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Former ‘Smallville’ actress and high-ranking member of Nxivm group Allison Mack released from prison

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:26 GMT

(CNN) — Allison Mack, the former “Smallville” actress and high-ranking member of the cultlike group Nxivm who was sentenced to three years in prison in 2021, was released Monday, the Federal Bureau of Prisons said in online records.Mack was arrested in 2018 along with several other Nxivm leaders, including Keith Raniere, who was convicted of racketeering charges.Raniere, the founder of Nxivm, was sentenced to 120 years in prison in 2020. Mack pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges one month before Raniere’s 2019 trial was set to begin.US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis previously called Mack “an essential accomplice” and a “willing and proactive ally” of Raniere, but also said, “I don’t doubt that you were manipulated and also felt captive.”Nxivm, a company based in Albany, New York, touted “self-help” classes.But prosecutors said within the organization a secretive, female-only group was created that ult...

Scotland marks coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla with day of pageantry

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:26 GMT

London (CNN) — Scotland has concluded a day of festivities celebrating British monarch King Charles III’s recent coronation.The highlight of Wednesday’s proceedings in the capital, Edinburgh, was a service of national thanksgiving during which the King was presented with the Scottish crown jewels.Known as the “Honours of Scotland,” these regalia are Britain’s oldest crown jewels, with some parts dating back to around the early 16th century. The sword, however, is a recent commission. “The Elizabeth Sword” – named after the late Queen Elizabeth II – will be the new sword of state, replacing a sword given to James IV by Pope Julius II in 1507, due to its fragility, according to the Scottish government.The service was preceded by a “people’s procession” and a royal procession to the cathedral, and rounded off with a gun salute. A Royal Air Force flypast also featured, coloring the skies with the trails of red, white and blue.The people’s procession, which ...

40-year-old man on Cape Cod suffers ‘traumatic injuries’ from fireworks on July 4th

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:26 GMT

A 40-year-old man on Cape Cod suffered life-threatening injuries from a fireworks explosion on the Fourth of July, according to fire officials.The man reportedly sustained “traumatic injuries to his leg and hand,” the Yarmouth Fire Department reported.Firefighters responded to 18 Cocheset Path in West Yarmouth at around 7:32 p.m. on Tuesday.The man was treated and transported to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis with serious, life-threatening injuries.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Massachusetts State Police seize 64 packages of fireworks, arrest Springfield man ahead of 4th of July Crime & Public Safety | US forest managers urge Silly String instead of fireworks, but some environmentalists say not so fast Crime & Public Safety | Mayo Clinic Minute: Fireworks safety tips Crime & Public Safety | Harborfest kicks off Fourth of July celebrations in Boston Crime & Public Safety | ...

The DEA relaxed online prescribing rules during COVID. Now it wants to rein them in

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:26 GMT

Arielle Zionts | (TNS) KFF Health NewsFederal regulators want most patients to see a health care provider in person before receiving prescriptions for potentially addictive medicines through telehealth — something that hasn’t been required in more than three years.During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Drug Enforcement Administration allowed doctors and other health care providers to prescribe controlled medicine during telehealth appointments without examining the patient in person. The emergency declaration ended May 13, and in February, the agency proposed new rules that would require providers to see patients at least once in person before prescribing many of those drugs during telehealth visits.Controlled medications include many stimulants, sedatives, opioid painkillers, and anabolic steroids.Regulators said they decided to extend the current regulations — which don’t require an in-person appointment — until November 11 after receiving more than 38,000 comments on th...

The gender pay gap starts even before you get hired

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:26 GMT

Mia Gindis | Bloomberg News (TNS)Nathalie Ramirez Rojas spent the spring of her junior year at Baruch College splitting her time over two equally formidable tasks: acing her exams and scouring job boards for a paid internship in the social sciences.“I actually saw an internship when I was applying that looked perfect but when I took a closer look I realized they wanted an unpaid intern for 40 hours a week,” said Ramirez Rojas, who’s focusing her career toward mental health and hopes to work as a therapist in the future. “I thought that was insane.”Ramirez Rojas’s experience is not unique. Women are consistently overrepresented in unpaid internships, data show. A recent study of students attending four-year colleges and universities in 2022 found that two-thirds of the graduating male respondents received paid internships compared to less than half of women, despite women representing 70% of the 2,140 seniors surveyed. The research, conducted by the National Association of Colleges a...

