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California lawmakers to vote on possible gas price penalties

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:29:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers on Thursday will vote on whether to allow penalties on oil companies for price gouging at the pump, a first-in-the-country proposal aimed at stopping the kind of spikes last summer that caused some drivers pay up to $8 per gallon as the industry reaped super-sized profits.Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat seen as a possible presidential candidate beyond 2024, has used all of his political muscle to get the bill this far by making in-person pleas with state lawmakers in private ahead of Thursday’s first vote in the state Senate.The oil industry has pushed back, paying for a wave of digital ads that have labeled any potential penalty as a tax — an idea more likely to be scorned by voters. But they have failed to stop the bill, which after months of stagnating in the Democratic-controlled Legislature is now racing through the process with the Senate vote followed by a final vote in the state Assembly likely next week.The bill highlights ...

Muddy clothes? ‘Cop City’ activists question police evidence

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:29:00 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — When police stormed an Atlanta-area music festival two days after a rainstorm, they were looking for suspects wearing muddy clothing.Authorities moved in on the South River Music Festival on the evening of March 5, over an hour after more than 150 masked activists attacked a construction site about three-quarters of a mile (1.2 kilometers) away, bashing equipment, torching a bulldozer and a police ATV, while throwing rocks and fireworks at retreating law enforcement officers, according to police surveillance footage.Officials say many of the rioters trekked back to the festival ground, changing out of their all-black or camouflage attire in the muddy woods in order to blend in with the hundreds of peaceful concertgoers gathered to show their solidarity with the “Stop Cop City” movement — a decentralized campaign to halt the planned razing of an urban forest for the construction of a huge police and firefighter training center.By the end of the night, 23 had been arres...

Holocaust survivor shares on TikTok to educate young people

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:29:00 GMT

MORRISTOWN, N.J. (AP) — Holocaust survivor Tova Friedman is a TikTok star at age 85, thanks to her 17-year-old grandson.In the family living room in Morristown, New Jersey, he records short videos of his grandmother reminiscing about life in 1944 and 1945 when she was a 6-year-old child at the Auschwitz death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. She also discusses her experiences before and after the camp. They say videos on her account have garnered 75 million views since the duo started posting in September 2021.“It really snowballed,” said Friedman. “And then we realized it was a fabulous medium for the Holocaust, for young people who don’t want to read the books, who don’t like the classes in school, who don’t like the way the teachers teach or whatever, who are bored with it, or some who never heard of it. Here they are, listening.”Her grandson, Aron Goodman, said their most-viewed videos are “ones that show her number” — the identification tattooed on prisoners’ arms at Auschwi...

China, Philippines assess ties amid escalating sea disputes

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:29:00 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Senior Chinese and Filipino diplomats were meeting in Manila on Thursday to review their relations amid thorny issues, including Beijing’s alarm over a Philippine decision to allow the U.S. military to expand its presence to a northern region facing the Taiwan Strait and escalating spats in the disputed South China Sea.Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Theresa Lazaro were leading the talks aimed at assessing overall relations on Thursday. The discussions would focus on the long-seething territorial spats in the disputed waterway on Friday, the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said.The back-to-back meetings are the first under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office in June last year. He met Chinese President Xi Jinping in a state visit to Beijing in January where both agreed to expand ties, pursue talks on potential joint oil and gas explorations and manage territorial disputes amicably.But...

Ex-New Zealand soldier who helped veterans dies in Ukraine

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:29:00 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A former New Zealand soldier who co-founded a charity to help struggling veterans has been killed in Ukraine, authorities said Thursday.Ukrainian authorities confirmed the death of Kane Te Tai and the New Zealand embassy in Poland was trying to find out more details, New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement.Te Tai in 2017 helped register the No Duff Charitable Trust to support veterans in crisis. The trust said in a statement that it was with “immense sadness” it was sharing the news that Te Tai — who went by the code name Turtle in Ukraine — had been killed in action.“Without him, No Duff wouldn’t exist,” the trust said. “Kane had a huge heart and loved helping people. His loss leaves a huge hole in many lives from here to Eastern Europe.”The trust said it was in close contact with Te Tai’s family to ensure his body was returned to New Zealand.The New Yorker magazine interviewed Te Tai late last year ne...

