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Protesters flock to North Hollywood elementary school ahead of Pride event

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:04 GMT

At Saticoy Elementary School in North Hollywood on Friday, a controversial few days will come to a head, though it remains to be seen if this will be the end of the debate over teaching LGBTQ topics at schools.For Pride month, teachers will read students Mary Hoffman’s book “The Great Big Book of Families,” which Goodreads called “a celebration of the diverse fabric of kith and kin the world over.”The Los Angeles Unified School District agreed, telling KTLA last month that the event is intended to highlight diversity.Some parents, however, claim the discussion of same-sex relationships and other topics during the Gay Pride and Rainbow Day assembly is not appropriate for children and should be taught at home by parents, not at school by teachers. LGBTQ flag burned at North Hollywood elementary school ahead of controversial Pride assembly They're at the school Friday morning to protest the assembly.An Instagram account called Saticoy Elementary Parents has promoted Friday's protest ...

California bill requiring Facebook, Google to pay for news gains momentum

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:04 GMT

A California bill that would force Big Tech companies to pay media outlets for posting and using their news content cleared another critical hurdle Thursday. The measure is among hundreds of bills that passed in the state Senate and Assembly this week before Friday — the last day a bill can pass out of its original chamber and get a chance to become law later this year.The bill, which passed the Assembly floor with bipartisan support, would require companies such as Google and Meta to share with California media companies their advertising revenue stemming from the news and other reported content. The amount would be determined through an arbitration process. The bill would also require at least 70% of the shared revenue go toward journalists' salaries. Such payments would help local media organizations survive after many have seen their advertising revenues nosedive in the digital era, said the bill's author, Democratic Assemblymember Buffy Wicks. California has lost more than 100 ...

Borenstein: How California teachers can bypass state strike restrictions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:04 GMT

The Oakland teachers strike is over, the school year has ended, but the legal battle over the 12-day walkout that probably violated state bargaining rules is just beginning.The unusual case and a similar one in Los Angeles this year, stemming from a three-day strike of school support staff such as bus drivers, teacher aides and custodians, highlight the power imbalance in California school strikes that left tens of thousands of students without classroom instruction.The system has become so heavily tilted in favor of labor unions that if school workers choose to strike without first following state-mandated negotiation procedures, which include mediation and fact-finding, there’s little district officials can do to stop them.The first arbiter of disputes over the legality of strikes is the labor-friendly California Public Employment Relations Board, known as PERB, whose members are appointed by the governor.Currently four of the five board seats are filled. The appointees of Jerry B...

Photo: Wolverine in Yosemite is second seen in California since 1920s

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:04 GMT

A wolverine seen in the Eastern Sierra last month is only the second confirmed sighting of the animal in California since the 1920s, the state’s wildlife agency said.The announcement Thursday included an image of a wolverine recorded in Yosemite National Park.Two other sightings last month — in Inyo National Forest in Inyo and Mono counties — are believed to be of the same animal.Images and video from separate individuals were analyzed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which determined it was indeed a wolverine. The sighting locations were confirmed through coordinates imbedded in the photos and video, the agency said.“Wolverines can travel great distances, making it likely that the recent sightings are all of the same animal,” CDFW Senior Environmental Scientist Daniel Gammons said in a press release. “Because only two wolverines have been confirmed in California during the last 100 years, these latest detections are exciting.”The other sightings ...

Kurtenbach: Answering your questions on Patrick Bailey, Bob Myers, and the sad, sorry state of the A’s

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:04 GMT

It’s been a while since we opened the Kurtenbag. Let’s fix that.Some of these questions are from readers. Some aren’t. Some are from conversations I had with strangers at the dog park. Most aren’t. Does it really matter where the questions came from if there’s a good answer?Let’s get to the bottom of some things:Can Patrick Bailey keep this up at the plate? What happens when Joey Bart comes back? First four-hit game First three-RBI gameWhat a day for No. 11 @SFGiants prospect Patrick Bailey! pic.twitter.com/FwRWv6Jc4S— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 27, 2023Bailey was the kind of prospect that folks in the Giants organization kept saying was going to be “worth the wait.”They weren’t kidding.The kid has been an outstanding receiver behind the plate — 24 years old going on 34. His pitch framing is really impressive, and he has such a calm and confident disposition that seems to be contagious.Catcher is one of those positions...

