luckett, in a stateme...

When it comes to Micheladas, start with beer, lime and salt

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:37 GMT

By Rebekah Peppler, The New York TimesA classic Mexican beer-based cocktail, the deeply chilled, lightly effervescent Michelada is easy and refreshing to drink. Its defined form, however, is a bit more complicated, inspiring intense debate as to what is and isn’t included in the final glass.“The definition of a Michelada will change depending on where in Mexico or where in the world you ask,” said Sofía Acuña, an owner of Dooriban and Moa in Mexico City.For some, a Michelada — or Chelada, depending on where in Mexico you are, and again, who you ask — is “just the mix of beer, lime juice and salt,” Acuña said.The name comes from “mi chela helada,” approximately “my cold beer” in English. A light Mexican lager, such as Tecate, Corona, Pacifico, Carta Blanca, Sol or Modelo, is the classic choice for that cold beer, letting the flavors shine.Beyond that, the drink’s final formula is more pliable, generating strong opinions and heated discussion over how, exactly, it is made. The m...

Las Vegas resort guest wins 10 slot jackpots in 2 days totaling $2M+

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:37 GMT

They say it's better to be lucky than good. One recent visitor to Las Vegas would probably agree, as they won more than $2 million across 10 slot jackpots this past weekend, KTLA sister station KLAS reports.The feat includes back-to-back days of winning more than $1 million.One of many jackpots a lucky resort guest at Caesars Palace won on Aug. 18 totaling over $2 million. (Caesars Entertainment) On Aug. 18, the unidentified guest won five slot jackpots totaling $1,052,500 at Caesars Palace. The very next day, the same guest won another five slot jackpots totaling $1,020,331.The guest's total winning for the weekend was $2,072,831, a Caesar's Entertainment spokesman stated.

California gas prices soar to the highest point of the year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:37 GMT

Gasoline prices in California have surged to the highest point of the year and are approaching prices seen last summer, according to the American Automobile Association.According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded in California was $5.26 on Tuesday, up 10 cents over the past week and 37 cents over the past month. A year ago, drivers were paying $5.34 per gallon.In Los Angeles County alone, the average price for regular unleaded was $5.36/gallon on Tuesday. The national average was $3.85/gallon. California, once again, has the highest gasoline prices in the nation. Washington State ($5.05/gallon) has the second-highest.“Oil Price Information Service reported this morning that Los Angeles and San Francisco wholesale gasoline prices are surging because there is limited supply on the wholesale market and a lot of demand from refiners looking to buy excess supply,” said Auto Club spokesperson Doug Shupe. “The combination of those factors is continuing to put upward...

Stanford football: Hall of Famer’s son ready for larger role in revamped offense

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:37 GMT

STANFORD – Stanford running back E.J. Smith is taking drastic measures to prepare for what he hopes is a breakout season.The senior from Dallas – who shares the same number (22) as his Hall of Fame father, Emmitt – has sworn off Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and all other social media channels during training camp so he can focus on learning a new offensive system and rehabbing a meniscus tear that forced him to miss the final 10 games of last season.“Coming back from injury, it’s important for me just to be focused on the right things, not to be distracted by anything, and really just get ready for the season,” Smith said. “Social media is such a big deal nowadays, everyone is on 24/7. Just to get away from it for a little bit, it’s good to get my mind refreshed. When I don’t have any notifications on Instagram, then I’m focused on the now.”His little brother Elijah will text if E.J. needs to know something. But when five schools announced they were leaving the Pac-12, or when he w...

Vegan Sam Bankman-Fried is subsisting only on bread and water in jail, his attorneys say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:37 GMT

By Lauren del Valle and Allison Morrow | CNNNew York — Sam Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty Tuesday to amended fraud and money laundering charges, appearing in court for the first time since his bail was revoked and he was sent to a Brooklyn jail to await trial.Lawyers for the former crypto billionaire, who is vegan, said the detention center is not accommodating his diet and failing to regularly dispense his prescription Adderall.“He’s literally now subsisting on bread and water, which are the only things he’s served that he can eat, and sometimes peanut butter,” his attorney, Mark Cohen, told the court.Magistrate Judge Netburn said she would contact the Bureau of Prisons about the accommodations.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | FTX Founder Bankman-Fried, who had been living in Palo Alto, jailed in NYC Crime and Public Safety | Sam Bankman-Fried faces potential gag order after witness-tampering allegations Bankman-Fried, also known as SBF, h...

Oakland police locate woman who was missing for nearly 8 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:37 GMT

(BCN) -- An Oakland woman reported missing nearly eight years ago has been located and is safe, the Oakland Police Department said Sunday. Authorities took Lisa Hu, 31, off their missing persons list Sunday afternoon after she was found and confirmed to be safe, police said. Hu went missing on Dec. 8, 2015 and was last seen in the 900 block of 34th Street. San Francisco man accuses St. Ignatius high school teacher of sex abuse At the time of her disappearance, Hu's family reported that she was in good physical and mental condition. No other information was released. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Bill to raise bridge tolls for public transit paused

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:37 GMT

(KRON) -- A bill to fund public transit by increasing bridge tolls for the next five years is on hold, State Senator Scott Wiener's office announced on Monday.The plan by Senator Wiener would have raised the bridge tolls in the Bay Area by $1.50 for all bridges except the Golden Gate Bridge. Missing Netflix employee was last seen in SF, police say The increase in tolls was expected to start next year and was estimated to generate $180 million to help sustain funding for public transit. Several groups, including members of Congress, expressed concern over how effective the plan would be and how it would impact low income communities. “Increasing tolls can be a significant burden to Bay Area commuters who are already dealing with high cost of living, inflation, and other expenses," said Assemblymember Lori Wilson. "From an equity perspective, tolls can have substantial repercussions especially for those where public transit is not a viable option.”The Bay Area Council was the first ...

West Contra Costa taps retirees, others to fill teacher vacancies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:37 GMT

(BCN) -- Amid the ongoing national teacher shortage, West Contra Costa Unified started its second week of the 2023-24 school year with 80 teacher vacancies, which may lead to shuffling teachers during the first few weeks of school. According to the district's spokesperson, Elizabeth Sanders, when the school year started on Aug. 15, the district had 99 unfilled teacher vacancies out of about 1,500 certificated positions. Certificated staff are largely teachers, but include counselors, librarians and instructional coaches. Last year, at least a half-dozen of the district's teachers were reassigned to different schools or classes during the fall semester, and some of the reassignments didn't occur until more than a month into the school year. At the time, teachers said making the changes so late was disruptive to the classrooms and undermined the work they had done to gain their students' trust and build connections. John Zabala, president of the United Teachers of Richmond, t...