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US Transportation Department looking into airline loyalty programs for potential deceptive practices

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

Rich Thomaselli | (TNS) TravelPulsePerhaps spurred by the potential for a congressional investigation, the Department of Transportation will take a deeper dive into airline frequent flyer programs.Specifically, the DOT is looking for any unfair or deceptive practices with the loyalty cards.The government agency is also looking at the devaluation of the cards — that is, the rising number of points needed to book a free flight.“We plan to carefully review complaints regarding loyalty programs and exercise our authority to investigate airlines for unfair and deceptive practices that hurt travelers as warranted,” a department spokesperson said. “DOT officials are actively meeting with U.S. airlines and gathering more information on this issue.”Frequent flyer miles used to be accumulated through the number of flights and number of miles flown on a certain airline.Now, virtually every airline has an affiliated credit card on which you can gain miles just through ev...

Suspicious death in San Diego: Body found in freezer identified

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Police Department has released new details regarding a suspicious death investigation after a body was found in a freezer last month.The incident occurred on Friday, Dec. 22, when a family visiting from out-of-town discovered a deceased person inside a chest freezer at a residence on the 4900 block of Zion Avenue in Allied Gardens. Three suspects sought in felony hit-and-run Based on the unusual location of the body, SDPD's Homicide Unit was called in to investigate. While working with the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office, detectives have now identified the body as Mary Margaret Haxby-Jones. Haxby-Jones, who would have been 81-years-old, is believed to have lived at the residence at some point before her death, SDPD explained. Detectives also believe it is possible that the elderly woman may have been missing or dead for up to 9 years.  The cause of her death has not yet been determined and remains under investigation. However, ...

Little Italy vintage décor store, Architectural Salvage, closing after decades

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

SAN DIEGO — A staple of San Diego's vintage interior décor scene, Architectural Salvage, will be closing later this year after nearly three decades in business, but it has a couple things in store to end its tenure on a high note.The store, which is chalk full of unique finds for homes, gardens and businesses, announced on Wednesday it will be holding a three-day sale from from Jan. 12 to 14 as a way of celebrating its final days in business."For 28 years, we've been an integral part of San Diego's story, helping to restore pieces of its heart and soul,” said owner, Elizabeth Scalice. “Saying goodbye is bittersweet, but I'm filled with pride and gratitude for our community's support. This upcoming sale is our way of expressing thanks and celebrating everything we've cherished together." New Bricks and Minifigs locations coming to Carlsbad and La Mesa Scalice, a historic preservationist, started Architectural Salvage from a tiny house in Encinitas, before it expanded to a brick-an...

Brazilian politician’s move to investigate a priest sparks outpouring of support for the clergyman

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A right-wing Brazilian politician’s push to have the Sao Paulo government investigate a city priest has prompted a strong defense from Roman Catholic leaders and government leaders who praised the clergyman’s work with the homeless.The Rev. Júlio Lancellotti, 75, ministers to the homeless in one of the roughest neighborhoods of Brazil’s largest city, a crime and drug-ridden area of Sao Paulo commonly known as Crackland.But Sao Paulo council member Rubinho Nunes alleges the priest also illegally works on behalf of an unnamed non-profit organization to promote Brazil’s leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva — an allegation Lancellotti denies.Nunes needs the votes of a majority of the 55-member council in two votes to launch the probe and gathered the support of 24 of his colleagues as of this week, ahead of their next session in February. But the effort has now drawn vocal pushback from the Roman Catholic archdiocese, Lula’s administration ...

New York City subway train derails in collision with another train, injuring more than 20 people

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City subway train derailed Thursday after being sideswiped by another train, leaving more than 20 people with minor injuries including some who were brought to hospitals, city police said.A 1 train and a Metropolitan Transportation Authority work train were both traveling northbound near the 96th Street station on Manhattan’s Upper West Side when they sideswiped each other at about 3 p.m., police said at the scene. A “derailment” happens when at least one wheel of a train leaves the track.About 300 people were evacuated from the passenger train that derailed, and firefighters also evacuated a few hundred people from a third train that wasn’t involved but had to stop in the tunnel because of the collision. The collision caused major disruptions to the 1, 2 and 3 lines during the afternoon rush hour. The MTA said there was no service on those lines in most of Manhattan on Thursday afternoon. The MTA said there had been a derailment, but did not c...

