Virus aside, Mardi Gras a go in Mobile
MOBILE, Ala. -- The city of Mobile is moving ahead with plans to hold Mardi Gras celebrations in early 2021 despite the coronavirus pandemic, which is quickly worsening.
Some groups already have called off parades and balls over concerns about spreading the virus that causes covid-19, but Mayor Sandy Stimpson's office has released a memo saying Mardi Gras isn't being canceled in the port city.
Instead, the city is getting ready to issue permits for parades that will wind through downtown streets. Stimpson's memo, which was released publicly by a City Council member on social media, said the number of people riding on floats will be limited, and participants will need to wear masks.
"This is a fluid situation, and we're in uncharted waters," said the memo, which also said organizations that rent city facilities for Mardi Gras balls will be able to cancel events as late as one week beforehand without a penalty.
Fat Tuesday is Feb. 16, and celebrations typically begin weeks before that. Mobile's Mardi Gras celebration, while far smaller than the one held in New Orleans, is vital to the tourist economy around Mobile.
Harvard bribery probe yields 2 arrests
BOSTON -- The former fencing coach at Harvard and a wealthy Maryland businessman were arrested Monday on accusations that the coach took $1.5 million in bribes in exchange for helping the businessman get his two sons into the Ivy League school as recruited fencers.
Peter Brand, 67, who was fired by Harvard last year, and Jie "Jack" Zhao, 61, of Potomac, Md., were charged with conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery. Their arrest comes more than a year after a newspaper reported that Brand sold his home for nearly double its assessed value to Zhao. Zhao also paid for Brand's car and helped cover Brand's son's college tuition, prosecutors said.
"Today's arrests show how Peter Brand's and Jie Zhao's plan to circumvent the college admissions process ended up backfiring on both of them," Joseph Bonavolonta, head of the FBI Boston Division, said in an emailed statement.
An attorney for Zhao said he denies the accusations. Brand's lawyer said the former coach "looks forward to the truth coming out in court."
The case is separate from the recent college admissions scandal in which an admission consultant ran a scheme to get students into top universities across the country with rigged test scores or fake athletic credentials.
3 St. Louis killings push '20 count to 225
ST. LOUIS -- A deadly year in St. Louis took another turn for the worse Sunday, with three killings in the city.
St. Louis has reported at least 225 killings so far in 2020, a record pace with a month-and-a-half still to go.
Police say 33-year-old Brandon Clay was fatally shot Sunday afternoon. Officers found Clay with wounds in his torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect in the shooting also was shot and is hospitalized in critical but stable condition.
On Sunday night, 47-year-old Christina Hesselmeyer was found dead inside a camping trailer. Police say she had been stabbed. No arrests have been made.
Also Sunday night, a 22-year-old man was found on a sidewalk with several gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No arrests have been made and the victim's name was not immediately released.
Oklahoma lawmakers given 35% raise
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma legislators are getting a pay raise for the first time in more than two decades even as state agencies face budget cuts amid an ongoing pandemic.
Legislators will see their annual salaries jump to $47,500 from $35,021. The 35% pay increase will take effect Wednesday, The Oklahoman reported.
The Legislative Compensation Board, which is made up of nonelected officials, approved the raises last year. The board is appointed by the governor, House speaker and Senate pro tempore and meets in odd-numbered years.
The raises are funded through the $7.7 billion state budget that took effect July 1. The budget includes cuts of 4% for most state agencies.
The board, which met in 2019, had all new members and sought to reverse a previous legislative pay cut that they saw as punitive. In 2017, the board cut legislators' pay by about $3,400, which may have been because of the political gridlock at the Capitol.
-- Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports