INSIDER
Chris Christie outlines his national drug crisis plan, focusing on treatment and stigma reduction
Read full article: Chris Christie outlines his national drug crisis plan, focusing on treatment and stigma reductionRepublican presidential hopeful Chris Christie is outlining his plan for addressing the latest wave of the nation's drug crisis.
Mayo Clinic announces $5 billion expansion of Minnesota campus
Read full article: Mayo Clinic announces $5 billion expansion of Minnesota campusThe Mayo Clinic has announced a $5 billion expansion plan that includes new buildings designed so they can evolve and expand as patient needs change over the coming decades.
DeSantis unveils new economic policy that targets China, taxes and regulations
Read full article: DeSantis unveils new economic policy that targets China, taxes and regulationsRepublican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis is taking aim at China with a 10-point economic plan he's calling a “Declaration of Economic Independence.”.
What to know before booking summer travel deals
Read full article: What to know before booking summer travel dealsSummer air travel is already bustling and flyers are looking for deals to get away. We’ve got a consumer warning. Changing flights and routes could complicate your plans. Investigator Amy Davis had to step in when one man’s great deal turned into a great big waste of money.
Average long-term US mortgage rate lowest since September
Read full article: Average long-term US mortgage rate lowest since SeptemberThe average long-term U.S. mortgage rate fell this week to its lowest level since September, a potential boost to the housing market which has been in decline for nearly a year.
US home sales fell in November, the 10th consecutive month
Read full article: US home sales fell in November, the 10th consecutive monthSales of previously occupied U.S. homes slowed for the tenth month in a row in November, constrained by a tight inventory of properties on the market and mortgage rates averaging more than double what they were a year ago.
Teacher under fire for cotton, cuffs in class on slavery
Read full article: Teacher under fire for cotton, cuffs in class on slaveryRochester school officials are investigating allegations that a white teacher told his class of mostly Black students to pick seeds out of cotton and put on handcuffs during lessons on slavery in a seventh-grade social studies class.
State's own expert told grand jury police didn't kill Prude
Read full article: State's own expert told grand jury police didn't kill PrudeNewly released transcripts show that prosecutors overseeing a grand jury investigation into the death of Daniel Prude last year in Rochester, New York, undercut the case for criminal charges with testimony from a medical expert who said police officers who held Prude to the ground didn’t do anything wrong.
Call of Duty among finalists for Video Game Hall of Fame
Read full article: Call of Duty among finalists for Video Game Hall of FameThis photo, provided by the Strong National Museum of Play, in Rochester, N.Y., Tuesday, March 16, 2021, shows 12 finalists for 2021 induction into the Video Game Hall of Fame. (Strong National Museum of Play via AP)ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Voting is open for the next inductees into the World Video Game Hall of Fame, with Call of Duty, Guitar Hero and Animal Crossing among the 12 finalists. "These finalists embody what it means to be a good game,” said Jon-Paul Dyson, director of the International Center for the History of Electronic Games at The Strong museum, where the hall of fame is housed. The winners are chosen by an international committee of journalists and scholars versed in video games and their role in society. AdThe hall inducted its first class in 2015 with the goal of recognizing electronic games of all types — arcade, console, computer, handheld, and mobile.
Probe faults mayor, officials for keeping Prude death secret
Read full article: Probe faults mayor, officials for keeping Prude death secretThe report said Singletary told the mayor the officers restrained Prude, but the chief “consistently deemphasized” the role of restraints in Prude's death, and his statements to officials didn't “capture the disturbing tenor of the entire encounter." AdA lawyer for Singletary said, under a first review of the report, Singletary “was truthful in his statements" to Warren and other city officials. “He never participated in any cover-up nor did he intentionally downplay the circumstances" around Prude's death, Michael Tallon said in a statement. Warren told the public Singletary initially told her Prude’s death was a “drug overdose,” but Friday’s report said he never told her that. His family has filed a federal lawsuit alleging the police department sought to cover up the true nature of Prude’s death.
