A federal jury has awarded more than $34 million to Kirstin Blaise Lobato, who served nearly 16 years in a Nevada state prison for a 2001 killing in Las Vegas she did not commit. No physical evidence tied her to the crime. Police officers testified in her original trial that she twice confessed to the crime, but attorneys in her lawsuit said those confessions were faked. After the Nevada Supreme Court threw out her conviction in 2002, Lobato was tried and convicted again in 2006. But in 2017, the Innocence Project presented expert testimony questioning the estimated time of the victim's death presented by the prosecution. The experts argued that based on the state of the body when it was discovered, the death happened during a period when Lobato was no longer in the city. Based on that evidence, a court vacated her sentence. The Clark County District Attorney's Office later dropped all charges against her.
A U.S. Department of Justice report found that the police department in Mount Vernon, New York, had a policy of routinely strip searching everyone it arrested. The report also found that officers would often strip search people it didn't arrest, frequently detained and interrogated people it did not arrest, and detained people without probable cause. Officers also arrested people for criticizing them. Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard said in a statement that the city is working with the Justice Department to correct those issues.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Benza III faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law for beating a man who gave him the finger. According to court documents, Benza abandoned a domestic disturbance call when he saw Emmett Brock flip him off. He followed Brock's car for 1.8 miles, reaching speeds over 50 mph, without ever attempting to stop him. During that time, Benza called another officer saying the driver had flipped him off and that he planned to use force against him. When Brock pulled into a 7-Eleven parking lot, Benza approached and said he'd just stopped him. When Brock said he hadn't been stopped, Benza threw him to the ground and repeatedly punched him. Brock was charged with three felonies and, as a result, he lost his job as a teacher; the charges were later dropped when the Los Angeles Times posted video of the encounter. Several sergeants directed Benza not to include the real reason he stopped Brock in his incident report. A sheriff's office investigation previously cleared Benza of violating policy in the incident, but a spokesman now says there will be a new administrative investigation. It isn't clear if any of the other deputies mentioned in court filings face charges. The sheriff's office spokesman said other employees could potentially face discipline after it concludes a new investigation.
Volunteers in western North Carolina trying to help people left homeless by Hurricane Helene say local building officials are standing in their way by requiring permits for temporary shelters. "The red tape is an issue, now I can tell you, our organization, and I'm 100% okay telling you this, we have been operating on the premise of forgiveness not permission," said one volunteer. Another volunteer said that to get around the permitting process, they are building insulated buildings with no plumbing or electricity that legally qualify as sheds instead of houses. "They are something they are going to be able to keep when they're back in their homes if they opt to live in it—that's between them and the county, but we're giving them a shed," he said.
When Courtney Teague called Atlanta 311, a number for non-emergency city services, she did not know that the person answering the call was working from home or that the person was livestreaming the call. But a few minutes later, she got a call from a woman in Chicago who'd been watching the livestream telling her she'd heard all of the personal information Teague provided to the city employee. An Atlanta city spokesman told a local TV reporter that after officials were alerted to the problem, the employee was removed from answering calls and no longer works for the city.
In Pennsylvania, the Delaware County Council voted 4–1 to raise property taxes by 23 percent. The council hiked taxes 5 percent last year. Council members cited rising costs and flat revenues as the reason for the tax increase, saying it was needed to fund essential projects. The county government has a budget of about $397 million.
BeTreylin Elder, a teacher at Georgia's DeRenne Middle School, has resigned after being caught on video tossing an 11-year-old student across the classroom. The boy reportedly confronted Elder after the teacher made sexual remarks about his mother. No charges have been filed against Elder.
Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth fired Gen. Charles Hamilton for improperly intervening in the process to select battalion commanders to help a subordinate officer who was found unfit for command. This is the first time since 2005 that a four-star Army general has been fired. Hamilton lobbied officers on the board to pass the subordinate, a lieutenant colonel whom he had a friendly relationship with. When that panel rejected her by a 5–0 vote, he got her a second panel two days later—something that Military.com reported has never happened before unless there was an administrative failure. She failed the second panel but was placed on the list for command anyway. Wormuth removed her after Hamilton's actions were first reported.