Suspected drunk driver being pursued by Brentwood police dies in crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:04 GMT

BRENTWOOD — A driver suspected of being under the influence of alcohol who was being pursued by a police officer Thursday night died when their vehicle left the roadway and crashed, authorities said.Authorities did not release any details about the person klled pending confirmation of their identity and notification of their next of kin.In a news release, police said that about 7:06 p.m. Thursday a Brentwood officer was patrolling the area of Sand Creek Road and O’Hara Avenue when he saw a vehicle commit an unspecified vehicle code violation.The release said the officer conducted a traffic stop.  When the officer made contact with the driver, the release said the officer observed that the driver “displayed obvious symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol.”The release said that during the traffic stop, the driver drove away in their vehicle and the officer began a pursuit.The release said that after a short time, the vehicle being pursued left the road...

Mother of missing 5-year-old Colorado girl arrested on suspicion of child abuse resulting in death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:04 GMT

Maha Li was reported missing in Aurora Tuesday. The apparent remains of a missing 5-year-old girl were found in a closet inside her Aurora apartment and her mother has been arrested as a suspect in the child’s death.Maha Li Hobbs was reported missing Tuesday and police released a photo, in a Twitter post, of her mother, Alexus Tanielle Nelson, 27, asking the public whether they had seen the pair.On Thursday the missing child notice was canceled and police announced they arrested Nelson on investigation of child abuse resulting in death, tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with physical evidence after detectives found human remains of a child overnight Wednesday in Nelson’s apartment.Interim police Chief Art Acevedo appeared Thursday afternoon at a news conference on the incident. Acevedo, emotional at times, referred to the victim as “our beautiful little girl” and “our little angel.”The remains were found in a closet after investigators served a search warrant, ...

The US economy added 339,000 jobs last month, soaring past expectations — again

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:04 GMT

By Alicia Wallace | CNNMinneapolis  — The US labor market isn’t ready to slow down just yet.Employers added 339,000 jobs in May, according to the monthly employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released on Friday.Last month’s job growth showed an acceleration from April’s job gains, which were revised upwardly to 294,000, and it’s a far hotter number than the 190,000 that economists were expecting.The unemployment rate rose to 3.7% from 3.4%. Economists were projecting it to climb to 3.5%, according to Refinitiv.The labor force participation rate held steady in May at 62.6%. The surge in the unemployment rate was driven in part by people who lost their jobs permanently and those who completed a temporary job, BLS data shows.It appears that it’s taking longer for people to find work: The number of people unemployed for 15 to 26 weeks jumped by 179,000 to 858,000.The job gains were broad-based, with some of the largest increases seen in professional and business services...

Rising Lake Oroville puts boat ramps and parking lot under water

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:04 GMT

PARADISE — With a recent increase of a few feet in water elevation, Lake Oroville’s Nelson Bar boat ramp and parking lot are closed because they are underwater.The lot’s elevation ranges between 891 and 895 feet and is impacted by higher lake levels, according to an email from DWR Public Information Officer Raquel Borrayo.On Wednesday, Lake Orville’s elevation was 894 feet and the parking lot entrance was closed.While the parking lot by the boat launch is closed, a small lot is open just uphill from the main parking lot from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.Patrice Kielhorn and Erica Kielhorn visited the area Wednesday and set up camping chairs to watch their young ones swim in the day use area.“We haven’t seen (the lake) this full very often in years. We’re just really grateful that we got all that rain,” Patricie Kielhorn said.Nance Eakins visited the area Wednesday to take photos by the lake with her partner.Related ArticlesEnvironment | These San Jose residents’ water bills coul...

Suspected gang members arrested for shooting of 17-year-old

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:04 GMT

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KRON) – A 19-year-old and 17-year-old were arrested for targeting and shooting a 17-year-old Tuesday evening, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department.Just after 7 p.m., a shooting was reported in the 600 block of Aston Avenue where two suspects allegedly ran away eastbound before officers arrived on scene. Once police responded to the area, they located multiple shell casings in the roadway, but were unable to locate any suspects or victims, police said.  Swastika spray-painted at North Bay elementary school A report shortly came in regarding a victim that was being transported to a local hospital in a personal vehicle. The victim sustained one non-life-threatening gunshot wound and was in stable condition, SRPD said. The victim, a 17-year-old male from Santa Rosa, was later released from the hospital and is currently recovering. Detectives were able to determine the shooting was gang-related and police believe the suspects targeted the victim, SRPD ...