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38,000 pounds of illegal fireworks seized in South L.A.

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:09 GMT

Tens of thousands of pounds of illegal fireworks were seized from a South Los Angeles warehouse Wednesday afternoon, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.Around 3 p.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department was "conducting routine compliance inspections" in the 900 block of East 61st Street in the Florence neighborhood when marshals found "a large number of fireworks in a storage room," police said in a news release. The illegal, "commercial-grade" fireworks were seized by authorities, who "immediately began the process of packaging and removing the fireworks from the area, which totaled 38,000 pounds in weight," the release added. The LAPD said they found tens of thousands of pounds of illegal fireworks in South Los Angeles on June 7, 2023.Two Angelenos, 64-year-old Lorenzo Ponce and 35-year-old Diego Ponce, were arrested for possession of illegal fireworks over 5,000 pounds.CalFire will assist with the disposal of the fireworks, and the investigation is ongoing. 2 years aft...

Collared black bear tracked to Leo Carrillo Beach, where paw prints found in sand

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:09 GMT

A black bear at the beach? That’s what National Park Service officials said happened with a collared black bear recently.BB-12, a 3-to-4-year-old male bear captured and collared on April 23, was tracked by GPS and bear paw prints were seen near Leo Carrillo State Beach, officials said. “Have you ever seen a black bear take a midnight stroll along the beach? We haven’t either but we know that it happened recently and at least twice in Malibu,” Santa Monica Mountain National Recreation Area officials wrote on Facebook. “Beach life seemingly did not suit Santa Monica Mountain’s erstwhile resident black bear, BB-12, however.”Since being collared, BB-12 apparently has also crossed the 101, 23 and 118 freeways, and is currently roaming the northern part of the Santa Susana Mountains, officials said.His capture was the first time biologists caught and radio collared a bear in the Santa Monica Mountains. The nearest population of black bears can be found in the Santa Susana Mountains north ...

El Niño officially arrives early: What it means for California

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:09 GMT

El Niño has arrived. The Climate Prediction Center announced Thursday that El Niño conditions were present and expected to grow stronger in the coming months. Forecasters give it a 56% chance of developing into a strong El Niño, and an 84% chance of topping "moderate" strength. This year's El Niño has shown up ahead of the typical schedule. In the past decade, El Niños have started in late summer or early fall. Its early appearance "gives it room to grow," Climate Prediction Center meteorologist Michelle L’Heureux, told the Associated Press. This year's El Niño is expected to keep building and remain strong through the 2023-2024 winter. El Ninos are far costlier than once thought, in the trillions, study says — and one’s brewing now This year is predicted to be the inverse of what we’ve seen the last three years, in which we have had back-to-back La Niña seasons.El Niño typically brings cold, wet winters to the Southern U.S. A strong El Niño, in particular, is associated with lot...

Mayor Bass ‘Feeling Fine’ After Positive COVID Test

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:09 GMT

City of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday and is said to be “feeling fine.”The announcement of Bass’ positive test came Thursday at 10:30 a.m., with her office confirming that she had no scheduled public appearances and would be working from her home.“Last night, Mayor Karen Bass tested positive for COVID-19 following a routine test,” a statement from the mayor’s office said. “The Mayor is feeling fine and will continue to work remotely as she follows public health guidelines. Mayor Bass is vaccinated and boosted.”In 2021, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti also tested positive for the disease and recovered within a couple of weeks.It is not yet clear how long Bass will be in isolation, but the L.A. Public Health standard is five days, so long as one is without a fever for 24 hours. If symptoms persist after those five days, it is recommended to wear a well-fi...

Best THC Detox: Ultimate Guide to Get Weed Out Of Your System In 2023

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:09 GMT

Sponsored ContentTHC detox involves the elimination of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive compound in marijuana, from the body. THC can linger in the system for weeks, posing challenges for passing drug tests or mitigating the effects of prolonged marijuana use. To cleanse the body of THC and its byproducts effectively, a combination of dietary changes, exercise, and herbal supplements is recommended. These methods enhance the body’s natural detoxification processes, expediting THC elimination. Adequate hydration, avoidance of high-fat foods and alcohol, and regular exercise can also aid in flushing out THC. However, it’s important to recognize that there is no universal approach to THC detox, as the process duration and intensity depend on factors such as marijuana usage frequency, metabolism, and body weight. By following a comprehensive THC detox program, individuals can substantially reduce THC levels and achieve a clean system.4 Best THC Detox Prod...