Wrongful death suit filed on behalf of Daniel Prude's kids
Read full article: Wrongful death suit filed on behalf of Daniel Prude's kidsCORRECTS TO BROTHER NOT UNCLE OF DANIEL PRUDE - FILE - In this Sept. 3, 2020, file photo, Joe Prude, right, brother of Daniel Prude, and Daniel's nephew Armin, stand with a picture of Daniel Prude in Rochester, N.Y. He always showed me and my brother and sisters how much he loved us," Prude's oldest son, Nathaniel McFarland, said in a statement. The death went mostly unpublicized until nearly six months later, when police body camera video was released following pressure from Prude’s family. Ad“You could hardly find an example of a worse response to a mental health crisis when what happened to Daniel Prude that night,” Piers said during a video news conference with McFarland, who did not speak. He did not immediately respond later in the day after Prude family attorneys outlined their claims in a news conference.
Police investigate pepper spraying of mother near toddler
Read full article: Police investigate pepper spraying of mother near toddlerA Rochester police officer has been placed on administrative duty after using pepper spray on the woman, authorities said Friday. Ad“Both incidents involved Black mothers. Both involved Black children. Both involved Black people obviously in crisis. Both involved officers using pepper spray on or around a Black child,” PAB Chair Shani Wilson said during a video news conference Friday.
No charges against officers involved in Daniel Prude's death
Read full article: No charges against officers involved in Daniel Prude's deathFILE - In this Sept. 3, 2020, file photo, Joe Prude, right, uncle of Daniel Prude, and Daniel's nephew Armin, stand with a picture of Daniel Prude in Rochester, N.Y. AdLawyers for the seven police officers suspended over Prude’s death have said the officers were strictly following their training that night, employing a restraining technique known as “segmenting.” They claimed Prude’s use of PCP, which caused irrational behavior, was “the root cause” of his death. “The system failed Daniel Prude again," Prude family lawyer Elliot Shields said of the grand jury's decision. Michael Magri, were suspended after Prude’s death became public. "Our actions going forward will ensure that Daniel Prude’s death was not in vain.”AdSome activists said that they never expected the officers to face charges.
‘I am a child!’ Police pepper spray shows kids not exempt
Read full article: ‘I am a child!’ Police pepper spray shows kids not exemptThe case has spurred outrage as the latest example of law enforcement mistreatment of Black people, and one that shows even Black children are not exempt. Research shows Black children are often viewed as being older than they are, and are more likely to be seen as threatening or dangerous. Advocates have long said that leads to police treating them in ways they wouldn’t dream of treating white children. A study published in the journal Pediatrics in late 2020 found Black children and teenagers were six times as likely to die from police gunfire as white children. New York isn't the only place where police treatment of Black children has been a flashpoint.
Rochester officers who pepper-sprayed 9-year-old suspended
Read full article: Rochester officers who pepper-sprayed 9-year-old suspendedRochester, New York police released two body-camera videos of officers restraining the girl. According a local news outlet, Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren expressed her concern for the child. (Rochester Police Department via AP)The city of Rochester has suspended police officers seen in body-camera videos spraying a chemical “irritant” in the face of a distraught and handcuffed 9-year-old girl, officials announced Monday. The city did not specify how many officers were suspended. “There is no conceivable justification for the Rochester police to subject a 9-year-old to pepper spray, period," NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman said Monday.
3 dead in military helicopter crash were experienced pilots
Read full article: 3 dead in military helicopter crash were experienced pilotsThey are, from left: Chief Warrant Officer 5 Steven Skoda, age 54, from Rochester, NY; Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christian Koch, age 39, from Honeoye Falls, NY; and Chief Warrant Officer Two Daniel Prial, age 30, from Rochester, NY. (New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs via AP)MENDON, N.Y. – The three National Guard members killed when a helicopter crashed in an upstate New York field this week were experienced pilots with past deployments to Afghanistan, officials said Friday. Killed in the crash were Chief Warrant Officer 5 Steven Skoda, 54, of Rochester, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christian Koch, 39, of Honeoye Falls, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel Prial, 30 of Rochester, according to the National Guard. The crew had been conducting night vision goggle proficiency training in the local training area, the National Guard said. Skoda served in the Army from 1985 to 1987 and joined the National Guard 1987.
