Category: Opinion

A federal jury convicted five MS-13 gang members Friday for their part in the kidnapping and brutal murder of two teenage Virginia boys whom they “erroneously” suspected of being members of a rival gang and police informant.

Elmer Zelaya Martinez, 31; Ronald Herrera Contreras, 24; Henry Zelaya Martinez, 28; Pablo Velasco Barrera, 24; and Duglas Ramirez Ferrera, 25, of El Salvador conspired to kidnap and kill two 17-year-old boys from Falls Church whom they wrongly suspected of being in a rival gang and 14-year-old boy from Alexandria whom they wrongly suspected of being a police informant in August 2016, according to court records.

The gang members lured both boys into Holmes Run Stream Valley Park on August 28 of that year under the guise that they would be attending a gang meeting in the woods.

All five defendants found guilty on Friday in a Virginia federal court were charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder in aid of racketeering activity; conspiracy to kidnap; murder in aid of racketeering activity; kidnapping resulting in death. They each are facing mandatory life sentences.

MS-13 is a transnational gang made up mostly of individuals of Salvadoran or other Central American descent, according to the DOJ.

The gang has more than 10,000 members conducting regular activities across at least ten states and Washington, D.C., “with thousands more conducting gang activities in Central America and Mexico,” the department noted.

A plus-sized woman criticized theme parks for not making allowances for larger people, saying it’s important to “make spaces inclusive for all bodies and accessibility needs”.

Heather O’Neill, 26, from Kent, said she almost canceled a recent trip to Thorpe Park over fears that because she is size 24-26 she wouldn’t be able to fit in the seats.

To raise awareness of the issue, O’Neill made videoes of her experiences at Thorpe Park and shared them on TikTok.

Although she found the majority of ride seats did accommodate her, she did not fit in all ride seats but was still allowed to go on the ride.

She said of one ride: “I tried to go on Colossus anyway – didn’t fit but staff were really nice and discreet and gave me a fast pass to another ride, so not bad.”

She added: “The fact that I even have to think about if I will fit the rides is the first difference [in being a plus size customer].

“The feeling nervous before going, the pushing the seat down trying to get it to close. Worrying about how safe the ride will be for me after that poor man died on a ride in America.”

The mental health student nurse said she also has the same concerns about flying, worrying about whether the seat will be too small or if she’ll need a seat belt extender.

“I used all the test seats that I could find, which most people don’t have to do,” added Heather. “But rides aren’t built for plus size/fat people, it’s about accessibility and making spaces inclusive for all bodies and accessibility needs.”

But Heather noted the problem had nothing to do with the staff, who she described as ‘helpful and kind’.

She argues the problem, is that ‘society isn’t built for anyone who is outside of society’s norm of straight, able-bodied and slim’, whether that be theme parks, airplanes, or buses.

Many people thanked the TikToker for highlighting the issue, with one writing: “Thank you for normalizing this! No one should miss out because of the anxiety this creates!”

Another said: “Wish they could put test seats in a booth or something, not out in the open. I’d get so anxious having to do it in front of ppl.”

“I’m so so grateful for this,” commented a third. “I would have NEVER gone to a theme park before but might just have to try now!”

Others were happy to see theme parks introducing test seats, including this person who wrote: “I went to Alton Towers years ago and it was humiliating having to get off rides instead.”

A spokesperson for Thorpe Park said: “At Thorpe Park Resort, we care deeply about creating magical experiences that are inclusive for all of our guests.

“We have always strived to create accessible attractions where people can be themselves and enjoy fun experiences together.

“From team training to listening to guest feedback, our priority is always focused on ensuring every one of our guests enjoys a magical day out with us at the UK’s most thrilling theme park.”

A worker in Chile filed his resignation and was nowhere to be located after his employer unintentionally paid him around 330 times his wage due to a payroll error.

The employee’s remuneration for the month of May was 165,398,851 Chilean pesos ($180,418). They were a dispatch assistant at the cold meats producer Consorcio Industrial de Alimentos. Only roughly $545, or 500,000 Chilean pesos, were intended to be given to him.

According to the local media outlet Diario Financiero, the employee first informed his manager about the significant overpayment.

The employee would then be required to visit his bank and repay the excess money after the management reported the situation to human resources.

Although he promised to visit the bank the following day, he kept the cash and disregarded his employer’s communications over the following few days.

The man subsequently submitted a letter of resignation to the business, which was sent by his attorney. Since then, the employee has not been heard from, according to Diario Financiero.

