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California professor charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Jewish demonstrator

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:23 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Southern California college professor was charged Thursday with involuntary manslaughter and battery in the death of a Jewish protester during demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas war.Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said in a statement that both charges have special allegations that Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji, 50, personally inflicted “great bodily injury” on Paul Kessler, 69, during a fatal confrontation at an event that started as a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Thousand Oaks, a suburb northwest of Los Angeles.Involuntary manslaughter is the unintentional killing of another person.A man who answered the phone at a mobile number listed for Alnaji in public records said he did not want to comment. He did not give his name.Kessler was among a group of pro-Israel demonstrators who showed up at the event that was advertised as a peaceful gathering to support Palestinians, officials said. Kessler died early Nov. 6 at a hospital, a day after the prote...

Growing local calls for ‘cease-fire’ in Gaza echo through protesters blocking BU Bridge, Black pastors speaking out

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:23 GMT

Growing calls for a cease-fire in Gaza manifested again around Boston on Thursday, with protesters blocking the Boston University Bridge through the morning and local Black pastors gathering to call for an end to the bloodshed.Thursday’s protest, which was led by the Jewish group IfNotNow, and the cease-fire calls from a group of Boston-based Black pastors join mounting calls in Boston and throughout the U.S. and other nations for an end to the war in Gaza as the death toll reaches ever-more staggering heights.Over 11,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, two-thirds of whom are believed to be minors and women, according to Palestinian health authorities. Over 2,700 are reported missing, believed to be buried under rubble.Israeli authorities have reported over 1,200 killed in the Oct. 7 attack and another 240 taken hostage by Hamas.“Over the last six weeks, our hearts have been broken, our spirits troubled by the continued loss of precious life,” said Re...

San Diego Zoo welcomes baby De Brazza's Monkey, a first in 26 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:23 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Zoo has welcomed a brand new baby -- a baby De Brazza's monkey. The birth is notable not only because of the cuteness factor, but because it's the first De Brazza’s monkey to be born at the Zoo in 26 years. SAN DIEGO (Nov. 14, 2023) —A De Brazza’s monkey was born Oct. 28 to parents Lillie and Augustus, and it is the first De Brazza’s monkey born at the Zoo in 26 years. Photo: Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo Wildlife AllianceThe baby De Brazza's monkey was born on Oct. 28 to parents Lillie and Augustus, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance announced Wednesday. Take heart, it looks like China could send new pandas to the US SAN DIEGO (Nov. 14, 2023) —A De Brazza’s monkey was born Oct. 28 to parents Lillie and Augustus, and it is the first De Brazza’s monkey born at the Zoo in 26 years. The little primate, whose gender has not yet been determined, can be seen holding tightly to its very attentive mother’s chest while they bond. Photo: Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo W...

Los Angeles freeway closed after fire will reopen next Tuesday, ahead of schedule, governor says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:23 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Repairs to an elevated Los Angeles freeway closed because of an arson fire are moving faster than expected and lanes are scheduled to reopen next Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday. Earlier this week officials said it could take crews between three and five weeks to shore up the mile-long stretch of Interstate 10 near downtown after the blaze last Saturday burned about 100 support columns. “The bridge structure itself seems to be in better shape” than previously thought, Newsom said during an evening news conference. “One thing we can guarantee you is we will be open five lanes in both directions at the latest Tuesday of next week.”Officials said the arson investigation was ongoing. “This is a good day in Los Angeles,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said.The fire that spread quickly over 8 acres (3 hectares) was fed by pallets, cars, construction materials, hand sanitizer and other items being stored under the freeway in an industrial neighborhood. ...

Alaska National Guard performs medical mission in midst of delivering Santa, gifts to rural village

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:23 GMT

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) — Santa Claus’ sleigh took on new responsibilities in rural Alaska this week when delivering gifts to an Alaska Native village.Santa’s ride, an Alaska Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, was shuttling Santa, Mrs. Claus, volunteer elves and gifts in shifts Wednesday to provide the children of Tuluksak some Christmas cheer. The flights originated about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southwest, from the hub community of Bethel, the guard said in a release.However, after the first trip to Tuluksak, the helicopter crew got an urgent call seeking help for a medical evacuation in the nearby village of Napaskiak, located about 5 miles (8 kilometers) south of Bethel on the other side of the Kuskokwim River.The river in the winter serves as an ice road, but there was only enough ice at this time of the year to prevent boats from operating. The ice wasn’t thick enough to support vehicles, and bad weather prevented small planes from landing at...

