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US worried about well-being of American soldier who ran across border as North Korea remains silent

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

By AAMER MADHANI and HYUNG-JIN KIM (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Thursday expressed deep concern about the well-being of a U.S. soldier who bolted across the heavily armed North Korea border earlier this week as North Korean officials have yet to respond to U.S. requests for basic information about the AWOL soldier. The history of rough treatment of Americans detained by North Koreans — including the 2017 death of a 22-year-old student after he was flown home in a vegetative state after 17 months in captivity — is top of mind as U.S. officials seek answers about Pvt. Travis King.“This is not a country that is known for humane treatment of Americans or actually anybody else for that matter,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. “We don’t know where he is. We don’t know the conditions in which he’s living right now. And it’s the not knowing that is deeply concerning to us a...

Los Angeles teen crowned winner of duct tape prom dress competition

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

A recent graduate of a Los Angeles area high school will have some additional funds for college after she was crowned the grand prize winner in a nationwide duct tape prom dress competition.After several days of voting and widespread acclaim, Karla Torres was named the big winner in Duck brand’s annual Stuck at Prom contest, which challenges high school students to transform the utility do-it-all tape into lavish and unbelievable fashion pieces as either a prom dress or tuxedo.Torres dedicated 120 hours of her life and used 14 rolls-worth of duct tape to construct a one-of-a-kind prom dress as part of the nationwide contest.She beat out more than 200 entries in the annual competition, making it to the top 10, before being named the winner in the prom dress category. Her crowning came with a grand prize of $10,000 worth of scholarship money.Color, craftsmanship, originality and accessories were all considered in the judging criteria in Duck brand's Stuck at Prom contest. (Karla Torre...

Burbank residents frustrated after city announces plans to cut 140 trees in neighborhood

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

Homeowners along a residential street in suburban Burbank are upset and looking for answers after the city informed them it would be cutting down more than 100 trees that it says are at risk of falling.The Aleppo Pine trees are located primarily along North Niagara Street in the Magnolia Park neighborhood and have lined the street and provided shade for decades.The trees have grown to maturity and are estimated to be about 100 years old. But recent drought conditions have made them unstable, the city says, and several have already come down and caused major damage to the vehicles, homes and the the sidewalk.In February, during one of Southern California's unseasonable rainstorms, several of the trees fell, crushing cars and damaging homes. Because of their weakening roots and fall risk, the city has decided that the trees need to come down before they fall and cause more property damage — or worse. Burbank Parks & Recreation Director Marisa Garcia said the decision to take down...

Fan club grows for angry California sea otter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

A sea otter launched into the national spotlight after images of her aggressively wresting surfboards away from surfers off the coast of Santa Cruz, California circulated on social media is building a fan club as she continues to evade capture.A team of wildlife experts with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the nearby Monterey Bay Aquarium have been trying to capture the 5-year-old animal, known as otter 841, since last week because they say she poses a public safety risk.They say they want to examine her and relocate her at a zoo or aquarium —as yet to no avail.A sea otter was captured on video going toe-to-toe with a surfer and his board in Santa Cruz on July 9, 2023. She now has a growing fan club, with people showing up every day to get a glimpse of her spending time sunbathing on the rocky shore, diving in the water and chomping down on crabs. Jessica Fujii, Sea Otter Program Manager at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, said the team has faced some challenges in its ...

Las Vegas police took laptops, documents from home searched in Tupac Shakur's killing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

A home that Las Vegas police raided this week in connection with the 1996 drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur is tied to a man long known to investigators, whose nephew had emerged as a suspect shortly after the rapper's killing.Detectives sought items “concerning the murder of Tupac Shakur” from Duane “Keffe D” Davis, according to a copy of the warrant obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. Davis, a self-described “gangster,” is the uncle of Orlando Anderson, one of Shakur’s known rivals. Anderson denied involvement in Shakur’s killing at the time, and died two years later in an unrelated gang shooting in Compton, California.Police reported collecting multiple computers, a cellphone and hard drive, “documentary documents,” a Vibe magazine that featured Shakur, “purported marijuana,” several .40-caliber bullets, two “tubs containing photographs” and a copy of Davis’ 2019 tell-all memoir, ”Compton Street Legend.”The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirmed it se...

