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Lowell man pleads guilty to $3.5M scheme to defraud people desperate to get out of timeshare contracts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:22 GMT

A Lowell man who created a series of California companies to milk unhappy timeshare customers out of $3.5 million through a cycle of lies and fraud has pleaded guilty to one count against him, setting him up for up to a 20-year stint in prison.Michael McDonagh, 42, pleaded guilty in federal court for the Middle District of California on Tuesday to one count of wire fraud, though the April 28, 2022, indictment alleged a total of 29 counts of wire fraud each against McDonagh and his four associates.The feds say that McDonagh, who is currently a resident of Lowell, was the ringleader and founder in a scheme in which he created numerous timeshare “exit” telemarketing companies in Orange, Riverside and Los Angeles counties in California that each lied to people desperate to get out of their timeshare agreements.“In truth, during the scheme, the co-schemers had no intention of relieving the timeshare owners of their timeshare obligations for a fixed fee, but rather intended to obtain as m...

Boston school safety issue up again at school committee, city council

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:22 GMT

School safety concerns are on the docket again at upcoming School Committee and city council hearings — following continued pressure from families to address incidents of on-campus violence and safety risks.“We want to support the school in making positive movement to have a better safety plan,” said David Searles, a local reverend and leaders of advocacy group Boston S.O.S. “We want there to be some substantial change that really makes a difference, not just trying to give a public façade that something’s been done.”The two scheduled meetings dealing with safety issues come as youth violence in the city rose starkly in 2022 and several high-profile safety incidents — including fights and attacks that have left students and at least one teacher hospitalized and a recent string of hospitalizations related to the consumption of pot edibles — have drawn a swell of concern among school communities.At Wednesday’s school committee meet...

Mattapan man identified as deadly shooting victim: Boston Police

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:22 GMT

A 37-year-old Mattapan man has been identified as the victim of the Sunday night deadly shooting on Wildwood Street, according to Boston Police.Gavyn Henry was killed following the shooting in the area of 66 Wildwood St., in Mattapan, police said.Officers responded to the scene at around 8:32 p.m. on Sunday. Upon arrival, officers found two men suffering from gunshot wounds.Both victims were transported to local hospitals, where Henry later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. The second victim’s injuries were considered non-life threatening.Meanwhile Sunday night, a different man suffering from a gunshot wound was dropped off at a local hospital. The man was later pronounced dead. Detectives determined that the man was shot in the area of 381 Centre St., in Dorchester.Also, another shooting victim went to an area hospital Sunday night. The victim sustained non-life threatening injuries, and police believe that shooting occurred in the area of 35 Kingston St., in...

Biden: US-Mexico border will be 'chaotic for a while'

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:22 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden predicted Tuesday that the U.S.-Mexico border would be “chaotic for a while" when pandemic-related restrictions end, as 550 active-duty troops began arriving and migrants weighed whether or when to cross. The restrictions have been in place since 2020, and allowed U.S. officials to quickly return migrants over the border. They are ending later this week and the U.S. is putting into place a set of new policies that will clamp down on illegal crossings while offering migrants a legal path to the United States if they apply online through a government app, have a sponsor and pass background checks. Biden said his administration was working to make the change orderly. “But it remains to be seen," he told reporters. "It's going to be chaotic for a while.” Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador spoke for roughly an hour Tuesday to discuss the border. Mexico shares a 1,951-mile border with the United States, so the nation is key to the...

Planet Fitness offering free memberships to teens this summer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:22 GMT

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Planet Fitness is providing a way for teens to keep active this summer when gym class is not in session. The gym will be providing free memberships for teens as part of its High School Summer Pass Program.Starting May 15, kids from ages 14 to 19 can go to Planet Fitness for free once they sign up. The company says they want to help kids prioritize mental and physical well-being. Teenagers also have an opportunity to win scholarships with the program if they post a TikTok about their experience. Actor Scott Baio says he’s leaving California after 45 years Teens wanting to take advantage will need to pre-register online, then download the Planet Fitness app. If they're under 18, they'll need to sign up with a parent or guardian either online or at a Planet Fitness location.

