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Lighthouse Writers Workshop moves into custom Denver building

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:45 GMT

Once upon a time (1997), a young lit-loving couple named Andrea Dupree and Michael J. Henry shared a vision for creating a welcoming space where writers could feel less solitary and help improve each other’s skills.Andrea Dupree and Michael J. Henry at the new Lighthouse Writers Workshop in northeast Denver. (Provided by Lighthouse Writers Workshop)Lighthouse Writers Workshop grew beyond their wildest ambitions and has succeeded in putting the Mile High City on America’s literary map. Not only do they now have a newly-constructed dream space with 15 employees and 1,500 members, but they’ve also built an annual pilgrimage for established and would-be authors.Lit Fest, which ends June 16, has become a beacon for thousands of writers of all levels and genres. The event features eight days of writing workshops, seminars, panel discussions, networking opportunities, and celebrations of the written word, both in-person and virtually. And this year’s festival has coincided with the grand o...

Shomari Rollox Pronounced Dead after Pedestrian Accident on 14 Freeway [Palmdale, CA]

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:45 GMT

Tractor Trailer Crash near Avenue N Left 1 FatalityPALMDALE, CA (June 14, 2023) – Tuesday afternoon, Shomari Rollox died in a pedestrian crash involving a tractor-trailer on 14 Freeway.According to CHP, the fatal collision happened around 5:03 p.m. along the northbound Antelope Valley (14) Freeway, north of Avenue N.Investigators said a semi-truck hit the pedestrian in the No. 3 lane of SR-14 for unknown reasons.Unfortunately, the pedestrian received major injuries and died at the scene. Police said the truck driver, 47-year-old Francisco Mosqueda of Palmdale, did not sustain any injuries.Later, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office identified the deceased pedestrian as 28-year-old Shomari Rollox.The California Highway Patrol reported that drugs and alcohol did not play a factor in the incident. At this time, authorities are working to determine if Rollox exited a parked vehicle and jumped in front of the tractor-trailer.Those who witnessed the accident are encouraged to con...

Sale closed in Milpitas: $1.5 million for a four-bedroom home

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:45 GMT

720 Tramway Drive – Google Street ViewA house located in the 700 block of Tramway Drive in Milpitas has new owners. The 1,462-square-foot property, built in 1972, was sold on May 23, 2023. The $1,500,000 purchase price works out to $1,026 per square foot. The property features four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a garage, and two parking spaces. It sits on a 5,775-square-foot lot, which also has a pool.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:In January 2023, a 1,120-square-foot home on Flume Court in Milpitas sold for $1,040,000, a price per square foot of $929. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Canada Drive, Milpitas, in January 2023, a 1,608-square-foot home was sold for $1,490,000, a price per square foot of $927. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 2,566-square-foot home on the 800 block of Los Positos Drive in Milpitas sold in May 2023, for $1,833,500, a price per square foot of $715. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. 

Activists say Benito the giraffe is struggling in Mexico zoo

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:45 GMT

By Mark Stevenson | Associated PressMEXICO CITY — Benito the giraffe arrived in Mexico’s arid northern border city of Ciudad Juarez just last month, and already the climate appears to be a problem — and he’s only had to deal with the scorching heat of summer.The snow and freezing temperatures of winter are still to come, and animal activists are up in arms and pushing a campaign under the hashtag “Save Benito” seeking to have the animal moved somewhere more hospitable.On a recent day, the 3-year-old male giraffe could be seen crouching with only its head under a small, circular canopy for shade. The structure did little to protect him from a pelting rain and a hail storm later.There is also a small shed for winter, but activists say it is cruel for the city-run Central Park to keep the giraffe in a small fenced enclosure, by himself, with only about a half acre to wander and few trees to nibble, in a climate he’s not used to.“We have been fighting...

240 stolen catalytic converters found in Bay Area theft ring bust

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:45 GMT

(KRON) -- Six men who were allegedly part of a catalytic converter theft ring that targeted cars across the San Francisco Bay Area have been arrested. While making the arrests, law enforcement officers found 240 stolen catalytic converters and $260,000 in cash, according to investigators. The Alameda County Regional Auto Theft Taskforce said the bust was a result of a long-term investigation launched in mid-2022 to identify people responsible for a "prolific catalytic converter fencing operation and crew responsible for thefts throughout the Bay Area." ACRATT investigators identified two locations in Oakland that were reselling, also known as "fencing," stolen catalytic converters.Hundreds of stolen catalytic converters were found in Oakland. (Image courtesy CHP Golden Gate) The six arrested Oakland men were identified as: Jorge Perez Garcia, 39, Nelson Alvarado Herrera, 41, Oscar Alvarado Herrera, 38, Luis Monterroso-Veliz, 31, Pedro Maravilla, 44, and Santos Contreras, 42.Last we...

