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California temporarily halts CVUSD 'forced outing policy' for trans, nonbinary students

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:08 GMT

Just nine days after California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced his intention to halt what he described as a "forced outing policy" approved by a Southern California school board, his office scored a legal victory in blocking the regulation.The state secured a temporary restraining order in San Bernardino Superior Court on Wednesday that nullifies the requirement that Chino Valley Unified School District staffers notify parents if a student is transgender or gender-nonconforming, according to the Los Angeles Times."We’ve secured a temporary restraining order against Chino Valley Unified School District’s illegal and dangerous forced outing policy," Bonta announced on X, formerly known as Twitter. Bonta later added in a statement that "a temporary restraining order rightfully upholds the state rights of our LGBTQ+ student community and protects kids from harm by immediately halting the board’s forced outing policy."“While this fight is far from over, today’s ruling takes a signi...

Eduardo Rojas, Bertha Rojas Killed in Fiery Crash on Randolph Place [Huntington Park, CA]

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:08 GMT

Suspected DUI Crash near Maywood Avenue Left 2 Dead, 3 InjuredHUNTINGTON PARK, CA (September 6, 2023) – Friday evening, a two-vehicle collision on Randolph Place claimed the lives of Eduardo Rojas and Bertha Rojas.Officers responded to the collision around 8:45 p.m. at the intersection of Randolph Place and Maywood Avenue.Upon arrival, they located at least five people involved in the wreckage, including a trapped person inside one of the vehicles.Tragically, 29-year-old Eduardo Rojas and his mother, 51-year-old Bertha Rojas, sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.Eduardo, along with his brother Kevin and parents Bertha and Cuco, was heading home when their car crashed into a white SUV, their family members reported. News footage from the area revealed a downed light pole and a dark-colored vehicle lodged in a fence.Responding emergency personnel transported Kevin Rojas and Cuco Rojas to a local hospital where they remained in critical condition. The other driver was a...

Asia Allen-Bookman, One Other Killed in Racing Crash on Avalon Boulevard [Compton, CA]

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:08 GMT

Firetruck Collision on Compton Boulevard Left Four Firefighters InjuredCOMPTON, CA (September 6, 2023) – Early Tuesday morning, Asia Allen-Bookman and one other were killed in a racing crash on Avalon Boulevard.The deadly collision happened on September 5th, at around 12:30 a.m., at the intersection of South Avalon Boulevard and East Compton Boulevard.According to reports, a blue PT Cruiser racing westbound on Compton Boulevard collided with a northbound firetruck on Avalon Boulevard. Police spotted two other vehicles going at about 80 mph in the area prior to the crash.Unfortunately, the man and a woman inside the PT Cruiser sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene. Authorities identified the deceased woman as 26-year-old Asia Allen-Bookman. However, the identity of the deceased 28-year-old male remains undisclosed.Meanwhile, paramedics transported the four fighters inside the truck to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center for minor injuries.Police have not provided any details re...

East Bay rock act Skip the Needle celebrates new EP at Ivy Room in Albany

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:08 GMT

Skip the Needle rocks.And fans can hear the all-star East Bay outfit  — consisting of drummer-vocalist Kofy Brown, guitarist-vocalist Katie Cash, bassist-vocalist Vicki Randle and guitarist-vocalist Shelley Doty — in all of its glory on the new EP “Octavia of Earth, Volume Two.”The EP draws its title from the late Octavia Butler, a groundbreaking writer of science fiction who altered the genre by introducing her Black feminist self into the stories. The author, who won Hugo and Nebula awards, is known as the “Mother of Afro-Futurism.”The lyrics on the EP were co-written by Anand Kalra, who is the executive director of the Queer Cultural Center in San Francisco. (Kalra also collaborated with T. Carlis Roberts to create the songs on “Octavia of Earth, Vol. One.”)The group plays an EP release concert for “Octavia of Earth, Volume Two” on Sept. 16 at the Ivy Room in Albany. Showtime is 8:30 p.m. and tickets are $20, ivyroom.com.Relat...

Groundbreaking band Shakti returns to Bay Area with new lineup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:08 GMT

If the cheers for vocalist Shankar Mahadevan sound particularly enthusiastic when SFJAZZ presents the pioneering Indo-jazz ensemble Shakti Saturday at Davies Symphony Hall, it’s probably because his life’s path could have easily led him to a seat in the audience.While he was born and raised in Mumbai and has never lived in California, Mahadevan has an extensive network of friends and former colleagues who’ve been drawn to the Bay Area, Shatki fans intending to catch the show, he said.“All my classmates are going to be there,” said Mahadevan, 56,  who grew up immersed in Indian classical music but ended up working in Mumbai’s hi-tech industry after earning a degree in computer science and software engineering.Instead of hewing to the safe route, he decided to quit his job as a programmer take a shot at music, thriving at first as a jingle singer who could nail an ad in 10 different languages, from Hindi and Marathi to Gujarati, Tamil, and Bengali. His first album, 1998’s “Breathless,...

