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Oscar Pistorius is eligible for parole after serving half of his murder sentence, new documents say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:54 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Oscar Pistorius was eligible for parole in March under South African law and the double-amputee Olympic and Paralympic runner may have been wrongly denied early release from prison because of a miscalculation over when he began serving his sentence for murder, court documents show.Justice and correctional services authorities submitted the documents to the country’s apex Constitutional Court on Tuesday and said they won’t oppose the appeal from Pistorius arguing he has served the prescribed amount of time in prison and should immediately be declared eligible for parole.Offenders sentenced to more than two years in prison in South Africa must serve half their sentence to be eligible for parole.Pistorius’ appeal says he was eligible when he attended a parole hearing on March 31, when a parole board denied his early release and ruled he was not eligible until August next year.The new papers submitted to the Constitutional Court indicate ...

Google sued for negligence after man drove off collapsed bridge while following map

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:54 GMT

The family of a North Carolina man who died after driving his car off a collapsed bridge while following Google Maps directions is suing the technology giant for negligence, claiming it had been informed of the collapse but failed to update its navigation system.Philip Paxson, a medical device salesman and father of two, drowned Sept. 30, 2022, after his Jeep Gladiator plunged into Snow Creek in Hickory, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Wake County Superior Court.Paxson was driving home from his daughter’s ninth birthday party through an unfamiliar neighbourhood when Google Maps allegedly directed him to cross a bridge that had collapsed nine years prior and was never repaired.“Our girls ask how and why their daddy died, and I’m at a loss for words they can understand because, as an adult, I still can’t understand how those responsible for the GPS directions and the bridge could have acted with so little regard for human life,” his wife, Alicia P...

Seattle officer should be put on leave for callous remarks about woman’s death, watchdog group says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:54 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle’s Community Police Commission on Wednesday recommended that the city’s police chief suspend without pay an officer under investigation for making callous remarks about the death of a woman from India who was struck by a police SUV in a crosswalk.The 21-member commission and its three appointed co-chairs also requested that Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz “immediately engage in a workgroup” with the commission, the Office of Police Accountability and the Office of Inspector General to “address repeated concerns with the culture of policing and police practices” in his department, The Seattle Times reported.The letter calls on Diaz to suspend Officer Daniel Auderer, the vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild. Auderer has been under investigation since earlier this month when police officials listened to audio from Auderer’s body camera during an investigation into the death of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old graduate student who was struck and kill...

World War I remembrance sites in Belgium and France have been added to UNESCO’s heritage registry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:54 GMT

PARIS (AP) — UNESCO added World War I funerary and memorial locations across the Western Front to its prestigious World Heritage registry, expanding its list of landmarks of monumental importance. The World Heritage Committee announced the decision Wednesday during its ongoing meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.The list includes sites the panel has deemed “of outstanding value to humanity,” according to the agency, and deserving of ”special protection” — including funding and international protection in times of war under the Geneva Convention.The newly added sites stretch from Belgium’s north to eastern France, battle zones where the Allied forces clashed with the German army from 1914 to 1918. The array of sanctuaries ranges from expansive necropolises bearing multitudes of soldiers from different nationalities to humbler graveyards and individual monuments.The list previously included 1,157 sites notable for their extraordinary natural wonders or distinctive human contribution...

Video shows officer repeatedly discussed charging 11-year-old victim with child sexual abuse offense

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:54 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A Columbus police officer summoned to a home by a father concerned his 11-year-old daughter was being solicited by an adult man repeatedly asserted that the girl could face charges for sending explicit images of herself.Body camera footage obtained by The Associated Press showed the Sept. 15 interaction between the father and two officers. The father angrily closed the door after one of the officers told him his daughter could face charges for producing or recording child sexual abuse images despite being a victim.The parent posted to TikTok a now-viral security video of the conversation, which has generated widespread criticism of the police’s response.The officers’ conduct is being investigated, as well as any crime that may have been committed against the girl, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said in a statement late Tuesday. She also said the department reached out to apologize to the father.Police have not released the father’s name, and the AP d...

