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St. Louis County man admits $149K pandemic loan fraud

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:58:58 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A St. Louis County man faces up to 15 years in federal prison after admitting to pandemic loan fraud.Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Cecil Jones, 41, appeared in court Wednesday and pleaded guilty to unlawful transfer of an identification document.According to court documents, Jones filed a fraudulent application for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan on July 25, 2020, to the Small Business Administration. The application had Jones' name but purposefully wrong Social Security number, and a picture of Jones holding a fake Missouri driver's license. That license had Jones' first name spelled "Cecill."The SBA ultimately approved the fraudulent application, and deposited $149,000 into a Regions Bank account owned and controlled by Jones.Jones will be sentenced on Nov. 6. In additional to prison, he faces a $250,000 fine and will be ordered to repay the money.

Four Douglas County students sue school leaders alleging pervasive racism violated their civil rights

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:58:58 GMT

Four students of color who attended Douglas County schools allege in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that the school district and its leaders violated their right to an equal education by exhibiting “callous indifference” toward extensive racist bullying the children experienced and reported at school.The lawsuit filed by the families of students who attended Castle Rock Middle School and Douglas County High School in U.S. District Court in Denver names as defendants the Douglas County School District, its elected school board and Castle Rock principal John Veit. The teens are unnamed in the complaint because they are minors.The students’ attorney, Iris Halpern, confirmed that two of the teen plaintiffs include Jeramiah Ganzy and his sister Neveah Ganzy, who earlier this year told The Denver Post about racist bullying so egregious that it prompted Jeremiah to finish his school year online and the family to flee Castle Rock altogether.The lawsuit claims the defend...

How former CU lecturer John Eastman is involved in Donald Trump indictment

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:58:58 GMT

Former President Donald Trump was indicted Tuesday on allegations he tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Referenced in the federal indictment is John Eastman, a Trump attorney and former visiting scholar of conservative thought and policy at the Bruce D. Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization at the University of Colorado Boulder.Though Eastman isn’t mentioned by name, his attorney confirmed to NBC News that he is the person identified as co-conspirator No. 2 in the indictment.Tuesday’s indictment is one of several criminal cases Trump is facing. See how Eastman factors into the election-related case and what he has done leading up to the new charges.CU regents call Eastman “an embarrassment” as Jan. 6 committee includes ex-professor in criminal referralThe chair of CU’s Board of Regents called Eastman “an embarrassment” on Dec.19, 2022, and said the elected board respects the ability of the Justice Department to weigh the Jan. 6 commit...

Leah Remini files lawsuit against Scientology and David Miscavige

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:58:58 GMT

Leah Remini has stepped up her years-long battle against the Church of Scientology. The actress filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in a Los Angeles superior court against the church and its current leader, David Miscavige. Remini made the announcement in a statement on Substack."After 17 years of harassment, intimidation, surveillance, and defamation, I am filing a lawsuit against Scientology and David Miscavige," she wrote. Leah Remini arrives at night one of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sept. 14, 2019, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)The point of the lawsuit is to require the church "and any entity it controls and funds, to cease and desist its alleged practice of harassment, defamation an other unlawful conduct against anyone who Scientology has labeled as an 'enemy.'"She's also seeking compensation for what she claims "Scientology has inflicted on her and her career."The former "King of Queens" star further explained in her statement that spe...

Lawsuit filed against L.A. County probation officers seen on video assaulting minor

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:58:58 GMT

A federal civil rights lawsuit has been filed against Los Angeles County probation officers involved in a use of force incident that was caught on video.During a news conference Wednesday, attorneys for then 17-year-old Beckham Cardona showed video of the October 2020 attack at a Malibu juvenile facility. The video, first obtained by the Los Angeles Times, shows multiple officers on top of Cardona, while Oscar Cross is seen bending the teen’s legs backward while he is already held down.The lawsuit accuses the officers of placing excessive weight on teen’s throat and chest, disrupting his oxygen flow.Attorneys say the teen posed no threat, was not fighting back and could be heard screaming in the video.Late last month, District Attorney George Gascón filed a felony excessive force charge against Cross in connection with the incident. Gascón called it a “brutal" assault on a child. L.A. County probation officer charged with assaulting minor Cardona on Wednesday said he was left trau...

