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Man carjacked at gunpoint outside Piedmont home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:30 GMT

PIEDMONT — A 52-year-old man was carjacked at gunpoint Saturday afternoon by three suspects who were driving around the city in what turned out to be another carjacked vehicle, police said.The man was not hurt and his vehicle was recovered later in unincorporated Hayward, authorities said. The suspects were still being sought Monday.Authorities said about 1:30 p.m. Saturday, police dispatch received multiple calls from residents regarding a suspicious vehicle in the area of Lexford Road and Huntleigh Road, as well as on Sandringham Place.As officers were looking for the vehicle — a black 2003 Lexus 4-door with paper plates — it was involved in an armed  carjacking in the area of Park Way and Monte Avenue.A 52-year-old resident had his dark gray 2021 BMWX3 taken at gunpoint by a masked suspect outside his home, police said. He was not injured.An officer quickly spotted both the Lexus and BMW driving on Moraga Avenue and onto southbound Highway 13, where the Lexus crashed into a...

Kitten, ferret forge unlikely friendship at Utah shelter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:30 GMT

By John Franchi | KSTU via CNNSALINA, Utah (KSTU) — An unexpected relationship developed inside the kennels of the Fullmer Menagerie Animal Rescue.Earlier this month, an employee found a kitten fighting for its life near the Gunnison State Prison.“This kitten was in the middle of the road,” said Jeannine Fullmer, the founder of the rescue. “People were speeding by it. The kitten was going to get hit.”The feline named “Skiddy” was rescued and taken to the Fullmer facility in Salina, Utah.The rescue gives hope to cats, dogs, rabbits and scores of other animals.To help the rescue flourish, Fullmer provides grooming and boarding services to local pets.After Skiddy’s harrowing ordeal in Gunnison, it’s safe to say she needed a friend and she found one at the rescue.She was befriended by “Banana Pudding,” a ferret who also overcame difficult circumstances. “Banana Pudding” was found inside a rundown home left in deplorable conditions.“Very skinny, very unhealthy and we didn’t k...

Martinez couple charged with $217k embezzlement from Berkeley auto repair shop

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:30 GMT

OAKLAND — A Martinez couple has been charged with embezzling more than $217,000 from a Berkeley auto body shop, in a simple scheme that involved the defendants allegedly writing hundreds of checks to themselves from the business, court records show.Justin Durland and Bryanna Durland have each been charged with a single felony count of embezzlement over time from Berkeley Auto Body. Both have pleaded not guilty and have been released from jail while the charge is pending.They are set to appear in court in mid-August for a preliminary hearing, where a judge will review the case and determine if there is evidence to support the charge, court records show.Police allege that the two were employed at the auto body shop, but quit earlier this year after a dispute with the owner. After they quit, the owner reportedly discovered that the two had written and cashed 216 checks to themselves, totaling $217,554.64, from March 2022 to March 2023.Bryanna Durland, who was hired to do payroll ...

10 expert tips to sleep cooler in a heat wave

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:30 GMT

By Sandee LaMotte | CNNAre you waking up in a puddle of sweat — if you can sleep at all? That’s the grim reality for millions of people around the globe suffering through severe, unbearable heat waves.July is the hottest month on record for the planet and very likely the hottest period in 120,000 years, according to global climate authorities. “These are the hottest temperatures in human history,” Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, told CNN recently.It’s expected to get worse: A new study found the number of days of “dangerous heat” — defined as 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4 degrees Celsius) — will more than double by 2050 in the midlatitude regions, which include Western Europe and countries such as China, Japan and the United States. Tropical areas could face those temperatures for the majority of the year.No relief at nightIt’s not just the unbearable sunshine — temperatures at night aren’t dropping as they should. Nights a...

'X' sign taken down from atop Twitter building

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:30 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A brightly lit "X" sign that was installed atop Twitter headquarters on Market Street Friday has been taken down as of Monday morning. Photos obtained by KRON4 taken from a nearby building and from the street below, show that the sign is gone.During its three days on top of the building, the X sign attracted controversy. One neighbor tweeted video of the sign's bright light and called it an "eye sore." Amid ‘X’ sign controversy, Musk says headquarters will remain in SF San Francisco city officials also opened an investigation and filed a complaint over the sign. City building inspectors reportedly were refused access to the building, which is located at 1355 Market Street, to inspect the sign.No official explanation for why the sign was taken down has been given.

