7-Year-Old Boy Facing Rape Charges in Upstate New York

YorkAuto Insurance 7-Year-Old Boy Facing Rape Charges in Upstate New best cheap A 7-year-old boy from upstate New York is facing charges of rape.
WWNY reports that police arrested and charged the child with third-degree rape for an incident on Thanksgiving. He was subsequently released and will stand trial in family court. The boy is from Brasher Falls, New York, which is near the Canadian border.
The family’s attorney, Anthony Martone, told the news station, “Instinctually, it shouldn’t happen to a 7-year-old. I don’t think you could even realize what you’re doing at 7 years old, so I think it’s absurd to charge a 7-year-old with rape.” He continued, “They’d have to prove he actually physically committed this act, which to me, it almost seems to be an impossibility.”
Martone reportedly said it seems that the boy is being charged as a juvenile delinquent. Currently, there is a bill pending in the New York legislature that would raise the minimum age for being charged as a juvenile delinquent from 7 years old to 12.
The outlet reports that advocates are pushing for reform following this particular incident with the boy. Many details about the incident aren’t known at this time.
State Senator Patty Ritchie’s office told WWNY that the bill is being reviewed. The bill proposes using social services instead of charging children as juvenile delinquents and having them appear in family court.

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Former star QB Colt McCoy was involved in emails with University of Texas alumni defending controversial spirit song with racist ties

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  Former Longhorns star and current Arizona Cardinals quarterback Colt McCoy was involved in the University of Texas alumni group that discussed strategies for preserving the school's controversial fight song "The Eyes of Texas," according to Kate McGee of The Texas Tribune.
McCoy's relationship with the alumni is relatively unknown. But McGee reported that McCoy, a former first-team All-American for the Longhorns, now an 11-year NFL veteran, was part of an email chain with the donors. In the email, Longhorn donors and fans addressed the controversy on June 29, when students began to speak out against the song in the aftermath of George Floyd's death.
Related: The science behind how NFL quarterbacks throw perfect spirals

Shortly after the email was sent, McCoy was reportedly on a conference call with other alumni to discuss potential solutions to the controversy.
McCoy again engaged in communication with the donors who were threatening to pull money from the school. This came after an incident on October 10 when football players refused to stand while the song played after a loss to Oklahoma, according to emails obtained by McGee.
University president Jay Hartzell received over 300 emails on the matter, most of which were from outraged alumni demanding that action be taken to preserve the school's traditions.
Jay Hartzell defines the expectations of athletes during the Eyes of Texas. pic.twitter.com/FfYHCbRInT
— Longhorn Network (@LonghornNetwork) March 9, 2021
 
"[Alumni] are pulling planned gifts, canceling donations, walking away from causes and programs that have been their passion for years, even decades, and turning away in disgust. Last night one texted me at 1:00 am, trying to find a way to revoke a 7-figure donation," President of the Longhorn Alumni Band Charitable Fund Board of Trustees Kent Kostka wrote to a group of administrators in an email obtained by The Texas Tribune. "This is not hyperbole or exaggeration. Real damage is being done every day by the ongoing silence."
Players also accused donors of threatening their employment prospects if they didn't stand for the song, and some players claimed athletic officials made it a requirement to stand during the song.
Athletic Director Chris Del Conte disputed that players were forced to stand during the song and said he had not heard of donors or alumni threatening job opportunities.
The song's controversy stems from beliefs that its lyrics are tied to quotes from former confederate generals and that it had been performed in black face, which supporters of the song have tried to dispute.
An investigative report conducted by the university confirmed that the song debuted at a minstrel show where students 'likely wore blackface' and that former university president William Prather coined a phrase in the song from a saying among Confederate leaders during the Civil War.

