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Leah Remini forced to make amends to Tom Cruise after Katie Holmes wedding: Scientology lawsuit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:32:27 GMT

In a new lawsuit alleging abusive practices by the Church of Scientology, Leah Remini has implicated Tom Cruise in the top rungs of power in the controversial organization, saying he was “essentially second in command” and describing how she was forced to apologize to him and donate money to his favorite Scientology causes after she was accused of upsetting his 2006 wedding to Katie Holmes by asking about the whereabouts of leader David Miscavige’s wife.Remini also alleged that she had to make amends to Cruise by donating money in honor of his daughter, Suri Cruise. The “King of Queens” actor said it has long been considered “a High Crime in Scientology to criticize (Tom) in any way,” while noting that Miscavige told an audience of Scientologists at a 2004 gala in England that Cruise was “the most dedicated Scientologist I know.”Leah Remini arrives at the 15th Annual DesignCare on Saturday, July 27, 2013 in Malibu, Calif. (Photo by Ric...

49ers training camp: Mitchell is out, but Kinlaw is flourishing and Shanahan is done worrying about Purdy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:32:27 GMT

SANTA CLARA — The 49ers’ quest for a relatively free training camp has mostly been met with good news.Brock Purdy is throwing the ball well enough that coach Kyle Shanahan has ceased to even worry about his surgically repaired throwing shoulder.“That’s completely off my mind,” Shanahan said Thursday following a relatively brief 49ers practice. “He’s healed. He’s healthy. Guys have to get in throwing shape and they have to play and get used to that, but I’m not thinking about the injury anymore.”Two players with extensive injury histories came back from the off day with different outcomes. Running back Elijah Mitchell is out a week or more with a thigh strain, but defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw continued an encouraging trend by participating in his seventh straight practice with no restrictions.Mitchell, limited to four games and 45 carries for 279 yards a year ago with two MCL strains, also missed five games during a rookie ...

Texas A&M settles with Black journalism professor for $1M

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:32:27 GMT

By Jim Vertuno | Associated PressAUSTIN, Texas — Texas A&M University reached a $1 million settlement Thursday with a Black journalism professor whose hiring was sabotaged by backlash over her past work promoting diversity.The nation’s largest public school agreed to pay Kathleen McElroy and apologized to her while admitting “mistakes were made during the hiring process.”Texas A&M, which is located in College Station, about 90 miles (144 kilometers) northwest of Houston, initially welcomed McElroy with great fanfare to revive its journalism department in June. A former New York Times editor and Texas A&M alum, McElroy had overseen the journalism school at A&M’s rival — the more liberal University of Texas at Austin.But McElroy told the Texas Tribune last month that soon after her hiring, she learned of emerging internal pushback from then-unidentified individuals over her past work to improve diversity and inclusion in newsrooms.According to i...

40-acre fire threatening structures in South Bay

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:32:27 GMT

(KRON) -- A fire in the South Bay has grown to 40 acres and is threatening structures, Cal Fire said Wednesday. The fire is at Clayton Road and Via de la Vista, which is east of San Jose. Fire officials reported the fire on Twitter at 2:56 p.m. Approximately 70 San Jose Fire Department personnel are at the scene and a unified command has been established with Cal Fire, according to SJFD. The fire has been dubbed the "Clayton Fire." Seventy San Jose firefighters are at the scene. This is a developing story. Stick with us for updates.

Benicia man who arranged to meet boy for sex must register as sex offender

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:32:27 GMT

(KRON) -- A Benicia man who arranged to meet a minor to engage in illegal sex acts has been sentenced, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office. William Michael Gogas, 34, will serve one year in county jail and be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.During a one-week trial, evidence was presented demonstrating that on or about Dec. 9, 2021, Gogas knowingly engaged in sexually explicit text messages with a person he thought was a 13-year-old boy. Man accused of holding woman in cinder block cell lived in Bay Area The person was in fact an undercover Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office detective.Further evidence demonstrated that Gogas arranged to meet the boy in Martinez to engage in sex acts. When he arrived at the meeting location, Gogas was taken into custody by members of the Contra Costa County Safe Streets Task Force and charged in a criminal complaint.In May of 2023, a jury convicted Gogas of arranging to meet a minor for s...