Historic downtown San Jose office building may become housing highrise

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:09 GMT

SAN JOSE — The iconic Bank of Italy office tower in downtown San Jose may gain a new mission as a housing highrise, a conversion being discussed with the forbidding backdrop of an office market that continues to wobble.The concept of converting the high-profile tower to residential units could be a winner for the property, considering the shortage of housing in the Bay Area and the post-coronavirus ailments that now afflict the office market in this region.The principal owners of the landmark building have held discussions at San Jose City Hall regarding the potential concept, according to several sources, including some who have direct knowledge of the plans to convert the structure.The building is owned by an alliance of local development firm Urban Community and Westbank, a top-notch developer with a global reach. Bay Area real estate entrepreneurs Gary Dillabough and Jeff Arrillaga head up Urban Community.Dillabough, Arrillaga and Westbank declined to comment or couldnR...

‘I really do apologize’: Oakland resident gets 12 years for killing man in 2019 bar shooting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:09 GMT

OAKLAND — A city resident who had been charged with killing one man and wounding another in a 2019 shooting outside a bar in Old Oakland has been sentenced to 12 years in state prison through a plea deal, court records show.Before he was sentenced, 26-year-old Deontre Brown penned a letter saying “I really do apologize” to family members of the man he killed, who decried the plea agreement as too lenient. Brown pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in exchange for the prison sentence, and prosecutors dropped murder and assault charges against him. He was formally sentenced on May 5.The victim, 42-year-old Cassius Stroman, of San Francisco, was shot and killed around 7:45 p.m. on March 10, 2019 in a parking lot in the 800 block of Washington Street, near the Liege Spirits Lounge. Witnesses testified that Stroman got into an altercation with several other patrons at the bar, after he asked a woman for her phone number and was rebuffed.Both prosecutors and the ...

14th-century Ghanian celebration of freedom comes to life in new East Bay show

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:09 GMT

Every year, the Anlo-Ewe people of coastal Ghana reenact the foundational story of their exodus, a flight from servitude to freedom.Known as Hogbetsotso, the ritual recounts via music and dance how their ancestors in the 14th century fled the walled city of Notsie (in present day Togo) and made their way west to the Volta region.“It’s a story you grow up with,” said CK Ladzekpo, the Ghanaian choreographer, percussionist, composer and longtime director of UC Berkeley’s African music program.Hailing from an illustrious family of artists and cultural practitioners, Ladzekpo also been a creative force at the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts in Richmond, which is where he’s premiering “Hogbetsotso — Day of Crossing Over,” June 10 and 11. Distilling the Anlo-Ewe rituals he absorbed as a youth, the production was made possible due to a Hewlett 50 Arts Commission in Folk and Traditional Arts.Thinking back on the elaborate celebration, Ladzekpo has come to see that the primary m...

Disneyland gets jaw-dropping Groot robot ready for Guardians of the Galaxy dance party

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:09 GMT

A top-secret project that has been under wraps for years could soon be revealed in Avengers Campus as Walt Disney Imagineering inches closer to pushing a jaw-dropping Groot robot out into Disney California Adventure to take part in a Guardians of the Galaxy dance party.Disneyland is conducting play tests of technology from the Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development team for select theme park visitors who are shown a short presentation of the Groot audio-animatronic character.Imagineering’s Project Kiwi version of the Young Groot audio-animatronic may be coming to Avengers Campus this summer, according to MiceChat.The Marvel superhero on the team of intergalactic mercenaries in the “Guardian of the Galaxy” films is a gentle, kind and childlike extraterrestrial tree-like creature who says only one thing: “I am Groot.”The most logical place to test out robot Groot: Next to the Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout in DCA’s Avengers Campus. The behind-the-scenes play ...

‘Ten years of stolen life can’t simply be brushed off’: After overturned Oakland murder convictions and charges against detective, two men sue OPD

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:09 GMT

OAKLAND — Two Bay Area men who spent years behind bars for faulty murder convictions are suing the Oakland Police Department and a detective who admitted he paid a key witness after previously denying she’d received financial assistance, court records show.The lawsuit, filed Thursday by Giovante Douglas and Cartier Hunter, accuses Oakland police Detective Phong Tran of obtaining convictions against both men by paying off a witness and committing “clear perjury” to cover it up. The suit says both men spent close to a decade in jail and prison, until their convictions were quietly overturned by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office in 2022.Tran was charged in April with multiple felony charges, including perjury and bribery. The criminal complaint alleges Tran lied under oath when he denied making payments to Aisha Weber, the woman who would testify she witnessed the 2011 fatal shooting of 23-year-old Charles Butler Jr., and implicated both men by...