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Tornado rips off rooftops, flips cars in Little Rock, Ark.

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:03 GMT

By Andrew DeMillo | Associated PressLITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A tornado plowed through Little Rock and surrounding areas on Friday afternoon, reducing rooftops to splinters, toppling vehicles and tossing debris on roadways as people raced for shelter.More than 350,000 people were at risk as what the National Weather Service called a “confirmed large and destructive tornado” tore through business districts and neighborhoods in Little Rock and North Little Rock.Passengers and airport employees at Clinton National Airport in Little Rock took shelter in bathrooms and were ordered to stay there until 3:45 p.m. Aerial footage showed several rooftops were torn from homes in Little Rock and nearby Benton.There were no immediate reports of injuries.Nearly 70,000 customers in Arkansas were out of power on Friday afternoon, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks outages; about 37,000 were without power in neighboring Oklahoma.Massive storms brewing over at least 15 states in the Midwe...

Man shot driving in East Oakland

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:03 GMT

OAKLAND — A 32-year-old man was shot Friday morning while driving in East Oakland, authorities said.ShotSpotter alerts recorded more than 30 rounds being fired, but the man sustained only a single gunshot wound to the leg and was in stable condition at a hospital, authorities said.The man, an Oakland resident, was shot just before 6 a.m. while he was driving in the 2200 block of 48th Avenue, a mainly residential area.Evidence found at the scene, including multiple shell casings, indicated at least two shooters were involved, authorities said.The victim’s vehicle was hit several times by bullets but the man was wounded only once.There were no immediate reports of any other vehicles or homes being hit.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Man tells police he was shot in Oakland’s Jack London Square Crime and Public Safety | Marin police seize weapons stockpile in traffic stop of East Bay man Crime and Public Safety | Two alleg...

Pittsburg: Woman pleads no contest to $1.39 million embezzlement from local food company

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:03 GMT

MARTINEZ — A former employee of a Filipino food company pleaded no contest to financial crimes in a scheme to embezzle $1.4 million from her employer, prosecutors announced Friday.Mary Antoinette Narvaez Hernandez, 60, pleaded no contest on Thursday to grand theft, identity theft, money laundering, and tax evasion, as part of a plea deal with Contra Costa prosecutors. In return, she’ll be sentenced to a year in county jail, with the potential to serve it on house arrest, as well as a seven-year suspended sentence and three years of probation.Hernandez was the accounting manager at Ramar Foods International, a food company based in Pittsburg. She embezzled the funds over a five-year period starting in 2016. She also failed to pay $97,568 in state taxes, according to prosecutors.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Suspected human trafficker Tate released to house arrest Crime and Public Safety | Federal inmate from California pleads guilty ...

San Jose’s Vietnam War memorial marks 10th anniversary

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:03 GMT

On Thursday, the 10th anniversary of the Sons of San Jose Vietnam War memorial was commemorated with a remembrance ceremony.Veterans, city officials and community members gathered to participate in an hourlong ceremony at Guadalupe River Park’s Arena Green. March 29 is National Vietnam War Veterans Day, a day meant to pay tribute to veterans of the Vietnam War.“I just had to be around veteran guys who have gone through what we’ve gone through,” said J.D. Duenas, 76, a Vietnam War veteran, who currently resides in Rocklin.Vietnam War veteran J.D. Duenas, 76, of Rocklin, center in green jacket, participates in a remembrance ceremony for San Jose residents, who lost their lives in military service during the Vietnam War, at Guadalupe River Park’s Arena Green in San Jose, Calif. on Thursday, March 30, 2023. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) The 13-foot-long black granite monument has etched on its surface the names of 142 men from San Jose who lost their lives in military service du...

Transgender Day of Visibility rallies held amid political backlash

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:03 GMT

By Wilson Ring | Associated PressMONTPELIER, Vt. — Hundreds of young people gathered on the lawn of the Vermont Statehouse on Friday as part of a nationwide series of events to help build support for transgender rights amid what they denounced as an increasingly hostile climate.Chanting, “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it!” many draped themselves in pride flags or carried posters with messages like “yay gay” or “protect trans kids.”Similar events were planned at capitols in states including South Carolina, Alabama, Minnesota, Nebraska and Montana, and at other venues Friday and this weekend.Young people, some as young as middle-school, stood in front of the Vermont crowd and told of their struggles with their sexuality at a time when many people across the country refuse to acknowledge them.Charlie Draugh, a 17-year-old high school senior from Chisago, Minnesota, who attends a boarding school in Vermont, said he was angry that gr...

