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US

Truck driver charged in the deaths of 7 motorcycle riders in NH found not guilty on all charges – Boston 25 News

LANCASTER, NH — A truck driver charged in the deaths of seven motorcycle riders in New Hampshire was found not guilty on all charges Tuesday.

Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, 26, faced multiple counts of negligent homicide and manslaughter in connection with a crash on Route 2 in Randolph, New Hampshire, on June 21, 2019.

Jurors got the case just before noon, after more than two weeks of testimony and quickly returned the verdict shortly before 3:00 pm

Zhukovskyy could be seen pointing to the sky and breaking down in tears after all of the verdicts were read.

Prosecutors had argued that Zhukovskyy, who had taken heroin, fentanyl and cocaine that day, repeatedly swerved back and forth before the head-on crash and told police he caused it. But a judge dismissed eight charges related to whether he was impaired, and his attorney for him had blamed the lead biker, Albert “Woody” Mazza, saying he lost control of his motorcycle and collided with the truck while driving drunk.

“Obviously we were disappointed.” said Assistant Attorney General Scott Chase outside of court. “We believed, looking at the facts, that they were sufficient to provide these charges beyond a reasonable doubt. Our hearts obviously break for the victims’ families as well as just the greater community but again we respect the jury’s verdict.”

The defense team did not speak with reporters after the verdict.

Earlier in the day, during closing arguments, Chase told jurors there was no doubt who caused the deadly collision.

“What happened here isn’t a mystery,” said Chase.

“It’s just as obvious today as it was one three years ago,” said Chase, ”Since day one, since moment one, every single eyewitness including the man with the front row seat told you exactly what happened – who caused this crash, who was driving recklessly.”

“This isn’t a mystery. It’s not a whodunit,” said Chase. “We have heard a lot of excuses; we have heard a lot of distractions. but it is clear what happened here and who caused this crash.”

Zhukovskyy’s defense blamed the crash on Al Mazza, who was part of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club traveling that day, saying Mazza led his club into one of the worst accidents in recent memory.

“He was drunk, he was not looking where he was going, he lost control of his motorcycle and he slid into the front of Vlad Zhukovskyy’s truck.” said defense attorney Jay Duguay. “Al Mazza caused this accident.”

“Vlad Zhukovskyy is not guilty,.” said Duguay. “Al Mazza was driving his motorcycle while drunk, he wasn’t looking where he was going, he lost control of his bike and slid into the oncoming truck.”

Prosecutors addressed the defense tactic of placing the blame on Mazza, who was among the seven killed in the collision.

“Not one person saw Al Mazza impaired, driving off the road, but every person on that road – except for Adam Bartley three cars back – every person on that road saw the defendant all over it.“ said Chase. ”I have endangered everyone.”

The motorcyclists who died were members of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club from New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island and ranged in age from 42 to 62. They were part of a larger group that had just left a motel along the highway and were headed to an American Legion Post in Gorham for a fundraiser.

Killed were Mazza, of Lee, New Hampshire; Edward and Jo-Ann Corr, a couple from Lakeville, Massachusetts; Michael Ferazzi, of Contocook, New Hampshire; Desma Oakes, of Concord, New Hampshire; Daniel Pereira, of Riverside, Rhode Island; and Aaron Perry, of Farmington, New Hampshire.

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu released a statement Tuesday, calling the verdict an “absolute tragedy.”

“The Fallen Seven did not receive justice today, and that is an absolute tragedy,” said Sununu. “I share in the shock, outrage, and anger that so many have expressed in the three years since the seven members of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club were taken from us. My heart goes out to their families, friends, and loved ones on this especially dark day.”

Editor’s note: Some material from the Associated Press was used in this story.

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Business

Wall Street hit by weak earnings

Stocks on Wall Street extended their recent run of losses on Tuesday as investors reviewed disappointing earnings reports and looked ahead to the release of an inflation snapshot closely watched by the Federal Reserve.

The S&P 500 fell 0.4 per cent, marking its fourth consecutive drop. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2 per cent and the Nasdaq slid 1.2 per cent. The Australian sharemarket is set to open lower with futures at 6.53am AEST pointing to a fall of 40 points or 0.6 per cent. CBA results are out this morning. On Tuesday, the ASX advanced 0.1 per cent to a two-month high.