Humane Society: 97 cats survive house fire; some injured
Read full article: Humane Society: 97 cats survive house fire; some injuredThis photo, provided by Lollypop Farm shelter, shows one of the 97 cats rescued from a house fire in Perinton, NY, outside Rochester, NY, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. Many of the cats suffered smoke inhalation, the Humane Society of Greater Rochester said, and it wasn't clear whether all of them would survive. (Paige Engard/Courtesy Lollypop Farm via AP)PERINTON, N.Y. – Nearly 100 cats have survived a house fire in a town outside Rochester, New York, according to an animal protection group. The Lollypop Farm shelter had been told as many as 70 cats lived in the Perinton home when it caught fire. Many of the cats suffered smoke inhalation, the Humane Society of Greater Rochester said, and it wasn't clear whether all of them would survive.
Pioneering Black doll Baby Nancy enters Toy Hall of Fame
Read full article: Pioneering Black doll Baby Nancy enters Toy Hall of FameROCHESTER, N.Y. – Baby Nancy, the first Black baby doll to have an Afro and other authentic features, was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame on Thursday, along with sidewalk chalk and the wooden block game Jenga. By Thanksgiving, Baby Nancy was the bestselling Black doll in Los Angeles, and before Christmas, she was selling nationwide. The toy exposed a long-standing demand for ethnically correct Black dolls, according to the National Toy Hall of Fame, located in The Strong museum in Rochester, New York. Shindana Toys folded amid financial problems in 1983, but Baby Nancy “still stands as a landmark doll that made commercial and cultural breakthoughs,” curator Michelle Parnett-Dwyer said in a news release. The three new inductees will be on permanent display at the National Toy Hall of Fame, alongside previous winners that include Barbie and the Hula Hoop.
The Latest: Biden: I've learned from Clinton campaign errors
Read full article: The Latest: Biden: I've learned from Clinton campaign errorsWASHINGTON – The Latest on the presidential campaign (all times local):9:20 p.m.Joe Biden says he has learned from the mistakes that Hillary Clinton's campaign made four years ago in the Midwest. After her stunning loss to Donald Trump in 2016, many Democrats criticized her campaign as overconfident and too complacent. President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden are campaigning hard to win both states, where Trump scored narrow victories in 2016. The campaign announced in addition to his Monday trip to the state, Biden will campaign in Philadelphia on Sunday. The Minnesota Department of Health has linked 28 coronavirus cases to other recent Trump campaign events in the state.
Rochester mayor pleads not guilty in campaign finance case
Read full article: Rochester mayor pleads not guilty in campaign finance caseRochester Mayor Lovely Warren walks out of city court after her arraignment in Rochester, N.Y., Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. Warren, who has faced calls to resign over her city's handling of the suffocation death of Daniel Prude at the hands of police, pleaded not guilty Monday to campaign finance charges dating to her 2017 reelection campaign. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, who has faced calls to resign over her city’s handling of the suffocation death of Daniel Prude at the hands of police, pleaded not guilty Monday to campaign finance charges dating to her 2017 reelection campaign. “She welcomes the opportunity for the public to see whether the district attorney’s charges hold water,” attorney Joseph Damelio said outside court after the proceeding. Supporters who gathered outside court said they still have faith in Warren.
Rochester mayor indicted in campaign finance probe
Read full article: Rochester mayor indicted in campaign finance probeRochester Mayor Lovely Warren was indicted Friday on charges she broke campaign finance rules and committed fraud during her reelection campaign three years ago, adding another layer of crisis in a city that has been reeling over its handling of a police killing. Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley also announced charges against Warren’s campaign treasurer, Albert Jones Jr., and the treasurer of her political action committee, Rosalind Brooks-Harris. The Democrat is midway through her second term as the first female and second Black mayor of Rochester, a city of more than 200,000 by Lake Ontario. Elections officials began fielding complaints about Warren's campaign finances in 2017, when Warren defeated two challengers in a Democratic primary prior to her reelection. “Lovely Warren is still the mayor of the city of Rochester,” she said.
