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Authorities open murder investigation after Long Beach resident dies after altercation with roommate

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:31:23 GMT

Homicide detectives with the Long Beach Police Department have opened a murder investigation after a man died after being involved in a physical altercation with his roommate early Monday morning.The roommate, identified as Obed Placencia-Garcia, a 34-year-old Long Beach resident, is considered a suspect in the ongoing investigation. Garcia remained on the scene when authorities arrived. California to receive $500,000 from alleged Medi-Cal defraudment scheme At approximately 12:14 a.m. officers responded to the 300 block of E. 17th Street and quickly located a man yelling for help. When officers arrived, the man was complaining about chest pains and having difficulty breathing, according to a news release.Long Beach Fire Department arrived at the scene shortly to render medical aid to the victim, who ultimately died at the scene, authorities said.The victim was identified as Miguel Colin Garduno, a 64-year-old Long Beach resident.Through a preliminary investigation, detectives fou...

Rodney Bingenheimer and the law

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:31:23 GMT

Rodney Bingenheimer and the law: When news broke last week that Runaways songwriter Kari Krome has filed a lawsuit against both Rodney Bingenheimer and late producer Kim Fowley, public reaction was decidedly mixed.On one hand, you had the people saying, “Surely not Rodney – the man who helped raise the profile of underground rock & roll while helping break so many bands. Say it ain’t so.”On the other, there appears to be a decent chunk of people saying, “Well, duh! The rumors have been flying around for years, and Krome has been talking to anyone who would listen.”That said, the court of public opinion is notoriously unreliable. Legally, and journalistically, it’s wrong to make a judgment before the literal judge. It’s absolutely possible to subscribe to that belief and fully support women, at the same time.The lawsuit has only just been filed, the legal process is notoriously slow and so right now, in the eyes of the law, Bingenheimer is innocent until proven guilty (as is Fowl...

Mother Dead, Child Hospitalized after Pedestrian Crash on Colgate Avenue [Los Angeles, CA]

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:31:23 GMT

35-Year-Old Woman Pronounced Dead after Pedestrian Collision near Hancock Park Elementary SchoolLOS ANGELES, CA (May 1, 2023) – Tuesday morning, a mother was killed and her child was hurt in a pedestrian crash on Colgate Avenue.Authorities responded to the scene around 8:00 a.m., near Hancock Park Elementary School on April 25th.According to reports, the driver of a southbound Nissan Titan pickup-truck struck a mother and child that were walking within a marked crosswalk on Ogden Drive. After the impact, the truck came to a rest against a two-story apartment building.Upon arrival, first responders pronounced the 35-year-old mother dead at the scene. Meanwhile, paramedics transported the 6-year-old girl to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Investigators say the child is a first grade student at Hancock Park Elementary.Following preliminary duties, officers confirmed that speed was a contributing factor. At this time, an active investigation to determine further informati...

False alarms, few leads as search drags on for Texas gunman

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:31:23 GMT

By Juan A. Lozano and Paul J. Weber | Associated PressCLEVELAND, Texas — Authorities on Monday still had not captured a gunman in Texas who killed five neighbors from Honduras, and as the search dragged through a third day with false alarms and few apparent leads, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott faced backlash over drawing attention to the victims’ immigration status.An FBI agent on the scene near Houston acknowledged they have little to go on in the widening manhunt for 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, who has been deported four times since 2009, but who neighbors say lived on their street for years prior to Friday night’s shooting in the rural town of Cleveland.Twice on Monday, a sheriff’s office in a neighboring county alerted the public about possible sightings, but neither turned up Oropeza.Abbott offered a $50,000 reward over the weekend for any tips that might lead to the gunman, and while doing so, the three-term governor described all the victims as “illeg...

H-1B: Feds want criminal charges over application fraud for Silicon Valley’s favorite visa

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:31:23 GMT

Federal authorities say they plan to seek criminal prosecution over fraudulent application schemes for the H-1B visa, heavily used by Silicon Valley technology companies to obtain foreign workers.U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said last week that evidence gathered while it processed skyrocketing H-1B applications this year and last year led to “extensive fraud investigations.” The agency said it was starting to refer cases to law enforcement, to prosecute businesses that falsely claimed to have jobs for proposed visa recipients.Not only has the number of applications risen sharply — from about 301,000 for 2022 to 474,000 for this year to 759,000 for next year — Citizenship and Immigration has seen many more cases of multiple companies submitting initial registrations for the same worker, the agency said in an online update Friday.“Some (companies) may have tried to gain an unfair advantage by working together to submit multiple registrations ...

