New England Sun-Times

Keith Koffler   The Obamas threw a party at the White House for 500 guests who were treated to a private concert in the East Room by Prince, supposedly on hand to “celebrate African-American Music Appreciation Month,” according to the New York Post . Really? There’s an altruistic angle to this glorious indulgence? Stars were on hand aplenty. Incredibly, the whole thing was completely hushed up. I gather the government can keep some secrets when it involves something important. From the Post: Spotted at the exclusive two-hour concert — during which Prince played hits including “Kiss” and “Purple Rain” — were Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and his date, singer Ciara, artists Jon Bon Jovi and James Taylor, TV & film stars Tyler Perry, Connie Britton, Angela Bassett, Gayle King, Tracee Ellis Ross, fashion designer Naeem Khan and J.Crew’s Jenna Lyons. Also there, Carlyle’s David Rubenstein, 32 Advisors’ Robert Wolf and American Express’ Ken ...

Jozef Wesolowski will go on trial on 11 July  The Vatican is to put its former envoy to the Dominican Republic, Jozef Wesolowski, on trial on child sex abuse and child pornography charges. Pope Francis has also accepted the resignations of a US archbishop and his deputy, accused in Minnesota of having ignored a priest's child abuse. Jozef Wesolowski is accused of sexually abusing children in the Dominican Republic from 2008 to 2013. He is under house arrest in the Vatican. The trial is to begin on 11 July. Wesolowski, 66, is also charged with possession of child pornography, dating from his return to Rome in 2013. Analysis: David Willey, BBC News, Rome Two years into his papacy Pope Francis is making good on his promise promptly to follow up allegations of sexual abuse and cover-up by his bishops. Two American bishops resigned only days after their diocese was accused by local prosecutors of turning a blind eye to sex crimes against children committe...

The widow of "60 Minutes" correspondent Bob Simon has sued the driver of a town car that crashed and killed her husband . The New York Post says Francoise Anne-Marie Simon filed the lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court. It names the driver, Reshad Abdul Fedahi, the limousine company, Skyline Credit Ride, and its contractor, Travez Transportation. The suit says Bob Simon "suffered conscious pain" before dying of his injuries. The 73-year-old was killed Feb. 11 when the limo crashed on Manhattan's West Side Highway. It says the death could have been avoided if Fedahi's employers had not rehired him. Fedahi had two speeding convictions and nine license revocations. The Post says Fedahi and Skyline didn't return messages seeking comment. Travez declined to comment. The suit seeks punitive damages.

Bryan Logan Colt Defense, the gun manufacturer that has been in business since the 1800s, is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In a press statement issued Sunday night, representatives for Colt Defense say the company is initiating a Section 363 sale with Sciens Capital Management as the "stalking horse bidder," meaning Sciens has been chosen to make the first bid for the gun maker. Colt representatives tell Business Insider the company has received $20 million in financing to help it continue operations during the process, which could last 60 to 90 days. Under a proposed agreement, Sciens Capital Management would acquire Colt's assets "to ensure a smooth and swift transition of the business with all of its iconic brands, products, and operations" bolstered by a lower debt burden. The West Hartford, Connecticut-based company emphasized its commitment to the community in which it has operated for generations, citing "a long term ex...

* Deal to boost CVS' bargaining power, narrow Target's focus * All new Target stores with pharmacies to include CVS pharmacy * CVS cuts 2015 share repurchase program to $5 bln from $6 bln * Target to use $1.2 bln proceeds for share repurchase * CVS shares up 0.7 pct, Target up 1.3 pct (Adds CEO comments, details) By Sruthi Ramakrishnan and Nathan Layne June 15 (Reuters) - Drugstore operator CVS Health Corp will buy Target Corp's pharmacies and clinics in a $1.9 billion deal that should help it bargain with drug makers for lower prices, while freeing Target from a costly business where it struggled to make a profit. CVS, the second-largest U.S. drugstore operator with 7,800 stores, said on Monday it will acquire Target's more than 1,660 pharmacies in 47 states with about $4 billion in annual sales. It will also acquire Target's ...

Joyce Mitchell's mugshot  Another day, another crazy twist in the story of two convicted murderers who escaped from an upstate prison last weekend, and the prison worker who has been accused of aiding them. According to the Daily News , prison tailor shop instructor Joyce Mitchell, 51, has now told investigators that convicts Richard Matt, 48, and David Sweat, 34, planned to kill her husband after leaving prison. "They planned on killing her husband," the police source told the News . "Said the plan was to pick them up and go to her house. She didn’t say that she was going to help them" kill her husband. Mitchell reportedly has admitted that she was supposed to get their getaway driver—but she claims she only knew where to pick them up, not where they ultimately were heading. She did know however that it was going to be a wooded area about seven hours away, where a four-wheel drive would be needed. "It's basically, to show up down ...

