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Alleged EBT scammer from SoCal nabbed in Florida

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:22:41 GMT

A suspected EBT scammer wanted by the FBI in Southern California was taken into custody in Florida.The alleged scammer, known only by the alias "Walerian Grabowski," was taken into custody on Wednesday by the U.S. Marshals Service, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office.Seamus Hughes of Court Watch connected Grabowski's arrest to the alleged bank fraud and identity theft ring that operated in Southern California from about November 2021 to September 2022.Grabowski and four others — Birdal Osman, Ilie-Sebastian-Laur Vasilescu, Bogdan Adrian Purgariu and Silviu-Florin Spiridon — used card skimming devices to steal money from victims' EBT cards, according to the FBI. 5 men sought by FBI in Los Angeles for EBT scams  An indictment indicates the thefts took place in Alhambra, Garden Grove, Tustin, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Fullerton, Brea, Culver City, Los Angeles, Santa Ana and Newport Beach.The skimmers were placed on terminals operated by Bank of America, Citibank, Fi...

Thousand Oaks woman arrested in fatal hit-and-run

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:22:41 GMT

A Thousand Oaks woman faces a hit-and-run charge after she allegedly struck and killed a pedestrian and fled the scene last month.Just after 6 a.m. on Dec. 9, Robert Paul Quiroz Jr. was found unresponsive near the intersection of Janss Road and Windsor Drive, and investigators "located evidence that suggested the pedestrian was struck by a vehicle just east of the intersection," the Ventura County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. Quiroz did not survive his injuries.On New Year's Eve, a deputy spotted the suspect vehicle in Thousand Oaks, and "evidence was located that tied the vehicle to the crime," authorities said.Tracy Nadine Smith, 51, was identified as the driver and arrested on a charge of leaving the scene of a collision causing injury or death, the VCSO said.Jail records show she was released on her own recognizance on Jan. 3, and she is due to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on Jan. 12.Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Senior Deputy Marc...

Time running out for Inverness boat that became social media star

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:22:41 GMT

Associated PressINVERNESS — Time is apparently running out for California’s “Inverness Shipwreck,” an old wooden boat that became an Instagram star as it rotted on a shoreline north of San Francisco.Recent storms have made a shambles of the forlorn vessel named Point Reyes, which was already deteriorated from the over-attention of visitors to the Marin County coast, San Francisco Bay news media reported this week.“The National Park Service is aware that additional damage occurred to the vessel as a result of the most recent storms and tides,” Point Reyes National Seashore officials said in a statement to the SFGATE news site. “While we recognize that this is a local landmark and destination, the NPS is evaluating options to remove it safely.”The boat was built in the 1940s and was used for transportation and fishing before it was abandoned years ago, aground near the community of Inverness on a section of the Tomales Bay shoreline that is pa...

Kurtenbach: Jonathan Kuminga’s complaints will blow over, but they highlight real issues

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:22:41 GMT

Last spring, the Warriors made the bold but correct decision to trade away 21-year-old James Wiseman.But don’t expect a similar decision with 21-year-old Jonathan Kuminga, who is reportedly complaining about how Warriors coach Steve Kerr is using him.Yes, again.It’s undeniable that Kerr made a bad call to keep the rock-solid Kuminga on the bench as the Warriors’ best win of the season turned into the worst loss of the season in a mammoth fourth-quarter collapse.But the Warriors organization still believes in Kuminga, even if Kerr’s belief in the 21-year-old can understandably wain.Kuminga’s passive-aggressive complaints do highlight real issues, though.Related ArticlesGolden State Warriors | Warriors get a reality check in loss to Nuggets: They aren’t yet close to winners Golden State Warriors | Nikola Jokic buzzer-beater stuns Warriors in 130-127 loss to Nuggets Golden State Warriors | Warriors’ St...

Golden Globes explained: Who votes now, who owns them, how to watch

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:22:41 GMT

This year, the Golden Globes is off to a fresh start with new owners, a new network, a new host and new voters following an industry-wide backlash aimed at the group that ran the show for decades.A 2021 Los Angeles Times investigation investigation detailing ethical lapses and a lack of diversity within the ranks of the scandal-scarred Hollywood Foreign Press Association led to the revamping of the small but influential not-for-organization.Last October, the Golden Globes announced the new list of voters for its 2024 ceremony, made up of 300 journalists from around the world, calling it the most diverse voting panel of any major Hollywood awards show.Who votes for the Golden Globes winners?The voters who decide the winners are all entertainment journalists for recognized media organizations, according to the Golden Globes website. Voters must follow a code of conduct. Those rules include not accepting gifts or promotional items from any studio, network, streamer, agency or publicist...

