Wonder Building hosts market May 14

The Wonder Building is hosting the Wonder Weekend Market, beginning May 14.

The farmer and craft market features more than 20 local vendors, food and drinks. It will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 22 at 835 N. Post St.

Vendors include How Glorious Olive Oils & Balsamics, Inland Empire Beef, Sweet Frostings, Liberty Ciderworks, North Side Candle Co. and more.

U.S. sanctions crypto firm

WASHINGTON – The U.S. announced Friday it is sanctioning North Korean digital currency mixing firm Blender.io, which the country has been accused of using to launder stolen virtual currency and support cybercrimes.

The sanctions, imposed by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, are the first ever on a digital asset mixing service.

The new sanctions also point to the growing use of digital assets to perpetuate illegal acts by state actors and individuals.

Mixing services combine various assets, including potentially illegally obtained funds and legitimately obtained funds, so that illegal actors can obscure the origin of stolen funds.

Blender is accused of helping Lazarus Group, a sanctioned North Korean cyberhacking group, to carry out a $620 million digital currency heist in March, the biggest of its kind to date.

Treasury says Blender helped process over $20.5 million in digital currency. Lazarus Group was designated in September 2019 as a state-sponsored cyber criminal group.

From staff and wire reports