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South Bay woman sentenced to 15 years in $24M wheelchair fraud scheme

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:48 GMT

A Redondo Beach woman was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for bilking Medicare out of $24 million for unnecessary repairs to medical devices like power wheelchairs.Tamara Yvonne Motley, 55, who also uses the name Tamara Ogembe, was sentenced and ordered to pay more than $13.1 million in restitution on Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.Motley was convicted in June of 20 counts of health care fraud, two counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.For more than 10 years and through a pair of medical equipment companies registered to her out-of-state relatives, Motley used her role as "de facto owner" to submit "fraudulent claims for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment – mostly power wheelchairs (PWC) – and PWC repairs, many of which were never performed," the DOJ said. Redondo Beach student had gun, high-capacity magazine at school, police say "Motley orchestrated a scheme in which she pa...

McDonald's announces major expansion

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:48 GMT

McDonald’s is launching its most aggressive expansion to date.The fast-food giant announced on Wednesday that it plans to open 10,000 new restaurants over the next four years with the goal of having 50,000 restaurants worldwide by the end of 2027. The Chicago-based burger chain, the world’s largest, had 40,275 restaurants at the start of this year.The initiative is dubbed Accelerating the Arches. How many of these In-N-Out secret menu items do you know? As part of the strategy, McDonald’s also announced a new partnership with Google Cloud to speed up automation using AI which, in part, will lead to “hotter, fresher food,” the company says."This will help accelerate automation innovation from equipment manufacturers and allow restaurant general managers to quickly spot and enact solutions to reduce business disruptions.”It also plans to expand its loyalty rewards program from 150 to 250 million active users by 2027.A 1955 Ford, left, and a 1955 Oldsmobile are parked ...

Trinidad Huerta Arrested after DWI Crash on South Presa Street [San Antonio, TX]

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:48 GMT

Officer Hospitalized after Two-Vehicle Collision near Southeast Military StreetSAN ANTONIO, TX (December 6, 2023) – A DWI crash on South Presa and Southeast Military Street Street led to the arrest of Trinidad Huerta, Friday night.Officers responded to the scene at approximately 9:00 p.m., after receiving multiple dispatch calls.An eastbound gray Nissan truck reportedly obstructed a police officer’s path by cutting in front while making a northbound turn at the intersection. Consequently, the Nissan collided with the officer who was responding to a burglary call, utilizing lights and sirens. The injured officer was promptly transported to the San Antonio Military Medical Center for treatment of serious injuries.Simultaneously, law enforcement assessed and apprehended the Nissan driver, identified as 60-year-old Trinidad Huerta, on charges of driving while intoxicated (DWI). Additional details about the incident will be disclosed by San Antonio Officials as soon as they b...

Legendary Bay Area band set to perform two big Christmas concerts

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:48 GMT

Tower of Power is bringing its Holidays and Hits 2023 Tour to the Bay Area.The East Bay funk masters perform Dec. 15 at the Fox Theater in Oakland and Dec. 16 at the Heritage Theatre in Campbell. Showtimes are 8 p.m. and tickets are $60.50-$100.50 for Fox show and $86-$244 for Heritage gig. See towerofpower.com for tickets.The shows support the group’s newly released seven-song EP, “It’s Christmas.” The outing features a half-dozen Christmas classics — such as “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” “Silver Bells” and “O Holy Night” — as well as the original composition “It’s Christmas (A Long Way from Home).”“It’s Christmas” is a CD exclusive, so don’t try and listen to it on your favorite streaming site. Fans can order it via the band’s website (towerofpower.com) or pick it up in person at one of the group’s shows.Besides celebrating the Christmas season, the band is also marking 55 year...

52 sea turtles flown from New England to Florida for rehab

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:48 GMT

Associated PressCLEARWATER, Fla. — Fifty-two endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles suffering from “cold stun” are rehabbing at four facilities in Florida after a flight on a private jet from the New England Aquarium in Massachusetts.The turtles arrived in Tampa on Tuesday, and 16 were sent to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, officials said in a news release. All of the turtles were experiencing a condition known as cold stun from the frigid New England waters.The other turtles were taken to Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, The Florida Aquarium in Tampa and Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Jupiter.“This is a regular occurrence each winter and we’ve participated in the continued care of these turtles since 2016,” said Shelly Marquardt, a veterinarian for the Clearwater facility. “We know that their time in rehabilitation here makes a difference for the future of this endangered species, and we are proud to be able to contribute to their conservati...