By Danielle Ameden In this file photo, from Nov. 23, 2012, Natick Mall shoppers are seen pouring into JCPenney at 6 a.m. to take advantage of Black Friday discounts. The store announced it would be closing its Natick location in August 2015, about eight years after it opened in the mall. Daily News Archive Photo/Dan Holmes. NATICK – J.C. Penney Corporation Inc. confirmed Friday it is closing its anchor department store at the Natick Mall at the end of August. Company spokesman Joey Thomas said the Natick JCPenney store will close on or about Aug. 28. “We continually evaluate our store portfolio to determine whether there’s a need to close or relocate underperforming stores,” Thomas said in an email Friday. “Reviews such as these are essential in meeting our long-term goals for future company growth.  While it’s never an easy decision to close stores, especially due to the impact on our valued associates and customers, we feel this is a necessary business ...

  Dunkin’ Donuts is reportedly testing delivery, eyeing the service as the next step after it launches mobile ordering next year. Nigel Travis, chairman and CEO of parent company Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc. told CNBC Monday that delivery is “clearly a big opportunity” for the brand. Curbside service is also under consideration, Travis said.

    SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Rachel Dolezal resigned as president of the NAACP's Spokane chapter Monday amid a furor over racial identity that erupted when her parents came forward to say she has been posing as black for years when she is actually white. The announcement, posted on the civil rights organization's Facebook page, said the attention surrounding Dolezal has distracted from the group's goals. "In the eye of this current storm, I can see that a separation of family and organizational outcomes is in the best interest of the NAACP," said Dolezal, a longtime figure in Spokane's civil rights community who was elected to the NAACP post six months ago. "Please know I will never stop fighting for human rights." City officials, meanwhile, are investigating whether she lied about her ethnicity when she landed an appointment to Spokane's police oversight board. On her application, she said her ethnic origins included whi...

DUXBURY, Mass. — Duxbury police are warning residents to be on the alert for homemade bottle bombs after two were found outside homes over the weekend. A Valley Street resident notified police after finding a pressurized bottle containing chemicals and aluminum strips in his mailbox Sunday. The second bomb was later found in the front yard of a Franklin Street home. A state police bomb squad was called to handle the first, which was removed from the mailbox before officers arrived. The resident who found the second device believed it was litter and removed it. He notified police after hearing about the first device. Fire Capt. Robert Tripp said the chemicals inside the bottles had the potential to cause serious harm, although neither bomb was detonated.

By Jennifer Smith   A New Hampshire man arrested for driving under the influence of narcotics died Sunday after he stopped breathing while in police custody, according to State Police. Roger M. Gasangwa, 34, of Dover was arrested after crashing his 1995 Honda Civic on Interstate 495 northbound around 9:20 p.m. Saturday, said State Police spokesman David Procopio. Medical personnel checked Gasangwa, who was under the influence of narcotics, at the scene. Police said he refused further treatment. A K-9 unit found drug paraphernalia nearby. While held at the Newbury State Police Barracks, Gasangwa was found to be breathing and responsive at 1 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. but was unresponsive during the 2 a.m. check, State Police said. Gasangwa was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was declared dead Sunday morning. Investigators found a brown powder substance and a small rolled-up paper in Gasangwa’s cell. As no narcotics were found on his perso...

Jonathan Dos Santos. (Family photo) BOSTON (CBS/AP) — The two teens accused of shooting and killing another teen while he was riding his bicycle in Dorchester were ordered held without bail Monday. Dushawn Taylor-Gennis, 16, and 14-year-old Raeshawn Moody pleaded not guilty at their arraignment on murder and firearms charges in a packed courtroom in Dorchester District Court. Both will be tried as adults, even though Moody is only in eighth grade. Neither teen was able to be seen in the courtroom because both hid behind a door. The boys are charged with killing Jonathan Dos Santos , 16, on Wednesday night. Relatives of both the victim and suspects packed the courtroom in Dorchester District Court Monday. (WBZ-TV) Prosecutor Jennifer Hickman said Taylor-Gennis and Moody can be seen in surveillance video essentially setting up a trap for Dos Santos before shooting at him five times at the corner of Washington and Fuller Streets. Hickman said D...

