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Spring Creek fire grows as hot and windy weather propels 4 fires in western Colorado

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:31 GMT

The Spring Creek fire burning in western Colorado south of Parachute expanded overnight and firefighters carried hydrogen sulfide gas detectors as flames spread close to oil and gas facilities, federal authorities said Thursday morning.The most recent mapping of the fire showed that it is burning within a 2,985-acre area (4.7 square miles), based on overnight aerial infrared imagery, the federal Bureau of Land Management officials said Thursday morning.It was one of at least four fires burning around Colorado as hot, dry, and windy conditions favored flames.In southwestern Colorado, two fires were burning on the San Juan National Forest near Pagosa Springs in Archuleta County, and another was burning on Southern Ute land.Spring Creek fireFirefighters on the Spring Creek fire were relying on aircraft – helicopters lugging water and tankers loaded with fire retardant red slurry – in their efforts to contain and suppress flames, BLM spokesman Eric Coulter said in an emailed response to...

Former Olympic gold medal cyclist convicted in German child sex abuse case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:31 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A former champion cyclist who won two gold medals at the 1976 Olympics has been convicted by a German court in a child sexual abuse case.Gregor Braun was found guilty on Wednesday by a regional court in the southwestern city of Tuebingen of sexually abusing a child, soliciting the serious sexual abuse of a child and soliciting the production of abuse imagery in several cases. He was sentenced to 33 months’ imprisonment, the court said in a statement on Thursday.During the trial, judges heard that Braun, 67, had for years paid for a woman to bring her young daughter along to sex dates, starting when the girl was 6 years old. Prosecutors alleged that in at least one instance the 35-year-old woman, who was identified only as Yvonne L. for privacy reasons, had forced the daughter to record explicit videos of her or the two adults together. At other times, she took pictures of the girl and sent them to Braun, they said.The case came to light after the victim fil...

Authorities chase stolen van driver from L.A. to Orange County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:31 GMT

Authorities were chasing the driver of a stolen van from Los Angeles to Orange County Thursday morning before Sky5 lost signal. The pursuit apparently began in the Los Angeles Police Department's jurisdiction, but by 9:40 a.m., the driver was speeding on the southbound 405 Freeway in Costa Mesa, aerial video from Sky5 showed. The van, which belongs to Fit For Life 1 in South Gate, was stolen from a repair shop in Los Angeles, the business told KTLA.The driver was soon in Irvine and continued speeding through the 5 Freeway with several California Highway Patrol units in tow. By 9:55 a.m., the driver was in the Mission Viejo area, but Sky5 lost signal in San Juan Capistrano, where the pursuit left KTLA's coverage area.

Los Angeles homelessness up 9% in county, 10% in city, count finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:31 GMT

A clearer picture of the status of homelessness in Los Angeles County came into focus Thursday with the release of the 2023 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, and after some brief hope offered by last year's results, the downward trend is continuing.The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority revealed "a 9% rise in homelessness on any given night in Los Angeles County to an estimated 75,518 people and a 10% rise in the City of Los Angeles to an estimated 46,260 people.""While this year’s increases are slightly lower than previous year-over-year increases in the homeless count, they continue a steady growth trend of people experiencing homelessness in the annual Point-in-Time Count," the release said. In 2019, the annual report detected double-digit increases in the homeless populations of the city and county. The 2020 count continued that upward trajectory, though the 2022 count found that the increases had drastically slowed, nearly leveling off to about 69,000 people experiencing...

Drugs, cash, ghost gun found in search of Apple Valley business, residence, officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:31 GMT

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department seized cash, drugs and a ghost gun with high-capacity magazines in a search of an Apple Valley business on Wednesday, officials said. At 7:30 a.m., deputies and detectives searched a vacant business in the 20300 block of Highway 18 after receiving reports of drug sales at the site, the SBSD said in a news release. After finding drugs at the commercial site, deputies went to a residence in the 11000 block of Saratoga Road, where they found more drugs, paraphernalia and other contraband, police said.Investigators found a ghost gun — an unserialized weapon that is impossible to trace — as well as high-capacity magazines, about 300 grams of cocaine and methamphetamine, and paraphernalia, deputies said, adding that the help of a K-9 unit named "Bane Boy" was "instrumental" in finding the drugs.A K-9 unit named "Bane Boy" helped investigators find abut 300 grams of cocaine and methamphetamine in Apple Valley on June 28, 2023, officials said. ...

