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California judge pleads not guilty to murdering his wife in their Anaheim Hills home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

An Orange County Superior Court judge pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles courtroom on Tuesday, Aug. 15, to a charge of murdering his wife in their Anaheim Hills house.Judge Jeffrey Ferguson made his plea through his attorneys before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ricardo Ocampo, who granted Orange County prosecutors’ requests that Ferguson wear a GPS monitoring device, stay away from alcohol and submit to searches as conditions of his $1 million bail.Ocampo rejected a request by prosecutors for Ferguson to not have any contact with his 22-year-old son, who authorities say witnessed the killing. Ocampo said such contact was up to the son.Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson appears during a hearing at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, right, sits next to his attorneys John Drummond Barnett, left, and Paul Meyer during a hearing a...

‘Black Godfather’ of music dies at 92

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

By Hillel Italie | Associated PressNEW YORK — Clarence Avant, the judicious manager, entrepreneur, facilitator and adviser who helped launch or guide the careers of Quincy Jones, Bill Withers and many others and came to be known as the “Black Godfather” of music and beyond, has died. He was 92.Avant, inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles, according to a family statement released Monday.Avant’s achievements were both public and behind the scenes, as a name in the credits, or a name behind the names. Born in a segregated hospital in North Carolina, he became a man of lasting and wide-ranging influence, in part by minding two pieces of advice from an early mentor, the music manager Joe Glaser: Never let on how much you know, and ask for as much money as possible, “without stuttering.”Singer-songwriter Bill Withers, right, speaks at the 2016 ceremony in which music executive Clarence Avant received a star on the Hollyw...

In parts of California, a prescription will pay for your fresh fruits and veggies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

BY RYA JETHA | CalMattersEvery other Friday, the Stockton Emergency Food Bank hosts two live cooking classes — one in English and one in Spanish. Last week, Brenda Munoz made a classic tuna melt with an orange, romaine and dandelion salad.“Dandelion is completely edible,” said Munoz, holding the small leaves from the flower. “They’re really high in vitamin A and folate.”But this isn’t your typical cooking lesson on Zoom and Facebook. It’s part of a “food prescription” experiment — prescriptions for healthy food instead of pills. Diabetics get a free box full of fruits, vegetables, chicken breast, quinoa and other nutritious food delivered to their homes every two weeks — and then can learn some recipes.Advocates who want to expand the program across California say it could very well be a way to improve chronic conditions, lower health care costs and reduce hunger, all at the same time.   It’s aimed at people like Shane Bailey, a 72-year-old who served in the Coast Guard who has thre...

Woman found dead in Golden Gate Park at end of Outside Lands

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

A woman’s body was found at the edge of Golden Gate Park as the Outside Lands festival was winding down, and police called the death suspicious.The discovery, near Fulton Street and 22nd Avenue, was reported to police around 7:20 p.m. Sunday. The woman was later identified as Kelly Koike, 37.The woman’s mother told TV station ABC7 that the coroner informed her a dogwalker found the body in a duffel bag.No information on the cause of death has been released. The San Francisco police homicide unit is leading the investigation.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | California woman sentenced to 26 years for fatal pruning shears attack on 2 neighbors Crime and Public Safety | During murder trial, California man claims that he accidentally strangled his girlfriend in 2018 Crime and Public Safety | Oakland man charged with chasing down and killing woman, attempting to kill her would-be rescuer Crime and Public Safety | ...

Tech companies, bank chop hundreds of Bay Area jobs in fresh layoffs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

SAN RAMON — A bank and some high-profile tech companies have chopped hundreds of Bay Area jobs in a fresh round of layoffs — although the pace of tech sector layoffs has greatly eased.In the most recent spate of job cuts, nearly 250 banking jobs are being eliminated in the Bay Area, while four different tech companies have revealed their plans to chop a combined 211 jobs, based on filings that were posted so far in August by state labor agency officials.Here are the details for the most recent rounds of tech and banking industry job cuts in the Bay Area that various companies reported to the state Employment Development Department.— Bank of the West has revealed plans to jettison 248 jobs. These include 203 at the bank’s offices in San Ramon’s Bishop Ranch complex and another 45 in San Francisco.— Crunchbase, which has created a software database of information about an array of companies, 63 job cuts.— Niantic, a mobile apps company, is cho...

