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Former Meta engineer testifies before Congress on Instagram’s harms to teens

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:56 GMT

On the same day whistleblower Frances Haugen was testifying before Congress about the harms of Facebook and Instagram to children in the fall of 2021, Arturo Béjar, then a contractor at the social media giant, sent an alarming email to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the same topic. In the note, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal, Béjar, who worked as an engineering director at Facebook from 2009 to 2015, outlined a “critical gap” between how the company approached harm and how the people who use its products — most notably young people — experience it. “Two weeks ago my daughter, 16, and an experimenting creator on Instagram, made a post about cars, and someone commented ‘Get back to the kitchen.’ It was deeply upsetting to her,” he wrote. “At the same time the comment is far from being policy violating, and our tools of blocking or deleting mean that this person will go to other profiles and continue to spread misogyny. I don’t think policy/reporting or having more conten...

Northwest Indiana father accused of shooting his children's mother, her boyfriend during custody exchange

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:56 GMT

GRIFFITH, Ind. — A Northwest Indiana man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting the mother of his children and her boyfriend during a custody exchange.On Friday night at around 6:35 p.m., Griffith officers responded to the 1500 block of North Arbogast, on the report of shots fired.A responding officer noticed a vehicle had an apparent bullet hole in the side of it at a nearby Wendy's and saw five people inside, a man, a woman and three small children.The man was shot in the leg and the woman was shot in the right arm.The woman told police she was at an apartment complex to drop off two of her children to their father, Calvin Gordon, during a custody exchange.At some point, Gordon allegedly walked over to her white Volkswagen sedan and fired a single shot — striking her and her boyfriend.The mother told police that once she realized she was shot, they exited the apartment complex by driving over a curb and went to a nearby Wendy's. Group accused of stealing...

Trump holds 39-point lead over DeSantis in Florida poll

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:56 GMT

(The Hill) -- Former President Donald Trump expanded his lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the Sunshine State, according to a new poll from the University of North Florida (UNF) published Tuesday.About 60 percent of respondents sided with Trump in the poll compared to just 21 percent for DeSantis and 6 percent for former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley in a distant third.In a head-to-head poll, Trump still leads DeSantis 59-29.The poll represents the former president's monumental lead in the GOP primary even though DeSantis remains popular in his home state.“Despite historically high approval in the polls, Governor DeSantis losing steam in his home state doesn’t bode well for his national campaign,” UNF professor Michael Binder said in a statement. “Even if you wipe out the rest of the competition in a head-to-head, Trump leads DeSantis by 20 points.” Trump attorney says New York attorney general is ‘just not that bright’ DeSantis has struggled in Florida, losing key endorsemen...

National parks are free to visit for one day this week

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:56 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — For one day only this week, national parks that usually charge an entrance fee will be free to visit. November 11, Veterans Day, marks the last of the five days the National Park Service is waiving admission fees for this year.We already saw free admission on January 16, which is Martin Luther King Day; April 22, the first day of National Park Week; August 4, to mark the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act; and September 23, for National Public Lands Day. Why do some national parks charge an entrance fee? All of the 109 sites that charge an entrance fee, will be free to visit on Saturday. Fees are still required for overnight camping, cabin rentals, transportation, group day use, and use of special areas. Last year, there were roughly 312 million recreational visits to 395 national parks that track attendance, a 15 million increase over 2021. The most visited park was Blue Ridge Parkway, which received 15.7 million visits last year,...

Historic hangar at former air base in California engulfed in flames 

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:56 GMT

(KTLA) -- A hangar at a historic air base in Orange County, California, went up in flames early Tuesday morning. According to the Orange County Fire Authority, the fire broke out around 1 a.m. at the Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin. As the hangar burned, fire officials were concerned that the structure would completely collapse."It's definitely not a normal fire, but today because of the complex fire operation, our incident commanders decided that they are going to use helicopters along with the truck companies," said OCFA Captain Thanh Nguyen, noting that helicopters are usually deployed for large brush fires. "Our firefighters are situated outside [the hangar] and they are placing their units in the most advantageous spots to get water into the structure. Then, should the building collapse, they are not in the line of fire." Captain of dive boat that sunk after fire convicted in deaths of 34 passengers Several of the base’s hangars were on fire by the time first r...