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Donald Trump Jr.'s New Neighbors in Florida Tried to Bar Him From Buying Property There

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  Donald Trump Jr. and longtime girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle have pulled the trigger on the purchase of a $9.7 million mansion in Jupiter, Florida’s Admirals Cove neighborhood, an exclusive gated community they hoped would be more welcoming than their former home of New York City. But it turns out that the Capitol riots of January 6 in particular took a toll on the Trump-and-co’s welcome wagon, as the Palm Beach Post reports that 30 residents of Admirals Cove have reached out since January expressing their concerns about them moving to the neighborhood.
Not unlike Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s new neighbors on Indian Creek Island, where golf club members have preemptively launched a campaign against their joining, Donald and Guilfoyle’s new neighbors sound less than thrilled at the prospect of having the former POTUS’ son moving in down the street.
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Why are all the Trumps moving to Florida?! Marla Maples is just the latest. https://t.co/dnCHYrckwh
— SheKnows (@SheKnows) January 27, 2021
The Palm Beach Post reported 30 residents contacting the homeowners’ association with concerns about the Trump move, with general manager of the property owners association Peter Moore telling the outlet that “about half had concerns about safety,” while others had “political concerns” — particularly in light of the events of Jan. 6.

Other comments from their new neighbors included calling Donald and Guilfoyle the “prom king and queen of Maga-land” and calling their move to the neighborhood a “nightmare.”
It may not be the warm welcome that this couple had hoped for, but it has to be better than NYC, where a New York Post source claims they would be “tortured in the streets.” If they want to make friends in the neighborhood, it looks like they’ll have to earn their trust.

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South Carolina man swindled $450,000 from Lowe’s buying pricey lawn mowers, feds say

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  A South Carolina man is accused of buying mowers and other expensive power equipment from Lowe’s using business accounts he backed with fake companies and bad checks.
Bobby Cherry, 58, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy charges in a scheme to defraud Lowe’s Home Improvement of more than $450,000, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina said Friday in a news release. Cherry is from Manning, about an hour and a half southeast of Columbia.
A defense attorney for Cherry and a representative from Lowe’s did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment Friday.
Lowe’s is based in Mooresville, about 45 minutes north of Charlotte.
According to federal prosecutors, Cherry and two other men opened business accounts with Lowe’s using fictional landscaping and home improvement companies.
The trio then deposited worthless checks into those accounts and bought equipment from stores in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia before Lowe’s detected the fraudulent activity, prosecutors said in court documents. Some of the stores they reportedly frequented were in Charlotte and the surrounding area — including Mecklenburg, Gaston, Union, Lincoln, Cleveland and Iredell counties.
In October and November 2019, prosecutors said Cherry and the men deposited checks seemingly worth between $3,000 and $9,800 at various stores in Monroe, Charlotte, Waxhaw, Indian Trail, Shelby and Lincolnton.
More than 60 checks from at least 20 checking accounts were used to temporarily fund their business accounts at Lowe’s, according to a grand jury indictment. But the banks later declined the checks, citing insufficient funds, closed accounts, unknown accounts, frozen or blocked accounts, and fictitious checks.
Before they were declined, Cherry would buy thousands of dollars worth of items from Lowe’s — including zero turn lawn mowers and Husqvarna equipment, which makes forest and gardening outdoor power tools, prosecutors said.
“In total, during the course of the scheme, the co-conspirators opened at least 25 such fraudulent business accounts which they used to obtain more than $450,000 in fraudulently purchased goods,” prosecutors said.
The scheme reportedly lasted from August 2019 to March 2020. A grand jury indicted Cherry, Russell Leroy Calvin and Michael Marcel Montgomery in August.
Cherry has been in jail since his arrest, court documents show. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Montgomery pleaded guilty to similar charges in February but has not been sentenced. The charges against Calvin are still pending, prosecutors said.