Emergency dispatchers in parts of England have been told to ask some people requesting ambulance service to come to the hospital on their own. An internal memo from the West Midlands Ambulance Service directs dispatchers to ask patients with severe abdominal pain, who have fallen, or who are vomiting to bring themselves to the emergency room. It says that during periods of high demands, the dispatchers should also ask people who may be having a stroke or heart attack or have suffered major burns to come to the hospital themselves. Officials cited high demand for ambulance services and long response times as the reasons for the change.
San Francisco officials estimate the city will lose 14,000 parking places—5 percent of its total—when a new state law takes effect Jan. 1, 2025. The law bars anyone from parking on the street within 20 feet of a crosswalk. Sponsors say the law will improve pedestrian safety. It did not include funding for local governments to remove parking meters or to mark the zones as "no parking."
Leigha Lemoine has sued South Carolina's Horry-Georgetown Technical College, claiming it violated her First Amendment rights. The college suspended Lemoine from its cosmetology program for one year and issued her a no-trespass notice, saying she violated student code by "engaging in any activity that disrupts the educational process of the college." Lemoine posted in a Snapchat group chat that a person who disrespected her should "get blasted." The person she was referring to was not associated with the college, but others in the chat were, and at least one reported the comment to administrators. At first, the school ruled the comment was acceptable, but it later suspended her after finding an unrelated Instagram post from before she was enrolled that showed her firing a handgun. Nicole Hyman, a school spokeswoman, said in a statement, "While the College respects all individuals' rights, including their rights to freedom of expression, the College's priority is to ensure the well-being and security of the entire campus community."
Sandy Snakenberg, a San Diego street performer whose act involves blowing bubbles, was performing in a park when two park rangers cited him for "littering in bubble form." Video shows one of the rangers telling Snakenberg that he will cite him again if he continues to perform and recommend that prosecutors handle it as a misdemeanor instead of a lesser offense. But the ranger added he's not eager to do that, saying he would "feel like the biggest idiot taking this to court."
A student at Missouri's Liberty Middle School was suspended for three days after posting a photo online of Dr. Pepper cans he had laid in the shape of a rifle. The district superintendent said there was "enough information to believe the video has caused fear to at least one student and understandably so."
U.S. Postal Service employee Saahir Irby was charged with mail theft. Irby worked at the Philadelphia Processing and Distribution Center, which processes both outbound U.S. Treasury checks and those marked "return to sender." Officials say Irby stole 112 checks during a single work shift.
(Illustration: Peter Bagge)
When freshmen at North Carolina's Riverside High School received their school-issued Chromebooks for the recent school year, the laptops—which had been stored in the school's storage shed over the summer—were infested with bed bugs. The school asked students to return the devices and recommended that parents inspect their homes for bugs.
Some Utah sheriffs say new rules would impose heavy burdens on volunteer search and rescue teams. The sheriffs say the rules, proposed by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, would require at least 690 additional hours of training for some crews, much of it for scenarios that backcountry crews aren't going to encounter, such as active shooters, structural fires, drug overdoses, and exposure to hazardous materials.
Susie Holland's car was impounded, and she faces $30,000 in potential fines, for giving people rides to the Burning Man festival. The 61-year-old was among more than a dozen people caught in a sting by Nevada transportation officials and charged with violating a state law requiring a certificate to transport people for money.
(Illustration: Peter Bagge)
Welsh farmer Howard Walters was sentenced to 12 months' probation and ordered to pay 3,500 pounds ($4,568) after a neighbor videotaped him allowing one of his grandchildren to ride in the cab of his tractor with him. Walters was already under an official warning from the Health and Safety Executive after he admitted to allowing his grandchildren to ride with him in his tractor.