The benchmark S&P 500 declined for a fourth-straight session.

The benchmark S&P 500 declined for a fourth-straight session.Credit:Bloomberg

Smaller company stocks also gave up ground, sending the Russell 2000 index 1.5 per cent lower.

Technology companies and retailers were the biggest drags on the market, outweighing gains in energy, financials and elsewhere. Bond yields rose broadly.

The selling likely reflects profit-taking by investors ahead of Wednesday’s consumer price index report, said Sameer Samana, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

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The headline figure is expected to show a smaller annual increase in July than in June, according to FactSet. But core inflation, which strips out volatile energy and food costs, leaving rent and other big-ticket purchases, is expected to come in higher than in June.

“With core (inflation) being the more important of the two, the fact that it hasn’t peaked yet and may not peak for a few months to come, given how much momentum we’re seeing in rent increases, in wage increases, that’s going to be the real problem for the Fed,” Samana said. “How to cool that down, especially when the economy is adding as many jobs as it is?”

The S&P 500 fell 17.59 points to 4,122.47. The Dow slipped 58.13 points to close at 32,774.41. The Nasdaq dropped 150.53 points to 12,493.93. The Russell 2000 ended down 28.31 points at 1,912.89.

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Technology

Sennheiser Momentum 4 review | LaptopMag

The Momentum 4 is a definitive release for Sennheiser. It features remarkable active noise cancellation (ANC), audio quality, and battery life, making the well-received Momentum 3 a complete afterthought, along with many other newcomers who have strived to step out of Bose and Sony’s shadows.

Sennheiser Momentum 4 SPECS

Price: $399
Colours: Black; White
Battery life (rated): 60 hours
connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2
Water resistance: None
Size: 7 x 7.67 x 1.82 inches
Weight: 10.3 ounces

Several upgrades were applied to Sennheiser’s latest flagship headphones. Not every change is considered an improvement. Still, that doesn’t stop the Momentum 4 from establishing itself as one of the best noise-cancelling headphones ever assembled.

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Sports

Daniel Ricciardo seeking $21 million payout for McLaren sacking, Oscar Piastri, Alpine, 2023 grid, latest, updates

Daniel Ricciardo is reportedly seeking a whopping eight-figure payout to walk away from his contract with McLaren.

The 33-year-old veteran has become embroiled in F1’s mid-year silly season following reports he is being replaced by fellow Australian Oscar Piastri at McLaren in 2023.

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The news erupted last week after Fernando Alonso blindsided the F1 world when he jumped into Sebastian Vettel’s vacated seat at Aston Martin for 2023.

Alpine then announced Piastri would be the man to replace Alonso, only for the Melburnian to reject the seat — a bold move for a man who is yet to drive in F1.

Now Ricciardo has asked for a $21 million payout from McLaren for the early termination of his contract, according to Speedcafe.com.

Ricciardo is said to be the only party who can break his contract with the team, which expires at the end of 2023.

The report also states that should Ricciardo secure a drive at another team next season, any salary he receives would see the same value refunded to McLaren.

A payout would clear the way for McLaren to sign Piastri and for Ricciardo to continue his F1 career elsewhere on the grid.

Alpine reportedly did not have a valid long-term F1 contract with its reserve driver Piastri, which has allowed McLaren’s deal with the 21-year-old to be ticked off by the Contract Recognition Board.

Daniel Ricciardo could be set for a mega payout from McLaren. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

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Ricciardo posts for the first time since shock McLaren dumping

Four contenders loom for Ricciardo’s signature. A ‘long game’ twist could sway his call

Ricciardo has remained tight-lipped and doesn’t appear bothered by the ongoing saga.

He is clearly enjoying his mid-season break and this week posted a photo of himself smiling in a swimming pool.

If Piastri does indeed take his place at McLaren, Ricciardo’s most likely landing spot would be Alpine, the French team formerly known as Renault where he spent two seasons in 2019 and 2020.

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer slammed Piastri in a blistering spray over the weekend.

“I expected more loyalty from Oscar than he is showing,” the Alpine team principal told Spanish publication The confidential.

“I started in 1989 in Formula 1 and I’ve never seen anything like this. And it’s not about Formula 1, it’s about integrity as a human being.

