Butler sworn in as third Black female senator in US history, replaces late California Sen. Feinstein

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:51:29 GMT

Butler sworn in as third Black female senator in US history, replaces late California Sen. Feinstein WASHINGTON (AP) — Former union leader and Democratic insider Laphonza Butler was sworn in as the newest member of the Senate on Tuesday, replacing California Sen. Dianne Feinstein after her death and becoming only the third Black female senator in history.Butler was appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday, just two days after Feinstein died at her home in Washington. Butler is a longtime fundraiser and strategist in the state’s Democratic circles and was the head of Emily’s List, a national organization that raises money for women candidates who support abortion rights. The new senator was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris, who served as the second Black female senator until she resigned in 2021 to join President Joe Biden in the White House. The first was Democratic Sen. Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois, who served one term in the 1990s.With dozens of supporters and family members looking down from the gallery, Butler smiled broadly as she walked down the center a...

Man Pronounced Dead after Pedestrian Crash on South G Street [Madera, CA]

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:51:29 GMT

Man Pronounced Dead after Pedestrian Crash on South G Street [Madera, CA] Male Pedestrian Fatally Struck in Deadly Collision near 11th StreetMADERA, CA (October 3, 2023) – Sunday evening, a pedestrian accident on South G Street resulted in the death of one man.Officers responded to the scene at approximately 7:00 p.m., at the intersection of South G Street and 11th Street, in the 700 block.Upon arrival, law enforcement officers found a Hispanic man lying on the road, suffering from severe injuries. Despite efforts by medical personnel, the male pedestrian was declared dead at the scene. The involved driver remained at the scene and fully cooperated with the ongoing investigation.Currently, officers are working to uncover further circumstances leading up to the crash. Furthermore, the identity of the deceased individual has not yet been disclosed by authorities.Those with any additional information about the collision on South G Street are strongly encouraged to contact Madera officials.In this sorrowful time, the Sweet James team would like to exten...

Celebrate Sober October With A Clear Head

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:51:29 GMT

Celebrate Sober October With A Clear Head Welcome to Sober October. According to certified Nutritionist and Certified Functional Food Professional Amy Fox, sober curiosity means becoming more aware of your drinking and developing a healthier relationship with alcohol.  For many people, completely abstaining from drinking is not the goal — instead, it’s about finding ways to make drinking “small and irrelevant in your life.”Fox says it’s about giving your mind and body a chance to experience the health benefits of abstinence, which include better sleep, healthier skin, improved emotional wellness, including reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression, reduced risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, weight loss, clearer skin, improved immunity function, and better brain function and memory.Her tips on how to help get started?Be aware of how you feel during and after you drink. Do you feel low-energy, sluggish or brain-fogged, or anxious and easily triggered? These are signs you could benefit from taking a break.Get curious....

Eleazar Perez-Reyez Hospitalized, Woman Dead in Head-On Collision at Oakley Lane [Wheatland, CA]

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:51:29 GMT

Eleazar Perez-Reyez Hospitalized, Woman Dead in Head-On Collision at Oakley Lane [Wheatland, CA] 73-Year-Old Woman Dies in Deadly Head-On AccidentWHEATLAND, CA (October 3, 2023) – On Tuesday morning, Eleazar Perez-Reyez was injured and a woman died following a head-on crash.It happened in the southbound lanes of Oakley Lane shortly after 6:00 a.m., September 26th.According to the California Highway Patrol, the collision involved a 2017 Toyota Corolla driven by a 73-year-old woman and a 2002 Ford Explorer driven by 22-year-old Eleazer Perez-Reyez.Furthermore, the officers learned that the Toyota headed northbound when it crossed over to a double yellow line into the southbound lanes and collided head-on with the Ford.Unfortunately, both the woman and Perez-Reyez suffered serious injuries, but the woman succumbed to hers and she was pronounced dead.Consequently, the emergency responders immediately transported Perez-Reyez to the hospital for treatment.Meanwhile, the authorities blocked the lanes on Oakley Lane during the length of the incident, but it has reopened since.Fur...

SF Giants: What we learned from Farhan Zaidi’s season-ending press conference

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:51:29 GMT

SF Giants: What we learned from Farhan Zaidi’s season-ending press conference SAN FRANCISCO — As a half dozen ballparks radiated on Tuesday, the official start of the postseason, with the kind of energy that only playoff baseball can provide, Oracle Park sat empty. Quiet. The only sign of activity was a not-so-small group of reporters and cameras encircled around Farhan Zaidi, the Giants’ head baseball man who wished his team was gearing up for October, not kicking off his offseason perched on a dugout bench answering questions for 45 minutes.“We’re sitting here with the playoffs starting, talking about the end of our season, finishing under .500, that’s a disappointment,” Zaidi said, about half-an-hour in to his post mortem. “That’s not where we wanted to be.”Just a few days earlier, Zaidi spoke of needing to “rethink everything.” His club wilted down the stretch, exposing deeper problems on a roster and an organizational philosophy that has produced only one postseason appearance in five seasons. As these things go,...