Russian missile strike kills at least 17 at market in Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:08 GMT

By Mstyslav Chernov | Associated PressKOSTIANTYNIVKA, Ukraine (AP) — The Russian missile that struck Wednesday in eastern Ukraine turned an outdoor market into a fiery, blackened ruin where weeping civilians looked for loved ones among the mangled, burned bodies scattered across the ground.The blast in the town of Kostiantynivka killed 17 people and wounded at least 32 in one of Russia’s deadliest strikes in months, Ukrainian officials said.“There was no military target here. This is a peaceful neighborhood in the city center,” Stefan Slovak, who lives in Kostiantynivka, said in a trembling voice.Behind him were the remnants of the market, where charred bodies could be seen in the street, their clothes still burning, near cars engulfed in flames. Behind a market stall holding fresh parsley, rescuers found a women in civilian clothes with her head covered in blood.Images taken by Associated Press reporters showed emergency workers extinguishing fires and tending to ...

Marilyn Monroe’s final home — where she died in 1962 — faces demolition

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:08 GMT

Marilyn Monroe’s beloved Los Angeles home, where she tragically died more than 60 years ago, could become a tear-down, as its new owner reportedly seeks to demolish the iconic, one-story structure.The new owner has filed for permits with the city’s Department of Building and Safety to demolish the Hacienda-style home in the city’s upscale Brentwood neighborhood, the New York Post reported Wednesday. The resident didn’t say why they wanted to demolish the four-bedroom structure, which was built in 1929, but property owners usually take such steps in order to build a house that’s larger and that has more modern amenities.The building department gave the green light for a “plan check” on Tuesday, signaling the initial stages of the demolition process, the Post said. However, a final demolition permit has yet to be granted.An aerial view of the house where actress Marilyn Monroe died is seen on July 26, 2002 in Brentwood, California. This year m...

What to watch: Dictator becomes vampire in terrific ‘El Conde’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:08 GMT

What makes the horror genre unique from other cinematic genres is how strangely diverse the offerings can be. Want proof? Let’s take a look at a number of new releases pushing the genre into bold, different and sometimes satirical directions.And should all that scary business be too much for you, there’s also a sweet romantic drama that’s suitable for the YA crowd and romance fans.Here’s our roundup.“El Conde”: What sounds like a novel and quirky notion — turning Chilean tyrant Augusto Pinochet into a vampire who’s undergoing an existential crisis — avoids simple gimmickry to deliver a successful and gory horror movie as well as a damning indictment of the corrupt leader and his greedy, blood-lusting wife and adult children’s rule. The result is one of Pablo Larraín’s most cohesive, most engrossing and adventurous films yet. That’s saying a lot for the filmmaker who also retooled Princess Diana’s royal life and turned into a tortuous and claustrophobic nightm...

Sale closed in Oakland: $1.9 million for a five-bedroom home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:08 GMT

959 Longridge Road – Google Street ViewThe spacious historic property located in the 900 block of Longridge Road in Oakland was sold on July 7, 2023. The $1,875,000 purchase price works out to $821 per square foot. The house, built in 1926, has an interior space of 2,285 square feet. This two-story home provides a generous living space with its five bedrooms and three baths. In addition, the house is equipped with a garage.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:On Paramount Road, Oakland, in November 2022, a 2,962-square-foot home was sold for $2,250,000, a price per square foot of $760. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,383-square-foot home on the 900 block of Larkspur Road in Oakland sold in November 2022, for $2,525,000, a price per square foot of $1,060. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In November 2022, a 2,509-square-foot home on Longridge Road in Oakland sold for $1,700,000, a price per square foot of $678. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathroo...

Lawsuit contends Constitution bars Trump from running again

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:08 GMT

By Nicholas Riccardi | Associated PressDENVER — A liberal group on Wednesday filed a lawsuit to bar former President Donald Trump from the primary ballot in Colorado, arguing he is ineligible to run for the White House again under a rarely used clause in the U.S. Constitution aimed at candidates who have supported an “insurrection.”The lawsuit, citing the 14th Amendment, is likely the initial step in a legal challenge that seems destined for the U.S. Supreme Court. The complaint was filed on behalf of six Republican and unaffiliated Colorado voters by the group Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington.It will jolt an already unsettled 2024 primary campaign that features the leading Republican candidate facing four separate criminal cases.Liberal groups have demanded that states’ top election officials bar Trump under the clause that prohibits those who “engaged in an insurrection or rebellion” against the Constitution from holding higher off...