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'We cannot protect our public': Riverside County District Attorney

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:44 GMT

Top law enforcement officials from Riverside County, as well as the district attorney from a nearby county, held a press conference Wednesday where they leveled strong criticism against the perceived revolving door of justice in the state.  Pointing to a rise in crime, officials said offenders are released from jail too frequently. In the city of Riverside alone, police said commercial burglaries are up 31% compared to this time last year. “All of us up here on stage have had enough,” Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said at the press conference. “We cannot protect our public. We’re getting no help from Sacramento.” Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward used the example of 31-year-old Timothy Bethell of Winchester, who has 39 felony convictions ranging from burglary to vandalism. Ward said the 31-year-old began terrorizing businesses in 2021. Bethell pleaded no contest to 14 felony charges and was sentenced to four years suspended state prison time, ...

Video captures 11-year-old boy struck by hit-and-run driver in Orange County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:44 GMT

Security cameras captured the shocking moment a driver hits a child crossing the street in Santa Ana before speeding away.The hit-and-run happened on March 29 as two young boys were walking home from school.The crash left an 11-year-old boy hospitalized as the suspect driver remains at large. Investigators hope sharing the surveillance video will help them identify the driver.The video shows the two boys walking on a sidewalk in the 700 block of South Birch Street around 1:30 p.m. One is wearing a blue backpack while the other is wearing a red coat.For an unknown reason, they’re seen suddenly darting across the street.“They were maybe startled by some dogs that prompted them to walk from one side of the sidewalk to the other,” said Officer Natalie Garcia with the Santa Ana Police Department.Video shows the moment a black sedan slams into the child wearing a red coat, tossing his body into the air and onto the pavement. The driver never stopped and continued speeding away, police sai...

Judge orders San Jose church to pay $1.2m in COVID fines

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:44 GMT

A Santa Clara County judge has ordered a San Jose church that flouted COVID public health rules at the height of the pandemic to pay $1.2 million in fines.The ruling by Superior Court Judge Evette D. Pennypacker is the latest turn in a yearslong legal battle between Calvary Chapel and Santa Clara County, which has been seeking millions of dollars in fines from the church after it flagrantly violated mask-wearing and social distancing rules.In her ruling, Pennypacker reduced the fine to a specific period between November 2020 and June 2021 when Calvary Chapel did not follow the county’s mask-wearing policy — and added 10 percent interest to the fines during that time period.“It’s the County’s job to take care of its residents and protect the public health,” said County Counsel James Williams in a statement about the ruling, which was signed on April 7. “The County’s response to the pandemic, including the Health Officer’s public health orders and enforcement a...

States eye solutions as medical debt bankrupts millions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:44 GMT

By Jesse Bedayn | Associated Press/Report for AmericaDENVER — Cindy Powers was driven into bankruptcy by 19 life-saving abdominal operations. Medical debt started stacking up for Lindsey Vance after she crashed her skateboard and had to get nine stitches in her chin. And for Misty Castaneda, open heart surgery for a disease she’d had since birth saddled her with $200,000 in bills.These are three of an estimated 100 million Americans who have amassed nearly $200 billion in collective medical debt — almost the size of Greece’s economy — according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.Now lawmakers in at least a dozen states and the U.S. Congress have pushed legislation to curtail the financial burden that’s pushed many into untenable situations: forgoing needed care for fear of added debt, taking a second mortgage to pay for cancer treatment or slashing grocery budgets to keep up with payments.Some of the bills would create medical debt relief programs or protect personal ...

'Nabis' cannabis delivery driver robbed in Oakland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:44 GMT

(KRON) -- A cannabis delivery driver was robbed in Oakland last week, cannabis company Nabis confirmed to KRON4. The robbery is raising questions about driver safety for cannabis delivery drivers. Doctor accused of driving his family over a cliff in a Tesla due in court on Thursday Nabis is a cannabis wholesale distributor based in Oakland. The delivery driver was a Nabis employee, and a spokesperson shared the following statement:"In an isolated incident, a Nabis delivery driver was robbed last week in East Bay. Fortunately, they were not injured. Nabis takes employee safety very seriously, and follows stringent protocols and security measures to keep drivers safe. We have filed a report on the incident, and will continue to work with law enforcement to monitor this situation." -- NabisWhen KRON4 asked for clarification about security protocols, Nabis would not describe what the "stringent protocols and security measures" include. Delivery drivers for Nabis make a starting pay o...

