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Massive mudslides from Hilary bury mountain communities

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

Rescue and recovery efforts were underway in the wake of Tropical Storm Hilary, which caused mudslides that buried some mountain communities in Southern California.Forest Falls, Oak Glen and Seven Oaks on the east side of the San Bernardino Mountains were hit hard by the first tropical storm to hit California in 83 years. Some areas received more than six inches of rain during the storm, triggering destructive mudslides and debris flows.Dramatic video shows a mudslide and debris flow that hit Oak Glen, California during Tropical Storm Hilary. Aug. 20, 2023. (Doug Chudy)As the cleanup gets underway, miles of roads are still closed to many who live there. “I don’t know that we’re ever going to recover from this,” Kyle McLaughlin, whose family owns a restaurant in Oak Glen, told KTLA on Monday while surveying the damage. No stranger to storms and the concerns that come with them in a burn scar, Oak Glen resident Trina Delgado said she didn’t evacuate, but as the rain came dow...

Three Killed in Two-Car Crash on Highway 4 [Calaveras County, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

Head-On Collision Left Three Dead on Highway 4CALAVERAS COUNTY, CA (August 22, 2023) – Friday evening, a two-car crash on Highway 4 claimed the lives of three people.The incident happened on August 13th, just after 7:09 p.m., along Highway 4 in Calaveras County.According to CHP, the collision between a 2020 Honda and a 2020 Lexus happened on Highway 4 west of Vista Point and Copperopolis.Following the collision, first responders pronounced three dead at the scene. Meanwhile, medics transported six others to a local hospital for treatment.At this time, investigators have not released any further information regarding the crash. Officials will release more details as they become available to the public.In this sorrowful time, the Sweet James team would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the friends and family of the victims. May your memories give you strength and comfort in the difficult days ahead.Losing a loved one in a car accident is always traumatic for those left behin...

Samantha Hernandez Renteria and One Man Pronounced Dead Following Head-On Crash on Highway 74 [Perris, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

Two-Vehicle Collision Near 7th Street Left Man and Woman DeadPERRIS, CA (August 22, 2023) – Police identified 20-year-old Samantha Hernandez Renteria as one of the two deceased drivers from a car collision on Highway 74 last Sunday night.The deadly crash occurred shortly after 11:30 p.m. along the earthbound lanes of SR-74, just west of 7th Street.According to the police, an eastbound 2008 Honda CRV –driven by a 20-year-old Lake Elsinore man– drifted across the opposing lanes.Consequently, the Honda collided head-on with a westbound Nissan Sentra driven by Renteria.The investigators claimed the male driver allowed his vehicle to cross the solid double yellow lines for unknown reasons. Tragically, both drivers sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.No other injuries were reported from the incident, however, the impact of the collision blocked all the lanes of Highway 74 temporarily.At this time, the CHP Temecula area officials are investigating the fatal two-vehicle cra...

East Bay university site entices brisk interest from education groups

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

OAKLAND — Holy Names University has enticed numerous groups that are interested in leasing all or part of the Oakland Hills site for educational uses, the property’s new owner said.BH Properties, which paid $65 million in June to buy the university that’s perched on scenic hillsides in Oakland, said more than 20 organizations have expressed interest in leasing educational space at Holy Names University.“We are excited about the significant interest we have received over the past few months and eager to start vetting qualified applicants,” said Jim Brooks, president of BH Properties.BH Properties has issued a request for qualifications as a way to vet potential tenants interested in renting one or more spaces at the Holy Names University site, which is located at 3500 Mountain Boulevard in Oakland.Lee & Associates, which has begun to scout for tenants for the university site, is handling the request for qualifications. The qualifications document inc...

Few firm beliefs and low trust: Americans not sure what’s true in age of health misinformation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

Darius Tahir | KFF Health News (TNS)Around 3 in 10 Americans still believe ivermectin is an effective treatment for covid. What’s more, few place significant trust in any form of news media or official institution to accurately convey information about health topics, from covid treatments and vaccines to reproductive health issues, a new poll from KFF shows.The confusion about what’s true — and who’s telling the truth — is of critical importance to public health, experts in political science said. “Misinformation leads to lives being lost and health problems not being resolved,” Bob Blendon, a professor emeritus of public health at Harvard, said in an interview. Blendon was not associated with the survey.Such misinformed beliefs are strongly held by only a sliver of the population, according to a new KFF poll. Nearly a third of the 2,007 respondents said the dewormer ivermectin was definitely or probably an effective treatment for COVID-19. (It’s not: Numerous randomized controlled ...