Police leaders pressed Rochester to keep Prude video secret
Read full article: Police leaders pressed Rochester to keep Prude video secretFILE- In this March 23, 2020 image made from police body camera video provided by Roth and Roth LLP, a Rochester police officer puts a hood over the head of Daniel Prude in Rochester, N.Y. After seeing the video, Warren emailed Singletary that she was “outraged” at the conduct of the officer who pressed Prude's head against the ground, Mark Vaughn, and that he should face an immediate disciplinary investigation. In an unsent draft of that email, Warren excoriated Singletary for having “grossly underplayed” Prude's death by first describing it to her a drug overdose. “Quite frankly, I would have expected the Chief of Police to have shown me this video in March,” Warren wrote in the draft. His family has filed a federal lawsuit alleging the police department sought to cover up the true nature of Prude’s death.
Rochester police chief out in fallout over Prude death
Read full article: Rochester police chief out in fallout over Prude deathROCHESTER, N.Y. – Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren fired the police chief and suspended her top lawyer and communications director Monday in the continuing upheaval over the suffocation death of Daniel Prude. “This initial look has shown what so many have suspected, that we have a pervasive problem in the Rochester Police Department,” Warren said. “I have apologized to the Prude family and this community for the failures that happened along the way, including my own,” Warren said. “As mayor, I own these failures.”Roj said he accepted the suspension, but claimed he was not aware of what happened to Prude until Aug. 4. He said Singletary told him in an email of an ongoing criminal investigation and that the mayor was already informed.
Rochester police leaders retire in wake of calls for change
Read full article: Rochester police leaders retire in wake of calls for changeROCHESTER, N.Y. Top police leaders in Rochester are retiring en masse amid criticism of the city's handling of the the suffocation death of Daniel Prude, Mayor Lovely Warren said Tuesday. LaRon Singletary, the citys police chief, is among those retiring, as is Deputy Chief Joseph M. Morabito and possibly other senior commanders, Warren said. Warren made the surprise announcement of the retirements at a City Council briefing being held online. Council members had expected the chief to appear in person to discuss ongoing protests over Prude's death. His death sparked outrage after his relatives last week released police body camera video and written reports they obtained through a public records request.
Naked with 'spit hoods' on, protesters decry Prude's death
Read full article: Naked with 'spit hoods' on, protesters decry Prude's deathROCHESTER, N.Y. Naked except for spit hoods in a reference to the killing of Daniel Prude, several protesters sat outside Rochester's police headquarters Monday morning to push for police accountability, local news outlets reported. Seven police officers were suspended Thursday, and state Attorney General Letitia James said Saturday she would form a grand jury and conduct an "exhaustive investigation into Prude's death. Warren and Police Chief LaRon Singletary have faced calls for their resignations over the delay in releasing details of Prudes death. Protesters gathered in a Rochester park Monday evening before moving to the city's Public Safety Building by nightfall, for a sixth consecutive night of demonstrations. On Sunday, police said more than 1,000 protesters marched to the Public Safety Building on a night more peaceful than the rest, with community elders acting as a buffer between officers and protesters.
Mayor promises police reforms following Daniel Prude's death
Read full article: Mayor promises police reforms following Daniel Prude's deathWarren suspended the seven officers involved in Prude's death last week after his family released police video from the March night when he was restrained on a city street. "The mayor and RPD must stop these warfare tactics now.The marches took place as New York's attorney general announced Saturday that a grand jury would investigate Prude's death. Protesters have called on Warren and Singletary to step down over the delay in releasing details of Prude's death. They've also demanded police accountability and legislation to change how authorities respond to mental health emergencies. But she said the city will double the availability of mental health professionals and work with Rochesters Commission on Racial and Structural Equity, or RASE, to re-envision the police department and how it responds to mental health crises.
Activists insist on changes to policing after Prude's death
Read full article: Activists insist on changes to policing after Prude's deathDemonstrators march through the streets in Rochester, N.Y., Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, protesting the death of Daniel Prude. Having police respond can be a recipe for disaster, The National Alliance on Mental Illness said in a statement Friday. Prudes death is yet another harrowing tragedy, but a story not unfamiliar to us, the advocacy group said. Activists have marched nightly in the city of 210,000 on Lake Ontario since police body camera videos of the encounter with Prude were released this week by his family. As they had the night before, officers doused activists at police headquarters with a chemical spray to drive them from barricades around the building.
