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Court rules in favor of victim’s family in ‘Serial’ case

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:37:51 GMT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A Maryland court did not give the family of the murder victim in the case chronicled in the hit podcast “Serial” enough time to attend a court hearing in person that led to Adnan Syed’s release, a Maryland appellate court ruled Tuesday, and it ordered a new hearing to be held.Though Syed’s conviction has been reinstated, he will not be taken back into custody.In a 2-1 decision, the Appellate Court of Maryland ruled the state’s law provides victims with the right to prior notice of the hearing on a motion to vacate convictions, and that right was violated in the case of the family of Hae Min Lee, Syed’s ex-girlfriend and high school classmate who died more than two decades ago.The court ruled that giving her brother, Young Lee, only one business day before the hearing was “insufficient time to reasonably allow Mr. Lee, who lived in California, to attend the hearing in person,” and required him to attend the hearing remotely.“Allowin...

Nets rule Ben Simmons out for season with goal of rehabbing back

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:37:51 GMT

The Nets have ruled embattled star forward Ben Simmons out for the remainder of the year, head coach Jacque Vaughn said after Nets practice on Tuesday, ending a months-long charade revolving around the status of the oft-injured former All-Star.Simmons had missed all 17 games coming out of the Feb. 15-24 NBA All-Star break due to a combination of left knee and lower back soreness. The Nets announced Simmons would be out due to a nerve impingement on March 24, followed by Vaughn’s definitive ruling of out for the remainder of the season and the playoffs on Tuesday.“After consulting with our doctors, multiple specialists, he’s just gonna begin a rehab program,” he said as players cleared the courts at the HSS Training Facility in Industry City after Nets practice. “Our doctors and the specialists feel and think that he’ll have a full recovery, so that starts now.”Vaughn said surgery has not been discussed as an option for Simmons, who has under...

Apple rolls out buy now, pay later service, with guardrails

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:37:51 GMT

By CORA LEWIS (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Apple is getting into the buy now, pay later space with a few tweaks to the existing model — including no option to pay with a credit card. The company will roll out the product to some consumers this spring, and will begin reporting the loans to credit bureaus in the fall.Here’s what you need to know.Since the start of the pandemic, the option to “buy now, pay later” has skyrocketed in popularity, especially among young and low-income consumers who may not have ready access to traditional credit.If you shop online for clothes or furniture, sneakers or concert tickets, you’ve seen the option at checkout to break the cost into smaller installments over time. Companies like Afterpay, Affirm, Klarna, and Paypal already offer the service, typically with late fees for missed payments and the option to use a credit card or bank account to make installment payments.Apple’s version, which is integrated...

League-worst crunch-time offense to blame for Nets’ struggles

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:37:51 GMT

The Nets own the worst crunch-time offense in the league.If you’re looking for a reason why the Nets have lost six of their last seven games, look no further than their inability to generate offense under pressure.Four of Brooklyn’s last six losses have been decided in the game’s final minutes, with the most notable meltdown occurring in the second of back-to-back games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, where the Nets held an eight-point lead with under three minutes left and lost thanks to a series of blunders on a game-winning shot by Isaac Okoro.Crunch time is defined as the final five minutes of any game with a margin of five or fewer points. The Nets have played in eight crunch-time games since the trade deadline when they sent both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving out West for Spencer Dinwiddie, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, each of whom were immediately inserted into the starting lineup.The Nets are 2-6 in those games and are only averaging...

AP sources: Harris/Rales group submits bid for Commanders

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:37:51 GMT

By ROB MAADDI and STEPHEN WHYNO (AP Sports Writers)PHOENIX (AP) — A group led by Josh Harris and Mitchell Rales has submitted a fully financed bid for the NFL’s Washington Commanders, according to two people with knowledge of the situation.The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because details of the bid have not been publicly announced.The Harris/Rales group, which includes basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, is one of multiple suitors interested in purchasing the Commanders. Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta and Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos also have been in the running.ESPN reported the Harris/Rales group submitted the bid at Snyder’s $6 billion asking price. Snyder had yet to accept an offer when the league’s finance committee met Monday so his future wasn’t openly discussed.“The information is very little to none in terms of the 31 of us (owners), and probably even the league office rig...