Sandra Bullock’s ‘The Blind Side’ long criticized for its ‘White savior’ view of a Black athlete

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

Not all Americans fell in love with Sandra Bullock’s inspirational football movie “The Blind Side” when it was released in November 2009.Sure, “The Blind Side” made $309 million at the box office and Bullock won her long-awaited Academy Award, but many Black viewers “never cared much for it” according to The Root. Discerning critics also saw the movie, based on a best-selling book by Berkeley author Michael Lewis, as another Hollywood project that uses “White savior” tropes.Now, critics of the movie have more ammunition in the wake of bombshell court documents filed by Michael Oher, the Black athlete at the center of the story. Oher’s documents allege that the White savior character played by Bullock and her family basically exploited his life story for their own financial gain.In the movie, Bullock plays plays Leigh Ann Tuohy, a Memphis interior decorator who rescues Michael Oher, a homeless Black teenager, from grinding p...

San Jose city workers win agreement, avert strike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

(KRON) -- San Jose city workers have won an agreement with the city and averted a potential strike that was supposed to start today, according to a union official. The unions have reached tentative agreements with the City of San Jose that will last until June 30, 2025, officials said.The tentative agreements include "historic investments in recruiting and retaining staff to make our public services stronger," the unions said in a statement. The two unions involved in the negotiations are IFPTE Local 21 and MEF-AFSCME Local 10."The bargaining teams of both unions endorsed the three-year tentative agreement and have called off the scheduled August 15-17 strike," the statement also said. Federal workers in SF told to work from home due to safety concerns: reports Highlights of the tentative agreement, according to the unions, include:Historic wage increasesAn increase from one to eight weeks of paid family leaveMore competitive bilingual pay to better serve diverse residentsRetentio...

Fire at mobile home in Santa Rosa, $150K in damages

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

(KRON) -- A structure fire involving a mobile home broke out around 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the Santa Rosa Fire Department. 3.0-magnitude earthquake strikes East Bay Firefighters responded to the Sequoia Mobile Home Park off of Fulton Road as the blaze threatened two other mobile homes. Crews deployed fire hoses on both sides of the home in an effort to keep the adjacent homes from burning. Santa Rosa Fire DepartmentSanta Rosa Fire DepartmentSanta Rosa Fire DepartmentThe fire was contained within 30 minutes, according to the fire department. A total of 20 firefighters were at the scene attacking the blaze. The occupant of the mobile home that was on fire initially woke up to the smoke detector going off and was able to escape with his adult son, the fire department said. The occupant received minor injuries and was assessed at the ambulance. The cause of the fire is said to have been started near the water heated closet, SRFD said.The building is described as a total l...

Woman with BB gun and knives flees Rohnert Park police, arrested

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

(KRON) -- A woman was arrested Monday afternoon in Rohnert Park after she was seen with an apparent gun and knives behind a grocery store, according to police. Just before 2 p.m., a person with a gun and knives behind a FoodMaxx store on Rohnert Parkway was reported to police. Officers arrived and found a woman in possession of a handgun and knives, police said. Suspect arrested after fleeing in kayak in Bel Marin Keys The woman, Danielle Lormer, failed to listen to the officers' commands and walked away towards the Copeland Creek ravine. She was eventually struck with two 40mm sponge rounds after two hours of de-escalation tactics failed, police said. Photo: Rohnert Park PDPhoto: Rohnert Park PDPhoto: Rohnert Park PDThe 41-year-old was taken into custody and found to be in possession of a BB gun and two knives. Lormer sustained bruising due to the sponge rounds and one officer sustained a dog bite injury by a police canine during the incident, according to police. Both were trea...

Sherwin-Williams just announced its Color of the Year for 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details.While 2023 may only be just over half over, trendsetters are already looking ahead to next year. Sherwin-Williams just announced its Color of the Year for 2024, and if this earthy, uplifting shade doesn’t have you reaching for a paint brush, nothing will.2024 is the year of ‘renewed comfort’Sherwin-Williams’ 2024 Color of the Year is Persimmon, an earthy terra cotta tone with just a hint of bright tangerine. It’s neutral, yet refreshing, and we can see why this is the paint brand’s pick for the upcoming year: In the post-pandemic era, we’re still all about embracing calm and comfort in our homes, and this is a color that does just that.In fact, all of the colors in Sherwin-Williams’ 2024 Color of the Year collection fit that bill. These are shades that feel familiar but with just a little bit of a twist — neutrals but with bright pops or undertones. They’re like the color...