The worker is the subject of a complaint from Consorcio Industrial de Alimentos that claims he stole money, but no arrests have been made as of yet.

Elon Musk has been uncharacteristically quiet on social media for more than a week as he pursues the acquisition of the Twitter service.

Musk hasn’t tweeted on his personal account in nine days, leaving many to wonder why the typically active CEO has stopped using social media.

Musk’s plans to buy Twitter, which he claims serves a crucial purpose in the modern world but is tainted by bias and politics, raise more problems.

On June 21, he made his final post before going dark, responding to a tweet regarding SpaceX and the Federal Communications Commission.

SpaceX urged the FCC to investigate whether Dish and Michael Dell-affiliate RS Access filed "intentionally misleading reports" in the battle over 12GHz broadband, a fight SpaceX representatives describe as an unlikely but existential threat to Starlink: https://t.co/s7rhXQoy4p

— Michael Sheetz (@thesheetztweetz) June 21, 2022

Earlier this month, Musk made a withdrawal threat, alleging that the business had violated the merger agreement by “actively fighting and blocking” his request for details regarding the spam and bogus account data.

The board of Twitter has “unanimously recommended” that shareholders approve Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, buying the social media behemoth for $44 billion.

On Twitter, Musk recently exceeded 100 million followers. According to social media monitoring service SocialBlade, Musk reached the milestone between Sunday and Monday.

Musk highlighted that his goal is to create an inclusive and enticing Twitter experience.

“Ideally I’d like to get like 80% of North America and perhaps, I don’t know, half the world or something ultimately on Twitter in one form or another,” Musk explained. “And that means it must be something that is appealing to people. It obviously cannot be a place where people feel uncomfortable or harassed, or they’ll simply not use it.”

MTV’s “Teen Mom” star, Farrah Abraham, was charged with battery stemming from a nightclub altercation in Hollywood earlier this year when she assaulted a security guard during an argument outside Grandmaster Records in Los Angeles, California.

The 31-year-old reality star was officially charged on June 2.

Abraham faces a $2,000 fine and up to one year in jail. She first appeared on “16 and Pregnant” in 2009 and has since starred in many other projects for the network.

The former adult film star was booked into county jail on Jan. 16 for slapping a security guard at the club after she was asked to leave but refused.

A representative for the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that Abraham was taken into custody after someone made a citizen’s arrest while she was partying at a nightclub.

Law enforcement officials said Abraham was arrested and booked after officers responded to a battery call at the club. Security at the location had been alerted to a possible fight on the rooftop of the establishment. When guards tried to escort Abraham from the location, she slapped one of them.

“Security called LAPD and placed the suspect under private persons arrest PPA arrest for battery,” the Los Angeles Police Department statement said.

Abraham told a different story on social media shortly after the incident and claimed the altercation had been planned by outside sources before praising authorities for stepping in to help her.

“I post this as no woman or man should ever be battered, abused, conspired, ganged up on, set up, recorded, and video sold. I’m putting a restraining order on @antonelloparloto livebad who made this dinner reservation and conspired an attack on myself with the staff at @grandmaster_recorders as it was a “private persons arrest” complete setup,” she wrote.

The star went on to lament that she was “attacked, bruised, men on me, and battered. As a single mother to be harassed, battered, and conspired against as a paying customer.” She called out the club again and demanded that it fire its management. She also thanked the police for “rescuing” her.

Police arrested a Georgia woman after answering a call for a possible domestic dispute Friday night.

The caller indicated that a woman was attempting to stab other occupants inside the home.

When Paulding County firefighters arrived at the home, they found seven children, two who were unresponsive and three who had injuries. The other two children did not appear to have any injuries. The three injured children were rushed to the hospital, where two of them were later pronounced dead, bringing the death total 4.

The adult in the home at the time of the fire was identified as 40-year-old Darlene Brister, who was taken into custody and later charged with two counts of malicious murder. She is likely to face additional charges.

“I just don’t know who would do that to their kids,” one neighbor said.

“You just don’t think things like that are going to happen,” said another.

Neighbors started a Go Fund Me account in support of the Georgia family’s funeral expenses, in addition to a memorial close to the home.

Authorities will continue to investigate the incident following Brister’s arrest.

In a startling video, two black bears were caught on camera fighting at a South Lake Tahoe home Sunday.

The fracas was loud, with a few good punches but no serious damage. Still, it was a terrifying brawl.