Michigan priest accused of assault gets a year in prison

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:45 GMT

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — An 84-year-old Catholic priest who was accused of sexually assaulting a 5-year-old boy in 1987 has been sentenced to a year in a Michigan jail under a plea deal with state prosecutors.The Rev. Vincent DeLorenzo returned to court in Flint on Tuesday, about two months after pleading guilty to attempted criminal sexual conduct.Other charges were dismissed as part of an agreement that spared victims from testifying at trial, though five people gave victim-impact statements in court, the attorney general’s office said.“Justice did come for the victims in this case,” defense attorney Michael Manley said.DeLorenzo did not speak in court. He was accused of assaulting the 5-year-old boy after a funeral for a member of the boy’s family.DeLorenzo served at several churches, including three in Genesee County. In 2002, he was suddenly removed from Holy Redeemer Church in Burton, a suburb of Flint. He publicly acknowledged that he had “inappropriate sexual contact”...

Major investments are coming to Prince George’s. Is there reason to worry?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:45 GMT

Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks took the stage in a ballroom at a College Park, Maryland, hotel on Wednesday, speaking for nearly 30 minutes about how much money had poured into the county over the last year — about what one would expect in the annual speech, dubbed the “State of the Economy.”It was a chance to brag to the local business community about the “over $1 billion of investments along our Blue Line corridor,” as well as how the “redevelopment at Cheverly unlocks a billion dollars in private investment,” after the old Prince George’s Hospital Center is demolished over the coming months.The county hopes to see significant amounts of work on that project conducted by small, minority-owned businesses based in the county, which would have the opportunity to buy into the project and share some of the profits in the future.“Everything we’ve done on economic development also has an eye toward equity,” Alsobrooks said after the speech. With that...

Wisconsin Republicans mum on potential UW budget cuts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:45 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s Republican leaders weren’t saying Wednesday whether they would cut tens of millions of dollars from the University of Wisconsin budget after delaying a vote on the subject, a move that came after the Assembly’s top GOP leader said the plan was to cut funding for diversity and inclusion initiatives.Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told The Associated Press on Tuesday that UW’s budget would be cut by $32 million, the amount he said was to be spent on diversity initiatives. But after nearly seven hours of closed-door discussions, Republicans who control the Legislature’s budget committee could not come to an agreement late Tuesday night and postponed consideration of UW’s budget.Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu declined to comment when asked about the status of UW’s budget on Wednesday.“I’m not going to negotiate the budget through the press,” he told reporters. He walked away without responding when a...

Moore nominates three — including outgoing Prince George’s schools chief — to State Board of Education

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:45 GMT

Dr. Monica Goldson, the interim CEO of the Prince George's County Public Schools, will take the job permanently, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks announced Tuesday. (Prince George's County Public Schools via YouTube)(Courtesy Prince George's County Public Schools) Dr. Monica Goldson, the interim CEO of the Prince George's County Public Schools, will take the job permanently, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks announced Tuesday. (Prince George's County Public Schools via YouTube)(Courtesy Prince George's County Public Schools) This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) announced...

In affirmative action and student loan cases, some see backlash to racial progress in education

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:45 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — As a Black student who was raised by a single mother, Makia Green believes she benefited from a program that gave preference to students of color from economically disadvantaged backgrounds when she was admitted over a decade ago to the University of Rochester.As a borrower who still owes just over $20,000 on her undergraduate student loans, she has been counting on President Joe Biden’s promised debt relief to wipe nearly all of that away. Now, both affirmative action and the student loan cancellation plan — policies that disproportionately help Black students — could soon be dismantled by the U.S. Supreme Court. To Green and many other people of color, the efforts to roll them back reflect a larger backlash to racial progress in higher education.“I feel like working people have been through enough — I have been through enough,” said Green, a community organizer. “From a pandemic, an uprising, a recession, the cost of living price going up. I deserved some r...