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Ex-Ventura County teacher charged with sex assault of student

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:46 GMT

A former Ojai teacher has been charged with 23 counts of sex assault upon a minor, officials announced Friday.Paul Herder, 65, of Pahoa, Hawaii, pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include lewd act on a child, luring, penetration by a foreign object, oral copulation of a person under 18, unlawful sex and using a minor for sex acts.The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office also alleges aggravating circumstances that Herder took advantage of a position of trust as a teacher at Oak Grove School to commit the sexual assaults.Detectives began investigating Herder earlier this year after learning of the allegations against him.He is believed to have had an unlawful relationship and allegedly engaged in numerous sexual acts with a student between 2013 to 2017 when he worked as a teacher at the school.Detectives traced Herder to Hawaii in June. He was located and arrested in Pahoa and eventually extradited back to Ventura County on July 31, officials said.Herder taught at various s...

Mother bear and cubs captured, wanted for dozens of break-ins in South Lake Tahoe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:46 GMT

A large mother bear wanted for dozens of break-ins throughout South Lake Tahoe was captured along with her three cubs.The bear, known as 64F, is responsible for at least 21 home invasions between February 2022 and May 2023, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. DNA found at the break-in sites was used to confirm her identity and involvement.The mother’s three male cubs have accompanied her during recent break-ins as well, CDFW said. There are additional break-ins and property damage that 64F is also suspected of.The large mother bear was one of three bears identified by the public as “Hank the Tank” in 2022.The 500-pound black bear, who was later discovered to be three bears, were collectively responsible for more than 150 incident reports in the region between Northern California and Nevada, the Associated Press reports.64F has been monitored by wildlife officials since 2022. At the time, 64F was immobilized so wildlife experts could collect DNA samples, atta...

Southern California braces for more extreme heat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:46 GMT

After a short reprieve, more extreme heat arrives for the weekend in Southern California.The National Weather Service has issued heat advisories for areas of Ventura, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Riverside and San Bernadino counties for Saturday morning into Sunday evening. High temperatures in the inland valleys, mountains and deserts are expected to reach the high 90s and triple digits.“This will not be a prolonged heat wave,” said KTLA 5 Weather Anchor Kaj Goldberg. “Inland areas could see temperatures up to 107 degrees as we make our way through Saturday and Sunday afternoon.”Temperatures in the deserts are expected to hit 118 degrees, which has prompted excessive heat warnings from the NWS.Heat advisories (orange) and excessive heat warnings (pink) were issued for Southern California. Aug. 5-6, 2023. Coastal areas will be largely spared.“The marine layer will keep coastal highs in the mid-to-upper 70s over the next several nights and mornings,” Goldberg said.Temperatures w...

FDA approves first post-partum depression pill in US

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:46 GMT

By Jacqueline Howard | CNNThe US Food and Drug Administration has approved the medication zuranolone for the treatment of major depressive disorder and severe postpartum depression – making it the first FDA-approved oral pill in the United States specifically for postpartum depression, a serious mental illness that can develop in about 1 in 7 new mothers after childbirth.On Friday, the FDA announced that the treatment, to be sold under the brand named Zurzuvae, has been approved as a once-daily pill taken over the course of 14 days.“Postpartum depression is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition in which women experience sadness, guilt, worthlessness—even, in severe cases, thoughts of harming themselves or their child. And, because postpartum depression can disrupt the maternal-infant bond, it can also have consequences for the child’s physical and emotional development,” Dr. Tiffany R. Farchione, director of the Division of Psychiatry in the FDA’s Center for Drug Eval...

Letters: Incandescent bulbs | U.S. recruiting | China’s aggression

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:46 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Ban on incandescentbulbs bad for needyThanks to our politicians, especially the Biden administration, choices available to low-income families have just disappeared.Effective this month, manufacturers can no longer make or sell standard incandescent light bulbs. While it is true new LED-based bulbs will use less electricity, and in a miniscule way help fight “climate change,” they also cost a lot more.Look at the Home Depot website as an example. You can find a 4-pack of LED-based screw-in bulbs that provides the same light as a traditional 100-watt bulb for $17.48 or $4.37 per bulb. But until the government put its fingers in things, you could buy 100-watt standard bulbs for about $1 apiece.Now low-income families may have to do with no light if they don’t happen to have the $17 on hand to replace bulbs that burn out. Thanks to all those who voted for Joe Biden and friends.Mike HellerWalnut CreekU.S. mi...

