Michael DiMassa, a former Connecticut legislator, was sentenced to 27 months in prison for stealing $1.2 million, most of it pandemic aid, to fuel a gambling addiction that is alleged to have included betting on how long the national anthem would take at the Super Bowl.
Carolyn Bennett, Canada's mental health and addictions minister, hailed a "bold step" as the country becomes the first where warning labels must appear on individual cigarettes, including "poison in every puff," "tobacco smoke harms children" and "cigarettes cause impotence."
Paul Whorrall, mayor of Manlius, N.Y., said a swan named Faye that was stolen from the town's pond "was consumed; sad to say, but that's what they did," with three teenagers arrested on charges of grand larceny and criminal mischief.
Crystal Zion of the Georgia State Patrol cited the importance of the state's move-over law, which requires motorists to slow down and get out of the way when they see flashing lights, after a Nissan Altima rocketed into the air when it drove up the ramp of a tow truck and the car's driver landed in the hospital.
Daniel Elie Bouaziz, a Palm Beach, Fla., art dealer, was sentenced to 27 months in prison for selling counterfeit works for $75,000 to $240,000, including pieces purportedly by Andy Warhol.
Mark Bartlett, a white man, got off with probation, community service and anger management and racial sensitivity training after pulling a gun and yelling racial slurs in a Miami traffic confrontation with Black teenagers protesting housing inequality.
Everette Wadley, a mother and museum-goer in Atlanta, said, "Can you imagine trying to tell an 8-year-old we're not going to be able to see that today?" after a Jurassic Park dinosaur exhibit was closed because of a break-in that caused $250,000 worth of damage.
Pyotr Tolstoy, a Russian lawmaker, said the aim is "to stop the infiltration of the Western anti-family ideology" as he led 400 members of the lower house in pushing a bill to ban gender-affirming surgery, as well as name and gender changes.
Anthony DeFillipo, mayor of North Miami Beach, Fla., was arrested and charged with voting irregularities, with the regional Commission on Ethics & Public Trust fielding a complaint that he actually lives in Broward County and the city commission stalemating over the issue.