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Baltimore: How one of America's deadliest cities ended the war on drugs - with help from The Wire

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Burger King customer mad about wait time opens fire in drive-thru, Tennessee cops say

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  JPolice in Tennessee are looking for a woman accused of shooting into a Burger King drive-thru window earlier this week.
Surveillance footage from a Burger King on Winchester Road in Memphis appears to show a woman with a black handgun firing into the drive-thru window on Tuesday, the Memphis Police Department said.
“Upon arriving on the scene, officers were advised that a female customer got angry regarding the wait time to be served at the drive-thru window,” police said.
The woman was reportedly in the passenger seat of a mid-sized, four-door gray sedan before she got out of the car and walked up to the window. According to law enforcement officials, that’s when a “verbal altercation ensued.”
“Video surveillance shows the suspect retrieve a black handgun from the vehicle, extend her upper body through the drive-thru window, and fire several shots at the Burger King workers,” police said.
The workers escaped through a back door and no one was hurt.
Police said the woman returned to her car and left. A man was reportedly driving.
Anyone with information about the woman’s identity is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (901) 528-2274 to report an anonymous tip. Tips can also be reported online at crimestopmem.org or by using the mobile app when you search for “P3 Tips.”
Crime Stoppers of Memphis and Shelby County Inc. is offering a reward of up to $1,000 if an arrest is made.

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Georgia Faith Leaders Call for April 7 Boycott if Companies Don’t Step Up Fight Against Voter Restriction Laws; Stacey Abrams Says Hold Off

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  Georgia Republicans’ recent passage of voter suppression measures is facing a building challenge from stakeholders in the state, and corporations continue to be called on to play a larger role in the fight for voting rights.
On Thursday, faith leaders from Georgia—including African Methodist Episcopal Bishop Reginald T. Jackson—announced their push for a boycott of many of the state’s most well-known businesses on April 7, unless the company’s leaders go even further in opposing the new voting measures signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp last week.
The legislation requires photo ID for people seeking to vote by mail, allows the state election board to take over powers from local election officials and even prohibits people from handing out food and water to voters waiting in line.
On Wednesday, the CEOs of Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola issued forceful statements calling the law “unacceptable”—but the statements notably came days after the bill’s signing.
Speaking at a press conference held at the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta a day later, Jackson and others called on the corporations to put some more skin in the game.
Speaking with Politico, Jackson said the boycott is necessary to push the companies to stand up for Black voters in Georgia, including through financially supporting lawsuits that have been filed against the new laws.
“I really don’t want to boycott Delta. But if Delta can’t support me, there is no need for me to continue to support Delta,” he said. “When we hold back our money from these corporations, it forces them to act. The Black community puts a ton of money in support of these corporations.”
Meanwhile, Fair Fight Action’s Stacey Abrams, who has been a leader in the fight to expand voting access in Georgia, is asking people not to boycott companies in the state due to the repercussions the action would have on workers.
VIDEO: Thanks to the efforts of activists, organizers and allied organizations, we stopped GA Republican legislators from passing key parts of their voter suppression wish list. Now corporate leaders must use their clout to show they stand with voters
“To our friends across the country, please do not boycott us,” Abrams said in a video statement on Wednesday. “Boycotts have been an important tool throughout our history to achieve social change. But here’s the thing: Black, Latino, AAPI and Native American voters, whose votes are the most suppressed under HB 202, are also the most likely to be hurt by potential boycotts of Georgia.”
Abrams instead called on companies in Georgia and around the country to come off the fence in condemning the spread of voter suppression bills in several states and to support federal legislation—namely the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For The People Act—that would protect voting rights.
Companies seem to be getting a little quicker on the uptake in light of what has been unfolding in Georgia. According to the Texas Tribune, just after the Texas legislature advanced its own restrictive voting laws on Thursday, American Airlines and Dell publicly opposed the proposals on the basis that they would limit voting access. The two companies have their headquarters in the Lone Star state.

