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How L.A. Metro is addressing safety at its most dangerous station

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:55 GMT

With around 20,000 passengers passing through it each day, the Westlake/MacArthur Park Station is one of L.A. Metro’s busiest. It is also the most dangerous.Last February, 113 crimes were reported at this station, and, over a two-month period last summer, there was nearly one call to the police from this station every day.L.A. Metro is working to make conditions safer and has given KTLA an exclusive look at its new pilot program. Among the initiatives: better lighting and changes to the ambiance."Some of the lights down here have been replaced by brighter LEDs," said Stephen Tu, senior director at the L.A. Metro who is in charge of the changes.In addition to lighting and playing music, air is now blowing on the platforms.In a 2023 report, Metro released photos showing people living in the station’s corridors, leaving trash, drugs and human waste, along with condoms and syringes at Westlake/MacArthur Park. (L.A. Metro) The Metro also blocked off one of the two entrances at this stati...

Los Angeles County Fire Department welcomes arson dog to its investigations unit

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:55 GMT

The Los Angeles County Fire Department has added a new specialist to its arson investigations unit, one who particularly has a nose for the job.On Wednesday, the Fire Department introduced Julia, a 1-year-old golden retriever and labrador mix to its team. Julia has a unique set of skills and was trained to detect accelerants and other ignitable liquids, which will aid investigators in their work.Captain Casey Flanders and K9 Julia train in arson detection for the Los Angeles County Fire Department on April 24, 2023. (State Farm)She was trained by Maine Specialty Dogs, a world-renowned training program on the East Coast, as part of its prestigious Arson Dog Program.The program is sponsored by insurance provider State Farm, which has paid for the acquisition and training of more than 450 dogs and canine teams across North America since 1993. About one-eighth of a dog's brain is dedicated to scent processing, State Farm says, which makes them the perfect tool for sniffing out acceleran...

'Sophisticated burglary crew' arrested for home burglaries in Irvine, Thousand Oaks, Sheriff's Department says

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:55 GMT

Two Angelenos were arrested for their alleged involvement in a "sophisticated burglary crew" that targeted a gated community in Newbury Park, then tried to burglarize a home in Irvine.Juan Carlos Oviedo Vargas, 42, and Claritza Oviedo Vasquez, 57, both of South Los Angeles, were arrested Friday as they "appeared to case a community in the city of Irvine," the Ventura County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. Vargas and Vasquez had previously been identified as the burglars who struck a home in a gated community in Newbury Park in June, investigators said. The burglars had followed home the victims, who own a restaurant, and struck the home while the owners were at work, the VCSO said. The Ventura County investigation identified and tracked the pair to Irvine, where they were seen casing a neighborhood and trying to commit a residential burglary, officials said. They were then taken into custody."Burglary tools were located on the suspects during the arrest," according to the r...

Several Hurt in Train Accident Near West Los Angeles Avenue [Moorpark, CA]

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:55 GMT

At Least 15 Injured in Amtrak Train Collision near Montair DriveMOORPARK, CA (July 12, 2023) – Late Wednesday morning, a train accident near West Los Angeles Avenue resulted in multiple injuries.According to the report, a derailment occurred around 11:30 a.m. at a railroad crossing near Los Angeles Avenue and Montair Drive. The train was said to be heading up to Washington State after departing from Los Angeles Union Station.Investigators determined that the train collided with a public works truck located along the tracks. Moreover, the impact caused at least three cars of the train to come off the tracks and tilt sideways, but none overturned.Fire officials claimed that fifteen people from the train were rushed to a hospital for treatment of mostly minor injuries. Meanwhile, paramedics transported the truck driver to a nearby trauma center for non-life-threatening injuries.Moorpark Officials closed West Los Angeles Avenue between Tierra Rejada Road and Hitch Boulevard. In ad...

Court documents: Giuliani & allies didn’t vet election claims

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:55 GMT

By Katelyn Polantz, Tierney Sneed and Holmes Lybrand | CNNNew court filings in a defamation lawsuit against Rudy Giuliani show the promoters of the election fraud narrative after Donald Trump lost the presidency failed to do basic vetting of the claims they were touting – and didn’t see such vetting as necessary.For instance, in a December 2020 text cited in Tuesday’s filing, Trump lawyer Boris Epshteyn said that the president wanted simple examples of election fraud, which didn’t need to be proven.“Urgent POTUS request need best examples of ‘election fraud’ that we’ve alleged that’s super easy to explain,” Epshteyn wrote, according to evidence attached to the filing. “Doesn’t necessarily have to be proven, but does need to be easy to understand. Is there any sort of ‘greatest hits’ clearinghouse that anyone has for best examples?”The documents were among a trove of evidence presented by two Georgia election workers suing Giuliani, a former Trump lawyer, for allegedly smearing them ...

