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‘The most depraved crime I ever handled’: Transgender activist gets life in prison for murdering Oakland family

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 19:44:18 GMT

OAKLAND — A well-known transgender activist was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for murdering three family members in a brutal and frenzied attack that the judge said was the worst he’d seen in 33 years.Dana Rivers, 68, of San Jose, was found guilty last year of murdering Oakland resident Charlotte Reed, 56, her wife Patricia Wright, 57, and Wright’s 19-year-old son, Benny Toto Diambu-Wright, in a frenzied attack inside the victims’ home. Prosecutors say she used a handgun, equipped with a silencer, to shoot the victims, and that she stabbed Reed 47 times as the couple slept in their bedroom, then set the garage on fire in an attempt to cover her tracks.“It is a horrible thing to sentence someone to die in prison, and I don’t take that lightly,” Judge Scott Patton said in a Wednesday court hearing. “But this is the most depraved crime I ever handled in the criminal justice system in 33 years. Frankly, you deserve to spend...

Stanford professor accused of domestic abuse blames recent disappearance on fall, concussion

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 19:44:18 GMT

A Stanford biology professor accused of assaulting his then-girlfriend in 2022 blamed his recent overdue return from a backpacking trip in Washington state on having slipped on a snowy slope, leaving him “disoriented and lost” for days in the wilderness.Hunter Fraser, 44, issued his first public statement since being found Sunday on the east side of Olympic National Park, days after he was originally scheduled to return from a 40-mile trek. His disappearance — during which court officials say he missed a hearing in Santa Clara County concerning the domestic violence case — prompted a massive search by authorities that spanned more than 70 miles of trails in northwest Washington.Fraser, a biology professor and medical researcher, runs the Fraser Laboratory at Stanford, while also serving as a member of Bio-X, Stanford’s interdisciplinary biosciences institute. He also is involved in the Maternal & Child Health Research Institute, the Stanford Cancer Institute and the ...

Roger Payne dies at 88; scientist discovered that whales can sing

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 19:44:18 GMT

By Patrick Whittle | Associated PressRoger Payne, the scientist who spurred a worldwide environmental conservation movement with his discovery that whales could sing, has died. He was 88.Payne made the discovery in 1967 during a research trip to Bermuda in which a Navy engineer provided him with a recording of curious underwater sounds documented while listening for Russian submarines. Payne identified the haunting tones as songs whales sing to one another.He saw the discovery of whale song as a chance to spur interest in saving the giant animals, who were disappearing from the planet. Payne would produce the album “Songs of the Humpback Whale” in 1970. A surprise hit, the record galvanized a global movement to end the practice of commercial whale hunting and save the whales from extinction.Payne was cognizant from the start that whale song represented a chance to get the public interested in protecting an animal previously considered little more than a resource, curiosi...

Explore California’s state parks with this new augmented-reality app

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 19:44:18 GMT

Some people head out into the wilderness to disconnect from technology and modern life. For others, well, there’s this new thing – an app that guides you around California’s state parks using augmented reality on your phone.Virtual Adventurer is a free app from TimeLooper that’s meant to enhance your visit to a state park while you’re actually there — with historic stories read by voice actors, holograms, 3-D reconstructions and various AR bells and whistles. (You can find it on the App Store.) Right now it’s loaded with packages for nine parks, including three within striking distance of the Bay Area: Jack London State Historic Park, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve and, a bit further afield, Bodie State Historic Park.“We’re excited to launch the Virtual Adventurer app that further provides opportunities for Californians to access the cultural, historic and natural resources found across our beautiful state,” California State Parks D...

Long COVID: What are symptoms? How long does it last? What are treatment options?

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 19:44:18 GMT

(KRON) -- Health leaders believe the millions suffering from Long Covid will be doing so for years to come. Doctors and researchers across the country are currently conducting studies on the wildly uncertain condition, as some 16 million Americans deal with symptoms every day. While the National Institutes of Health has recently identified the 12 common symptoms of Long COVID, the condition can present itself in more than 200 ways and affect nearly every organ system. For some of the more debilitating conditions developed by Long Covid, there are treatment options that include medication and occupational therapy. But for Long Covid sufferers dealing with mild to extreme fatigue, some doctors suggest integrative medicine, vitamin supplements and using food for healing. KRON4's Noelle Bellow reports in this three-part series.

