The Star Tribune is reporting that within hours of state officials announcing an investigation into the Metro Gang Force. Officials released a report about missing money and lack of records at the Metro Gang Force, someone turned off a computer showing who enters the building and began shredding documents.
Continue reading “Officials Announce Investigation Into Minnesota Police Unit — Within Hours Computer Trackers are Shutoff and Documents Shredded”
Category: Society
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, the departing Archbishop of Westminster, had a few things to say about sin this week in welcoming his replacement. It turns out that the greatest sin is not clergy child abuse, war crimes, ethnic cleansing or the like. The greatest sin? Atheism.
Continue reading “Cardinal: The Greatest Sin Is . . .”
The Texas legislature passed a bill to allow college students, teachers, and employees to carry concealed weapons on school grounds. This is the solution found by Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, to the problem of the Virginia Tech massacre — fill campuses with firearms.
There have been rare professional charges filed against five lawyers for their role in crafting a secret settlement for former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. The lawyers were involved in a $8.4-million lawsuit settlement to conceal text messages that showed that the major and his top female aide had lied about their affair. The lawyers are chief assistant corporation counsel Valerie Colbert-Osamuede; her ex-boss, former city corporation counsel John E. Johnson; city-retained private lawyers Samuel McCargo and Wilson Copeland II, and Mike Stefani, who represented three cops in lawsuits against the city.
Continue reading “Five Lawyers Charged Over Settlement of Case Involving Former Detroit Mayor”
There is a disturbing report out of Las Vegas this week concerning a fatal crash involving a police car. Officer James Manor was driving at 109 mph without either lights or siren on May 7th. The sheriff admits that the speed and manner of Manor’s driving was “excessive and unsafe” — leading to his own death after crashing into the the pickup truck of Calvin Darling. Yet, the police promptly arrested Darling for failing to yield to a police car and driving under the influence (despite the fact that he was not driving under the influence).
Continue reading “Police Officer Killed After Plowing Into Pickup Truck at 109 MPH Without Seatbelt, Siren, or Lights — Police Charge Other Driver”
Tort law has long imposed greater liability for the mishandling of corpses. A story out of Indianapolis seems to beg for such a lawsuit. The Marion County Coroner’s Office was called to retrieve the body of Teresa Smith, 48, who weighed 750 pounds. In front of family, the coroner’s office dragged the body out of the house on her bed and across the lawn — then loaded her on a flat-bed, openback wrecker where she was transported covered in part of a torn-off dirty carpet.
Continue reading “Bring Out Your Dead: City Under Fire For Abuse of Women’s Corpse”
Recently, we discussed the forthcoming book by former Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland, the leading cleric who was accused of date rape and covering up the abuse of children by other priests. The church paid $450,000 in 1998 to a man who had accused him of assault. Now, Weakland insists that he and other priests did not know it was a crime to have sex with children and thought they would not remember or they would “grow out of it.”
Continue reading “Weakland: I Did Not Know Sex With Child Was a Crime and Thought Kids Would “Grow Out of It””
There has been a spate of juror problems of late in courts around the country. Grant Faber, 25, in Hillsboro, Oregon (left) is facing contempt charges for walking out of a trial due to “extreme boredom” while Erik Sly, 36, got into trouble in Gallatin county in Montana for writing the court to inform it that he would “rather count the wrinkles on my dog’s balls” than serve on a jury.
Continue reading “Two Angry Men: Recently Unsuccessful Juror Excuses”
A French judge has ordered a magazine off newsstands for publishing a photo of a Jewish man Ilan Halimi, who was allegedly tortured to death. The alleged culprits are facing trial. Judge Phillipe Jean-Draeher based his decision on the “exceptional” attack by Choc magazine on the feelings of Halimi’s mother and sisters.
Continue reading “French Judge Censors Magazine to Protect Feelings of Family in Torture Case”
For years, reformers have denounced the use of campaign funds by members of Congress to pay family members for “consulting” and other services. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., however, appears unconcerned about the appearance of such payments: giving $247,500 to his wife, Sandra (known as Sandi). He also reportedly gave $298,927 in cash and in-kind contributions to her successful campaign for city council.
Continue reading “Report: Jesse Jackson Jr. Gave $257,500 of Campaign Funds to Wife”
This will not be a POPS case. A 78-yea-old woman is being held on $70,000 bond after repeatedly beating her 84-year-old husband with a bowl, metal pipe, and carpet cleaner as well as kicking him in the groin. The reason: the long festering anger over her belief that her husband cheated on her 35 years earlier.
Paul Bergrin, 53, a former federal prosecutor, and three others were arrested this week on charges relating to the murder of a witness in a drug case as well as racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering charges. He is also accused of trying to hire a hitman. Prosecutors says that Bergrin had a favorite saying: “He liked to say ‘No witnesses, no case.”
Continue reading “Jersey Boys: Former Federal Prosecutor Arrested in Murder of Witness”
The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy has claimed another American hero. Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, an F-15E Strike Eagle with nine Air Medals, including one for valor for assaulting an Iraqi ambush position while under heavy anti-aircraft fire has been discharged for liking men instead of women.
Continue reading “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Hero Pilot Discharged for Being Gay”
I have to say that was something odd in this story out of London where authorities appear to complement the planning and consideration that David Grant showed in his own suicide.
Continue reading “Atta Boy: Police Compliment Man for Excellent Suicide”
Colleen Hauser and her son, Daniel, have disappeared in the wake of losing the court fight to block chemotherapy needed to save Daniel’s life. He is suffering from Hodgkin’s lymphoma and an x-ray on Monday showed that the tumor had grown.
Continue reading “Minnesota Mom Flees with Ailing Son To Avoid Chemotherapy”