Home

1 injured as crews battle fire at Marina del Rey apartment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:01 GMT

One person was taken to a hospital as crews battled an apartment fire in Marina del Rey Thursday afternoon.The blaze was reported around 2:50 p.m. at 4600 Via Marina and was soon upgraded to a 3rd-alarm, fire officials said. Heavy smoke and fire was seen on the roof as firefighters worked to quell the flames, aerial video from Sky5 showed.The Los Angeles Fire Department also responded to the scene and more than 100 firefighters are battling the blaze. Check back for updates on this developing story.

20 sheltered dogs from Riverside County transported to Wisconsin for better chance of adoption

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:01 GMT

Twenty sheltered dogs from the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Riverside County were transported to Dane County Humane Society in Wisconsin for a better chance of adoption.Officials for the shelter announced Thursday that concerns about overcrowding and the impact Tropical Storm Hilary left on the shelter led to the decision to relocate the dogs, which were mostly German Shepards and Siberian Huskies. 14 dogs rescued from unattended vehicle in Tustin “When it comes to pet adoptions, every day is critical for ensuring that the pets in our care will have a positive outcome,” Erin Gettis, director of Riverside County Department of Animal Services, said in a statement.With our Coachella Valley campus closed, our top concern was that the animals, especially our large dogs, could languish in the shelter without a chance for a new and loving home.”Various organizations, including the Bianca Rae Foundation, The Grand Paw, Humane Society of the Desert, Loving All Animals, and Wings of Re...

'Useless at 42': Did Microsoft use AI to generate an athlete's obituary?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:01 GMT

The basketball community is mourning the death of Brandon Hunter, a forward for the Ohio Bobcats who played briefly in the NBA with the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics before having a long, productive career overseas.Hunter, 42, was a legendary figure for the Ohio University basketball program where he starred for four years, averaging 16.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 119 games.While not a household name by an stretch, an article posted on MSN.com appeared to be drafted by either someone wholly unfamiliar with his career, or not a "someone" at all.Microsoft, which owns the online publication, is facing criticism and allegations that it used artificial intelligence to write Hunter's obituary, and the results were, to put it lightly, bad.The headline of the since-removed article reads: Brandon Hunter useless at 42.It gets worse.The article, which Futurism.com fairly describes as "garbled," was filled with both typos, poor grammar and described Hunter as having "performed ...

Yasmine Azaiez: A Musical Odyssey from Tunis to Los Angeles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:01 GMT

Few musicians can claim a journey as remarkable as Yasmine Azaiez’s in the world of music. This violinist, composer and singer, who is of Tunisian-Indian descent and was born in Britain has mesmerized audiences all over the world with her unmatched talent and love of the violin. Yasmine, who is currently a resident of the exciting city of Los Angeles, California, has had a truly extraordinary musical journey.Yasmine fell in love with the violin when she was just four years old. Mentors and music lovers alike soon noticed her natural musical talent and dedication. Yasmine was given the golden ticket at the age of eight to the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey, England. She developed her skills, under the guidance of seasoned teachers, laying the groundwork for a promising career.Yasmine stepped onto the magnificent stage right away. She started her career as a performer at the age of eleven, mesmerizing audiences with her melodic skill. The turning point occurred when...

Levi’s Stadium: Santa Clara council limits operational tours amid criticism of past tours

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:01 GMT

SANTA CLARA — In the wake of a Santa Clara County civil grand jury report critical of two councilmembers who accepted football tickets from the San Francisco 49ers for a tour of Levi’s Stadium, the city will now limit the tours.In November 2021, Santa Clara City Councilmembers Raj Chahal and Karen Hardy attended the 49ers vs. Rams games to get a better sense of stadium operations, they said. While the city owns Levi’s and the council makes decisions on issues like how late music acts can play, the day-to-day stadium management falls to the 49ers.Chahal and Hardy’s visit sparked concerns over whether the pair had violated both city and state laws around accepting gifts, though both have repeatedly attested the visit was solely for informational purposes.Last year’s scathing civil grand jury report, titled “Unsportsmanlike Conduct,” recommended the council adopt a policy around stadium tours, and on Tuesday night, the council voted 4-3 to limi...

SF Giants, Rockies will play double header after Thursday’s game is postponed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:01 GMT

DENVER — After a week of stops and starts, the Giants were finally going to get Michael Conforto back in their lineup Thursday night.They will, instead, have to wait another day.Conforto, the Giants’ last remaining key piece on the injured list, was in the lineup as the designated hitter for their scheduled series opener against the Rockies, Gabe Kapler said. But not long after the manager had written Conforto’s name on the lineup card, the game was postponed.The Giants and Rockies will play two — split double-header style — on Saturday to make up Thursday’s postponement. First pitch for Game No. 1 is set for 11:10 a.m. PT, while Game 2 will start at 5:10 p.m. PT. Separate tickets will be required for admission to each game.“It could be a split double header, it could be back-to-back games and they would all be strange challenges,” Kapler said. “I feel like we’re going to be OK.”The game Thursday was called three hours before first pit...

MLB to vote on A’s relocation to Las Vegas in November, but Oakland is seen as possible expansion city

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:01 GMT

The A’s might be going, going, gone, but Major League Baseball could return to Oakland before long.MLB owners will vote in November to give A’s owner John Fisher final approval to move the club to Las Vegas, an industry source confirmed to the Bay Area News Group on Thursday. The A’s would need 75% approval to complete the relocation.But hope emerged this week for Oakland baseball fans: USA Today reported that the city could join Nashville, Tenn., as a top candidate for expansion teams in the next five years.For that to happen, though, a wealthy ownership group needs to emerge immediately. It also needs the wherewithal to pay the expansion fee, estimated at $2 billion, and build a ballpark.“If there’s an ownership group that wants to try to get a team in Oakland, they should voice themselves now and arrange meetings with the commissioner and show why Oakland is viable for an expansion team and what they plan to do as an ownership group,” former A’s star Dave Stewart said...

Coroner IDs man killed at Oakland encampment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:01 GMT

OAKLAND — The Alameda County Coroner’s Office has confirmed the identification of a 38-year-old man who was recently shot and killed at an encampment where he lived.Baltazar Alcaraz was fatally shot around 2:45 a.m. on Aug. 24 at an encampment off Interstate 580 near the 3400 block of Telegraph Avenue. It is being investigated by the California Highway Patrol, not Oakland police, because it is on state property.Alcaraz was shot and killed outside a cropping of tents at the encampment. Police have interviewed several other residents but have yet to identify a suspect, authorities say. The suspected motive has not been released either.Anyone with information can call the CHP tip line at 707-917-4491.

Sudden retirement of San Jose police watchdog came after drunken clash with officers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:01 GMT

SAN JOSE – The sudden retirement announcement of San Jose’s civilian police watchdog followed an encounter at a community festival in which she appeared to drunkenly accost police officers working security at the venue, according to multiple sources.In an interview with this news organization Thursday, Shivaun Nurre said she was “ashamed” of her behavior and confirmed that the incident sped up her plans to retire from the city’s Office of the Independent Police Auditor.Shivaun Nurre, a longtime assistant auditor in the San Jose Office of the Independent Police Auditor, was appointed to lead the office after serving as interim auditor, announced Dec. 4, 2018. (City of San Jose) Nurre submitted her notice to retire June 7, following events at the San Jose Greek Festival at the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church on June 4. She said she regularly attended the event and was there in a personal capacity.At the Greek festival, Nurre is alleged to have approac...

Giants-Rockies postponed by weather; doubleheader set for Saturday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:01 GMT

DENVER (AP) — The San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies had the opener of their four-game series postponed Thursday by inclement weather about three hours before the scheduled first pitch. This is Giants manager Gabe Kapler’s favorite burger spot in SF The contest will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Saturday. The first game will be at 2:10 p.m. EDT and the second at 8:10 p.m.Logan Webb was slated to throw Thursday for the Giants and Chase Anderson for the Rockies. Anderson will pitch Friday night, while San Francisco's rotation has yet to be determined going forward.The Giants entered the day a half-game out of the third NL wild-card spot.