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Alleged shooters held to answer in killing of Santa Cruz county teen

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:08 GMT

SANTA CRUZ — A judge has ruled that two men charged with gunning down an 18-year-old Watsonville man in a residential carport last year will be held to answer for murder.Wednesday’s ruling, by Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Nancy de la Peña, came after a two-day preliminary hearing for codefendants Matthew Madriz Alcaraz, 19, of Morgan Hill, and Erick Deharo, 20, of Watsonville.Feliciano Martinez-Perea was killed on the evening of April 2, 2022, in the courtyard of an apartment complex on the 100 block of Riverside Drive in Watsonville when two assailants appeared to have opened fire on him, Watsonville Police Department investigators said at the time. Much of the encounter was caught on apartment video surveillance cameras. Footage played during this week’s hearings appeared to show two men engaging a third man who turns to face the duo and, at one point, rapidly waves both his hands in front of his body. One of the duo, wearing a white long-sleeved shirt, appears to pull t...

South Bay duo charged with fatal Santa Cruz County shooting plead not guilty

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:08 GMT

Dennis Novoa SANTA CRUZ — A Santa Clara County duo pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges that they fatally shot an acquaintance and left his body down the side of a Highway 9 embankment.Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office authorities located the body of Oliver Waterfall, 24, of San Jose, on April 11, off the road between Paradise Park and the Garden of Eden. Investigators believe the body was left down the hillside March 17, according to agency spokesperson Ashley Keehn.Defendants Dennis Novoa, 27, of San Jose, and Diana Ornelas, 22, of Santa Clara, appeared for their arraignment on murder charges before a courtroom packed with their supporters, along with Waterfall’s family and friends. Novoa and Ornelas remained held without bail in Santa Cruz County Jail. Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Man who used box cutter to attack South San Francisco hotel clerk found guilty of attempted murder Crime and Public Safety | San Mateo man arrested on su...

Californians won’t have to pay state taxes on canceled federal student loans

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:08 GMT

While the Supreme Court mulls the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness plan, California moved to provide some relief to borrowers who had student loans forgiven during the pandemic.Part of a slate of budget bills signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this week is legislation exempting Californians from paying income taxes on forgiven federal student loans and some pandemic-era emergency grants.Several groups are covered by the exemption: community college students who have had unpaid fees forgiven by their schools, anyone who received federal higher education emergency grants and those who took out federal loans and qualify for forgiveness under the Biden administration’s student loan debt relief plan.One former student says the news is a “huge relief” for him and his family.“I would be thrilled to know that a massive worry was wiped clean for me,” said Matt Samson, a Huntington Beach resident and college graduate who is awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision on the...

Walters: How California’s budget process became a political quagmire

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:08 GMT

Drafting state budgets in California was once a fairly straightforward exercise in fiscal politics.The governor’s budget gnomes could fairly accurately predict how much tax revenue would be generated over the forthcoming fiscal year, particularly since most of it would come from taxes on retail sales, a stable base.An initial budget was issued in January and it would be revised in May after the April 15 deadline for personal income taxes provided more specificity. Legislative leaders of both parties huddled, sometimes with the governor, and a final budget emerged.Yes, there were some conflicts. Budgets took two-thirds votes of both legislative houses so the final product needed bipartisan support. Republicans, usually in the minority, would sometimes withhold votes until their demands were met.Over time, however, the budget process became a political quagmire, in part because the ideological divisions in the Capitol became more pronounced. As Democrats drifted to the left and Republ...

11 accused California gang members arrested on weapons, drug-trafficking charges during raids

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:08 GMT

Eleven accused gang members from the Los Angeles Harbor Area were arrested Wednesday, May 17, on suspicion of federal drug and weapons charges during morning raids by federal and local law enforcement, authorities said.The arrests, part of Operation Wipe Out, were the latest in a series of arrests and seizures stemming from an investigation into the Westside Wilmas and Eastside Wilmas street gangs that began in late 2020, U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Thom Mrozek said hours after the latest arrests during a press conference at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Harbor Station.The raids were carried out about 4:30 a.m. at multiple locations, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Haworth said. Seven of those arrested on Wednesday were accused of trafficking firearms and narcotics, including fentanyl.LAPD Capt. Brent McGuyre discusses the arrests of 11 accused gang members on suspicion of various crimes. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the Uni...

