‘Revenge Porn Cop’ Free So DA Could Chase Prostitution Case: Suit

Good morning! It’s Wednesday, Dec. 22. The omicron corornavirus variant has raced ahead of others in the United States, accounting for almost three-fourths of all new cases last week, according to federal health officials’ estimates.

Here are some of the other stories we’re following:

• A police officer accused of using revenge porn against as many as 50 women was allowed to walk free, according to a new court petition.
• Synthetic pot sold in Florida and believed to have been laced with rat poison has killed two people and put more than 40 in the hospital.
• Aunt Fanny’s Cabin, a home for Georgia sharecroppers in the 1890s — and, famously, as a restaurant that glorified the Old South — will either be sold or torn down.

People across the country are scrambling for COVID-19 at-home tests ahead of the holidays, but are coming up empty-handed in many areas as omicron races ahead of delta and other coronavirus variants. Federal health officials estimate omicron accounted for 73 percent of new infections nationwide last week, a stunning sixfold increase from the prior week.

• Dominant Omicron Variant Accounts For 73% Of New Infections, via Across America Patch
• Home Tests Hard To Find; How To Have A Safe Holiday, via Across America Patch

The nation’s first known omicron-related death was reported Monday in the Houston area, where the variant was first detected on Dec. 7, and the COVID-19 threat assessment in Harris County was raised to “Level 2: Orange” on Monday.

• First-Known U.S. Omicron Variant Death Reported, via Houston Patch

President Joe Biden said Tuesday he’s ordering 500,000 home COVID-19 tests to be distributed directly to Americans, but that won’t happen until January. In the meantime, there are steps people can take to make sure holiday guests are protected against COVID-19.

• Biden Pledges 500,000 At-Home Tests To Confront Omicron Surge, via Across America Patch

The spike in COVID-19 infections is prompting another reckoning on in–person versus online school. Several New Jersey schools are switching to remote learning amid the omicron variant spike. The University of California is requiring booster shots, and some of its campuses have moved classes online.

• New Jersey Schools Pivot To Remote Learning, via Mahwah Patch
• U-C Mandates Boosters, Some Campuses Go Online, via Los Angeles Patch
• Parents, Schools Face Another Reckoning Over COVID-19 Cases, via Across America Patch

The surge in omicron infections is prompting a wave of cancellations and policy changes. Here are a couple of examples:

• Chicago Mayor Announces New COVID-19 Requirements, via Chicago Patch
• Texas A&M Football Suspended Due To COVID-19 Outbreak, via Houston Patch

‘I Better Keep My Mouth Shut’

A New York City cop accused of making revenge porn was allowed to walk free by Queens prosecutors so they could pursue prostitution charges against the police sergeant investigating his case, according to a new civil petition.

The plaintiff, Valentina Veleva, said she didn’t know NYPD Officer Miguel Delacruz was married until she tried to contact him a day after they hooked up at his home in 2017. She said he became angry and threatened to share videos of her performing oral sex that were taken without her knowledge or permission.

“He told me he had cameras that recorded my ass and I better keep my mouth shut," Veleva told Patch. Delacruz then allegedly sent her a video with a message: "Got more." » Queens DA Let Revenge Porn Cop Walk Free: Lawsuit, via Astoria-Long Island City, New York, Patch

2 Die, 40 Hospitalized After Using Synthetic Pot

Health officials in Tampa, Florida, say at least 40 people have been hospitalized with severe bleeding and other life-threatening symptoms and two have died after using a synthetic marijuana believed to have been laced with rat poison.

Officials think a batch synthetic cannabis, which is most commonly referred to as "spice," was most likely mixed with a common rat poison called brodifacoum. » 2 Die, 40 Hospitalized After Using Tainted Fake Marijuana, via Tampa, Florida, Patch

Aunt Fanny’s Cabin: Keep Or Raze It?

Aunt Fanny’s Cabin is an important local landmark in Smyrna, Georgia, and there’s a great deal of hand-wringing going on about what to do with it. It served as a home for sharecroppers in the 1890s and as a welcome center for Smyrna, but its most famous chapter may have been when it housed a restaurant that glorified the Old South.

A task force recently recommended tearing down the cabin unless it’s either moved off the property or a suitable use is found for it. That’s mostly due to the dilapidated state of the building, which was closed to visitors last year after it was found to be “dangerous” and “a menace to the public,” a city council member said. » Aunt Fanny’s Cabin To Be Demolished — Maybe, via Smyrna-Vinings, Georgia, Patch

Around ‘The Patch’

R&B Legend Dies: Joe Simon, a Grammy winner who charted 51 U.S. pop and R&B chart hits from 1964-1981, died, via Buffalo Grove, Illinois, Patch.

• Photos: Influencers We Lost In 2021, via Across America Patch

No 3rd Hate Crime Trial For Cop: The Justice Department said it won’t try a former New Jersey police chief on hate crime charges for a third time, via Moorestown, New Jersey, Patch.

Turkey Continues To Be A Turkey: A turkey has been traipsing around a Florida neighborhood, annoying some and amusing others, via Westchase, Florida, Patch.

Santa, Via Paws For War: The nonprofit helped the soldier relocate a puppy from overseas back to his family in the U.S. just in time for Christmas, via Smithtown, New York, Patch.

Light Up For Charity: A father and son recently raised $15,000 for charity with their lighting display, via West Islip, New York, Patch.

Recall News You Need

Lettuce and salads sold under Fresh Express and the company’s private label brand were recalled in 19 states after listeria contamination was detected in a random sampling. » Listeria Concerns Spur Recall Of Fresh Express Salad Brands In 19 States, via Across America Patch

Today In History

A baby gorilla born Dec. 22, 1956, at the Columbus Zoo was the first-ever gorilla born in captivity. Colo, as the approximately 4-pound western lowland gorilla was named, was the daughter of Millie and Mac, who were captured in French Cameroon, Africa, and brought to the Columbus Zoo in 1951, before taking gorillas from the wild made illegal. Before that, hunters used whatever means necessary to capture gorillas still young enough to handle, including killing their parents and other family members. Colo died in 2017, via History.com.

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