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Opinion: When past waves of American violence inspired action

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:12:53 GMT

The murders of three children and three staff members at a school in Nashville on Monday was at least the 129th mass shooting of 2023. That’s a rate of 1.5 mass shootings, involving four or more victims, each day of the year.The constant barrage can sow feelings of hopelessness in the majority of us who would rather not have a country where there are more guns than people and where gun violence is now the leading cause of death in children.Hopelessness is precisely what manufacturers of those weapons and lobbyists in the NRA want: that we give up and give in, quietly consenting to the vile dogma that periodic bloodbaths are just another “price of freedom.”The first step in avoiding such resignation is to realize that we are living through an unusual surge in interpersonal violence, not an unbroken “normal” that stretches back to 1776.To be sure, we’ve had other bloody peaks in our history. One began soon after the Revolution, when high-strung gentlemen aped European aristocrats by s...

Monterey County man sentenced to 50 years in prison for five counts of child molestation

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:12:53 GMT

SALINAS – A Salinas man was sentenced to 50 years in prison this week for sexually assaulting a minor under the same household over the course of several years, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.Monterey County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Hulsey sentenced Angel De Jesus Carmona, 31, to half a century behind bars for committing five counts of forcible lewd act upon a child under 14 years old, the DA’s Office said in a press release. All offenses are violent felonies and considered “strikes” under California’s Three Strikes law.According to the DA’s Office, Carmona repeatedly sexually assaulted Jane Doe, a female household member, over the course of several years. In May 2022, Doe told her mother about the sexual abuse, which investigators said had been going on since she was 9 years old.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Former California cop who sexually abused children pleads guilty, escapes prison sentence Crime and Public...

Marin’s Jerry Harrison to help Talking Heads’ music remain in light at Mill Valley Music Festival

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:12:53 GMT

It had been a long day of music at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival this past October, but there was one last band I wanted to see before heading home: Marin’s own Jerry Harrison, a former member of the Talking Heads, and King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew playing songs from the Talking Heads’ groundbreaking 1980 album “Remain in Light.”There were a few other people who wanted to see them as well — an expectant crowd estimated at more than 50,000 filled every square inch of grass from the stage into the far reaches of Golden Gate Park.On that crisp fall evening, there was a rare feeling of community in the air as Harrison, Belew and their kinetic band — a powerhouse 11 pieces in all — unspooled spirited renditions of Talking Heads songs, hits such as “Once in a Lifetime,” “Psycho Killer” and “Take Me to the River,” that fans of the seminal new wave band hadn’t heard played live for ages.Harrison had felt this magical connection between the band and its audiences from the firs...

Marin police seize weapons stockpile in traffic stop of East Bay man

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:12:53 GMT

An East Bay man was arrested in Mill Valley on Thursday with a trove that included guns, ammunition, a sword, a booby trap and a white plastic face mask, police said.The arrest happened after a traffic stop at 2:30 a.m. at Miller Avenue and Almonte Boulevard. Mill Valley police Cpl. Michael Puccetti stopped the car because it had a malfunctioning headlamp, said Sgt. Shaun McCracken.Puccetti noticed some of the suspicious items, searched the vehicle and found the rest of the stockpile. The booby trap was a device intended to hold a shotgun shell that would deploy if someone tripped the wire, McCracken said.Related ArticlesCalifornia News | Two alleged gang members arrested in Oakland party shooting where teenaged brothers were gunned down California News | Oakland police hit with scathing report, more fallout from misconduct scandal California News | Second suspect in East Bay homicide arrested California News | Berkeley woma...

Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis surveys storm damage in Pajaro

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:12:53 GMT

PAJARO – Amid a backdrop of submerged strawberry fields, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis toured the Monterey County community of Pajaro, which is still feeling the impacts of the March 11 levee breach that has left the community flooded.Kounalakis joined Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church, Cal Fire employees, agricultural representatives and community leaders Wednesday evening for a tour of the community and to meet with farmers affected by the flood.On March 11, three months of heavy rains caused a breach in the Pajaro River levee, causing extensive flooding to the area and evacuations of its 2,000 residents, many of whom returned to damaged homes.During her Wednesday visit to Pajaro Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis listens to CalFire officials recount their rescue efforts during the flood. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel) One of the largest impacts has been on the agricultural industry, which is very prevalent in northern Monterey County. As fields have flooded, many farms...

