All this week, NHPR is talking with artists about their work and how the past year has changed the way they create art. For the latest installment of “ The Show Goes On ," All Things Considered host Peter Biello explores the colorful streetscape of Nashua.

A day after urging sex abuse victims of current or former leaders of the embattled Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, to report their abuse to elders, longtime elder at the megachurch, Tra Willbanks, revised his advice on Sunday urging them instead to “go to the police first.”

The case was led by Texas Department of Insurance investigators and prosecutors working with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

Former NFL player Corey Bradford pleaded guilty to submitting fraudulent health reimbursement claims after an investigation by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) Fraud Unit.

Former NFL player James Adkisson pleaded guilty to submitting more than $33,000 in fraudulent health reimbursement claims after an investigation by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) Fraud Unit.

London will additionally transfer about a hundred Brimstone missiles, artillery guns and ammunition, British Secretary of State for Defence John Healey said earlier. It was previously reported that the UK would transfer 100 missiles for F-16 aircraft to Ukraine at the end of the summer. The transfer of the fighters has allegedly begun. In the fall of 2022, London transferred Brimstone-2 missiles with increased range and laser guidance to the Armed Forces o Ukraine. In February 2024, the UK announced plans to transfer another 200 homing Brimstone missiles to Ukraine. The Brimstone family includes several modifications of missiles. They are launched mainly from aircraft, helicopters or unmanned vehicles to strike sea and land targets, including moving ones. One Brimstone missile costs about 175,000 pounds sterling ($234,500).

Army General Pavel Popov, former Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia, was detained. He appears on the fraud case related to Moscow's Patriot Park. General Popov is accused of fraud on an especially large scale. According to the investigation, in 2021-2024, while he was responsible for the development, maintenance, and operation of the Patriot Park, he enriched himself at the expense of this institution — he used building materials to build his own house in the Krasnogorsk District (Moscow region) and forced park employees to work at his three-hectare dacha for free. According to the Investigative Committee, the director of the park, Vyacheslav Akhmedov, and deputy head of the Main Directorate for Innovative Development of the Ministry of Defense, Vladimir Shesterov, were also involved in the fraudulent scheme. General Pavel Popov was detained based on their testimony. Akhmedov and Shesterov said that they received money following the general's orders and paid him about three million rubles.

[International] :
The Ukrainian military has revealed what it claims are intercepted radio communications between North Korean soldiers in the Russian territory of Kursk. The audio file, shared by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, features a male voice saying Korean words such as “wait” and “Seal two, one, ...

[more...]

President Biden signed a memorial bill to recognize the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting and offered his condolences to people who are awaiting news on their loved ones in the wake of the deadly Surfside, Fla., partial condo collapse.

Biden — who was vice president when a 29-year-old man killed 49 people and wounded 53 more in the nightclub mass shooting — signed the bill to enshrine a monument to the dozens killed in the Latin Night massacre.

The shooting occurred at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., in June 2016. The month of June is celebrated annually as LGBTQ Pride Month in the United States.

"May a president never have to sign another monument like this," Biden said.

Biden also offered his thoughts to the victims and loved ones of those affected by the catastrophic collapse this week of a Miami-Dade County condo. Authorities say four people have been declared dead and an additional 159 are considered missing in the rubble.

"I just want to say, I've spoken to Gov. [Ron] DeSantis, and we've provided all the help that they have, they need," Biden said. "We sent the best people from FEMA down there. We're going to stay with them."

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

James Franco attends a special screening of the final season of "The Deuce" at Metrograph on Sept. 5, 2019 in New York City. =; Credit: Taylor Hill/WireImage/Getty Images

The parties involved in a sexual misconduct case against Oscar-winning actor James Franco have reached a preliminary settlement agreement. The two actors who filed the suit have agreed to drop their claims.

In 2019, Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal alleged that James Franco's Studio 4 acting school sexually exploited female students. The complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, also alleged fraud and sought to represent more than 100 former female students at the now defunct Studio 4. Vince Jolivette, Jay Davis and Franco's RabbitBandini Productions were also named in the suit which accused Studio 4 of setting out to "create a steady stream of young women to objectify and exploit."

According to their joint status report filed on Feb. 11, Tither-Kaplan and Gaal agreed to drop their individual claims. The Sexual Exploitation Class claims will also be dismissed. NPR is reaching out to both parties for comment.

The original complaint was filed shortly after Franco won a Golden Globe for his performance in The Disaster Artist. Franco denied the allegations. In a statement to NPR at the time, his attorney said "James will not only fully defend himself, but will also seek damages from the plaintiffs and their attorneys for filing this scurrilous publicity seeking lawsuit."

