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Connecticut postmaster pleads guilty to fraud in $875,000 bribery scheme with maintenance vendor

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:25:06 GMT

DANBURY, Conn. (AP) — A former Connecticut postmaster has admitted to defrauding the U.S. Postal Service of nearly $875,000 in a scheme involving cash bribes, misuse of USPS credit cards and demands for free personal vehicle repairs.Longtime postmaster Ephrem D. Nguyen of the office in Danbury, a western Connecticut city of more than 86,700, pleaded guilty Friday to honest services wire fraud, a crime punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison. His guilty plea in the case, which remains under investigation, was announced Monday.His federal public defender declined to comment on the case.As the postmaster since 2003, Nguyen was in charge of supervising the maintenance and repair of all equipment, facilities and vehicles. Federal prosecutors said he required in November 2020 the work to be performed by a particular vendor, even though another vendor already had a contract with the Danbury post office. Nguyen then demanded the new vendor provide free repairs to his personal vehicle ...

Miniature ‘Star Wars’ X-wing gets over $3 million at auction of Hollywood model-maker’s collection

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:25:06 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — A miniature X-wing Starfighter used in a “Star Wars” film sold for over $3 million during an auction over the weekend of items both collected and created by longtime Hollywood model-maker Greg Jein.The collection amassed by Jein, who died last year at the age of 76, brought in about $13.6 million during an event at Heritage Auctions in Dallas. The auction house said that everyone from model-makers to collectors and science-fiction fans attended, making the event its best-attended in years.Joe Maddalena, Heritage’s executive vice president and a longtime friend of Jein’s, said in a news release Monday that the auction was “a profound testament to my friend as both a visual-effects master and one of the great collectors.”Jein not only had an Oscar and Emmy-nominated career making miniature models for nearly half a century, but he also spent a lifetime collecting costumes, props, scripts, artwork, photographs and models from the shows he loved.The Red Leader X-wing Starfi...

Police say 2 Swedes are fatally shot in Brussels. Premier links the attack to terrorism

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:25:06 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has linked the shooting deaths of two Swedes in central Brussels to “terrorism.”“I have just offered my sincere condolences to @SwedishPM following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels,” De Croo said. He added on X, formerly known as Twitter, “As close partners the fight against terrorism is a joint one.”Media reports aired amateur videos showing a man shooting several times near a station using a large weapon.A police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters, said the two victims were Swedes.The Swedish national soccer team was scheduled to play Belgium at Heysel Stadium later in the evening, some 3 miles (5 kilometers) away. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.BRUSSELS (AP) — Two Swedes were killed in a shooting late Monday in central Brussels, police said, prompting Belgium’s prime minister and senior C...

Belgium’s prime minister links fatal shooting of two Swedes in Brussels to “terrorism”

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:25:06 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium’s prime minister links fatal shooting of two Swedes in Brussels to “terrorism.”Source

NJ man arrested in airport parking garage shooting that killed 1 Philadelphia officer, wounded 2nd

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:25:06 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — One man has been arrested and at least two other people are being sought in an airport parking garage shooting that killed a Philadelphia police officer and injured another last week, authorities said. Yobranny Martinez Fernandez, 18, of Camden County, New Jersey, was arrested before dawn Monday in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and was being held in that state on a fugitive warrant.Authorities said Officers Richard Mendez and Raul Ortiz had just arrived at work around 11 p.m. last Thursday when they heard breaking glass and saw several people breaking into a car in the parking lot at Philadelphia International Airport. A confrontation ensued, and the two officers and one of the suspects were shot.Mendez, 50, who had been on the force for more than two decades, was shot four times and pronounced dead at a hospital. Officials said the slain officer’s handcuffs were placed on the suspect at the time of his arrest. Ortiz, a 20-year veteran of the force, was shot onc...

