Month: January 2023

Man who claimed he had bomb near Capitol pleads guilty

Ana R. Cheatwood

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man who caused evacuations and an hourslong standoff with police on Capitol Hill when he claimed he had a bomb in his pickup truck outside the Library of Congress pleaded guilty on Friday to a charge of threatening to use an explosive.

Floyd Ray Roseberry, of Grover, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to the felony charge in Washington federal court. He faces up to 10 years behind bars and is scheduled to be sentenced in June.

An email seeking comment was sent to his attorney on Friday.

Roseberry, 52, drove a black pickup truck onto the sidewalk outside the Library of Congress in August 2021 and began shouting to people in the street that he had a bomb. He later made the same bomb threats to police officers and professed a litany of antigovernment grievances as part of a bizarre episode that he livestreamed for a Facebook audience.

Police later said they did not find a bomb but did collect possible bomb-making materials. Roseberry surrendered after about five hours.

During an initial court appearance, Roseberry told the judge he had not taken his “mind medicine” and the judge ordered a mental competency hearing.

A psychiatrist found that medication that Roseberry had been taking wasn’t effectively treating his diagnosed bipolar disorder. A magistrate judge later ruled that the new treatment had been effective and Roseberry was competent to stand trial.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

… Read the rest

Continue Reading

Life insurance for seniors: Dos and don’ts to know

Ana R. Cheatwood
gettyimages-661514084.jpg

Getty Images/iStockphoto


Life insurance is key to protecting both yourself and your beneficiaries. Because of the broad support a life insurance policy can offer, there are multiple groups that can benefit from securing a policy. Whether you’re a parent to young children, a spouse to a partner who counts on you financially or even a younger person starting out in their career, life insurance is often a valuable and cost-effective financial product to have.

When it comes to life insurance for seniors, however, the common wisdom is that life insurance simply isn’t worth having. The cost of life insurance for older adults, the thinking goes, is too high relative to the coverage amount that can be taken out.

While the pricing structure for senior life insurance is markedly different than for younger demographics, there are some older adults who would actually benefit from taking out a policy. And the cost to do so doesn’t necessarily need to be prohibitive. 

If you’re in the market for life insurance then start by getting a free price quote so you know exactly what to expect.

Life insurance for seniors: Dos and don’ts to know

If you’re an older adult considering life insurance then it can help to understand these dos and don’ts as you complete the application process.

Do know your budget

Before you hit the “apply” button make sure you know what you can afford. As mentioned, life insurance costs for seniors can be manageable, particularly if you’re in good health. But the more you ask for in coverage the more you’ll be expected to pay in premiums. So it helps to know where you have space in your budget first. This will make the application process smoother and more expedient.

You don’t want to get your

… Read the rest Continue Reading

Officials show support for bill to fund prosecuting violent crime

Ana R. Cheatwood

The bill would pay for seven attorneys and two paralegals who would be assigned to help counties deal with difficult criminal cases.

ST PAUL, Minn. — Hearings were held Tuesday in both the Minnesota House and the Senate on a bill that would give the Attorney General’s Office more money to hire more attorneys to prosecute violent criminals.

The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office has more than 150 attorneys on staff, but AG Keith Ellison says most of those attorneys work on civil cases.

When Ellison took over as Attorney General, he says the office had only one full-time attorney assigned to handle criminal cases.

Ellison says his office now has three full-time attorneys working criminal cases and he’s hoping this new bill will give him the funding to add seven more.

If passed into law, the new bill would give the Attorney General’s Office $4 million over the next two years to hire seven attorneys and two paralegals to prosecute serious crimes.

“When counties need our assistance, they call us, and if we have resources available, we step up and handle those cases with them or for them,” Ellison said during Tuesday morning’s house committee meeting.

Ellison says these calls usually come in from rural counties that don’t have enough staff or the expertise to handle a case.

“In the four years that I’ve been at the Attorney General’s Office, it’s been overwhelmingly homicide cases. We’ve had some criminal sexual conduct cases,” Ellison explained.

A handful of county attorneys and the Minnesota County Attorney Association support the bill.

In one of their letters, they said, “24 of the state’s county attorney offices have two or fewer attorneys and there are fourteen counties with just three attorneys.”

“This bill is firmly about public safety and getting the bad guy, and

… Read the rest Continue Reading

Memphis braces for release of video in Nichols’ arrest

Ana R. Cheatwood

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Authorities announced the Friday release of police video depicting five officers beating a Black man whose death prompted murder charges against them and provoked outrage at the country’s latest instance of police brutality. Family members of Tyre Nichols pleaded for any protests to remain peaceful.

The officers, all of whom are Black, were charged Thursday with murder and other crimes in the killing of Nichols, a motorist who died three days after a confrontation with the officers during a traffic stop on Jan. 7.

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy told a news conference that although the officers each played different roles in the killing, “they are all responsible.”

Nichols’ family members and their lawyers said the footage shows officers savagely beating the 29-year-old FedEx worker for three minutes in an assault that the legal team likened to the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King.

