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INDIANAPOLIS ¡ª A special prosecutor chose not to press charges against Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill, after four people accused him of sexual misconduct. The alleged sexual misconduct happened in the early morning hours of March 15, 2018, at a party at A.J's Bar in Indianapolis. The alleged behavior included suggestive statements and unwanted touching by Hill.  Hill did not deny touching occurred but said it was either incidental to conversation or movement in the bar, according to the prosecutor's report.The special prosecutor, Daniel Sigler, investigated a potential charge of misdemeanor battery. Fifty-six witnesses were interviewed during the investigation, and a video statement was obtained by Curtis Hill."Mr. Hill was cooperative with my requests throughout the process as were all witnesses interviewed," Sigler wrote in his statement. Sigler said he found the women's claims as "true and credible.""Their motives appeared sincere and I found all to be credible in their belief that Hill touched them in a way that was inappropriate," Sigler wrote. "The decision made today should not and does not reflect on their credibility," Sigler wrote at the end of his statement. "They addressed their concerned in an appropriate fashion and forum and should be subjected to no criticism."The Indiana Inspector General also released a report about the investigation. The Inspector General's report is more detailed in those interviewed, and the exact allegations against Hill. Of the 39 people interviewed who attended the party at A.J.'s Bar, 20 of them said Hill appeared to be intoxicated. When asked why they believed that, some said he was slurring his words or had trouble standing up. One witness described him as "acting like a freshman at a college frat party," while another said he behaved in a "predatory, intoxicated manner." Another 15 people at the party said they couldn't comment, weren't sure, or couldn't remember if Hill was intoxicated. Four said they didn't believe he was intoxicated. The initial accusation against Hill came from Mara Candelaria Reardon, an Indiana State Representative from Munster, Indiana. She told investigators Hill put his hand on her back at the party, then slid it down her dress and grabbed her buttocks. She said she told him to back off, then left the conversation.Later in the evening, Reardon said Hill returned to her and touched her back. She reported that Hill said "that back, that skin" when he touched her.The investigators interviewed a male witness to the incident, who said he saw Hill touch her "with his own two eyes." Other witnesses said they saw them together and saw Hill touching her back, but didn't see how far down his hands went. One of those witnesses said Reardon approached him and said that Hill was "a creep," but said she didn't elaborate further.Hill's second accuser told investigators he approached her and started rubbing her back. She told investigators "she felt trapped," and was uncomfortable and embarrassed, and afraid of how others would see what happened. A third accuser told investigators Hill approached her and made her uncomfortable with the conversation. She said she told him "it's really hot in here," and Hill replied, "Yes, you're really hot."In addition to the known four public accusations, investigators also learned of two more incidents where people stated they were made uncomfortable by Hill's actions at the party, according to the Inspector General's report.¡°While the findings of our investigation did reveal unacceptable behavior by a state officeholder, and which significantly impacted those affected, we respect the grounds on which Special Prosecutor Sigler made his decision,¡± Inspector General Lori Torres said. In an announcement shortly after Sigler's, the women who accused Hill said they are pursuing a civil lawsuit against him. Hill's attorneys released a statement about the announcement. It reads, in part: 4065

In the 45 weeks since the year began, 43 law enforcement officers across the US have been shot and killed in the line of duty, including a sheriff's deputy responding to a mass shooting at a bar in California this week.The parameters CNN followed in this count are: 273

In post-Brexit Britain, trips to the European Union will get a little more expensive for millions of Brits in search of a continental break.The European Commission confirmed on Friday that UK travelers will be required fill out an online form and cough up €7 (.90) for visa-free travel, which will be valid for three years.Natasha Bertaud, a spokeswoman for the commission's President Jean-Claude Juncker, likened the "simple form" to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) scheme used by the United States -- which requires travelers to pay to apply for permission to enter the country.She also pointed out that the EU's version, called ETIAS, will be "way cheaper."But this all comes with a major caveat. If the UK crashes out of the EU with no agreement in place, Brits will be required to get a visa to travel to the EU, a commission spokeswoman told Reuters on Friday.ETIAS, which is expected to come into force in 2021, will apply to countries outside the EU whose citizens can currently travel in Europe visa free. There are currently 61 such countries, including the United States, Israel and Singapore.It will cover the so-called Schengen group of 26 European countries that share largely open land borders.The electronic visa waiver system was conceived to "identify any security or irregular migratory risks posed by visa-exempt visitors traveling to the Schengen area while at the same time facilitate crossing frontiers for the vast majority of travelers who do not pose such risks,"?according to the commission. 1554

