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Body parts trafficking case: Harvard releases report recommending changes to its Anatomical Gifts Program

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

Harvard has released a report from a panel of three commissioned experts on how to improve the university’s Anatomical Gifts Program, which was at the center of an alleged body parts trafficking ring.The university released the report Thursday along with a “community message” stating the review was initiated after the U.S. Attorney’s Office indictment and arrest of Cedric Lodge, a former employee of the Harvard Medical School’s morgue, in relation to the illegal sale of parts of bodies gifted to the university to help train future doctors.“Lodge’s alleged criminal acts, which involved the unlawful interstate transport of stolen human remains, are morally reprehensible and inconsistent with the standards that Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, our anatomical donors, and their loved ones expect and deserve,” read the statement put out by Harvard Provost Dr. Alan Garber and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Dr. George Daley.“We reaffirm our deep sorrow for the continued uncertai...

Deaths from tainted cantaloupe increase to 3 in U.S. and 5 in Canada

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

By JONEL ALECCIA (AP Health Writer)A salmonella outbreak tied to tainted cantaloupe has now killed eight people — three in the U.S. and five in Canada, health officials reported Thursday.Dozens more illnesses were reported by both countries. In the U.S., at least 230 people have been ill in 38 states and 96 have been hospitalized since mid-November, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The tainted cantaloupe was also shipped to Canada, where 129 cases have been reported, including 44 hospitalizations, health officials reported.Many of the people who fell ill reported eating pre-cut cantaloupe in clamshell packages and trays sold in stores. Consumers should not buy, eat or serve cantaloupe, if they don’t know the source, the CDC said. New recalls of whole and pre-cut fruit have been added to a growing list, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. Last week, Cut Fruit Express initiated a recall of cantaloupe chunks and fruit mixes containing cant...

Former NFL player Sergio Brown pleads not guilty to murder of his mother in Maywood

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

Former NFL player Sergio Brown pleaded not guilty to murdering his mother during an arraignment Wednesday.Brown was charged with first-degree murder for the September death of his mother, Myrtle Simmons-Brown, who prosecutors said he lived with in Maywood.The 35-year-old who played for seven seasons as a safety for the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills was also charged with concealment of a homicidal death, court records show.He pleaded not guilty to the concealment charge and the two murder charges he faces Wednesday, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said.The disappearance of Brown after police discovered his mother’s dead body wrapped in a sheet near a creek close to their home drew national attention. Brown resurfaced days after the gruesome finding in expletive-filled social media posts calling reports tying him to his mother’s death “fake news.”Three weeks after police found Simmons-Brow...

Criminal street gang boss sentenced for ordering murder hit

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Judgement day has come and gone for a criminal street gang boss who's been ordered to spend the rest of his life in jail.On Wednesday, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan's office announced Jesus Faraj, 45, was sentenced to life without the possibility parole plus 60 years. The ruling was made after Faraj was found guilty of ordering an "execution-style murder" of 32-year-old Jimmy Khieu on Super Bowl Sunday in February 2019. More affordable housing for San Diego seniors approved by county As explained by the district attorney's office, Khieu was shot in the head and left for dead in a drainage ditch in the Fox Canyon neighborhood of San Diego. An investigation lead to the arrest, charging and convictions of Faraj, along with three other defendants who worked for the street gang boss. The attorney's office said the defendants tracked and then killed the victim after Faraj called for the murder hit from prison.At the time of the murder, the attorney's off...

Beware of San Diego 'jury duty' scammers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Don't get tricked into thinking you're being fined for failure to appear for jury duty San Diegans -- there's some scammers on the prowl.In a news release Thursday, the San Diego Superior Court warned the public about a wave of recent scam attempts that have been occurring locally.Court officials described the first scam with the following example:"John Doe is called, via phone, by a person identifying himself as a member of the San Diego Police Department or San Diego Sheriff’s Office. The caller informs Mr. Doe that he failed to appear for jury duty and has been ordered to pay $300 for failing to appear and $485 for contempt of court and there is a warrant for their arrest. The fake officer tells Mr. Doe that if he fails to make these payments, he will be arrested. The scammer then gives Mr. Doe another date to appear for jury duty but states that they need to meet first so that Mr. Doe can pay his fine. Mr. Doe is instructed to go to a convenience store to get a mone...