Blue Jays beat Yankees, win 5th straight behind Gausman gem

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:54 GMT

Kevin Gausman pitched six scoreless innings and struck out 10 batters as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 6-1 for their fifth-straight victory.Gausman (12-9) scattered only three hits, walking three batters across his six solid innings. He departed with the Blue Jays up 1-0 courtesy of a Bo Bichette infield single.The Blue Jays would add two insurance runs in the top of the eighth inning with two bases-loaded walks. Singles from Bichette and Spencer Horwitz, who finished the game with a career-high three runs batted in, would expand the lead even more en route to the win.INSURANCE! pic.twitter.com/4eDxj9NY4W— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 21, 2023Horwitz was a late addition to the lineup after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was scratched with knee discomfort. It’s unclear if Guerrero will be back on Thursday.RELATED: Blue Jays call up Cam Eden, option Ernie Clement to triple-A BuffaloToronto’s relievers were once again impressive out of the bullpen....

The greatest coach in Illinois history: How Bob Zuppke became 'Mr. Razzle Dazzle'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:54 GMT

OAK PARK, Ill. — On a late summer evening at Oak Park Rover Forest High School, the high-pitched bark of football coach John Hoerster, Jr.  is really an echo of football history. “Offense, offense come here,” Hoerster said to the team. “Huddle up.”The huddle – that staple of football at every level from Pop Warner to the pros, was invented at Oak Park River Forest High School by Robert Zuppke, one of the greatest minds in the history of the game.In a closely cropped parted haircut, and a bowtie, Zuppke prowled the sidelines more than a century ago.Zuppke was a German-born, Milwaukee-reared basketball player who became a football genius and landed at OPRF High School in 1910.“Oak Park-River Forest High School hired him to be athletic director, a history teacher – and the new football coach,” Frank Lippo, the Oak Park Historical Society’s executive director, said.OPRF H.S. is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. A special exhibit marks the milestone at the Oak Park River ...

Great Gatsby Party set to make Chicago stop among string of nationwide events

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:54 GMT

CHICAGO — A yearly spectacle that debuted back in 2015, two Chicago stalwarts are coming together to bring back one of America's most iconic party themes, and put it on the grand stage in the West Loop this coming weekend.Organizers with the Chicago Bucket List and Rose Lifestyle are set to make the yearly revival of the Great Gatsby Party at Union Station Saturday evening.Channeling the energy and atmosphere of the Roaring Twenties one hundred years after the popular era took place, guests will experience a wide variety of entertainment and food options including live music, aerialists, theatrical acts, dancers, contortionists, stilt walkers, and other performers, according to the event's website.VIP access also includes early access to the event, caviar sampling, petit fours, casino and speakeasy experiences, and more.Advance tickets for the event begin at $110 and can be purchased by visiting greatgatsbyparty.com for complete details and event updates. Tickets are limited and exp...

An Idaho man has measles. Health officials are trying to see if the disease has spread.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:54 GMT

(AP) — An Idaho man has contracted measles, and health officials are working to contact anyone who may have been exposed to the highly contagious disease.The man was unvaccinated, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare said in a news release Wednesday afternoon, and he was exposed during international travel. He was hospitalized for a time but is now recovering at home.“Measles is very rare in Idaho and in the United States now, largely due to mass vaccination,” said Dr. Christine Hahn, the medical director of the Idaho Division of Public Health. Just three cases have been reported in the state in the past two decades.“It's not something we see very commonly, but when we do see it we worry about spread in pockets of people who are not vaccinated. For those of us who are vaccinated, we don't have to worry about it,” she said. Cake recall impacts Walmart stores nationwide People with measles become infectious about four days before symptoms begin, Hahn said. During his...

Missing 29-year-old woman found, RRPD says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:54 GMT

ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) -- A 29-year-old woman who was missing for nearly one month was found and is cooperating with law enforcement, the Round Rock Police Department said in a news release Wednesday.Shortly before midnight, Aug. 26, Yara Perez was seen leaving Divas Men's Club, 4134 Felter Ln, in Austin with two men in a black Ford Expedition. Video and images of the SUV were released Tuesday by police. Round Rock Police find vehicle in case of missing 29-year-old woman On Sept. 12, Perez's babysitter reported her missing. Then, on Wednesday, the SUV was found near Wells Branch Parkway, which is about a 25 minute drive from the men’s club where Perez was last seen, according to a spokeswoman from the police department. Police said Yara Perez, 29, was seen leaving 4134 Felter Lane in Austin just before midnight on Aug. 26. Detectives spoke with the driver of the vehicle, who said he took Perez and a man to Sixth Street in Austin and dropped them off. That was the last time he sa...