The Scottish government is considering a ban on alcoholic beverage logos on merchandise and glassware. The proposal would bar brewery or alcoholic brand logos on T-shirts, pint glasses, and pub umbrellas, among other objects. Officials say it is aimed at reducing alcohol abuse.
Nadine Jean Baptiste, a supervisor at the Rhode Island Department of Human Services, and her daughter, Octavia Jean Baptiste, face federal charges including illegal acquisition or use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Prosecutors say Nadine Jean Baptiste used her position to steal the personal information of people who receive SNAP benefits on preloaded debit cards, which both she and her daughter used to make more than $191,000 in grocery purchases for themselves.
Brazilian military police officer Luan Felipe Alves has been arrested after he was caught on video throwing a man, who did not appear to be resisting, over the side of a bridge. Alves told a court he meant to throw the man to the ground, not over the bridge. The man reportedly survived the fall, but police said they have not been able to find him.
Authorities in Forsyth County, Georgia, have charged U.S. Postal Service carrier Darrell Cox with DUI, possession of an open container violation, and hit and run. Deputies first responded to a call about a postal truck crashing into a SUV and leaving the scene. While talking to the driver of the SUV, they got a report of a postal truck being driven erratically. They spotted the truck and pulled over and arrested Cox.
In England, Natalie Walton got a ticket in the mail at her parents' home in Kent. The ticket assessed a £75 fine ($95.63 U.S.) for littering, after an officer saw her drop a cigarette in nearby Swanscombe. But Walton says she doesn't smoke and has never visited Swanscombe. She also hasn't lived in that house for three years; she now lives over 150 miles away, in Staffordshire—which is where she was on the day she was said to have littered. She appealed the ticket, producing bank records of the shopping she did in Staffordshire that day. Officials said that on further review, a photo of the woman who dropped the cigarette doesn't look like Walton after all.
Kevin O'Rourke, a 64-year-old Canadian man, has been sentenced to life in prison for possession of cannabis and CBD products. O'Rourke was stopped and searched in the Dubai International Airport while traveling to South Africa. Authorities detained him after finding 118 grams of cannabis, CBD, and CBD oil. O'Rourke's wife says he suffers from Addison's disease, a condition in which the adrenal glands don't produce enough of some hormones, and the cannabis products are prescribed by his physician for controlling the pain.
David Braff Jr., an assistant principal at a California middle school, has been charged with 17 felony counts of "lewd acts" on children. Prosecutors say Braff molested eight students between the ages of six and 10 when he was a counselor at McKevett Elementary School from 2015 to 2019.
In Israel, former police officer Aviah Stamkar has been sentenced to seven years in prison for sexually assaulting three women he met through his work. The assaults took place after the women reached out to police for help. Stamkar must also pay financial compensation to the women.
Former Dallas SWAT officer Ryan Mabry has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault for firing "less lethal" ammunition and wounding a protester who lost an eye during the 2020 protests following the death of George Floyd. Mabry faces up to a year in jail and must give up his police certification.
A former Australian police officer faces up to 25 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of manslaughter in the death of a 95-year-old woman with dementia. Clare Nowland lived in a New South Wales nursing home, where staff called police because she had a knife. Officer Kristian White and another officer tried for about three minutes to get her to drop the knife, before White said "bugger it" and used his Taser on her. Nowland fell and struck her head. She died about a week later from an inoperable brain bleed.
The family of a man shot and killed by Las Vegas police officer Alexander Bookman want him fired and charged in the shooting. Brandon Durham called 911 saying a former romantic partner had broken into his house. Bookman, the responding officer, arrived to find Durham struggling with the intruder over a knife. Body camera footage showed Bookman shout at them to drop the knife, then fire one round. Durham and the woman both fell to the floor. Bookman then walked over and fired five more shots as he stood over them. He is on paid leave while the department investigates the shooting.*
CORRECTION: This article originally misstated the nature of the break-in and the officer's actions. It has been updated to clarify Durham's relationship with the intruder and that only Durham was shot.