Kurtenbach: SF Giants ownership has set up the organization for years of dysfunction

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:51:29 GMT

Kurtenbach: SF Giants ownership has set up the organization for years of dysfunction SAN FRANCISCO — This is not an appropriate way to run a baseball team.Not in this day and age.Not in this kind of market.With one decision, the Giants have set themselves up for years of unnecessary messiness and continued mediocrity.When Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi recommended to the team’s governing board that they fire manager Gabe Kapler last week, it should have sparked a larger conversation about the organization’s future.That was the time to decide if Zaidi is the right person to lead this team.Both Zaidi and Kapler’s contracts with the Giants expire after the 2024 season, but someone’s head had to roll after a sub-.500 season.So Zaidi deftly sacrificed Kapler to save himself.I don’t blame Zaidi for making the move. It was justifiable — Kapler was floundering in his role.But the fact that Zaidi could save himself is the problem.Zaidi and Kapler worked in lock-step. The former hand-picked the latter. The latter implemented...

Bay Area man pleads guilty to violating sanctions on Iran

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:51:29 GMT

Bay Area man pleads guilty to violating sanctions on Iran OAKLAND, Calif. -- (KRON) – Bay Area resident and telecommunications consultant, Farhad Nafeiy, was charged and pleaded guilty to violating sanctions by exporting software upgrades for commercial-grade telecommunications servers to the Islamic Republic of Iran and for tax evasion, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.  FBI warns public against ‘The Phantom Hacker’ scam Nafeiy, 70, an Alamos resident, was charged with and pleaded guilty to a violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Under IEEPA, the President of the United States is granted authority to address unusual and extraordinary threats to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States. Under that law, the President has issued orders prohibiting certain activities and transactions with Iran and the Government of Iran. The Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued regulations, such as the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, implementin...

San Francisco man who tortured girlfriend faces life prison sentence

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:51:29 GMT

San Francisco man who tortured girlfriend faces life prison sentence SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A 36-year-old man was convicted by a jury of torturing his girlfriend in their San Francisco apartment, prosecutors said Tuesday. Roberto Gamero was convicted of torture, domestic violence, assault, and battery. "The charges arose from six separate incidents of abuse over the course of a year and a half," the District Attorney's Office wrote. Gamero is now facing a possible life prison sentence. He has been in custody since April for repeatedly violating a criminal protective order.District Attorney Brooke Jenkins described Gamero's abuse as "monstrous." Gamero and the victim began dating in 2020 and the relationship turned violent, investigators said."During one such incident, the defendant punched the victim’s face so many times that her face became unrecognizable, and the defendant refused to let her leave the apartment," the DA's Office wrote.An especially violent episode on February 5, 2022 led to the boyfriend's arrest. According to prosecutors, that ni...

House advances motion to oust McCarthy

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:51:29 GMT

House advances motion to oust McCarthy The House on Tuesday moved closer to a vote on whether House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) should keep his gavel after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), 10 other House Republicans, and a unified Democratic Caucus defeated an effort to kill the “motion to vacate.”The chamber voted 208-218 on a motion to table Gaetz’s resolution to oust McCarthy, setting the stage for a vote on whether McCarthy should remain in the top spot.The vote is bad news for McCarthy, who had argued that it would be bad for the institution of the House for Democrats to help in removing him.And it came only after Democrats decided against protecting McCarthy. Emerging from a closed-door meeting in the Capitol, members of the caucus said they would vote to oust McCarthy — dealing a blow to McCarthy and putting his Speakership in hot water.It sets the chamber up for yet another historic vote that, like McCarthy’s history 15-ballot Speaker’s election in January, has not been seen in a century.The only other time t...

McDavid and Oilers competing with NHL expansion darlings, Vegas and Seattle, in Pacific Division

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:51:29 GMT

McDavid and Oilers competing with NHL expansion darlings, Vegas and Seattle, in Pacific Division Sorry, California. And good luck, Connor McDavid.This isn’t your father or grandfather’s NHL expansion era following a season in which the Pacific Division was turned upside down by the league’s two newest franchises.The Stanley Cup resides in Las Vegas. And the Seattle Kraken made a giant leap from their inaugural season growing pains by falling one win short of reaching what would’ve been an all-expansion Western Conference Final matchup against the Golden Knights.And there’s little indication of Vegas or Seattle experiencing a dropoff this year in a division that features a large gap between the top five and bottom three.“We’re excited heading into the season. So are 31 other teams,” Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “But I think we’ve got reason to have faith in our group and trust in the players that we have. We’re going to put our best foot forward.”Seattle coach Dave Hakstol was more tempered in his outlook, especially given how the Kraken’s 100-point seaso...