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Contra Costa leaders in Geneva to speak at Human Rights Council meeting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

When the United Nations’ Human Rights Council meets in Geneva on Thursday, two Contra Costa County community leaders will be there alongside panels investigating human rights’ violations in Ethiopia, Russia, Myanmar and Haiti.Antioch Mayor Pro-Tem Tamisha Torres-Walker, Safe Return Project director, and James Herard, Lift Up Contra Costa director, were both invited to speak about their organization’s work in light of the decades of alleged racism and corruption in local law enforcement. Nearly half of the Antioch police force allegedly sent or received racist texts, while some have been accused of other crimes that brutalized minorities and breached civil rights.The local leaders’ appearances in Switzerland are timed in conjunction with a report from a United Nations’ panel of experts dubbed the International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in the Context of Law Enforcement. Formed in the wake of George Floyd’s death in 2020 to investi...

Amphibians are the most endangered animals on the planet

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

By Christina Larson | Associated PressThe world’s frogs, salamanders, newts and other amphibians remain in serious trouble.A new global assessment has found that 41% of amphibian species that scientists have studied are threatened with extinction, meaning they are either vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. That’s up from 39% reported in the last assessment, in 2004.“Amphibians are the world’s most threatened animals,” said Duke University’s Junjie Yao, a frog researcher who was not involved in the study. “Their unique biology and permeable skin make them very sensitive to environmental changes.”The study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, found that the loss of habitat from the expansion of farming and ranching is the single biggest threat to amphibians worldwide. But a growing percentage of amphibian species are now also pushed to the brink by novel diseases and climate change, the study found.Amphibians are espe...

San Jose BART extension will be further delayed and cost more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

The long-awaited San Jose BART extension is facing more delays and an increased budget, transit officials announced on Wednesday.The project will now cost $12.2 billion and be completed in 2036.The six-mile extension will run from the Berryessa Transit Center in north San Jose, looping through the downtown core and up towards Santa Clara, collectively adding four stations to its portfolio and creating a ring of rail service around the region.Related ArticlesTransportation | Stabbing in front of East Bay BART station puts man in hospital Transportation | ‘Time for fresh thinking’: Poll on public transit shows shift in attitude Transportation | BART rider stabbed in Oakland; suspect arrested Transportation | Hayward man charged with carrying loaded pistol with silencer on BART train Transportation | San Jose trail with BART connection gets thumbs up by City Council It’s not the first time...

Gilroy: Man charged with murder after allegedly dismembering and burning girlfriend’s body

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

GILROY — A man has been charged with murder on allegations he killed his girlfriend then dismembered and burned her body, according to authorities and court documents.Ivan Alfaro Escobedo, 31, was charged with one count of murder in the July death of Alyssa Salazar, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.Escobedo, who authorities say also goes by Iban Escovedo, was being held in the Elmwood men’s jail in Milpitas as of Wednesday. He was scheduled to be arraigned on the murder charge Wednesday afternoon.Police say the events that appear to have led up to the slaying began on April 27 when Salazar reported that Escobedo, who she described as her boyfriend, raped and assaulted her. Gilroy police obtained an arrest warrant for him in May.Then in July, two of Salazar’s relatives alerted police to phone calls they received from a man they believed was Escobedo telling them that he would kill Salazar and ...

This family bought a $27,000 house in Italy because the US is too expensive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

By Silvia Marchetti | CNNThe rising cost of living in America has been hitting households hard in recent years, with many struggling to make ends meet.One US family has become so frustrated by the situation that they’ve decided to pack up their lives and move to a town in the deep south of Italy.Chris and Jennifer Tidroski from Prescott, Arizona have joined the growing number of US citizens who’ve bought a neglected home in an underpopulated Italian village for a song in search of a slower-paced life.Cost of living impactChris and Jennifer Tidroski purchased a €26,000 home in a building in the village of Latronico, Italy after becoming frustrated with life in the US.(Chris Tidroski via CNN) In 2021, the Tidroskis purchased a house in the historical district of the village of Latronico in Southern Italian region Basilicata for 26,000 euros (around $27,274) and have since spent an extra 50,000 euros ($52,450) on renovating it.“Our goal is to relocate in the next year or so as soo...