Redwood City: Public’s help sought in solving fatal hit-and-run

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:31:23 GMT

REDWOOD CITY – The Redwood City Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying a driver who hit and killed a bicyclist more than a month ago.The fatal collision was reported around 9:25 p.m. on March 31 in the 1100 block of Veterans Boulevard between Walnut and Maple streets. The San Mateo County Coroner’s Office identified the bicyclist as 54-year-old unhoused resident Manuel Alfonso.In a statement Monday, the police department the vehicle was either a gold or white late 1990s Toyota or Honda sedan but had “very limited suspect information” and “no description of the driver.”The Redwood City Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying the driver of this vehicle, which was involved in a fatal hit-and-run collision in the 1100 block of Veterans Boulevard on March 31, 2023. Anyone with information related to the case can call Detective James Schneider at 650-780-7607 or the anonymous tip line at 650-780-7110.Related A...

Letters: Leaf blowers | Empty stadium | No to recall | Picking propane | Mitigate climate

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:31:23 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Ban gas leaf blowersin Walnut CreekCongratulations to the city of Lafayette for their proposal to ban noisy and air-polluting gas leaf blowers beginning July 2023 for residential areas and 2024 for commercial areas, joining many other Bay Area cities.Many of us who live in Walnut Creek have been beseeching the City Council to ban them as well, unfortunately to no avail. In fact, the plan to ban outdoor gas-powered gardening equipment, according to the newly published draft of the city’s Sustainability Action Plan, will be 85% enacted by 2030. Really? I don’t want to wait that long for relief from their noise and pollution.Check out the Sustainability Action Plan draft. And please join us at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday on Zoom to offer your comments on the plan draft before it becomes final.Jamie DavidsonWalnut CreekReward Fisher withan empty stadiumJohn Fisher has shown utter disregard for A’s fans i...

UK’s diverse communities ambivalent about pending coronation

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:31:23 GMT

By Sylvia Hui | Associated PressLONDON — Musician Deronne White is ready to play on King Charles III’s coronation day. The flautist and his fellow young musicians aren’t playing anything regal or solemn — they’re planning to parade through south London’s streets entertaining crowds with an uplifting “coronation carnival” set mixing gospel, jazz, grime, disco and rap. There’ll even be a calypso take on the U.K. national anthem.While he’s excited about the gig, White says he has mixed feelings about the coronation. Like some others at the Brixton Chamber Orchestra, White is a descendant of migrants from Jamaica — a former British colony and Commonwealth member that wants to cut its ties with the monarchy and has called for the U.K. royals to address their historical ties to slavery.“Personally it’s a little bit hard to connect to the whole occasion,” he said. “I think that the coronation could possibly allow peopl...

Menlo Park: Proper Food brings its chef-designed takeout meals to new Springline complex

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:31:23 GMT

Proper Food has finally brought its “fresh take on takeaway” concept to the Peninsula, not far from the Stanford campus where the company’s founders met.A grand opening will be held Tuesday at the new Menlo Park location at Springline on El Camino Real. Hours going forward will be 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays.The chef-driven chain was launched in San Francisco’s Financial District in 2014 by now-co-CEOs Howard and Dana Bloom, with a menu created by founding executive chef and head of operations Juan Muñoz (Campton Place, City Club of San Francisco). It’s become a bicoastal operation, with 11 locations in S.F., one at San Francisco International Airport just south of the city and four in New York City. This location will make for 13 in the Bay Area.The Blooms’ idea was to offer fresh, seasonal food to go. All meals are made daily in a South San Francisco commissary kitchen and delivered to each location. At day’s end, any leftover meals are donated.Among the pop...

Breach blamed on Russian-linked hackers exposes San Jose healthcare group’s sensitive data

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:31:23 GMT

In a widescale data breach, the personal information of more than a quarter million South Bay patients who rely on the state’s affordable health insurance plan may have been exposed through a San Jose-based Medi-Cal provider hit by a nationwide cyber attack.Santa Clara Family Health Plan said Monday that the sensitive information of 276,993 members — including names, contact information, dates of birth, member IDs and Medi-Cal credentials — may be compromised.The incident is part of a larger breach of more than 130 organizations across the country, according to a February report by the cyber security division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Officials believe a Russia-linked ransomware group dubbed “Clop” may be responsible, though no definitive evidence has come to light, the Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center said.In response to the latest breach, the San Jose healthcare group is urging its members to be on the alert f...