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Head of San Francisco-based private equity firm accused of assault by ex-partner

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

By Ava Benny-Morrison | BloombergGenstar Capital Chairman Jean-Pierre “J-P” Conte was sued by his former longtime girlfriend, who alleges the head of the $49 billion private equity firm assaulted her in the Aspen home they shared and then launched a smear campaign against her.Hillary Thomas filed a lawsuit against Conte Thursday in Colorado state court in Aspen. Along with assault, battery and other claims, she’s suing him for allegedly violating commitments he made under a May 2021 separation agreement they entered into at the end of their nearly decade-long relationship.In a statement, a lawyer for Conte denied the assault allegation and called the suit a “money grab” by Thomas. “Mr. Conte never attacked or abused her,” the lawyer, Kerry Wright Garvis, said.“This case against Jean-Pierre Conte is about holding to account an abusive man who believes his power and privilege puts him above the law,” one of Thomas’s lawyers, Sigrid McCawley of Boies Schiller & Flexner, said in a s...

Horses rescued from trailer hanging over 100-foot drop in San Mateo County

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

(KRON) -- Crews in San Mateo County saved two horses Thursday that were inside a trailer hanging precariously over a 100-foot drop.Multiple agencies responded to the horse rescue on Pescadero Creek Road in San Mateo County, including Cal Fire CZU, Woodside Fire, Coastside Fire, Peninsula Humane Society, San Mateo County Large Animal Evacuation Group and San Mateo County Parks. Crews were able to stabilize the trailer that was hanging over the 100-foot drop until a tow truck arrived on scene.(Cal Fire CZU)The two horses are recovering from minor injuries, responders said.

Sept. 22-24: Things to do near Denver this weekend

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Happy weekend! The end of September consists of fall fests, films, jack-o'-lanterns and beer. While this week's heat hasn't felt like fall, the official start of fall is on Saturday. With it comes temperatures below the 80s for Denver Weather.All weekend:Magic of the Jack O'Lanterns (9/22-10/31)Join the opening night at the Hudson Gardens and walk through a trail of 7,000 glowing, hand-carved pumpkins. The light show offers more than just jack-o'-lanterns. You'll also find a lit-up sea-scape, pirate ship, dinosaurs and dragons. Firefly Handmade Fall Market (9/22-9/24)Denver American Indian Festival (9/23-9/24)Denver Oktoberfest (9/22-10/1)Starting on Friday at 5 p.m., you can enjoy beer and wine, German food and get a commemorative 53rd Annual Denver Oktoberfest Stein. The event is free with everything available for purchase a la carte, or you can get a VIP pass that includes everything listed above. Beaver Creek Resort, Epicurean Adventure (9/21-9/24)Great American...

University of Florida students face housing delays, hotel stay options

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WSVN) — Students at the University of Florida are encountering housing challenges as they were set to move into UFORA, a Gainesville apartment complex, last year. However, due to contractor delays, the units remain unfinished, leaving hundreds of students in a tough spot.In response to the housing delays, residents were given two options: they could either arrange their own accommodations with a stipend provided or pay rent and temporarily stay in a hotel.This situation highlights the struggles faced by students seeking housing solutions for college and underscores the need for a resolution to ensure a smooth transition for those affected.

Florida woman ‘borrows’ alligator for birthday celebration, faces charges

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) — In a Florida tale that’s sure to leave you saying, only in Florida, a woman in Orange County decided to tap into her wild side on her birthday by “borrowing” an alligator. The bizarre incident unfolded when Madison Stephan snuck into her former workplace, Croc Encounters, in Tampa and made off with a 2-foot alligator named Smiley.Smiley the alligator found an unusual temporary home in a hotel bathtub at the “Grove Resort and Water Park” in Winter Garden earlier this month. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Stephan claimed she brought the gator on vacation with her to take a picture for her birthday. The audacious escapade took a turn when officials crashed the party, discovering the reptile in the hotel room. Now, Madison Stephan is facing charges of unlawful possession of an alligator. Frank Robb, an alligator expert with the non-profit organization EEARSS, remarked on the situa...

