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Editorial: Pink Poodle strip club ruling provides critical voice for transparency

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:06:20 GMT

It was a victory for transparency when a Superior Court judge last week ordered San Jose officials to release investigative records of firefighters’ involvement in the Pink Poodle strip club fiasco.Too many local government leaders across the Bay Area and California have forgotten whom they work for. Public workers have reasonable rights to privacy. But that doesn’t extend to malfeasance on the job.That doesn’t extend to social workers in Alameda County who fail to protect vulnerable youth. Nor to Contra Costa County law enforcement who send racist texts or abuse their power. And, as Judge Thomas Kuhnle ruled in a case brought by this news organization, it doesn’t extend to San Jose firefighters who take a bikini-clad woman for a ride in a firetruck and then drop her off at a strip club.California law is clear: The public has a right to see details of investigations in which the complaints are well-founded and substantial. The Pink Poodle incident met both tests. As then-Mayor Sam L...

Opinion: Delta tunnel will address California’s water challenges

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:06:20 GMT

California is running out of time to adapt to the very real impacts of climate change already plaguing our state — extreme dry periods, reduced Sierra snowpack and short, intense periods of warmer and wetter rains. We must act now to upgrade our water infrastructure to capture and move water when we have it so that it’s available when we do not. Failure to improve our water infrastructure is the equivalent of denying climate change.That’s why it is frustrating to see the same tired arguments against the Delta Conveyance Project, one of the most important water infrastructure projects we can build as a state to secure our water supply for millions of Californians well into the future.California is navigating another dramatic swing in climate conditions, with a year of unprecedented rainfall resulting in snow water supplies in the Sierra Nevada mountains at 346% of normal at the outset of summer, according to the California Department of Water Resources. While this should be wel...

Police: MMA fighter helped detain Bay Area arson suspect

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:06:20 GMT

A day after the Vallejo Fire Department announced that an arsonist was arrested Saturday night after stealing a vehicle and setting a field on fire, the Vallejo Police Department released a statement saying a bystander first caught the suspect by using mixed martial arts.According to the VPD news release, a “vigilant Vallejo citizen observed a man deliberately starting a vegetation fire with a flare near the intersection of Admiral Callaghan Lane and Turner Parkway. The citizen followed the arsonist as he ran across the street and entered a black Tesla parked on the 900 block of Admiral Callaghan Lane.“Before the arsonist could drive away, the brave citizen contacted the arsonist and removed him from the vehicle,” the VPD statement continues. “The arsonist knew he was in trouble and quickly learned he was being detained by a trained mixed martial artist who introduced him to a double armbar. The arsonist stayed submitted with the double armbar until our officers arrived and arrested...

Alleged scams cost California doctor, pain clinics $11.4 million in settlement

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:06:20 GMT

A California physician and his medical practice, which once operated 29 pain clinics statewide, have agreed to pay nearly $11.4 million to resolve allegations of false claims being submitted to federal and state health insurance programs for medically unnecessary procedures and care, a U.S. Attorney in Sacramento said Tuesday.Lags Spine & Sportscare Medical Centers Inc., and Dr. Francis P. Lagattuta, the owner and medical director of Lags Medical, agreed to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting millions of dollars in bogus claims to Medicare, Medi-Cal and the Oregon Medicaid programs for skin biopsies, spinal cord stimulation surgeries and urine drug testing, Phillip A. Talbert, the U.S. Attorney for the Department of Justice’s Eastern District of California, stated in a press release.Of the three-part settlement, Talbert said it resolves allegations  from 2016 to 202 that  Lagattuta and Lags Medical performed medically unnecessary skin biopsie...

