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Businesses are the biggest targets of financial crimes. Help is being offered in Prince George’s Co.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:45 GMT

October isn’t even over yet and already fraud and scams have cost Prince George’s County, Maryland, residents and businesses more than $10 million.With the holiday shopping season almost upon us, there’s concern that the number will go up even more.“Because of their large balance sheets, businesses are at even a greater risk for financial fraud than citizens would be,” said Lt. Joseph Bellino, who leads the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Financial Crimes unit.“We’ve seen that with the transition of mobile banking and our kind of move to the digital age when it comes to the banking system. We found that financial tsunami … that local businesses are being targeted more and more frequently with financial fraud.”Different businesses are targeted by different groups of criminals, with different methods.“The most prevalent is mail fraud and check fraud. Any time that businesses are paying employees or paying partner businesses, their checks are being intercepted in the m...

Michael Cohen to testify at Trump fraud trial Tuesday with the former president expected in court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:45 GMT

(CNN) — Michael Cohen plans to testify Tuesday at the Trump civil fraud trial in New York, Donald Trump’s ex-attorney said, with the former president expected to attend.“It appears that I will be reunited with my old client @realDonaldTrump when I testify this Tuesday, October 24th at the @NewYorkStateAG civil fraud trial. See you there!” Cohen posted on the social media site Threads.Trump is expected to attend the trial on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to two sources close to the former president, who said the details were still being finalized.Cohen was previously scheduled to testify this week but it was delayed after he cited a medical issue. Whenever he does appear, Cohen’s testimony will be the latest in a series of high-profile public clashes between Trump and his onetime “fixer” over the past several years.A longtime attorney of the former president before he occupied the Oval Office, Cohen had been one of Trump’s closest allies, famously pledging years ago that...

Patriots-Bills preview: How Bill Belichick can upset Josh Allen and Buffalo

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:45 GMT

For the third time in 30 years, the Patriots are two-score underdogs at home.The Bills (4-2) enter Foxboro as one of the NFL’s best teams, while the Pats (1-5) continue to flounder in a way few expected. Offensively, the Patriots snapped their games-long touchdown drought last week at Las Vegas, but again fell into an early hole. Staying competitive through the first half will be non-negotiable versus Buffalo, which has averaged more than 30 points per game against Bill Belichick’s defense the last three seasons.If the Pats fall behind by two scores, they’re done. But if they can create a couple turnovers, and win on the margins, they could find life at an unexpected time in an unforeseen season.Here’s what else to watch for Sunday:When the Patriots runFeed Zeke?Ezekiel Elliott ended the aforementioned touchdown drought by punching in a 2-yard score at Las Vegas last weekend. On that drive, the Patriots powered their way downfield with four first-down runs th...

NFL notes: How the Patriots and Bills switched places in the AFC East

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:45 GMT

Once upon a time, during a dynasty far, far away, the Buffalo Bills were an afterthought.A laughingstock.A doormat the Patriots, Dolphins and even Jets wiped their feet on during the season. No team failed quite like the Bills, a little brother’s little brother with a long history of bad quarterbacks, fumbled coaching searches and lost drafts.From 2001 to 2019, whenever Tom Brady started and finished a game against Buffalo, the Patriotss won. During one stretch spanning the late 2000s and early 2010s, the Pats beat the Bills 15 straight times. In all, the Patriotss went 34-4 in the division series during the Brady era.But at the end, Buffalo quietly began to gain significant ground. Head coach Sean McDermott arrived in 2017, and Brady threw more interceptions than touchdowns against McDermott’s defense over his last three seasons.Then Brady left, and Josh Allen, after struggling in his initial battles with Bill Belichick, took over. Over the past three years, Allen has t...