Albanian novelist Ismail Kadare awarded French Legion of Honor title by Macron

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:25:06 GMT

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian novelist Ismail Kadare was awarded the Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor title by French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday.Macron arrived in Tirana after a summit of European Union leaders with Western Balkan countries earlier in the day. He didn’t attend the talks because of the attack in which a teacher was fatally stabbed and three other people were wounded at a school in northern France.In a long speech describing Kadare’s different novels throughout his writing career and how he had resisted Albania’s communist government, Macron awarded the title “for his works, his courage to rise up against a dictatorial system … and a defender of freedom, a great writer of humanity.”Kadare, 87, has long been mentioned as a possible contender for the Nobel Literature Prize. He has been well-known internationally since his “The General of the Dead Army” novel was published in 1963 when Albania was governed by the communist governmen...

Bears QB Justin Fields has dislocated thumb and is doubtful to play against Raiders

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:25:06 GMT

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields will likely miss at least one game because of a dislocated right thumb, coach Matt Eberflus said Monday.Eberflus said it’s “doubtful” Fields plays this week when the Bears (1-5) host the Las Vegas Raiders after he was injured in Sunday’s 19-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Rookie Tyson Bagent figures to start in his place. Eberflus also said the Bears hired former Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Phil Snow as a defensive analyst, filling a position created after former defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned last month.Fields was hurt on Chicago’s first possession of the third quarter against Minnesota. He seemed to land awkwardly on his hand trying to throw the ball away while getting sacked by Danielle Hunter. The Bears punted on the next play, and Fields headed to the locker room.An X-ray showed no fractures. Fields underwent an MRI on Monday, and Eberflus had no timetable for Fields’ return.“It’s...

Semitruck driver killed in I-25 coal train derailment, bridge collapse

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:25:06 GMT

DENVER (AP) — A semi-trailer truck driver was killed when a train derailed and a railroad bridge collapsed onto a major highway near Pueblo, Colorado, spilling coal and mangled rail cars onto the roadway and shutting it down indefinitely, authorities said Monday. The 60-year-old driver was initially said to be trapped in the Sunday afternoon crash on Interstate 25, but authorities said Monday that he had died. It was unknown whether any other vehicles were involved, Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Gayle Perez said.Photos and videos posted by authorities showed the partially collapsed bridge with the semi-truck caught beneath in the right lane. The images also show a pileup of train cars and wheels scattered across the scene and loads of coal covering a portion of the highway.A nine-mile stretch of I-25 — the main north-south road corridor in Colorado, used by 39,000 to 44,000 vehicles daily — was shut down in what the Colorado Department of Transportation said Monday wou...

Denver International Airport plans to move rental cars to new facility

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:25:06 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Travelers at Denver International Airport will have a new location to get rental cars in the future. The airport on Monday announced plans for a new facility that will be home to all on-site rental companies.The consolidated rental car facility (ConRAC) will be located along 78th Avenue, north of Peña Boulevard and east of Jackson Gap Road. What happens when you lose an item at Denver International Airport? It depends It will be situated in the area where Peña Boulevard turns from running south away from the terminals to westbound into the city. An employee lot currently sits in the area and will be moved, the airport said in the announcement.The project will not begin for at least another year. The airport expects to have a Request for Proposals, or similar process, ready by late 2024.An illustration showing the planned Consolidated Rental Car Facility at Denver International Airport, released by the airport in October 2023. (Image provided by DIA)Today, the airpo...

I-25 north of Pueblo still closed in both directions after train derailment

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:25:06 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Following a train derailment that occurred on Sunday afternoon, Interstate 25 remained closed in both directions just north of Pueblo on Monday morning. The BNSF Railway train derailed on a bridge over I-25 near mile markers 106 and 107 around 3:25 p.m. on Sunday.Colorado State Patrol said both directions of I-25 would be closed for an extended period of time because of the 12-car train crash and coal on the road. Train derails on I-25 near Pueblo, interstate closed If you're heading southbound, FOX31's Drew Engelbart recommends taking Exit 110 onto a country road parallel to I-25. It's a dirt road which will add about 15-30 minutes to the commute.Northbound will take 30 minutes to an hour longer than your normal commute. You'll be rerouted to Exit 106 and take Highway 50 all the way out west to Highway 115, then back onto I-25.Engelbart expects a multi-day closure.