Disneyland lays out theme park expansion plans for next 30 years

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:08 GMT

Disneyland laid out long-term expansion plans to Orange County business leaders on Wednesday, May 17 that will extensively reimagine what the future of the Anaheim theme park resort district will look like over the next three decades.Disneyland resort President Ken Potrock spoke before the OC Forum at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel about the DisneylandForward proposal that envisions extensive theme park, retail and parking expansion within the resort district boundaries.“To put it simply, DisneylandForward sets the stage for significant and multi-decade investment in the future. This is the next generation of the Disneyland resort,” Potrock told the attendees. “When Disney invests, all boats rise and everyone benefits.”Rendering of a possible theme park expansion around the Disney-owned hotels west of Disneyland during an OC Forum luncheon at the Grand California in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)Rendering of a possibl...

California mom objects to teen daughter reading sexually explicit ‘Angels in America’ at school

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:08 GMT

A Temecula mother has complained that her 15-year-old daughter was made to read a sexually explicit play in drama class and is calling for a policy to prevent such instances in the future.Tracy Nolasco said her daughter, a Temecula Valley High School sophomore, had to read “Angels in America,” a Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Tony Kushner. The play, set in New York City in 1985, explores the AIDS epidemic as well as religion, race, politics, and homosexuality.Nolasco on Tuesday night, May 16, told the Temecula Valley school board that the drama describes sexual activity, sexual violence and uses profanity and was inappropriate for minors, according to a video of the meeting. She added that the play also depicts unprotected sex and the taking of pills that cause hallucinations. Her daughter’s class also includes freshmen, Nolasco said.Temecula Valley Unified School District spokesperson James Evans said in a Wednesday, May 17, email that he learned of the allegation T...

Dog rescued from 15-foot-deep California sinkhole

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:08 GMT

San Bernardino County Fire Department crews on Wednesday afternoon rescued a large husky dog that was stuck in a sinkhole in San Bernardino, authorities said.It happened in the 100 block of East Mill Street, where San Bernardino Animal Control reported the dog was stuck.  Fire crews arrived to find a large husky 15 feet below the surface of a parking lot.They used a specialized camera to assess the situation and slip a rope around the dog to quickly hoist it to safety, the fire agency said in a statement.The dog appeared unharmed and was given to Animal Control staff for transport to a local veterinarian.It was unclear how long the dog was trapped in the hole.Related ArticlesPets and Animals | Man kills wrong bear near Yellowstone, faces a year in jail Pets and Animals | Why your favorite outdoor dining spot may be going to the dogs Pets and Animals | He was lost, speeding, drunk and then he tried to frame his dog, police say Pets and ...

Here are the restrictions on transgender people that are moving forward in US statehouses

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:08 GMT

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has highlighted efforts by Republican governors and statehouses across the country to embrace proposals limiting the rights of transgender people, signing new restrictions as he moves closer to a presidential bid.The restrictions are spreading quickly despite criticism from medical groups and advocates who say they’re further marginalizing transgender youth and threatening their health.Here’s what’s happening: FLORIDA’S RESTRICTIONSDeSantis on Wednesday signed bills that ban gender affirming care for minors, restrict pronoun use in schools and force people to use the bathroom corresponding with their sex assigned at birth in some cases. DeSantis also signed new restrictions on drag shows that would allow the state to revoke the food and beverage licenses of businesses that admit children to adult performances. The DeSantis administration has moved to pull the liquor licenses of businesses that held drag shows, alleging children were ...

Monro: Fiscal Q4 Earnings Snapshot

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:08 GMT

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Monro Muffler Brake Inc. (MNRO) on Thursday reported earnings of $409,000 in its fiscal fourth quarter.On a per-share basis, the Rochester, New York-based company said it had profit of 1 cent. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were 8 cents per share.The automotive repair chain posted revenue of $310.8 million in the period.For the year, the company reported profit of $39 million, or $1.20 per share. Revenue was reported as $1.33 billion.For the current quarter ending in June, Monro said it expects revenue in the range of $330 million to $335 million._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on MNRO at https://www.zacks.com/ap/MNROSource