TTC bus service resumes along portion of Broadview Avenue this weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:45 GMT

TTC riders in the east end will see the return of transit service along a stretch of Broadview Avenue between Gerrard Street and Danforth Avenue starting this weekend. Transit officials say the first phase of track replacement work has finished ahead of schedule meaning the 504 and 505 King/Dundas buses will begin running again every 10 minutes between Castle Frank station and Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital. However, Broadview station remains closed which means buses still can’t enter the station. That phase of construction work is expected to be completed by the third week of November. Streetcar service is not expected to resume until early 2024 after Toronto Water and TTC overhead work on Broadview Avenue is completed.

Company bosses and workers grapple with the fallout of speaking up about the Israel-Hamas war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:45 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Starbucks accused a union representing thousands of its baristas of damaging the brand and endangering co-workers with a pro-Palestinian tweet. The CEO of a prominent tech conference is facing boycotts after he publicly suggested Israel was committing war crimes. Company bosses have vowed never to hire members of a university’s student groups that condemned Israel.Meanwhile, Islamic rights advocates say much of the corporate response has minimized the suffering in Gaza, where thousands have died in Israeli airstrikes, and created an atmosphere of fear for workers who want to express support for Palestinians. Jewish groups have criticized tepid responses or slow reactions to the Oct. 7 Hamas rampage that killed 1,400 people in Israel and triggered the latest war.The fallout from the Israel-Hamas war has spilled into workplaces everywhere, as top leaders of prominent companies weigh in with their views while workers complain their voices are not being heard. Peop...

Part of Bloor St. W. to close several nights for GO Transit Barrie line bridge work

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:45 GMT

GO Transit is embarking on a series of overnight road closures in Toronto’s west end to help facilitate the beginning of a new east bridge span on the Barrie line.According to a notice issued by GO Transit and Metrolinx, the closures will happen on Bloor Street West, near Bloor GO and UP station, between St. Helens Avenue and Ruttan Street.The road will be closed to all traffic between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. every day starting on the evening of Oct. 23 and ending on the morning of Oct. 28.RELATED: Union Station platform construction project to facilitate better GO Transit service progressingDuring the road closures, all northbound and southbound traffic will be rerouted to use Lansdowne and Symington avenues. Eastbound and westbound traffic will be rerouted to use Wallace Avenue.The eastern half of the bridge was demolished by construction crews in May as part of the ongoing Davenport Diamond project.Officials said the project is needed to help bring expanded GO train service on th...

7 transported following 3-vehicle collision in NE Travis County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:45 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Several people were injured following a three-vehicle collision in northeastern Travis County on Saturday morning, according to Austin-Travis County EMS.Officials responded to a “major collision” call in the 9900 block of East U.S. 290 Highway service road at 5:04 a.m.ATCEMS, the Austin Fire Department and Travis County ESD 12 responded to a collision involving three vehicles and a total of seven patents. ATCEMS said four patients were declared as trauma alerts.Medics took all seven patients from the scene, according to ATCEMS.

After changes by Minnesota DNR, feds release $21 million for state wildlife habitat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:45 GMT

Minnesota will get its share of federal sporting goods tax dollars after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service accepted changes in how the state plans and documents timber sales in state wildlife management areas.In an Oct. 3 letter, federal officials notified Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Sarah Strommen that they will release $4 million from the past budget cycle and $17.6 million from the current budget cycle to the DNR. The money is aimed at statewide wildlife habitat projects.The federal agency had earlier withheld the state’s share of money because agency officials were concerned the DNR was offering timber sales on wildlife management areas that didn’t have a documented wildlife purpose filed in advance of the logging.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is releasing more than $21 million in wildlife habitat grants to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources after reaching an agreement with the state agency over logging on wildlife management areas. (A...

Red flag warning issued for high fire spread risk

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:45 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Gusty winds and unseasonably warm temperatures today, with temperatures near 80. The winds, combined with low humidity and dry vegetation, create favorable conditions for rapid fire spread this evening. A red flag warning is in place from noon to 7 p.m. due to this. Gusty northwesterly winds should gradually taper off through the evening. Temperatures return to normal for Sunday, with highs in the upper 60s and plenty of sunshine. Warmer temperatures return again for the work week, with highs in the low 80s. Rain chances enter the forecast for Wednesday through Friday.