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La Salle police officer indicted for murder in shooting death of man at Family Dollar store

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

Erik Hernandez (Provided by Weld County District Attorney’s Office)A grand jury has indicted a La Salle police officer on murder charges in the fatal shooting of a 38-year-old man officers had deemed suspicious who had parked at a Family Dollar store on May 3.The 19th Judicial District Statutory Grand Jury issued an indictment dated June 23 against La Salle Police Officer Erik Hernandez, according to a statement issued Monday from the office of Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke.Hernandez fired four shots and killed Juston Reffel, the indictment said. Hernandez was following up on a suspicious vehicle complaint when he and another officer encountered Reffel inside the store, according to what the grand jurors considered.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Denver police release videos of officer being ambushed, shooting of second officer later same day Crime and Public Safety | Police shoot and kill man who fired at officers in Windsor...

Redondo Beach police hope public can help bring killer in cold case to justice

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

The Redondo Beach Police Department on Monday asked for the public's help in finding the killer of a woman whose body was found more than 20 years ago at a Redondo Beach construction site.In a press conference, officials said that Catherine Parker-Johnson was recently identified as the person found on Aug. 29, 2001, at 1624 Wollacot St., though investigators still have much more to uncover, including if Parker-Johnson was killed at the site or elsewhere."The crime occurred so long ago and the condition that the partial skeleton was found and the residence had turned over, there's very limited information about the actual direct connection to that location," Redondo Beach Police Chief Joe Hoffman said. More than 20 years later, authorities identify human remains found in Redondo Beach The RBPD shared Friday that Parker-Johnson had been identified through DNA testing and the help of the nonprofit DNA Doe Project. Her identity was confirmed using samples from her daughter and sister....

Angelenos who make $70,650 a year are considered 'low-income,' statewide report says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

If you are a single person in Los Angeles making around $70,000 a year, you are considered low-income, according to a new statewide study.The California Department of Housing and Community Development released the report in June and found that income limits have increased in most counties across California. California’s six-figure earners can fall behind on bills each month, study finds The income limits are calculated annually based on federal guidelines and are used to determine eligibility for certain programs, such as affordable housing. The income limits change based on the number of people in a household.Here are the income limits for single-person households in Southern California:Los Angeles County: $70,650Orange County: $80,400Imperial County: $46,200San Bernardino County: $52,200San Diego County: $$77,200Santa Barbara County: $82,950Ventura County: $74,400The study also showed that single-person households in San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties who made $104,000 ...

Santa Monica Seafood Launches Sea Green, Be Green To Celebrate Aquaculture

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

Santa Monica Seafood and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council hosted an after-hours seafood feast last week to celebrate the launch of a six-week summer retail promotion at the historic seafood store, showcasing the benefits of certified, responsibly raised seafood and ASC’s Sea Green label movement. The “Sea Green, Be Green” promotion, will devote a full six weeks through Thursday, July 27,  to promoting ASC-certified seafood products and the farms where the seafood was raised. Campaign partner brands are Riverence Provisions, Del Pacifico Seafoods, and Kvarøy Arctic, whose leaders were also in attendance to share stories of sustainability during the evening.Passed delicacies included Del Pacifico shrimp ceviche agua Chile, Kvarøy arctic salmon tartare, Riverence sautéed steelhead trout, Del Pacifico grilled shrimp skewers, Kvarøy arctic glazed salmon from Norway within 24 hours of harvest and Riverence pan-roasted steelhead trout. Del Pacifico shrimp ceviche aguachile (Courtesy AS...

1 Killed, Man and Child Injured in Wrong-Way Collision on Highway 99 [Turlock, CA]

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

Driver Pronounced Dead after Two-Car Accident near Lander AvenueTURLOCK, CA (June 26, 2023) – Tuesday morning, one driver was killed and a man and child were hurt in a wrong-way collision on Highway 99.Authorities responded to the scene around 3:15 p.m., on the northbound lanes of the freeway near Lander Avenue.Per reports, the driver of a white sedan was heading south in the northbound lanes. There, the sedan collided head-on with an oncoming Tesla, driven by a 37-year-old man.First responders located the Tesla with significant front-end damages blocking the No.1 and No.2 lanes.Due to the extent of injuries sustained, medics pronounced the driver of the sedan dead at the scene. Meanwhile, paramedics took the Tesla occupants to a nearby hospital for further treatment.Following preliminary duties, officers suspected that alcohol was a factor. However, an active investigation is still currently underway.In this sorrowful time, the Sweet James team would like to extend their hear...