The 10 most expensive homes reported sold in San Jose in the week of July 24

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:46 GMT

A house in San Jose that sold for $2.8 million tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in San Jose in the past week.In total, 34 residential real estate sales were recorded in the area during the past week, with an average price of $2.1 million. The average price per square foot was $1,029.The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of July 24 even if the property may have been sold earlier.10. $2.4 million, single-family residence in the 6500 block of Jeremie DriveA sale has been finalized for the single-family residence in the 6500 block of Jeremie Drive in San Jose. The price was $2,350,000 and the new owners took over the house in July. The house was built in 1967 and the living area totals 2,220 square feet. The price per square foot ended up at $1,059. The house features four bedrooms and three bathrooms.Jeremie Drive9. $2.4 million, single-family home in the 15100 block of Woodard RoadThe sale o...

After weeks of silence, NASA reconnects with Voyager 2

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:46 GMT

By Marcia Dunn | Associated PressCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft was back chatting it up Friday after flight controllers corrected a mistake that had led to weeks of silence.Hurtling ever deeper into interstellar space billions of miles away, Voyager 2 stopped communicating two weeks ago. Controllers sent the wrong command to the 46-year-old spacecraft and tilted its antenna away from Earth.On Wednesday, NASA’s Deep Space Network sent a new command in hopes of repointing the antenna, using the highest powered transmitter at the huge radio dish antenna in Australia. Voyager 2’s antenna needed to be shifted a mere 2 degrees.It took more than 18 hours for the command to reach Voyager 2 — more than 12 billion miles (19 billion kilometers) away — and another 18 hours to hear back.The long shot paid off. On Friday, the spacecraft started returning data again, according to officials at California’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.“I just sort of s...

Letters: Keep rail | Tech’s limitations | Unworkable ballots | Moderate America | National issue | Driving fear

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:46 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Santa Cruz votershave spoken: Keep railThere’s a very small special interest group working hard to prevent rail service in Santa Cruz County.They are motivated to write frequent letters and opinions to news and social media despite an overwhelming rejection of Measure D last year. Santa Cruz voters turned down their plan to remove the rail tracks by 73%.Why are they continuing to push this short-sighted agenda so hard when a clear majority of Santa Cruz residents said build the trail and keep the rail? The continuing letters and posts advocating track removal and trail-only are from a small group trying to obscure the fact that most of us want both a safe wide trail and great passenger rail service.Russell WeiszSanta CruzTech doesn’t alwaysmake things easyRe: “Finding a rental in the Bay Area no mean feat” (Page A6, July 26).I truly relate to Sue Kensill’s frustration in try...

Man dies after shooting in SF's Visitacion Valley

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:46 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A man died after a shooting Thursday night in Visitacion Valley, the San Francisco Police Department. The shooting happened around 9:43 p.m. in the area of Kelloch Avenue, which is near the Daly City border.Police arrived at the scene and saw a man with gunshot wounds. Medics were called, and the man was taken to a nearby hospital. However, the shooting victim died at the hospital.No arrests have been made at this time. SFPD did not specify where exactly on Kelloch Avenue the shooting happened. 2 bodies found in San Jose home after welfare check SFPD says anyone with information is asked to call the Tip Line at 1-415-575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD. You may remain anonymous.  

USA Basketball’s select team wins pair of short scrimmages against World Cup team

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:46 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — USA Basketball assembles what it calls a select team to practice with and scrimmage against its national team before big events like the World Cup and the Olympics, while hoping those games become a real test.Mission accomplished.Let’s be clear: The “games” Friday were 10 minutes long, the national team was trying a whole slew of combinations and U.S. coach Steve Kerr wasn’t exactly treating a three-point deficit in the final minute the way he would if a medal was at stake. He wasn’t calling time-out to set up plays, never even got out of his seat until the final buzzer sounded.But that said, the select team did beat the U.S. World Cup team in a pair of those scrimmages on Friday, the second day of camp in Las Vegas. Kerr seemed completely unbothered afterward, noting he had seen similar results before the 2019 World Cup and the Tokyo Olympics two summers ago.“That’s a time-honored tradition in USA Basketball,” Kerr said.That’s absolute...