Former San Jose man involved in Santa Cruz 2019 summer shootings sentenced

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:12:53 GMT

SANTA CRUZ — A former San Jose man was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison Thursday for his role in several Santa Cruz shootings.Michael Day, 22, pleaded no contest in November as part of a plea deal that led to him testifying earlier this year during his friend’s attempted murder trial. As part of his testimony, Day detailed how he and former codefendant Enrique Rocha had grown up together and been associated with the same Santa Cruz gang. The shootings, he said, were part of the “work” the two put in, in order to defend their territory against rival gang members.Day had pleaded to charges of attempted murder, unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior juvenile conviction, assault with a firearm and participation in criminal gang activity, all felonies. Judge Paul Burdick handed down the negotiated sentence, which totaled 15 years, four months, minus more than four years of jail credit time. Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Former California cop who sex...

Highway 9 at Holiday Slide set to reopen Friday

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:12:53 GMT

The Holiday Slide off of Highway 9 near Ben Lomond is set to reopen to one-way traffic at 10 a.m. Friday following inspection assessments after recent rains, according to a release from Caltrans.A temporary signal system has been put in place to direct traffic as repair work continues, but travelers can expect delays on this route as a second temporary signal system was already put in place just south of this location at Highway 9.Related ArticlesTransportation | Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis surveys storm damage in Pajaro Transportation | 5 great places to see California’s wildflower season, possibly the best in 20 years Transportation | Marin waterfalls draw visitors following historic rains Transportation | Latest storm piles more snow on California mountains Transportation | Staying safe in lightning storms: Tips about phones, toilets, cars, concrete The section of roadway between lower Glen Arbor ...

If a tsunami hit, would you know what to do?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:12:53 GMT

Dana Wharf boat captain Todd Mansur felt the strong ocean surge tugging at the 65-foot fishing boat as he pulled the vessel out of the Dana Point Harbor.There was no big rise or fall of the saltwater, just a few inches of ocean level change generated by the eruption of an undersea volcano near the Polynesian island chain of Tonga. But the tsunami’s presence was felt in the water’s turbulent current, making it difficult to control the massive boat.Southern California has escaped major damage through the years from tsunamis, with the state’s northern coastline more often taking the brunt of the damage, but that doesn’t mean the giant waves couldn’t some day happen here – and officials want people close to the coast to be prepared.This week’s Tsunami Preparedness Week has been a chance for cities and emergency preparedness officials to remind people living near or visiting the coast to know how to stay safe if water comes surging onto the shoreline.Dana Point joined other coastal citie...

El papa Francisco podría ser dado de alta este sábado, dice portavoz del Vaticano

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:12:53 GMT

(CNN) — Se espera que el papa Francisco sea dado de alta del hospital este sábado, dijo este viernes el portavoz del Vaticano, Matteo Bruni, en un comunicado.Además, según le dijo Bruni a CNN, el papa participará en un servicio de misa del Domingo de Ramos en la Plaza de San Pedro.Entre tanto, el pontífice cenó pizza el jueves junto con personal médico y policial, y el viernes “después del desayuno, leyó algunos periódicos y retomó su trabajo. Se espera el regreso de Su Santidad a Santa Marta para mañana, luego de los resultados de las últimas pruebas de esta mañana”, agregó Bruni.Más temprano este viernes, fuentes del Vaticano informaron que el papa pasó una segunda noche de “descanso” en el hospital.El Pontífice fue hospitalizado este miércoles para el tratamiento de una infección respiratoria. El jueves, el Vaticano dijo que el Papa mostró una “clara mejoría” después de recibir antibióticos por vía intravenosa para una infección de bronquitis y podrí...

Así es cómo un equipo de cirujanos estadounidenses y canadienses intenta reparar rostros destrozados de soldados en la guerra en Ucrania

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:12:53 GMT

(CNN) — Lesya Belinska está orgullosa de su hijo. Se para al lado de Roman Belinsky en su casa y lo abraza con un brazo. Belinsky, avergonzado, le indica que se vaya.El rostro de Belinsky está desfigurado por una grave herida de combate. El hombre de 42 años fue dado de baja recientemente, pero aún viste su uniforme militar.“Estoy orgulloso porque no corriste y te escondiste. Debes nacer con eso. Estoy orgullosa de mi hijo y de todos sus muchachos. Si no fuera por esto, los rusos nos destruirán”, dice su madre.Belinsky dice que se ofreció como voluntario para una brigada de infantería mecanizada de Ucrania en 2020. Después de la invasión a gran escala de Rusia en febrero de 2022, fue uno de los primeros grupos en entrar en combate.Belinsky muestra un video selfie de los primeros días de la guerra. Con una sonrisa traviesa, revela a su unidad a toda velocidad en la parte trasera de un vehículo blindado. Levanta el puño.“¡Slava Ucraniana!”, grita en el video, el grito ahora ampl...