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Sen. Menendez pleads not guilty in wide-ranging corruption case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:10 GMT

By Larry Meumeister, Alanna Durkin Richer and Jake Offenhartz | Associated PressNEW YORK — Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to federal charges accusing him of pocketing bribes of cash and gold bars in exchange for wielding his political influence to secretly advance Egyptian interests and do favors for local businessmen.Menendez led his wife, who also pleaded not guilty in the case, by the hand out of the courtroom after the brief hearing in the lower Manhattan federal courthouse days after prosecutors unsealed an indictment alleging vast corruption by the Democrat. The couple left the courthouse clutching hands, and Menendez ignored shouted questions from reporters before giving a tight-lipped smile as he stepped into a car.Menendez spoke in court only when each defendant stood to acknowledge that they understood the charges against them. A lawyer entered the not guilty plea for Menendez, who was forced to step down as chairman of the powerful Senate ...

Montana judge blocks ban on gender-affirming care

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:10 GMT

By Amy Beth Hanson | Associated PressHELENA, Mont. — A Montana law banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors is temporarily blocked, a state judge ruled Wednesday, just four days before it was to take effect.District Court Judge Jason Marks agreed with transgender youth, their families and health care providers that the law passed by the 2023 Montana Legislature is likely unconstitutional and would harm the mental and physical health of minors with gender dysphoria, rather than protect them, as supporters said it would.Marks called the Legislature’s stated intent “disingenuous” and said it seemed more likely the law’s purpose is to “ban an outcome deemed undesirable by the Montana Legislature, veiled as protection for minors.”“Today’s ruling permits our clients to breathe a sigh of relief,” Akilah Deernose, executive director of the ACLU of Montana, said in a statement. “But this fight is far from over. W...

Fire in East Bay destroys marijuana grow house

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:10 GMT

ANTIOCH — A fire that burned through the roof destroyed a marijuana grow house Tuesday night, fire officials said.Crews from the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District responded to the 5300 block of Navajo Way about 9:50 p.m. and arrived to see the flames above the roof, spokesperson Capt. Chris Toler said. By that time, the house was fully engulfed.When crews made it inside the home, they confirmed it was a grow house, Toler said.“There were a lot of modifications done to the actual interior of the home to facilitate it being a grow house,” he said. “No residents there. No injuries. And there were a lot of signs before we went in that the home was being used that way.”Antioch police were expected to investigate the background behind the grow house and who may have been operating it.According to Toler, the house had bars on the windows, which were boxed in by plywood. He said those safety hazards, as well as the advanced stage of the fire, caused ...

Pedestrian killed in East San Jose on Tuesday was hit by a garbage truck, police said

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:10 GMT

SAN JOSE — A garbage truck driver hit and killed a man as he pulled out of an East San Jose parking lot early Tuesday morning, according to authorities.Police were alerted to the incident at 3:23 a.m. Tuesday on the 40 block of South Jackson Avenue. The preliminary investigation revealed that a man driving a 2021 Peterbilt garbage truck hit a man while driving out of a rear parking lot, authorities said.The man, a pedestrian, was pronounced dead at the scene. As of Wednesday morning, he was yet to be publicly identified by the Santa Clara County Office of the Medical Examiner-Coroner.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | San Jose motorcyclist killed in Sierra foothills crash Crashes and Disasters | Hollister man killed in crash near municipal airport Crashes and Disasters | Santa Clara man killed in crash with tractor on Highway 152 Crashes and Disasters | San Jose: Man dies weeks after collision on South White Road C...

Why it’s important to make and maintain friendships as we age

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:10 GMT

Q. I have lost four of my good longtime male friends in the past two years. All were married. I am saddened and a bit dumbfounded that none of the wives have close girlfriends or a support network. In one case, a widow had no one to accompany her to pick up her late husband’s ashes and just a few people helped her spread his ashes off the pier. Can you write a column to encourage ladies not to drop their old girlfriends, a valuable support in time of need?  Best wishes, H.B.Thank you for caring about others’ needs and concerns.Let’s first try to understand why women may no longer have those special friendships they may have had in their younger years. We know friendships change over time because of circumstances. Close friends die. This particularly is the case if those close friends are of a similar age. That lends credence to the advice of having friends of different ages, stages and generations, not only for the pleasure of those friendships, but also for just being there for one...

San Francisco daycare worker sentenced for child pornography

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:10 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A man who used his job as a daycare worker in San Francisco and the East Bay to access vulnerable young children and create child pornography was sentenced by a federal judge this week.Jace Wong was sentenced to serve 300 months -- 25 years -- in prison for production, distribution, and possession of child pornography. The victims in the case were children between ages 3-6 who attended a daycare center in San Francisco, as well as a second daycare center in Livermore, investigators said. Wong shared pornography that he created onto child pornography sites using the dark web.U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey said, "This case is heartbreaking, to say the least. Jace Wong worked at daycare facilities and victimized at least six young children in his care, not to mention other minors whose images he possessed and distributed. It is not possible to measure the harm he caused. His decades-long prison sentence, however, makes crystal clear that the Department of J...

VIDEO: People with batons smash car windows of Oakland armed robbers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:10 GMT

(KRON) -- Newly obtained video shows two people with batons running toward an armed robbery in Oakland and helping the victim. The apparent vigilante justice incident happened last month.The victim was walking to their vehicle on the 4100 block of Piedmont Avenue in Oakland when they were robbed, Oakland PD said of the incident. The crime happened this summer on Aug. 14 just before 3 p.m.Two suspects are seen in surveillance video obtained from the scene demanding property from the victim, one armed with a firearm. The suspects were able to take some property from the victim, police said.Video then shows two unknown people armed with batons running toward the armed robbery in progress. The two people are seen hitting the suspect’s car and smashing windows before the suspects drive off in it. The rest of the video shows the people checking on the victim once the robbers' car leaves.Oakland PD said the armed robbery remains an active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to ...

San Mateo and Hayward PD team up to arrest Hayward man

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:10 GMT

(KRON) -- The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office and the Hayward Police Department collaborated to arrest a suspect violating a restraining order while out on bail.San Mateo County Sheriff's Office deputies were alerted to an unincorporated Redwood City home regarding a restraining order violation on Sept. 22 at 5:16 p.m. The residence was on Nottingham Avenue. According to police, deputies uncovered that the suspect made several social media threats and shared private photos without permission prior to the incident. The suspect was also committing a felony while out on bail.  President Biden continues campaign events in the Bay Area Wednesday The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office contacted the Hayward Police Department for assistance in locating the suspect at his Hayward residence. Initially, the search did not have any results.The Hayward Police Department informed the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office that they found and detained the suspect, who was identified as Oli...

Tulare man dies in East Oakland shooting early Tuesday morning

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:10 GMT

(BCN) -- A Tulare man died in a shooting in East Oakland early Tuesday morning, according to police.The shooting was reported shortly before 2:30 a.m. in the 2300 block of 23rd Avenue, where officers arrived and found the victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene. His name has not been released.No arrest has been announced and no suspect details were immediately available in connection with the shooting.Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Oakland police homicide section at (510) 238-3821 or a tip line at (510) 238-7950.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Take me out to the … opera? Nats Park hosts free ‘Opera in the Outfield’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:10 GMT

toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley previews 'Opera in the Outfield' at Nats Park (Part 1) $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); The Washington Nationals’ season is sadly coming to a close with only two series left on the road in Baltimore and Atlanta, but even if there are no playoffs in the picture, the ballpark is still rocking with a fun musical tradition.The Washington National Opera presents the 18th annual “...