Hotly debated Los Angeles Zoo expansion OK'd by City Council

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:58:58 GMT

A plan to expand the Los Angeles Zoo moved forward on Wednesday after a unanimous vote by the Los Angeles City Council.The 13-0 decision approves the environmental impact report for the planned expansion of animal enclosures, facilities and conservation efforts, the Los Angeles Times reported.The environmental impact, however, is what has critics concerned about the project, for which "key details...remain unknown," according to the Times.Currently, the zoo's proposal would develop 16 acres of hillside near the zoo in Griffith Park, something critics say would be deleterious to local wildlife.“We really tried to persuade the zoo, persuade Council District 4, to keep working on not impacting all the habitat that is there,” Gerry Hans, president of Friends of Griffith Park, told the Times.Supporters of the project, dubbed the Vision Plan, point out that many of the zoo's facilities date to the 1960s. They've been working since 2016 on implementing the Vision Plan.Supporters noted that...

Man dies after altercation in Rosemead

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:58:58 GMT

A man died following an altercation with another man in Rosemead Wednesday morning, officials said.The incident was reported around 8:05 a.m. in the 3300 block of Muscatel Avenue, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.The victim, described only as an Asian man between 50 and 55 years old, was found at the scene with abrasions to his upper torso and was pronounced dead.A preliminary investigation revealed the victim was in an altercation with another man and was pushed to the ground during the incident, officials said.The assailant was last seen heading north on Muscatel Avenue and out of sight. Authorities have no further details about the suspect.The victim’s exact cause of death and what led up to the altercation remains under investigation.Anyone with additional information about the incident is asked to call LASD’s homicide bureau at 323-890-5500.

Rocky Island Oyster Co. is coming to Oakland with whole crabs and dollar oysters

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:58:58 GMT

A briny hole was left in the East Bay seafood scene this year, when Rocky Island Oyster Co. – which specializes in oysters from the West and East coasts, as well as lobster rolls and local crudo – abruptly left its home on the Richmond waterfront.Well, lovers of raw oysters and delicacies like whole, roasted Dungeness crab can now rejoice, because the restaurant is planning to return in a bigger form at Oakland’s Jack London Square.The Salty Pearl, as it’s now called, will move into 550 Second St. and will likely open in September or October, pending beverage-license approval.“It’s this cute little spot on the corner,” says owner Danny Pirello. “There’s a 10-foot bar with a cool green tile backsplash, a little bit of an outdoor area and then a dining area. The whole place seats about 50 people. It’s supposed to be like an Irish pub/oyster bar, but a little nicer, with a neighborhood-bar vibe.”Pirello doesn’t want to say muc...

Amid success and sadness, Angus Cloud showed his love for Oakland and its community of artists

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:58:58 GMT

As the death of Angus Cloud sent a shockwave through the entertainment industry, fans and critics wrote heartbreaking testimonials about the 25-year-old “Euphoria” actor, saying he could have been a great “unconventional leading man” and a global fashion icon whose beauty was both unusual and “transcendent.”For those in Cloud’s hometown of Oakland, the loss was felt much more personally and profoundly. From staff and students at the Oakland School for the Arts, from which he graduated, to other local artists, people remembered him as one of the phenomenally gifted Oakland natives to make it big, as well as someone always happy to return home and support the community that nurtured his talent.US actor Angus Cloud arrives to attend Variety’s 2022 Power of Young Hollywood at NeueHouse Hollywood on August 11, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Tran / AFP) (Photo by MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images) “The first ti...

Teen killed, man wounded in Hayward shooting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:58:58 GMT

HAYWARD — A 15-year-old boy was killed and a man wounded in a shooting here Tuesday night, police said.The boy’s name was not immediately released. Police said he was a Hayward resident.The shooting happened about 10:25 p.m. Tuesday outside in the 900 block of W. Tennyson Road.Officers responding to a reported shooting found the boy and a 37-year-old man, a Hayward resident, both shot. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene and the man was taken to a hospital for treatment of non life-threatening injuries.Police said both victims lived in the area and were acquainted with each other, but to what degree is not yet known.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Man accused of instigating violence at California rallies is extradited from Romania Crime and Public Safety | Feds, East Bay DAs announce results of massive anti-human trafficking operation Crime and Public Safety | Should Antioch council choose the police chief? C...