Officials in Cook County, Illinois, sold Robin McElroy's house for unpaid property taxes. On top of that, they said she owed three years of rent to the person who bought the house. But McElroy has paid her taxes every year since she bought the house in 2012 and has the paperwork to back it up. In 2019, the county assured her in a letter that there were "no grounds to proceed with a sale" and that the record of her house had been swapped with her neighbor's on the assessor's website, with her taxes applied to that property by mistake. In fact, CBS News Chicago found the number was never corrected and her taxes continued to apply to the wrong property. After the TV station reached out to the assessor's office, it finally corrected the number. Officials said they are trying to resolve the situation.
Former Santa Cruz County, Arizona, Elizabeth Gutfahr faces up to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to embezzlement by a public official, money laundering, and tax evasion. Gutfahr stole more than $38 million in county funds between 2012 and 2024. She used the money to buy at least 20 cars, renovate ranches she owns, and pay other personal expenses for herself and her family. She must also pay restitution to Santa Cruz County and federal taxes of $13,143,526.
Former Los Angeles police officer Juan Anthony Carrillo was sentenced to a year in prison after pleading guilty to depriving a person's rights under the color of law. Carrillo arrived to assist another officer who had detained a man walking on the grounds of the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center at 4 a.m. Prosecutors say the man was holding a clear glass pipe that the officer suspected was drug paraphernalia. Carrillo struck the man with his baton 45 times in about 41 seconds, leaving the man with cuts on both legs and a broken bone in his foot. Carrillo, who was about 60 pounds heavier than the man, continued to beat him even after he was completely still.
In Scotland, Nigel Carter collected 500 bicycles to send to Sudan, for people who need access to cheap transportation. But the Scottish Environment Protection Agency blocked the shipment after an inspector deemed the bikes unfit for use because some of them needed repairs. Carter said the bikes had only minor damage such as rust, broken brake cables, and chains that needed to be oiled. He also said that the charity he is working with in Sudan is aware of their condition. If Carter can't ship the bikes to Sudan, he said he may have to scrap them.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has charged former McNairy County sheriff's deputy Connor Brackin with seven counts of aggravated animal cruelty and eight counts of reckless endangerment. Brackin, who was reportedly responding to an animal welfare call, went to a couple's home while they were at dinner and shot and killed seven of the couple's eight dogs. According to the affidavit, Brackin fired his service weapon into campers where some of the dogs were being contained. Brackin resigned from the sheriff's office after he was arrested.
In California, the Carlsbad City Council has banned smoking and vaping in apartments, condos, and other multiunit residential buildings. Starting in January, residents cannot light up, even on their own balconies and decks. Officials say that police don't have the resources to enforce the law, but landlords and neighbors will be able to take legal action against those who violate the ban.
In Norwood, Massachusetts, 12-year-old Danny Doherty set up a homemade ice cream stand to raise money for the Boston Bear Cubs, a hockey team for children with disabilities on which his brother plays. But after just a few days and only 20 customers, Doherty got a letter from the city ordering him to shut down. State health rules allow the sale of lemonade and homemade baked goods but not homemade ice cream. City officials say they shut down the stand only after receiving complaints and insisted they had legitimate health concerns because homemade ice cream might be contaminated by bacteria.
A law allowing the city of Buffalo, New York, to collect amusement license fees from local music venues has been on the books since 1927, but the city didn't begin attempting to collect the money until this year. The fees are charged per event, based on the price of tickets; some venue owners said fees could cost between $10,000 and $25,000 per year, while larger venues said the fees could cost them as much as $100,000 annually. City council members said they were caught off guard by the move and paused the effort.
(Illustration: Peter Bagge)
Officials banned snakes and other reptiles from the iconic Atlantic City boardwalk from Memorial Day through Labor Day. For several summers, Jason Wilson has allowed visitors on the boardwalk to pet and hold his Burmese pythons, which he says has been educational and helped ease people's fears of snakes. Councilmembers expressed concern about how safe it is to let snakes interact with the public.
