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Man sentenced in deadly Old Town freight train push

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:19 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A 27-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years-to-life in prison after pushing an elderly man into a freight train at the Old Town Transit Station, prosecutors said Friday.On New Year's Day in 2022, Martin Andara was on his way to work in the morning at a Ralph's supermarket in Pacific Beach exiting the trolley and walking toward a connecting bus at the station when Ryan Rukstelis suddenly attacked Andara for no reason, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a news release. Rukstelis could be seen on surveillance camera punching the 68-year-old man and then pushing him directly into a freight train that was moving past them.Andara died from severe head trauma. Woman dead in fall at US-Mexico border “This random, chilling attack took the life of a man who was loved by his family, friends and colleagues,” Stephan said. “It is a tragic case that was solved by excellent police work and brought to justice by the Elder Abuse Unit in our office.”During the i...

Dozens of Syrians are among the missing in catastrophic floods in Libya, a war monitor says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:19 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — A Syrian dentist, a confectioner who made mouthwatering Arabic sweets, a carpenter. Syrians from all walks of life had left their war-torn country for the Libyan city of Derna over the past years, looking for work and better opportunities. Now, dozens of them are missing and feared dead after Mediterranean storm Daniel unleashed catastrophic flooding that tore through the coastal city on Sunday night, wreaking destruction and washing entire neighborhoods out to sea. The death toll has eclipsed 11,000 and more than 10,000 are missing. Five days on, searchers are still digging through mud and hollowed-out buildings in Derna, looking for bodies.According to a war monitoring group, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 42 Syrians have been confirmed dead in Libya while the real number could be as high as 150. The victims include both Syrians who were living and working in Libya long term, and Syrian migrants who were using Libya as a transit point in effor...

Climate change could bring more monster storms like Hurricane Lee to New England

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:19 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — When it comes to hurricanes, New England can’t compete with Florida or the Caribbean.But scientists said Friday the arrival of storms like Hurricane Lee this weekend could become more common in the region as the planet warms, including in places such as the Gulf of Maine.Lee remained a Category 1 hurricane late Friday night with sustained winds of 80 mph (128 kph). The storm was forecast to brush the New England coast before making landfall later Saturday in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. States of emergency were declared for Massachusetts and Maine.One recent study found climate change could result in hurricanes expanding their reach more often into mid-latitude regions, which include New York, Boston and even Beijing. The study says the factors include warmer sea surface temperatures in these regions and the shifting and weakening of the jet streams, which are the strong bands of air currents encircling the planet in both hemispheres.“These jet stream ch...

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un inspects Russian bombers and a warship on a visit to Russia’s Far East

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:19 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected Russia’s nuclear-capable bombers and a warship in its Pacific fleet on Saturday as he continued a trip in Russia’s Far East that has sparked Western concerns about an arms alliance that could fuel Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine.After arriving in the city of Artyom by train, Kim traveled to an airport just outside the port city of Vladivostok where Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other senior military officials gave him an up-close look at Russia’s strategic bombers and other warplanes. All the types of Russian warplanes shown to Kim on Saturday were among those that have seen active use in the war in Ukraine, including the Tu-160, Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers that have regularly launched cruise missiles. Shoigu, who had met Kim during a rare visit to North Korea in July, also showed Kim one of Russia’s latest missiles, the hypersonic Kinzhal, carried by the MiG-31 fighter jet, that saw...

Millions under storm watches and warnings as Hurricane Lee bears down on New England and Canada

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:19 GMT

BAR HARBOR, Maine (AP) — Millions of people were under storm watches and warnings Saturday as Hurricane Lee churned toward shore, bearing down on New England and eastern Canada with heavy winds, high seas and rain.Cruise ships found refuge at berths in Portland, Maine, while lobstermen in Bar Harbor and elsewhere pulled their costly traps from the water and hauled their boats inland, leaving some harbors looking like ghost towns.Utility workers from as far away as Tennessee took up positions to repair damage from Lee, which by late Friday night remained a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 80 mph (128 kph). The storm was forecast to brush the New England coast before making landfall later Saturday in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, which along with New Brunswick will see the brunt of it. But Lee’s effects were expected to be felt over an immense area. The National Hurricane Center predicted hurricane-force winds extending more than 100 miles (161 kilometers) fr...

