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Author: Tatiana Tait

  • Apple Agrees To Pay $95 Million To Resolve Allegations Of Using Siri To Spy On Customers

    Apple Agrees To Pay $95 Million To Resolve Allegations Of Using Siri To Spy On Customers

    Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to resolve a civil lawsuit that alleges the company used its virtual assistant Siri to secretly listen in on individuals using its iPhones and other popular devices, according to CBS News.

    The proposed settlement was submitted on Tuesday in a federal court in Oakland, California. The lawsuit, which has been ongoing for five years, centers on accusations that Apple covertly activated Siri to capture conversations through iPhones and other devices for over a decade.

    The alleged recordings took place even when individuals did not activate the virtual assistant using the phrase,

    “Hey, Siri.”

    According to the lawsuit, some of these recorded conversations were shared with advertisers to target consumers who might be interested in their products and services. These claims challenge Apple’s longstanding pledge to safeguard its customers’ privacy.

    Apple is not admitting to any misconduct as part of the settlement, which still requires approval from U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White. Attorneys involved in the case have suggested scheduling a court hearing in Oakland on February 14 to examine the settlement terms. If approved, millions of consumers who owned iPhones and other Apple devices from September 17, 2014, to the end of last year could submit claims. Each eligible consumer could receive up to $20 for each Siri-enabled device included in the settlement, although the final amount may vary based on the total number of claims.

    Estimates in court documents indicate that only 3% to 5% of eligible consumers are likely to file claims. Compensation will be limited to a maximum of five devices per consumer. The attorneys who initiated the lawsuit may request up to $29.6 million from the settlement fund to cover their fees and other expenses, as noted in the court documents.

    #Clique, what are your thoughts?

  • Lupe Fiasco Set To Teach Rap At Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute In Fall 2025 Semester

    Lupe Fiasco Set To Teach Rap At Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute In Fall 2025 Semester

    Get ready for some lyrical lessons from #LupeFiasco as he joins the faculty at Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute in Fall 2025.

    The Grammy Award-winning rapper announced the thrilling news on Instagram. He shared a snapshot of himself sporting a Johns Hopkins cap and announcing his new title as a Distinguished Visiting Professor.

    “Thrilled to share that I’ll be joining the faculty at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute in Fall 2025 as a Distinguished Visiting Professor, teaching Rap as part of the groundbreaking new 4-year Hip Hop Degree Program.”

    Lupe has worked with both Yale and MIT in the past.

    #Clique, what are your thoughts?

  • Police Searching For Man Who Placed Cotton On Steps Of Predominantly Black Church In East Georgia

    Police Searching For Man Who Placed Cotton On Steps Of Predominantly Black Church In East Georgia

    Deputies in Georgia are seeking assistance in locating a man wanted for questioning related to a trespassing incident, per WSBTV.

    According to Burke County deputies, the individual entered church property located near Old Waynesboro Road. The sheriff’s office reported that he placed raw field cotton on the steps of the church porch.

    Officials noted that the congregation is primarily made up of Black members. Deputies are looking to question the man regarding both trespassing and littering. No additional information has been provided.

    Burke County Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone who recognizes the man or has relevant information to reach out to them at 706-554-2133 or the Investigation Division at 706-554-6633.

    #Clique, what are your thoughts?

    https://twitter.com/wsbtv/status/1874942516560044491
  • Truck Transporting Wedding Guests In Ethiopia Falls Into River After Missing Bridge, Resulting In At Least 71 Deaths

    Truck Transporting Wedding Guests In Ethiopia Falls Into River After Missing Bridge, Resulting In At Least 71 Deaths

    At least 71 people lost their lives after a truck carrying a wedding party fell off a bridge in Africa, as reported by PEOPLE.

    Local officials reported that the tragedy occurred on Sunday, December 29, when the truck plunged off the Gelan Bridge in Ethiopia’s Sidama state, as noted by the Associated Press and BBC News.

    A local villager Serak Boko told the AP that loud music was blasting from the truck just before the incident, with several elegantly dressed people dancing and waving. Police indicated that the truck went into the river after missing a bridge on a long, winding road, as reported by The Independent.

    Wosenyeleh Simion, a representative of the Sidama regional government, told Reuters that among the deceased are 68 men and three women. The spokesperson mentioned that at least four others are in critical condition and receiving treatment at Bona General Hospital.

    Local traffic police suspect that the truck may have been overloaded with passengers at the time of the accident, Simion added, according to BBC News.

