The Daily Populous

Saturday March 2nd, 2024 morning edition

image for Jury convicts first rioter to enter Capitol building during Jan. 6 attack

WASHINGTON (AP) — The first rioter to enter the U.S. Capitol building during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack was convicted on Friday of charges that he interfered with police and obstructed Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory.

Michael Sparks, 46, of Kentucky, jumped through a shattered window moments after another rioter smashed it with a stolen riot shield.

A federal jury in Washington, D.C., convicted Sparks of all six charges that he faced, including two felonies.

Sparks didn’t testify at his weeklong trial. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly is scheduled to sentence him on July 9.

Defense attorney Scott Wendelsdorf conceded that Sparks is guilty of the four misdemeanor counts, including trespassing and disorderly conduct charges.

But he urged the jury to acquit him of the felony charges — civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding.

Wendelsdorf accused prosecutors of trying to unfairly blame Sparks for the violence and destruction perpetrated by other rioters around him. »

Electric vehicles outperformed diesel in this winter’s extreme cold

Authored by electrek.co

In Colorado’s West Grand School District, electric school buses didn’t perform as well as their diesel counterparts.

And it’s precisely in those super-cold temperatures that the school district’s electric school bus (which they’ve had since 2020) really shines.

Becker adds that a total of 49 electric school buses will be heading to nine Colorado School Districts in the coming months, with two more earmarked for Kremmling. »

Biden announces U.S. will airdrop food aid into Gaza as famine concerns grow

Authored by nbcnews.com

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Friday that the U.S. will drop food aid into the Gaza Strip, noting that the humanitarian aid flowing into the region for Palestinians is insufficient.

The president reiterated that the U.S. is trying to push for an immediate cease-fire between Hamas and Israel to allow more aid into Gaza, where he said “innocent people” have died.

Displaced Palestinian children gather to receive food at a government school in Rafah, Gaza on Feb. 19, 2024. »

‘Man I just want a dishwasher job’: Why are Olive Garden and FedEx forcing job applicants to endure a strange personality test that turns them into blue avatars?

Authored by finance.yahoo.com
image for

The blue avatars are part of a long and confusing personality quiz in the hiring process at a handful of big companies.

The blue people are courtesy of Paradox.ai, which boasts several billion-dollar companies as clients, including McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Citizens, and more.

After answering a couple of screening questions, you’ll get a pop-up for the personality assessment, illustrated with weird blue humanoids. »

Embracer is reportedly selling Saber Interactive for $500 million, including its Star Wars: KoTOR remake

Authored by videogameschronicle.com

Embracer Group is reportedly set to sell Saber Interactive in a deal worth up to $500 million.

The deal will result in Saber becoming a privately owned company with around 3,500 employees in total across its studios worldwide (including the US, Russia and Portugal).

Saber will also reportedly continue to work on its remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic following the deal. »