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New health issue emerges for California Sen. Dianne Feinstein

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:33:47 GMT

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s office said Thursday that she is suffering from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a complication from the shingles virus that can paralyze part of the face, and that she contracted encephalitis while recovering from the virus earlier this year.Feinstein, 89, had not previously disclosed those medical details, though she said in a statement last week that she had suffered complications from the virus. The longtime California senator returned from a more than two-month absence on May 10 after weeks of questions about her declining health and whether she would be back in the Senate at all.Adam Russell, a spokesman for Feinstein, said that the encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, “resolved itself shortly after she was released from the hospital in March.” Feinstein continues to have complications from the Ramsay Hunt syndrome, Russell said. Feinstein returning to Senate after facing resignation calls Russell confirmed the two complications after...

'General Hospital' actress Haley Pullos arrested for DUI after wrong-way crash

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:33:47 GMT

"General Hospital" actress Haley Pullos faces DUI charges after authorities said she was involved in a violent wrong-way crash in Pasadena late last month.The accident occurred on April 29 when, according to a California Highway Patrol report, Pullos drove the wrong direction on the 134 Freeway and collided head-on with another vehicle near the Orange Grove exit.Both Pullos, 24, and the other driver were hospitalized with serious injuries.Authorities say Haley Pullos was driving in the wrong direction on the 134 Freeway in Pasadena when she collided with another vehicle. April 19, 2023. (Pasadena Fire Department)Pullos was arrested at the hospital on suspicion of driving under the influence. CHP said she was also involved in a hit-and-run collision shortly before the freeway crash.According to Soap Opera Digest, General Hospital has recast her character, at least temporarily.

Man found dead in swimming pool at Encino home

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:33:47 GMT

The body of a man was pulled from a backyard swimming pool in Encino Thursday afternoon.  Personnel with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to calls of a water rescue in the 17100 block of West McCormick Street just after 3 p.m., authorities said in a news release.  Sky5’s Gil Leyvas reported that first responders attempted life saving measures after getting the man out of the pool, but they were unable to resuscitate him. Firefighters responded to an Encino home where a deceased male was pulled from a backyard swimming pool May 18, 2023. (KTLA)No details were provided on how the man ended up in the pool or if officials with the Los Angeles Police Department are investigating the death.  

Each LeBron James assist in NBA Conference Finals will help a dog in Ohio get adopted

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:33:47 GMT

While LeBron James is trying to will his Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA Finals, he's also helping out some adoptable dogs in his hometown.James, who was born in Akron, Ohio, helped nine dogs get adopted following Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals series between the Lakers and Denver Nuggets Tuesday.Humane Society of Summit County, the county where Akron is located, has partnered with the ASPCA Pet Health Insurance program (APHI) to offer an assist to some adoptable dogs and cats and is following LeBron's lead.For each assist recorded by James in the Conference Finals, the APHI is chipping in to cover adoption fees at the shelter. In Tuesday's loss against the Nuggets, James scored 26 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out 9 assists. That means adoption fees were covered for nine animals in Ohio.The adoption fees will be applied to the animals who have been in the shelter the longest, APHI said. Among the adoptable animals are three dogs named after Akron's favorite son.The ...

TikTok users file lawsuit against Montana’s law banning the app

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:33:47 GMT

Associated PressHELENA, Mont. — Five TikTok users filed a lawsuit to overturn a planned ban on the video sharing app in Montana.They argued in a legal complaint filed late Wednesday in federal court in Missoula that the law is an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights.They also say the state doesn’t have authority over matters of national security. Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the bill into law Wednesday and said it would protect Montana residents’ private data and personal information from being harvested by the Chinese government.The ban is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.“We expected a legal challenge and are fully prepared to defend the law,” said Emily Flower, spokeswoman for the Montana Department of Justice.TikTok has argued that the law infringes on people’s First Amendment rights and is unlawful.Some lawmakers, the FBI and officials at other agencies are concerned the video-sharing app, owned by ByteDance, could be used to allo...