These 2 Bay Area cities among worst run in America: WalletHub

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:32:27 GMT

Historically high inflation has put a strain on municipal budgets, with the rising costs of labor, goods and services, and materials. In general, local governments made it through the pandemic relatively well, with the help of billions of dollars in federal aid. The economic aftermath, however, continues.And some cities continue to struggle more than others, particularly those that are poorly managed.Stacker listed the 50 worst-run cities in the United States using June 2023 data from WalletHub's Best- and Worst-Run Cities in America. Cities are ranked by their overall operating efficiency, which is determined by the quality of services and total budget per capita. Half of San Francisco’s homeless residents refused shelters: city data Factors used to determine the overall quality of city services rank and score comprise weighted average scores in six key categories, including financial stability, education, health, safety, economy, and infrastructure and pollution. Scores for each...

Half of San Francisco's homeless residents refused shelters: city data

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:32:27 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- San Francisco city leaders are taking heat from Hayes Valley residents who say homeless people lit warming fires in their neighborhood for months. Residents said their warnings were ignored by the city until a massive 4-alarm blaze ignited Tuesday before dawn. The cause of the blaze has not been officially released.Mayor London Breed responded to criticism over how the city handles its homeless population of 8,000 people.The mayor wrote on X, formally known as Twitter, Wednesday, "We can't force people to accept or stay in shelter and we're unable to prevent people from setting up an encampment in area that was just cleaned. This is the situation we are in."How many people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco have refused to sleep in a shelter, despite being offered city services? On Thursday, the city's Department of Emergency Management released new data gathered by its Healthy Streets Operations Center.In 2023, HSOC teams approached and engaged with ...

K-9 officer sniffs out narcotics in Livermore traffic stop

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:32:27 GMT

(KRON) -- A K-9 officer alerted officers to a large cache of narcotics and drug-selling paraphernalia during a traffic stop Tuesday, the Livermore Police Department tweeted. Just after 7 p.m., police stopped a black Dodge Magnum for a vehicle code infraction near Arroyo Road and Robertson Park.Police found a prescription bottle containing 42 morphine pills while searching the car. The pills were not prescribed to the vehicle's driver, who was the sole occupant. Man accused of holding woman in cinder block cell lived in Bay Area A lockbox was also located. Police deployed K-9 officer Max who sniffed the lockbox and alerted them to the presence of narcotics. Inside the lockbox, police found a large amount of bags, a scale, two scoopers, and 190 oxycodone pills in a single press bag.Matthew Sedra, 39, of Livermore, was arrested on charges that included the selling or transporting of a controlled substance.

Rare otter attack injures three women floating on inner tubes on popular Montana river

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:32:27 GMT

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A rare attack by a river otter in southern Montana injured three women floating on inner tubes and inflicted wounds serious enough that one victim had to be airlifted to a hospital, authorities said Thursday.The attack happened near the town of Cardwell on a remote stretch of the Jefferson River, a tributary of the Missouri River that’s popular with anglers and recreational floaters. At least one otter swam up to the adult women at about 8:15 p.m. Wednesday and attacked them, said Morgan Jacobsen with Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks. The women were able to get to shore, where one of them called 911, he said.One woman’s wounds, on her face and arms, were so severe that the helicopter was used to fly her out, Jefferson County Undersheriff James Everett said. Her condition Thursday was unknown. The others had injuries to their arms.“It’s just not something you run into very often,” Everett said. “Bears do it, moose too and ocasionaly...

Movie Review: Spoiler alert! Jason Statham jumps even bigger sharks in ‘Meg 2.’ (Also, dinosaurs)

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:32:27 GMT

Before we, ahem, dive into our review of “Meg 2,” a few fun facts on the Megalodon, the titular real-life prehistoric shark, according to some unusually detailed production notes from the studio.It weighed up to 50 tons and exceeded 60 feet in length. Its vertebrae were the size of a large dinner plate — no salad plates here! There’s “no likelihood” that any actually survived to this day (we’d feel better with “no chance,” but OK.) And, its jaw was so wide, it could swallow two adults side by side.We know what you’re thinking, and so are we: Jack and Rose could’ve BOTH fit into that jaw! Case closed. James Cameron, are you listening? Way to nip a controversy in the bud.In any case, no Jack and Rose in this film, but there are plenty of other people who get swallowed, chomped on, or masticated in “Meg 2: The Trench,” directed by Ben Wheatley, a film that screams: “Sequel! What do we do NOW?” And so there’s more, more and more. More Megs. More problems. More lu...