Trial for man accused of involvement in 2021 banquet hall mass shooting in NW Miami-Dade enters 2nd day

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

The trial for a man accused of being a lookout outside a South Florida banquet hall during a shooting continued on Friday.Twenty-four-year-old Davonte Barnes is facing three counts of first-degree murder and 20 counts of attempted murder.According to prosecutors, Barnes admitted to being a lookout during the shooting at the El Mula Banquet Hall in Northwest Miami-Dade back in 2021.Barnes’ attorneys argued that he admitted what investigators wanted him to.

Rupert Murdoch dominated UK politics. He may be the last of his kind

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

LONDON — One of the most powerful people in British politics is leaving a media vacuum.Newspaper and TV baron Rupert Murdoch struck fear and awe into the hearts of political leaders in London from the 1970s onwards. But his departure as chair of News Corporation — which owns the Times and Sun newspapers plus Times Radio and TalkTV in the U.K. — could fundamentally change the relationship between politics and the press. Some argue Murdoch was a one-off, the likes of whom will never be seen again in a changed media landscape. “If Murdoch was starting out again now, I just don’t think he would rise to the influence he was able to build then,” said Peter Mandelson, a former Cabinet minister who was instrumental to the New Labour project that courted the Australian.Others argue the change in leadership could spark major change in a media-obsessed Westminster. “When there is a handover of power, that is often the moment at which things reset,” said Craig Oliver, who h...

French far-right leader Le Pen should stand trial for alleged misuse of EU funds, say prosecutors

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

The Paris prosecutor’s office on Friday called for French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and her party to stand trial for the alleged misuse of EU funds.The prosecutor’s office said they are requesting a trial for the right-wing National Rally party and 27 people, including Le Pen and her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, for allegedly misappropriating EU public funds between 2004 and 2016, according to French local media.“We challenge this view, which we believe to be erroneous, of the work of opposition MPs and their assistants, which is above all political,” Le Pen told several media outlets on Friday. “We will present our arguments before the court on the merits.”The request for trial marks the latest development in a seven-year investigation into allegations that the National Rally used public funds, which were meant for EU parliamentary assistants, to pay party staff. Judges will make a decision on whether or not to accept the prosecutor’s petition for trial.Among the peo...

Top Dems Declare Deal On Tax Relief

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

Top House and Senate Democrats have reached an agreement on a tax relief bill, and plan to send it to Gov. Maura Healey next week as an opening act for their fall session.The accord, announced without details in a two-sentence statement Thursday evening, could bring to end a debate that began nearly two years ago in an effort to put a dent in the state’s high cost of living and make Massachusetts more competitive for residents and businesses.In July, legislators broke for a summer recess without a deal on tax relief, instead allotting $581 million to cover tax relief impacts in fiscal year 2024. The final package’s value could exceed $1 billion in the out years, or come in lower depending on which relief measures are swept into the consensus bill.Competing House and Senate tax relief bills died in 2022 when the Legislature was blindsided as surging revenue collections required the state to give back about $3 billion in tax collections under a decades-old voter law. The h...

‘We are deeply concerned.’ Corporate America is bracing for a lengthy government shutdown

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

 (CNN) — New York (CNN Business) — Corporate America’s leaders are mentally preparing for an especially long and chaotic government shutdown.Executives worry a protracted government shutdown will only add uncertainty to an already confusing business environment. In an era of persistent inflation, labor strikes and rising borrowing costs, they argue it would be another headache – and a self-inflicted one at that.“We are deeply concerned,” Neil Bradley, chief policy officer at the US Chamber of Commerce, told CNN in a phone interview. “The concern is growing – almost by the day – because once we are in a shutdown there doesn’t seem to be a clear path out.”That sentiment was echoed by other business leaders, who are watching with dismay as a narrowly-divided Congress stumbles its way toward the September 30 deadline to fund the government.“Nobody wins in a government shutdown,” said one executive at a business group who requested ...