Anchor Brewing Company to cease operations in San Francisco

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:06:20 GMT

(BCN) -- A landmark company in San Francisco has turned off its taps. Anchor Brewing Company officials announced early Wednesday that it will cease operations and liquidate the business -- established in 1896 -- citing economic factors including declining sales since 2016. The company gave employees 60-day notices "with the intent to provide transition support and separation packages in line with company practices and policies," according to the announcement from company spokesperson San Singer. Serial South Bay arson suspect arrested; confessed to 15+ fires: police "This was an extremely difficult decision that Anchor reached only after many months of careful evaluation," Singer said in the announcement. "We recognize the importance and historic significance of Anchor to San Francisco and to the craft brewing industry, but the impacts of the pandemic, inflation, especially in San Francisco, and a highly competitive market left the company with no option but to make this...

US consumer inflation reaches 3%, lowest level in more than 2 years, reflecting a steady slowdown in price pressures

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:06:20 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — US consumer inflation reaches 3%, lowest level in more than 2 years, reflecting a steady slowdown in price pressures.Source

New detox program helps youth with growing substance use disorders

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:06:20 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — In Colorado, fentanyl-related deaths continue to rise. According to Stop the Clock Colorado, an overdose death happens nearly every five hours and experts said more teens are struggling with substance use disorder.  Fentanyl use disorders are spiking in the 14 to 23-year-old age group. Denver Health said they've served about 900 people under 21 with substance abuse-related issues in the last year alone. To meet this need, in May, Denver Health opened the state’s first licensed detox facility for adolescents. Now with this new facility, Denver Health can help them withdraw and recover in a safe environment.    Jeffco deputy gets new K-9 partner The building has always been an impatient adolescent mental health treatment facility. However, now this new unit will allow them to help with mental health diagnoses and substance use disorders.Dr. Kristina Foreman is an adolescent psychiatrist at Denver Health, and she said mental health and substance use disorders can oft...

Father, son in Orlando for University of Central Florida orientation killed in crash involving suspected repeat drunk driver

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:06:20 GMT

(CNN) – A father and son trip to Florida for college orientation ended in tragedy Sunday.Shane and Jakob Lloyd were killed after a suspected drunk driver ran a red light and crashed into them.That suspect is now facing charged for a third DUI in 10 years, along with homicide and manslaughter charges.“We can’t believe that it happened and I keep waiting to wake up,” said Brandy Bowden, the sister and aunt of the victims.Leslie GehretBrandy Bowden is still trying to wrap her head around the devastating news that her brother Shane Lloyd and her nephew Jakob were killed by a drunk driver. “He was like the one all of us looked up to,” Bowden said. “The one we all aspired to be and make proud.” Brandy said they were both loving, smart and caring men.Florida Highway Patrol said Sunday afternoon, 40-year-old Leslie Gehret ran a red light of Lake Underhill Road near Rouse Road, and slammed into the two victims. Krystal Santiago saw the horrific...

Broward School Board, new superintendent agree on contract

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:06:20 GMT

The Broward School Board has reached an agreement with Dr. Peter Licata, who will assume the role of superintendent, departing from his previous position within the Palm Beach County School System. The contract, spanning a duration of three years, will see Licata receive an annual salary of $350,000.Under the terms of the agreement, Licata will be eligible for additional bonuses amounting to $20,000, provided the district achieves an ‘A’ rating and meets other predetermined goals. This incentivized compensation structure aims to motivate Licata and the district to excel academically.While Licata assumes a significant leadership position within the Broward County education system, a majority vote by the board members can result in his termination without cause. Licata is also obligated to relocate to Broward within a year to fully immerse himself in his new role and better serve the district.

North Korean missile launch ‘risks destabilizing’ the region, White House says

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:06:20 GMT

White House officials condemned North Korea for launching an intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday, saying it “needlessly raises tensions” and “risks destabilizing” the region.Pyongyang test-fired its first ICBM in three months days after it threatened “shocking” consequences because of Washington’s military presence along the peninsula. The missile flew about 620 miles before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, South Korean and Japanese officials said.“The United States strongly condemns the DPRK for its test of a long-range ballistic missile,” National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said in a statement, using an abbreviated name for North Korea. “This action demonstrates that the DPRK continues to prioritize its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the well-being of its people.”North Korea has long lambasted the U.S. for its military ties with South Korea, deploying dozens of rockets over the past ye...