Jon Rahm bolts for LIV Golf in a stunning blow to the PGA Tour

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

Masters champion Jon Rahm bolted for Saudi-funded LIV Golf on Wednesday for what’s believed to be more money than the PGA Tour’s entire prize fund, a stunning blow that deepens the divide in golf as the two sides were negotiating a commercial deal.Rahm confirmed the move in an interview with Fox News, during which he wore a black LIV letterman’s jacket, saying it was not an easy decision.“I’ve been very happy,” Rahm said. “But there is a lot of things that LIV Golf has to offer that were very enticing.”He said he would keep private how much the deal was worth amid reports that put his compensation in the $500 million range, which likely would include equity in his new team.The development comes 25 days before the deadline for the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund try to finalize their shocking June 6 agreement to become commercial partners in a for-profit enterprise, along with the European tour.Talks have been going slowly, and Tiger W...

Levi’s CEO Chip Bergh to step down in January, handing over leadership to former CEO of Kohl’s

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Levi Strauss & Co. said Thursday that its CEO will step down in January and hand over the reins of the jeans maker to his appointed successor.Chip Bergh, 66, will cede the CEO job to Michelle Gass, 55, who left her CEO role at Kohl’s to become president of Levi’s in January of this year.Bergh, who took over at the San Francisco company in September 2011, will stay on as executive vice chair until he retires in late April, Levi Strauss said. He will remain on as an advisor through the end of the fiscal year.Gass will take on the CEO position on Jan. 29. The move completes the succession plan that was announced just over a year ago, when Levi Strauss had said Gass was joining the company to succeed Bergh within 18 months.Over the course of his tenure, Bergh moved the brand from a predominantly men’s U.S. wholesale pants business to a global, direct-to-consumer company. He also reinvigorated the women’s business. Under his leadership, Levi Strauss returned to the pu...

Greek policeman severely injured in attack by fans during Athens volleyball match

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A Greek policeman was severely injured late Thursday when a mob of volleyball fans poured out of an Athens arena and attacked riot police outside.State ERT television said a flare shot by a rioter severed a thigh artery in the 30-year-old officer, who was reported in critical condition at a hospital.The violence occurred during a volleyball match between crosstown rivals Olympiakos and Panathinaikos. The game was abandoned when the fighting erupted outside the arena.ERT said about 150 people left the arena during the game to attack riot police stationed outside with flares, gasoline bombs and stones, and then returned to the venue. Police made heavy use of tear gas, much of which wafted into the indoor sports ground. Officers also prevented spectators from leaving the arena amid efforts to identify the person who fired the flare.Security had been high for the game as the two clubs’ supporters have a history of intense rivalry. Greek soccer is plagued by e...

Maternal mortality rate is much higher for Black women than white women in Mississippi, study says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Black people make up about 38% of Mississippi’s population, but a new study shows that Black women were four times more likely to die of causes directly related to pregnancy than white women in the state in 2020.“It is imperative that this racial inequity is not only recognized, but that concerted efforts are made at the institutional, community, and state levels to reduce these disparate outcomes,” wrote Dr. Michelle Owens and Dr. Courtney Mitchell, leaders of the Maternal Mortality Review Committee that conducted the study.The Mississippi State Department of Health published the findings Wednesday.The committee said 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in Mississippi between 2016 and 2020 were considered preventable, and cardiovascular disease and hypertension remain top contributors to maternal mortality.Women need comprehensive primary care before, during and after pregnancy, but many people live in areas where health care services are scarce, Owens ...

Some Californians released from prison will receive $2,400 under new state re-entry program

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hundreds of Californians released from prisons could receive direct cash payments of $2,400 — along with counseling, job search assistance and other support — under a first-in-the-nation program aimed at easing the transition out of incarceration and reducing recidivism. Recipients will get the money over a series of payments after meeting certain milestones such as showing progress in finding places to live and work, according to the Center for Employment Opportunities, which runs the program announced this week. The goal is to give people a chance “to cover their most essential needs” like bus fare and food during the crucial early days after exiting incarceration, said Samuel Schaeffer, CEO of the national nonprofit that helps those leaving lockups find jobs and achieve financial security.“The first three to six months are the riskiest, when many people end up back in prison,” Schaeffer said Thursday. “We want to take advantage of this moment to immediately con...