    Simion also noted that some families have lost several members in this tragedy, as reported by CNN. An investigation into the deadly crash is ongoing.

    #Clique, what are your thoughts?

    https://twitter.com/people/status/1873837816699834638
  • 12-Year-Old Girl Stab Father To Death Just Hours After Attempting To Run Away From Home

    12-Year-Old Girl Stab Father To Death Just Hours After Attempting To Run Away From Home

    A 12-year-old girl confessed to fatally stabbing her father, as reported by the police, per the NY Post. 

    The girl, whose identity remains undisclosed, confessed to killing her father, James Waldie, 56, during a

    “disagreement”

    at their apartment in North Las Vegas on Friday night, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. 

    Authorities stated that she had tried to run away earlier and had been returned home by the police only hours before the incident occurred.

    “No evidence was found indicating significant physical harm to the girl prior to the incident,”

    police said. According to Fox 6 Vegas, police had visited the apartment multiple times in the past, including during her earlier escape attempt on December 7. 

    She was arrested about a week later for allegedly assaulting him in a previous altercation, as stated by authorities. On Friday, another family member contacted the police to report the father’s death. Initially, the 12-year-old claimed that an intruder was responsible for her father’s death but later admitted to the stabbing, according to police. 

    She has since been arrested and taken to the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center, where she faces a murder charge.

    #Clique, what are your thoughts?

  • Woman Accused Of Stealing Someone’s Identity To Teach At Elementary School Where She ‘Assaulted A Special Needs Child,’ Police Say

    Woman Accused Of Stealing Someone’s Identity To Teach At Elementary School Where She ‘Assaulted A Special Needs Child,’ Police Say

    A South Carolina woman was arrested after she allegedly pretended to be someone else to secure a position at an elementary school, where she is accused of assaulting a student with special needs, per Law & Crime.

    Bryia Lattimore Scott was arrested two weeks ago and initially faced a charge of identity fraud for unlawfully obtaining employment. Over a week after her first arrest, authorities announced that she was also charged with an additional count of felony unlawful conduct towards a child related to the alleged attack.

    The Laurens County Sheriff’s Office released a statement indicating that earlier this month, the Laurens County School District 55 reached out to sheriff’s deputies regarding someone

    “impersonating”

    another individual to secure a job at Waterloo Elementary.

    An investigation that followed uncovered that Scott had been

    “posing as”

    an individual named

    “Viola Church”

    since she began working as a temporary special education teacher for the district in September. She was officially arrested on December 19, 2024, for identity fraud and subsequently released on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond.

    Scott was employed through a third-party agency, reports reveal. She is accused of submitting false identity documents to the hiring agency. An anonymous tipster informed the school principal about the real identity of

    “Ms. Church,”

    leading to the investigation.

    “Upon further investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Unit, it was determined that Scott assaulted a special needs child on December 18th,”

    the release states. 

    “The assault was reported to the administration of the school on December 18th by concerned aides working with students in the same classroom.”

    Scott was arrested again on December 30 and charged with unlawful conduct.

    #Clique, what are your thoughts?

  • Teacher Sues School Board After She Was Fired For Allegedly Misusing Sick Leave To Take Her Son To A Concert

    Teacher Sues School Board After She Was Fired For Allegedly Misusing Sick Leave To Take Her Son To A Concert

    An Ohio teacher was fired for taking a two-day sick leave to reportedly attend a concert in Nashville, per Law & Crime. Now she is suing her former school district, which accused her of

    “falsified sick leave.”

    She argues that her firing infringed upon her

    “constitutional rights.”

    Eileen Washburn, who taught English at Lakota West High School within the Lakota Local School District, filed a wrongful termination lawsuit in Butler County late last month against the district’s board of education. In a response to the lawsuit filed on December 24, the board denied all allegations of misconduct.

    Washburn’s lawsuit states that the school district accused her of falsifying her sick leave on February 8 and 9. She reportedly told several colleagues about her plans to attend a concert in Tennessee with her son and a friend, with one colleague mentioning that Washburn

    “didn’t want to waste $600”

    she had spent on tickets.

    In her defense, Washburn claims she provided the school board with a letter from her primary care physician, which explained that she needed to take time off due to side effects from a medication she had recently resumed.

    “In response … the Executive Director of Human Resources Rob Kramer, asked for additional details regarding her medical condition and the prescriptions she was taking,”

    Washburn’s complaint says. 

    “Ms. Washburn was reluctant to answer his questions because she believed her medical condition was a personal matter which she was not required to share with her employer,”

    the complaint added.