“It could happen in ice hockey or soccer, it doesn’t matter. But you don’t do that. He signed a piece of paper, a document, saying he would do something different.

“For me, the way I grew up, I don’t need to sign a piece of paper and then have someone say, ‘You’re lying, because you signed this.’ For me, if you say, ‘Hey, help me, I’ll help you tomorrow,’ there’s no way I would go back on my word. No way.”

Alpine isn’t happy with Oscar Piastri. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

“He should (drive with the) team that has taken care of him, that has taken him to the world championship and, above all, that during the last year has put him in a Formula 1 car so that he would be ready, so that he would know the circuits,” Szafnauer added.

“You did everything I asked you to do (from Alpine to Piastri) and now I promise you that if you do this, I will do this. I don’t need a piece of paper where it says, ‘With a clause, I can get out of here’.

“There should be some loyalty to the fact that we have invested literally millions and millions of euros to prepare him. So I don’t understand it either, you should ask him.”

Despite appearing to botch his contract, Szafnauer said Alpine will play hardball in a bid to hold on to Piastri.

“We have a contract with Piastri, which he signed in November, we have spoken to our lawyers and they have told us that this is a binding contract, so part of that contract allows us to put Oscar in one of our cars in 2023, which is the reason we issued the press release,” he said.

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US

Biden coughs through CHIPS bill signing speech after COVID-19 isolation

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President Biden had to apologize to his audience for coughing repeatedly through his speech touting the signing of the CHIPS legislation Tuesday.

Biden could barely utter one sentence without stopping to cough for minutes on end. Despite the coughing fit and Biden blowing his nose, attendees still gathered around his desk for photos and shook hands with him after the speech.

Biden tested negative for COVID-19 for the second consecutive day on Sunday.

“This investment alone is going to create 40,000 jobs,” Biden said partway through his speech before once again halting to cough. “Excuse me I’m sorry … I’m gonna take another sip of water.”

BIDEN’S FAILED AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL LET TALIBAN TURN NATION INTO A TERRORIST STATE

President Biden drinks a glass of water during a speech.

President Biden drinks a glass of water during a speech.

WHITE HOUSE TRIES TO REBRAND BIDEN, THIS TIME AS ‘DARK BRANDON’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Vice President Kamala Harris all crowded around Biden as he signed the bill.

The White House stated that Biden has tested negative on both Monday and Tuesday when Fox News Digital asked whether Biden was experiencing lingering symptoms.

President Biden uses a tissue while speaking before signing HR 4346, the Chips and Science Act of 2022, during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022.

President Biden uses a tissue while speaking before signing HR 4346, the Chips and Science Act of 2022, during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022.
(Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

President Biden shook hands with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer after signing the CHIPS bill, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022.

President Biden shook hands with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer after signing the CHIPS bill, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022.
(Pool Video)

Biden suffered moderate symptoms during his initial bout with COVID-19 in July. White House physician Kevin O’Connor said he was suffering body aches, sore throat and other symptoms.

The president had a rebound case just days after testing negative, however. His symptoms from him were less severe, but he vowed to stay in self-isolation until he tested negative for two consecutive days. He did so on Sunday.

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Biden addressed the country through videos on the White House balcony during his isolation, and he did not appear to be suffering a cough.

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Business

McDonalds customer is given a box of onions after ordering chicken nuggets

Bizarre find inside a box of McDonald’s chicken nuggets leaves customer baffled

  • McDonald’s customer who ordered chicken nuggets received raw diced onions
  • Woman posted her bizarre drive-through experience in Canberra to Facebook
  • McDonald’s has apologized for the bizarre mix-up and said it was just a mistake

A McDonald’s customer who ordered six chicken nuggets was baffled when she opened the box to find diced onions.

She posted pictures of the unwelcome surprise on Facebook dumbfounded by her the drive-through experienced.

‘Went to the drive-through tonight,’ she wrote.

‘Ordered six nuggets and got this instead. Bloody onions.’

McDonald’s has apologized for the strange mistake.

A McDonald's customer who ordered six chicken nuggets was baffled when she opened the box find diced onions

A McDonald’s customer who ordered six chicken nuggets was baffled when she opened the box find diced onions

She posted pictures of the unwelcome surprise on Facebook dumbfounded by her the drive-through experienced

She posted pictures of the unwelcome surprise on Facebook dumbfounded by her the drive-through experienced

‘At McDonald’s, we are committed to giving our customers a great experience every time they visit one of our restaurants,’ a McDonald’s spokesperson told Yahoo.