2 dead as atmospheric river inundates Pacific Northwest

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:48 GMT

By Claire Rush | Associated PressPORTLAND, Ore. — Authorities in Oregon were investigating the deaths of two people whose bodies were found in creeks this week as an atmospheric river brought heavy rain, flooding and unseasonably warm temperatures to the Pacific Northwest.The U.S. Coast Guard rescued five people from flooded areas on Tuesday and the conditions also closed rail links, schools and roads in some areas and shattered daily rainfall and temperature records in Washington state. Amtrak said that no passenger trains will be running between Seattle and Portland, Oregon, until Thursday because of a landslide.Nicole Langer was on her front porch in Grays River in southwestern Washington on Tuesday when she heard a neighbor yelling for someone to call 911. Her neighbor had tried to drive through high waters on a flooded road and had to be rescued from the roof of her car by the Coast Guard, video taken by Langer showed.“I was scared for her,” she said. “We didn...

Single family residence sells for $2.6 million in Alameda

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:48 GMT

1321 Saint Charles Street – Google Street ViewA spacious historic house located in the 1300 block of Saint Charles Street in Alameda has new owners. The 2,925-square-foot property, built in 1905, was sold on Oct. 13, 2023. The $2,570,000 purchase price works out to $879 per square foot. The layout of this single-story house includes three bedrooms and two baths. Additionally, the home includes a garage.Additional houses that have recently changed hands close by include:A 2,408-square-foot home on the 1200 block of Sherman Street in Alameda sold in June 2023, for $1,912,500, a price per square foot of $794. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Saint Charles Street, Alameda, in April 2023, a 1,901-square-foot home was sold for $1,950,000, a price per square foot of $1,026. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In May 2023, a 1,114-square-foot home on Ninth Street in Alameda sold for $1,140,000, a price per square foot of $1,023. The home has 2 bedrooms 1 bathroom. 

Yorgos Lanthimos at his unearthly best with ‘Poor Things,’ starring Emma Stone

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:48 GMT

Buckle up, movie fans: You’re in for one wild ride this week.Just consider what awaits you: Emma Stone turns into a twitchy Frankenstein-like creature with a hardy sexual appetite; a flock of evil gargantuan parakeets terrorize in Hayao Miyazaki’s latest animated fable; and a mysterious, life-altering event turns mild-mannered deer into menacing creatures that freak out Julia Roberts.Here’s our roundup, but a word of advice. It’s best to keep a mind wide open while viewing.“Poor Things”: Yorgos Lanthimos will never be accused of coasting on his laurels and playing it safe. The Greek filmmaker all but gobsmacked audiences with “The Lobster,” “The Favorite” and “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” and he relishes coloring way outside of conventional narrative lines. And frankly contemporary modern cinema is better for it. His latest is true to form, and is as warped, brilliant and brazenly deluded as the legendary creator that it creatively tips its hat to — Baron von Frankenstein. Ma...

T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach sidestepped his other alleged affairs at ABC in podcast launch

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:48 GMT

During the launch of their new podcast Tuesday, loved-up former “GMA:3” co-hosts  T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach may have left out an important part of the story about their removal from their “dream jobs” at ABC News last year.Soon after the Daily Mail revealed in November 2022 that the married anchors were involved in a secret romance, reports began to emerge that Holmes allegedly had extramarital affairs with three other female colleagues at ABC after he began working at the network in 2014.These women all held subordinate positions at the network, according to reports, a situation that should have created serious workplace concerns for ABC in the post-#MeToo era. Two of Holmes’ alleged lovers at ABC women were in their 20s, as New York magazine reported. One, according to the Daily Mail, was a 24-year-old intern who began having sex with him in 2015, including in his office. At the time, the 37-year-old Holmes had been married to his wife, Marilee Fiebi...

Protesters demanding cease-fire march on Golden Gate Bridge

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:48 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A group of protesters marched on the Golden Gate Bridge Wednesday morning to call for a cease-fire in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Video from the bridge showed the protesters sticking to the sidewalk, unlike the protest last month on the Bay Bridge, which blocked traffic for several hours. Another San Francisco restaurant abruptly closes At the Golden Gate Bridge observation area, protesters also managed to hoist a Palestinian flag beneath the American flag. A small group of the marchers appeared to be congregating at the base of that flag pole. "Hundreds" of people took part in the protest, according to a news release from the group behind the protest. The group, however, appears to be relatively small, a few dozen protesters, compared to recent protests that have seen hundreds, and even thousands of participants.The protest group was comprised of "faith leaders, Bay Area residents, and concerned people of faith," according to the news release...