In 2016, Franco made a docuseries based on his Sex Scenes class at Studio 4 that he posted on his Facebook page. The videos have since been taken down, but one is still available on Vimeo. Tither-Kaplan, who was a student in the class, told NPR she thought it would teach her how to "maneuver in sex scenes professionally as an actor," but it "did not do that at all."

According to Tither-Kaplan, the class did not explain industry standards such as "nudity riders, the detail required in them, the right to counsel with the director about nude scenes, the custom to choreograph nude scenes ahead of time to negotiate them with the cast and the director — I knew none of that throughout that class."

According to the parties' agreement, the allegations of fraud will be "subject to limited release." It is not clear whether monetary payments are involved. The parties say they expect to file a motion for preliminary approval of the settlement agreement no later than March 15.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

More than 120 people recently attended the seventh annual Foothills Regional Conference for Early Childhood Educators in Statesville. This year�s conference theme, "You Make a Powerful Difference", explored the difference that early childhood educators make in the lives of young children.

A customer walks behind a sign at a Nordstrom in Coral Gables, Fla., store seeking employees in May.; Credit: Marta Lavandier/AP

Two organizations filed a lawsuit against Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb in an attempt to block the state's push to end pandemic unemployment benefits on June 19.

Indiana Legal Services, an organization providing free legal assistance, and the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis filed the lawsuit on behalf of five unnamed plaintiffs who are set to lose their jobless benefits. The complaint was filed Monday in Marion County Superior Court.

This lawsuit may be the first of its kind that aims to stop states from ending these benefits earlier than Congress mandated.

The unemployment insurance program "has served as a vital lifeline for thousands of Hoosiers," the complaint, reviewed by NPR, says. "By prematurely deciding t0 stop administering these federal benefits, Indiana has violated the clear mandates 0f Indiana's unemployment statute—to secure all rights and benefits available for unemployed individuals."

Indiana is one of 25 Republican-led states that decided to end jobless aid in an effort to get people to return to work. Indiana and seven other states are set to end expanded unemployment benefits as soon as this weekend. This is despite Congress's authorization for extra payments until early September.

Those benefits include the extra $300 a week in federal aid and the special pandemic program for gig workers that allows them to receive jobless benefits. Ordinarily, independent contractors wouldn't be eligible.

Plaintiffs, as well as many other Indiana residents, rely entirely on the unemployment benefits to pay for food and rent and to care for their families, the complaint alleges.

Attorneys in this case are requesting the judge approve a preliminary injunction that would allow people to receive their benefits while the case continues.

Holcomb says it's time to get back to work

Holcomb told The Indianapolis Star that people no longer need unemployment benefits as the state has a plethora of jobs open.

"Eliminating these pandemic programs will not be a silver bullet for employers to find employees, but we currently have about 116,000 available jobs in the state that need filled now," he said.

According to the governor's office, Indiana's unemployment rate has recovered to 3.9% after climbing to 17% at the height of the pandemic.

The lawsuit challenges Holcomb's assertion.

Each of the five plaintiffs say they are unable to return to work due to lingering injuries or disability, health conditions that put them at risk for COVID-19 exposure, dependent children at home and no childcare available, or no positions that are available in their career field.

Workers of color feel the loss of unemployment the most

The National Employment Law Project says ending these jobless benefits early threatens the livelihoods of workers of color the most.

Millions of Americans still heavily rely on jobless aid as the country slowly reopens from pandemic-induced lockdowns, according to the organization.

As of May 22, more than 15.3 million people still needed some form of unemployment benefit—nearly twice the number who received payments when the aid programs began in late March 2020, NELP said.

According to its analysis, over 46% of unemployment insurance recipients in the states ending the programs early are people of color.

"The brunt of the impact will be felt by Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and other people of color," NELP says.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

International Day for the Right to Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims Today, on the International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims, we are sharing our interview with forensic anthropologist Mercedes Doretti, the Director of North and Central American Programs and Board Member of the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF), which she also co-founded. Doretti and her colleagues collect and analyze physical evidence of human rights abuses (which often includes identifying the remains of victims of grave human rights abuses and returning them to their families), and they regularly present their findings to tribunals and legal mechanisms around the world to secure justice for those whose rights to life and personal security have been violated.

