Virginia

NEW YORK (AP) — Workers at a Target store in Christiansburg, Virginia, have withdrawn their request with federal labor regulators for a union election. Such an election would have joined a wave of union organizing across the country at other retailers from Amazon to Starbucks. The petition was filed last week with the National Labor Relations Board by the independent Target Workers Unite. The group was founded by Adam Ryan who has been working at Target Virginia store for five years. Ryan said last week that the filing comes as workers see their pay failing to cover rising costs for basics like food and rent. He also noted workers feel like they are having to do too many tasks, from filling online orders to unloading trucks. No reason was given in the document filed with the NLRB. The group is not required to provide a reason for the withdrawal. The group only said it planned to refile its petition. The NLRB declined to comment. Target said in a statement last week it … [Read more...] about Target workers at a Virginia store withdraw union petition

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A woman pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Virginia to a $1.2 million scheme that defrauded COVID-19 pandemic relief programs using victims’ personal information that she obtained through her state government employment, a prosecutor said. U.S. Attorney Jessica Aber said court documents show that in one scheme, from May 2020 to August 2021, Sadie Mitchell, 30, of Midlothian, with help from a co-conspirator, defrauded the Virginia Employment Commission by filing at least 20 fraudulent unemployment applications using inmates' personal information. As an employee of the Virginia Motor Vehicle Dealer Board, Mitchell had access to a government database, officials said. The conspirators filed at least 30 fake applications in the names of other people whose personal information was obtained, in part, through Mitchell's database queries, officials said. Through this scheme, the conspirators collected approximately $1 million in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance … [Read more...] about Woman pleads guilty in $1.2M COVID-19 fraud scheme

A clip of Amber Heard leaving the courtroom has gone viral amid her ongoing vicious legal battle with Johnny Depp . The multi-million dollar defamation trial is now in its fifth week and Heard's cross-examination came to an end on Tuesday (May 17) in the Fairfax, Virginia courtroom. Depp, 58, is suing Heard for $50 million, while Heard, 36, is countersuing her former husband for $100 million. The lawsuit stems from a 2018 op-ed Heard wrote for The Washington Post in which she said she was a domestic abuse survivor. The piece never mentioned Depp by name but his legal team argue the insinuation resulted in reputational damage and extensive financial losses. Both parties have alleged that the other was violent towards them throughout their marriage, which ended in 2016. Heard was questioned this week by Depp's lawyer, Camille Vasquez, who grilled the actress about incidents when she alleged she was assaulted by Depp. On Tuesday afternoon, Depp's legal team wrapped up its … [Read more...] about Amber Heard leaving court goes viral: “Moment she knew she lost the case”

Amber Heard reiterated in the Fairfax County courtroom in Virginia that she has previously hit and thrown things at her ex-husband Johnny Depp . The admission under oath on the witness stand has been latched onto by social media users and become a major talking point on social media. Depp's attorney, Camille Vasquez , was questioning Heard when the actor clarified that it was always her testimony that she had "hit" Depp. Depp and Heard are currently embroiled in a $50 million defamation lawsuit after Heard wrote a 2018 op-ed stating she was a survivor of domestic violence. She never mentioned her ex-husband Depp by name but his legal team argue the insinuation has caused a massive loss of potential earnings. While on the stand Tuesday, Heard was once again asked about her own violent actions towards Depp. "It's always been my own testimony that I hit Johnny," Heard told the court, turning to address the jury. Asked whether she threw anything at him during a specific … [Read more...] about Amber Heard confirms she has hit, thrown things at Johnny Depp under oath

A new poll released by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) found that 51 percent of Bay Area residents have considered moving out of the region over skyrocketing housing prices. “These are very dramatic findings,” Mark DiCamillo, director of the Berkeley IGS Poll said, told SiliconValley.com. “In every region of California, the rising cost of housing has crept into the consciousness of voters.” That same poll found that 56 percent of Golden State residents have considered relocating overall, and 59 percent of Los Angeles County residents have also considered exiting the region for states where their green goes further. Several couples told Silicon Valley that they see Texas and Virginia as attractive alternatives. One couple reportedly said their mortgage in Texas is $500 a month for a house they would own, compared with $1,500 a month to rent a home in San Jose that they would be sharing with others. Another reportedly said they are paying under $1,500 a … [Read more...] about Over Half of Bay Area Residents Consider Leaving over Housing Prices