Crews rescue farm animals stuck in thick mud in San Bernardino County

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:29:00 GMT

Crews with the San Bernardino County Fire Department on Wednesday worked to rescue more than a dozen farm animals trapped in deep mud after several days of heavy rains.  The rescue started shortly after 5 p.m. at a farm in Muscoy where the animals, including horses, cows and bulls, were stuck.  First responders were able to rescue several of the animals, but had to set up a “skid steer to clear a path to access the additional 11 animals,” officials said.  Video of the rescue showed fire personnel using the skid steer clear more mud from the area while crews dragged a cow to safety.  Crews with the San Bernardino County Fire Department work to rescue animals trapped in mud at a farm in Muscoy Mar. 22, 2023 (SBCFD)Crews with the San Bernardino County Fire Department work to rescue animals trapped in mud at a farm in Muscoy Mar. 22, 2023 (SBCFD)Crews with the San Bernardino County Fire Department work to rescue animals trapped in mud at a farm in Muscoy Mar. 22, 2023 (SB...

Man armed with machete takes hostage in West San Jose

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:29:00 GMT

SAN JOSE – A man armed with a machete was barricaded with at least one hostage Wednesday night in West San Jose, police said.The incident was reported around 8:30 p.m. in the 900 block of Boynton Avenue, according to the San Jose Police Department.“Special operations personnel are on scene,” police said in a social media post.Additional details about the incident were not immediately available Wednesday night.Units are currently working a hostage barricade involving an adult male armed with a machete in the 900 Block of Boynton Ave. Special operations personnel are on scene. We will provide updates as the become available. TOC: 8:31 pm— San José Police Media Relations (@SJPD_PIO) March 23, 2023Check back for updates.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Pedestrian injured in San Jose hit-and-run Crime and Public Safety | Suspect arrested following alleged family assault in South San Jose Crime and Public Safety | East San Jose sh...

Repairs to I-580 prompt lane closures near Livermore

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:29:00 GMT

LIVERMORE, Calif. (KRON) – Two lanes of eastbound Interstate-580 near Flynn Road in Livermore are still closed due to storm damage. And starting Thursday morning, a total of three lanes will be shut down.Those two are still closed because the ground hasn’t been dry enough just yet to start working on it. Caltrans says they’re going to start repairs Thursday, but that will lead to more closures temporarily. Traffic on I-580 near the damage has been heavy since Tuesday morning. While drivers can just see the lanes blocked off, on the other side a retaining wall was damaged due to the recent storms.  Storm kills 5 in San Francisco Bay Area You can see pieces of the wall sliding down the hill. All of that dirt is still too wet for Caltrans crews to complete the repairs, but they’re getting ready to fix it once it’s dry.“We were evaluating the problem, getting some equipment into position because we have to do some paving and some grinding on part of that before we can restripe to...

Drag queen performs at San Jose city council meeting

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:29:00 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) – San Jose is making history. A drag queen performed at the San Jose city council meeting Tuesday evening. It’s the first time this has happened in the city’s history.George Dowens, who goes by his drag name Woo Woo Monroe, sang his heart out Tuesday afternoon in front of the San Jose city council.“It was received very well. I got a standing ovation by the audience and board members,” Monroe said of the performance. KRON ON is streaming news live 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%; }Monroe was invited to sing by councilmember Omar Torres. Torres, the first Latino gay city council member in San Jose, partnered with “Project More”, a Bay Area LGBTQ nonprofit to make the performance happen. He says performing drag should be embraced by the community...

Why do so many eucalyptus trees fall during storms?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:29:00 GMT

(KRON) – Eucalyptus trees burn during fire season, and when it’s the rainy season they’re falling all over the place. KRON4 talked with an expert about why these trees seem to be falling the most.The trees are not native to California. They were introduced to the state in the 1800s, but in 2023 these big trees are causing big problems for some across the Bay Area.An urban forestry expert said eucalyptus trees are often very tall and very old, and they are not well-maintained. Combine that with the series of powerful storms we’ve had this year and destruction has followed. Storm kills 5 in San Francisco Bay Area An emergency rescue involving a fallen eucalyptus tree took place in the East Bay on Tuesday. Firefighters raced to save two people trapped in a crushed pick-up truck in Newark.In Walnut Creek, a late-night scene showed a eucalyptus on top of a car. A 79-year-old passenger died at the scene. The driver was injured.In Union City last week several eucalyptus trees toppled ove...