In Wales, Michael O'Brien spent 11 years and 43 days in prison for murder. A U.K. appellate court eventually tossed out his conviction after all the witnesses recanted their testimony and an investigation found that investigating officers committed more than 100 breaches of law or department policy. O'Brien received more than 600,000 pounds ($784,896) in compensation from the government for his wrongful conviction. But the government first deducted 37,000 pounds ($48,402) for food and lodging, for the time he spent in prison.
The U.S. Secret Service apologized after agents assigned to protect Vice President Kamala Harris broke into a Massachusetts hair salon, taped over the security camera, used its restroom, invited people from other agencies to use the restroom, and left two hours later without locking the door. The agency initially denied the break-in, saying its agents would never do anything like that, before officials later admitted that agents were indeed responsible.
After protesters sprayed red paint and set off smoke devices at the Los Angeles home of a prominent Jewish civic leader, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto told the police chief to assert that Ricci Sergienko was involved in the protest. Officers said Sergienko, a member of a left-wing activist group that has long been critical of Feldstein Soto, could not be identified in footage from the scene, and members of her staff admitted that she may have implicated him without probable cause.
Pakistani police have arrested constable Mohammad Wali in connection with a 2023 suicide bombing at a mosque in a police complex in Peshawar. The bombing killed 101 people—mostly police officers—and injured 250 others. Officials said Wali is a member of the Pakistani Taliban and provided the bomber with a police uniform and a map of the compound.
California clean air regulations may ban the sale of new motor homes in the state of Washington. How so? In 2020, Washington lawmakers passed a law requiring the state to follow California's zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) rules. In October, the California Air Resources Board voted to ban manufacturers from selling gas- or diesel-powered vehicles over 8,500 pounds unless they first meet the ZEV sales targets. One RV dealer told KIRO Newsradio he didn't know of any manufacturers that even have an electric vehicle program.
The U.S. Justice Department has charged former Florissant, Missouri, police officer Julian Alcala with 20 counts of deprivation of rights and one count of destroying records in a federal investigation. Prosecutors said that during traffic stops Alcala would take women's phones, telling them it was to confirm their insurance coverage or vehicle registration. But he actually searched the phones for nude images, which he would then photograph on his own phone. In a separate case in the same court, the feds have charged former Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper David McKnight with nine counts of deprivation of rights and one count of destroying records. Prosecutors said McKnight would do the exact same thing: take phones from women he stopped, search for nude images, and photograph them with his phone.
An Oklahoma City police officer has been placed on paid leave pending investigation of an incident in which he slammed 70-year-old Lich Vu to the ground, reportedly causing a fractured neck, a brain bleed, and memory loss. Video shows the officer telling Vu that he was being issued a ticket for an improper U-turn. Vu, who appears not to understand English very well, refuses to sign the ticket. The officer says he'll take Vu to jail if he doesn't sign the ticket. Vu gets out of the car and the two continue to argue. At one point, Vu appears to tell the officer to "shut up" and taps the officer's chest with the back of his fingers, which prompts the officer to slam him to the ground.
Effective January 1, 2025, New York will ban hotels with 50 or more rooms from providing guests with bottles of shampoo and conditioner. Hotels that violate the law will be fined $250 for the first violation and $500 for each additional violation. Supporters of the law say it will reduce plastic pollution.
Marcella Cadle, a high school agricultural science teacher in Lebanon, Missouri, has been charged with two counts of possession of child pornography, three counts of furnishing pornographic material to a minor, and one count of fourth-degree assault. According to police, a student said Cadle texted him that he "looked good that day and she liked the way he dressed." They texted for several days before Cadle requested a selfie, which the student sent. Police said Cadle then sent the student several inappropriate photos and a video of herself.
A court in Liverpool sentenced Andrew Talbot, a former officer with the Greater Manchester Police, to 19 years in prison after finding him guilty of multiple charges, including misconduct in public office and supplying Class A drugs. Prosecutors said Talbot stole 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds) of cocaine from the evidence room, valued at £400,000 ($508,770), then used the police database to find local drug dealers so he could sell it. He was discovered when he accidentally dropped a bag of cocaine outside his daughter's school.