‘Of course, if a customer receives an incorrect order, we will happily replace this for them.

‘We apologize for the inconvenience and encourage the customer to contact our Customer Service team so we can look into it in more detail.’

Oddly this is not the first time onions have taken the place of chicken nuggets this year.

In June Facebook user Billy Allen who lives in the mid-western US state of Indiana posted a picture of a chicken McNuggets Happy Meal box again filled with raw chopped onion.

A commentator said the same thing had happened to his mother.

Perhaps the best ever surprise found in a chicken McNuggets box was an engagement ring placed their by Illinois man Kristian Helton to win his sweetheart's hand in marriage in 2017

Perhaps the best ever surprise found in a chicken McNuggets box was an engagement ring placed their by Illinois man Kristian Helton to win his sweetheart’s hand in marriage in 2017

Commenters pointed out that McNuggets were actually preceded by onion rings.

They were introduced as a vegetarian menu option in the mid-1970s and trialed in some test markets in the US from 1978 until 1979.

They failed to catch on and were replaced by the chicken variety after that.

Perhaps the best surprise ever found in a box of chicken McNuggets was by US woman Karsyn Long in the US state of Illinois after her boyfriend placed an engagement ring in a box of her favorite snack.

Kristian Helton placed an engagement ring among the chicken pieces and wrote ‘Will you McMarry me?’ on the underside of the box in 2017.

Ms Long replied ‘yes’.

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Technology

Google’s ‘Read Along’ Learning Tool Now Available on the Web

Google is rolling out its Read Along learning tool for the web.

The app, which is supposed to help children learn how to read, has been exclusive to Android since it was released in India in 2019. (It was called Bolo at the time; Google changed the name for its global launch in 2020.) Now it’ll finally be available to kids without Android devices.

“With the web version,” Google says, “parents can let their children use Read Along on bigger screens by simply logging into a browser from laptops or PCs at readalong.google.com.” The site works in Chrome, Firefox, and Edge; support for additional browsers is “coming soon.”

Read Along has children read stories—which are curated by Google and feature varying subject matter and levels of complexity—to a “reading assistant” called Diya that “listens and gives both correctional and encouraging feedback to help kids develop their reading skills.”

Google says all of the audio processing required to enable this functionality happens on-device; the recordings aren’t supposed to be sent to its servers. More information about the kinds of data the company is collecting via the web version of Read Along is available via its privacy policy.

Google says more than 30 million children have read over 120 million stories via Read Along since the app’s debut in 2019. (Which suggests that many kids, or their parents, read just one story before they stop using the app.) The company will release more stories later this year.

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Categories
Sports

Mike Tyson lost pet tiger when he tried to eat neighbor’s dog, boxing news

Mike Tyson lost his famous pet tiger after the white Bengal tried to eat his neighbours’ dog.

The boxing legend was convinced into buying the wild cat after coming out of prison in 1995 following a three-year stretch.

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Tyson is believed to have had three tigers in all, costing him over $US80,000 each at the time.

But, according to his former boxing manager Shelly Finkel, he was forced to give them up after one fateful walk.

Finkel, who SunSport spoke with in New York, recalled: “His house was between two houses in Vegas.

“And on the right side, facing the street was a famous Vegas performer. And on the left side was a businessman who had some dogs.

“Mike decided to walk one of his Bengal tigers, he’s walking the tiger, and the tiger saw the dog and scales the wall to go and eat the dog.

“The man is looking out his window and sees a tiger coming over the wall to try and eat his dog and Mike is pulling him down.

“He gets him off the fence and that night Mike calls me and says, ‘Shelly, the ASPCA is here, I’m not allowed to keep cats in captivity, how do you think they found out?’

“I said, ‘How do you think they found out? Your neighbor sees him coming over the wall to eat his dog. How do you think they found out.’

“That to me was my favorite story with Mike.”

Finkel managed Tyson right up until his retirement in 2005.

But their history dates back to when Iron Mike was a teenage amateur sensation.

And they first worked together in 1988 when Finkel brokered a closed-circuit pay-per-view deal for Tyson’s win over Michael Spinks.

