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Weinstein rape retrial to open, with majority-female jury

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Weinstein rape retrial to open, with majority-female jury

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Opening statements are set for Wednesday in former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial, this time with a majority-female jury deciding the landmark #MeToo case.

After a dayslong selection process yielded a seven-woman, five-man jury and five alternate jurors by Monday, prosecutors and Weinstein’s lawyers finished choosing a sixth and final alternate on Tuesday. Alternates step in if a member of the main panel can’t see the trial through.

The main jury is more female than the five women and seven men who convicted Weinstein at his first trial five years ago. The verdict marked a signature moment for the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct, which had been fueled in 2017 by a slew of allegations against Weinstein, then a high-flying movie producer of a string of Oscar winners including “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespeare in Love.”

But in a reversal that dismayed #MeToo activists, New York’s highest court last year overturned Weinstein’s 2020 conviction and 23-year prison sentence. The court found that the original trial judge allowed prejudicial testimony. That judge’s term expired in 2022, and he is no longer on the bench.

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HARVEY WEINSTEIN’S TEAM STRESSES SEX CRIME RETRIAL COULD LEAD TO DEATH, REQUESTS HOSPITAL STAY

Weinstein, 73, has pleaded not guilty and denies raping or sexually assaulting anyone.

Drawn from Manhattan’s jury pool, the 12 members of the main jury for the New York retrial include a physics researcher, a photographer, a dietitian, a therapist, an investment bank software engineer and a fire safety director. Others have experience in real estate, TV commercials, debt collection, social work and other fields.

One has a high school equivalency degree. Others have master’s degrees. Some have served as jurors or grand jurors multiple times before; others, never.

Harvey Weinstein appears in state court in Manhattan as jury selection continues in his retrial on Monday, April 21, 2025 in New York. (Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP)

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Hundreds of other potential jurors were excused for reasons ranging from language barriers to strong opinions about Weinstein — “the first word that came in my head was ‘pig,’” said one man who was soon let go.

Those chosen were quizzed about their backgrounds, life experiences and various other points that could relate to their ability to be fair and impartial about the highly publicized case.

“You may hear sexual allegations here of a salacious nature — graphic, perhaps. Would hearing that indicate that … Mr. Weinstein must be guilty?” defense attorney Mike Cibella asked one prospective juror on Monday. The woman, who ultimately was chosen, answered no.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN MANDATED RESHOOTS MADE ACTRESS FEEL ‘SLIMY’

Prosecutor Shannon Lucey sought assurances that prospective jurors could put aside any position or feelings they had about the #MeToo movement.

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“Is there anyone who is going to think of the movement and think, ‘OK, that’s just something that I have to keep in the back of my mind when I’m deciding this case’? Everyone can put that aside?” Lucey asked a group of 24 possible jurors. All indicated they could do so.

Weinstein’s rape and sexual assault retrial involves accusations from three women: an aspiring actor who said he raped her in 2013, and two women who made separate allegations of forced oral sex in 2006. One of the two wasn’t part of the original trial.

Meanwhile, Weinstein is challenging a separate 2022 rape conviction in Los Angeles.

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Rhode Island

Here’s your Rhode Island high school sports schedule for Super Saturday

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Here’s your Rhode Island high school sports schedule for Super Saturday


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Super Saturday has arrived.

Today is the busiest day of the 2026 RIIL spring sports schedule, with championships being play at Rhode Island College and Brown University. Baseball, softball, lacrosse, volleyball and track and field athletes will all be chasing gold.

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It’s a lot of keep track of, so here’s a handy schedule of the day’s events to keep your head from spinning.

High School Schedule – June 6

⚾BASEBALL – State Championship Game 2

No. 1 Hendricken vs. No. 3 East Providence at Rhode Island College, 12 p.m.

⚾BASEBALL – D-II Championship Game 1

No. 2 West Warwick vs. No. 1 East Greenwich at Rhode Island College, 4 p.m.

🥎SOFTBALL – D-I Championship Game

No. 2 Chariho vs. No. 1 La Salle at Rhode Island College, 5:30 p.m.

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🥎SOFTBALL – D-II Championship

No. 7 Ponaganset vs. No. 1 Lincoln at Rhode Island College, 7:30 p.m.

🥍BOYS LACROSSE – State Championship

No. 1 La Salle vs. No. 2 Moses Brown at Brown University, 11 a.m.

🥍BOYS LACROSSE – D-II Championship

No. 1 Westerly vs. No. 3 Portsmouth at Brown University, 1:30 p.m.

🥍BOYS LACROSSE – D-III Championship

No. 1 Mt. Hope vs. No. 3 Lincoln at Brown University, 4 p.m.

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🥍BOYS LACROSSE – D-IV Championship

No. 1 Scituate vs. No. 2 Rogers at Brown University, 6 p.m.

🏃Track and Field

RIIL Boys State Championship Meet at Brown University, 11 a.m.

RIIL Girls State Championship Meet at Brown University, 11 a.m.

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🏐BOYS VOLLEYBALL – State Championship

No. 1 La Salle vs. No. 2 Hendricken, 5 p.m.

🏐BOYS VOLLEYBALL – D-II Championship

No. 1 West Warwick vs. No. 2 Westerly at Rhode Island College, 2:30 p.m.

