MEDIROM Healthcare Technologies Inc. Announces Closing of Public Offering
Israel’s cabinet could vote on a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah this Tuesday
Pune: The number of two-wheelers on city roads rose between 5% and 10% this year, showing once again that the gaps in public transportation are pushing an increasing number of people towards private vehicles. Till Dec 27 this year, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Pune has registered 191,489 two-wheelers, a 5% increase since 2023 (see box). The RTO in Pimpri Chinchwad has had 116,874 two-wheeler registrations till Dec 27, a nearly 10% rise compared to last year. Car registration numbers are also catching up. In Pune, 68,859 cars have been registered so far this year, just a little less than 71,622 last year. In Pimpri Chinchwad, 44,554 cars were registered this year against 45,860 in 2023. A Pune RTO official said two-wheelers were essential for the city. "Compared to four-wheelers, people can reach their destination faster on a two-wheeler, and they are cheaper than cars. However, we expect car registrations to cross the 2023 figures," the official said. Pimple Saudagar resident Shekhar Chavan, who bought his family's third two-wheeler this Dasara, agreed. "I have a brother and a sister, who have now started to work. It is impossible to depend on public transportation in Pune. Buses are never on time and often break down. The Metro is good, but it will take time to cover the whole city," he said. "Autorickshaws and cabs are extremely costly and cannot be depended upon. We didn't have a choice but to get another two-wheeler," the working professional added. Magarpatta resident Amol Karve said his family had a car and a two-wheeler, but they had to get another two-wheeler for his father. "Earlier, he used to use his car, but undisciplined driving and traffic jams have made him stressed. It takes a minimum of two hours for him to get home in the evenings from his workplace in Swargate by car now. Depending on public transportation isn't a wise thing," Karve, who works at a private firm in Hadapsar, told TOI. If Pune had a proper public transport network covering the entire city, people would definitely use it, pointed out Hinjewadi IT professional Sandeep Pandey. "Even with the Metro, last-mile connectivity and safe parking are major challenges, which the authorities haven't yet been able to solve." "Fuel prices are so high that I would love to go to work and rely on buses and the Metro if I could," Pandey said, and added that the services weren't impeccable. Harshad Abhyankar of Save Pune Traffic Movement told TOI that the verdict was out. "The record high number of registrations of two-wheelers shows that people think it is not possible to live in the city without a personal vehicle. This must be considered our city's collective defeat of the transportation planners, the administrative and political leadership," Abhyankar told TOI. He added: "Our city's comprehensive mobility plan (CMP) has admirable objectives, but the projects we actually end up doing have scant regard for the CMP. Does Pune Municipal Corporation value the CMP goals at all?" Steps were needed to ensure that even if a person owned a vehicle, it must be used rarely, said Parisar's Ranjit Gadgil. "Historical patterns suggest that automobile ownership tends to rise with GDP per capita but in a non-linear way. However, just because I own a vehicle does not mean that I will use it all the time and for all trips," Gadgil told TOI. "Those in charge should improve the quantity and quality of public transport and implement measures that discourage the use of personal vehicles, such as car-free or car-lite zones, high on-street parking charges, and stop road widening/flyovers since this actually encourages more driving," he added. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , Location Guesser and Mini Crossword .
CHICAGO — Former state Rep. Edward Acevedo’s name has been thrown around five separate federal criminal trials in recent years involving the sweeping corruption probe of ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan. But Acevedo, 61, a Chicago Democrat and onetime member of Madigan’s leadership team, has never been called to testify — until now. Prosecutors late Thursday filed a motion in U.S. District Court saying they intend to call Acevedo as a witness in Madigan’s ongoing corruption trial, and are seeking permission of the chief judge to compel his testimony if he invokes his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination as expected. Attached to the motion was a letter dated June 1, 2022, from the U.S. Attorney General’s office signing off on an immunity request for Acevedo, which had been sought by then-U.S. Attorney John Lausch. U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey granted the request Friday, writing in a two-page order that Acevedo “shall not be excused from testifying or producing evidence...on the ground that the testimony or evidence may tend to incriminate him.” As part of the deal, prosecutors cannot use anything Acevedo says on the witness stand to bring criminal charges against him — as long as he tells the truth. If the U.S. attorney’s office believes he lied under oath, however, Acevedo can be charged with perjury. The move injects some late-hour drama into Madigan’s trial, which began Oct. 8 and is now in the final stages of the prosecution’s evidence. Prosecutors have said they could rest their case in chief by the end of next week. Acevedo is central to two of the schemes alleged in the indictment accusing utility giants Commonwealth Edison