Politics

Merkel drafts law for nationwide lockdown rule, curfews…

Published 6 mins ago - USVI News

BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition has drafted legislation that would shift the power to impose COVID-19 restrictions to the federal government from regional leaders to combat a surge in infections.Merkel’s administration plans to impose a nightly curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. in areas where the seven-day incidence rate of infections surpasses 100 cases per 100,000 people for three days in a row. All nonessential stores would have to close and companies would be required to test employees twice weekly, according to the 13-page draft law seen by Bloomberg. Schools would be shut again in areas with an incidence rate of more than 200.Merkel is moving ahead with the contentious initiative after it became apparent that the country’s 16 states were unable to agree on common ground. While state leaders may try to soften some of the measures before cabinet approval Tuesday, parliament could pass the new law as early as next Friday.

The proposal’s biggest hurdle is likely to be a vote in the upper house, where state governments are represented and Merkel’s Christian Democratic-led governing coalition doesn’t have a majority.Merkel and regional premiers have clashed over lockdown restrictions since the start of the pandemic, and some have failed to enforce rules agreed with the chancellor. Regular meetings to set policy have sometimes dragged on, leaving citizens confused about which measures apply to their state.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Bad grammar may link gamer to dark web murder-for-hire plot

Published 16 mins ago - USVI News

This story previously aired on February 29, 2020. It was updated on April 10, 2021.For more than two years, "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant has been on a journey through the dark web—and around the world -- investigat... More »

Carole King tribute for Thanksgiving Day

Published 20 mins ago - USVI News

Carole King tribute for Thanksgiving Day - CBS News More »

How Carly Fiorina celebrates Thanksgiving

Published 21 mins ago - USVI News

How Carly Fiorina celebrates Thanksgiving - CBS News More »

Load more posts Loading more posts... No more posts to load

Go to the 0 slide

Go to the 1 slide

Go to the 2 slide

U.S.

What to watch for at the Thanksgiving Day Parade

Published 22 mins ago - USVI News

U.S.

Survive awkward moments at your Thanksgiving dinner table

Published 23 mins ago - USVI News

U.S.

'They Ruined His Life': Cops Who Held Lt. Nazario at Gunpoint Must Face Independent Probe, Ex-Police Chiefs Say

Published 23 mins ago - USVI News

Two former police chiefs have called for an independent investigation into the Virginia police officers who escalated a traffic stop of a Black and Latino Army Lieutenant, with both insisting that the department's leader should provide greater transparency and accountability.In December 2020, two Windsor, Virginia police officers—Daniel Crocker and Joe Gutierrez—pulled over Caron Nazario, a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, and drew their guns before using pepper spray and knocking him to the ground.Nazario filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia this month, alleging that the officers engaged in racial profiling, threatened to kill him and that their actions may have negatively impacted his military career. He also claims that his constitutional rights were violated.The incident was captured by bodycam footage and on Nazario's cellphone, according to the suit. Footage was shared online Friday, prompting national attention and widespread outrage. The Windsor Police Department has yet to publicly comment on the incident and both officers are still working for the department, according to the Virginian Pilot.Dr. Erroll Southers, former assistant chief of homeland security and intelligence for the LA Airports Police Department, strongly condemned the incident, telling Newsweek that an independent investigation should be launched immediately to provide accountability and transparency to the public."The department should never be allowed to investigate this misconduct. They should not be allowed to investigate themselves. There needs to be some oversight here," Southers said. "I think they deserve an investigation and the outcome should be discipline up to and including termination."
A police car with 'Emergency Dial 911' on its side parked in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Police in Windsor, Virginia are facing a lawsuit after a traffic stop involving an army lieutenant.
Robert Alexander/Getty Images
Southers is the director of the Safe Communities Institute at the University of Southern California, where the LEWIS (Law Enforcement Work Inquiry System) is being developed."It's unconscionable that they would do that to a compliant man who was serving his country in uniform. There's just no excuse for that," he added. "They just ruined his life. They have no idea. Army Lieutenant or not, they have no idea what it's like to go through that kind of experience."Carmen Best, former chief of police of the Seattle Police Department, told Newsweek that an outside, independent review will "remove the potential for subjective evaluation of the data and will provide more confidence in the information coming forward."Nazario's case centers on whether the police had justification to conduct a felony stop, drawing their weapons and pepper spray. Police did not arrest him or file charges, but the incident was apparently reflected in Windsor police reports, which lists a December 5 obstruction of justice incident.The video brings up a lot of questions, Best said, such as "what was being obstructed? Why didn't they take any other action?"Best expressed hope that the police chief overseeing the officers "would take the initiative considering the circumstances.""When everybody is laser focused on transparency and accountability, as a leader you just have to really be on the forefront of those issues," she said. "Whether you put people on paid administrative leave or administrative reassignment, those are going to be unique decisions based on the policies and protocols of each agency. But certainly it's worth looking at."
A Newsweek analysis of Windsor police data found that the seven-person police force engaged in roughly 200 monthly traffic stops last year. In November, they conducted 246 traffic stops and 174 in December, the month the incident took place. Furthermore, data shows that the department has continued to ramp up traffic related stops in 2021, with 323 in March, of which 226 summons were issued.A significant portion of those arrested were based outside of town, according to a Newsweek review of the addresses listed. In July 2020, the department also received a canine officer, a move that raised concern with the former chiefs.Windsor, a rural town about 30 miles west of Norfolk, only has around 2,700 residents.Southers suggested that the town could be profiling and using traffic stops for revenue generation, noting that any prospective probe into the matter should assess the racial and gender demographics of the people being pulled over.Best added that "having close to around 200 traffic stops in a month, on average, for an agency of seven people seems like a relatively high number of traffic stops so it definitely would warrant a further deep dive.""I really need to understand why the department has seven officers and a K9," Southers said. "Canines are expensive. Their handlers, their training, their food, their vet bills, trust me, a canine is not an inexpensive venture if you have a force of seven."It sounds like they decided that they're going to up the ante on self-initiated field activities to justify their existence."The Windsor Police Department and Mayor Glyn Willis did not return Newsweek's request for comment Saturday. This story will be updated with any response.

Tech

Make a Parachute Out of Newspaper

Published 37 mins ago - USVI News

From Leonardo da Vinci’s pyramid design in the 15th century to the supersonic version that helped land the Perseverance rover safely on Mars, the parachute, a device that catches air to control an object’s speed, has played an essential role in land, air, wate... More »

A 'Boogaloo' extremist group destroyed evidence from an investigation into one of their members who allegedly killed a police officer

Published 2h ago - USVI News

How an Online 'Lego' Gamer Infiltrated the White House Press Corps

Published 2h ago - USVI News

WWE WrestleMania 37: Results, weather delay, live updates and match ratings – CNET

Published 3h ago - USVI News

Why an attitude of gratitude helps your health

Published 24 mins ago - USVI News

Why an attitude of gratitude helps your health - CBS News More »

Pope Francis brings message of peace to three African countries

Published 25 mins ago - USVI News

Pope Francis brings message of peace to three African countries - CBS News More »

'We are all heartbroken': Robert Shook, who initially survived shooting in South Carolina, dies

Published 26 mins ago - USVI News

A North Carolina man who initially survived a mass shooting in rural York County, South Carolina, on Wednesday has now died, becoming the sixth person killed by a gunman who later took his own life.GSM Services, the HVAC comp... More »