Tunisia: 3 killed, 10 injured in attack near synagogue

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:22 GMT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — A Tunisian naval guard shot and killed a colleague and two civilians Tuesday as he tried to enter a synagogue on the island of Djerba during an annual Jewish pilgrimage, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said. The attacker was slain by security guards, and 10 people were injured.The civilians killed were French and Tunisian, the ministry said. It was not immediately clear if they were pilgrims attending ceremonies near the 2,500-year-old Ghriba synagogue.The injured include six security agents and four civilians, the ministry said.The assailant, a guard affiliated with the National Guard naval center in the town of Aghir on Djerba, first killed a colleague with his service weapon and then seized ammunition and headed toward the Ghriba synagogue, the ministry said.When he reached the site, he opened fire on security units stationed at the temple. The synagogue was locked down and those inside were kept secure while authorities investigate the motives for the attack...

$3.4M fine proposed over 2021 California oil pipeline leak

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:22 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An energy company should be fined nearly $3.4 million for safety violations involving a 2021 oil pipeline spill that fouled Southern California beaches, a federal regulator said.Amplify Energy Corp. ignored 83 alarms indicating the offshore pipeline had leaked and failed to notify federal authorities or shut down the pipeline to San Pedro Bay until 17 hours after the first alarms, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said in a letter proposing the fine that was sent April 6 to the company’s president.An email to the Houston-based firm seeking comment wasn’t immediately returned Tuesday.The pipeline carries oil to shore from platforms in San Pedro Bay, near the Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors.The October 2021 spill of 25,000 gallons (94,600 liters) of crude oil created a miles-wide sheen in the ocean and sent blobs of crude ashore, primarily affecting the cities of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. It further shuttered beaches...

Georgia’s championship team declines White House invitation

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:22 GMT

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia’s national championship football team is declining an invitation to visit the White House.According to a statement released by the Georgia athletic association on Tuesday, the Bulldogs will not be able to attend a June 12 event with other college teams at the White House. The event is described by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden as “College Athlete Day.”The statement from Georgia says the team’s schedule interferes with the suggested date which was provided in an invitation received earlier this month.“The University of Georgia first received on May 3 an invitation for the Bulldog football team to visit the White House on June 12,” the statement from the athletic association said. “Unfortunately, the date suggested is not feasible given the student-athlete calendar and time of year. However, we are appreciative of the invitation and look forward to other opportunities for Georgia teams moving forward.”Georgia did not provide more ...

China working to get Canadians ‘at each other’s throats’: interference researcher

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:22 GMT

OTTAWA — The managing director of a non-profit that tracks Chinese attempts to influence democracies around the world says Beijing wants to sow discord in western countries.David Salvo says the Alliance for Securing Democracy has been mapping and cataloguing Russian and Chinese interference since 2000.Salvo was speaking to the procedure and House affairs committee, which is studying foreign interference in response to allegations that China tried to meddle in the last two federal elections.He says his group’s work also tracks incidents in Canada, and that the tactics also include targeting think tanks and student associations to shape discourse or promote censorship.The committee also heard from former Conservative member of Parliament Kenny Chiu, who has previously claimed he was the target of a misinformation campaign on Chinese-language social media during the 2021 election.Chiu told the committee he did not experience foreign interference in either the 2015 or the 2019 ele...

Marilyn Manson lawsuit against ex Evan Rachel Wood gutted

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:22 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California judge on Tuesday threw out key sections of Marilyn Manson’s lawsuit against his former fiancee, “Westworld” actor Evan Rachel Wood, claiming she fabricated public allegations that he sexually and physically abused her during their relationship and encouraged other women to do the same. Manson’s suit, filed last year, alleges that Wood and another woman named as a defendant, Illma Gore, defamed Manson, intentionally caused him emotional distress and derailed his career in music, TV and film. It says they used false pretenses, including a phony letter from the FBI, to convince other women to come forward with sexual abuse allegations and coached them on what to say about Manson, whose legal name is Brian Warner.Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Teresa A. Beaudet dismissed the part of the suit dealing with the disputed FBI letter, which Wood denies forging. Beaudet also tossed out a section that alleges Wood and Gore used a checklist found on ...