Stolen car strikes, kills bicyclist in Oakland; driver flees scene, remains at large

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:55 GMT

OAKLAND — A bicyclist died Wednesday morning after he was hit by a driver in stolen car in the Fruitvale district, authorities said.The man driving the car ran away from the scene and was being sought, police said at midday.The bicyclist’s name was not immediately released.The collision happened about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the intersection of 29th Avenue and International Boulevard.Initial reports from police were that the stolen vehicle, a Hyundai, was going eastbound on International Boulevard when it collided with a box truck going the same direction.The impact caused the Hyundai to spin out and strike the bicyclist, who was riding westbound on International Boulevard, police said..The bicyclist was ejected onto the roadway. He was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.The truck driver remained on the scene.A detailed description of the Hyundai driver was not available. Witnesses told police he was bleeding from the face as he fled.Police were worki...

Opinion: Cut the glamor and let tweens be tweens

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:55 GMT

Editor’s note: This story is part of the annual Mosaic Journalism Workshop for Bay Area high school students, a two-week intensive course in journalism. Students in the program report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.Just recently I saw my cousin for the first time in a while. Maybe it was the time that’s passed, but she looked like a whole other person from what I remembered. Thick makeup, short shorts and a different attitude. It wasn’t completely horrible, but it made her look unrecognizable.“You look so good!” I said. “How old are you? 14?”“I’m in sixth grade,” she answered.Still in elementary school, and yet she was already 10 steps ahead of where I was at her age. She looked way too mature for her age.Middle school to me is vivid, because of countless embarrassing but important moments.When I was the only and the oldest preteen girl in a traditional Asian immigrant household, my parents had always controlled the way I dres...

Driver killed after hitting tree on Hwy 101 in Gilroy

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:55 GMT

(KRON) -- A 21-year-old man died after his vehicle veered off Highway 101 and smashed into a tree on Saturday night, according to a report from the California Highway Patrol. Musk announces new AI venture, and it's based in the Bay Area Just before 11:30 p.m., a solo vehicle crash was reported on Hwy 101, just north of State Route 25. Officers and emergency medical personnel arrived at the scene and attempted treatment, but the man died of his injuries. The initial investigation showed that the man was driving a Honda north on Hwy 101 when the driver veered left off the road. As the driver lost control, the vehicle traveled back across the northbound lanes and onto the shoulder before colliding with a tree. KRON On is streaming now.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }It...

Snow shovels in hand, Vermonters volunteer to clean up after epic floods

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:55 GMT

ANDOVER, Vt. (AP) — Volunteers pulled out their snow shovels Wednesday to clear inches of mud after torrential rain and flooding inundated communities across Vermont, trapping people in homes, closing roadways and littering streets and businesses with debris.The water drained off most streets in the state capital of Montpelier, where the swollen Winooski River flooded basements and ground floors, destroying merchandise and furniture across the picturesque downtown. Other communities cleaned up as well from historic floods that were more destructive than Tropical Storm Irene in many places. Dozens of roads remained closed, and thousands of homes and businesses are damaged.But with people still being rescued, high water still blocking some roads and new flash flood warnings issued with more rain on the way, the crisis is far from over, according to state Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison. “Vermonters, keep your guard up, and do not take chances,” she said. Morrison said urb...

Bill Gates dice que los riesgos de la inteligencia artificial son reales, pero que podemos enfrentarlos

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:55 GMT

(CNN) — Bill Gates parece menos preocupado que otros ejecutivos de Silicon Valley ante los riesgos de la inteligencia artificial.En una entrada de blog publicada este martes, el cofundador de Microsoft señaló algunas de las principales preocupaciones sobre la inteligencia artificial, entre ellos la posibilidad de que difunda información errónea y reemplace puestos de trabajo. Sin embargo, subrayó que estos riesgos “se pueden manejar”.“Esta no es la primera vez que una gran innovación presenta nuevas amenazas que se deben controlar”, escribió Gates. “Ya lo hemos hecho antes”.Gates comparó la inteligencia artificial con anteriores cambios “transformadores” en la sociedad, como el automóvil, que luego obligó al público a adoptar cinturones de seguridad, límites de velocidad, permisos de conducir y otras normas de seguridad. La innovación, dijo, puede crear “muchas turbulencias” al principio, pero la sociedad puede “...