Letters: More trails | Wrong track | Biden’s job | Country in crisis | Detentions crucial

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:33:47 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Bike trails are goodfor all park usersRe: “Kudos to EBRPD for testing new trail ideas” (Page A6, May 16).I enjoyed reading the opinions, both pro and con, regarding the park’s construction of bike-specific trails in Briones East Bay Regional Park.The anti-biking groups complain of user conflict on the trails, a fear that has been shown to be more theoretical than real. One way to minimize conflict is by creating well-designed legal bike trails. I am confident that the EBRPD will construct such trails in a safe and ecologically sensitive manner, enhancing the park experience for all users.Michael UdkowOaklandState is on wrongtrack on big issuesRe: “Quality-of-life issues causing California flight” (Page A12, May 14).I would like to thank the author, Bill Packwood, for a very accurate description of the reasons for leaving California.This beautiful state is seeing a horrible t...

Election lies thrive unchecked on Elon Musk’s Twitter

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:33:47 GMT

By Ali Swenson | Associated PressNEW YORK — In an interview this week, Twitter owner Elon Musk said users making false claims of stolen elections “will be corrected” on the platform.Prompted by a CNBC reporter for extra assurance that would happen, Musk responded, “Oh yeah, 100%.”Yet many such claims have thrived on Twitter in the week since former President Donald Trump spent much of a CNN town hall digging in on his lie that the 2020 election was “rigged” against him. Twitter posts that amplified those false claims have thousands of shares with no visible enforcement, a review of posts on the platform shows.The contrast between Musk’s promise and the extent the claims are spreading on Twitter underscores a major challenge for social media companies trying to call out election conspiracy theories and falsehoods that Trump and his supporters continue to promote. That will only grow as the nation prepares for a presidential election next year...

Levi’s Stadium appears Super Bowl-bound for 2026

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:33:47 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Levi’s Stadium is expected to make a Super Bowl encore in 2026.Next week’s NFL owners meeting in Minneapolis should yield a vote that awards Super Bowl LX to the 49ers’ home field, according to Ben Fischer of the Sports Business Journal.An announcement could come as soon as Monday or Tuesday, according to a team source.That Super Bowl would add to Levi’s Stadium’s busy docket for 2026, as it will serve as one of World Cup soccer’s North American venues later that summer.“I feel very confident we’ll get a Super Bowl in the near future,” 49ers CEO Jed York said in March at the NFL’s annual meetings in Arizona. “It’d be great to get Super Bowl 60 after hosting Super Bowl 50.“It’d be great to get that game after bringing the World Cup (bid) to Levi’s Stadium. Those are two of the largest sporting events in the world and having them back-to-back would be fantastic.”Last month, I reported that @49e...

‘They’re holding us hostage’: Two Antioch leaders call for firing of police involved in racist texts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:33:47 GMT

Nearly two months after an untold number of Antioch police were placed on leave for allegedly sending offensive and racist texts to each other, Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe and Mayor Pro Tem Tamisha Torres-Walker this week again called for the firing of those involved.“I think if you’re if we’re going to repair relationships, and there’s going to be reconciliation with the community, they need to be fired,” the mayor said Thursday.Torres-Walker meanwhile offered a similar position in a post on Facebook and in a statement emailed on Wednesday.“I firmly believe that the officers involved in the racist texting scandal should have been immediately terminated,” she wrote in part, explaining why she declined an invitation to attend this week’s “Pizza with the Chief” event at a local church.“My position on this is not some political ploy to silence the community but rather an expression of my commitment to not ignore the deeply entrenched racist culture within the Antioch P...

Letters: Lessons for homeless | Overestimating AI | Green schools | Not at fault

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:33:47 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Refugee camp offerslessons for homelessRe: “What did $116M yield in homeless fixes?” (Page B1, May 15).Monday’s article on San Jose’s $116 million spending on programs to alleviate its homeless crisis should raise the question of how that amount of money can be spent with almost no impact on the 6,700 or so homeless population. Inept comes to mind.I suggest a small task force goes to study how the refugee camps housing hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in Jordan and elsewhere function. For example, the Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan houses approximately 78,000 Syrian refugees in a massive tent city. Tents of all sizes from single-occupant to family-sized tents with multiple rooms and kitchens are present. Germany provided a $15 million solar system for electricity. The French military has a surgical team providing surgery for war wounded.I suspect that valuable lesso...