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Ridley-Thomas convicted of multiple charges

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

Former Los Angeles County supervisor and Los Angeles City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas has been convicted of seven charges.Ridley-Thomas, 68, was convicted of conspiracy, bribery, honest services mail fraud and four counts of honest services wire fraud, said Ciaran McEvoy with United States Attorney's Office of the Central District of CaliforniaRidley-Thomas was acquitted of 12 other charges, McEvoy added.The allegations stemmed from Ridley-Thomas's dealings with Marilyn Flynn, former dean of USC’s social work program, which gave Ridley-Thomas's son Sebastian a job and a scholarship, among other benefits. In exchange, Ridley-Thomas voted on several measures related to the social work program while he was a county supervisor.At the time, Sebastian Ridley-Thomas was preparing to step down from the state Assembly while he was under investigation for sexual harassment, a change he claimed was for health reasons. Flynn pleaded guilty last year to bribery.

Activists call for shutdown of Men's Central Jail in downtown L.A.

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

Activists are renewing their push to close the troubled Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles following recent inmate deaths at the facility.Organizers demonstrated near the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Thursday morning demanding that they commit to a timeline to shut down the jail by March 2025.Demonstrators shouted “Shut it down” and held signs that read “People deserve care, not cages.”They said the conditions inside the jail are inhumane.Three inmates died in L.A. County jails in just over a week, and at least one died at the Central Jail, the Los Angeles Times reported.Also at the rally was Helen Jones, whose son, John Horton died inside the jail in 2009. She believes her son was killed by deputies.“We have to save lives … we know innocent people are in jail. We know this. And even if you did do something to go to jail, you deserve more than one chance because you know what? Our officials get chances over and over and over again," Jones said. Men’s Central Jail ...

More than half of California free of drought conditions

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

Drought conditions across California continue to retreat thanks to heavy rain and historic snowfall that has battered the Golden State since late last year.Data from the U.S. Drought Monitor released on Thursday shows that more than 50% of California is free of any drought classification for the first time since February 2020.A small portion of northeast Los Angeles County is still considered to be "abnormally dry," the U.S. Drought Monitor’s least severe classification. Only 28% of the Golden State is experiencing "moderate" to "severe" drought conditions, including sections of San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Inyo and Imperial counties. Where does the California drought stand heading into spring? In November, virtually all of California's Central Valley was deemed to be in an “exceptional drought,” the U.S. Drought Monitor’s worst classification. The map showed California's drought condition on Nov. 29, 2022, and March 30, 2023 ( U.S. Drought Monitor) As of Thursday, Califo...

Former L.A. Supervisor Ridley-Thomas Found Guilty Of Bribery and Conspiracy Charges

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

Former Los Angeles official Mark Ridley-Thomas was found guilty of multiple charges related to corruption, Thursday.Ridley-Thomas, 68, was convicted on one charge of bribery, once conspiracy charge, a charge of honest services mail fraud and four counts of honest services wire fraud.The charges stem from an alleged scheme that occurred during his service on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors in 2018. Ridley-Thomas was accused of voting in favor of an amendment for a Telehealth contract with the Department of Mental Health at USC, in exchange for his son, Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, being hired at the USC School of Social Work.In September 2022, former USC dean of social work Marilyn Louise Flynn, 84, agreed to plead guilty for charges connected to the Ridley-Thomas case.The guilty plea was for a federal charge that she bribed Ridley-Thomas by funneling $100,000 he provided from his campaign account, to the United Ways of Southern California organization.After the $100,000 payment was...

Man Killed in Dog Attack on South Santa Fe Street [Visalia, CA]

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

Dog Attack on South Santa Fe Street near Walnut Avenue Left One DeadVISALIA, CA (March 30, 2023) – Tuesday morning, a man was killed in a dog attack on South Santa Fe Street.The incident happened on March 21st, around 8:00 a.m., at Jack & Jeff Transfer Co., near Walnut Avenue.According to reports, a man was attacked by a dog and suffered extreme bite wounds.First responders to the site of the attack transported the man to a local hospital for treatment. Later at the hospital, medics announced that the man had died due to the extent of his injuries.Meanwhile, there was no information available on what happened to the dog.At this time, officials have not released the identity of the deceased man. An active investigation is still underway.The Sweet James law firm sends out their heartfelt sympathies to the friends and family of the victim who are grieving over the loss of their loved one.The death of a family member is always a traumatic experience for the surviving family. A...