Police use of spit hoods scrutinized after Black man's death
Read full article: Police use of spit hoods scrutinized after Black man's deathBut Prude's death is the second one involving spit hoods to surface since the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked a national reckoning on racism and policing. Floyd's death did not involve a spit hood. Police handcuffed and placed a spit hood on the head of a naked man also in distress. In another similar episode, a 45-year-old man died in 2015 after police in Bernalillo, New Mexico, placed him in a spit hood, possibly incorrectly. Prison guards have also used spit hoods, sometimes to deadly effect.
Officers suspended in suffocation death; protesters unswayed
Read full article: Officers suspended in suffocation death; protesters unswayedRochester Mayor Lovely Warren announced the suspensions at a news conference Thursday amid outrage that city officials had previously kept quiet about Prude's death. Journalists were among those hit by pellets during the confrontation, which came on the second day of peaceful demonstrations over Prude's death. The mayor said she only became aware that Prude's death involved the use of force on Aug. 4. Warren said the seven officers would still be paid because of contract rules and that she was taking the action against the advice of attorneys. Prude's death happened just as the coronavirus was raging out of control in New York and received no public attention at the time.
Black man killed by Rochester police is remembered as loving
Read full article: Black man killed by Rochester police is remembered as lovingPrude died March 30 after he was taken off life support, seven days after the encounter with police in Rochester. Prude had been taken into custody for a mental health evaluation about eight hours before the encounter that led to his death. Calls to the union representing Rochester police officers, and to the organizations attorney, rang unanswered Wednesday. But his brother Joe Prude said he was only at the hospital for a few hours, according to the reports. How did you see him and not directly say, The man is defenseless, buck naked on the ground.
Police use of spit hoods scrutinized after Black man's death
Read full article: Police use of spit hoods scrutinized after Black man's deathBut Prude's death is the second one involving spit hoods to surface since the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked a national reckoning on racism and policing. Floyd's death did not involve a spit hood. Police handcuffed and placed a spit hood on the head of a naked man also in distress. In another similar episode, a 45-year-old man died in 2015 after police in Bernalillo, New Mexico, placed him in a spit hood, possibly incorrectly. Prison guards have also used spit hoods, sometimes to deadly effect.
Video in Black man's suffocation shows cops put hood on him
Read full article: Video in Black man's suffocation shows cops put hood on himPrude died March 30 after he was taken off life support, seven days after the encounter with police in Rochester. Not for my brother to get lynched, Prudes brother, Joe Prude, said at a news conference. Then, they put a white spit hood over his head, a device intended to protect officers from a detainee's saliva. Then the officers slam Prude's head into the street. Another remarks, He feels pretty cold.His head had been held down by an officer for just over two minutes, the video shows.
Matchbox Cars, coloring book, Magic make Toy Hall of Fame
Read full article: Matchbox Cars, coloring book, Magic make Toy Hall of FameROCHESTER, NY – Matchbox Cars, the coloring book and the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering were inducted Thursday into the National Toy Hall of Fame, recognized for an enduring appeal that keeps them on store shelves today. Matchbox Cars follow rival Hot Wheels, Class of 2011, into the hall. When the sporty Hot Wheels entered the market in 1968, Matchbox Cars responded with a "superfast" line of its own. "Matchbox Cars revolutionized the toy car industry after their introduction, and the name Matchbox has become synonymous with miniature cars," Chief Curator Christopher Bensch said in a news release. "It's only fitting that they join the Toy Hall of Fame to sit in the winner's circle alongside Hot Wheels, the other titan of the field."
Anti-aging drugs that target certain cells being tested
Read full article: Anti-aging drugs that target certain cells being testedROCHESTER, Minn. – At the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, there's a thrilling thought: Could 100 one day be the new 60? It sounds impossible, yet Kirkland and his Mayo team are working on a solution by targeting particular cells in our bodies. They're called "senescent cells." So, KIrkland and his team thought, how can we safely get rid of these dysfunctional cells? Kirkland's team tested mice and discovered that these drugs allowed the senescent cells to "self-destruct" without damaging other healthy cells.