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Former corrections officer charged with sexually assaulting 13 at California women’s prison

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:38 GMT

SACRAMENTO  — A former correctional officer at the biggest women’s prison in California has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting at least 13 inmates over the past nine years, prosecutors said Wednesday.Gregory Rodriguez, who worked at the Central California Women’s Facility, faces 96 counts including rape, sodomy, sexual battery and rape under color of authority, the Madera County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.This photo provided by the Madera County Sheriff’s Office shows Gregory Rodriguez, a former correctional officer at the biggest women’s prison in California, was booked in Madera County Jail, Wednesday, May 24, 2023, after being charged with rape and sexual assault against inmates at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, California. (Madera County Sheriff’s Office via AP) It couldn’t be determined Wednesday if Rodriguez, 54, has an attorney who can speak on his behalf. He was being held in lieu of $7.8 million bail, the DA...

California unlikely to run short of electricity this summer thanks to winter storms, new power sources

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:38 GMT

By ADAM BEAM | Associated PressSACRAMENTO  — California regulators say the state is unlikely to experience electricity shortages this summer after securing new power sources and a wet winter that filled the state’s reservoirs enough to restart hydroelectric power plants that were dormant during the drought.The nation’s most populous state normally has more than enough electricity to power the homes and businesses of more than 39 million people. But the electrical grid has trouble when it gets really hot and everyone turns on their air conditioners at the same time.It got so hot in August 2020 that California’s power grid was overwhelmed, prompting the state’s three largest utility companies to shut off electricity for hundreds of thousands of homes for a few hours over two consecutive days. Similar heat waves in 2021 and 2022 pushed the state to the brink again. State officials avoided blackouts by encouraging people to conserve energy and tapping some emergency gas-powered generato...

Body found in Alabama woods in 1997 identified as 20-year-old California man

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:38 GMT

UNION GROVE, Ala. (AP) — A body found in the woods in Alabama 26 years ago was finally identified on Wednesday as a 20-year-old California resident, officials said.Investigators with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigation announced in a post on Facebook that the body is that of Jefferey Douglas Kimzy, of Santa Barbara, California.Kimzy’s decomposing body was found in the woods along Little Cotaco Creek in the town of Union Grove on April 15, 1997. His head, hands and feet had been removed, so it was hard to give an accurate age or description, investigators said.An autopsy found the manner of death was a homicide and that the removal of the body parts was done intentionally to make identification harder, the sheriff’s office said.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Map: Where the new search for Madeleine McCann has led Crime and Public Safety | Man swept away in American River is found dead 3 weeks later Crime...

7 amazing Bay Area things to do over Memorial Day weekend

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:38 GMT

Welcome to a nice, loooong Memorial Day weekend — time for some fun and delicious adventures, from giant dinosaurs and great shows to a quick jaunt to barbecue heaven.Related ArticlesThings To Do | 20+ Bay Area beer and wine events to enjoy this summer Things To Do | How to get deals for Hamburger Month 2023 and Hamburger Day, May 28 Things To Do | Study: Santa Clara County edges out Orange County in share of Vietnamese restaurants Things To Do | Falafel’s Drive-In co-owner explains origin of banana shake, restaurant’s name Things To Do | Fish taco favorite Rubio’s closes 1 San Jose restaurant, leaving 2 in the Bay Area As with everything these days, be sure to double check websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines. Meanwhile, if you’d like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.c...

Chronic financial woes for cannabis dispensaries have led this Bay Area city to consider a tax holiday

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:38 GMT

Molotov Cocktail, Bob Hope or Horchata? Sophia Seymens took her time inspecting the stems, leaves and nodes on the cannabis clones, deciding which strains to plant at home.Growing plants is the most cost-effective option for her marijuana use these days, Seymens said. While she doesn’t shop at dispensaries often, she still browses Berkeley Patients Group’s shelves for the sense of community and the knowledgeable staff.“Even though it’s legalized, there’s still not a lot of space for people to actually learn about the plant and how to use it properly,” Seymens said. “I feel like that’s why places like this are so important; they offer an opportunity for people who might not necessarily buy weed on the street to feel comfortable and find somebody here who can help.”But the modest shop at 2366 San Pablo Ave. that’s operated since 1999 — making it the nation’s oldest continuously operating cannabis dispensary — is struggling to keep its doors open.It has a ...