A grand jury in Hamilton County, Tennessee has indicted school bus driver Brandy Renee Smith for reckless driving, four counts of child abuse, and nine counts of reckless endangerment. When students on Smith's bus were being too loud, she reportedly slammed the brakes while driving, causing some to hit their heads. At least three students were taken to the hospital and diagnosed with minor concussions.
In England, Lincolnshire Police Superintendent Fran Harrod says officers won't arrest drivers who don't pay for gasoline because they might not be "having a great day." She advised gas station owners to instead pursue civil action against the thieves, which would get them their money back "within a matter of weeks." Harrod was responding to Kavita Pilani, the owner of a station who said she has had 50 drive-off thefts in six months that are killing her business.
Former U.S. Capitol Police officer Thomas Smith was sentenced to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to deprivation of rights under color of law. In June 2020, Smith was patrolling the homes of members of Congress in the Georgetown area, when according to court documents, he started pursuing two motorcycles at a high rate of speed without running his lights. Prosecutors said Smith swerved his patrol car into one of the motorcycles, knocking the driver into the air and onto the asphalt. According to the indictment, Smith then left the injured driver unconscious on the ground, did not file a report on the incident, and falsified police records to cover up his actions.
Former Easton, Maryland, police Sgt. Jason Dyott was sentenced to four years in prison, with all but six months suspended, and three years of probation after being convicted of two counts of official misconduct. The court found that in 2022, Dyott had sex with two teenage girls in his patrol car while on duty.
In Texas, former Missouri City police officer Blademir Viveros has been charged with two counts of manslaughter and one count of aggravated assault. Prosecutors said Viveros was responding to a robbery call but did not have his emergency lights on when he T-boned a vehicle driven by Angela Stewart. Stewart and her teenage son, who was a passenger in her vehicle, died at the scene.
Edmonton Police Service Constable Hunter Robinz has pleaded guilty to one count of breach of trust. Robinz repeatedly made sexual advances to female crime victims he met through his work, sending them sexual messages and even showing up at the home of at least one of the women.
Former Wilmington, Delaware, police officer Samuel Waters has been sentenced to probation after being found guilty of assault, official misconduct, and evidence tampering. Security video showed Waters enter a convenience store and confront Dwayne Brown, who had just made a purchase. Within seconds, Waters smashed Brown's head into a plexiglass wall several times. Prosecutors said nothing in the video justified that level of force. They also said Waters' description of the incident in his report differed from video evidence. Brown was initially charged with harassment and resisting arrest, but those charges were later dropped.
Michael Kenyon has sued the Phoenix Police Department after officers held him on hot asphalt for several minutes in July 2024, on a day that temperatures reached 114 degrees. Kenyon received third-degree burns on his legs, chest, arms, and face, and he had to be hospitalized for more than a month. Police had initially arrested him on a charge of theft but later determined he was not a suspect in that case. Hours after a local TV station asked about the lawsuit, officials charged Kenyon in connection with a March 2024 domestic incident involving his brother. His lawyer says the timing of those charges is "certainly suspicious."
Former, Memphis, Tennessee, police officer Arica Hutchison was sentenced to six months in prison plus two years supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit theft from a program receiving federal funds. The program in question was Crime Stoppers, which rewards people who provide information leading to an arrest in a crime. According to court documents, Hutchison entered false information into department databases and listed an accomplice as a tipster, after which she fraudulently obtained $18,500 from the program for the fake tips. Hutchison must also pay $22,000 in restitution, get a mental health assessment and counseling, take a financial literacy class, and undergo substance abuse and alcohol treatment.
When campaigning for office earlier this year, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised the Labour Party would not raise taxes on "working people." But he was cagey about exactly who the "working people" are. Now, Starmer says those who own assets such as property or shares in companies don't fit his definition of "working people." A spokesperson later clarified that people who own small amounts of stock could be working people and Starmer was referring to people who primarily earn their income from assets.
