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Former LASD deputy to plead guilty to conspiring to violate falsely imprisoned skateboarder’s civil rights 

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:02:20 GMT

A former deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge of conspiring to violate the civil rights of a 23-year-old man at a Compton skatepark. Former LASD Compton Station Deputy Christopher Blair Hernandez agreed to plead guilty to one felony charge of conspiracy on Thursday. Hernandez and his then-partner Miguel Angel Vega were in uniform and on patrol in an LASD squad car near Wilson Park in Compton on April 13, 2020, when the incident occurred. “While on patrol, Hernandez and Vega saw two young Black males, one of who Hernandez believed was on probation, outside a skateboard park enclosed by a tall fence within Wilson Park,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a statement. “Vega parked the SUV on the grass near the skatepark, after which Hernandez and Vega got out...and approached the individuals, whom they ordered to lift their shirts.” At this point, the victim of the false impriso...

California Science Center starts process to display Space Shuttle Endeavour vertically

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:02:20 GMT

A highly technical process began Thursday in Los Angeles to put NASA's retired Space Shuttle Endeavour on permanent display in the vertical launch position complete with an external tank and two solid rocket boosters.Workers used a crane to hoist the bottom segments of the boosters into the California Science Center's future Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, which is currently under construction in Exposition Park. The segments, called aft skirts, had to be precisely positioned so that the entire assembly can be stacked properly. Officials say it will be the first time the procedure has been done outside of a NASA facility.The 20-story-tall display will stand atop a 1,800-ton (1,633-metric ton) concrete slab supported by six so-called base isolators to protect Endeavour from earthquakes. Endeavour was built as a replacement for the destroyed Space Shuttle Challenger and flew 25 missions between 1992 and 2011.Space Shuttle Endeavor at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. W...

New nighttime entertainment coming to Rivers of America at Disneyland

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:02:20 GMT

Disneyland guests will soon have a new way to enjoy the sounds of New Orleans-inspired jazz when they visit the theme park.The Jambalaya Jazz band, which typically performs during the day at New Orleans Square, will entertain parkgoers with lively tunes at night as they float down the Rivers of America on a New Orleans-inspired raft, Disneyland officials announced Thursday. ‘San Fransokyo Square’ at Disneyland Resort to open in August The band, along with special guest Queenie, will begin their nightly sets at 7:35 p.m. Guests are also encouraged to check the official Disneyland app for other performance times and updates.The new entertainment on Rivers of America comes after Disneyland paused its “Fantasmic!” show performances through at least Labor Day after a fire broke out during a show performance in April.This photo courtesy of Shawna Bell shows a fire during the “Fantasmic" show in the Tom Sawyer Island section of Disneyland resort in Anaheim on Saturday, April 22, 2023. (C...

Two Women Hospitalized after Semi-Truck Crash on Interstate 5 [Dupont, WA]

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:02:20 GMT

Semi-Truck Crash on Interstate 5 near Mounts Road Left Two InjuredDUPONT, WA (July 20, 2023) – Wednesday morning, a semi-truck crash on Interstate 5 left two women injured.The incident occurred on July 19th, at around 5:30 a.m. near Mounts Road.At this time, the details surrounding the crash remain unclear. However, reports state that a semi-truck jackknifed and blocked two lanes of traffic.Two people were injured as a result of the semi-truck crash on Interstate 5, a 25-year-old woman and a 57-year-old woman. The 25-year-old woman was driving a car at the time of the collision and the 47-year-old woman was the driver of the semi-truck.First responders at the site of the crash transported the two women to a local hospital for treatment. The driver of the car is said to be in critical condition. Meanwhile, the condition of the driver of the truck is currently unknown.Following the crash, officials shut down several lanes on northbound Interstate 5 as crews performed cleanup and...

Pac-12 football: USC the pick over Washington, Utah in preseason media poll

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:02:20 GMT

Utah, the defending champion, was not picked to win the Pac-12 title in the preseason media poll released Thursday.Nor was the school that has won two of the past four conference crowns, Oregon.Or Washington, the hottest team in the conference at the end of 2022.Instead, USC was the pick to win the 2023 title (in the school’s final year in the conference, no less).Although the Trojans’ schedule is rugged — unlike last year, it includes Oregon and Washington — the bright outlook is easily justified with returnees at vital positions, including quarterback Caleb Williams, and a defensive line fortified through the transfer portal.The Trojans received 25 of the 36 first-place votes and topped the media poll with 413 points, decisively ahead of Washington (367), Utah (359) and Oregon (340).The limited separation between second and fourth place reflects what should be a stellar year for the conference on the field.The Utes have won back-to-back Pac-12 titles, retur...