🏐BOYS VOLLEYBALL – D-III Championship

No. 1 Mt. Hope vs. No. 3 Exeter-West Greenwich, 12 p.m.



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Vermont

South Burlington Planning Commission discusses data centers – VTDigger

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South Burlington Planning Commission discusses data centers – VTDigger


This story by Liberty Darr was first published in The Other Paper on  June 4, 2026.

As the conversation around digital data centers stirs strong emotions across the entire country, Vermont and some of its municipalities, including South Burlington, have hopped onto the conversation to get at least a bit of a handle on the rapidly evolving industry.

That’s at least the initial approach South Burlington is taking. The city’s planning commission has outlined some initial land use regulations related to the topic for a routine set of zoning amendments that are up for a public hearing later this month.

The topic of data centers is just one small subset in the planned amendments, according to Paul Conner, the city’s director of planning and zoning.

“This is fast moving, but we didn’t want to be caught on our heels,” Conner told the planning commission last month.

Data centers have become a buzzword around the nation and have faced significant backlash in some places, as proposals for the giant facilities pop up around the country. Opponents argue not only about the surging energy and water consumption associated with them, but also their propulsion of the artificial intelligence industry.

“We sort of joke in the office, there’s no such thing as a planning emergency, but you know, this is getting close to something,” senior city planner Kelsey Peterson told the commission. “There’s stuff in Massachusetts, stuff in New Hampshire, like there’s interest in the general New England area.”

Massive centers like those being proposed in places like Texas and Utah don’t seem to be on the horizon for Vermont yet, Kerrick Johnson, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Public Service, said in February testimony before the House Committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure. He was commenting on H.727, an act relating to sustainable data center deployment.

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In fact, Vermont is likely not the most ideal candidate for data center developers, who are looking for things like inexpensive energy, reliable grid performance and strong fiber network communications, along with an “expeditious, predictable permitting process,” Johnson said.

“Now, I’ll let you all decide how Vermont ranks in those categories,” he quipped.

According to a 2026 annual energy report from the Vermont Department of Public Service, the Northeast continues to have some of the highest electricity rates in the country, and Vermont prices have risen over the last two years more steadily than in some other northeastern states.

Johnson said the state currently has sufficient regulatory mechanisms to ensure protections for Vermont ratepayers but that they should be strengthened.

Massachusetts and Connecticut have passed legislation to incentivize data centers in the state to promote economic development.

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And really, Johnson said, data centers of any size being built across the region could impact Vermonters in two ways: infrastructure costs of regional network service and wholesale power costs.

Vermont’s proposed legislation was vetoed by Gov. Phil Scott, who cited concerns over the possibility that the bill’s broader message extended far beyond just data centers and into areas the state depends on for many of its “best jobs.”

Like Johnson, Scott said the state already has substantial regulatory authority over the issue, through Act 250, Public Utility Commission oversight, environmental permitting requirements, energy siting rules and local zoning.

“The last thing Vermont should do is worsen our economic challenges by adding new and unnecessary regulatory systems,” he wrote.

Planning commissioners in South Burlington took a similar approach, noting that the definition of a data center is broad. While the proposal for amendments to the land use regulations now includes the city’s own definition of data centers, it also acknowledges data centers can exist in a variety of different ways and likely already do in the city and Chittenden County, for sectors such as the University of Vermont Medical Center or manufacturers.

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In the proposed regulations, if a data center facility is 5,000 square feet or less, it wouldn’t fit the definition of a data center but instead would be considered “general commercial.”

The proposed regulations also differentiate between small- and large-scale facilities — above or below 20,000 square feet — and give different allowances for both. As the regulations stand now, small-scale facilities are permitted in only two zoning areas in the city: mixed industrial commercial and industrial.

Conner said the city will likely take a two-step approach to the conversation, with these initial amendments offering a stopgap until the city’s planning leaders and commissioners can further explore the topic. The city, he said, is not taking a firm stance yet.

Other municipalities have taken a completely different approach. According to reporting from the Valley News, voters in Royalton on Town Meeting Day approved a policy that would place a five-year moratorium on the construction of artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency data centers.

The South Burlington Planning Commission will hold a public hearing for the slew of regulation amendments — which includes data center definitions — on June 23 at 7 p.m.

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County prosecutor and sheriff who rebuffed calls to resign don’t file for reelection

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New York

How Tony Danza Spends a Day Playing a Villain and Frank Sinatra

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How Tony Danza Spends a Day Playing a Villain and Frank Sinatra

Tony Danza is making up for lost time.

“One of the things I most regret about my life is that I didn’t take advantage of my youth,” said Mr. Danza, 75. “I had a great time, but nobody handed me an instrument and said, ‘Try this.’”

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Now he is learning how to speak Spanish, play the piano and a cornet.

Mr. Danza, best known for his leading roles in the television series “Who’s the Boss?” and “Taxi,” has been entertainment’s jack-of-all-trades for decades. Yet he’s still striving to be the best singer, dancer and actor he can be.

“What I am is a guy with finite time who wants to get in as much as he can while he can,” he said.

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Mr. Danza spent a Friday with The New York Times as he got ready for two performances, including a one-man show at Café Carlyle.

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