X threatens to sue researchers who documented hate speech on Twitter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:30 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has threatened to sue a group of independent researchers whose research documented an increase in hate speech on the site since it was purchased last year by Elon Musk. Nima Momeni: Live updates from inside the courtroom An attorney representing the social media site wrote to the Center for Countering Digital Hate on July 20 threatening legal action over the nonprofit’s research into hate speech and content moderation. The letter alleged that CCDH’s research publications seem intended “to harm Twitter’s business by driving advertisers away from the platform with incendiary claims.”Musk is a self-professed free speech absolutist who has welcomed back white supremacists and election deniers to the platform, which he renamed X earlier this month. But the billionaire has at times proven sensitive about critical speech directed at him or his companies.The center is a nonprofit with office...

New Hampshire beachgoers witness small plane crash into surf, flip in water

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:30 GMT

HAMPTON BEACH, N.H. (AP) — A small plane that crashed into the ocean just off a New Hampshire beach over the weekend flipped upside down when it hit the water before slowly rolling back into an upright position.The pilot of the single-engine Piper PA-18 plane that had been pulling a banner advertising a concert made his own way out of the aircraft after Saturday’s noontime crash and was assisted ashore by Hampton Beach lifeguards who moments before had been keeping a close eye on swimmers.The pilot was evaluated at the scene but was not hurt, police said.The plane had been buzzing over the crowded beach all morning dragging a banner for an Eagles tribute band playing Saturday night at a local venue, said Tammy Nowlan of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, who was at the beach with her boyfriend and caught video of the crash on her phone.When the plane dropped the banner, she knew something was wrong.“I remember my boyfriend saying, ‘Looks like something fell off that plane,'” Nowl...

4 separatist Bosnian Serb leaders are sanctioned by US Treasury for undermining a 1995 peace deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:30 GMT

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The U.S. on Monday imposed sanctions on four ranking Bosnian Serb officials for undermining a 1995 peace agreement that ended a war that left more than 100,000 dead and millions homeless.The four officials sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury include Zeljka Cvijanovic, a Serb member of the tripartite collective Bosnian presidency, as well as the prime minister of the Serb entity in Bosnia, Radovan Viskovic.The four are alleged to have taken part in drafting a law that U.S. and other international officials say undermines the unity of Bosnia by ignoring the decisions of the country’s constitutional court.The Bosnian Serb parliament has passed the law to not recognize or implement any decisions by Bosnia’s multi-ethnic Constitutional Court. “This action threatens the stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the hard-won peace underpinned by the Dayton Peace Agreement,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terror...

‘Ferocious storm’: Part of GW Parkway could be closed for days, thousands in DC region still without power

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:30 GMT

Listen live to WTOP for the latest on storm damage and outages.The D.C. region continues to recover after a severe storm ripped through the area on Saturday, toppling trees, and knocking out power for thousands across the area. Here’s what you need to know.Traffic Impact: Parts of the George Washington Memorial Parkway are closed Monday as crews remove trees, branches and other debris from the road — and the closure could last most of the week.Current Outages: As of Monday afternoon, power outages continue for around 4,000 Pepco customers in Maryland and D.C.; about 1,700 Dominion Energy customers in Northern Virginia and 1,200 total BGE customers in Maryland.Cleanup to close George Washington Parkway for daysPart of the George Washington Parkway has been shuttered as crews work to clear trees and other debris that have fallen across the roadway.The North Parkway, from Spout Run Parkway to the Beltway, remains closed — except for the northbound lanes from Route 123 to the Belt...

Wild, Gustavsson agree to a 3-year, $11.25M contract to avoid arbitration with young goalie

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:30 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Wild signed goalie Filip Gustavsson to a three-year, $11.25 million contract on Monday, avoiding salary arbitration after his strong first season with the club.The Wild have little room left on their salary cap after accounting for Gustavsson’s $3.75 million annual average value.The 25-year-old made 37 starts last season, going 22-9-7 with three shutouts, a 2.10 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage. He had a shutout streak of 177 minutes, 13 seconds across four games from Feb. 28 to March 12, the third-longest in franchise history.Gustavsson, who is from Sweden, was acquired a year ago in a trade with Ottawa for goalie Cam Talbot. He was 2-3 in five starts in the playoffs, including a 51-save performance in a double overtime win over Dallas in Game 1 of the first-round series.___AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource