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Manson follower Leslie Van Houten should be paroled, California court rules

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

A California appeals court said Tuesday that Leslie Van Houten, who participated in two killings at the direction of cult leader Charles Manson in 1969, should be released from prison on parole.The appellate court’s ruling reverses an earlier decision by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who rejected parole for Van Houten in 2020. She has been recommended for parole five times since 2016. All of those recommendations were rejected by either Newsom or former Gov. Jerry Brown.Newsom could request that California Attorney General Rob Bonta petition the state Supreme Court to stop her release. Bonta's office referred questions to Newsom's office, which didn't respond to queries about possible next steps.Van Houten, now in her 70s, is serving a life sentence for helping Manson and other followers kill Leno LaBianca, a grocer in Los Angeles, and his wife, Rosemary.Newsom has said that Van Houten still poses a danger to society. In rejecting her parole, he said she offered an inconsistent and inadeq...

Video shows several sharks feeding on dolphin off Southern California coast

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

A group of what appears to be juvenile sharks were caught on video at Torrey Pines State Beach feeding on a dolphin just off the coast. Park rangers say it's a good reminder of the predators flocking to San Diego beaches, especially as we enter the summer months. Around noon on Sunday, California State Parks responded to a notification of a shark spotted around 30-40 yards from shore near lifeguard tower No. 7. Video shows multiple sharks snacking on a dolphin which washed up along the beach a few minutes later. San Diego shark expert and oceanographer Manuel Lazcano calls the incident a good sign of a healthy environment. “The shark is the top predator of the ocean, and they will eat wounded animals and very young animals and they will attack them by surprise," Lazcano said. To practice safety, State Park Peace Officers posted shark warning signs along tower No. 7 High Bridge access point to the north boundary with Del Mar city. Study: Sharks nearby more than we think, are not ‘...

Victor Calderone is the Master of MATTER

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

Victor Calderone is the Master of MATTER: New York’s Victor Calderone got his start DJing and producing when he was inspired by his DJ older brother Cesare.“Growing up we shared a room together and I would just sit there listening to him DJ for hours,” Calderone says. “He eventually taught me how to play and I was hooked from that moment on. It wasn’t until the early ’90s I became interested in producing and partnered up with a good friend Gene La Fosse under the moniker Program 2. We eventually signed a record deal with Sire Records in 1992. I thought that was the moment my career had arrived, but it was short lived and fell apart. After a hiatus I got back in the studio in 1996 and I produced a solo track called ‘Give It Up’ that went number 1 on the Billboard charts. That led to working with Madonna and officially launched my career.”The artist says that his sound was massively influenced by ’90s NYC.“I have a deep refer...

Twitter is now worth just 33% of Elon Musk’s purchase price, Fidelity says

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

By Aisha Counts and Tom Maloney | BloombergTwitter is now worth just one-third of what Elon Musk paid for the social-media platform, according to Fidelity, which recently marked down the value of its equity stake in the company.Musk has acknowledged he overpaid for Twitter, which he bought for $44 billion, including $33.5 billion in equity. More recently, he said Twitter is worth less than half what he paid for it. It’s unclear how Fidelity arrived at its new, lower valuation or whether it receives any non-public information from the company.Fidelity first reduced the value of its Twitter stake in November, to 44% of the purchase price. That was followed by further markdowns in December and February.Twitter has struggled financially since Musk took over. After saddling the company with $13 billion of debt, Musk’s erratic decision making and challenges with content moderation led advertising revenue to decline by 50%, Musk said in March. An attempt to recoup that revenue by selling T...

At 83, Al Pacino will soon beat Robert De Niro as one of the oldest celebrity dads

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

Besides being male movie legends and first starring together in “The Godfather II,” Al Pacino and Robert De Niro have something else in common: They’re both men nearing the end of their lives who have decided to produce children with younger women.News came Tuesday night from TMZ that Pacino, 83, is expecting a baby — his fourth — with his 29-year-old girlfriend Noor Alfallah. She’s eight months pregnant and has been linked to Pacino since April 2022, TMZ said. Pacino’s big news — including the fact he’ll be 101 when his child turns 18 — comes several weeks after De Niro, 79, announced the birth of a daughter — his seventh child — with girlfriend Tiffany Chen.HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 27: (L-R) Al Pacino, Francis Ford Coppola, and Robert De Niro speak onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images) I...

What’s with the overnight work on I-680? Roadshow

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

Q: What are they doing with night work on Interstate 680 in Danville? Signs on northbound on-ramps at Diablo Road, El Cerro Road and El Pintado Road write about closures from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. from April 25 to June 25. Unfortunately, some nights, I have been awakened by jackhammers and blower noise.I’ve inquired with Caltrans and CHP to no avail, and cannot find any mention of this on the Caltrans website.Thomas MillerA: Several things are occurring in this area. Caltrans is closing the right-most lane of southbound Interstate 680 at various locations and times between Alcosta Boulevard in San Ramon and Highway 84 in Sunol for tree removal from June 12 through late August. Most closures are scheduled between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Closures are necessary for workers to safely remove trees and vegetation ahead of construction of the southbound 680 express lane and pavement rehabilitation project.That project will build a new express lane on southbound 680, stretching from Highway 84 to Alc...

San Mateo County developing plan to combat opioid, fentanyl crisis

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

SAN MATEO COUNTY, Calif. (KRON) – The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors are working to combat the county’s opioid and fentanyl crisis. On Tuesday, supervisors directed the county’s staff to develop a plan that focuses on treatment options, education on fentanyl and opioids for the public and more access to life-saving medication for overdoses.  2 dead, 1 injured in Highway 1 crash on Peninsula “As the parent of a college sophomore and a recent college grad, this is an issue that feels very personal to me,” said Dave Pine, president of the Board of Supervisors and organizer of the session. “I think the emphasis on education just has to be continuously called out. Our best approach is educating residents, especially youth and young adults, about the lethality of these drugs.”According to a report by the county, there were 66 fentanyl-related deaths in 2021. “Any death is tragic,” said Dr. Scott Morrow, San Mateo County health officer. “It is assured that youth use and youth...

Santa Clara police searching for missing 70-year-old man with dementia

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KRON) -- Police in Santa Clara are seeking the public's help in locating a missing man who suffers from dementia. 2 dead, 1 injured in Highway 1 crash on Peninsula Richard “Rick” Gillick went missing Tuesday afternoon from his home near Lexington and Santa Clara Streets, police said. The 70-year-old was last seen wearing a colored shirt, blue jeans, dark tennis shoes and riding a yellow bicycle.KRON On is streaming news live now.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }Police urge anyone who has seen Gillick to call 9-1-1 immediately.

Facing sweltering summers, California’s Newsom floats plan for state to buy energy

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

FILE – California Gov. Gavin Newsom talks with union electricians at Proxima Solar Farm outside Patterson, Calif., on May 19, 2023. California has struggled to meet growing demand for electricity as the state transitions away from fossil fuels. Gov. Newsom has proposed the purchasing power of the state to purchase large amounts of new renewable energy, including from offshore wind and geothermal power plants. (Andy Alfaro/The Modesto Bee via AP, File) FILE – California Gov. Gavin Newsom talks with union electricians at Proxima Solar Farm outside Patterson, Calif., on May 19, 2023. California has struggled to meet growing demand for electricity as the state transitions away from fossil fuels. Gov. Newsom has proposed the purchasing power of the state to purchase la...

Qatar’s prime minister reportedly meets with Taliban’s supreme leader in Afghanistan

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

This is a locator map for Afghanistan with its capital, Kabul. (AP Photo) This is a locator map for Afghanistan with its capital, Kabul. (AP Photo) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The supreme leader of the Taliban met in Afghanistan with Qatar’s prime minister this month, the first-such publicly known meeting between the Taliban’s reclusive leader and a foreign official, the Al Jazeera satellite news network reported Wednesday. Haibatullah Akhunzada met Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on May 12 in Afghanistan’s southern city of Kandahar, the spiritual birthplace of the Taliban, Al Jazeera English said. Sheikh Mohammed also is the foreign minister of Qatar, an energy-rich...