READ MORE - Georgia Faith Leaders Call for April 7 Boycott if Companies Don’t Step Up Fight Against Voter Restriction Laws; Stacey Abrams Says Hold Off

Gaetz sex probe suddenly threatens a speedy Washington rise

Auto Insurance Gaetz sex probe suddenly threatens a speedy Washington rise best cheap Compared with most congressional newbies, it didn't take Rep. Matt Gaetz long. Phone calls from the president. Rides aboard Air Force One. Hundreds of television appearances. A darling in conservative circles.
Yet barely four years after arriving in Washington as a little-known Republican state legislator from Florida’s Panhandle, the 38-year-old unblushing defender of Donald Trump is facing a possible abrupt end to his once promising career because of a federal sex-trafficking investigation.
The overwhelming reaction of Gaetz's GOP colleagues — a deafening silence. That reflects the resentments he's sparked during his breakneck rise as one of the party's celebrities and the challenge he faces to retain his seat.
Government agents are investigating if Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old and other underage girls and violated federal sex trafficking laws, people familiar with the probe have told the AP. No charges have been filed, and Gaetz has denied the allegations.
But with new, damaging details emerging regularly, Gaetz's political arc is beginning to resemble the myth of Icarus, who plunged to earth after ignoring warnings that his waxen wings would melt if he flew too close to the sun.
The coming days will test the crisis management skills of one of the most visible members of Congress' younger generation, who critics say care more about promoting their own brand than serious legislating.
“They're here for notoriety and to perform to their base, and anything else that may come is secondary,” said Doug Heye, a Trump critic and former top GOP congressional aide. “And if you boo him that's great too, as long as you're watching.”
David Bossie, president of Citizens United, which backs conservative causes and candidates, countered that Gaetz "has been a conservative warrior, working every day to make America great again and fight for President Trump’s agenda.”
Gaetz's congressional Twitter account is topped with a photo of himself taking a selfie with Trump, apparently on Air Force One. On his personal Twitter account, Gaetz describes himself as “Florida man. Fiancé. Firebrand. America First." He became engaged at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in December.
Gaetz is quick with a quote and looks little older than a college student. And by his own account, he's hardly led a prudish lifestyle while battling for conservative causes.
In his 2020 autobiographical book, “Firebrand,” Gaetz praised Trump as someone “who doesn’t care for puritanical grandstanding or moralistic preening." He added, "If politicians’ family lives aren’t what really matter to the voters, maybe that’s a good thing. I’m a representative, not a monk.”
Chris Latvala, a former GOP colleague in the Florida legislature, suggests that while there, Gaetz went too far. On Friday, Latvala revived a 2020 tweet in which he accused Gaetz of creating a “game where members of the FL House got 'points' for sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators.”
Latvala wrote Friday, “ I am just sorry that this guy may have victimized others, including possibly minors before others came forward to verify it.”

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A 'wormnado' appeared on a New Jersey sidewalk and scientists are divided over what caused it

