| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| 'General Hospital' star Johnny Wactor, 37, shot dead in downtown Los Angeles during catalytic converter theft |
| 2024-05-27 |
Wactor's mother, Scarlett Wactor, told TMZ that her son and one of his coworkers noticed "three men messing with Johnny's car" in downtown Los Angeles early Saturday morning. The mother said that Wactor "didn't try to fight or stop them," but the "men shot him anyway before taking off." The Los Angeles Police Department said officers responded to a 911 call around 3:25 a.m. PT on Saturday, and found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. |
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| Home Front: Politix |
| Charlotte Shooter Had Been Charged 49 Times |
| 2024-05-01 |
| [Newser] Killing of 4 officers was deadliest attack on US law enforcement since 2016 The man who killed four law enforcement officers and wounded four others in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday has been identified as Terry Clark Hughes Jr., a 39-year-old man with a long criminal history in the state. The Charlotte Observer reports that according to court records, Hughes had faced 49 criminal charges since 2001. His convictions include breaking and entering, reckless driving, eluding arrest, and illegally possessing a gun as a former felon. He spent time in prison in 2011 and 2013. Police say he opened fire on a US Marshals task force that was trying to serve a warrant for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Investigators said Tuesday that they are still working to determine the timeline of events and they are no longer sure there was a second shooter, the AP reports. They said an adult woman and a 17-year-old female who were in the home are cooperating and have not been charged. Earlier reports said the 17-year-old was a male Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said Hughes, who was killed in the shootout, fired at officers from the second floor of the home, the New York Times reports. "Even though officers were trying to take cover, they were at a disadvantage because the suspect was up at a higher level and they were returning fire from a lower position," Jennings said. He said at least 12 officers returned fire. He said an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a 40-caliber handgun were found at the scene. |
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| -War on Police- | |
| ‘We lost heroes.' 3 US Marshal Task Force officers killed, 4 CMPD officers hurt, 1 critically, in east Charlotte shootout | |
| 2024-04-30 | |
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) — Three U.S. Marshal Task Force officers were killed, and four Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers were hurt during an east Charlotte shooting, which stemmed from a fugitive warrant operation on Monday afternoon. At least one shooting suspect was found dead at the home after clearing the scene, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police. A second suspect was identified and taken "Today is an absolutely tragic day for the city of Charlotte and the profession of law enforcement," said CMPD police chief Johnny Jennings. "Today, we lost some heroes that were out just simply trying to keep our community safe." Residents, along with anyone in the area of the neighborhood, were asked to avoid the area as active gunfire was ongoing for hours. At 4:56 p.m., CMPD said the area was safe. The situation began around 1:50 p.m. along Galway Drive near Denson Place. Related: Charlotte-Mecklenburg: 2023-04-21 Police arrest man in N.C. in connection to Ocean Boulevard, Murder Beach shooting Charlotte-Mecklenburg: 2020-12-12 North Carolina police officer killed in overnight shootout Charlotte-Mecklenburg: 2018-01-13 CMPD: Man wanted in homicide 'ambushes' police, shot dead at headquarters | |
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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| McDonald's worker, 15, left with fractured skull after adult male with rap sheet stomps her |
| 2024-04-22 |
 [NYPOST] — A goon with a lengthy criminal history viciously assaulted a 15-year-old female McDonald’s worker — dragging her by the hair and repeatedly stomping on her head in the parking lot after a rowdy group of customers provoked a brawl with employees inside the restaurant earlier this month, according to cops.Johnny Ricks, 25, was arrested for assault after he allegedly grabbed the teen by her hair and yanked her across the parking lot of the restaurant just outside St. Louis before bashing her head into the concrete and punching her in the face, St. Louis County Police said. The girl, identified as Aryiah Lynch on a GoFundMe set up by her family, suffered a fractured skull, a broken nose and damage to her frontal lobe. “This assault has been a life changing experience for