Amber Heard's recent testimony that her role in Aquaman 2 has been "pared down" appears to ring true on the franchise's official Instagram account, where she hasn't been featured in a post since 2019. On Monday, Heard testified during her ongoing defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp that her role in the Aquaman sequel was almost scrapped because of the controversy surrounding her. Heard's ill-fated marriage to Depp, which ended in 2016, has been under the spotlight, thanks to a libel court battle that took place in London back in 2020 and their ongoing defamation trial in Fairfax, Virginia. Their current court proceedings arose after Depp, 58, filed a $50 million lawsuit against Heard, 36, accusing her of defamation over an op-ed published by The Washington Post , in which she said she was a victim of domestic abuse. While Depp was not named by Heard in the article, his lawyers argued it was obvious she was referring to the actor. Heard is countersuing for … [Read more...] about “Aquaman” Instagram account hasn’t posted Amber Heard in three years

Amber Heard faced questions about how she landed her role in the hit movie Aquaman , as her defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp continued on Tuesday. Heard, 36, is currently in the midst of a court battle with her ex-husband Depp, 58, who has filed a $50 million lawsuit against her over a 2018 op-ed for The Washington Post in which the actress said she was a domestic abuse survivor. While Depp was not named in the article, his lawyers have argued that it was clear Heard was referring to him. Heard has countersued for $100 million. During her continued cross-examination in Virginia's Fairfax County Circuit Court on Tuesday, Depp's attorney, Camille Vasquez, questioned Heard about how she came to land her role in the movie , suggesting that the actor got her the part. After audio was played to the court of Heard hurling insults at Depp, the actress explained: "I was expressing frustration about his criticism of my career and how many problems that caused within … [Read more...] about Did Johnny Depp get Amber Heard “Aquaman” role? What we know

Amber Heard has testified that she was initially let go from her Aquaman 2 contract amid the negative publicity surrounding her relationship with ex-husband Johnny Depp . Heard's tumultuous, ill-fated marriage to Depp has been the focus of an avalanche of headlines in recent years, thanks to a libel court battle that took place in London back in 2020 and their ongoing defamation trial in Fairfax, Virginia. Their court proceedings arose after Depp, 58, filed a $50 million lawsuit against Heard, 36, accusing her of defamation over an op-ed published by The Washington Post , in which she said she was a victim of domestic abuse. While Heard did not name Depp in the article, his lawyers argued it was clear she was referring to the star. Heard is countersuing for $100 million for nuisance. During proceedings at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse, each star has accused the other of domestic abuse. Depp and Heard have each denied the other's allegations of violence during the … [Read more...] about Amber Heard confirms she was released from “Aquaman” contract due to trial

Footage of Johnny Depp 's lawyer Camille Vasquez has gone viral after the attorney seemingly gave Amber Heard "dirty looks" in court during the multi-million dollar defamation trial in Fairfax, Virginia. The lawyer has become something of an overnight star thanks to her performance in the courtroom , with Depp fans praising her on social media . The trial is now in its fifth week and Heard's cross-examination came to an end on Tuesday (May 17). Depp, 58, is suing Heard for $50 million, while Heard, 36, is counter-suing her former partner for $100 million. The lawsuit stems from a 2018 op-ed Heard wrote for The Washington Post in which she said she was a domestic abuse survivor. The piece never mentioned Depp by name but his legal team argue the insinuation resulted in reputational damage and extensive financial losses. Both parties have alleged that the other was violent towards them throughout their marriage, which ended in 2016. A TikTok user shared footage of … [Read more...] about Clips of Camille Vasquez giving Amber Heard “dirty looks” go viral

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Some of the details of rate conversations between the nation's four largest railroads will now be included in lawsuits challenging billions of dollars of charges the railroads charged, but this week's mixed ruling from a federal appeals court will also exclude some documents. The ruling from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals will likely set up more arguments over evidence as Union Pacific, BNSF, Norfolk Southern and CSX railroads defend themselves against dozens of lawsuits accusing them of conspiring to inflate their rates with coordinated fuel surcharges between 2003 and 2007. The key to determining what evidence is admissible will be whether the conversations relate to shipments that cross multiple railroads or not. The court said it “defies logic” to exclude discussions about traffic that stays on a single railroad or conversations about all shipments, but … [Read more...] about Court: Some rail rate talks allowed in price-fixing suits