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Letters: BART ‘solutions’ | GOP cuts | Co-opting Christianity | Conservative control

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.BART ‘solutions’ areunrealistic, naiveRe: “BART needs driverless trains: VTA should halt S.J. extension” (Page A6, May 19).Marc Joffe offers some of the most naïve and unrealistic solutions for “fixing” BART’s operational and financial woes that I have seen yet.First, he makes a broad, and false, assumption that funding for capital projects (like Phase II of the BART extension) could easily be reappropriated to operational funding. That money is largely tied up and cannot be distributed through a system that goes through so many counties and cities.Second, automating BART would be a massive capital expenditure that is not worth undertaking for a temporary labor shortage. Retrofitting BART to be automated would cost billions, especially considering that BART is receiving new rolling stock, and robbing the region of many of good jobs for working-class Californians....

East Bay prison guard's abuse 'shocks the conscience,' U.S. attorney says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

(KRON) -- Six prison guards allegedly ran a "rape club" inside Federal Correctional Institute at Dublin where they sexually abused female inmates for years, investigators said. And Darrell Wayne Smith was the worst offender, according to charges filed by prosecutors.Smith, 53, is named in court documents by his legal name, as well as his nickname, "Dirty Dick Smith." The U.S. Department of Justice charged Smith with 12 counts, the most counts of any guard prosecuted in the scandal.Smith appeared in a Northern District of California courtroom on Tuesday to face accusations that he sexually abused three female inmates in his custody.(Photo by Sara D. Davis /Getty Images / File)Rampant sexual abuse was carried out by guards who worked for FCID, located across the street from Alameda County's Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, prosecutors said. Smith moved to Florida after FBI agents began investigating the guards' conduct.Smith was arrested at his home in Crawfordville, Fla., on May 11 and he ...

2 killed by wrong-way driver on Highway 1

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

(KRON) -- Two people were killed after a driver crossed into the wrong-way lanes on Highway 1 early Tuesday afternoon, California Highway Patrol said. The crash happened near Highway 183 in the area of Castroville.A GMC Sierra was going northbound on Highway 1 at about 12:40 p.m. when it crossed the double yellow lines into the southbound lanes "for reasons still under investigation," CHP said. It struck a Mazda going southbound. Suspect identified after fatal crash at Potrero Hill bus stop The driver of the GMC, identified as 69-year-old Santa Cruz resident David Randall Hart, suffered major injuries. The driver and one passenger of the Mazda were killed. A second passenger was hospitalized with major injuries. The driver was identified by CHP as a 79-year-old woman from Soquel. The passengers were a 75-year-old man and a 73-year-old woman from Tennessee. The man was killed. The crash affected traffic on Highway 1 Tuesday afternoon. Southbound traffic was diverted onto Molera R...

Teen dies during apparent social media stunt on Los Angeles bridge, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 17-year-old boy fell to his death this weekend while climbing a Los Angeles bridge in an apparent social media stunt, police said.Police were sent to the 6th Street Viaduct around 2 a.m. Saturday and found the boy, who was pronounced dead at a hospital. His name wasn’t immediately released.The teen slipped and fell “when climbing upon one of the arches, in order to post, apparently, a social media broadcast,” Police Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday during a meeting of the Los Angeles Police Commission.The bridge opened last July. The $588-million span, which replaced an 84-year-old Art Deco span, runs 3,500 feet (1,066.80 meters) over the concrete-lined Los Angeles River and connects downtown to the historic Eastside. The bridge, which has thousands of LED lights and views of LA’s skyline, is the largest and most expensive span ever built in the city. It was designed to become a city landmark.But police closed the bridge several times after it quickly...

Brazil cruises, Nigeria leads Group D after 2-0 win over Italy at Under-20 World Cup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Brazil trounced Dominican Republic 6-0 on Wednesday to keep alive its chances of advancing to the knockout stage of the Under-20 World Cup. The Brazilians are 1-1 and three points behind unbeaten Group D leader Nigeria, which beat Italy 2-0.Nigeria will next face Brazil on Saturday and Italy will take on the Dominicans, setting up the prospect of goal difference being a decisive factor for qualification. The top two teams in each group plus the four best third-placed teams will progress to the Round of 16.The Brazilian team, which lost 3-2 to Italy in its first group match, did not face any resistance from Dominican Republic throughout the match in Mendoza, with goals coming from Sávio (37th minute), Marcos Leonardo (38), Jean (57), Giovane (82) and in stoppage time from Marlon Gomes and Matheus Martins.Earlier in the same city, Salim Lawal’s diving header gave Nigeria the lead in the 61st minute and Jude Sunday sealed the victory against Italy i...