California prosecutors charge father in death of child his 10-year-old son allegedly shot

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Northern California prosecutors have decided to only charge the father of a 10-year-old boy in connection with the death of a child the boy allegedly shot.The decision on charges in the fatal shooting Saturday outside Sacramento was announced during the father’s court appearance Wednesday. In an email Thursday to The Associated Press, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office said it told the court that “based on the facts currently known, the sole criminal liability and responsibility for the child’s death lays exclusively with this Defendant.”The AP generally does not identify juveniles involved in crimes. The father’s name is being withheld to avoid identifying his son.The Sacramento Bee reported that an attorney entered not guilty pleas on behalf of the 53-year-old defendant to charges of having a firearm that a child could easily access, leading to the death of another minor; two counts of child endangerment; having a firearm as a felon; h...

Judge denies change of venue motion in rape trial of man also accused of Memphis teacher’s killing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man accused of raping a woman a year before he was charged with kidnapping and killing a schoolteacher will have his fate decided by a Memphis-area jury when he goes to trial in the sexual assault case, a judge has ruled.Shelby County Judge Lee Coffee on Wednesday denied a change of venue motion filed by Juni Ganguli, the lawyer for Cleotha Abston, news outlets reported. Ganguli argued that Abston could not get a fair trial from Shelby County jurors because of intense media publicity surrounding the 2021 rape and the 2022 killing of Eliza Fletcher.Abston was not arrested on the rape charges before Eliza Fletcher’s killing because of a long delay in processing the sexual assault kit, authorities have said. Abston has pleaded not guilty in both cases.Coffee has scheduled an April 8 trial for Abston on the charges of kidnapping and raping a woman in September 2021. Abston is charged with snatching Fletcher from a street near the University of Memphis d...

Former Guatemalan president released on bond; leaves prison for first time since 2015

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Former Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina was released from prison — the first time since his resignation and arrest in 2015 — after posting bond of more than $10.3 million quetzales ($1.3 million), according to his lawyer.Pérez Molina was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison in December 2022 for a bribery scheme known locally as “La Linea” or “The Line.” But under Guatemala’s multi-step sentencing process, he appealed and the sentence has not yet been confirmed, making him eligible to post bond. He was released Wednesday night.“We filed this alternative measure that had already been granted beforehand,” said César Calderón, Pérez Molina’s lawyer.The bond posted allowed the former president to regain his freedom while the appeal is considered. He is not allowed to leave Guatemala and must check in with prosecutors every 30 days.Pérez Molina was also sentenced to eight years in prison in September after pleading guilty to charges of fraud, mon...

Initial foreign interference inquiry hearings to weigh confidentiality of information

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

OTTAWA — A federal inquiry into foreign interference says its initial hearings will help identify ways to make information public, even though much of it will originate from classified documents and sources.In a public notice, the inquiry says the five days of hearings on national security and confidentiality of information, to begin Jan. 29, will help set the stage for the next public hearings, likely to take place at the end of March.The March hearings are expected to delve into allegations of foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, with a report on these matters due May 3.After its first report, the inquiry will focus on policy issues, looking at the ability of the government to detect, deter and counter foreign interference targeting Canada’s democratic processes.The inquiry has created an e-mail address — [email protected] — that can be used to submit information in confidence.It also notes that people fearful of testifying publicly may be permitte...

Jewish advocates say suspected hate-motivated arson at North York deli has left community reeling

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

The day after his store was targeted, the Jewish owner of International Delicatessen Foods in North York covered the words “Free Palestine” that had been spray-painted on his store.Toronto police responded to a fire at the location on Wednesday and discovered gas cannisters, smashed windows and the graffiti, leading them to investigate the incident as a hate-motivated crime. The fire was put out and no injuries were reported.The owner declined to comment to media outside the store on Thursday, but many customers and community members stopped by to show their support.“When the people are just coming and doing this kind of chaos, for myself it’s unacceptable,” said one community member. “[We] just need more respect, especially in this country with 150 nationalities around here, it’s a home for everyone.”“For me, it’s shock, for me it’s surprise, and I think it can’t be in [a] democratic country,” said anothe...