her,” the teen’s mother Shawnunique Phillips wrote on the page set up to help cover her medical expenses, which has already raised $13,000 of its $15,000 goal. Shawnunique? “She is fighting hard to stay upbeat and heal but this is only the beginning of a very uphill battle,” her mother wrote, saying the incident “shattered” the family’s lives. The cowardly April 7 attack was captured in a disturbing video posted on Facebook by Phillips, who wrote that Ricks should be charged with child endangerment or attempted murder. The fight reportedly began when Ricks, accompanied by a group of unidentified adults, pulled up to the drive-thru window at the restaurant and began behaving obnoxiously, according to Lynch’s family. “It was getting loud…and being obnoxious in the drive-thru, so we said, ‘if you want to get your order taken, step inside,'” the teen told First Alert 4. The group then stormed inside the McDonald’s and started menacing the workers, throwing items around the restaurant, and spitting on “at least four” employees, she said. Related: St. Louis County: 2024-03-29 Jewish Democratic group endorses primary challenger to NY Rep. Jamaal Bowman St. Louis County: 2024-03-13 Progressive groups unite to counter pro-Israel Democratic primary candidates St. Louis County: 2024-03-12 Teen girl is left in critical condition after high school mob beatdown in Missouri - as shocking footage shows her head being repeatedly slammed against concrete until she blacks out |
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| Britain | |
| Corbyn demands justice, end to occupation of Palestine | |
| 2024-01-26 | |
Related: Jeremy Corbyn: 2023-11-23 Mohammad follower Andrew Tate Denies Hamas Is a Terrorist Organization Jeremy Corbyn: 2023-11-18 UK Labour leader faces rebellion after refusing to back vote for Gaza ceasefire Jeremy Corbyn: 2023-11-12 Pro-Palestinian protesters say 'more than 800,000' marched today to London's US Embassy to demand that Israel stop bombing Gaza - as crowds are asked to disperse peacefully | |
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| -War on Police- |
| Atlanta officer used Taser on church deacon after he said he could not breathe, police video shows |
| 2023-11-27 |
| [Daily Mail, where America gets its news] An Atlanta police officer responding to a minor car crash deployed a Taser on a church deacon who disregarded multiple commands to sign a traffic ticket, shocking the man after he repeatedly said he could not breathe, police body camera video released Wednesday shows. Johnny Hollman Sr. became unresponsive during his arrest late on the night of Aug. 10 and later died. An autopsy determined the 62-year-old's death was a homicide, with heart disease also a contributing factor, and his family has called on prosecutors to charge Officer Kiran Kimbrough with murder. An attorney for Kimbrough, who was fired, says the officer acted lawfully. The roughly hour-long video shows Kimbrough arriving at the scene of the crash and gathering information from Hollman, the other driver and a passenger before the confrontation. Relatives have said Hollman was driving home from Bible study at his daughter´s house and bringing dinner to his wife when he collided with another vehicle while turning across a busy street just west of downtown Atlanta. In the video, Hollman repeatedly insists the other driver hit him, but otherwise follows Kimbrough´s orders to move his car and stay by it. The encounter escalates after Kimbrough tells Hollman he failed to turn his white Chevrolet Silverado pickup correctly and was at fault for the crash. Hollman immediately begins protesting, saying repeatedly, "I didn´t do nothing." Kimbrough tells Hollman he can contest the finding in court, but he needs to sign the citation. He also accuses Hollman of screaming and repeatedly warns him that he will be jailed if he doesn't sign. Kimbrough's attorney Lance LoRusso said in an emailed statement Wednesday that before the officer arrived, the other parties in the collision called 911 to report Hollman was disorderly and they were concerned for their safety. "Mr. Hollman violently and unlawfully resisted Officer Kimbrough´s lawful efforts to arrest him," LoRusso said. "The Atlanta Police investigation confirmed Officer Kimbrough deployed his city-issued TASER and used force in a manner consistent with his training and Georgia law." In the video, Hollman says he will sign the ticket after Kimbrough steps closer to him. Kimbrough's body camera gets blocked, obscuring exactly what happens next, but the two men begin to struggle. Kimbrough demands Hollman's arm, but Hollman says his right arm hurts. Within seconds, Hollman is on the ground, saying he didn´t do anything and asking the officer why he´s doing this. "I'm an old man. I'm an old man," Hollman says. Kimbrough yells at him to sign the ticket and says he is going to use