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National City repeals decades-old ban on cruising

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

NATIONAL CITY, Calif. – National City City Council made a long-awaited decision Tuesday night, to reverse a ban on cruising that has been in place since 1992.Community members celebrated the decision.“Monumental! We’ve been fighting so hard for this,” Cyndi Sanchez said.Jovita Arellano with the United Lowrider Coalition said, “ just knowing that we are going to be able to cruise and we are not doing anything against the law.”The popular pastime has been prohibited for more than three decades. In the early 90s, city leaders approved the ban in an attempt to address crime and traffic.“That’s in the past. We are all grown up. It’s a family thing now, it’s not a clique thing anymore,” Bernando Silva said. Supervisors address Fletcher scandal in first meeting since resignation announcement People in the community said the decades-old decision caused the culture of the city to suffer as a result.“We want this for our kids. This is a culture. This is a tradition,” Santanera Perez said.It...

El Cajon kicks off series of homelessness town hall meetings

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

EL CAJON, Calif. -- Leaders in El Cajon hosted the first of a series of town halls over homelessness concerns.It comes following months of pushback over the current voucher program which places people without homes in motels.But concerns are being raised after criminal activity was reported at several locations.“It’s an example of the community not working for a section of the population and the community should and clearly wants to work for everyone, but boy it’s hard to figure out what works,” El Cajon resident Paula Fletcher said.City leaders had residents fill out surveys and provide their feedback for tackling the homeless problem. They wrapped up the meeting with long lists of ideas.Last month, an underage girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by two men -- one who used the homeless voucher program. Crews battle building fire in El Cajon “The two violent sexual predators, that was an anomaly,” homeless advocate Matthew Kearney said. “Yes, it was horrible. They need to be jai...

Risk of severe storms persists from Texas to Great Lakes

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Severe thunderstorms were expected to bring hail, strong winds — and the threat of tornadoes — to parts of the Midwest and South that are reeling from a weekend of deadly weather. Officials warned residents to have shelter ready Tuesday night before going to sleep.At least two tornadoes were confirmed Tuesday in Illinois as storms targeted the state and eastern Iowa and southwest Wisconsin before nightfall. Areas of southern Missouri, Arkansas, southwestern Oklahoma and northeastern Texas were most at risk overnight. “This could be a night to just set up down in the basement to be safe,” Tom Philip, a meteorologist in Davenport, Iowa, said Tuesday.The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings in Iowa and Illinois on Tuesday evening and said a confirmed twister was spotted southwest of Chicago near Bryant, Illinois. Officials said another tornado touched down Tuesday morning in the western Illinois community of Colona. Local news reports showed wind dam...

Nathan MacKinnon’s 100th point, an overtime goal, gives Avalanche Central division lead in San Jose

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

Bo Byram stopped himself. Marveling at Nathan MacKinnon’s season, he didn’t want to go so far as to jinx anything.“He missed a bit of time there, which is too bad,” Byram said Monday before the Avalanche departed for San Jose. “But I think he’s on pace to — actually, never mind. I don’t want to say that.”Byram can rest easy. MacKinnon has reached 100 points in a season for the first time in his illustrious career, and he did it with an overtime breakaway goal to beat the Sharks 4-3 and move Colorado into the division lead for the first time in months.By earning one point before overtime, the Avalanche (46-24-6) clinched a playoff spot for the sixth consecutive year. By earning the second, they pulled into a three-way tie with Dallas and Minnesota at 98 points. But the Avs have played one fewer game than the Stars and Wild, giving them the highest point percentage.One milestone hunt ends, another stalls: MacKinnon is the Avalanche’s fir...

Police searching for 3 carjacking, shooting suspects in Venice

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

Officers with the Los Angeles Department were searching for three suspects believed to be involved in a shooting in Santa Monica and, later, a carjacking that ended with a crash in Venice Tuesday evening. The incident unfolded just before 8:30 p.m. when Santa Monica police responded to reports of a shooting at Main Street and Bicknell Avenue.  At the scene, authorities found shell casings on the ground and a bullet hole in the victim’s vehicle. Fortunately, there were no injuries as a result of the shooting, police said.  While details are limited, police say the suspects, at some point, carjacked a dark gray Jeep Patriot and crashed the vehicle near the intersection of Rose Avenue and Main Street before fleeing the area on foot.  Aerial footage from Sky5 showed a police perimeter set up near the crash site while officers searched the area for the three men. Authorities with LAPD set up a perimeter in Venice while searching for three armed carjacking suspects on ...

