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College professor arrested in Jewish demonstrator’s death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:42 GMT

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office has made an arrest in the death of a Jewish man who died after an alleged altercation with a pro-Palestinian demonstrator in Thousand Oaks.Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji, 50, of Moorpark, was arrested Thursday morning on a charge of involuntary manslaughter, the VCSO said in a news release. He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Ventura County Main Jail and is due to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on Monday.Authorities say Paul Kessler, 69, died from a severe head injury after an altercation with Alnaji during dueling protests at the intersection of Westlake and Thousand Oaks boulevards on Nov 5. California authorities seek video, urge patience in investigation into death of Jewish demonstrator After the incident, the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles said Kessler was “struck in the head by a megaphone wielded by a pro-Palestinian protestor," though investigators said there were conflicting reports as to what happened.Video sho...

Woman Dies in Hit-and-Run Pedestrian Crash on Dean Martin Drive [Las Vegas, NV]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:42 GMT

Female Pedestrian Fatally Struck in Deadly Collision near Blue Diamond RoadLAS VEGAS, NV (November 16, 2023) – A hit-and-run incident claimed the life of one woman Wednesday morning, on Dean Martin Drive.Shortly before 3:33 a.m. on November 8th, police responded to calls just north of Vicki Avenue, situated between Blue Diamond Road and Silverado Ranch Boulevard.Upon reaching the scene, investigators discovered that a northbound vehicle had struck a woman in her 30s who was walking in the area. The driver then fled without offering assistance or notifying authorities.A witness promptly contacted the authorities, and paramedics rushed to provide first aid to the victim. Despite their efforts, the woman succumbed to her injuries at the scene. Officials have not yet disclosed her identity.Emergency crews temporarily closed off the surrounding area for cleanup and preliminary duties.The investigation is ongoing, and individuals with information are urged to contact the LVMPD’...

Sean Combs accused of rape, abuse by former girlfriend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:42 GMT

By Alli Rosenbloom | CNNProducer and musician Sean Combs was sued in federal court in New York City on Thursday by his former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, who alleges she was raped and subjected to years of repeated physical and other abuses by Combs.The complaint, obtained by CNN, alleges Combs “lured Ms. Ventura into an ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle, and into a romantic relationship with him” within two years of the pair meeting in 2005 or 2006 and Combs signing Ventura to his record label, Bad Boy Records, soon after.Ventura claims in the suit that Combs “exerted his power and influence” over her throughout the course of their professional and romantic relationship. According to the complaint, she was 19 when they met and Combs was 37, and their business relationship lasted until 2019.The complaint details claims that Combs was physically violent toward Ventura, controlled all aspects of her personal life, “introduced” her to a lifestyle of “excessive alcoho...

Contra Costa D.A. announces “joint civil enforcement action” against Martinez Refining Company

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:42 GMT

Almost exactly one year after the Martinez Refining Company scattered 20 tons of toxic, metal-laden dust on surrounding neighborhoods, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s office and other agencies on Thursday announced a “joint civil enforcement action” against the refinery.A civil enforcement action could serve as a precursor to a lawsuit, although that isn’t guaranteed. Instead, attorneys will now enter a process with MRC to “get them back in environmental compliance,” according to Ted Asregadoo, a public information officer with the District Attorney’s office. Those negotiations will be based on the notices of violations that have previously been filed by the various participating agencies.Related ArticlesEnvironment | Letters: Up to voters | Reject Big Lie | Hamas the cause Environment | Sailor’s last message to family during hurricane: ‘Pray for us’ Environment | Richmond-San Rafael Bridge gridlock frustration stokes...

Protesters escalate stakes, traffic impacts with shutdown of Bay Bridge during APEC summit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:42 GMT

Chaining themselves to cars and unfurling banners, protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza sought global attention Thursday by shutting down the Bay Bridge and snarling traffic for miles, as some of the world’s most powerful leaders gathered just a few miles away. The protesters kept morning commuters in westbound lanes east of Treasure Island stranded for hours in what became the largest disruption yet tied to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit of world leaders in San Francisco. The massive conference has attracted demonstrators for myriad causes as nearly two dozen heads of state — including President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping — meet for San Francisco’s largest gathering of world leaders since World War II.Authorities arrested at least 80 people during the protest, which began around 8 a.m. when organizers blocked traffic and raised massive banners reading “stop the genocide” and “no U.S. military aid to Israel.” In their Oct. 7 atta...

