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Lynn Hill: Neguse and Hickenlooper can protect America’s rock climbing — and its Wilderness Areas, too

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:43 GMT

As a professional rock climber and conservation advocate, I’ve spent my life and career in Wilderness areas. These places are iconic, inspirational, and — in many cases — downright sacred.While simply gazing upon them is a powerful experience, they leave their most lasting impact on those of us who immerse ourselves in them. I want future generations to have that same opportunity, and I’m thrilled that Colorado has visionary leaders like Sen. John Hickenlooper and Rep. Joe Neguse working to make it happen.I support the bipartisan Protecting America’s Rock Climbing Act because it celebrates America’s climbing history and its Wilderness areas. Climbing in Wilderness is special and requires a light touch and a low-impact style. The bill would bring much-needed consistency to federal climbing management policy and protect America’s iconic Wilderness climbing. It protects both Wilderness character and sustainable access to America’s most incredible vertical terrain. That’s ju...

Amber Alert issued for 2-month-old girl, mother after alleged kidnapping in Lancaster

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:43 GMT

An Amber Alert was issued Monday morning for a 2-month-old girl and her mother after they were allegedly kidnapped under duress in Lancaster Sunday.Sabrina Sanches, 31, and her baby daughter Itzel Sanchez were last seen around 12 p.m. when they were said to be abducted by 25-year-old Efrain Sanchez-Jimenez, the California Highway Patrol tweeted. Efrain Sanchez-Jimenez (left), Sabrina Sanchez (center), and Itzel Sanchez are seen in this image provided by the California Highway Patrol.Sanchez-Jimenez, who is believed to be armed with a handgun, allegedly sexually assaulted a family member before the kidnapping, authorities said. Authorities said he has threatened to murder his wife and daughter.The family was last seen in a silver 2007 Buick Lucerne with Colorado plate AUI-X94.Authorities are searching for a silver Buick Lucerne with Colorado license plate number AUI-X94.The CHP described Sabrina Sanchez as standing 5 feet, 2 inches tall. She has black hair, brown eyes and was wearing...

Single-family home in Palo Alto sells for $3.2 million

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:43 GMT

270 Davenport Way – Google Street ViewA 2,277-square-foot house built in 1962 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 200 block of Davenport Way in Palo Alto was sold on June 5, 2023. The $3,150,000 purchase price works out to $1,383 per square foot. The property features five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a garage, and two parking spaces. It sits on an 8,064-square-foot lot, which also has a pool.Additional houses that have recently changed hands close by include:In August 2022, a 1,866-square-foot home on Wilkie Court in Palo Alto sold for $2,850,000, a price per square foot of $1,527. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 2,128-square-foot home on the 4100 block of Wilkie Court in Palo Alto sold in May 2023, for $3,150,000, a price per square foot of $1,480. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Maclane Street, Palo Alto, in July 2022, a 1,425-square-foot home was sold for $2,890,000, a price per square foot of $2,028. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms...

California sheriff blasted for joining Gov. Ron DeSantis’ border ‘coalition’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:43 GMT

Immigrant rights advocates are denouncing Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco for signing a letter promoted by Republican presidential hopeful and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that calls for tighter security on the U.S.-Mexico border.DeSantis’ gubernatorial office Thursday, June 22, announced a “coalition” of more than 90 sheriffs, including Bianco, “who are united in the struggle to keep our communities safe from the ravages of our collapsed southern border.”The announcement featured a letter signed by the sheriffs that praised DeSantis for recognizing “how the porous border has had far-reaching impacts and has stepped in to support public safety.”“We can no longer sit by and watch our nation become overrun by gang activity and drug-related violence, ,” read the letter, which bears the emblems of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and other departments whose sheriffs were signatories.“The undersigned Sheriffs join together to partner with Governor DeSantis and the state of Flo...

8th-grade California teacher arrested on suspicion of molesting 2 girls, possessing child porn

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:43 GMT

An eighth-grade history teacher at McKinley School in Pasadena on Friday denied charges that include allegations he molested two girls and possessed explicit pictures of one of them.Pasadena police arrested Michael Joseph Medina, 35, of Glendale on Thursday. The District Attorney’s Office charged him on Tuesday with seven counts of lewd acts on a child under 14, three counts of lewd acts with a child where the suspect was at least 10 years older than the child, and four counts of possession of child pornography.He pleaded not guilty to the charges during an arraignment Friday at Pasadena Superior Court, Greg Risling, a spokesman for the DA’s Office, said. Medina will return to court  Aug. 3.Both victims are 14. Investigators didn’t say where they believe the crimes occurred.One victim was one of his students and several of the alleged crimes happened before she was 14, police said.“The child porn consisted of sexually explicit photos of the victim and were found on the suspect’s cel...