Sam Bankman-Fried is about to meet the jury that will decide his fate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

New York (CNN) — Sam Bankman-Fried is set to meet the jury that will decide his fate.Lawyers for SBF&#’;s fraud trial have selected 12 jurors and six alternates, set to be sworn in Wednesday morning. After a brief recess, federal prosecutors and defense lawyers are expected to make their opening statements.The US government has charged Bankman-Fried with multiple counts of fraud and conspiracy, following the implosion of his crypto-trading platform, FTX, last year.Lawyers will now lay out their cases to the court in closely watched statements that offer a preview of how the next several weeks will play out.Prosecutors say Bankman-Fried, who is 31, stole roughly $8 billion worth of customer funds to cover risky bets by his crypto hedge fund, buy luxury real estate in the Bahamas and donate tens of millions of dollars to US political campaigns.Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of fraud and conspiracy, and his defense is expected to echo statements he has made to...

Single family residence sells in Palo Alto for $2.7 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

891 Colorado Avenue – Google Street ViewThe property located in the 800 block of Colorado Avenue in Palo Alto was sold on Sept. 1, 2023. The $2,650,000 purchase price works out to $2,218 per square foot. The house, built in 1947, has an interior space of 1,195 square feet. This single-story home has three bedrooms and one bath. The home’s outer structure has wood shake roofing / shingles. Inside, a fireplace adds character to the home. In addition, the house features a one-car garage.These nearby houses have also recently been sold:In February 2023, a 2,247-square-foot home on Sycamore Drive in Palo Alto sold for $3,850,000, a price per square foot of $1,713. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Bruce Drive, Palo Alto, in March 2023, a 1,007-square-foot home was sold for $3,450,000, a price per square foot of $3,426. The home has 2 bedrooms 1 bathroom.A 2,014-square-foot home on the 800 block of Clara Drive in Palo Alto sold in August 2022, for $2,800,000, a price per square f...

What to watch: Gonzo Korean series ‘Bargain’ is addictive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

A wild award-winning South Korean series tops our list of what to watch this week while a short Western from one of our foremost filmmakers sadly fizzles rather than sizzles.Here’s our roundup.“Bargain”: In a remote hotel outside of Seoul, a middle-aged man (Jin Sun-kyu) meets up with a presumed 18-year-old virgin (Jeon Jong-Seo) so he can have paid sex, and then barters her fee down when he decides she’s not pure. Sound sleazy? Like you’re ready to shut it off? Don’t do it. That setup changes 15 minutes in and then outlandishly changes again and again in this wildly innovative six-part South Korean series that gets wackier with each cliffhanging episode.You don’t really want to know too much about what these two characters encounter, but we will divulge that it includes an earthquake, organized crime, organ harvesting, a “Saw”-like basement and the lead actor running around in tight red boxer briefs in one episode. Everything about “Bargain” is skillfully unhinged, with devel...

Sen. Dianne Feinstein lies in state at SF City Hall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

(BCN) -- U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died last week at the age of 90, will lie in state Wednesday at San Francisco City Hall and a public memorial service will be held Thursday on the steps of the building. PHOTOS: Dianne Feinstein’s career throughout the years On Wednesday, the public will be invited to pay their respects and sign a condolence book between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. inside the rotunda of City Hall, where Feinstein became San Francisco's first woman mayor and first woman president of the city's Board of Supervisors before moving on to become the longest-serving woman senator in U.S. history.The casket of Senator Dianne Feinstein is carried from a hearse in San Francisco on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. The body of the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein will lie in state at San Francisco’s City Hall for mourners wishing to say goodbye. It is the building where Feinstein served as a board supervisor and the city's first female mayor before departing for a groundbreaking ca...

Man arrested for allegedly robbing Redwood City Whole Foods

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

(KRON) – A man who robbed a Redwood City Whole Foods was arrested on Oct. 3, the Redwood City Police Department announced.Redwood City police were dispatched to Whole Foods, where a suspect approached the cashier and demanded the money from the register. According to police, the suspect insinuated to the cashier that he was carrying a gun. The suspect fled the scene after the cashier complied.   Starbucks to close seven San Francisco locations The suspect was then followed by a customer to an apartment on Vera Avenue. The concerned citizen then reported the suspect’s whereabouts to the police. According to police, one of the suspect’s family members called 911 to inform police that the suspect had a large amount of money. A police investigation revealed the suspect as 32-year-old Juan Linares Cesena.Redwood City officers and detectives surrounded his home in an effort to deescalate the situation. Cesena was taken into custody safely, police said. Cesena was booked i...