Northern California fires: One dead, old growth forest could be threatened, firefighter injured 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

Dozens of fires across Northern California continue to burn, sparked by periods of dry lightning that hit the ground starting early last week. The wildfires are burning across several counties, with many rural communities threatened or under evacuation orders. The largest of the blazes is the Smith River complex in Del Norte County, at an estimated 28,700 acres as of the Times-Standard’s print deadline on Monday.Lightning complexA firefighter suffered “catastrophic injuries” Wednesday after being struck by a falling tree during the night shift on the Lone Pine fire. The firefighter was evacuated and has gone through two successful surgeries, and remains in the intensive care unit, according to a Sunday press release from the U.S. Forest Service. The release notes an “inquiry” has been prompted about the event. This inquiry is to find the cause of the incident, said Adrianne Rubiaco, a fire public affairs specialist for the Six Rivers National Forest.RELATED: Map of Northern Californ...

Single-family home sells for $3.8 million in Saratoga

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

The spacious property located in the 18900 block of Alcott Way in Saratoga was sold on Aug. 8, 2023. The $3,820,000 purchase price works out to $1,818 per square foot. The house, built in 1959, has an interior space of 2,101 square feet. This single-story house offers a capacious living environment with its four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Additionally, the home provides a two-car garage, granting ample space for parking and storage purposes.Additional houses that have recently been sold close by include:A 2,703-square-foot home on the 13600 block of Westover Drive in Saratoga sold in June 2023, for $5,025,000, a price per square foot of $1,859. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In June 2023, a 2,962-square-foot home on Via Alto Court in Saratoga sold for $5,250,000, a price per square foot of $1,772. The home has 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.On Harleigh Drive, Saratoga, in April 2023, a 1,623-square-foot home was sold for $2,400,000, a price per square foot of $1,479. The hom...

Rethinking retirement: What to know about returning to the workforce

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

Q. I retired last year at age 66. After an unfulfilling volunteer experience, I find myself in a period of re-evaluation and considering going back to work. Given that, how does one overcome the societal and human resources biases toward rehiring? Is there any place (or hope) for seniors returning, once they retire? G.D.You are not alone in this re-evaluation period. About one in six retired Americans are rethinking their post-retirement life. On average, these folks have been out of the workforce for about four years with half looking for remote positions and two-thirds looking for full-time work. The evaluation process you mentioned is an important first step. Assuming a satisfying work experience, it can be useful to examine the positive aspects of work that you might be missing. In working with over 25,000 soon-to-retire employees, I often asked the question, “When you retire, what will you miss most from your work experience?” Note, these employees worked for large companies an...

American workers want almost $79,000 salary to start a new job

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

Alex Tanzi | (TNS) Bloomberg NewsThe wage floor for American workers climbed to a record high close to $79,000, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of New York survey released Monday that also found pay demands among women are rising twice as fast as for men.The average reservation wage – the lowest annual pay that workers would accept to take a new job – increased to $78,645 in July, according to the New York Fed’s most recent Survey of Consumer Expectations. That’s up from about $72,900 a year earlier and $69,000 in July 2021.Pay expectations among women in the labor force rose 11% in the past year, twice as fast as for men, the survey found. Still, there’s a substantial gender gap when it comes to what’s an acceptable salary. For men the average reservation wage was about $91,000 — and for women it was $25,000 lower than that.Workers with a college degree now expect $98,600 annually to accept a new job, compared with an average $63,300 for those who don’t have one.For comparison,...

Castro Valley resident sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison for COVID-19 fraud scheme

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

A federal judge has sentenced a Castro Valley man to 2½ years in prison, after the man admitted to obtaining illegally more than $1.6 million dollars in unemployment benefits from various state agencies during the pandemic, authorities said.Idowu Hashim Shittu, 48, received a 30-month prison sentence from U.S. District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr., according to a statement from Ismail Ramsey, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California. Shittu pleaded guilty on March 1 to three counts of effecting transactions with access to devices issued to other persons, Ramsey said.The plea agreement states that from at least April through July 2020, Shittu obtained reloadable debit cards issued in the names of other people and used them for his personal expenditures, Ramsey said. These cards, referred to as “Green Dot Cards” in the plea agreement, contained unemployment benefits from various state agencies.Ramsey said Shittu did not know to whom the Green Dot Cards we...