Los Angeles Police Department assistant chief accused of stalking subordinate

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:19 GMT

A Los Angeles Police Department official is under investigation after being accused of stalking a female officer while they were romantically involved.LAPD Assistant Chief Al Labrada is accused of allegedly placing an Apple AirTag tracking device on his ex-girlfriend's car to monitor her whereabouts. Following a recent breakup, the woman said she found the AirTag inside a waterproof Pelican box in her car. The device connected to the tag traced back to Labrada’s city-issued smartphone.She filed a report with the Ontario Police Department on Sept. 7. “We deny all of those allegations,” said Jeremy Tissot, Labrada’s attorney. “Those are false allegations and we fully expect Mr. Labraba will be vindicated of all those allegations.”Los Angeles Police Department Assistant Chief, Al Labrada, is under investigation after being accused of stalking a female officer while they were romantically involved. (LAPD)Apple AirTag tracking device. (KTLA)Los Angeles Police Department Assista...

Officials propose solution to combat overcrowded L.A. animal shelters

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:19 GMT

Shelters across Los Angeles are becoming more and more crowded with cats, dogs and other animals. As a result, many of the animals are caged and confined in work rooms and lobbies, and the conditions are often unsanitary. With the increasing numbers of animals, there is not enough space or people in the shelters to properly care for them. “It’s pretty serious right now,” said Brittany Thorn, executive director of Best Friends L.A. Animal Society, a non-profit organization that works closely with shelters and rescue groups to save the lives of homeless pets. “We are seeing it throughout L.A. county and city. We’re seeing at the six city shelters double their capacity of what they are actually built to hold as far as dogs and cats.” Unsanitary conditions at a Los Angeles animal shelter due to overcrowdingIn an effort to curb the overcrowded shelters crisis, the city of L.A. is considering calling for a moratorium on issuing breeding licenses, a proposal that was the focus of...

San Ramon Valley breaks through against McClymonds’ defense, stays unbeaten

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:19 GMT

DANVILLE — McClymonds hadn’t allowed a point through its first two games and still hadn’t after one quarter Friday night in a highly anticipated rematch against San Ramon Valley.But then SRV got the play it needed to ignite a 35-7 victory that improved the Danville school’s record to 4-0.Max Ellis intercepted a third-down pass and returned it 31 yards up the sideline to midfield.A few plays later, John Ben Pau Mendoza weaved his way for a 35-yard touchdown that broke a scoreless tie. The Wolves added another touchdown just before halftime on a 21-yard pass from Luke Baker to Pau Mendoza and put the game away by the end of the third quarter.Pau Mendoza accounted for 137 yards — 70 through the air and 67 on the ground — and scored three TDs. Baker passed for 209 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score as the Wolves avenged a 45-42 loss to Mack last season in Oakland.San Ramon Valley’s John Pau Mendoza(3) runs for a touchdown against McClymonds ...

Shohei Ohtani’s locker is cleared out, but Angels won’t provide update until Saturday

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:19 GMT

ANAHEIM — Shohei Ohtani’s locker in the Angels’ clubhouse was cleared of most of his personal belongings and equipment after the Angels’ 11-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Friday night, but the team declined to provide any further information on him until Saturday.Ohtani suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament late last month, and agent Nez Balelo said last week Ohtani will need a procedure at some point, but he declined to say what the procedure would be or when it would occur.Ohtani was in the clubhouse before Friday’s game, and he did a workout in the cage to determine if he could play. Ohtani has been out of the lineup since Sept. 4 because of a sore oblique.After the game, reporters noticed that some of Ohtani’s belongings were packed in a 2023 All-Star Game bag, but many of the shoes, bats and other personal items that have filled his locker throughout the season were gone.Angels officials huddled for about 30 minutes while two dozen reporters waited for any news on what had...

Redwood City man arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting multiple children

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:19 GMT

REDWOOD CITY – A 66-year-old Redwood City man was arrested Friday on suspicion of sexually assaulting multiple children, authorities said.The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation in March after receiving a report of a sexual assault of a minor, Sgt. Donnie Burnett said in a news release.Detectives went on to identify the suspect as Sergio Emelio Perez-Juarez, Burnett said.On Friday, Perez-Juarez was arrested and booked into the Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City on charges of lewd act upon a child, forcible lewd act upon a child, aggravated sexual assault of a child, and rape by force or fear, Burnett said.The sheriff’s office did not disclose any additional details about the case, including how Perez-Juarez found his victims.Detectives are concerned there are additional victims who have not yet come forward, Burnett said.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Peninsula man convicted of murdering workplace crush’s boyfriend Crime an...