But following the heavyweight’s infamous 1997 disqualification for biting Evander Holyfield’s ear, Finkel became his full-time manager.

He said: “It was one of the greatest trips of my life. The adventures with Mike Tyson were phenomenal.”

Finkel was in touch with Tyson as recently as two years ago, when the boxing icon made a shock comeback.

Tyson, now 56, drew over eight exhibition rounds with Roy Jones, 53, and talk of a trilogy with Holyfield emerged.

But following Holyfield’s painful beating against former UFC champion Vitor Belfort, 45, the plug was rightfully pulled.

This story first appeared in The Sun and was republished with permission.

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Australia

Call for help to identify man hit by train in inner Melbourne

Police are calling for help to identify a man who was critically injured when he was hit by a train inside melbourne.

The man has been in hospital for more than a month since he was hit by a train between Royal Park and Jewell railway stations in Brunswick on July 7.

The man, who is believed to be around 65 to 75-years-old, was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and is still in a serious condition.

Police are trying to identify this man, who is in a Melbourne hospital after being hit by a train. (Victoria Police)

Police have been unable to establish his identity despite “extensive inquiries”.

The man had no phone, wallet or cards on him at the time of the incident.

He has been able to mumble the names “Roy” and “Ryan” from Coburg.

It is not clear whether he is referring to himself or someone he knows.

Police have released a facial composite image in the hope someone may recognize him.

He is described as Caucasian, about 175cm tall and of medium build.

train
The man was hit by a metro train. (TheAge)

He has a prominent mole below his left eye, no identifying scars and no tattoos.

It is unknown exactly what the man was wearing at the time of the incident, but he was wearing black runners with white soles, black socks and a black belt.

Anyone who recognizes the man or has information is urged to contact the police.

Categories
US

Federal court rules that House committee can access Trump’s tax records

A federal appeals court unanimously ruled Tuesday that a House committee can access former President Donald Trump’s tax records following a yearslong legal battle.

A three-judge panel of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that the House Ways and Means Committee has the authority to obtain Trump’s tax records from the Treasury Department, upholding a district court ruling from late last year.

Trump’s lawyers are all but certain to appeal the ruling.

NBC News has reached out to a Trump spokesman and a member of his legal team for comment.

The court ruling adds to Trump’s legal woes following an FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago home on Monday. A source familiar with the matter told NBC News that the search was tied to classified information Trump allegedly took with him from the White House to his Palm Beach resort in January 2021.

Tuesday’s appeals court ruling is the latest twist in a multi-year legal fight over his tax records. A federal judge in December tossed out Trump’s lawsuit seeking to block the House panel from obtaining his tax returns, rejecting the former president’s claim that Congress had no legitimate need to look at the returns and that Congress was simply snooping around in an effort to embarrass him .

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., on Tuesday lauded the appeals court’s “long-anticipated” opinion. Neal first requested copies of Trump’s federal tax returns in April 2019, a request the Treasury Department initially refused.

“With great patience, we followed the judicial process, and yet again, our position has been affirmed by the Courts,” Neal said in a statement. “When we receive the returns, we will begin our oversight of the IRS’s mandatory presidential audit program .”

Neal had initially cited a federal law that requires the Treasury Department and the IRS to turn over individual tax returns when demanded by any of the three congressional tax committees.

“The Chairman has identified a legitimate legislative purpose that it requires information to accomplish,” the appeals court ruling states. “At this stage, it is not our place to delve deeper than this. The mere fact that individual members of Congress may have political motivations as well as legislative ones is of no moment. Indeed, it is likely rare that an individual member of Congress would work for a legislative purpose without considering the political implications.”

If he appeals, Trump would have to ask the full circuit court to rehear the case or appeal directly to the Supreme Court.

The House committee’s top Republican, Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, urged Trump to appeal the court’s decision.

The ruling “unleashes a dangerous new political weapon,” Brady said in a statement, arguing it would grant Congress the ability “to target and make public the tax returns of political enemies.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meanwhile called the court’s decision a “victory for the rule of law,” in a statement Tuesday.

“Access to the former president’s tax returns is crucial to upholding the public interest, our national security & our Democracy,” Pelosi said.

daniel barnes and Kyle Stewart contributed.