La alianza entre DeSantis y Elon Musk comenzó a gestarse hace un año

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

(CNN) — Cuando Elon Musk, CEO de Tesla, se planteó por primera vez la compra de Twitter a principios de 2022, el gobernador de Florida, Ron DeSantis, fue uno de los muchos republicanos que aplaudieron públicamente la intención del multimillonario tecnológico de una plataforma de redes sociales considerada hostil por los conservadores.Pero DeSantis presionó más que la mayoría de los funcionarios republicanos. Aludiendo a las inversiones del fondo de pensiones de Florida en la compañía, el gobernador prometió poner al tercer estado más grande del país en contra de la junta directiva de Twitter si no aprobaban la venta a Musk.¿Quién es Ron DeSantis, el gobernador de Florida que quiere ser presidente de EE.UU.?“Vamos a buscar la manera de que el estado de Florida pueda exigir responsabilidades a la junta directiva de Twitter por incumplir su deber fiduciario”, dijo en abril de 2022. “Así que estén atentos a eso”.Ahora, un año después de que DeSantis ayudara...

Police: Kentucky man accused of shooting roommate who ate last Hot Pocket

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A man in Kentucky’s largest city is facing criminal charges after allegedly shooting his roommate during a dispute over a Hot Pocket, authorities say. Clifton Williams, 64, was arrested on assault charges Sunday after he accused his roommate of eating their last Hot Pocket and attacked him, shooting him in the buttocks, Louisville Metro Police Department officials told WLKY-TV. According to police, Williams started throwing tiles at the man after he realized the last microwaveable turnover was gone. He then shot him in the buttocks as he tried to escape, the TV station reported.Williams is prohibited from contacting the victim, who was taken to UofL Hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. His bond was set at $7,500.Source

Nuggets fans frustrated with national coverage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- The Denver Nuggets made team history after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals and advancing to the NBA Finals. But during the playoff games, several local fans were unhappy with the announcers and the focus of the coverage of the games. "The Nuggets have had to climb out of this idea that they are a flyover city," Ryan Edwards, with KOA Radio, said. Edwards said he thinks the reason the Nuggets aren't getting the national respect is because they haven't been there (the NBA Finals) like other teams have.  Nuggets make Denver a hoops town with first trip to NBA Finals in 47 years “I like how this team fits in with the community and I think they will represent well in the Finals," Edwards said. Darrin Duber-Smith, a senior lecturer at Metropolitan State University of Denver said he thinks more people, not just locally but across the nation, will jump on the Nuggets bandwagon. “The Nuggets are gain...

Search underway for missing 65-year-old man last seen at FLL

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

Authorities seek the public’s help in their search for a 65-year-old man who was reported missing from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office Missing Persons Unit, Manuel Bolano-Torres was last seen at FLL, near 200 Terminal Drive, just after 7:50 p.m., Tuesday.Bolano-Torres stands 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs around 150 pounds, and has white hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a burgundy shirt and dark jeans and carrying a black backpack. Bolano-Torres’s family told detectives that he suffers from early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.Officials urge anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact BSO Detective Leonard Charla at 954-321-4274 or the BSO non-emergency number 954-764- HELP (4357).

Art imitates life in ‘About My Father,’ starring Robert De Niro as comedian Sebastian Maniscalco’s dad

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

Family is where all the best comedy comes from. Well, in my family, it’s more like drama … but in a new semi-autobiographical movie, you’ll get a little bit of both. Well, more laughs than tears. Deco’s Alex Miranda has more.You may know comedian Sebastian Maniscalco from his stand-ups, and if you’ve seen any, you probably know about his dad. He’s a source of constant material, and now, in “About My Father,” we get the full father-son duo dynamic.If you could cast any actor as your dad…Sebastian Maniscalco (as Sebastian): “If we’re going to do this, Dad, you gotta dial it down on the ‘de, de, de.’Robert De Niro (as Salvo Maniscalco): “What, what, what, what is this?”…who would it be?Alex Miranda: “I’m so sorry that you had to hire Robert De Niro to play your father.Sebastian Maniscalco: “Touché.”Alex Miranda: “That must have really sucked for you, right?”Sebastian Manisc...