Judge backs aggravating factors in Chauvin trial, clears way for longer prison term
MINNEAPOLIS — The judge in the Derek Chauvin murder trial has found there are "beyond a reasonable doubt" aggravating factors in the killing of George Floyd last year that clear the way to sentence the fired Minneapolis police officer to a term above state guidelines.
In a ruling filed Wednesday morning that hit on many of the major prosecution points that led to Chauvin's conviction, Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill cited four aggravating factors that will be considered when he sentences Chauvin on June 25.
Those factors are that Chauvin "abused a position of trust and authority" as a police officer, that he "treated George Floyd with particular cruelty," that children were present when Floyd was pinned to the pavement at 38th and Chicago for more than 9 minutes until he died, and that he committed the crime with "active participation" of others, namely three fellow officers.
Chauvin was convicted three weeks ago on charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Defense attorney Eric Nelson declined to comment about Cahill's rulings.
Regarding abuse of trust and authority, the judge cited Chauvin holding Floyd to the ground handcuffed in the prone positition for "an inordinate amount of time" while knowing of the danger of positional asphyxia.
"The prolonged use of this technique was particularly egregious in that George Floyd made it clear he was unable to breathe and expressed the view that he was dying as a result of the officers' restraint."
—Star Tribune
Ohio to give away $1 million to 5 vaccinated adults, 5 full-ride college scholarships
Ohio will give away $1 million prizes to five adults, plus another five full-ride public college scholarships to teens who get vaccinated against COVID-19, Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Wednesday during a statewide televised address.
Calling it "Ohio Vax-a-Million," DeWine said drawings will be held for five consecutive Wednesdays, starting May 26, to pick the $1 million winners. The winners will be pulled from the Ohio Secretary of State's voter registration database.
The Ohio Lottery will conduct the drawings but the money will come from existing federal coronavirus relief funds.
To be eligible, you must be 18 or older, an Ohio resident and vaccinated before the drawing.
DeWine said 12- to 17-year-olds can sign up for the scholarship drawing via an electronic portal that will open May 18. Drawings will be held for five straight Wednesdays to select one student to receive the scholarship, which will cover tuition, room-and-board and books.
Roughly 4.88 million Ohioans have received at least one shot of an FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccination. But the bulk of them were eager to be vaccinated and they snapped up early appointments to get their shots.
Now public health experts are looking for ways to convince people who are hesitant to get vaccinated against the deadly disease.
West Virginia announced last week that residents ages 16 to 35 would be eligible to receive a $100 savings bond if they get vaccinated. New Jersey announced a "shot and a beer" program for residents 21 and up to get a free beer when they get vaccinated.
—Columbus Dispatch
NYC drug addict gets 20 years for spreading ISIS propaganda
NEW YORK — A Bronx drug addict was sentenced to 20 years in prison Wednesday for spreading ISIS propaganda online.
Zachary Clark, who suffers from bipolar disorder and years of hard drug abuse, got no mercy from Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald.
Clark’s communications on encrypted chat rooms in 2019 revealed he was extremely dangerous, the judge said. The troubled 42-year-old pondered a lone wolf terrorist attack in New York City, disseminated attack plans and bomb-making instructions, proclaiming “media is my jihad.”
“These materials were the real deal,” Buchwald said in Manhattan federal court. “Mr. Clark expressed a willingness to die for the cause. ... Mr. Clark’s preferred target was local and directed toward American citizens.”
The judge noted that Clark’s many tattoos include a wolf and the letters LW on his hand, for “lone wolf.” She also imposed lifetime supervised release on Clark, finding he will remain a potential threat to society as long as he lives.
Clark mainlined drugs for years, regularly shooting up 20 bundles of heroin and three grams of cocaine a day, federal defender Jonathan Marvinny said. Clark nearly fatally overdosed three times. On the day of his arrest in November 2019, Clark nodded off and was unable to communicate with his attorney.
But Clark’s addiction did not cloud his devotion to the terrorist cause, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Hellman said.
—New York Daily News
COVID-19 vaccines in study did not impact placentas during pregnancy
CHICAGO – New data from researchers who studied women who were vaccinated while pregnant found no evidence that the vaccine affected their placentas.
The new findings, published Tuesday in the Obstetrics & Gynecology journal, may help switch the focus from conversations around whether the vaccine is safe during pregnancy to how getting vaccinated is a way to protect mom and baby.
Co-author Dr. Emily Miller, a Northwestern Medicine maternal fetal medicine physician, said that the study results were reassuring.
“We don’t see any signals that suggest the placenta is getting injured from the vaccine,” Miller said. “This builds upon rapidly emerging data that emphasizes that the vaccine is not dangerous during pregnancy.”
The Obstetrics & Gynecology study adds to the growing evidence that COVID-19 vaccines are safe during pregnancy, researchers said. It is also believed to be the first to examine any effect of COVID-19 vaccines on placentas, which can indicate potential risks and be an early sign of issues.
“The placenta is like the black box in an airplane,” co-author Dr. Jeffery Goldstein, assistant professor of pathology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said in a statement accompanying the research. “If something goes wrong with a pregnancy, we usually see changes in the placenta that can help us figure out what happened.”
From what they saw, he added, “The COVID vaccine does not damage the placenta.”
—Chicago Tribune