In Washington, former Leona Libby Middle School teacher Rosalinda Torres has been charged with unlawful imprisonment for locking a 14-year-old student in her classroom and forcing him to pray with her for more than an hour. Torres reportedly told the boy's mother that he had been disrespectful to her. According to court documents, the student stayed after class to apologize, but she locked the door and said he could not leave until they prayed. When the student said he was not religious, she called him "Satanas," which means Satan in Spanish.
In the United Kingdom, the Labour Party government has proposed changes to the Employment Rights Bill that would make employers liable if their employees are offended by customers or the public. Pub owners say this will turn them into "banter cops," trying to stop customers from telling jokes or making off-color remarks that may offend their staff. Academics say that universities and other venues will become less likely to book controversial speakers and artists for fear of being sued for remarks those people or members of the audience might make.
Liam West-Campau has filed a lawsuit against Wayne County, Michigan; Sheriff Raphael Washington; Chief of Jails Robert Dunlap; and several unnamed jail staffers. West-Campau claims he was held in jail for six days after his court-ordered release because jail staff did not know where he had been placed. Spokespeople for the sheriff's department and the county said they had not yet been served. But the Detroit Free Press reports that problems at the jail are common, including inmates being held after they are supposed to be released.
When Kelly Titchenell of Greene County, Pennsylvania, called 911 to report that her mother was unresponsive and turning yellow, dispatcher Leon Price at first agreed to send an ambulance but then repeatedly said he needed her mother's consent, even though she could not speak. He never sent an ambulance, and Titchenell's mother died the next day from internal bleeding.
(Illustration: Peter Bagge)
A Georgia grand jury indicted Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard on 24 felony counts amid allegations that she spent nearly $4,200 of taxpayer money on herself and family members, which included using the funds to have her dog cremated. Woodard remained in office nearly two more months before resigning.
Myanmar's military government has arrested at least 62 people for selling rice above the maximum mandated price. One of the people arrested—supermarket executive Hiroshi Kasamatsu—was sentenced to a year in prison.
Saying the link between height and success is significant, Vietnam National University, Hanoi's School of Management and Business said it would not allow female students under 1.58 meters tall (5'2") and male students under 1.65 meters (5'5") to enroll. Following a public outcry, the school removed height requirements for all degree programs except management and security.
Memphis, Tennessee, lost $773,000 in a phishing scam, but city officials did not disclose the loss until a local media outlet asked about it two years later. Officials say they received and paid an invoice from someone claiming to be a regular vendor, and by the time they discovered the error, the time period to reclaim the money had expired.
(Illustration: Peter Bagge)
An Italian court ordered journalist Giulia Cortese to pay Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni 5,000 euros ($5,500) after she posted a fake photo of Meloni with late Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on social media. The court also handed Cortese a suspended fine of 1,200 euros ($1,312) for another post it deemed "body shaming," in which she told Meloni, "you're only 1.2 metres [4 feet] tall."
(Illustration: Peter Bagge)
An audit found that Warren Tyler Agner, who oversaw business development programs at Utah State University Eastern, did not show up to work for two years but still received $157,470 in salary and benefits. The audit also found that administrators knew about his absences but did nothing: Agner was friends with his supervisor, as well as the two administrators further up the chain of command. He even lived with his supervisor's supervisor, though neither disclosed this to the school.
When David O'Connor went to renew his Tennessee driver's license, officials not only refused to renew it but canceled his existing driver's license, citing a state law prohibiting licenses for noncitizens. O'Connor was born in Canada, where his parents—both U.S. citizens—were living temporarily, but he has been a U.S. citizen since birth: His Navy discharge papers say so, and he receives Social Security benefits. But since he was born in Canada, officials assumed he was Canadian and refused to believe otherwise; their only recommendation was that he apply for U.S. citizenship.
