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Trump allies who stole from border wall donors sentenced to prison

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:21 GMT

(The Hill) - Two founders of an online fundraising scheme to help former President Trump build a border wall were sentenced to prison Wednesday for participating in a fraud scheme that stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors. Brain Kolfage and Andrew Badolato were each sentenced for their alleged involvement in the scheme, which siphoned the money from hundreds of thousands of people that donated to their "We Build the Wall" campaign. The campaign promised the donors that their funds would go toward construction of a wall at the border with Mexico, which is part of Trump's core platform. The fundraising campaign raised more than $25,000,000 from thousands of donors, with Kolfage promising that "100% of the funds raised … will be used in the execution of our mission and purpose," according to court documents. The court documents said this was false, alleging that Kolfage alone took more than $350,000 for personal funds. Kolfage was sentenced to 51 months in prison while B...

Generous pension plans for MN school superintendents could violate state law

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:21 GMT

The school superintendent contracts in St. Paul and a few other metro districts contain taxpayer-funded retirement benefits that appear to be more generous than permitted under state law.The excess benefits range from a few thousand dollars in some cases to tens of thousands in others. By law, those funds are supposed to be returned to the school districts if the retirement plans do not comply with the requirements.However, the statute contains no enforcement mechanism, so it’s not clear who, if anyone, might make that happen.Peter Hendricks, an attorney and parent who served on the St. Paul school district’s defunct budget finance committee, has been researching the matter and spoke last week before the Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement.“Many school districts do comply with the statute, but there are four districts that clearly do not,” he said, detailing contract provisions from St. Paul, Anoka-Hennepin, Minnetonka and Hopkins.Spokespeople for three of the district...

Family Ethiopian recipes are coming to Lowertown at new restaurant Erta Ale

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:21 GMT

A new Ethiopian restaurant called Erta Ale is opening soon in Lowertown in the former home of sushi restaurant Kyatchi and, previously, longtime Japanese noodle shop Tanpopo.The restaurant is named after the Erta Ale volcano, one of the most active in Africa. Owner Amy Abebe Tsegaye picked the name to “symbolize the fiery and flavorful nature of Ethiopian cuisine,” she said in a news release.Tsegaye, who’s from Ethiopia, is basing the menu around recipes she learned from her mother and grandmother. Along with classic Ethiopian stewed meats and vegetables served on spongy injera bread, Erta Ale will offer a weekend buffet to coincide with the nearby St. Paul Farmers’ Market. Injera, a tangy flatbread with a bouncy texture, is used as the primary eating utensil in many Ethiopian dishes; it’s typically made with a grain called teff, which is naturally gluten-free.They’ll also perform traditional coffee ceremonies, an important cultural custom.Erta Ale is set to soft-open the last...

98.3 TRY Social Dilemma:  Is It Okay To Date Your Child's Sixth-Grade Teacher?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:21 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Today's 98.3 TRY Social Dilemma came from William, and it's about dating after divorce. Here's his email: Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Hi Jaime...here's a dilemma. Last night, my sixth-grade daughter had a school recital that I attended alone…while my ex-wife sat on the complete other side of the auditorium. The ex-wife thing is relatively new, and it apparently caught the attention of one of my daughter’s teachers who…without going into too much detail…made it clear to me that she was interested in going out on a date. As flattering as that is, I’ve seen enough TV and movies to know that dating a teacher that’s going to be in my daughter’s life for a couple more years can be a risky deal. Do I go for it? What are the pitfalls of this? It’s a weird world getting back into the dating scene, and I definitely need some help. Thanks so muchWilliamWell, I think William should steer clear of dating the...

Danes drop hard-fought home battle with No. 12 Penn

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:21 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Despite jumping out to a five-goal advantage midway through the second quarter, and leading for the majority of the game, the University at Albany men's lacrosse team could not hang on against the University of Pennsylvania, the No. 12 ranked team in the nation, at home Wednesday night, falling to the Quakers 14-11. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Key StatsPeter Salit scored four goals and recorded one assistJake Piseno recorded one assist, won eight ground balls, and caused four turnoversAlex Pfeiffer scored twiceTJ Sheehan scored once with two assistsPenn won 20 of 29 faceoffs, but committed 23 turnovers to UAlbany's 13Head Coach Scott Marr: "We had a solid effort, really from start to finish.  The game comes down to the last couple of minutes, and I thought we played real well offensively in the first half.  They made some adjustments at halftime, but we ha...