Man sentenced to prison for lewd acts on a child in Ventura County

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

A man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for lewd acts on a child in Ventura County on Monday.Raymond Giral, 55, from Parker, Colorado was convicted by a Ventura County jury of four counts of a lewd act upon a child.Giral had sexual contact with an underage victim at multiple locations throughout Ventura County between 2007 and 2012, officials said. Giral's convictions include “aggravating circumstances that the victim was particularly vulnerable and that Giral took advantage of a position of trust,” court documents said. “The jury also found true the special allegation that Giral had substantial sexual conduct with the victim.”The victim came forward in 2018 after learning Giral had been arrested for a separate sex crime in Colorado. Giral is currently serving an eight-year prison term in Colorado when he was convicted by the Ventura County DA’s office.“I am proud of the victim for having the courage to confront her abuser and tell her story at trial,” said Deputy District Attorne...

4.6 magnitude earthquake strikes Northern California

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A preliminary magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck Northern California on Tuesday afternoon, according to the United States Geological Survey. Six Bay Area cops face decertification on child porn, extortion and destroying evidence The earthquake struck near Hollister at 3:23 p.m., and it was felt inside the KRON4 newsroom in San Francisco to as far south as Santa Cruz. It struck nearly five miles below the surface, according to data from USGS. There have been no reports of damages or injuries so far, according to the San Francisco Fire Department.The quake took place near the Calaveras Fault Zone, and the California Geological Survey says that aftershocks "can be expected." VTA light rail service will be delayed for five to seven minutes for post-earthquake inspection, according to a tweet from the VTA.Valley Water, the water treatment plant that provides water in Santa Clara County, said staff inspections of their properties are underway, but no damages have b...

Berkeley police adjust patrols due to staffing shortages

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

BERKELEY, Calif. (KRON) -- Fewer police officers are patrolling certain parts of Berkeley as a result of significant understaffing at the Berkeley Police Department.The department decreased the number of its beat teams from 16 to 14. The change went into effect on Saturday.BPD originally had 16 beat teams assigned to certain areas of the city, but with the officer shortage, the teams weren't fully staffed.Jessica Perry, BPD's spokesperson, says it's a balancing act. The department used to divide staff into 16 beat teams with seven or eight officers on each along with two sergeants, but that wasn't working."Before we would have beats that were not staffed and other officers working other beats would have to backfill and do beats that weren't theirs," Perry says. So on April 1, the department adjusted to 14 beat teams.Perry says Berkeley isn't the only department in this predicament, "I think we are doing the best we can to manage, we are dealing with a nationwide shortage so people a...

Sophia Mason's grandmother sues Alameda County

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

HAYWARD. Calif. (KRON) – The grandmother of a little girl who was killed is suing Alameda County and three of its employees. Sophia Mason, 8, from Hayward was found dead last year in Merced County. Her mother and the mother’s boyfriend have been charged with her death.“Obviously, no money will bring her back, but the family is focused on making sure another family does not face this and that everyone is safer at large,” said Carly Sanchez, who is representing Sophia’s grandmother Sylvia Johnson. Sophia lived with her grandmother in the East Bay for most of her life. But in the fall of 2021, Johnson told authorities that her daughter showed up demanding Sophia live with her.Eight months later, the little girl was found dead. Her body was decomposed in a bathtub. Woman vanishes in San Francisco during cruise vacation “The evidence shows she was abused and tortured and the county looked the other way. No one followed up - it could have saved her life,” Sanchez said.Sanchez says ...

Alameda catalytic converter thefts continue to spike

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:42 GMT

ALAMEDA, Calif. (KRON) -- In a recent 30-day period, there were 65 reports of catalytic converter thefts in the City of Alameda. At least one incident involved a suspect brandishing a gun.Today, Alameda police released video of the most recent catalytic converter theft. The video was obtained by Alameda PD investigators. The theft happened around 9 a.m. on Tuesday near 9th Street and San Antonio. This is the latest incident in what is an ongoing crime trend in Alameda. Puppy found stuffed in garbage bag in Santa Cruz County "When I play the video, you're going to hear the sawing. It's going to be the sawing of the catalytic converter," said Alameda Police Sgt. Mike Ortega.Police have only a limited description of the suspect. Alameda police dispatch received a call about the crime while it was in progress and sent a patrol car to the scene. Officers observed the suspect driving recklessly while trying to get away.The officer decided not to pursue the suspect vehicle. Sgt. Ortega s...