Even though the two bears are enormous, it didn’t stop homeowner Lisa Quick from running out to break up the fight. “I screamed and my dogs started barking and we ran out there to break it up,” Quick said, “I see bears every single day but we’ve never had them fight before.”

The footage was captured on a Ring camera, and both bears growled aggressively toward each other during the skirmish. Quick broke up the battle, but the vicious swiping seen in the footage could have easily taken her head off.

Quick said she adores the bears in the area and that they’ll usually leave her carport if she chases them away. The only bears found in the area are black bears, and males typically grow from 250 to 350 pounds, according to the official Tahoe Bears website.

Michael Jackson’s estate alleges that a man who was engaged to one of his siblings took advantage of the chaos and sadness of the superstar’s death to take a bunch of property from the singer’s home.

According to new legal docs, MJ’s estate claims Jeffrey Phillips, who was engaged to one of Michael’s siblings at the time, took advantage of his 9-day stay in Michael’s Carolwood House to steal personal and private property.

Michael’s estate claims Phillips began his stay at the home right after MJ died on June 25, 2009 and pulled off brazen acts of theft under the distraction of all the heartbreak and chaos around the home … making off with items including MJ’s iPhone, California drivers license, prescription pill bottles with pills inside and some clothes.

What’s more, Michael’s estate claims Phillips also stole handwritten notes from MJ … plus a briefcase filled with personal and business papers and video cameras, computers, and hard drives.

The estate says Phillips brazenly stole the pajamas Michael was wearing in the final hours before his death — which paramedics had removed while trying to save his life — and a resuscitator tube that appears to have been used on Michael.

The lawsuit does not specify which of Michael’s siblings Phillips was engaged to.

The lawsuit was filed Friday, just before the 13th anniversary of Michael’s death.

At least 21 people were found dead inside a South African nightclub Sunday.

Dead bodies were laid out across chairs and tables at Enyobeni Tavern in East London. There were no signs of bodily injuries. The majority of the victims were between 13-20 years old and were at the club celebrating the end of their school exams.

One attendee said she had snuck out of her parent’s house after they fell asleep to attend the party. The teen claimed that when the tavern became overcrowded, security guards asked people to leave, but no one did.

When people refused to leave, the guards began spraying an unknown substance into the crowd.

“The man at the door, I think he was a bouncer, he closed the door and we couldn’t breathe. We suffocated for a long time and pushed each other but there was no use because some people were dying,” the young woman said.

“It smelled like gas. I’m not sure if it was tear gas or pepper spray. Then some people died and I also fell asleep for three hours. Then when they woke us up, they also thought I was dead,” she continued. She said that she was unable to stand after she woke up.

Authorities arrived around 4:00 a.m. after receiving a series of frantic phone calls from people at the tavern.

“At this point, we cannot confirm the cause of death. We are going to conduct autopsies as soon as possible to establish the probable cause of death,” Health Department spokesperson Siyanda Manana said.

“This tragedy is made even more grave by its occurrence during Youth Month – a time during which we celebrate young people, advocate and advance opportunities for improved socio-economic conditions for the youth of our nation,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement. He noted that it was concerning that underage children were allowed into the club.

Exhumed remains from a cemetery at a U.S. Army base in Pennsylvania are not those of the Native American teenager recorded to have been buried there more than a century ago, the military said.

The Army is disinterring the remains of eight Native American children who died at the government-run Carlisle Indian Industrial School. The army intends to transfer custody of the children’s remains to the closest living relatives.

On Saturday, the Army exhumed grave B-13, which was recorded to have belonged to Wade Ayres of the Catawba Indian Nation of South Carolina, who died in 1904. The remains did not match those of a male aged 13 or 14, but instead were found to be consistent with a female aged 15 to 20, the Army said in a statement.

The girl’s remains were reinterred in the same grave on Monday and marked unknown.

“The Army is committed to seeking more information in an effort to determine where the remains of Wade Ayres are buried so that he may be returned to his family and the Catawba nation,” the Army said.

The disinterment process began earlier this month and marks the fifth at Carlisle since 2017. More than 20 sets of Native American remains have already been transferred to family members

More than 10,000 children from over 140 tribes passed through Carlisle Indian Industrial School between 1879 and 1918, as part of a U.S. policy to force Native American children to assimilate into white society.

The school separated the students from their culture, cutting their braids, dressing them in military-style uniforms, and punishing them for speaking their native languages.

Some 186 children were thought to have been buried in the cemetery.

In 2017, a grave thought to belong to a 10-year-old Native American child actually contained two sets of remains, from a teenage male and a person of undetermined age and sex.