Memphis Police Director Cerelyn Davis described the officers’ actions as “heinous, reckless and inhumane,” and said Friday that her department has been unable to substantiate the reckless driving allegation that prompted the stop.

“As far as I know today, I do believe that the stop itself was very questionable,” she told Good Morning America.

Video of the traffic stop will be released to the public sometime Friday evening, Mulroy said, noting that local and state investigators wanted to complete as many interviews as possible before releasing it. Nichols’ family members viewed the footage on Monday.

Davis told GMA that she and other local officials decided it would be best to release the video later in the day Friday after schools have let out and people are home from work, given that protests are expected to erupt.

As a precaution, Memphis area schools canceled all after-class activities and postponed

… Read the rest Continue Reading

Madison Brooks LSU sexual assault suspects make bond attorney speaks

Ana R. Cheatwood

The attorneys for the suspects accused in the sexual assault and death of Madison Brooks held a news conference Friday. Brooks, a Covington native, was struck and killed at the intersection of Burbank Drive.According to the attorneys, they have video evidence that confirms that Brooks exited their clients vehicle in good health. The attorney’s also said that the juvenile client accused of sexually assaulting Brooks was given verbal consent for the sexual encounter. This comes after three of the four suspects in the case were released on bond. Four suspects have been arrested for involvement in the case. Two of those suspects, Everette lee, 28, and Casen Carver, 18, bonded out of prison on Tuesday. A third suspect, Kaivon Washington, 18, posted bond on Wednesday. According to East Baton Rouge Police Department, a 17-year-old juvenile and Washington are being accused of third-degree rape.Carver and Lee are accused of witnessing the crime and face accessory charges. Baton Rouge police say Brooks left Reggie’s Bar in Tigerland with the suspects when she asked for a ride home. Washington and the unnamed juvenile are accused of raping her in the rear seats while the other two suspects were in the front seat. The four suspects then dropped her off at a random location, which led to her being hit by a vehicle around 3 a.m. on Burbank Drive near Pelican Lakes Parkway. Deputies say Brooks’ toxicology reports show her blood alcohol content was .319g%. According to the University of Notre Dame Research, the effects of a BAC between .350g% and .399g% are listed as alcohol poisoning. Tetrahydrocannabinol was also found in her system. LSU President William F. Tate IV released the following statement: This afternoon, police arrested four individuals following an investigation into the events preceding the death of LSU student Madison … Read the rest

Continue Reading

AmeriSave Mortgage Partners With Ladder to Provide Customers With Affordable, Flexible Life Insurance Coverage

Ana R. Cheatwood

Life insurance is the latest addition to AmeriSave’s growing product offering

ATLANTA, January 25, 2023–(BUSINESS WIRE)–AmeriSave Mortgage Corporation, one of the nation’s leading online home mortgage lenders, has launched a new partnership with Ladder, the leader in digital life insurance, aimed at helping customers protect their homes and family with affordable and flexible life insurance coverage.

The new partnership with Ladder enables AmeriSave customers to easily apply online for term life insurance with approvals in minutes and no medical exams required for coverage up to $3 million (just some health-related online application questions). Life insurance can help protect the financial security of family members in the unfortunate event of losing a primary income earner.

“A home is usually a family’s most important asset, so protection is critical,” said Mike Izakov, Head of Financial Institution Partnerships at Ladder. “By embedding straightforward, affordable and flexible life insurance into their borrower journey, AmeriSave is making it seamless for their customers to protect their loved ones, helping ensure that families can maintain their sense of community and lifestyle during difficult times.”

While coverage premium rates can vary depending on the policyholder’s age and a variety of other factors, the price of $500,000 of coverage through AmeriSave and Ladder starts at just $18 per month.*

“At AmeriSave, we’re dedicated to helping our customers save money, whether that’s through low-rate mortgages, with high-quality homeowner’s insurance, by helping reduce energy costs through solar power or now, with top-of-the-line term life insurance,” said Mike Berte, president and chief operating officer of AmeriSave Mortgage Corporation.

“A home is the biggest investment that most consumers will ever make, which is why it’s a wise choice for borrowers to protect that investment with life insurance,” said Doug Reynolds, president of AmeriSave Insurance, a division

… Read the rest Continue Reading

Some Life Insurance Producers Might Need Planners: Survey

Ana R. Cheatwood

Financial advisors could find pockets of demand for their services at life insurance agencies.

About 14% of independent life insurance producers surveyed said their agencies hire outside firms to provide financial planning and wealth management services for the clients, according to a life producer survey conducted by LIMRA and the National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies.

LIMRA and NAILBA

LIMRA is a nonprofit financial services research organization with roots in the life and annuity markets.

NAILBA is a group for independent life insurance distributors. It recently combined with another financial services organization, Finseca, and describes itself as a Finseca community.

The Survey

LIMRA and NAILBA conducted one survey of about 70 independent life distributors.