Prospect Palmegiani on Blue Jays radar thanks to ‘Davis Schneider-mould’ approach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:23 GMT

Damiano Palmegiani began the 2023 season representing Canada at the World Baseball Classic and finished it by helping the Surprise Saguaros win the Arizona Fall League championship.In between, the 23-year-old third baseman born in Venezuela and raised in Surrey, B.C., hit 23 homers with 33 doubles and 73 walks over 128 games, mostly at double-A New Hampshire before a 20-game touch at triple-A Buffalo.Along the way, he established himself as a potential option for the Toronto Blue Jays as soon as next year.“This is all stuff you dream about in your head on how it’s going to go and what you want to happen and how you want to do in these situations,” Palmegiani says during a recent interview in Glendale, Ariz. “Being able to put myself in these positions and perform through them and enjoy the moment at the same time, I think I’m just proud of how all these steps have come one after the other.”That they have, as the 14th-round pick in 2021 batted .239/.342/.473 between low-A...

China’s Xi is courting Indo-Pacific leaders in a flurry of talks at a summit in San Francisco

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:23 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping, fresh off his meeting with President Joe Biden, courted Indo-Pacific leaders in a flurry of meetings Thursday at a time of intensifying competition with the United States.Xi held individual talks with the leaders of Mexico, Peru and Fiji, and he planned a later session with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, all on the sidelines of a summit of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation economies. In a meeting with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, Xi said the two countries should strengthen economic and trade cooperation and pledged China’s support for Peru as host of next year’s summit of APEC leaders.In particular, Xi said, China will be willing to import more “premium” agricultural products from the South American country and will encourage Chinese businesses to participate in major projects in Peru.Earlier, Xi held talks with Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, praising the Mexican president for his leadership and reform efforts and pledgin...

California scientists seek higher pay in 3-day strike drawing thousands of picketers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:23 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — More than 1,000 state scientists in California took to the picket line Thursday on day two of a three-day strike, calling for higher wages for work they say often goes unrecognized in a state that sets environmental policy trends on the national and global stage.The California Association of Professional Scientists, a union representing about 5,200 scientists across more than 50 state departments, decided to strike after three years of stalled contract negotiations, said President Jacqueline Tkac. The push for a better contract began when state scientists were furloughed during the COVID-19 pandemic.“We’re not here to settle for anything less than the fair pay and respect that we deserve,” Tkac said. “We hope that the state can recognize the opportunity that we have in front of us.”The strike comes during a big year for labor, one in which health care professionals, Hollywood actors and writers, and auto workers picketed for better pay and working con...

Backpage founder convicted of 1 count of money laundering. Arizona jury deadlocks on 84 other counts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:23 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Michael Lacey, a founder of the lucrative classified site Backpage.com, was convicted Thursday on a single count of money laundering and acquitted on another. But an Arizona jury deadlocked on 84 other counts against him in a case that alleged he participated in a scheme to sell sex ads, leading the judge to declare a mistrial.U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa in Phoenix declared the mistrial after jurors deliberated for six days. It marked the second time a mistrial has been declared in the case against the site’s co-founder. Lacey’s first trial in 2021 ended in a mistrial when another judge concluded prosecutors had too many references to child sex trafficking in a case where no one faced such a charge. Lacey declined comment as he walked out of a Phoenix courtroom. Lacey, 75, was tried on a total of 86 criminal counts in the case against him and four other Backpage employees.Chief Financial Officer John Brunst was convicted of one count of conspiracy to viol...

IBM pulls ads from X, citing 'zero tolerance for hate speech'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:23 GMT

(The Hill) — IBM confirmed to The Hill it is pulling advertisements from X, the platform formerly known as Twitter Thursday, citing “'zero tolerance for hate speech." “IBM has zero tolerance for hate speech and discrimination and we have immediately suspended all advertising on X while we investigate this entirely unacceptable situation,” IBM told the Financial Times.Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, faced backlash Wednesday for appearing to agree with an antisemitic post on the platform, replying it was the “absolute truth.” The post that Musk replied to was a response to another post by a user raising an issue with increasing antisemitism. Trump claims New York fraud trial imploded with Cohen’s testimony “To the cowards hiding behind the anonymity of the internet and posting ‘Hitler was right’: You got something you want to say?” the initial user, who identified themselves as a “Jewish Conservative” in their bio, wrote. “Why dont you say it to our faces.”In response, anothe...