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18-year-old defendant sentenced to life in prison for double shooting in Lakewood

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:56 GMT

An 18-year-old defendant was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for a double-fatal shooting of teenage brothers in Lakewood.Marqueil Banks, 18, shot Damian Wikoff and Dillon Wikoff, 18 and 17 respectively, in 2020 in a robbery involving the selling of firearms, according to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office. Banks, a 16-year-old at the time of the shooting, was convicted in March as an adult by a Jefferson County jury of first-degree murder. His sentence includes the possibility of parole after 40 years in prison.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Opinion: A racially charged murder trial in small-town Oregon results in manslaughter and minimum sentence Crime and Public Safety | Suspect arrested in deadly shooting in Aurora; police cite road rage Crime and Public Safety | Suspect arrested in Denver double shooting that left one man dead Crime and Public Safety | Boulder King Soopers defendant under...

Lawmakers pitch exemptions to 'antiquated' travel rule which could mean more direct flights from L.A. to D.C.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:56 GMT

If you've ever tried to fly from Los Angeles to Washington D.C., you may have noticed there's a surprising lack of direct flight options between two of the nation's most populous cities. It turns out, that's intentional, and several local organizations, with the help of some lawmakers, want to change that — with or without the local airport authority's cooperation. In the 1960s, Congress enacted a specific set of rules that limited travel to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), then known simply as Washington National Airport.The DCA Perimeter Rule restricted the number of direct flights coming and going out of the airport to flights that were traveling less than 650 miles. The purpose of the Perimeter Rule was to reduce congestion and encourage travelers to use the newer and larger Dulles International Airport, located about 25 miles west of Reagan, as the region's "long-haul" airport, while utilizing the Reagan Airport as its "short-haul" travel hub.DCA is the only air...

L.A. County hospital seeks public's help identifying patient

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:56 GMT

Authorities with the Los Angeles General Medical Center are asking for the public’s help in identifying a male patient.  The approximately 55-year-old man was admitted on May 27 after an unknown incident in the 900 block of North Vignes Street in Los Angeles, not far from the Twin Towers Correctional facility. The patient is described as being around 6 foot 1 inch tall and weighing about 170 pounds with an average build. He has shaved light brown, dirty blond hair and hazel-colored eyes. The unidentified man is seen in a photo released by Los Angeles General Medical Center on May 30, 2023. Anyone with information about this man or who may know his family is asked to contact Cesar Robles, a clinical worker at L.A. General Medical Center’s Department of Social Work at 323-409-6884.  

Tomas Ayala Pronounced Dead after Fiery Crash on Old Nogales Highway [Sahuarita, AZ]

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:56 GMT

20-Year-Old Driver Dead and 24-Year-Old Suspect Arrested in Fatal DUI Crash near Quail Crossing BoulevardSAHUARITA, AZ (May 30, 2023) – Early Saturday morning, police were called to a deadly car accident that claimed the life of Tomas Ayala.The incident happened just after 12:00 a.m., May 13th, in the area of Old Nogales Highway, just half-mile north of Quail Crossing Boulevard.According to the authorities, a white Cadillac sedan driven by 20-year-old Ayala and a red Ford F150 pickup truck driven by 24-year-old Camron Ortega were the involved in the collision.Upon investigation, the officers have learned that Ayala was on his way home from work when Ortega collided with him.Furthermore, Ayala’s vehicle was engulfed in flames while he was still inside. He was pronounced dead by the responding authorities.Meanwhile, a witness told police that Ortega had fled the scene by foot. He was later captured and taken to the hospital.Following the crash, Ortega was booked to jail fo...

Indigenous groups protest Brazil bill that limits land recognition

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:56 GMT

By Duarte Mendonca, Julia Vargas Jones and Tara John | CNNIndigenous groups blocked a highway just outside the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo and burned tires in the early hours of Tuesday to protest a draft bill that could hamper efforts for indigenous ancestral lands to gain protected status.Protestors could be seen burning tires, firing arrows and throwing objects at the riot and military police, who arrived at the scene soon after the start of the protest, using water cannons and tear gas to disperse the small crowd.The bill, known as PL 490/2007, strips the environment and indigenous people ministries of some powers, weakening their oversight of environmental protections and the demarcation of indigenous lands.The bill will be up for a vote in Brazil’s lower house in the coming days.Indigenous groups from across the country also planned protests in the capital Brasilia, where President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is meeting with several other leaders from across South America.While ...