his Taser on him. "Put your hands behind your back now. Put your arms behind your back," Kimbrough shouts before engaging his Taser in what police have said was a "warning arc." The tussling continues, with Kimbrough continuing to tell Hollman to put his hands behind his back and Hollman repeating over and over, "I can´t breathe." The officer then uses his Taser to shock Hollman - a maneuver police have called a "drive stun." The video also shows the aftermath of the struggle. Another first responder arrives and helps Kimbrough get handcuffs on Hollman, who is lying face down and is no longer fighting. Kimbrough rolls Hollman over, checks his pulse and tells him to sit up. But Hollman is unresponsive, lying on the ground with a bloody face. When other officers arrive a couple of minutes later, Kimbrough explains Hollman protested when instructed to sign a ticket, resisted when told to put his hands behind his back and looked like he was going to hit the officer. Kimbrough said he punched Hollman a couple of times, stunned him and put him in handcuffs. "I don´t know what´s going on with him now," Kimbrough says. "He´s still breathing, though." The video´s release came after Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum fired Kimbrough on Oct. 10. Schierbaum said Kimbrough, who like Hollman is Black, violated department policy when he didn´t wait until a supervisor arrived to arrest Hollman. LoRusso said Georgia law doesn´t require an officer to seek approval from a supervisor before making an arrest and said Kimbrough has appealed his firing. Related: Atlanta: 2023-11-26 The Errors, The Lie, and The Cover-Up in Georgia's 2020 Election – PART II Atlanta: 2023-11-24 Dark money fund poured millions of dollars into eco activist groups blocking highways, destroying famous art Atlanta: 2023-11-21 Methodist Church approves split of 261 Georgia congregations after LGBTQ+ divide |
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| -Obits- |
| On this day in history, October 20, 1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd bandmates killed in horrific plane crash |
| 2023-10-21 |
| [FoxNews] Three musicians from the iconic American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, plus three other people, were killed in a terrifying plane crash on the Louisiana-Mississippi border on this day in history, Oct. 20, 1977. Lead singer and founder Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and his sister, backup singer Cassie Gaines, were all killed on impact. The crash of the small Convair CV-240 passenger plane also claimed the lives of assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray. The plane ran out of fuel at about 10,000 feet and crashed violently into a wooded area. Odom helped lead a vigil to Van Zant and the other victims last night near the town of Gillsburg, Mississippi. A memorial was erected near the site of the crash in 2019. Odom was thrown from the plane and found by rescuers some time later under one of the wings, with terrible injuries. He suffered a "massive hole in the head from flying through the fuselage, a broken neck, broken ribs and 45 years of pain," he said. It was only after Odom got out of the hospital that he learned Van Zant and the others were dead. "The only reason so many survived is that there was no fuel left on the plane. So there was no fire," said Odom. Guitarist Gaines, he said, had just joined the band a year earlier, at the behest of his sister Cassie, the singer who was also killed in the crash. "He was going to be a star, a rose that never got to bloom," said Odom. Lynyrd Skynyrd remains one of the biggest acts in music history and is arguably the top American rock band of all time. The band has toured for decades with Johnny Van Zant, the founder's younger brother, on lead vocals. They largely play songs written and first performed by Ronnie Van Zant a half-century ago — a testament to his enduring legacy in rock history. |
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| -Obits- |
| Longtime 'Price Is Right' host Bob Barker dies at 99 |
| 2023-08-27 |
| By Amy Blaszyk [NPR] Game show host Bob Barker has died at the age of 99. "It is with profound sadness that we announce that the World's Greatest MC who ever lived, Bob Barker has left us," publicist Roger Neal said in a statement. Barker, whose career spanned more than eight decades, was best known as the longtime host of The Price Is Right on CBS. In 2002, he broke Johnny Carson's record for continuous performances on the same network TV show. Barker began hosting The Price is Right when Richard Nixon was in the White House. He remained with the show for 35 years before retiring in 2007. Even at the end of his career, the then-80-something host was still taping five shows a week. Read the rest at the link |
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| International-UN-NGOs |