'Major' injury vehicle collision causes traffic delays in Santa Clara

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 19:44:18 GMT

(KRON) -- A single-vehicle collision caused delays in Santa Clara on Wednesday afternoon, according to the City of Santa Clara. Movie theatre to leave San Francisco Centre after Westfield departure The crash happened in the northbound lanes of San Tomas Expressway between Forbes Avenue and Homestead Road. Local police and fire departments are on the scene. The city said the collision had at least one "major injury" but no further details were provided. Drivers are asked to travel through the area at low speeds and follow all instructions of emergency personnel on the scene.

Walnut Creek garage fire caused by lithium battery in vacuum

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 19:44:18 GMT

(KRON) -- A fire that broke out in the garage of a Walnut Creek home and extended to the house, attic, and multiple cars was caused by a lithium battery, the Contra Costa Fire Department said. Firefighters responded to the blaze on Tuesday night and arrived to find the garage fully engulfed. 240 stolen catalytic converters found in Bay Area theft ring bust Firefighters were able to knock the fire down within minutes of arrival. All occupants made it out of the house safely, fire officials said. Investigators determined the cause of the fire to be a lithium battery on a cordless vacuum that was charging in the garage.Nine different Con Fire units responded to the blaze. Video posted by Con Fire to social media showed one of the cars in the driveway engulfed in flames as flames emanated from the garage.

Astros pitcher McCullers to miss remainder of season following surgery

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 19:44:18 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery Tuesday night to repair the flexor tendon in his right forearm and remove a lima bean-sized bone spur, general manager Dana Brown announced Wednesday.McCullers, 29, is expected to return to pitching during the 2024 season. Brown said the team did not have an exact timeline for when McCullers would return, but he could possibly start throwing again in November, and “then we will see in January where he is and how much he can get amped up.”“With this surgery, we feel good because at the end of the day, it was just this flexor tendon and the bone spur, which gives him a chance to come back sometime in ’24,” Brown said.The right-hander has not pitched this season after aggravating the injury while throwing a bullpen session in West Palm Beach, Florida, in February at the start of spring training.“Initially, we thought that the bone spur was a little bit smaller, but w...

US Open at a glance

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 19:44:18 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Facts and figures for the 123rd U.S. Open golf championship, which starts Thursday:Site: The Los Angeles Country Club (North).Length: 7,421 yards.Par: 70.Cut: Top 60 and ties.Playoff (if necessary): Two-hole aggregate immediately after 72 holes are completed.Field: 156 players (19 amateurs).Purse: $20 million. Winner’s share: $3.6 million.Defending champion: Matt Fitzpatrick.Open debut: Los Angeles Country Club is the third course in the last nine years to host a U.S. Open for the first time. Unlike Erin Hills (2017) and Chambers Bay (2015), LACC has been promised another U.S. Open before hosting its first one.Last U.S. Open in Los Angeles: Ben Hogan won in 1948 at Riviera.The long: The last three holes are all par 4s and are a combined 1,554 yards.The short: The 15th hole can play as short as 80 yards.The home crowd: Max Homa, Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay all grew up within 30 miles of Los Angeles Country Club. Morikawa is one of only four California nativ...

Luka Modric penalty completes thrilling 4-2 win for Croatia over Netherlands in Nations League

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 19:44:18 GMT

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Veteran midfielder Luka Modric scored an extra-time penalty to seal a thrilling 4-2 victory for Croatia over the Netherlands and a place in the Nations League final.Thousands of ecstatic red-and-white clad Croatia fans chanted “Luka! Luka! Luka!” after the 37-year-old completed the scoring from the penalty spot in the 116th minute on Wednesday.“We couldn’t believe how many fans for Croatia there were in the stadium. That was really phenomenal,” Modric said through an interpreter. “They give us great support and that’s something that drives us and moves us forward.”It was Modric’s 165th appearance for his country. He said after captaining Croatia to victory over Morocco in the third-place game at the World Cup in Qatar he wanted to “continue until at least the Nations League and after we will see.”Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman said Modric was, “in one word: fantastic.”“Sometimes there’s a player for the opponent who is so decisive and so go...