Letters: ASEAN vision | Alzheimer’s caregivers | Republican obstinance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:42 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.ASEAN nations advancerespect, sanctity of lifeWhile San Francisco hosts the APEC Summit, the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) defense ministers are meeting in Jakarta. Among the ASEAN nations is Vietnam.ASEAN nations call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the setting up of humanitarian aid corridors there.Indonesian President Joko Widodo met with President Biden and urged him to help bring about a cease-fire.In San Francisco, protesters condemn the deaths among the Palestinians from Israel’s bombardments.In Jakarta, the ASEAN nations are also addressing the issue of China’s ongoing military assertiveness and domination in the South China Sea, and call for freedom of navigation respecting international maritime laws. The world cries out for peace. Let us reclaim our belief in the sanctity of human life, and the principle that nations must learn to live together in mutual respect of ea...

Dead body pulled from ocean near Pacifica

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:42 GMT

PACIFICA – A dead body was pulled from the ocean Wednesday near Pacifica, police said.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Pilot dead after plane out of East Bay crashes in Southern California Crime and Public Safety | Marin coroner identifies East Bay man who died after being swept into ocean Crime and Public Safety | Drivers of boxy SUVs and pickup trucks are more likely to kill pedestrians, study finds Crime and Public Safety | Marin beach visitor dies after being swept into ocean Crime and Public Safety | Fences along beach cliffs near UCSB will be made taller after 13 fatal falls Authorities were called to the 100 block of Esplanade Avenue around 8 a.m. for a report of a body in the ocean, the Pacifica Police Department said in a news release Thursday.A body was later spotted floating in the ocean just south of Mussel Rock, police said.The body was pulled from the water and identified as Robert...

Russian artist gets 7-year sentence for anti-war message

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:42 GMT

By Dasha Litvinova | Associated PressTALLINN, Estonia — A Russian court on Thursday convicted an artist and musician for swapping supermarket price tags with antiwar messages, sentencing her to seven years in prison in one of the highest-profile cases involving the recent crackdown on free speech.Sasha Skochilenko was arrested in her native St. Petersburg in April 2022 and charged with spreading false information about the military after replacing price tags with ones that decried Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.“The Russian army bombed an arts schools in Mariupol. Some 400 people were hiding in it from the shelling,” one read. Another said, “Russian conscripts are being sent to Ukraine. Lives of our children are the price of this war.”A customer at the supermarket who found the slogans reported them to authorities.Skochilenko’s arrest came about a month after authorities adopted a law effectively criminalizing any public expression about the war tha...

APEC: Biden touts progress smoothing trade, China relations at San Francisco summit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:42 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — President Joe Biden affirmed the United States’ role as a “Pacific nation” Thursday, committing to providing stability and economic opportunity across the region and to working cooperatively with rival power China.“You can count on the United States,” Biden told a gathering of corporate executives and world leaders at Moscone Center for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation 2023 forum. “We’re delivering on our promises, and we’re doubling down on our progress. And we’ll soon be your strong and steady partner as we continue working together to realize an Asia Pacific region that’s free and open, prosperous and secure, resilient and connected.”The speech — a day after Biden met for four hours on the Peninsula with Chinese President Xi Jinping and later in a news conference called the Chinese leader “a dictator” — was an opportunity for the president to trumpet economic and d...

Phone, internet networks collapse in Gaza for lack of fuel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:42 GMT

By Wafaa Shurafa, Jack Jeffrey and Lee Keath | Associated PressKHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Internet and telephone services collapsed across the Gaza Strip on Thursday for lack of fuel, the main Palestinian provider said, bringing a potentially long-term blackout of communications as Israel signaled its offensive against Hamas could next target the south, where most of the population has taken refuge.Israeli troops for a second day searched Shifa Hospital in the north for traces of Hamas. They displayed what they said were a tunnel entrance and weapons found in a truck inside the compound. But the military has yet to release evidence of a central Hamas command center that Israel has said is concealed beneath the complex. Hamas and staff at the hospital, Gaza’s largest, deny the allegations.The military said it found the body of one of the hostages abducted by Hamas, 65-year-old Yehudit Weiss, in a building adjacent to Shifa, where it said it also found assault rifles and rocket-p...