EditorsPicks

Judge sentences N.Y. man to probation for sexual assaults on 4 teens

Judge sentences N.Y. man to probation for sexual assaults on 4 teens

By Ed Shanahan, The New York Times Troy Warren for CNT #EditorsPicks Christopher Belter pleaded guilty but won’t serve jailtime The girl was 16 when Christopher Belter raped her, according to court documents. He was a teenager, too, a student at an elite private boys school whose family’s western New York home was known as a party house where teens gathered to consume liquor, marijuana and Adderall. It was August 2018, and the girl, identified in court filings as M.M., was at Belter’s house to spend the night with his sister before going to Chicago the next day. He asked her…
Read More
Chinese tennis star vanishes after accusing Communist party leader of sex abuse

Chinese tennis star vanishes after accusing Communist party leader of sex abuse

By The Associated PressAlice Su - Los Angeles Times Troy Warren for CNT #EditorsPicks Where is Peng Shuai? What began as a confrontation between feminism and authoritarianism within China has evolved into a wider sports and human rights showdown as the tennis world takes a stand for Peng Shuai, a Chinese player who accused a Communist Party leader of sexual abuse and has since vanished from public view.   Her inexplicable disappearance has fellow tennis stars, like Serena Williams, expressing concern on social media and calling for her safe return. It is a case that touches on the most sensitive topic in…
Read More
Supply chain issues, climate change lead to shortage of Christmas trees

Supply chain issues, climate change lead to shortage of Christmas trees

By ArLuther Lee, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Troy Warren for CNT #EditorsPicks Supply chain issues and climate change have combined to create a shortage of Christmas trees that is sure cause headaches this year for those who get a late start on decorating. Consumers should start shopping for trees as soon as possible because natural and artificial trees will be in short supply as the holiday season gets into full swing, according to a report by CNBC, citing economic forecasts by national tree sellers.     “People definitely shouldn’t wait,” said Chris Butler, CEO of National Tree Company, which deals in artificial Christmas…
Read More
A stunning lunar eclipse will turn the moon red overnight

A stunning lunar eclipse will turn the moon red overnight

By ArLuther Lee, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Troy Warren for CNT #EditorsPicks Either stay up late or wake up early to see the moon pass into Earth’s shadow If you’re an early riser, tomorrow is a day you definitely want to step outside with your morning coffee. An epic lunar eclipse will be visible in the night sky and last into the early morning hours of Friday. Known as a Beaver Moon eclipse, the rare celestial event could last up to six hours as the moon passes into the Earth’s shadow, with the sun’s rays turning the color of our closest neighbor…
Read More
2 men to be cleared in 1965 assassination of Malcolm X

2 men to be cleared in 1965 assassination of Malcolm X

By The Associated Press Troy Warren for CNT #EditorsPicks NEW YORK — Two of the three men convicted in the assassination of Malcolm X are set to be cleared Thursday after insisting on their innocence since the 1965 killing of one of the United States’ most formidable fighters for civil rights, Manhattan’s top prosecutor said Wednesday. Prosecutors now say authorities withheld evidence that favored the defense in the trial of Muhammad Aziz, now 83, and the late Khalil Islam, according to The New York Times.   Aziz and Islam spent decades in prison for the crime, but a recent documentary sparked a…
Read More
Mexico arrests wife of Jalisco New Generation cartel leader

Mexico arrests wife of Jalisco New Generation cartel leader

By MARÍA VERZA, Associated Press Troy Warren for CNT #EditorsPicks MEXICO CITY — Mexican soldiers have captured the wife of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation cartel, authorities said Tuesday. In a joint statement, the Attorney General’s Office, Defense Department and National Intelligence Center said that Rosalinda “N” was captured Monday in Zapopan, Jalisco. It said she was allegedly involved in the illicit finances of organized crime in Jalisco. A federal official, commenting about the case on condition of anonymity, said the woman arrested was Rosalinda González Valencia, the wife of Jalisco cartel leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera. The government…
Read More
9-year-old Dallas boy dies after Astroworld festival crush

9-year-old Dallas boy dies after Astroworld festival crush

By The Associated Press Troy Warren for CNT #EditorsPicks HOUSTON — A 9-year-old Dallas boy has become the youngest person to die from injuries sustained during a crowd surge at the Astroworld music festival in Houston. Ezra Blount of Dallas died Sunday at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, family attorney Ben Crump said. Ezra was placed in a medically induced coma after suffering serious injuries in the Nov. 5 crush of fans during a performance by the festival's headliner, rapper Travis Scott. He is the 10th person who attended the festival to die. “The Blount family tonight is grieving the incomprehensible loss…
Read More
View over 1 million holiday lights two hours north of Atlanta

View over 1 million holiday lights two hours north of Atlanta

By Kiersten Willis, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Troy Warren for CNT #EditorsPicks Rock City’s Enchanted Garden of Lights is celebrating its 27th year If you and your family are up for a drive toward the Georgia-Tennesee border, it may be worth it to see a stunning holiday lights display. Joy, wonder and magic await at Rock City’s Enchanted Garden of Lights in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. “Warm your heart during this nighttime, family tradition as you walk through Rock City Gardens’ winter wonderland. Located a quick drive from downtown Chattanooga, this magical Christmas lights experience is one of Chattanooga’s memorable winter events,” the website noted.…
Read More
Man who went to space with William Shatner dies in plane crash

Man who went to space with William Shatner dies in plane crash

By The Associated Press Troy Warren for CNT #EditorsPicks HAMPTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A man who traveled to space with William Shatner last month was killed along with another person when a small plane crashed in northern New Jersey, according to state police. Glen M. de Vries, 49, of New York City, and Thomas P. Fischer, 54, of Hopatcong, were aboard the single-engine Cessna 172 that went down Thursday in a wooded area of Hampton Township. The aircraft had departed from Essex County Airport in Caldwell and was headed to Sussex Airport when the Federal Aviation Administration alerted public safety agencies to look…
Read More
Los Angeles: Britney freed: Judge dissolves Spears’ conservatorship

Los Angeles: Britney freed: Judge dissolves Spears’ conservatorship

By ANDREW DALTON, Associated Press Troy Warren for LosAngelesNewsAndTalk.Com #Entertainment #EditorsPicks #Lifestyle LOS ANGELES — Britney is free. A Los Angeles judge on Friday ended the conservatorship that has controlled Britney Spears’ life and money for nearly 14 years. The decision capped a stunning five-month odyssey that saw Spears publicly demand the end of the conservatorship, hire her own attorney, have her father removed from power and finally win the freedom to make her own medical, financial and personal decisions for the first time since 2008. “As of today, the conservatorship of the person and estate of Britney Jean Spears is hereby…
Read More