It happens every year around this time.The weather gets colder and cold and flu viruses start making the rounds. But this year, there's a third illness expected to enter the mix: COVID-19.New cases are coming in at a record pace. Hospitalizations and deaths are rising, too.Now, public health experts say the pandemic is in a "critical phase,¡± warning winter could be the worst season yet for the novel coronavirus.Cold weather is one of the main reasons that doctors expect cases to rise sharply over the next couple of months. Researchers say the virus survives best in cold, dry conditions without direct sunlight. The same conditions that fuel cold and flu seasons.The cold weather also pushes more people to spend time indoors, where the virus can spread more easily, especially if air ventilation is poor.¡°Pandemic fatigue" is another reason COVID-19 cases could surge this winter. The surgeon general says people aren't taking precautions as seriously as they were before and that it's already causing an increase.That fatigue is expected to get worse this holiday season. Many people got together for Thanksgiving, and Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa are right around the corner.Experts say while some people are simply tired of social distancing and being isolated, others plan to make an exception for just one day with family.Aside from warm weather, experts think this spring will bring a brighter outlook for ending the pandemic, with new therapeutics and vaccines to help bring cases under control. 1520

It started in New York, but today the group "Survivor Corps" is reaching thousands across the country.Long Island resident Diana Berrent created the group after testing positive for COVID-19 back in March."I wasn't the very first person to get COVID in my county, but I was among the first and at a point where we knew very little about the virus," said Berrent. "And with that came both a responsibility and this incredible opportunity to really change the shape of the future of science and the understanding of this virus through us, through survivors who have antibodies in our blood."On the Survivor Corps website, COVID-19 survivors can connect with research institutions across the country so their blood or convalescent plasma can be used to find a vaccine or treatment."I have now donated eight times, which is the full allotted times I was allowed to at the New York Blood Center," Barrent said. "But every one of those donations can save three to four lives."Her experience has inspired thousands on the Survivor Corps Facebook page to do the same. Like Tracy Eisen, a nurse living in North Phoenix who tested positive for the virus in April. She first joined the group to find support."It did feel at the time that there was a stigma. A lot of people were testing positive but we weren't seeing the numbers in Arizona that we're seeing now," Eisen said. "I went in and immediately posted and got so much support. Strangers really came to my aid."Now that she has recovered, Eisen said she has donated plasma once a week since May."My hope is that I'm helping to save some lives," she said.But many in the group, like Glendale resident Lotus Moreno, are still fighting."I was shocked to hear about how many people who have had it early on and are dealing with what everyone's basically been calling a relapse, because we really don't know what it is," she said.Moreno said she had COVID-like symptoms in February but tests weren't available at the time. She said she tested positive for the antibodies in April, which according to the Centers for Disease Control, indicates she was likely infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 at some point in the past.But three weeks ago, she says her COVID-like symptoms returned. She tested negative for the virus, but says her doctor believes it may be a false negative or post-COVID issues.She says the group is filled with people across the country who share similar stories."To be able to go in and talk to people who are going through it, just a complete mindset change to where you don't feel so isolated and you feel validated because that's very easy to be dismissed," Moreno said.Berrent says they are not medical professionals, but they have been bringing in professionals to join them on Facebook Live videos as an educational tool for members to learn and ask questions."We serve as a great resource for them to come lurk and let them see what people are talking about so they know what their studies should involve," Berrent said. "Because they are the ones who are going to be treating us for the next decade from the lasting impact of this virus."This story was originally published by Jamie Warren at KNXV. 3185

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