Bennington man arrested in 2022 trailer park robbery

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:56 GMT

POWNAL, Vt. (NEWS10) -- A Bennington man was arrested in connection to a 2022 break-in at the Burdick Trailer Park in Pownal, Vermont. Luzander Montoya, 37, faces multiple charges.On December 1, 2022, police responded to the Burdick Trailer Park in Pownal, Vermont, for reports of two people breaking into an occupied dwelling with weapons. Police say during the break-in, one of the suspects struck a victim with a blunt object on the head. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The victim was later taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The suspects also stole personal items and a cell phone from a juvenile victim, preventing them from calling emergency services. At the time, Douglas Marsh, 34, of Bennington, was arrested. Police have now identified Luzander Montoya as the second suspect.Charges:Assault and robberyBurglaryUnlawful restraintInterference with access to emergency servicesMontoya is currently held at the Marble Valley Co...

Arizona man arrested after body found in trunk of car in Huntington Beach

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:56 GMT

A call regarding a home disturbance in Huntington Beach led to authorities discovering a body in the trunk of a car, and now an arrest has been made. The original call came in late Monday afternoon around 5:15 p.m. from a home in the 17000 block of Friml Lane, according to a press release from the Huntington Beach Police Department.  Historic hangar at former air base in Orange County engulfed in flames Upon arriving and conducting a preliminary investigation, officers were able to locate the body of a female in the back of a sedan parked nearby."She had passed away under suspicious circumstances," HBPD said.A call regarding a home disturbance in Huntington Beach led to authorities discovering a body in the trunk of a car. (OnSceneTV)Detectives and officials with the HBPD's Crimes Against Persons unit opened an investigation, and after conducting interviews and collecting evidence, they arrested a person of interest. Couple walking dog robbed at gunpoint in West Holly...

Mudslide closes Mulholland Drive in Beverly Crest

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:56 GMT

A water main break caused a landslide that closed Mulholland Drive in Beverly Crest Monday night.Authorities were called out to a road hazard in the 11000 block of Mulholland Drive at 10:48 p.m., and when they arrived, they found a mudslide covering both directions in the 8600 block of Mulholland, according to stringer service Key News.A mudslide closed a stretch of Mulholland Drive on Nov. 6, 2023. (KeyNews.TV)A mudslide closed a stretch of Mulholland Drive on Nov. 6, 2023. (KeyNews.TV)A mudslide closed a stretch of Mulholland Drive, as shown on Nov. 7, 2023. (KTLA)The source of the water appears to be below homes in the 8600 block of Edwin Drive, according to Key News.Mulholland remained closed in both directions from Skyline Drive to Bowmont Drive through 7 a.m.This water main break comes just one day after another main burst for the third time in two days in South L.A., flooding streets in the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw area.

Person struck, killed by train in Northridge

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:56 GMT

A Metrolink train fatally struck a pedestrian in Northridge Tuesday morning.The collision at 8615 N. Lindley Ave. was reported a few minutes before 7 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department.The Los Angeles Fire Department later confirmed that "sadly, one person was fatally struck by a train." Their identity, age and gender have not been released."The tracks have been shut down," LAFD officials added in a news alert.No other injuries were reported.

Affordable homes will be part of housing at old San Jose Fry’s site

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:56 GMT

SAN JOSE — More than 100 affordable homes are slated to become part of a huge housing development at a former Fry’s Electronics site in San Jose where 1,000-plus residences could be built, city files show.The prospect for affordable housing at the choice site in north San Jose was contained in the details for the application to develop the property that this news organization obtained from the San Jose Planning Department.Mayan-themed entry areas of the Fry’s Electronics store at 550 East Brokaw Road in San Jose, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)The development would sprout at the site of a former Fry’s Electronics big-box store and corporate headquarters at 550 East Brokaw Road in San Jose.The residential project now being floated at San Jose City Hall marks a pivot whereby the site’s owners have ditched their plans to build a vast tech campus totaling millions of square feet on the 19.7-acre property, which is near the interchange of Inte...