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Outrage after Italian court clears janitor of groping teen because contact was under 10 seconds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

ROME (AP) — Italians are using social media to denounce a court verdict clearing a school janitor of a sexual assault charge for groping a 17-year-old student because it only lasted “around five/10 seconds.”The teenager said the man came up from behind her as she was pulling up her trousers while walking with a friend up the stairs in a Rome high school, and slipped his hand beneath her underpants, according to court documents. Pulling on the undergarments, he then lifted her slightly in the air. He admitted to groping her in the April 2022 incident but claimed it was a joke.A court in Rome ruled last week that the groping was ‘just a few seconds” and wasn’t sexual, and that it was so brief that his argument that it was a joke was convincing even if “inopportune.”The verdict will be appealed, the teen's lawyer, Andrea Buitoni, told The Associated Press. Italian law allows acquittals to be appealed by both the prosecutor and the defense. Arizona Republican’s ‘colored people’ remark...

Dean's Weekender: Big Time Rush, Windy City Smokeout and more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

Check out Dean's Weekender for the latest events coming to the Chicagoland area this weekend.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

These Powerball numbers have been drawn the most since the last jackpot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - The Powerball jackpot has again grown, reaching well over $800 million ahead of the next drawing. That means millions of tickets could be sold, all to players hoping to match the correct numbers to take home the third-largest prize in game history. You may be among those players, ready to put your lucky numbers to the test. Do they stand a chance, though?While every player, and every set of numbers, has an equal chance of winning the Powerball jackpot, there are some numbers that are drawn more frequently than others. The five numbers that have been drawn the most during the game’s 31-year history are 32, 39, 36, 23, and 16, according to the Powerball statistics tracking website Powerball.net. Among the red Powerball numbers, these five have been drawn most frequently: 18, 24, 6, 11, and 20. Powerball jackpot jumps to $875 million, third-largest ever Since 2015, when Powerball added more numbers to the main and Powerball pools, the five most frequently drawn ...

'I love you so much' mural vandalized by Ken ahead of 'Barbie' movie release

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The iconic "I love you so much" mural on South Congress is becoming an even bigger draw for selfies after an act of vandalism professes the love of one legendary toy to another. The mural, which is located on the north-facing wall of Jo's Coffee at the corner of South Congress and West James Street, now reads, "Barbie, I love you so much. -Ken." This sweetly destructive defacement is only temporary because it's part of a push to promote the hotly-anticipated release of the "Barbie" movie on July 21. The film, directed by Greta Gerwig, stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken respectively. In the movie, the two dolls leave the imaginary Barbie Land to experience what the real world is like. The studio behind it, Warner Bros. Pictures, is on a marketing blitz that now includes a few stunts in the Texas capital. On Friday morning, people gathered to watch an unveiling and see the changes Ken made to the "I love you so much" mural. Dancers from Melody Dance...

City of Austin deploying 'cooling tents' amid excessive heat, taking other safety measures

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – City of Austin leaders spoke Friday morning about efforts to help keep people cool and safe due to the "dangerously hot conditions and high temperatures Austin is experiencing." The city set up a cooling tent that is equipped with misters and distributed water at Republic Square Park Friday morning and said the tent will be up until 6 p.m. Extreme heat, ongoing dry conditions through the weekend The cooling tent is part of a new pilot program the city is deploying during days when Austin is under excessive heat warnings, Ken Snipes, the director of Austin's Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said during the press conference. Snipes said they don't yet know where the tents will be deployed or how long the pilot program will last. Snipes said the city is also taking initiatives to reach the homeless population where they are to help combat the heat. Homeless outreach providers are regularly taking water bottles to homeless encampment sites and informing peop...