| Erdogan: For Sweden to join NATO, Europeans should ‘open way’ to Turkey’s EU bid |
| 2023-07-11 |
| [IsraelTimes] Democratic backsliding under Turkish leader’s presidency, disputes with EU-member Cyprus and other issues have held up country’s progress toward admission to European bloc Johnny One-Note lays out his quid pro quo. |
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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Hollywood's top Native American producer is a fake, activists claim |
| 2023-03-27 |
 [NYPOST] One of Hollywood’s leading Native American figures is being accused of faking her claims of Cherokee heritage, The Post can reveal.Betcha Iron Eyes Cody is turning over in his grave, assuming he's dead. Award-winning Heather Rae, 56, serves on the Academy of Motion Pictures’ Indigenous Alliance, previously headed up the Sundance Institute’s Native American program and claims "my mother was Indian and my father was a cowboy." Multiple prior news reports have also cited her as having a Cherokee mother. Just goes to show, anybody can say "Ugh." But a watchdog group called the Tribal Alliance Against Frauds is now demanding the Academy and the producer drop her "false claims" while screeching muppets insist she’s at best 1/2048th Cherokee. My son did some genealogical research and found out one of our ancestors was Monacan. Sadly, us Monacans are extinct, so I think I'll take a nap... The group accuses her of profiting from usurping "real American Indian voices and perspectives" and being a fraudulent so-called "Pretendian." Paleface spoke with forked tongue? Well, tut my tuts. Rae is married to another Hollywood producer, Russell Friedenberg, and the eldest of their three children is actress Johnny Sequoyah, who currently stars in the reboot of Dexter. Too much inside baseball for me. |
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| -War on Police- | |
| Police Officers leaving Democrat-Led cities in droves | |
| 2022-12-31 | |
| [Daily Caller] Droves of officers left at least six Democrat-led major cities’ police forces in 2022, with many moving to different departments, multiple outlets reported. Scores of officers resigned from police departments amid low morale, a continuing violent crime wave and higher paying police jobs in other places, according to multiple reports. Texas Christian University Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and policing professor Johnny Nhan told the Daily Caller News Foundation that low morale has become a major problem in many police departments. (RELATED: A Years-Long Law Enforcement Crisis Is Hindering Homicide-Plagued Portland, Experts Say) "Patrol officers these days feel like they’re not getting the support that they once got by the public," said Nhan, who has become a reserve police officer himself. "It’s anything from apathy to hostility that they’re facing. They’re afraid of accusations of being racist or being brutal, they’re filmed all the time, so that does something to the officers. They’re feeling like, ’Hey, there’s a lot of legal risk being a cop these days.'" About 1,225 officers in their first five years of service resigned from America’s largest local police force, the New York City Police Department (NYPD), in the first 11 months of 2022, according to New York City Police Pension Fund data cited by The New York Times. "Other communities are recognizing the talent and are poaching our members," New York City Police Benevolent Association President Patrick J. Lynch told the outlet. "If we pay our police officers a market rate of pay, they will stay here." A market rate of pay AND support from the political class and society at large.
Robberies and aggravated assaults across 70 law enforcement agencies’ jurisdictions respectively rose by about 13 and 2.6% in the first half of the year compared to the same part of 2021, while homicides fell by roughly 2.5%, according to a Major Cities Chiefs Association report. San Diego Police Department (SDPD) Police Union President Jered Wilson said the department lost more than 50 officers between July 1 and Sept. 29, according to Fox 5 San Diego. More than 60 officers who had resigned from the SDPD from July 2021 through June 2022 moved to different law enforcement agencies, The Los Angeles Times reported. And how many were because they were unvaxxed? "They see the urban decay that is really occurring in San Diego, and they are fleeing with their families, they are fleeing with their careers," Wilson said, according to Fox 5. San Diego County hit its highest mid-year violent crime rate in ten years by the end of June 2022, accompanied by a 4% spike in homicides and a 15% increase in robberies, SANDAG reported. | |
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The shooter, Terry Clark Hughes, cut down in his prime. The most he accomplished in life was to be dangerous.