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  A New Jersey resident stumbled upon a bizarre formation of worms while taking a morning walk last Thursday, LiveScience first reported.
Hundreds of worms formed a tornado-like shape on the surface of a sidewalk in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Tiffanie Fisher, a local councilperson, shared the images to her social media.
"This is something I've never seen," she wrote on both her Facebook and Twitter.
Read more: Here are 10 companies hoping to cash in on the boom in edible worms and crickets
The images of what is now being called a "wormnado," or worm tornado, horrified locals.
Worm Tornado? Has anyone ever seen anything like this? These were out this morning near Maxwell park in #Hoboken. Clearly worms come out after it rains but this is something I’ve never seen! Pc: my 2nd ward neighbor. #wormtornado ????????? ?? ?? pic.twitter.com/tWBOMzV5fK
— Tiffanie Fisher, Councilwoman (@Tiffanie_Fisher) March 25, 2021
"Looks like a portal out of a horror movie," one commented on Facebook.
"Clearly a sign of the end of days," wrote another.
The woman who first spotted, however, told Insider that she thought it was "beautiful" and "unique."
Others expressed curiosity over what might have caused the intriguing formation.
Kevin Butt, a soil ecology expert at the University of Central Lancashire, said that he believes it can be attributed to a combination of heavy rain and the sidewalks being a hard surface.
"In short, worms have likely come to the soil surface due to excess rainwater, have been unable to burrow down due to movement on to a hard surface and the shape seen may well be a function of the water draining away, rather than specific behavior of the earthworms," Butt told Insider.
Kyungsoo Yoo, a professor at the University of Minnesota's Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, agrees that it is possible that worms might have come to the surface due to rainfall.
Yoo also suggested that vibrations, potentially from moles burrowing, could have caused the creatures' emergence.
The tornado shape, however, is mysterious to him.
"I have never seen this behavior," Yoo wrote in an email. "This tornado shape is really interesting."
Rhonda Sherman, the director of the Compost Learning Lab at North Carolina State University, said that she doesn't believe there is enough information to explain the puzzling formation.
"Earthworms cluster together when there is an environmental threat," she told Insider. "Looking at the photo of the spiral of worms does not provide enough information about the environmental conditions that could be causing the worms to cluster together."

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Trump might have 'found' the votes he needed to win Georgia under state's new election law

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  What if Georgia election officials had somehow found those nonexistent votes that then-President Donald Trump pressured them to “find” to overturn his narrow loss in the Peach State? What if there hadn’t been a secretary of state with not only the spine but the authority to make sure the election was immune from partisan cheating?
It would have been a devastating loss for democracy, that’s what. And it would have been much easier to pull off had Georgia’s brand-new election law been in place.
Thanks to a somewhat overlooked provision in Georgia’s new restrictive voting law and similar measures being pushed in more than a half-dozen other GOP-controlled legislatures, the skids are becoming better greased for Trump-style election tampering in the future. These attempts to subvert the will of voters must be stopped.
Related: GA Rep arrested, dragged while gov signed GOP voting bill
What is behind the law
Tucked inside the new Georgia elections law is a measure that shifts a significant amount of election oversight power from the secretary of state and county election boards to the legislature. The measure removes the elected secretary of state as chair of the state election board and replaces him or her with an appointee of the Republican-run legislature.  
Such a coincidence! Just a few months after Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says “no” to magical vote-finding, the legislature takes a chunk of power and authority from his office and shifts it to someone of their choosing — and, we can only assume, more likely to do their bidding.
The law doesn’t just change who picks the chair. Now, the majority of the board’s members will be legislative appointees, and the board gains ominous new power: the ability to remove and replace election officials administering the vote at the level where the real elections work happens — the county level.
Let’s say the state board does not like the way vote-counting is going in heavily Democratic Fulton County. Under the new law, the board can fire those in charge and plop in a new boss more to its liking.
“After the November election last year,” Gov. Brian Kemp said as he signed the bill into law, “I knew … that significant reforms to our state elections were needed.”
Given that no one has produced evidence of large-scale cheating, fraud, counting dead people’s votes, or losing living people’s votes, I think we know what Kemp sees as needing “reform”: Democrat Joe Biden's victory in previously red Georgia.
“Republicans are brazenly trying to seize local and state election authority in an unprecedented power grab,” says voting rights leader Stacey Abrams, former Democratic leader in the Georgia State House. The new law, she says, is “intended to alter election outcomes and remove state and county election officials who refuse to put party above the people … Had their grand plan been law in 2020, the numerous attempts by state legislatures to overturn the will of the voters would have succeeded.”
Abrams is one of many calling the new Georgia law unconstitutional, and three voting-rights groups have filed a lawsuit. Not to play judge, but bear in mind that the Constitution forbids states from placing undue burdens on citizens’ right to vote. It stands to reason that includes the burden imposed by politicians’ power-grabbing authority over election administration.

READ MORE - Trump might have 'found' the votes he needed to win Georgia under state's new election law