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Aretha Franklin’s sons clash over her wishes in trial over dual wills

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

By ED WHITE (Associated Press)PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — Two sons of the late singer Aretha Franklin gave opposing opinions Monday about the Queen of Soul’s final wishes, testifying in an unusual trial that will determine whether a 2014 handwritten document found in couch cushions will lead her estate.Franklin died in 2018 at age 76 without a formal, typewritten will, and five years later her legacy still is tied up in a suburban Detroit court after a niece found different sets of handwritten papers at her home.The issue for a jury: Does a 2014 document count as a will under Michigan law? If so, it could trump a 2010 handwritten will that was found in a locked cabinet at the same time. The older version, however, was notarized and repeatedly signed by Franklin. Ted White II, a son who played guitar during his mother’s performances, favors the 2010 document.“With all the time I spent working with her administratively … every other document that she ever signe...

Red Sox load up on shortstops during MLB Draft’s second day

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

The Red Sox may have have snapped their streak of selecting high school shortstops in the first round, but if their draft so far has been any indication they’re still placing a heavy emphasis on the position.Three of Boston’s first four selections on Monday were shortstops, and overall the club has drafted four in total over the first two days of the 2023 MLB Draft.Antonio Anderson, out of North Atlanta High in Georgia, was Boston’s third-round pick at No. 83 overall. The 6-foot-3 shortstop was ranked as the No. 68 prospect in the draft by Baseball America and is considered a polished left-handed hitter with good plate discipline and power potential.Anderson was followed by Matt Duffy, a right-handed pitcher from Canisius College, in the fourth round at No. 115. Duffy is the reigning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year who posted a 4.13 ERA with 119 strikeouts and 28 walks in 80.2 innings this past season.Boston then made back-to-back picks at No...

Landslide tears apart luxury homes on Southern California’s Palos Verdes Peninsula

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

ROLLING HILLS ESTATES, Calif. (AP) — A landslide tore apart luxury homes on Southern California’s Palos Verdes Peninsula on Monday, leaving a confused jumble of collapsed roofs, shattered walls, tilted chimneys and decks dangling over an adjacent canyon.The slide in the Los Angeles County city of Rolling Hills Estates began Saturday when cracks began appearing in structures and the ground. Twelve homes were red-tagged as unsafe, and residents were given just 20 minutes to evacuate.The pace of destruction increased through the weekend and into Monday.“It is moving quickly,” said Janice Hahn, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, who represents the area. “You can actually hear the snap, crackle and pop every minute when you’re there as each home is shifting, is moving.”It was initially believed that all of the red-tagged homes were sliding, but Assistant City Manager Alexa Davis clarified Monday afternoon that 10 were actively ...

2023 MLB draft, Day 2 tracker: Orioles continue run on college players, select six more pitchers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

After drafting Vanderbilt outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. in the first round of the MLB draft Sunday night, Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias detailed the confidence he has in the organization’s scouting of college players.“We pour a ton of data analysis resources into college statistics and college data,” Elias said, “so anytime we can take an elite college player, we feel good about the work that’s gone into that.”But Bradfield was just the beginning of the Orioles’ run on college players. Each of Baltimore’s first 12 selections were college players, including North Carolina outfielder-third baseman Mac Horvath and Florida State right-hander Jackson Baumeister on Day 1 and nine more on Day 2.Baumeister’s selection was somewhat of a surprise considering the Elias regime’s preference to pick position players early in drafts. At No. 63 overall, Baumeister became the first pitcher Baltimore has ...

Ticker: Stocks higher ahead of economic news; Kentucky to launch sports betting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

Stocks ticked higher on Wall Street Monday ahead of a week with updates on where inflation and corporate profits are heading.The S&P 500 rose 10.58, or 0.2%, to 4,409.53, coming off just its second losing week in the last eight. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 209.52, or 0.6%, to 33,944.40, and the Nasdaq composite added 24.77, or 0.2%, to 13,685.48..A report on Wednesday will offer the latest update on inflation and economists expect it to show another slowdown. They’re forecasting consumer prices were 3.1% higher in June than a year earlier, down from 4% inflation in May.Barry Bannister, managing director at Stifel, expects the U.S. economy to slow through the back half of 2023 but then succumb to a recession in early 2024. The resilient job market is propping the economy up now, but its strength may push the Fed to take a harder stance on interest rates.“Labor is just too hot, making it difficult for the Fed to achieve” its goal for inflation, Banni...

Israeli parliament gives initial OK to measure limiting the Supreme Court’s oversight powers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s parliamentary coalition gave initial approval early Tuesday to a contentious bill to limit the Supreme Court’s oversight powers, pressing forward with a judicial overhaul plan that has polarized Israel. The legislation is one of several bills proposed by Netanyahu’s ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox allies. The plan has provoked months of sustained protests by opponents who say it is pushing the country toward authoritarian rule. Mass protests were expected later Tuesday in response to the vote.Lawmakers held the first of three readings of a bill that would curb the high court’s ability to scrutinize the “reasonability” of decisions made by elected officials. That standard was implemented by the Supreme Court earlier this year to strike down the appointment of a Netanyahu ally as interior minister because of a past conviction for bribery and a 2021 plea deal for tax evasion.Critics say removing that stand...

Cineplex box office revenues near pre-COVID levels ahead of Barbie, Oppenheimer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

TORONTO — Cineplex says box office revenues in June were $56 million, amounting to 98 per cent of box office revenues from the similar period in 2019.President and CEO Ellis Jacob says in a press release that the second quarter marks the first post-pandemic period where the industry saw improved film supply. He says the company is confident as it awaits an exciting schedule of releases for July, including “Barbie,” “Oppenheimer” and the next “Mission: Impossible” film.The movie theatre company says combined box office and theatre food service revenues exceeded June 2019 results. For the second quarter, box office revenues were around 87 per cent of the same period in 2019, and combined revenues were 92 per cent of those four years ago. The company’s first-quarter earnings released in May saw its loss narrow to $30.2 million as it continues to recover from pandemic shutdowns. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2023...

Homicide suspect who fled a Northern California hospital is captured a day after his escape

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A homicide suspect who fled a Northern California hospital while in custody and under guard over the weekend was recaptured Monday near a residential neighborhood after a barking dog alerted deputies to his hiding spot in heavy brush, authorities said. Eric Abril was caught around 12:20 p.m. in a green space near homes in Roseville, a few miles from the hospital he ran away from before dawn Sunday, said Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo. Deputies had combed the area all day after receiving a tip about a possible sighting. A resident walking nearby said his dog had become focused on something in the bushes, the sheriff said. “The dog started barking. He saw somebody moving in that greenbelt area and, in fact, it was Abril. Law enforcement in the area descended quickly and Abril was safely taken into custody,” Woo said. Abril, 35, was wearing only jail-issued boxer shorts and a belly chain that he had on when he escaped custody from Sutter Roseville Medical Cen...

Man accused of shooting at 6 from scooter in NYC is arraigned on murder, other charges

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A man accused of killing an 86-year-old and injuring three other people in a series of apparently random shootings while riding a scooter in New York City was arraigned Monday on charges including murder and attempted murder, prosecutors said.Thomas Abreu, 25, was arraigned in a hospital in five shootings that occurred in Queens over about 10 minutes late Saturday morning, a spokesperson for Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. An additional person was shot and injured in Brooklyn.“The streets of two boroughs were turned into scenes of terror as this defendant allegedly rode his scooter, shooting indiscriminately at pedestrians and others,” Katz said in a statement. Police have said they are not sure what the motive for the attack was.Abreu did not enter a plea. A message seeking comment was left with his attorney.Witnesses identified Abreu as the gunman who shot Hamod Saeidi, 86, just before 11:30 a.m., prosecutors said. Family members said Saeidi, who ...

Premiers meeting in Winnipeg starts with discussion with Indigenous leaders

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

WINNIPEG — Canada’s premiers discussed housing, child welfare and other topics while meeting with Indigenous leaders in Winnipeg.Manitoba’s Heather Stefanson, host of the meeting, says it was an opportunity to discuss reconciliation and solutions to challenges being faced across the country.David Chartrand, head of the Manitoba Métis Federation, says the premiers listened as ideas were discussed on ways to build more affordable housing.Carol McBride, president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, says she hopes the meeting is just the start of more meaningful conversations to come.The meeting with Indigenous leaders came before a two-day gathering where the premiers will talk among themselves about health care, economic development and other issues.They’re discussing how to use $46 billion in new health funding that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered in February, which Stefanson says is welcome but amounts to roughly two per cent of health care bud...