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Prosecutors accuse Sen. Bob Menendez of introducing Qatari royal family member to aid NJ businessman

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Prosecutors accuse Sen. Bob Menendez of introducing Qatari royal family member to aid NJ businessman


NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez introduced a member of the Qatari royal family and principal in a company with ties to the government of Qatar to a New Jersey businessman before the company invested millions of dollars in the businessman’s real estate project, a rewritten indictment alleged Tuesday.

The latest version of the indictment against the Democrat in Manhattan federal court did not identify the member of the Qatari royal family, but it said the individual was a principal of the Qatari Investment Co.

The indictment said the Qatari investor then considered and negotiated a multimillion-dollar investment in the real estate project planned by Fred Daibes, one of three businessmen charged in the indictment along with the senator and his wife. All of them have pleaded not guilty.

No new charges were added to the latest version of an indictment that already charged Menendez in a bribery conspiracy that allegedly enriched the senator and his wife with cash, gold bars and a luxury car. The allegations involving Qatar occurred from 2021 through 2023, the indictment said.

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According to the indictment, Menendez accepted cash and gold bars in exchange for seeking to induce the Qatari Investment Co. to invest with Daibes, including by taking actions favorable to the government of Qatar.

The indictment said that while the Qatari Investment Co. was considering its investment in the real estate development owned by Daibes, Menendez made multiple public statements supporting the government of Qatar and then provided them to Daibes so he could share them with the Qatari investor and a Qatari government official.





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New Jersey State Police rescue bear cub on I-78

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New Jersey State Police rescue bear cub on I-78


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Does a bear get rescued in the woods?

One lucky one in Union Township did.

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According to a Facebook post by New Jersey State Police, “On April 1, at approximately 1:37 p.m., troopers from Troop “B” Perryville Station responded to an unusual call on I-78 East at milepost 12.2 in Union Township: a lone bear cub spotted in a roadside ditch.”

The cub was found alone, and needed help. The officers stepped in and likely saved his life

“Upon arrival, troopers found the small cub alone and in need of assistance,” the post read. “He was safely secured, transported back to the barracks, and later released to the Department of Environmental Protection for proper care. Thanks to the swift response of the troopers, the cub is now safe and receiving the attention he needs.”



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Man arrested in New Jersey after missing woman’s body discovered in Georgia woods, GBI says

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Man arrested in New Jersey after missing woman’s body discovered in Georgia woods, GBI says


A suspect has been charged with the murder of a missing woman whose body was discovered weeks ago in a stretch of Georgia woods.

Authorities say 35-year-old Gainesville resident Loron Spaulding was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals in New Jersey earlier this week.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, officers had been searching for 30-year-old Diaja Benson since she was reported missing out of Dawson County on Feb. 20.

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On the morning of March 13, agents with the GBI, the Cumming Police Department, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources found a body of a woman near Lanier 400 Parkway in Cumming. The body was later identified as Benson.

Diaja Benson’s body was found near Lanier 400 Parkway in Cumming weeks after she was reported missing.

CBS News Atlanta


Authorities have not shared any information about how they connected Spaulding with Benson’s death or if the two knew each other.

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Spaulding remains in custody in New Jersey, facing a murder charge. He will eventually be extradited to Georgia, at which time he will be booked into the Fulton County Jail.

The investigation into the case remains ongoing. If you have any information that could help, call the GBI’s Regional Investigative Office in Cleveland at (706) 348-4866 or the agency’s tip line at 1-800-597-8477.



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Battle of the cinnamon rolls: Jersey City coffee shop caught in zoning dispute

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Battle of the cinnamon rolls: Jersey City coffee shop caught in zoning dispute


A popular Jersey City coffee shop is facing down a zoning complaint that could force them to temporarily shut their doors.

“I think our reaction when we heard of this most recent zoning complaint was just real frustration because we’ve done everything right,” said co-owner of the Hive, Kristin Karotkin.

Kristin and Catherine Willhoit run the Hive together.

They told News 12 they are permitted to sell coffee and baked goods under their current zoning designation, retail.

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However, a nearby neighbor has filed a complaint seeking to have the business reclassified as a commercial restaurant, a move that could require The Hive to halt operations while the zoning issue is sorted out.

“The fact that one person is kind of challenging the way that zoning is interpreted really just feels like a kick in the gut for a business that’s not only beloved here in the neighborhood but has done everything we are supposed to,” Karotkin said.

City officials previously denied the neighbor’s initial complaint, but the issue is now back before the city following an appeal.

According to the appeal, the central issue comes down to one item: cinnamon rolls.

The complaint alleges The Hive is operating a commercial kitchen to bake them on-site.

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The owners dispute that claim, though, and showed News 12 the shop’s oven, the only one on the premises.

“There’s nothing being made from scratch in the back room here,” Karotkin said. “It’s all made off-site and then baked here in our shops.”

Beyond their own business, the owners worry the outcome of the case could have broader implications for small businesses across Jersey City as well.

“A lot of small businesses, if this keeps happening in Jersey City, they’re going to stop trying — they’re going to stop coming here,” Karotkin said.

A zoning board meeting is scheduled for April 9, where officials are expected to make a determination on The Hive’s future.

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