Undocumented California flood victims raise alarms about discrimination based on immigration status

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:03 GMT

PAJARO — Dozens of angry flood victims marched down Salinas Road on Thursday to demand respect and dignity for the storm-ravaged town’s about 3,000 inhabitants, raising alarms about alleged government discrimination — based on immigration status — against people seeking aid and demanding that all those suffering be treated equally.Since torrents of water and contaminated mud decimated the town of primarily agricultural and blue-collar workers, flood victims have been able to return to their homes and begin the arduous journey of rebuilding.But for many who showed up Thursday, the current means-tested aid available only to some — with others being turned away at shelters and aid lines, or filling out endless forms applying for assistance that hasn’t come — highlights systemic discrimination against undocumented residents of the agricultural community.Jose, an undocumented resident who declined to give his last name, told the Bay Area News Group he had spent the last...

Sharks’ top prospect has shoulder surgery, is out for season

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:03 GMT

Forward William Eklund will miss the rest of the season after he had surgery this week to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, the San Jose Sharks announced Friday.Eklund, 20, had the surgery Thursday in San Jose. Per the Sharks, Eklund, a left-handed shot, is expected to be ready for the team’s next training camp in September.Eklund, the Sharks’ top forward prospect, sustained the injury in the San Jose Barracuda’s game with the Colorado Eagles on March 22.Eklund was injured in the second period when he fell to the ice in an awkward fashion following a puck battle with Colorado’s Nate Clurman. Eklund then slowly skated to the Barracuda’s bench, holding his arm, and did not return to the game.Eklund played most of the season in the AHL but was recalled to the Sharks in early March and had three points in eight games. Eklund was officially returned to the AHL four days before his injury.The Barracuda (27-32-1-4) are trying to secure a spot in the playoffs, as it entered F...

Suspected human trafficker Tate released to house arrest

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:03 GMT

By Stephen McGrath and Vadim and Ghirda | Associated PressBUCHAREST, Romania — Andrew Tate, the divisive internet personality who has spent months in a Romanian jail on suspicion of organized crime and human trafficking, has won an appeal to replace his detention with house arrest, an official said Friday.The Bucharest Court of Appeal ruled in favor of Tate’s appeal, which challenged a judge’s decision last week to extend his arrest a fourth time for 30 days, said Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson for Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT.Tate, 36, a British-U.S. citizen who has 5.4 million Twitter followers, was initially detained in late December in Romania’s capital Bucharest, along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian women.All four won an appeal Friday, and will remain under house arrest until Apr. 29, Bolla said. None of the four has yet been formally indicted. The court ruled in favor of their immediate release. Prosecutors cannot challenge the...

Antioch police union's attorney criticizes mayor for briefing about officers placed on leave

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:03 GMT

An attorney representing Antioch's police union criticized the city's mayor Friday for holding a press conference a day earlier regarding the placing of several officers on administrative leave due to policy violations. Mayor Lamar Thorpe held the briefing Thursday to announce the actions against officers following an internal investigation. The announcement comes as Antioch police have also been subject to a probe by the FBI and Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office into possible civil rights violations and other crimes. Thorpe said the possible policy violations announced Thursday likely weren't being investigated as crimes but did not elaborate on the alleged violations or how many officers have been put on leave. Executive Director of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association charged with importing fentanyl "We have every intention of respecting confidentiality in the process," the mayor said. However, attorney Mike Rains, whose law office represents the Antioc...

Canucks’ Kuzmenko opts out of wearing Pride jersey

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:03 GMT

VANCOUVER (AP) — Canucks winger Andrei Kuzmenko, who is from Russia, will not wear an LGBTQ+-theme warm-up jersey Friday when Vancouver holds its annual Pride night. Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet said that Kuzmenko had discussions with his family and then informed the team of his decision. “I’m not going to get into it because we don’t know the deals that happen over there,” Tocchet said. “So I respect his decision.” Kuzmenko, 27, has become a fan favorite in his first NHL season and leads the Canucks in goals with 37. Some of his teammates have publicly committed to wearing the jerseys, which were designed by local artist Christin Hryc and features a rainbow and flowers across the Canucks’ orca logo and rainbow patches on the shoulders.“I think everyone in this room is looking forward to it,” defenseman Quinn Hughes said Wednesday. “And I know in our organization, everyone’s welcome. Every time we’ve done Pride night, I’ve worn the jersey and celebrated the night.”Star c...