April 17 top stories
It is April 17. Here are today’s top stories.
Ohio man, 81, fatally shoots Uber driver, 61, after scammers target both of them
According to officials, an 81-year-old Ohio man, William Brock, has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of an Uber driver, Loletha Hall, 61, he believed was working with a scammer.
Officials said the victim was sent to the home by the same scammer.
Authorities said Brock received some scam call from a person purporting to be someone from local courts who informed him a family member was incarcerated and that he had a bond of a significant amount of money. The calls turned from ‘I am an officer in the court’ to ‘We have this subject hostage, this is a ransom demand.’
The person or their accomplice who called Brock, requested an Uber ride to his South Charleston home to pick up the money. Hall did not have any idea and thought she was supposed to pick up a package from his home.
When Hall arrived at the home and approached the front door, Brock confronted her with a gun and asked her who she was working for. He took her cellphone and prevented her from getting in her vehicle and driving away.
When she tried to get away, he shot her once, then there was more exchange between them before he shot her two more times. He then made contact with authorities to report the incident.
Hall did not threaten Brock, have a weapon or assault him. She was taken to a hospital where she died from her injuries.
USC cancels its pro-Palestinian Muslim valedictorian’s speech over security concerns
The University of Southern California (USC) canceled a commencement speech by its 2024 valedictorian who has publicly supported Palestinians, citing security concerns due to tension over the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Asna Tabassum is a first-generation South Asian-American Muslim from east Los Angeles. She is a major in biomedical engineering and a minor in resistance to genocide.
Tabassum was selected by a committee out of almost 100 applicants for valedictorian, who applied based on their perfect or near-perfect GPAs. She was hoping to use her commencement speech to inspire her classmates with a message of hope in the context of genocide and widespread fear.
At least two pro-Israel and Jewish groups complained to USC about the choice, pointing to her social media activity.
Tabassum said she was told Monday that she would no longer be able to give a speech at the University on May 10. She said in a statement, “I am both shocked by this decision and profoundly disappointed that the University is succumbing to a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice.”
USC’s provost, Andrew T. Guzman, said in a statement Monday that her speaking would have presented “substantial” security risks for the event, which draws 65,000 people to campus. He said the decision was solely about safety and came after consulting the expert campus safety team. This decision has nothing to do with freedom of speech.
Atlantic City Mayor and wife charged with abusing and assaulting daughter
Officials announced on Monday, that the mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey, Marty Small Sr., and his wife, La’Quetta Small, the superintendent of Atlantic City’s public schools, have been accused of physically and emotionally abusing their teenage daughter.
Mr. Small, 50, and Mrs. Small, 47, were charged with a second-degree count of endangering the welfare of a child along with several counts of assault. Local prosecutors said that the couple abused their daughter on multiple occasions between December and January when she was 15 and 16.
On one occasion, prosecutors said, Mr. Small hit his daughter in the head with a broom several times, causing her to lose consciousness. The abuse also included punching, dragging by hair, striking with a belt and threats.
Mr. Small was first sworn in as mayor in 2019. The Smalls have a May 15 initial court date.
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Canadian con man swindled $175M in massive psychic fraud scheme sentenced
Over two decades Patrice Runner, 57, a Canadian and French citizen, amassed a fortune by promising wealth and happiness to his targets if they sent him money through the mail. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday in New York.
A jury found Runner guilty in June 2023 on several charges related to the scheme.
The scheme pulled in more than $175 million dollars from 1.3 million American victims. Runner operated a mass-mailing fraud scheme from 1994 through 2014.
Under his scheme, millions of people received letters from Runner and his associates falsely claiming to be personal correspondence sent by well-known so-called “psychics” Maria Duval and Patrick Guerin. The letters, prosecutors said, promised the recipient they could achieve a life of great prosperity with their help. The recipients – mostly elderly and vulnerable Americans – were instructed to send money in exchange for a ‘better and more successful life’.
See a news story about Dubai rainfall flooding from Alex.
Dubai airport flooded during record rain
There was heavy rainfall in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday that caused flooding on many highways in Dubai and in its international airport.
The rainfall is the heaviest ever recorded in the country and it all came down in the span of several hours. There were thunderstorms and hail.
Dubai got over 5.5 inches of rain within 24 hours. Dubai International Airport gets an average yearly rainfall of just under 4 inches, so it’s like a year’s worth of water hitting you at once.
Dubai’s airport, which is the world’s busiest for international travel, had to halt arrivals on Tuesday night. Videos on social media showed that the apron area of the airport was covered with water — it looked like a lake.
Schools across the UAE were shut down. Water got into some homes. One man was killed when his vehicle was swept away by floodwater.
AP News said rain also fell in neighboring countries. Tragically, at least 10 schoolchildren in Oman were killed when a vehicle they were in was swept away.
Thanks for that story. That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!
Ohio man, 81, fatally shoots Uber driver, 61, after scammers target both of them
USC cancels its pro-Palestinian Muslim valedictorian’s speech over security concerns
Atlantic City Mayor and wife charged with abusing and assaulting daughter
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/15/nyregion/atlantic-city-mayor-marty-small-daughter-abuse.html
Canadian con man swindled $175M in massive psychic fraud scheme sentenced
Dubai airport flooded during record rain