Alameda’s new downtown wine bar to showcase women vintners, owners

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:38 GMT

Maura Passanisi is opening Mo’s Wine Bar in Alameda in June to showcase wine from women in the industry. (Photo by Ella Bessette)Maura Passanisi pours wine at Della Donna, a festival she put on for women makers in 2019 in Oakland. Passani is now opening Mo’s Wine Bar in Alameda in June to showcase wine from women in the industry. (Photo by Ella Bessette)An artist’s rendering visualizes the under construction interior at Mo’s Wine Bar in Alameda. Owner Maura Passanisi plans to focus the business on wine from women in the industry and hopes it will become a community gathering place when it opens on Park Avenue at the end of June. (Photo Courtesy Maura Passanisi)Maura Passanisi, the owner of Mo’s Wine Bar in Alameda, is hoping her new business will become a community gathering place when it opens on Park Avenue at the end of June. She plans to focus on wines made by women. (Photo by Maura Passanisi)Show Caption of ExpandYou don’t have to like wine or be d...

San Jose city council approves $10M renovations to San Pedro Street

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:38 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- San Pedro Street is already closed for outdoor seating which started during COVID-19. In three years, it’ll officially be considered an outdoor mall with major upgrades costing nearly $10 million.San Jose city council approved the $9.5-million project earlier this week. It turns San Pedro Street in San Jose into a pedestrian-only area, re-paving the street into a sidewalk, re-routing parking garages and adding medical aid lanes and vibrant street decor. Ultimately, the renovation would give each business 10 to12 feet of outdoor dining area, which would cost them a $532 permit.Last summer the area fully closed to cars which allowed businesses to thrive and brough up infrastructure issues leading to these new plans that the city said will be a local financial success.The city still doesn’t know where the funds will come from but plans to absorb most of the construction costs and may seek out grants.

CHP reports fatal accident on eastbound 580 in Livermore

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:38 GMT

(BCN) -- The California Highway Patrol reported a fatal collision occurred Thursday morning on eastbound Interstate Highway 580 in Livermore. The collision, which involved two vehicles, occurred at the Springtown Boulevard off-ramp and was first reported at 3:31 a.m., according to the CHP. The collision closed all eastbound lanes of Interstate Highway 580 at First Street, and a Sig-alert was issued at 3:52 a.m. One lane of the highway was reported open at 5:13 a.m. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Stock market today: AI frenzy pulls Wall Street higher despite DC debt woes

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:38 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A monster financial forecast from one of Wall Street’s most influential stocks is helping to support the market Thursday, as worries worsen about political rancor in Washington.The S&P 500 was 0.4% higher in early trading after chipmaker Nvidia reported stronger profit and revenue than expected for the latest quarter, benefiting from the tech world’s rush into artificial intelligence. It helped the Nasdaq composite leap 1.3%, as of 9:40 a.m., while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 111 points, or 0.3%, at 32,688.Because it’s one of Wall Street’s most valuable stocks, Nvidia’s 22.5% surge was the strongest force pushing upward on the S&P 500. Its forecast of roughly $11 billion in revenue for the current quarter blew past analysts’ expectations for less than $7.2 billion. Nvidia’s stock has already more than doubled this year.Stocks of other chip makers also charged higher after Nvidia described a race by its customers to put AI “into every product, se...

Pakistani journalist, supporter of former Prime Minister Imran Khan goes missing, second in 2 weeks

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:38 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A prominent Pakistani television journalist known for his public support of former Prime Minister Imran Khan has gone missing, the police, his family and his employer said. Sami Abrahim’s disappearance was first announced in a police tweet late Wednesday, hours after he went missing. His family and the Karachi-based independent BOL television, where Abrahim works, claimed on Thursday that he had been abducted. Abrahim has long publicly opposed the government of Khan’s successor, Premier Shahbaz Sharif. Khan, a former cricket star turned Islamist politician, was in office in 2018-2022 and was ousted in a no-confidence vote in the parliament last year. In a news announcement, BOL TV said Abrahim was taken by unidentified men on Wednesday. Abrahim’s brother, Ali Raza, filed a police complaint claiming that eight people in four vehicles intercepted his brother’s car on his way back home from work in the capital, Islamabad, and took him away. His ...