    “The Board terminated Ms. Washburn’s teaching contract by resolution on October 28, 2024,”

    Washburn’s complaint states. She is seeking to have her job reinstated and is requesting compensation for

    “all of her losses…”

    her complaint says, along with coverage for attorney’s fees. 

    #Clique, what are your thoughts?

  • Man Confesses To Setting Fires At Predominantly Black Church In Rhode Island, Investigators Say

    Man Confesses To Setting Fires At Predominantly Black Church In Rhode Island, Investigators Say

    A Rhode Island man confessed to using gasoline to ignite multiple fires outside a predominantly Black church earlier this year, as detailed in a federal plea agreement reported by CNN.

    According to prosecutors, Kevin Colantonio started several fires around the Shiloh Gospel Temple in North Providence on the morning of February 11. He used a lighter along with gasoline that he bought specifically for the arson. The building was unoccupied at the time. The fires were swiftly put out by members of the North Providence Police and Fire departments, who arrived at the scene around 12:12 a.m. after receiving reports of someone attempting to start fires, according to investigators.

    The fires resulted in property damage. Investigators noted that if not for the prompt response of first responders, the damage to the church could have been devastating. Zachary Cunha, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island, mentioned that during Colantonio’s arrest, authorities searched his home. They found notebooks and writings containing phrases such as

    “burn churches down to the ground,”

    “hunt them down,”

    and

    “gun everyone down who isn’t White.”

    The plea agreement, submitted in federal court last week, indicates that Colantonio deliberately targeted the church because of the

    “actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, and/or ethnicity of the congregants.” 

    No injuries were reported. Colantonio is facing four charges of obstruction of the free exercise of religious beliefs, malicious damage by fire, and two counts of assault on a federal officer. If the sentences are served consecutively, he could face up to 56 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 5 years, a fine of $1 million, and three years of supervised release.

    #Clique, what are your thoughts?

  • 14-Year-Old Girl Discovered In The Woods After Man She Met Online Gaming Exploited Her For Sex

    14-Year-Old Girl Discovered In The Woods After Man She Met Online Gaming Exploited Her For Sex

    A 14-year-old girl endured days alone in the woods after a man she met through an online video game, with whom she had a sex with, discovered her age and abandoned her there, as reported by the NY Post.

    The suspect, 28-year-old Alexander Materne, initially met the teenager in person on December 23. He subsequently took the young girl from Tennessee to his residence in St. Rose, Louisiana, according to the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office.

    While at Materne’s residence, the two engaged in sexual activities, during which the girl disclosed her age to the 28-year-old, according to the news release. Materne then packed a tent, food, and water before leaving the young girl in the Louisiana wilderness in Tangipahoa Parish. The Sheriff’s Office stated that he then went off to celebrate the holidays with his family.

    After the girl had been missing for a considerable time, concerned family members began investigating and uncovered her relationship with the older man. They contacted Materne’s relatives and managed to reach individuals who were at a Christmas party he attended. Sheriff’s deputies intervened at the family celebration and forced Materne to reveal the location where he had left the minor, according to the report. 

    The 14-year-old was located in good health and taken to a hospital for further evaluation. Materne was charged with one count of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Juvenile and one count of Aggravated Kidnapping of a Child.

    #Clique, what are your thoughts?

  • Colorado Man Wanted In Connection With Failed Bank Robbery After Giving Teller ‘Illegible’ Note, Police Say

    Colorado Man Wanted In Connection With Failed Bank Robbery After Giving Teller ‘Illegible’ Note, Police Say

    A man in Colorado reportedly tried to rob a bank, but things didn’t unfold as he intended, according to the NY Post. The would-be robber walked away empty-handed after giving a note to a teller who couldn’t decipher his message, as detailed by the police.

    The event took place just before 5 p.m. on December 17 at First National Bank, located at 750 North Lincoln Ave. in Loveland, Colorado, as stated by the Loveland Police Department. This city is located approximately 50 miles north of Denver.

    According to police, the man entered the bank and presented the teller with a note that seemed nearly impossible to read. The teller reportedly struggled with the note, which was said to be almost entirely

    “illegible,”

    police said per CBS Colorado.

    Frustrated by the teller’s difficulty in understanding his note, the man swiftly exited the bank, the report stated. Authorities are still looking for the suspect, who was seen in surveillance footage wearing a brown hoodie, green pants, a green baseball cap, sunglasses, and brown gloves.

    #Clique, what are your thoughts?