Cindy Borges Dead after Pedestrian Collision on Dogwood Street [Camp Pendleton, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

Woman Struck by Pickup in Driveway at Camp Pendleton HomeCAMP PENDLETON, CA (July 20, 2023) – Monday, just after noon, a pickup truck collision on Dogwood Street left Cindy Borges dead.The incident happened on July 8th, at around 12:20 p.m., in a residential driveway near Columbine Street.According to reports, Borges was picking something up on a driveway on Dogwood Street. There, she was struck by a Ford pickup that left her with serious injuries.Emergency crews at the site of the collision transported her to Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton for treatment of multiple chest injuries. Later at the hospital, officials pronounced 62-year-old Cindy Borges, of Fontana, dead, due to the extent of her injuries.Following the crash, the driver of the pickup stayed at the scene and cooperated with authorities.No words can mend the broken hearts felt at a delicate moment like this. The team at Sweet James sends their sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Cindy Borges. May the memo...

Letters: Effective governing | Butt out of Israel | Attacking democracy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.For effective governing,measure the resultsRe: “Democrats keep repeating the same mistakes” (Page A6, July 18).State Sen. Steve Glazer’s, D-Orinda, op-ed defines an opportunity for Democratic legislators to raise their games to a new level to benefit Californians. The role of government is to do things with our tax dollars to solve problems and make life better for our citizens. It is about effective governing not holding on to power.I feel Democrats are good at holding power, but bad at governing. The senator’s examples of reluctance to measure results is a glaring example. Franklin Roosevelt said of the New Deal that we should try things — if they fail, admit it, learn from it, and try something different. The proof is in the result. Democrats and all of us would be better off if our elected officials lead the way to a more efficient and productive state government that effectively tackles ...

Pac-12 preseason poll: Stanford dead last, Cal not far ahead; both have first-team honoree

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

Pac-12 media members don’t have high hopes for the Bay Area schools this fall.Stanford was picked to finish last in the conference this football season, while Cal was selected ninth in the 12-school conference.Both teams are projected to finish one spot lower than they did last year: Stanford was 11th at 3-9 (1-8 in the Pac-12), while Cal went 4-8 (2-7). Stanford head coach David Shaw abruptly stepped down following his 12th season, and the Cardinal replaced him with former Cal quarterback Troy Taylor, who recently elevated Sacramento State to great heights at the FCS level.USC was picked by media members to win the Pac-12 in its final year with the league, while fellow future Big Ten member UCLA was picked sixth. The Trojans received 25 first-place votes, followed by two-time defending champion Utah (6), Washington (4) and Oregon (1).The Bears and Cardinal each have one player on the preseason all-Pac-12 first team. Senior linebacker Jackson Sirmon represents Cal while senior...

Vehicle theft suspect injured trying to run across Berkeley freeway; second person escapes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

BERKELEY — A vehicle theft suspect being pursued by a Contra Costa County deputy sheriff was injured Wednesday night when he was hit by an SUV on Interstate 80 after abandoning the disabled stolen vehicle and trying to flee on foot, authorities said.The man suffered major injuries and was taken to a hospital. His age and residence were not released and his condition was not available Thursday.A second suspect who was able to safely escape was being sought.Authorities said that about 7:48 p.m. Wednesday, a Contra Costa County deputy saw an occupied stolen vehicle in San Pablo. The vehicle’s driver fled, driving down a sidewalk even before the deputy tried to stop them, sheriff’s spokesman Jimmy Lee said Thursday.The deputy later caught up to the vehicle but terminated the pursuit when the driver piloted the car recklessly.Another deputy spotted the vehicle later driving westbound on Interstate 80 and began chasing it, Lee said. The vehicle apparently had mechanical ...

Netflix’s Los Gatos headquarters swarmed with protestors amid film and TV strikes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

Hollywood’s strike came to Los Gatos Thursday afternoon as a group of more than a hundred actors, writers and allies picketed in front of Netflix headquarters.The Northern California chapter of SAG-AFTRA, which organized the strike, is protesting the streaming model’s impact on actors’ income and uncertainty around artificial intelligence’s role in TV and films.“More people are watching more programming for longer today than ever before, and we’re making less on residuals. It’s not fair,” said Michael X. Sommers, an Oakland-based actor known for roles in the film “Sorry to Bother You,” and the TV show “Sense8.”Actor Michael X. Sommers, from Oakland, strikes with SAG-AFTRA supporters outside of the Netflix headquarters in Los Gatos, Calif., on Thursday, July 20, 2023. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) This is the first time the organization has picketed in front of Netflix’s Los Gatos headquarters on 101 Albright Way, and comes a...