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Richard Thornton, Olympian and legendary Bay Area swim coach, dies surfing in Santa Cruz

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:13:58 GMT

Richard Thornton, a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic swim team and the longtime head coach of San Ramon Valley Aquatics, died on Thursday while surfing at The Hook Vista Point in Santa Cruz. He was 65.Thornton’s younger brother, Marc, announced the news on Facebook.Thornton helped found San Ramon Valley Aquatics — a year-round swim program for athletes of all ages and skills — in 1985. He was an Olympic swimmer for the US in 1980, but didn’t compete as the national team boycotted the games in Moscow.Since 1984, Thornton had coached Olympic and World Championship finalists, world record holders and NCAA All-Americans. He coached US national teams, and junior national teams, in France in 1994; Brazil in 1995; and in Japan in 1997.Thornton graduated from Cal with a degree in physical education and got his Master’s at Saint Mary’s. He led the SRVA team for nearly four decades, until he died “doing what he loved,” Marc wrote.The Thornton name has been s...

Woman killed running across Oakland freeway is identified.

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:13:58 GMT

OAKLAND — A woman killed when she was hit by a pickup truck while running across an East Oakland freeway the day after Christmas was identified by the coroner’s office Thursday as Camilla Dayanna Sanchez, 22.The coroner’s office said it does not have a city of residence for her.Authorities said Sanchez was running across the northbound lanes of Interstate 880 between High Street and 66th Avenue at about 9:30 p.m. Dec. 26 when she was hit by a pickup truck in the lane closest to the center divider. She died at the scene.The pickup driver remained on the scene and has been cooperating with investigators, the California Highway Patrol said. There were no signs the driver was impaired.The CHP is still trying to determine why Sanchez was on the freeway.  No disabled vehicles associated with her were found in the area.The CHP is continuing to investigate the death. Anyone with information may call the CHP Oakland office at 510-457-2875.

Does San Jose have a statue snatching problem?

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:13:58 GMT

When Edo Rosenberg arrived at his San Jose art studio on Tuesday, he got a big surprise — and not exactly the kind he wanted to start 2024 with.A nine-foot-tall steel sculpture that he had bolted into the parking lot had simply vanished. All that was left were the holes where the over-600-pound artwork once stood, and the remnants of its bright, orangey rust on the asphalt surface — a loss, the longtime artist estimates, of $100,000 in sales.“I feel lots of different emotions, not just one,” said Rosenberg, 70, standing just feet from where the artwork was snatched at his studio near the city’s airport. “Obviously, I feel sad that I lost my piece.”It isn’t the first time a statue has been stolen in the area: Just across town in Saratoga, a statue worth half a million dollars was swiped from an estate in October. It still hasn’t been found. And in January, a statue of a warrior riding a horse that symbolizes the sister city relati...

Santa Clara: Legal attempt to change ‘biased’ ballot measure on police chief job fails

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:13:58 GMT

A last ditch effort by a group of Santa Clara residents to change the language of a ballot measure that could get rid of California’s last elected police chief has failed.On Dec. 18, Satish Chandra, Joyce Davis and Carolyn McAllister filed a lawsuit in Santa Clara County Superior Court over Measure B, which will ask voters on March 5 whether the city should change the police chief role from an elected position to an appointed one.The three residents — two of whom were on the seven-member Charter Review Committee that examined the issue earlier this year — argued that the way the question was worded was “biased and unlawful” and left out crucial information: that the police chief is currently an elected position. They asked the court to step in ahead of the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Dec. 29 printing deadline for ballots.Judge Thomas Kuhnle, however, disagreed with the residents’ argument in his Dec. 26 ruling, which denied their reques...

Masked suspects in Hercules follow woman home from bank and rob her

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:13:58 GMT

HERCULES, Calif. (KRON) -- Taking a quick trip to the bank for some cash and then heading home seems like a routine task. But for a woman in Hercules late Tuesday afternoon, it ended with an attack and robbery.Hercules Police Department Reserve Detective Connie Van Putten said the victim withdrew her cash from inside a Wells Fargo branch in town."And, she did have the money in a bank bag. And, we discourage people from showing those," said Van Putten. Thieves ram-raid San Francisco bank, steal cash Detective Van Putten said it appears the bag caught the suspects' eyes and, they followed her to her home on Pepperwood Street. A neighbor's surveillance cameras captured two hooded and masked suspects park in front and then approach the victim.Police say they pushed her and stole the bag of cash from her hands. Police say if you think you're being followed the last thing you want to do is drive directly to your home."Get to a place of safety," said Van Putten, "somewhere where there's ...