The groups also conducted a survey of 238 life producers who work with independent life distributors.

The producer survey participants included 180 financial professionals classified as agents or brokers and 58 as independent financial advisors who place some life and annuity business through independent distributors.

Life Producers and Planning

The participating producers reported that about 6% of their business comes from investment product sales.

… Read the rest Continue Reading

Gastonia attorney becomes social media hit with his bird’s-eye view of avian life

Ana R. Cheatwood

As Ash Smith was growing up in Eastern North Carolina, he recalled how his father built blue bird houses and put them around his White Lake home and all 18 holes at the golf course. His mother loved cardinals and would tell him when she saw one it was a message from a loved one.

His remembers the enjoyment both his parents took from seeing hummingbirds come to a feeder they placed right outside their kitchen window. Smith still cherishes the little illustrated book on identifying birds, along with some binoculars, his father left him.

So when Smith saw an advertisement for a kickstarter project on a bird-feeding device called Bird Buddy he knew he wanted to buy one, even if the cost seemed a bit steep at first.

Gastonia City Attorney Ash Smith watches for birds at his Bird Buddy feeder in his backyard Friday morning, Jan. 13, 2023. Smith has been entertaining his Facebook friends by posting his Bird Buddy "post cards," which as close-up photographs and videos of birds coming to his bird feeder for a treat.

Gastonia City Attorney Ash Smith watches for birds at his Bird Buddy feeder in his backyard Friday morning, Jan. 13, 2023. Smith has been entertaining his Facebook friends by posting his Bird Buddy “post cards,” which as close-up photographs and videos of birds coming to his bird feeder for a treat.

Bird Buddy not only helps Smith feed birds, but the bird feeder also takes snapshots and videos of feathered friends as they fly in to eat some treats. The startup says its AI technology can recognize more than 1,000 species of birds, allowing users to share through a mobile app what kind of birds they’re feeding.

“I immediately thought of how excited my father, and my mother as well, would have been to have been able to see the birds up close like this,” Smith said in an exchange of emails. “It was a bit expensive but I just

… Read the rest Continue Reading

Baltimore City State’s attorney Ivan Bates to try man charged for murdering cellmate

Ana R. Cheatwood

BALTIMORE — Baltimore’s new top prosecutor, Ivan Bates, will try a man accused of murdering his cellmate at the city’s Central Booking and Intake facility.

Bates announced on Friday that he will personally prosecute a defendant accused of strangling his deaf cellmate while awaiting trial in another murder case last year.

Gordon Staron Jr., 34, of Harford County, is charged with first-degree murder after prosecutors alleged that he killed cellmate Javarick Gantt. Gantt was found dead inside their cell at Central Booking on Oct. 9, 2022, the Baltimore Banner reported.  

Staron was already incarcerated for the fatal stabbing of a man in the 1400 block of East Monument Street at a bus stop. 

Assistant State’s Attorney Tonya LaPolla said the state intends to seek life without the possibility of parole.

Bates will try the case—has raised significant questions about the city’s jail operations and its backlogged court system—alongside veteran city homicide prosecutor Tonya LaPolla.

“The same work she does, I’ll sit right there and do. The same trial preparation, I’ll be right there doing,” Bates said. “To me, it has to start at the top. You have prosecutors going to trial every week on murder cases. We need help.”

Staron had been locked up since September after his arrest in the deadly stabbing of Keith Bell, 63, near a Baltimore bus stop. Jail officials have refused to answer questions about why Staron was housed with Gantt, a disabled man facing relatively minor charges.

“Here, you have a suspect who’s

… Read the rest Continue Reading

Pragati Life Insurance shares fly sans valid reasons

Ana R. Cheatwood

The price of Pragati Life Insurance shares has jumped by more than 124% since November last year on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) without a valid reason.

In response to two separate queries in November and December by the Dhaka bourse, the insurer said there was no undisclosed price sensitive information behind the recent price hikes.

According to the DSE data, Pragati Life shares were stuck at the floor price of Tk66.50 from September to November last year. But the shares jumped to Tk148.50 in just one month.

Earlier, on 20 October, Mabroor Hossain, a director of the Hosaf Group and a sponsor-director of Pragati Life Insurance Ltd, sold 37% of his holdings in the insurer.

According to the country’s premier bourse, he sold 3.72 lakh shares from his total holding of 9.97 lakh shares.

Mabroor Hossain is also the managing director of Hosaf Proficient Energy Limited, a concern of the Hosaf Group.

Other sponsor-directors of Pragati Life Insurance bought these shares on the block market of the bourses.

Sponsor-directors ASM Mohiuddin Monem, Tabith M Awal, Md Shafiur Rahman, and Salim Rahman have declared that they will buy 50,000, 744,000, 50,000, and 197,600 shares of Pragati Life, respectively.

Pragati Life Insurance started its business in 2000 and got listed on the stock market in 2006. The company is sponsored by some renowned business entrepreneurs associated with different industrial groups.

… Read the rest

Continue Reading