Colorado's Supreme Court ruled Monday that employers can fire workers who use marijuana for medical reasons, even though it's legal in that state. The case involved Brandon Coats , a quadriplegic who was fired by Dish Network ( DISH ) in 2010 after he failed a company drug test for pot.  Coats had a doctor's authorization to smoke medical marijuana, which has been legal in Colorado since 2000. Coats says that he never used the drug -- or was under its influence -- at work, facts that Dish Network does not dispute. But the company says it has a zero-tolerance drug policy, and notes that medical marijuana is still illegal on the federal level. Therefore, Dish says the use of the drug for any reason is cause for termination. There is a Colorado law that protects employees from being discharged for "lawful activities," but the court ruled the law refers only to activities which are legal under both state and federal law. "Therefore, emplo...

By: Donna Goodison A Hub developer got the green light to turn a former Catholic church in Boston’s South End into luxury condominiums — among a wave of residential church conversions in the city. The Boston Redevelopment Authority Thursday approved the estimated $47 million project by New Boston Ventures, which will rehab and expand the former Holy Trinity German Catholic Church and Rectory at 136 Shawmut Ave. to include 33 condos. New Boston Ventures will demolish the interior of the church, which has been vacant for about five years, and add a modern eight-story steel and glass addition along its existing Roxbury puddingstone walls. The rehabbed building will include 28 basement parking spots, and lighting will highlight the church’s spire. “We hope to break ground sometime this fall,” New Boston Ventures principal David Goldman said. “We’ll start marketing pre-construction very soon, but the construction process should be 14 to 16 mont...

People assist a girl at the scene of shark attack on Oak Island OAK ISLAND, N.C. (AP) — Two young people vacationing in the beach town of Oak Island were swimming in waist-deep water when they lost limbs in separate life-threatening shark attacks, town officials said Monday. A 12-year-old girl from Asheboro lost part of her arm and suffered a leg injury, and a 16-year-old boy from Winston-Salem lost his left arm less than 90 minutes later and about 2 miles away late Sunday afternoon, officials said. The victims were each about 20 yards offshore, in waist-deep water. Surgeons amputated the girl's left arm below her elbow, and she has tissue damage to her lower left leg. The boy's left arm was amputated below his left shoulder. Both were in good condition Monday after being airlifted about 25 miles to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, said hospital spokeswoman Martha Harlan. Neither victim's name was released. "Ho...

Boston police say two teens were arrested Saturday in the death of a 16-year-old boy who was gunned down while riding his bike. Police Commissioner William Evans and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced the arrests at a news conference on Saturday. “It’s tragic, but at least we’re happy to announce for the family that we got the two individuals who we believe are responsible,” Evans said. The victim, Jonathan Dos Santos, was fatally shot Wednesday evening while riding his bike in the city’s Dorchester neighborhood. Dushawn Taylor-Gennis, 16, of Dorchester, and an unidentified 14-year old from Mattapan will be charged as adults with murder and firearms offenses, according to the Suffolk County district attorney’s office. Evans said it was not yet known if the shooting was gang-related and the motive remains under investigation.  He said the suspects’ mothers cooperated in the probe. “This is a...

Smyrna police have arrested a man they say pulled over an alleged hit-and-run driver before restraining her at gunpoint. John Carmichael Jr.’s actions “exceeded the scope of his authority as a concerned citizen,” authorities said. Carmichael, who Channel 2 Action News reported is the former owner of a police supply shop, was arrested Wednesday and charged with impersonating an officer, unauthorized blue lights, aggravated assault, battery, false imprisonment, false statement and theft of service. The charges stem from an incident on the evening of May 1. According to a news release issued by Smyrna police, Carmichael was listening to a “cloned police radio” that night when he heard that officers were responding to a possible hit-and-run. Carmichael then pursued the suspect in his own car — which was equipped with blue lights — and was able to pull her over, police said. “After getting the suspected hit-and-run vehicle stopped,” police said, Carmichael “drew his fir...

by Ildefonso Ortiz MCALLEN, Texas – A Texas border cop lost her job following her arrest by U.S. Border Patrol agents during a human smuggling attempt. Earlier this week Joan De La Fuente, a four-year veteran with the McAllen Police Department, was driving a vehicle north from the Texas border and came up to the Falfurrias checkpoint about 80 miles north. According to information provided to Breitbart Texas by McAllen police, De la Fuente was detained by Border Patrol agents under suspicion of trying to smuggle two illegal immigrants into the United States. De La Fuente is expected to go before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on Monday morning, where she could be facing human smuggling charges. Internal affairs investigators with McAllen Police went to meet with De La Fuente, who submitted her resignation, which was accepted by Police Chief Victor Rodriguez. De La Fuente is the most recent Texas border cop to be arrested for unrelated smuggling offenses in recent mo...