Pacifica Pier closed after being damaged by high waves

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:13:58 GMT

(KRON) -- The Pacifica Pier will be closed for three weeks after being damaged by high tides and large waves last week. The pier will be closed from Jan. 5 until Jan. 26, according to the City of Pacifica.Sections of the Pacifica Municipal Pier's west-facing desk and concrete railing were damaged by high surf on Thursday, Dec. 28. The pier was subsequently deemed unsafe for users and visitors by the city's Public Works Engineering Division and a structural engineer consultant. Masked suspects in Hercules follow woman home from bank and rob her Officials plan to conduct an expedited structural assessment of the pier. An analysis, staff review, and finalization of the assessment are expected to be completed by Jan. 25.Once the assessment is complete, city officials will determine if the pier can be reopened safely.

Influential former Texas US Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson dies at 89

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:13:58 GMT

DALLAS, Texas (AP) — Trailblazing longtime U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, a nurse from Texas who helped bring hundreds of millions of federal dollars to the Dallas area as the region’s most powerful Democrat, died Sunday. She was 89.President Joe Biden, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and many other leaders issued statements about her death after her son posted about it on Facebook. The Dallas Morning News also confirmed her death with an unnamed source close to the family. No cause of death was given.Biden hailed her “immense courage” and called her “an icon and mentor to generations of public servants, through whom her legacy of resilience and purpose will endure.”“She was the single most effective legislator Dallas has ever had,” the mayor said in a statement. “Nobody brought more federal infrastructure money home to our city. Nobody fought harder for our communities and our residents’ interests and safety. And nobody knew how to navigate Washington better for the people of Dal...

US, Sweden will play for world junior gold after US beats Finland and Sweden tops Czech Republic

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:13:58 GMT

GOTHENBURG, Sweden (AP) — Sweden will play the United States for gold on home ice at the world junior hockey championship.Jonathan Lekkerimaki scored on a power play in the third period before adding an insurance goal as the tournament hosts defeated the Czech Republic 5-2 on Thursday.The Vancouver Canucks prospect blasted a one-timer past Czech goaltender Michael Hrabal on Sweden’s first man advantage of the afternoon at 5:14 to snap a 2-2 tie.Noah Ostlund then added his third goal of the under-20 event on a breakaway with eight minutes left to make it 4-2 before Lekkerimaki sealed things with his sixth just 1:02 later to blow the top off Scandinavium arena.The United States battled back from an early two-goal deficit to down Finland 3-2 and book the other spot in Friday’s final.The Finns and Czechs will play for bronze on Friday.“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Lekkerimaki said of the gold-medal game. “Very excited.”Axel Sandin Pellikka and Theo Lindstein had a goal and an assist ...

Una jueza sufre violento ataque dentro de la corte tras negarle la libertad condicional a un acusado en Las Vegas

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:13:58 GMT

(CNN) — Una jueza de Nevada fue agredida dentro de la corte inmediatamente después de que le negara la solicitud de libertad condicional a un acusado, según muestra un video de una corte de distrito del condado de Clark.El acusado Deobra Redden estaba en la sala del tribunal de Las Vegas este miércoles para escuchar su sentencia por un cargo de intento de agresión con daños corporales sustanciales, indicaron los tribunales del condado de Clark en un comunicado enviado a CNN.Durante la audiencia, Redden y su abogado pidieron a la jueza Mary Kay Holthus la libertad condicional, con el argumento de que el hombre de 30 años está intentando recuperar su vida con un nuevo trabajo y planes para reanudar su educación.Redden mencionó que está trabajando en sus problemas de salud mental y “tratando de aprender de mis errores”.Entonces, Holthus leyó en voz alta ante el tribunal los antecedentes delictivos del acusado, que incluía “tres delitos graves… delitos meno...

A major storm sweeping the US is expected to bring heavy rain, snow to the East Coast this weekend

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:13:58 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A winter weather system moving through the U.S. is expected to wallop the East Coast this weekend with a mix of snow and freezing rain from the southern Appalachians to the Northeast — although it’s too early to say exactly which areas will get what kind of precipitation and how much.Details on the storm’s path should firm up this week as the Pacific system moves through Colorado and New Mexico on Thursday and into Texas and the Southeast before moving up the East Coast, said Tony Fracasso, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.“It’s still a few days away, so we’ll have to hash out the storm track — where the precipitation falls, and how long the cold air can stay,” he said Wednesday.Major U.S. cities accustomed to white winters — such as Boston, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia — didn’t receive much snow last year because of a lack of cold air.The National Weather...