Woman shot at Oakland apartment complex, suspect later arrested

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:02:20 GMT

OAKLAND — A 35-year-old Concord woman was shot multiple times Wednesday night at an East Oakland apartment complex and a suspect was later arrested, authorities said.Additional suspects were being sought Thursday.The shooting was reported about 6:54 p.m. Wednesday outside at an apartment complex in the 1200 block of 65th Avenue.The woman was visiting and was near some other people when the occupants of two vehicles began shooting at them, authorities said.The woman was the only one wounded. She got a ride to another location where police were called. She was taken to a hospital and was listed in stable condition.A motive for the shooting is under investigation and police are trying to determine if the woman was the intended target.Descriptions of the vehicles involved in the shooting were obtained and broadcast over police radio channels.One of the vehicles was stopped by officers later in the area of 55th Avenue and Bancroft Way and the 21-year-old occupant was arrested, auth...

Police: Miami teen tried to hire hitman to kill her 3-year-old

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:02:20 GMT

By Eli Masket | CNNPolice arrested an 18-year-old mother Tuesday after she attempted to hire a hitman to kill her 3-year-old son, according to police.Jazmin Paez was flagged to authorities after she filled out a form on a parody hit-for-hire website designed to “prevent legitimate solicitations to commit murders,” according to a Miami-Dade police affidavit.The individual who runs the website received a service request to put out a hit on the intended victim, Paez’s son, police say. The website’s operator reached out to the police, who verified the credibility of the information provided on the website.After investigating, authorities arrested Paez Tuesday night.The 18-year-old has been charged with first-degree solicitation of murder and third-degree using a communications device for unlawful use, according to court documents.Court documents show Paez appeared in court Wednesday and has obtained legal representation through the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office. CNN has reached ou...

How does your herb garden grow? By making friends

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:02:20 GMT

If your homegrown herbs are failing to thrive, the problem might their friend group. You think I’m joking. Turns out, herbs are like people. Just as we have friends who bring out the best in us and one who zap our energy, the same is true for herbs.This explains the mixed success I’ve had with the two 24-inch herb planters in my yard. So, per my usual learning style — fail first, then find out what went wrong—I sought help.“Herbs have friends and foes,” said Bri Murray, a horticulturist at Lukas Nursery, in Oviedo, Fla. “Some hog water and root space and push others away. Some want dry soil and have no tolerance for their soggy neighbors. Some will even change the flavor of their neighbors.”Does everyone know this but me?“Knowing which herbs get along and which ones don’t is important when planting your container garden,” Murray said, “because herbs that are friends can enhance each other’s performance, while enemies zap one another.”And once you’ve got the friend group down, ...

Guerrero and Kirk HR, Bassitt wins as Blue Jays blank Padres 4-0 to avoid sweep

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:02:20 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Chris Bassitt combined with three relievers on a six-hitter, and the Toronto Blue Jays avoided a three-game sweep by beating the San Diego Padres 4-0 on Thursday.Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk homered for Toronto, which managed just one run in the first two games of the series. Kirk went 3 for 3, and Whit Merrifield and Jordan Luplow each had two hits.“Every win matters,” Bassitt said. “The division that we’re in is the best division in baseball, so you’re excited about any win.”Toronto began the day in third in the AL East, five games behind Baltimore and Tampa Bay. The Rays and Orioles were set to meet in Florida on Thursday night.While Bassitt said he doesn’t keep track of his team’s position in the standings, Guerrero confessed he can’t resist checking.“I’m always on top of that,” Guerrero said through a translator. “Since the first game of the season, I’m looking at the standings, where we are in our division. We were far behind. Now, little by li...

Families form nonprofits to address gun, school safety after Nashville school shooting

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:02:20 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Pausing at the microphone, 5-year-old Noah took a breath and softly stated, “I don’t want any guns today or any day in my school.”His mom, Sarah Shoop Neumann, wiped away tears as she held the young boy. It had been more than four months since a shooter indiscriminately opened fire while Noah was at a private elementary school in Nashville, killing three of his schoolmates and three adults. And Neumann wanted action.Joining a group of families from The Covenant School, Neumann and others on Thursday announced that they had created two nonprofits to not only promote school safety and mental health resources, but also form an action fund to push legislative policy changes that would place certain limits on firearms inside the politically ruby red state of Tennessee.“We can create brighter tomorrows for our state so no other community has to endure the suffering,” Neumann told reporters at a news conference. “And our children can go to school without...