Petco Park to be featured on episode of "The Bachelorette"

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:26 GMT

SAN DIEGO — If you watch next week's new episode of "The Bachelorette" you may recognize a familiar site.The July 10 episode of the popular reality show will see Bachelorette Charity Lawson go on a one-on-one date at the downtown ballpark, which is home to the San Diego Padres.The details of the date, and who Lawson will be taking along with her, have not yet been revealed. These concerts are coming to Petco Park this summer The Bachelorette is a reality show where one woman is matched with a group of men and gradually narrows the field of eligible bachelors in her search for "the one."Lawson is a child and family therapist from Columbus, Georgia who appeared on season 27 of "The Bachelor" before being selected as the newest Bachelorette.In addition to being the home stadium of the Padres, Petco Park also plays host to major concerts with headlining acts, the Holiday Bowl game, the Holiday Market at Petco Park, The Links at Petco Park golfing experience, Monster Jam and more.

Biden supports Sweden’s NATO bid, hosting prime minister at the White House

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden welcomed Sweden’s prime minister to the White House on Wednesday in a show of solidarity as the United States ramps up pressure for the Nordic nation’s entry into NATO ahead of the alliance’s summit next week.Biden said it was very important for Sweden to join, something that’s been held up by objections from Turkey and Hungary. NATO requires the unanimous approval of all members to expand. “You are a valued, valued friend,” the president said to Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson during brief public remarks in the Oval Office.Kristersson responded by saying that “we highly appreciate your strong support” for joining NATO.The two leaders were also expected to discuss security cooperation, Russia’s war in Ukraine and matters involving China during their private meeting. Sweden and neighbor Finland ended their longstanding policy of military nonalignment after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Both applied for NATO...

The wealthy should give more to charity, say people who stopped donating, according to a new poll

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:26 GMT

A new poll of Americans found that nearly half of those who stopped giving to charity over the past five years said they did so because they thought wealthier people could afford to give more — and should. Others said they simply could not afford to give.The survey of more than 2,100 adults across the United States, released by the Better Business Bureau’s Give.org, adds to research on the shrinking number of households that contribute to charity each year, dropping from 66% in 2000 to 49.6% in 2018. The impact of the decline became even more clear when a Giving USA report revealed donations from individuals dropped by 13.4% after inflation and led to one of the steepest declines in contributions in recent decades.Art Taylor, CEO of BBB’s Give.org, says that many nonprofits have attracted wealthy donors to their causes, and that is turning off people of more modest means who don’t think their gifts are needed.Taylor says he worries about that trend because he says an overreliance on...

Woman arrested for Toronto retail robberies, threatening people with syringe

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:26 GMT

A woman is facing several charges related to a series of Toronto retail robberies from late 2021 to 2023, during which she allegedly threatened various employees with a syringe.Toronto police responded to five robbery calls in the following areas: Church Street and Carlton Street, Jane Street and Wilson Avenue, Carlaw Avenue and Gerrard Street East, Parliament Street and Winchester Street and Broadview Avenue and Danforth Avenue.It’s alleged that in each incident, a woman would enter a store, select items and place them into bags. Police said she would start to exit the store without paying for the items. If employees approached her, she would produce a syringe and threaten them.No injuries were reported.On July 4, 2023, police arrested 32-year-old Amelia Marie Atwell of no fixed address. She’s been charged with five counts of robbery with an offensive weapon, disguise with intent and three counts of failing to comply with a release order.She appeared in court on July 5,...

Trump posted what he said was Obama’s address, prosecutors say. An armed man was soon arrested there

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform what he claimed was the home address of former President Barack Obama on the same day that a man with guns in his van was arrested near the property, federal prosecutors said Wednesday in revealing new details about the case.Taylor Taranto, 37, who prosecutors say participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, kept two firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition inside a van he had driven cross-country and had been living in, according to a Justice Department motion that seeks to keep him behind bars. On the day of his June 29 arrest, prosecutors said, Taranto reposted a Truth Social post from Trump containing what Trump claimed was Obama’s home address. In a post on Telegram, Taranto wrote: “We got these losers surrounded! See you in hell, Podesta’s and Obama’s.” That’s a reference to John Podesta, the former chair of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Democratic presidential campaign. Taranto als...