Team behind Allianz Field presents scaled-down vision for development — beginning with a sculpture garden at Snelling and University

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

Gone are the twin towers of offices and housing above a multi-level parking podium. A movie theater and mixed-use “live-work” spaces no longer line the concept drawings.Instead, after seven years without visible progress, the updated vision for real estate redevelopment around Allianz Field — the city’s 20,000-seat professional soccer stadium in St. Paul’s Midway — starts small, with a sculpture garden anchoring the corner of Snelling and University avenues, followed by a traditional playground just south of an extended Shields Avenue and Pascal Street.The public would have access to both sites, though they’d be privately owned, managed and maintained by the owners of the Minnesota United soccer team and the development group promoting the Snelling Midway “superblock” for private real estate development.A real estate adviser with the Tegra Group submitted an updated block diagram to the St. Paul Parks and Recreation Commission on...

7 injured when van collides with Metro Transit bus in St. Paul

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

Seven people were injured when the driver of a van collided with a Metro Transit bus Friday morning in St. Paul.Ambulances took them to the hospital for treatment of non life-threatening injuries, according to Metro Transit spokesman Drew Kerr.The crash happened at Rice Street and Pennsylvania Avenue about 7:30 a.m. A Route 3 bus was northbound and the van’s driver was headed east on Pennsylvania Avenue, Kerr said.The bus operator and three bus passengers, along with three people from the van, were injured.The Minnesota State Patrol assisted with crash reconstruction and an investigation is ongoing. Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | St. Paul carjackings are down. Cops say new programs are making a difference. Crime & Public Safety | Driver arrested after fatally striking pedestrian in St. Paul’s Summit-U area Crime & Public Safety | 30 displaced by apartment building fire in St. Paul’s Highland Park, poss...

Suspected drunk driver hits two pedestrians in Columbia Heights, killing one

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

A suspected drunk driver hit two people on a Columbia Heights sidewalk late Thursday, killing one and seriously injuring the other, authorities said.A 35-year-old Minneapolis man was driving a 1998 BMW convertible south on Central Avenue while drunk when he left the road at 39th Avenue about 10:30 p.m. and struck Carrie Lynn Rivero and James Junior Beller, the Minnesota State Patrol said.Rivero, 58, of Minneapolis, died at the scene. Beller, 63, of Minneapolis, was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.The driver was treated for injuries at HCMC and then booked into the Anoka County jail on suspicion of criminal-vehicular homicide and criminal-vehicular operation, causing great-bodily harm while under the influence of alcohol.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Suspect taken into custody in Long Island serial killings, AP source says Crime & Public Safety | K.C. Chiefs ‘superfan’ accused of string of...

UnitedHealth shares rebound after health care giant beats Street 2Q forecasts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

By TOM MURPHYUnitedHealth beat second-quarter expectations as an acquisition and more Medicare Advantage customers fueled growth that balanced a jump in care use.The health care giant also raised the low end of its 2023 earnings forecast range on Friday after its profit jumped 8% to $5.47 billion in the quarter.UnitedHealth runs a health insurance business that covers more than 50 million people, mostly in the United States. It also has an Optum business that provides care and runs one of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit managers.Optum revenue jumped 25% to more than $56 billion in the quarter, helped in part by UnitedHealth’s roughly $8 billion acquisition of Change Healthcare, a deal that closed last fall.The company also said it squeezed more revenue out of customers served through its Optum Health business by treating more people through value-based care arrangements. That business runs clinics, outpatient surgery centers and provides home care.Value-based care involves bas...

Greek fest this weekend in South Glens Falls

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

SOUTH GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) - This weekend, things are getting Greek in the village of South Glens Falls. The Adirondack Greek Festival is serving souvlaki, pastries and more on Main Street this weekend. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! On Friday and Saturday, July 14 and 15, the food will be coming out and music will be playing at St. George Church, 55 Main St. The festivities run from noon to 7 p.m. both days.The Greek festival is all about iconic Greek food. On the menu, visitors will find moussaka, pastitsio, Greek potatoes, rice pilaf, stuffed peppers, spanakopita, Greek salads, stuffed grape leaves, loukoumades, gyros, and pastries. Live music will play through the weekend, and tours of the church will be available. Blueberry fest coming at Warrensburg farmers market Admission and parking are both free. No phone or web food orders will be accepted.