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‘A little ATM for you’: Oakland police detective accused of paying other murder witnesses

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:44 GMT

An Oakland homicide detective promised a man strung out on drugs that he’d be “a little ATM for you” — all in exchange for the man falsely testifying at a 2013 murder trial, an investigator for the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office said in court Tuesday.The allegation came on the second day of a key evidentiary hearing for Phong Tran, 45, the Oakland police officer who is accused of numerous felonies, including two counts of perjury, as well as charges of bribery of a witness, attempted bribery of a witness and subornation of perjury under oath. A judge is expected to rule at the conclusion of the hearing whether enough evidence exists to send the case to trial.The claim raised the possibility — for the first time in open court — that Tran had made a habit of convincing people to falsely testify at murder trials, in order to obtain convictions on cases he investigated.Prior to this week’s hearing, prosecutors’ allegations had focused on th...

Woman stabbed to death in Antioch identified

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:44 GMT

Authorities on Tuesday identified a woman who was stabbed to death last week in Antioch.Arriving police officers found 30-year-old Cayla Riley, of Antioch, down and bleeding along with a 39-year-old man when they arrived to the 2200 block of San Jose Drive after being sent there about 5 a.m. on June 15. She died at the scene.The Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office released her identity publicly.Antioch police in a statement after the stabbing said a 39-year-old Antioch man suffered life-threatening injuries after also being stabbed. They listed that man as a suspect in the incident but have not identified him or provided any other information.Police did not return messages Tuesday seeking an update on that man’s condition.Coroner’s officials said they have not been notified of any other death tied to the incident.Antioch police have investigated five homicides this year, including four since the start of May.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Oak...

Blink-182 provides comfort to stepson of lost Titan submersible passenger

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:44 GMT

Shortly after revealing that his stepfather, British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, was among the five people in the Titanic-exploration submersible that’s been lost in the North Atlantic, a young audio engineer explained that he had found comfort Monday night by attending Blink-182’s concert in San Diego.With the U.S. Coast Guard racing against time on Tuesday to find the submersible, OceanGate Expedition’s Titan vessel, Brian Szasz shared a photo of himself outside the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, where Blink-182, featuring drummer Travis Barker, was to play, TMZ reported. “It might be distasteful being here but my family would want me to be at the Blink-182 show as it’s my favorite band and music helps me in difficult times!” said the seemingly amiable Szasz.An hour earlier, Szasz posted a link to a news story that confirmed that his stepfather, a veteran explorer, was on the submersible that had traveled deep into the ocean to view the wreckag...

Search for Titanic tourists: Map of wreck’s location, timeline of events

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:44 GMT

Rescue crews are searching for a submersible with five people aboard that went missing Sunday on a voyage to view the wreckage of the Titanic in the North Atlantic Ocean.What is known of the mission:When it disappearedThe submersible, called Titan, was on an eight-day journey conducted by OceanGate Expeditions out of Newfoundland. It was taken to the site by the support ship Polar Prince.The wreckage of the Titanic is on the ocean floor almost 13,000 feet below the surface and about 400 nautical miles south of Newfoundland.The descent to the wreck takes about 2 to 2½ hours. At 11:47 a.m. local time Sunday — about 1 hour and 45 minutes into the descent — Titan lost contact with the Polar Prince. It has not been heard from since.The vessel was expected to resurface at 6:10 p.m. It did not do so, and authorities were notified at 6:35 p.m., according to Polar Prince co-owner Miawpukek Maritime Horizon Services.A U.S. Coast Guard statement Tuesday said the branch has coordina...

Shooting in Daly City being investigated by police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:44 GMT

(KRON) -- The Daly City Police Department is investigating a shooting in the area of Schwerin Street and Geneva Avenue. Police activity had been reported in the area earlier by the North County Fire Authority. Fire companies are staging in the area. People are being advised to avoid the area. Group of bicyclists rides onto 580 freeway, prompting CHP warning Bus lines serving the area, including the inbound and outbound 9R are being rerouted via Rio Verde between Velasco and Geneva, as a result of the activity.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

LexisNexis Is Selling Your Personal Data to ICE So It Can Try to Predict Crimes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:44 GMT

