When Lee Price III received nearly $1 million in federal coronavirus relief in June 2020, he blew much of it in a matter of days. The money never made it into the pockets of the employees Price was supposed to pay; those employees, after all, were fictional. Instead, Price spent the money on luxury goods, including a roughly $14,000 Rolex watch, a $2,000 trip to a Houston-area strip club and a roughly $233,000 2019 Lamborghini Urus, according to prosecutors. All told, Price received more than $1.6 million after filing fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications with multiple banks around the country, using much of the money to buy high-priced items and to pay off outstanding debt, federal prosecutors said. Now, Price, 30, of Houston, has been sentenced to more than nine years in prison after he pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering. "Mr. Price hopes that others will learn from his reckoning that there is no easy money," Tom Berg, Price's lawyer, told The … [Read more...]
Outdoor decorating trends: natural, cozy, sustainable
9 Home, as we know, has become more central to many of us during the pandemic, and that means outdoors as well as in. This holiday season, designers and retailers have suggestions for updating window, door and yard decorations. Trends include sustainability, naturalness and coziness. NATURE SHOW New York interior designer John Douglas Eason appreciates a season where “over the top” is often just what’s needed. “But that said, I like subtle holiday design, incorporating nature and keeping it tonal. I love monochromatic gourds with a gnarly tree branch tossed in for interest and fresh greens," he says. Eason suggests luminarias to light walkways, "and I’ve been playing around with the idea of connecting them with thick garlands and woodland elements. “I really think a more natural holiday design is absolutely on point this season.” When the holiday is over, he notes, recyclable decor can go back to nature … [Read more...]
India’s economy grows by 8.4% amid signs of recovery
4 NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s economy grew by 8.4% in the July-September quarter from the same period a year earlier, the government announced Tuesday, raising hopes of a recovery after the country suffered historic contractions sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. India, Asia’s third-largest economy, suffered one of the biggest setbacks among major economies in the last fiscal year. In the same quarter a year before, the economy contracted by 7.4%, badly hit by rising COVID-19 cases and a stringent nationwide lockdown, with restrictions lasting months that dealt a huge blow to economic activity. After being hit by a devastating surge in virus cases stoked by Delta variant earlier this year, the situation in India has improved in recent months. Daily cases have sunk dramatically to about 10,000 after breaching 400,000 in May and the vaccination pace has picked up, instilling confidence in reopening businesses and industries. Streets and markets … [Read more...]
Los Angeles Begins Enforcing Vaccine Mandate at Gyms, Restaurants, Businesses
LOS ANGELES, California — The City of Los Angeles began enforcing its vaccine mandate on indoor businesses Monday, including gyms, restaurants, and other facilities, with inspectors able to impose thousands of dollars in fines over time. Fox 11 KTTV reported : Los Angeles Monday began enforcing its law requiring Angelenos patronizing indoor restaurants, gyms, entertainment and recreational facilities, personal care establishments and some city buildings to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19. The law went into effect on Nov. 8, but beginning Monday, the Department of Building and Safety can issue administrative citations to businesses that violate the ordinance. The citations will include a $1,000 fine for a second violation, $2,000 fine for a third violation and a $5,000 fine for a fourth and subsequent violations. The city’s SafePassLA ordinance is one of the strictest mandates of its kind in the nation, requiring people over the age of 12 to show proof of … [Read more...]
82 Per Cent of Voters Think Govt Is Handling Channel Crisis Badly: Poll
More than four-in-five voters think Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government is handling the Channel migrant crisis badly, with more than three-quarters of Conservative Party supporters thinking the same. The YouGov poll commissioned by The Times and released on Tuesday revealed that 82 per cent of Britons think that the government is handling the migrant crisis “badly”. Even amongst Conservative voters, who may have been assumed to have some residual loyalty to the Tory Prime Minister, 77 per cent think that the Johnson administration is handling the crisis poorly. The English Channel has seen more than 25,000 illegals land on Britain’s shores since the beginning of this year, triple on last year. The research was undertaken between the 24th and 25th of November, immediately after 27 migrants drowned in the English Channel off the coast of France while trying to illegally travel to Britain. In terms of what is to blame for the rising numbers of illegals trying to … [Read more...]
Lee Elder, First Black Golfer to Play at the Masters, Dead at 87
Lee Elder, the first Black golfer to play at the Masters at Augusta National, has passed away at the age of 87. Elder, who made history in 1975 at Augusta National by playing in the previously all-white tournament after receiving an invitation to compete following his Monsanto Open win, developed his golf game during segregated times while caddying. The PGA Tour confirmed Elder’s death with his family, but no cause of death or details were immediately available. A native of Texas who was honored alongside Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as an honorary starter at the 2021 Masters Elder told CNN in 2015 that making his Masters debut was a “very nerve-racking” experience. “I was shaking so badly, I did not know if I was even going to be able to tee up the ball,” he said. “How I got through it I do not know, just with the help of the Almighty I got there and was able to put my ball on the tee.” Elder missed the cut during his first appearance at the Masters, though he … [Read more...]
