BODEGA CLERK SUES MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY FOR RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

A bodega clerk is suing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for what he claims was racial discrimination in a lawsuit filed on Sept. 29. The man, Jose Alba, was thrown into Rikers jail after he fatally stabbed an attacker while working at a Harlem convenience store.

In July 2022, Alba was at the Blue Moon Bodega when ex-con Austin Simon attacked him. In what he claims was an act of self-defense, the 61-year-old fatally stabbed Simon, according to the Daily Mail. He was originally charged with second-degree murder for killing the 35-year-old, whom he stabbed in the neck and chest.

However, many believed the charges were unjustified, prompting a social outcry against the prosecution. In the wake of the unanticipated backlash, Bragg’s offices decided to drop the charges. However, Alba is not accepting his release after six days in Rikers as a remedy for his suffering.

Minneapolis PD investigating after officer exposed as OnlyFans model

The Minneapolis Police Department is looking into a Fourth Precinct officer who moonlights as an OnlyFans model.

FOX 9 is not identifying the officer involved but has confirmed she is a member of the department. For a monthly fee, the officer's OnlyFans includes explicit material like porn, private photos, videos, and more. As an officer, she is well-respected and has been recognized for her police work.

The question now is whether the officer is violating department policy and/or the Code of Ethics by running the OnlyFans page.

The Minnesota Law Enforcement Code of Ethics states officers must "keep [their] private life unsullied as an example to all." Further, the Minnesota Police Officers Standards and Training Policy says: "Peace officers shall not, whether on or off duty, exhibit any conduct which discredits themselves or their agency or otherwise impairs their ability or that of other officers or the agency to provide law enforcement services to the community."

Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 when he killed 4 Michigan students, could spend the rest of his life behind bars, judge rules

Ethan Crumbley, the teen gunman who killed four students at Oxford High School, is eligible for life imprisonment without parole – the harshest possible punishment in Michigan, a judge ruled Friday.

Crumbley, now 17, was 15 when he opened fire at the school on November 30, 2021. He has pleaded guilty to one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree murder and 19 other charges related to the deadly rampage.

In addition to the four students killed, seven people were shot and wounded – including a teacher.

On Friday, Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Kwamé Rowe said Crumbley is eligible for life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Mom of Colorado man killed by police after taking ‘heroic’ actions to stop gunman settles with city

A Colorado city has reached a nearly $2.8 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by the mother of a man killed by police in 2021 after taking heroic actions to stop a gunman who had shot another officer, a law firm announced Thursday.

Kathleen Boleyn filed the lawsuit in June 2022, a year after the midday shootings in the main square of Olde Town Arvada, a historic shopping and entertainment area about 7 miles (10 kilometers) northwest of downtown Denver.

Boleyn said her son, Johnny Hurley, ran toward danger and shot the gunman, Ronald Troyke, who had just fatally shot Officer Gordon Beesley. An investigation found Troyke, who died after Hurley shot him, was intent on killing as many officers as he could that day.

Boleyn remembered her son Thursday as a talented chef who rode skateboards and snowboards, enjoyed winter camping, had a beautiful singing voice, and could “bust out some pretty incredible dance moves.

US commends Philippines on removal of Chinese barrier in South China Sea

The Philippines' removal of a Chinese floating barrier near the Scarborough Shoal in a disputed part of the South China Sea was "a bold step in defending their own sovereignty," a senior U.S. defense official said on Thursday.

Manila had expressed outrage over China's placement of a long, ball-buoy barrier near the rocky outcrop, some 200 km (124 miles) from the Philippines. It has seen years of intermittent flare-ups over sovereignty and fishing rights.

The Philippines coast guard said on Monday it executed a "special operation" to remove the barrier, calling it a violation of international law and a hazard to navigation.

During a congressional hearing, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Lindsey Ford commended the Philippines' action and reaffirmed Washington's security commitments to its Asian ally.

Man arrested for trying to buy guns with fake ID at gun show, Mesa police say

A man was arrested for attempting to buy firearms at a gun show in Mesa with fake identification, police say.

On Sunday, Sept. 24, court documents say that 22-year-old Nathaniel Mead was at the Crossroads of the West Gun Show at the Mesa Convention Center, where he tried to buy two guns with a fake ID. Uniformed detectives working the convention were informed about Mead around 1:45 p.m. by a vendor. The employees told detectives that Mead had used a different ID on prior occasions to buy firearms, documents say.

Detectives confronted him, and they say he presented an Arizona driver’s license with the name “James Davidson.” They ran a records check with the MVD and did not find anyone with that name matching the driver’s license number on the card. However, the number did return a completely different name and birthdate. He was arrested on the spot, and detectives told him that providing a fake name to them was against the law.

He confessed his name was Nathaniel Mead, and an ID with that name was found on him. However, there was nothing else to verify the ID was real. Witnesses who informed detectives also provided them with an ATF form Mead filled out with a false name, which is also against the law, documents say. Detectives found several other state IDs Mead had; at least three were determined to be fake.

Indiana teachers on secret 'armed response teams' can use deadly force to protect students

Assessments of deadly school shootings from Colorado to Texas to Florida have made one thing clear: Delaying an armed response, even by minutes, may mean the difference between averting a tragedy and mass casualties.

That lesson is driving a small but growing number of Indiana school corporations to establish secret "armed response teams" made up of teachers and other school staff. With a boost this year from lawmakers, who approved state funding to cover part of the cost, at least seven school corporations are now in the process of training school staff how to use deadly force in their classrooms, hallways or gymnasiums.

"The reality is, if you've got somebody who's entered your facility with the intent to do harm, or even kill, as heavy as that is, we want to make sure that they're met with resistance," said Superintendent Rolland Abraham of the Randolph Central School Corp., which approved plans this month to start armed response teams in the district's five school buildings. "Because that's what it takes to secure lives — and in these scenarios, you're dealing with seconds."
Indiana is one of at least 28 states that allow teachers to carry firearms in K-12 schools, according to tracking by the Giffords Law Center, a gun violence prevention organization. In the majority of those states, employees need permission from school districts.

US offers Poland rare loan of $2 billion to modernize its military

The Biden administration announced Monday that it is offering a $2 billion loan to Poland, which has been a hub for weapons going into Ukraine, to support the ally’s defense modernization.

The State Department said in a statement that Poland is a “stalwart” ally of the U.S. whose “security is vital to the collective defense” of NATO ’s eastern flank, and that such funding is reserved for Washington’s most important security partners.

The U.S. government is also providing Warsaw up to $60 million for the cost of the loan in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) which would support “urgent procurements of defense articles and services from the United States,” the State Department said. The $60 million is a loan subsidy meant to ensure that Warsaw can secure favorable terms for the loan.

Poland has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country, handing over large numbers of its own tanks, fighter jets and other equipment. It has also been a hub for most of the Western weapons going to Ukraine.

Philippines removes Chinese barrier at disputed shoal in 'special operation'

The Philippines said on Monday it executed a "special operation" to remove a floating barrier installed by China at a prime fishing patch in the South China Sea, a move that could stoke tension after a years-long detente in Asia's most disputed waters.

The Philippines expressed outrage on Sunday and shared images of Chinese coastguard policing a long, ball-buoy barrier near the Scarborough Shoal, a rocky outcrop 200 km (124 miles) from the Philippines and the site of years of intermittent flare-ups over sovereignty and fishing rights.

Hours after the national security adviser had vowed to take action, the Philippine coastguard said it had removed the floating cordon, at the behest of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his special task force on the South China Sea.

"The barrier posed a hazard to navigation, a clear violation of international law. It also hinders the conduct of fishing and livelihood activities of Filipino fisherfolk," it said in a statement, describing the shoal as "an integral part of the Philippine national territory".

California Is Making a Change to Stop Fleeing Insurers

Insurance providers are applauding proposed changes likely to result in rate increases in one of the world's largest insurance markets to better account for billions of dollars in potential damage from natural disasters amid a changing climate. Through executive orders approving "emergency regulatory action," California moved Thursday to reform its insurance system to more accurately price at-risk homes, in what could be a sign of things to come nationwide. In what the Washington Post reports is "a big win for the industry," the state reversed its stance of requiring companies to use only historical data when setting rates. Under the proposed changes, to be finalized and put in place by the end of 2024, carriers could use forward-looking catastrophe models as in many other states.

Consumer Watchdog founder Harvey Rosenfield says this "will dramatically increase homeowner and renter insurance bills by hundreds or even thousands of dollars," per the AP. California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara says "difficult choices" are required "when the world is changing rapidly." He adds the "historic agreement" between regulators and the industry would be better for consumers as the current regulatory framework leaves them at risk. Seven of the top 12 carriers in California have restricted new business in the state in the last year, arguing homeowners should be paying more for their exposure to disasters like wildfires. In response, residents have turned to the state's FAIR plan, which provides a temporary safety net while coverage from a traditional carrier is unavailable.

The FAIR plan, paid for by a fund to which all insurance companies operating in the state contribute, has become the "first resort, not last resort" for many residents, says Lara. "This is a real crisis that we are in." To lessen the number of FAIR plan policyholders and keep the plan solvent, insurance companies will now be required to write no less than 85% of their statewide market share in at-risk areas. "That means if a company writes policies for 20 homes, it must write 17 new policies for homeowners in wildfire-distressed areas," per the AP. Acknowledging concerns that insurers would use catastrophe models to inflate risks to overcharge consumers, Lara notes his department "will be able to verify these models to make sure they're accurate" and can "claw back" rate increases if necessary. (Florida is facing a similar crisis.)