Dharmesh Patel: accused of driving family off cliff in Tesla due in court Thursday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:44 GMT

(KRON) -- The man accused of driving his family over a cliff at Devils Slide in January will be present in court on Thursday, according to San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe. Dharmesh Patel could spend life in prison if found guilty of his accused crimes. 'Nabis' cannabis delivery driver robbed in Oakland Patel, a medical doctor from Pasadena, is charged with three counts of attempted murder, as well as domestic violence. His wife and two small children, listed in court documents as Jane an John Doe, were all in the Tesla when he allegedly drove it off the road and over a cliff. Patel's hearing is set to begin at 9 a.m., and Wagstaffe anticipates it will last about five minutes. The case is before Judge Amarra A. Lee, and the aim is to set a date for Patel's preliminary hearing. The crashThe January crash was initially reported as an accident. However, emergency crews said when they got to Patel's wife, she was screaming, and that's when she accused him of ...

Pelicans rule out Nance for play-in game vs. Thunder

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:44 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Pelicans reserve forward Larry Nance Jr. has been scratched from the lineup for the Western Conference play-in game Wednesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.Nance hurt his ankle during New Orleans’ regular-season finale, a loss Sunday at Minnesota that relegated the Pelicans to the conference’s ninth seed. The Nos. 9 and 10 seeds must go 2-0 in play-in games to advance to the first round of the NBA playoffs as an eighth seed.Nance has started just once this season but has been among the Pelicans’ most prominent frontcourt reserves during the 65 games in which he’s played, averaging 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per game.His absence raises the likelihood that New Orleans will give more playing time to fourth-year pro Jaxson Hayes and Spanish veteran Willy Hernangomez.Hayes has appeared in 47 games, averaging five points and 2.8 rebounds in 13 minutes per game. Hernangomez has played in 28 games, posting averages of 6.9...

ANÁLISIS | El comercio y los créditos de carbono —y no Ucrania— ocupan la agenda de la cumbre entre Lula y Xi

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:44 GMT

(CNN) — La llegada este miércoles del presidente de Brasil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a China marca el regreso de Brasil al escenario diplomático entre el sur global, pero también revela una distancia cada vez mayor de las cuestiones geopolíticas que preocupan a Occidente.Mientras que la invasión de Ucrania por parte de Rusia domina muchas de las conversaciones diplomáticas en Europa y en Washington, el programa oficial de Lula no la menciona, a pesar de las promesas anteriores de que se discutirían estrategias de paz con el líder chino Xi Jinping.“Por lo que escuché, eliminar a Ucrania de la lista de cosas que se van a discutir fue una demanda del gobierno de China”, dice Igor Patrick, investigador del Instituto Kissinger sobre China en el Centro Wilson.“Todavía hay cierto interés por parte de Brasil por plantear el tema y discutir ideas al respecto, y esperan publicar una declaración conjunta en la que mencionen el conflicto en Ucrania, llamen a una solución pacífica y medien...

Friendship Heights to get a boost from both sides of DC-Montgomery County border

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:44 GMT

Montgomery County, Maryland, council members voted unanimously to mirror D.C. efforts to give more attention to Friendship Heights.The Montgomery County council has approved a plan to create a Friendship Heights Urban District to support businesses, and make the area more appealing to residents and visitors.Friendship Heights straddles the line between Montgomery County and the District, and there are efforts on both sides to make what Montgomery County Council member Andrew Friedson calls “a good place … a lot better”.D.C. Ward 3 Council member Matt Frumin introduced legislation to create a business improvement district for the D.C. side of the area last month.Traditional retailers, such as Lord and Taylor and Nieman Marcus, are gone. The Mazza Gallerie was sold at auction.Manuel Ochoa, a Montgomery County resident, recently told county lawmakers he supports the formation of an urban district.“Since I moved to Friendship Heights, I have watched the loss of retaile...

Pareja hispana de Maryland muere durante paso de tornado en Tennessee

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:44 GMT

Los recientes tornados en el centro del país dejaron varios muertos, decenas de heridos y devastación en algunos vecindarios. Una salvadoreña y su esposo cubano de la región perdieron la vida cuando este fenómeno arrancó de raíz la vivienda en la que la pareja estaba vacacionando en Tennessee.​El miércoles su hijo, Jonathan Ávila, aseguró que aprendieron una lección dolorosa sobre las advertencias meteorológicas.Las víctimas eran María y William Avila, de 57 y 64 años. La pareja vivió por años en Maryland antes de jubilarse en Florida. Ellos estaban con otros dos amigos y sabían de la advertencia de tornados en la zona el 1 de abril, pero según su hijo, no imaginaron que estaban en peligro.  ​”En Tennesse pusieron advertencias. Ellos pudieron haber seguido el paso”, dijo Jonathan Ávila. “El problema es que nosotros no actuamos y observamos bien la situación. En verdad que esto me da a entender que uno tiene que estar preparado. Tiene que uno ver, informarse, porque a vec...