DNA evidence frees California man imprisoned for decades
A man who spent more than 38 years behind bars for a 1983 murder and two attempted murders has been released from a California prison after long-untested DNA evidence pointed to a different person, the Los Angeles County district attorney said Friday. The conviction of Maurice Hastings, 69, and a life sentence were vacated during an Oct. 20 court hearing at the request of prosecutors and his lawyers from the Los Angeles Innocence Project at California State University, Los Angeles.
news.yahoo.comHe Unleashed a California Massacre. Should This School Be Named for Him?
ROUND VALLEY RESERVATION, Calif. — They said they were chasing down horse and cattle thieves, an armed pursuit through fertile valleys and evergreen forests north of San Francisco. But under questioning in 1860, a cattle rancher let slip a more gruesome picture, one of indiscriminate killings of Yuki Indians. A 10-year-old girl killed for “stubbornness.” Infants “put out of their misery.” Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times Documented in letters and depositions held in Cal
news.yahoo.comUN appeals for $95 million for urgent Gaza aid and repairs
The United Nations launched an emergency appeal Thursday for $95 million for Gaza for the next three months to meet immediate humanitarian needs and repairs to key facilities. Lynn Hastings, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Gaza, urged donors to contribute generously at a virtual news conference launching the appeal, which she said will target one million people for assistance. “I’m calling for humanitarian assistance right now to meet the immediate needs,” she said.
news.yahoo.comAlexi Giannoulias launches first ad in 2022 secretary of state’s race
Former State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias has released the first ad for next year’s race for the Democratic nomination for secretary of state, citing his past efforts to intervene with banks to preserve jobs at Hartmarx as a bid to build support from labor.
chicagotribune.comU.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, longest-serving member of Congress from Florida, dies at 84
Congressman Alcee Hastings died Tuesday. The South Florida congressman, who was 84, made history in many ways — positive and negative. He was a civil rights lawyer in 1960s and '70s Fort Lauderdale. He was Florida's first Black federal judge, and was later impeached and removed. He was part of the first Black members of Congress from Florida since Reconstruction.
chicagotribune.comMan accused of fatally stabbing wife in St. Johns County charged with first-degree murder
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – A 41-year-old man accused of fatally stabbing a woman Tuesday night in a domestic incident has been charged with murder, according to a St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office arrest report. The report indicated the victim recently got an injunction against Derrek Perkins on Monday, but Perkins had not yet been served the injunction. The victim’s gender and exact relationship to Perkins were redacted from the murder arrest report, but according to the State Attorney’s Office, the victim was his wife. The second witness said Perkins was on the porch and ran down the stairs and away from the house. If you or someone you know is or has been a victim of domestic violence or abuse, there are resources available:
St. Johns County PAL opens boxing program for kids
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – The St. Johns County Police Athletic League unveiled a new program this week: boxingThe program is officially open and they held a ribbon cutting at the new facility. Harris Center in Hastings will allow kids who want to have fun and exercise a chance to hone their skills. PAL is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the social development of youth. Its mission is to provide positive programs to youth in the community through athletic, educational, social and wellness programs. If you’d like to sign your child up for boxing, registration is open on stjohnspal.org.
14-year-old reported missing from Hastings is safe, deputies say
HASTINGS, Fla. – A 14-year-old returned home safely Thursday morning and was reunited with her family after she was reported missing Tuesday afternoon, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said. The girl’s mother said she began to worry when her daughter didn’t come home after she was dropped off from the school bus. The family had offered a $2,000 reward for information on her whereabouts. A spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office said the girl returned home Thursday. Note: Because the girl is no longer missing, News4Jax has removed her name and photograph from this article to respect her family’s privacy.
Saint Johns County woman claims $2 million top prize playing $10 scratch-off game
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – A St. Johns County woman came up with a winning ticket in a Florida Lottery scratch-off game and is now two million dollars wealthier. Debra Tice, 56, of Hastings, claimed a $2 million top prize from the 100X Scratch-Off game using a secured drop box located at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. She chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $1,605,000.00. Tice purchased her winning ticket from Circle K, located at 4205 U.S. 1 South in Saint Augustine. The retailer will receive a $4,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.
Disney+ has a big fan: Netflix CEO Reed Hastings
A scene from "The Mandalorian," an original Star Wars TV series that will stream on Disney+. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is a big fan of Disney+. Disney announced its flagship subscription video service, Disney+, has gained more than 50 million subscribers in just six months since the service debuted in November. Netflix announced today it had 183 million global customers, up 15 million subscribers in the first quarter. NBCUniversal's Peacock and AT&T's HBO Max, two other subscription video services, will debut throughout the U.S. in the coming months.
cnbc.comTwo-time Olympic gold medalist Natasha Hastings thought she had to hide her pregnancy to succeed
Just a few months after Hastings' pregnancy announcement, several other high-profile athletes including Olympic runners Alysia Montano and Kara Goucher spoke out about the lack of support they had at Nike . Track-and-field star Natasha Hastings hid her pregnancy for five months before deciding to tell her sponsors. The two-time Olympic gold medalist had spent her whole life training and feared that a pregnancy could derail her career. But this Olympics, Hastings' third, has new meaning that's more important than ever, she said. She won two gold medals as part of the women's 400-meter relay team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
cnbc.comNetflix CEO Reed Hastings says subscriber numbers aren't the right metric to track competition
But CEO Reed Hastings said Wednesday that subscriber counts aren't the right metric to track who's winning the streaming wars -- what's really important is how viewers spend their time. "You'll hear some subscriber numbers but you can just bundle things so that's not going to be that relevant. But Hastings is right to point out that many of the major U.S. streaming services have already found distribution partnerships that will juice subscriber numbers in year one. Netflix itself has a deal with T-Mobile that gives mobile customers unlimited free Netflix. ', we want you to choose Netflix," Hastings said.
cnbc.comPutnam County Sheriff's Office employee hurt when PAL vehicle flips
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. - A Putnam County Sheriff's Office civilian employee was injured in a crash Wednesday afternoon in St. Johns County, authorities said. The single-vehicle crash happened about 12:30 p.m. on State Road 206 at Hamilton Avenue, just south of Elkton and east of Hastings, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The Highway Patrol said the employee, identified by a Sheriff's Office spokesperson as Barry Stewart, was driving a Police Athletic League vehicle when it flipped on SR 206. He was flown to Orange Park Medical Center with serious injuries, troopers said. Stewart is the executive director of the PCSO Police Athletic League, the spokesperson said.
Man arrested for pretending to be officer, pulling over deputy
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. - A Hillsborough County, Florida deputy sheriff arrested a 35-year-old man on Fourth of July after being accused of pretending to be a law enforcement officer. Hastings told him "he was a law enforcement officer and his credentials were at the office." He told the deputy he could follow him back to the "station" so he could obtain and show him his credentials. Shortly after exiting on Branch Forbes, Hastings was stopped by a Hillsborough County deputy, where he was detained while they interviewed the off-duty deputy. No handcuffs or firearms were located in the vehicle," the Sheriff's Office said.