and AT&T Illinois of funneling money through do-nothing consulting contracts to a group of Madigan associates in exchange for the speaker’s support for the companies’ legislative agendas in Springfield. Prosecutors alleged Acevedo received about $120,000 from ComEd over a two-year period after he left the General Assembly in 2017. The indictment also alleges he was paid another $22,500 in 2017 by AT&T, which hid the payments in a subcontract with Tom Cullen, a lobbyist and former Madigan political guru. Acevedo is not charged in the Madigan case, but pleaded guilty to related tax fraud counts in 2022 and was sentenced to six months in prison . His sons, Alex and Michael Acevedo, also were convicted of tax charges related to the money Acevedo took in through his consulting firm. Meanwhile, Acevedo was a feature of testimony in the “ComEd Four” bribery trial last year, as well as the trials of former Madigan chief of staff Tim Mapes and ex-AT&T Illinois boss Paul La Schiazza. Jurors in Madigan’s trial have also heard much about Acevedo, including a number of unflattering comments in emails and wiretaps accusing him of boorish behavior and excessive drinking. But he has not appeared in any of the audio or video recordings in the case, and the only image of him seen so far in court has been his driver’s license photo. Prosecutors first revealed their intent to call Acevedo before testimony began Thursday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu told the judge that in addition to invoking the Fifth, Acevedo’s attorney had signaled that she would try to keep him off the stand on grounds that he is not competent to testify. It’s a tactic the U.S. attorney’s office has employed liberally in the Madigan probe, with w itnesses such as Will Cousineau, a former top political aide to the speaker, and legendary 13th Ward precinct captain Ed Moody , and several others all being compelled to testify under immunity agreements. Mapes, meanwhile, was granted immunity but later charged with perjury after prosecutors alleged he lied to the federal grand jury investigating Madigan’s operation. Mapes was convicted last year at trial and is serving a 2 1/2 year prison sentence. Acevedo’s attorney, Gabrielle Sansonetti, declined to comment Friday. But in a sentencing filing two year ago, Sansonetti filed a memo from Acevedo’s doctor on the public docket saying he had myriad health issues, including mild cognitive impairment, gout, hypertension, high cholesterol and depression and anxiety. “Currently, Mr. Acevedo reports misplacing items, forgetting grandchildren’s names, conversations and passwords, and difficulty paying his bills,” the physician wrote in the assessment. “His family and friends have also noticed waxing and waning forgetfulness.” A former Chicago police officer from the South Side, Acevedo served as Madigan’s assistant majority leader in the House before retiring in 2017. He went on to work as a consultant paid by former state Rep. John Bradley, a Democrat from Downstate Marion and a onetime contract lobbyist for ComEd. He also worked as a consultant for Shaw Decremer, a former Democratic House staffer and campaign operative ousted from Madigan’s political organization following complaints that he was abusive. The jury in Madigan’s trial has seen emails and heard wiretapped recordings detailing the push to get Acevedo some money as he transitioned out of politics, an assignment that was largely handled by Madigan’s longtime confidant and now-codefendant, Michael McClain. One of the conspiracy counts against Madigan and McClain alleges that La Schiazza agreed to pay $22,500 to Acevedo for a do-nothing consulting job in exchange for Madigan’s help passing a bill to end mandated landline service. As usual, the request came from McClain, who emailed AT&T governmental affairs officer Bob Barry in his not-so-subtle style. “Bob, I hope this note finds you well,” McClain wrote in the Feb. 14, 2017, email. “BOB, is there even a small contract for Eddie Acevedo? My best, Mike McClain.” The payments were approved even though La Schiazza and others at AT&T were aware that Acevedo’s overly partisan style rubbed many of his colleagues across the aisle the wrong way, according to testimony in La Schiazza’s trial in September. “Eddie tended to go out in the evenings in Springfield after session and on occasion would have too much to drink,” testified Stephen Selcke, who worked for years as one of AT&T’s top internal lobbyists. “And when he drank too much, he could get belligerent and, to a degree, a little loose-lipped.” Selcke was also granted immunity before his testimony. Acevedo also allegedly was hired by ComEd as a favor to Madigan, one of many people whom prosecutors say were given jobs as part of a bribery scheme. Jurors last month saw a memorable email in which then-ComEd executive Fidel Marquez seemingly lost his cool after Acevedo asked for a job for a friend. “Geez...he has a son and a nephew at ComEd. He’s got a contract at ComEd. Has he no limit?” Marquez emailed McClain. McClain responded using his frequent euphemism for Madigan, saying that Marquez’s rant “sounded like our Friend.” Jurors also heard a November 2018 wiretapped call where John Bradley, one of the former Madigan staffers who allegedly took on ComEd subcontractors, told McClain he hadn’t “heard any complaints from anybody.” “Unless Eddie Acevedo doesn’t get his check within 12 hours of when he thinks he’s supposed to get it,” Bradley said. McClain burst into laughter. “Yeah. He’s something isn’t he?’ ©2024 Chicago Tribune. Visit at chicagotribune.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.