The legal research and public records data broker LexisNexis is providing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with tools to target people who may potentially commit a crime — before any actual crime takes place, according to a contract document obtained by The Intercept. LexisNexis then allows ICE to track the purported pre-criminals’ movements.The unredacted contract overview provides a rare look at the controversial $16.8 million agreement between LexisNexis and ICE, a federal law enforcement agency whose surveillance of and raids against migrant communities are widely criticized as brutal, unconstitutional, and inhumane.“The purpose of this program is mass surveillance at its core.”“The purpose of this program is mass surveillance at its core,” said Julie Mao, an attorney and co-founder of Just Futures Law, which is suing LexisNexis over allegations it illegally buys and sells personal data. Mao told The Intercept the ICE contract document, which she reviewed for The Interce...

How secure are Prince George’s Co. apartment complexes? Council member has doubts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:44 GMT

While violent crime is up 3% in Prince George’s County, Maryland, property crime has skyrocketed compared to last year, up 53%.Crimes involving burglaries are seeing the biggest increases. Over 3,000 vehicle break-ins have been reported in Prince George’s County, up almost 20% from last year. Nearly 3,800 cars have been stolen, up 179%.Recently, District 6 Council member Wala Blegay was meeting with some constituents at a complex restricted to residents 55 and older — to talk about public safety, no less — when a pair of vehicles were broken into.“When I talked to the management there, they told me the cameras had not worked in two years,” said Blegay. “For any apartment facility, there should be safety there. People should feel safe. And they should have working cameras. This is standard across the country.”On Tuesday, she introduced a bill that would require apartments to have working security cameras covering the outside of buildings, to include parking lots and entrance ways, an...

What it’s like to get a Wes Anderson education, from ‘Rushmore’ to ‘Asteroid City’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:44 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — When Tony Revolori, then a 17-year-old with little Hollywood experience, was beginning to shoot Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Jason Schwartzman took him aside to give some advice.No one knew better than Schwartzman what Revolori, who was starring alongside Ralph Fiennes, was in for. Schwartzman was by then a regular member of Anderson’s troupe, but he was also 17 when he first broke through as Max Fischer in Anderson’s “Rushmore.”“He looked at me and he said, ‘None of this is going to make sense until you’ve actually gone through it,’” Revolori recalls. “Your life is going to change in no way and every way. But as long as you keep the people around you, you’re good.’”Much has been made of Anderson’s recurring regulars, like Bill Murray, Adrien Brody and Owen Wilson. But for many young actors, Anderson’s film sets have been their first real blush with moviemaking — or, at least, Anderson’s elegant style of it.Since “Rushmore” introduced Schwartzman, Ander...

Pentagon accounting error provides extra $6.2 billion for Ukraine military aid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:44 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon said Tuesday that it overestimated the value of the weapons it has sent to Ukraine by $6.2 billion over the past two years — about double early estimates — resulting in a surplus that will be used for future security packages.Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said a detailed review of the accounting error found that the military services used replacement costs rather than the book value of equipment that was pulled from Pentagon stocks and sent to Ukraine. She said final calculations show there was an error of $3.6 billion in the current fiscal year and $2.6 billion in the 2022 fiscal year, which ended last Sept. 30.As a result, the department now has additional money in its coffers to use to support Ukraine as it pursues its counteroffensive against Russia. And it come as the fiscal year is wrapping up and congressional funding was beginning to dwindle. “It’s just going to go back into the pot of money that we have allocated” for the future Pentagon ...

Where can you find moose and elk in Colorado?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:44 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- If you're looking for a large animal with antlers in Colorado, you're going to have to get a little more specific.There are moose and elk scattered across the state of Colorado, but if you're looking to spot either one of them, there are some places that each animal frequents more than others.Where to find mooseFor the most part, you will find moose west of Interstate 25, primarily in the northwest and southwest parts of the state. Some moose are known to travel into the eastern part of the state, however. The largest moose populations are in the North Park area near Steamboat Springs, as well as in areas northwest of Gunnison. How moose came to live in Colorado The growing population of moose in the state has prompted some males to move into urban areas across the I-25 corridor, which may prompt Colorado Parks and Wildlife to relocate them if they create a human safety concern.There are nearly 3,000 moose across the state of Colorado.Where to find elkSimilar to m...