With just weeks to go before the US presidential election, the FBI and the CISA are warning about attempts to sow distrust in the electoral process

Oppo aims to make generative artificial intelligence accessible to 50 million users by 2024 through collaborations with Google and Microsoft, joining other handset makers like Samsung and Xiaomi in leveraging AI for sales growth.

Gluten-free is a hot product category. It seems everyone in the food industry wants to be involved in this trend, and the gluten-free label claim does attract a segment of the population that is highly sensitive to the ingestion of traces of gluten. Consumers with celiac disease must completely avoid gluten.

With this latest product launch, Calise Bakery is expanding its lineup of signature rolls and sourdough products.

The 2024 event programming aims at maintaining safety in processing environments 

Gluten-free. Dairy-free. Nut-free. Peanut-free. Allergen-free. The food marketplace increasingly features such claims on product labels, but what do they mean? Do regulatory agencies police use of such terms?

Plumbing & Mechanical recently had the chance to interview International Code Council CEO Dominic Sims about the current landscape for codes and standards and the plumbing industry overall. 

Hiller announced a five-year partnership with The University of Alabama’s Athletic Department and Crimson Tide Sports Marketing.

The proposed legislation would direct the EPA to establish a list of indoor contaminants and voluntary guidelines.

The Hub offers industry knowledge, best practices, expert insight, and a place to connect with other safety professionals. It features content in a variety of formats.

Mike Ettenberg, Founder of Frontline, is a retired firefighter tired of losing or destroying his designer shades in the heat of the frontlines. 

Driven by opportunity and a belief that strong community, family and friends are paramount to leading a purposeful life, Golden Eagle Vodka’s Co-Founder and CEO Dakota Blaze Rader shares how the brand aims to reinvigorate the premium vodka segment by blending American heritage with modern luxury.

The Los Angeles-based THC beverage brand Nowadays offers alternatives to alcohol with similar buzz.

With so many consumers turning to convenience stores for their energy drink purchases, CELSIUS is working with operators to drive success not only for the brand, but the convenience channel.

DashTrack is offering a cost-effective, streamlined one-stop solution for restaurant management through an all-encompassing platform.

Crimson Wine Group, Napa, Calif., announced its commitment to further reduce the glass bottle weight of its largest production wines. By reducing the weight of its bottles, Crimson aims to lower its environmental impact and contribute toward a more sustainable future, it says.

Video series aims to educate victims on what to do after being injured in a car accident to protect their legal rights

Experienced Bicycle Accident Attorneys Commit to Helping Injured Cyclists Navigate Legal Challenges

Creating a company culture in government contracting can be difficult when most of your employees are on government sites away from the company. Crimson Phoenix has figured out a way to develop a positive culture in government contracting.

Crimson Phoenix believes in the value of mentoring and supporting the community. We are proud to offer this program as a service to the community. Applicants can sign up on the Crimson Phoenix SPY Program website.

Mr. Furimsky celebrates 30 years of success in the fly fishing industry.

For homeowners, spring can be a beautiful time of the year, but damaging spring storms can spring up at any time and if your property is not prepared, springtime can be costly.

Lagos-based ministry continues proud tradition of giving back, supporting those in need

Sunil Jagani, a prominent figure in Philadelphia's technology landscape and founder of AllianceTek, is making waves in the AI industry with his pioneering work on Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)

And They Are Using Their Moment As A Call to Action

NANOFAENTECH's products have different features from the existing 2D cell culture methods and other 3D cell culture methods.

Leading IT company warns Florida residents of dangers of post storm scams.

After extensive research and as part of the cyber security requirements, CIS now has all policy holders implement 'Trusted Sender Score' (TSS) offered by Zulu Labs Inc - as it is the only proactive loss prevention tool to greatly reduce cyber-attacks

The Mesothelioma Victims Center is appealing to the family of a paper mill worker with mesothelioma to call for direct access to attorney Erik Karst of the law firm of Karst von Oiste-to develop a plan for expedited financial compensation results.

Autonomous Medical Coding Technology Adopted by a Leading Provider of Revenue Cycle Management Services in the United States

from Across the Country

Richard J. Long channels years of expertise into his work with Long International

Emerging storyteller Richard Runyon announces his forthcoming autobiography, adding to his impressive body of work, which includes an acclaimed interview series and the upcoming "Richard Runyon's Storybook" web program.

Ancient traditions meets modern technology.

Katherine Batsis, acclaimed author and web series host, launches the third episode of 'Kathi's Perspective,' inspired by her new book 'Grateful and Blessed.' Plus, find out about her first book's notable distinction. Both are available on Amazon.com.

Crimson Phoenix continues to take the Defense industry by storm.