PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A federal judge overseeing a trial over control of the nation's oldest synagogue and ceremonial bells worth $7.4 million said on Friday there is no "smoking gun" in the battle between the congregation that worships at the 250-year-old Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, and the nation's first Jewish congregation, in New York.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell made the comments during closing arguments in the lawsuits the congregations brought against each other. The two sides have argued bitterly about the smallest details, each claiming it owns the bells and disagreeing over what rights and responsibilities each has regarding the synagogue itself.
NEW YORK (AP) — "The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials" edged out Johnny Depp's "Black Mass" at box office, as the two films split young and old moviegoers in half on the first weekend of the fall movie season.
20th Century Fox's sequel to "The Maze Runner" earned an estimated $30.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. While that came in slightly below the debut of the 2014 young-adult dystopian sci-fi original, it counted as a win for a movie that cost $61 million to make.