Four-bedroom home sells for $1.6 million in Oakland

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:56 GMT

5162 Parkridge Drive – Google Street ViewThe property located in the 5100 block of Parkridge Drive in Oakland was sold on April 28, 2023 for $1,600,000, or $802 per square foot. The house, built in 1968, has an interior space of 1,996 square feet. The property features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a garage. It sits on a 0.3-acre lot.Additional houses that have recently been purchased close by include:In June 2022, a 1,806-square-foot home on Saddle Brook Court in Oakland sold for $1,700,000, a price per square foot of $941. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Parkridge Drive, Oakland, in November 2022, a 2,105-square-foot home was sold for $1,500,000, a price per square foot of $713. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 1,424-square-foot home on the first block of Lexford Place in Oakland sold in August 2022, for $1,755,000, a price per square foot of $1,232. The home has 2 bedrooms and 1 bathrooms. 

Letters: Taste test | Equal justice? | Finish term | Media slant | Buying votes | Practical classes |

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:56 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Hybrid artichokesfail the taste testRe: “A new breed in artichoke battle” (Page A1, May 28).I am a fifth-generation San Franciscan and grew up eating artichokes. In the last many years, I have wondered why the artichokes are terrible. You can’t scrape the leaves with your teeth so the only edible part is the heart.Thanks for clarifying why. Now the only problem is where to find heirloom artichokes in the Bay Area.Libby TeelOaklandMarin DA abandonsequal justiceRe: “Marin DA’s office reduces charges in Junipero Serra statue vandalism case” (May 26).Kelsey Nelson drove the car used to pull down the statue of abolitionist Hans Heg in Madison, Wisc., one month after the June 2020 killing of George Floyd. He was sentenced to 6 months in jail and ordered to pay for the damaged statue.Compare that to the five people who had their felony vandalism charges reduced to misdemeanors for destro...

CDC: Sick workers tied to 40% of restaurant food poisonings

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:56 GMT

By Jonel Aleccia | Associated PressFood workers who showed up while sick or contagious were linked to about 40% of restaurant food poisoning outbreaks with a known cause between 2017 and 2019, federal health officials said Tuesday.Norovirus and salmonella, germs that can cause severe illness, were the most common cause of 800 outbreaks, which encompassed 875 restaurants and were reported by 25 state and local health departments.Investigators with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called for better enforcement of “comprehensive food safety policies,” which emphasize basic measures like hand washing and keep sick workers off the job.Although 85% of restaurants said they had policies restricting staff from working while sick, only about 16% of the policies were detailed enough to require workers to notify managers and to stay home if they had any of the five key symptoms — including vomiting, diarrhea, and sore throat with fever.About 44% of managers told the C...

Who will replace Bob Myers as Warriors general manager? Lacob dropped some hints

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:56 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Blown up photos of Bob Myers holding the 2022 championship trophy were projected over the wall-to-wall podium room screen. Front office folk from majority owner Joe Lacob and his two sons, Kirk and Kent, to COO Brandon Schneider to assistant coaches and video coordinators filed in to watch Myers speak.Myers teared up as he recalled his childhood dream fulfilled of working for the team he grew up idolizing and broke out in a smile as Lacob recalled the 20 phone calls he’d make to his GM every day.Myers’ official announcement that he’d step down from his GM duties with the Warriors felt like a retirement party without the cake. But not much time could be spent celebrating the past with a crucial offseason afoot. The pressing question: Who will replace Myers?Lacob said he would “work Bob for every last day until June 30th” when his contract officially expires — Myers asserted he would only be operating in a supporting role on the upco...

California lawmakers urge transit bailout, pushing back on Newsom’s proposed budget cut

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:56 GMT

California lawmakers Tuesday pushed back on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget for trimming transit funding and declining to bail out transit agencies like BART, which are threatening deep service cutbacks as they struggle to rebound from a pandemic plummet in ridership.The lawmakers, led by state Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco, said the transit agencies’ money woes aren’t their fault but stemmed from from the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. Without a bailout, they said, service cuts will further depress ridership, worsening traffic congestion, air pollution and other woes.“Our transit systems have been telling us for months and months and months that this fiscal cliff is happening, and unfortunately the governor’s budget had zero dollars in it to address these operational shortfalls — zero!” Wiener told reporters Tuesday in Sacramento. “Instead, the governor’s proposal slashes $2 billion in transit infrastructure...