Shen's Salati shuts down Shaker

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:21 GMT

LATHAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Shaker baseball team hosted a rivalry matchup with Shenendehowa on Wednesday. The Plainsmen put their 6-2 record on the line against the 6-4 Blue Bison. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Shen jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks to a 3-run blast from Austin Caldwell in the first inning. That was all the run support Nino Salati would need. Salati threw a complete game, two-hit shutout, striking out six along the way. The Plainsmen held on for the 3-0 win. Shenendehowa improves to 7-2 on the season, while Shaker drops to 6-5.

Ask Amy: A possible stepmother worries about favoritism

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:21 GMT

Dear Amy: My boyfriend “Steve” and I have been together for over two years. He is extremely kind and generous to me. I can see a long-term future with him.Steve is divorced with three children, ages 5 (a son “A”), 7 (a daughter, “B”), and 9 (a son, “C”).He and his ex-wife have an acrimonious relationship, but have a loose agreement regarding the children. He gets the kids every other weekend and also sees them during the weekdays.The issue is this: Steve openly favors the youngest, “A,” and is openly disdainful of the middle child, “B.”I have spoken to him repeatedly of the obvious favoritism and the mistreatment of his daughter, but he then accuses me of favoring her.When we get into arguments about the kids, he will blame the kids for me being upset and will punish them.B recently confided in me that their mother threatened to take him to court if he didn’t change his behavior toward them.B has told both me and her mother about this favoritism, but St...

At UN, Lavrov warns that world is at 'dangerous threshold'

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:21 GMT

UN Sec-General Antonio Guterres warned on Monday (24 April) that conflict between world powers is at a "historic high", and Russian Foreign Minster Sergei Lavrov warned that the world had reached a "potentially even more dangerous threshold" than the Cold War.Guterres sat next to Lavrov at the UN Security Council and criticized Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, which has caused massive suffering and destruction in the country, and fueled global economic disruptions due to the coronavirus epidemic.Tensions between major powers are at an all-time high. "Conflict risks are also at an historic high, due to miscalculation or misadventure," Guterres said during a meeting of 15 members of the body on multilateralism.Lavrov presided over the meeting as Russia is the rotating monthly presidency of the Council for April.Lavrov stated that we are at a dangerous threshold, perhaps even more so than during the Cold War. "The situation has worsened due to the lack of faith in multilateralism."L...

These popular diets are best for heart health, according to the American Heart Association

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:21 GMT

By Sandee LaMotte | CNNHeart disease is the leading killer of men and women worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, but there are ways to significantly reduce your risk.Along with regular exercise and not smoking, a healthy diet is a key way to keep heart disease at bay. But which diet best meets the dietary guidelines of the American Heart Association?In a new scientific statement, leading experts in nutrition ranked 10 popular diets on their ability to meet the AHA’s evidence-based dietary guidance for heart health, published in 2021.The winner? The DASH diet, which was 100% aligned with AHA goals for heart-healthy eating. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension; high blood pressure is a major contributor to heart disease and stroke.The pescatarian diet, which allows dairy, eggs, fish and other seafood but no meat or poultry, was 92% aligned with the AHA guidelines. The lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, which allows dairy and eggs, and variations that...

Bay Area lawmakers push feds for disaster recovery package for California farmers

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:07:21 GMT

SANTA CRUZ — Federal lawmakers representing four California districts with pristine farmland penned a letter to colleagues this week urging passage of a bipartisan disaster recovery package for farmers and ranchers devastated by heavy winter storms earlier this winter.“For nearly three weeks, California was hit with storms that brought intense rain and catastrophic flooding. The historic storms caused tremendous damage to thousands of acres of farms and ranches,” wrote Reps. Jimmy Panetta, Salud Carbajal, Zoe Lofgren and Jim Costa.Panetta and Lofgren represent portions of South County heavily reliant on the agriculture industry, while Panetta’s 19th District extends to most of North County as well.“We, therefore, request a disaster recovery package be swiftly put together to allow the rebuilding and recovery process to begin. It is imperative Congress provide much-needed aid to California’s agricultural community to allow for a full and timely recovery,” they wrote.The letter reques...