Man Killed in Pedestrian Crash on State Route 78 [Oceanside, CA]

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

Pedestrian vs. Vehicle Collision on State Route 78 Left One DeadOCEANSIDE, CA (March 30, 2023) – Early Saturday morning, a man died following a pedestrian crash on State Route 78.The incident happened on March 25th, at around 4:15 p.m., in the westbound lanes of State Route 78, just east of Emerald Drive.Initial investigation showed that a pedestrian walking along the third lane of the westbound lanes was struck by a Toyota sedan for unknown reasons.Paramedics arrived to the site of the collision shortly after. They then transported the pedestrian to a nearby hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries and died.At this time, officials have not released the identity of the deceased man. Additionally, authorities report that the 38-year-old driver of the Toyota did not sustain any injuries.Meanwhile, officials have not reported whether drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash on State Route 78.The crash is still under investigation and any witnesses are urged to contact ...

Driver Hurt in Multi-Vehicle Accident on Elkhorn Road [Las Vegas, NV]

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

Multi-Car Accident on Elkhorn Road near Grand Montecito Parkway Left 1 HospitalizedLAS VEGAS, NV (March 30, 2023) – Thursday morning, a driver sustained injuries after a multi-vehicle accident on Elkhorn Road.The accident happened near US 95 at Grand Montecito Parkway around 5:50 a.m.According to the State Patrol, they received a report of a vehicular accident and discovered two sedans involved in the crash when they arrived at the scene.Paramedics then transported one of the drivers to a nearby hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Officers, at this time, withheld the name of the victim until the next of kin are notified.Furthermore, the intersection was closed for several hours while crews cleared the debris from the accident.There is currently no additional information about the car crash at Elkhorn Road, but an active investigation is still underway.Make our roads safer by abiding by all traffic laws and following the conditions of the road. Drive with caution and alwa...

On Judge-ment Day, SF Giants handed Opening Day loss by former free agent pursuit

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

NEW YORK — Hollywood script writers couldn’t have set the stage any better: MLB’s most-prized free agent target, playing host on Opening Day to the team he spurned, being pitched to by their staff ace, after being pitched by him this offseason.“I don’t know who at MLB did that to me,” Aaron Judge smiled before the game.And whether it played out on the big screen or on Broadway or on a parcel of former swampland in the Bronx, there was only one way that first at-bat was going to end. On the second pitch he saw from Logan Webb, Judge swatted a middle-middle sinker over the center field wall, into Monument Garden, where if his nine-year, $360 million contract ends well, the new Yankee captain will one day be memorialized.Judge’s first-inning homer was among the little damage the Yankees did against Webb, but it proved to be enough support behind Gerrit Cole, who mowed down the Giants for six innings, in a 5-0 Opening Day loss at Yankee Stadium.Both startin...

Riverside County’s scandal-plagued sheriff’s department needs serious reform

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

While many Republican and conservative Californians are big fans of Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, no one should forget that Bianco is fundamentally a tool of the county’s most powerful public employee union, the Riverside Sheriffs’ Association.The union put him up to run in 2018, spent lavishly to get him elected and now essentially controls the department. The results have been catastrophic for Riverside County.The California Department of Justice has already launched a civil rights investigation into the sheriff’s department to determine if the department “has engaged in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing amid deeply concerning allegations relating to conditions of confinement in its jail facilities, excessive force, and other misconduct.”The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has already settled a federal lawsuit prompted by deputies barging into the homes of an elderly couple without a warrant.And now, families of some of the many jail inmates wh...

2 catalytic converter thieves arrested in Milpitas

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:54:50 GMT

(KRON) -- The Milpitas Police Department arrested two men who allegedly tried to steal a catalytic converter from a car, according to officials. Police said officers saw the suspects trying to cut a catalytic converter off a vehicle.Officers found the suspects in a shopping center parking lot where police said there had been recent thefts. Police said the suspects were armed with a ghost gun and had burglary tools. Executive Director of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association charged with importing fentanyl One of the suspects is a San Jose resident and the other is a San Pablo resident.Both suspects were arrested and booked into jail for attempted theft, gun charges, possession of burglary tools and warrants.