High school grad wins $50K after dad buys lottery ticket as a gift

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:31 GMT

An 18-year-old in Washington state received a graduation gift to top them all.Lance Wall had just celebrated graduating high school when his father bought him a Six Figures Scratch ticket at a market in Camas, Washington’s Lottery said.It was the teen’s first time playing the lottery, and luck was on his side.After scratching the ticket to see if he was a winner, he handed the ticket to dad who shared the great news. He had won $50,000.“Lance, who is currently enjoying his summer vacation, plans to save his new fortune for his future. He hopes to one day become an artist,” lottery officials said.The odds of winning $50,000 on the ticket were 1 in 913,000.Washington’s Scratch tickets cost between $1 and $30, each with varying prize amounts.The number of actual prizes available vary based on the number of tickets printed, tested, distributed, sold and the number of prizes claimed, officials said.

Lego-inspired restaurant pop-up coming to Los Angeles in November

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:31 GMT

A new pop-up restaurant coming to Los Angeles allows guests to build their own “Lego-inspired” burgers.A Lego-inspired burger joint, known as Brick Burger, will be coming to Los Angeles in November, according to ExploreHidden.com. The pop-up experience will allow guests to build their own beef, chicken, or veggie burger.A Lego-inspired burger joint, known as Brick Burger, will be coming to Los Angeles in November, according to ExploreHidden.com. (Hidden Media Network) This is America’s favorite fast food place, according to a new study The limited experience will run from Nov. 11 through Nov. 12. The pop-up restaurant will be located at S. Figueroa St. Suite 200 in Los Angeles, according to the event website.“Our brick-themed restaurant is designed to immerse you in a playful and exciting world of bricks, with colorful brick walls, LEGO-themed furniture, and even a brick building station where you can let your imagination run wild and create your own brick designs,” ExploreHidden....

Robert Davis Killed in Pedestrian Collision on Interstate 17 [Phoenix, AZ]

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:31 GMT

33-Year-Old Man Fatally Struck in Pedestrian Accident near McDowell RoadPHOENIX, AZ (June 29, 2023) – Early Tuesday morning, Robert Davis was killed in a pedestrian collision on Interstate 17.Authorities responded to the scene around 3:00 a.m., near McDowell Road on May 30th.Per reports, the driver of a vehicle struck 33-year-old Davis and immediately fled the scene.According to the Arizona DPS, 33-year-old Davis was struck by a vehicle in the area which later led to his death.Furthermore, the authorities found the driver in a short distance from the scene. He remained and cooperated with the deputies.Consequently, the officers blocked all southbound lanes of the freeway during the duration of the investigation. It was later reopened by 6:00 a.m.Meanwhile, the officers stated that suicide is suspected and was not ruled out as a possible factor.Following the events, no arrests or charges were filed. The crash is still under investigation.No words can mend the broken hearts and ...

Wayne Wakefield Killed in Two-Vehicle Crash on Orange Grove Road [Tucson, AZ]

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:31 GMT

71-Year-Old Man Dies after a Deadly DUI Two-Vehicle Collision near La Cholla BoulevardTUCSON, AZ (June 29, 2023) – Early Tuesday morning, Wayne Wakefield was killed following a deadly two-vehicle collision on Orange Grove Road.The incident happened on May 23rd, at around 1:25 a.m., in the intersection of West Orange Grove Road and North La Cholla Boulevard.According to the Tucson Police Department, a Toyota driven by Wakefield and a Jeep driven by Brian Clarke collided while traveling in the area. The impact of the collision caused Wakefield to sustain serious injuriesFirst responders to the site of the collision rushed the victim to Banner Hospital for treatment. However, just before 4:00 a.m., officials pronounced 71-year-old Wakefield dead, due to the extent of his condition.Following the collision, police arrested 29-year-old Brian Clarke because he showed signs of impairment. They booked him into Pima County Jail. Officials charged Clarke with manslaughter, criminal damag...

The best places to bike in America? These California cities score high

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:31 GMT

What are the most cyclist-friendly cities in America – where the bike lanes are protected, the intersections safe and greenways stretch distantly into the horizon?Look no further than the Bay Area, according to a new ranking of 2023’s Best Places to Bike by the Boulder-based advocacy group PeopleForBikes. Out of nearly 1,500 cities in the U.S., San Francisco takes second place for the most cyclist-amenable major city, falling behind only to Minneapolis. And Berkeley comes in third place for medium-sized cities behind second place’s Ankeny, Iowa, and first-place winner Davis up in Yolo County (one could expect as much from the home of the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame).The rankings from PeopleForBikes are meant to reflect the quality of a city’s bicycle network. Six factors are taken into calculation: safe speed limits, protected lanes, reallocated space for biking and walking, intersection design, network connections and trusted data. Cities have also received numerical sc...