Something’s eating your garden seedlings? Here are the usual suspects

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:43 GMT

Q. Something has been eating my seedlings out of my vegetable garden. Most of them have just disappeared overnight. How can I figure out which creatures are responsible and how to stop them?Seedlings are attractive to more than a few critters. During the day, birds will pull out tender young plants. They can be easily be deterred by row covers or bird netting. Nighttime thieves are a little trickier to figure out.Rabbits are very destructive to vegetable gardens. (I am sympathetic to Mr. MacGregor, Peter Rabbit’s nemesis.) Once the sun goes down, the cotton-tailed marauders emerge in surprisingly large numbers to devour everything within reach. I once foolishly planted over 100 pansy plants in my yard, only to lose all of them to bunnies in one night. If rabbits are the problem, fencing can help. Motion-activated sprinklers and rabbit repellents may work as well. Trapping and/or poisoning may be tempting, but barriers and repellents are more effective. Snails and slugs, also nocturn...

Should laptops expire? Campaign aims to make electronics last longer to save money and the planet

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:43 GMT

With summer vacation in full swing, many California school districts are already sprucing up campuses in preparation for the next school year.For some districts, that revamp includes tossing piles of Chromebooks with fully functioning hardware into the trash or recycling bin.The Google laptops are popular with schools and families due their simplicity and low price. But Chromebooks also come with a built-in “death date,” when software support ends. And once that date hits, the devices no longer receive updates needed to, say, run security programs or access state testing websites, which essentially renders them useless for students and teachers.More than a dozen Chromebook models will hit their death dates in three months unless Google voluntarily steps in to extend them. The end also is nigh for tons of Chromebooks that school districts shelled out millions for in 2020, when they were scrambling to help students go fully remote during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.“It creates a...

California residents help convince Norwegian government to safeguard friendly ‘spy whale’ known as Hvaldimir

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:43 GMT

OneWhale, a nonprofit led by two Orange County residents, recently got much needed support from officials in Norway in an effort to save an overly friendly beluga whale by creating a reserve in a Norwegian fjord.The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries agreed to officially call the marine mammal a “tame whale.”A photo provided by OneWhale shows Hvaldimir, a beluga whale, in the waters off Norway in April 2023. The whale seems attracted to humans, leading researchers to speculate that he once spent time in captivity. (Courtesy of Rich German, OneWhale)A photo provided by OneWhale shows Hvaldimir, a beluga whale, in the waters off Norway in April 2023. He has recently been seen in the waters of Sweden, leading scientists to wonder why he is moving south. (Courtesy of Rich German, OneWhale)A photo provided by OneWhale shows Hvaldimir, a beluga whale, in the waters off Flatanger, Norway in September 2023. The whale seems attracted to humans, leading researchers to speculate that he once s...

Woman reportedly pounding on doors, attacking victim, in Southern California is shot to death by resident

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:43 GMT

A 44-year-old woman was shot and killed by a man in east Long Beach after he saw her attacking another woman Saturday morning, June 24, authorities said.The shooting occurred in the 600 block of Roycroft Avenue, just south of Seventh Street and Wilson High School, about 1 a.m., police said.Long Beach police said they began receiving calls from the area a half hour earlier with reports the woman was following residents home and banging on front doors and windows, police said.Neighbors told ABC 7 Los Angeles that the woman was  demanding to come inside or claiming residents owed her money.They told officers the woman did not live in the neighborhood, police said.The woman then ran up to a resident pulling into her driveway and prevented her from getting out of her vehicle, witnesses told the station. She then pulled the victim out and began hitting her with a stick.The victim screamed for help, prompting neighbors to come outside, one of whom had a handgun, the station reported.The wo...

Caretaker arrested in connection with deaths of two elderly California women

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:43 GMT

A caretaker has been arrested in connection with the deaths of two women at a Diamond Bar home Saturday morning, June 24, authorities said.Jianchun Li, 40, was employed and lived at a home on the 23800 block of Sapphire Canyon Road where the women were found just past 8 a.m. Saturday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a Saturday evening update.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Police investigate deadly overnight shooting in Oakland Crime and Public Safety | 2 women believed to be victims of a homicide are ID’d by Fresno County coroner Crime and Public Safety | Bay Area man convicted of killing two cops wants you to know he’s not a snitch Crime and Public Safety | Goat herder discovers human remains near Oakland Zoo Crime and Public Safety | Teen charged with murder and robbery in the death of Oakland baker Jen Angel, whose friends called for ‘restorative justice’ af...