Police arrest four in connection with San Mateo Lego Store Heist

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

Police arrested four people in connection with a Lego Store heist at a popular San Mateo mall on Friday where police say the suspects walked out with over $3,500 worth of the Danish toy building blocks.At about 11:27 p.m. officers responded to reports of a theft at the Hillsdale Shopping Center Lego Store. Store employees said three suspects stole about $3,500 worth of Legos. One store employee followed the suspects into the parking lot, where the suspects were seen entering a Volkswagen Jetta, police said.The vehicle quickly fled the scene and eluded capture after police searched the area. Police made contact with the registered owner of the Jetta and discovered it was entered through a third-party app that tracked the car’s location.At about 4:10 p.m. the same day, San Francisco police officers located and detained the four occupants of the vehicle. During a search, SFPD officers said they discovered a handgun and evidence from the Lego Store theft inside the vehicle.Three s...

From sun hats to comfortable shoes: A guide to the Hajj

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

By Riazat Butt | Associated PressMECCA, Saudi Arabia — Straw hats, cross-body bags, and collapsible chairs: These are just some of the essentials Muslims bring to the Hajj pilgrimage.Spiritually, the five-day Hajj is awe-inspiring for the faithful, an experience they say brings them closer to God and to the entire Muslim world.Physically, it’s grueling. Pilgrims walk outdoors for hours in broiling heat around holy sites in Mecca and the surrounding desert. They are caught in unimaginable and overwhelming crowds, all trying to get to the same place. Barriers directing the traffic mean that if you miss your turn, you might walk hours more to get where you want to be.So the more than 2 million pilgrims don’t just learn the complicated rules of how to properly perform the rituals, which began Monday. They also pick up helpful hints and tricks of the trade to get by, learned from other hajjis — as those who have completed the pilgrimage are known.Here’s a look at what t...

Contra Costa DA: Fraud, conspiracy was rampant at Concord construction company

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

Contra Costa prosecutors have charged five people from two Bay Area construction companies with fraud and conspiracy charges, District Attorney’s Office officials said.All five were arraigned Friday and pleaded not guilty, DA spokesperson Ted Asregadoo said early Monday.The charges filed in March arose from two separate complaints, according to a statement from Asregadoo.Gilbert Guiotti, 60, and Christopher Vieira, 62, were charged with operating Centrox Construction, of San Bruno, as a shell company to route unlawful payments to unlicensed subcontractors for three members of a Concord company, according to Asregadoo and court documents.Those three members — 57-year-old Candido Silva; 42-year-old Itamar De Morais Jr. and 42-year-old Irma Ruiz-Alarcon — were from Atlas Pavers and are alleged to have paid more than $12 million to unlicensed and misclassified construction crews from 2016-19, according to court documents.Prosecutors allege the trio misclassified worker...

Shell oil pipeline spill fouls farms, river in Niger Delta

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

By Taiwo Adebayo | Associated PressABUJA, Nigeria — A new oil spill at a Shell facility in Nigeria has contaminated farmland and a river, upending livelihoods in the fishing and farming communities in part of the Niger Delta, which has long endured environmental pollution caused by the oil industry.The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, or NOSDRA, told The Associated Press that the spill came from the Trans-Niger Pipeline operated by Shell that crosses through communities in the Eleme area of Ogoniland, a region where the London-based energy giant has faced decadeslong local pushback to its oil exploration.The volume of oil spilled has not been determined, but activists have published images of polluted farmland, water surfaces blighted by oil sheens and dead fish mired in sticky crude.While spills are frequent in the region due to vandalism from oil thieves and a lack of maintenance to pipelines, according to the U.N. Environmental Program, activists call this a R...

Serpentine Pavilion helps draw visits to downtown San Jose block party

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

SAN JOSE — A curving pavilion that’s an eye-catching structure in downtown San Jose was a focal point in a crowded SoFA district block party, the second such recent event designed to spur activities in the city’s urban core.Numerous visitors strolled along First Street in downtown San Jose during a block party on June 22 that was spurred by two real estate entrepreneurs and the Urban Vibrancy Institute.Development entrepreneurs Gary Dillabough and Jeff Arrillaga, principal executives and co-founders of San Jose-based real estate firm Urban Community have teamed up with the urban vibrancy group to launch a series of block parties in the city’s downtown.A painter, visitor and musicians are seen next to the Serpentine Pavilion at 350 South First Street in downtown San Jose, one of the events during a SoFA block party, June 2023. (George Avalos/Bay Area News Group)People gather at a night market at 500 South First Street in downtown San Jose, one of the even...