Vietnam vets reflect on war as 50th anniversary is marked

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:37:51 GMT

Every morning at 8 a.m., retired Navy Capt. Eric Jensen raises a large American flag on a tall pole secured with an anchor in front of his Laguna Beach home in California. When Old Glory unfurls, so does the Navy flag.“I raise the flags in memory of my best friend, Robin Pearce, and all the other veterans that didn’t come home,” Jensen said. “Some gave some, some gave it all, but everybody did their part.”The daily ritual is cathartic for Jensen, who said he spent 23 years internalizing his emotions after coming home from Vietnam, where he was a combat pilot with Attack Squadron 82 aboard the USS Coral Sea aircraft carrier.It took him decades, he said, to learn “there is a life.” He now proudly puts his Navy service out there, and with therapy, he’s realized his time in the Vietnam War is “nothing to be ashamed of.”The 80-year-old flew 113 combat missions over Laos, South Vietnam and North Vietnam in 1969 and 1970 after joining the Navy Reserves and then going into active duty for 1...

Boston redistricting fight is back — now in federal court

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:37:51 GMT

The City Council’s dirty laundry is back flapping in the wind, this time in federal court, as what will be a multi-day hearing kicked off over whether a judge should step in and scrap the new Boston redistricting map.City Councilor Michael Flaherty on Tuesday spent around three hours on the stand as a witness for the plaintiffs — who are technically suing him in the case of Walters et al v the Boston City Council in an effort to scuttle the map the body passed in November.“Basically all the rules were out the door,” said Flaherty of the stretch run of the redistricting process.The redistricting cycle that will never die continues, for now, in the arguments in this case.Basically, the plaintiffs — a handful of people who live in the districts around which the two sides are at odds — are arguing that in the deliberations, the council focused on racial makeups in the South Boston, Dorchester and Mattapan districts in a way that was inappropriate and that there were some procedural viol...

Alberta Energy Regulator to launch third-party probe of Kearl oilsands tailings leak

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:37:51 GMT

EDMONTON — The Alberta Energy Regulator says it’s looking for an investigator to dig into a release of oilsands tailings water that wasn’t made public for nine months. In a statement released Tuesday, the regulator said it’s seeking a “qualified, impartial, third-party body” to consider how it notified First Nations, governments and other stakeholders about two releases at Imperial Oil’s Kearl oilsands mine north of Fort McMurray, Alta.Although Imperial notified the agency in May of discoloured water near one of the tailings ponds, area First Nations were not kept apprised of the ongoing investigation. Nor were the federal, Alberta and Northwest Territories governments. The seepage wasn’t reported until nine months later after another 5.3 million litres of tailings escaped from a containment pond.“I have been in regular contact with (the regulator’s) CEO Laurie Pushor, and he assures me he welcomes this third-party review both as...

US, Russia stop sharing nuke data under faltering New START

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:37:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Russia have stopped sharing biannual nuclear weapons data under the faltering New START treaty, the last arms control pact between the two countries, U.S. officials said Tuesday.Officials at the White House, Pentagon and State Department said the U.S. had offered to continue providing this information to Russia even after President Vladimir Putin suspended Russia’s participation in the treaty last month, but Moscow informed Washington that it would not be sharing its own data. “Because of Russia’s noncompliance with these obligations under the treaty, the United States will not provide its biannual data exchange to Russia either, in order to encourage Russia to return to compliance with the treaty,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.The White House, which has previously accused Russia of multiple violations of the treaty, has said Russia’s refusal to comply is “legally invalid” and the decision to withhold the nuclea...

Indigenous youth hope dance performance inspires next generation

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:37:51 GMT

Indigenous youth from remote communities in Manitoba and Ontario are in Winnipeg this week preparing for a dance performance of a lifetime.Twenty-seven Indigenous dancers are learning a new choreography for their “Future Leaders Dance.”They will perform the dance May 12-13 in Toronto for the 16th annual Indigenous Youth Performance.The event is organized by Indigenous-led program Outside Looking In, which gives Indigenous youth the chance to learn how to dance in exchange for high school credits.Program manager Lindy Kinoshameg says the dance they are learning is about Indigenous injustice.“They are learning about injustice and how widespread it is,” said Kinoshameg. “It is important for the youth to understand this and find a way to move through it and move past it. How can they make a difference in the world around them.”Kinoshameg says all the dancers are supporting one another through this journey to becoming future leaders in the community.“Outside Looking In” progr...