Memorial service set for slain Oakland police Officer Tuan Le

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:22:41 GMT

OAKLAND — A law enforcement memorial service honoring slain Oakland police officer Tuan Le will be held next Wednesday in Castro Valley, officials said Friday.A private funeral service for family and friends of the officer will be held earlier in the week.The law enforcement memorial, which is expected to be attended by hundreds of  local, state and federal law enforcement officers from throughout California and the rest of the nation, will begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday at 3Crosses Church, 20600 John Drive in Castro Valley.Le, 36, was fatally shot the morning of Dec. 29 in the area of Fifth Avenue and the Embarcadero.  He and another officer were in an unmarked police truck, serving on an undercover detail, when he was shot.Police first responded at about 1 a.m. to a cannabis-related business on the 400 block of Embarcadero near 5th Avenue for a burglary in progress but found nothing. Officers took a report, secured the area and left.At 4:33 a.m., a team of plainclothes and unifo...

Oakland officer murder suspect’s mom arrested on accessory charge

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:22:41 GMT

OAKLAND — The mother of the man accused of killing Oakland police Officer Tuan Le has been booked on an accessory charge, the latest arrest in a widening investigation that has gripped the Bay Area since Le’s Dec. 29 death.Felicia Williams, 48, was arrested Thursday afternoon on suspicion of accessory after the fact in the investigation into Le’s death. Williams is the mother of Mark Demetrious Sanders, the Stockton man who prosecutors have charged with firing the shots that killed Le, according to law enforcement sources.Authorities say that Williams, who lists her profession as a chef, was arrested at her Oakland home and booked into jail at 3:07 p.m. Thursday afternoon. She remains jailed on a no-bail hold.No charges have been filed as of yet against Williams. She has an arraignment date set for Jan. 8, but if she is not criminally charged by then she will likely be released from jail.Police haven’t revealed how they identified her as an accessory suspect,...

Golden Globes 2024: How to watch, who’s coming and what else to know

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:22:41 GMT

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — The Golden Globe Awards are back on Sunday, with plenty of behind-the-scenes changes aimed at cementing a yearslong comeback effort.The show is known for its boozy celebration of film and television and as an early stop for awards season contenders. Scandals have led to a membership revamp and a new broadcaster for the Jan. 7 show, but a key question remains: Will viewers tune in? The show certainly is betting on it, unveiling a starry list of presenters including the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Affleck and Dua Lipa.Here’s what to know about the 81st Golden Globe Awards.HOW CAN I WATCH THE GOLDEN GLOBES?Viewers in the United States can catch the ceremony, broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton hotel, beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern. It will air beginning at 5 p.m. on the West Coast.The three-hour show will have a strong lead-in since CBS is airing an NFL game directly before the Globes.CBS says the show will air on its app and stream on Paramo...

Hezbollah leader vows retaliation for Israeli strike in Beirut

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:22:41 GMT

By Bassem Mroue, Wafaa Shurafa and Najin Jobain | Associated PressBEIRUT — The leader of the Lebanese militia Hezbollah said Friday that his group must retaliate after a presumed Israeli strike hit a Beirut neighborhood this week, killing a senior Hamas official, or else all of Lebanon would be vulnerable to Israeli attack.Hassan Nasrallah appeared to be making the case for a response to the Lebanese public, even at the risk of escalating the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. But he gave no indication of how or when the militants would act.The strike that killed Hamas’ deputy political leader, Saleh Arouri, threatened months of efforts by the United States to prevent the war in Gaza from spiraling into a regional conflict.Nasrallah said it was the first strike by Israel in the Lebanese capital since 2006.“We cannot keep silent about a violation of this seriousness,” he said, “because this means that all of our people will be exposed (to targeting). All o...

Two Moraga residents dead in murder-suicide are identified

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:22:41 GMT

MORAGA — A man and woman found fatally shot inside their home Wednesday in what police called a murder-suicide were identified Friday.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Memorial service set for slain Oakland police Officer Tuan Le Crime and Public Safety | East Bay man charged with shooting woman in front of her 4-year-old daughter Crime and Public Safety | Bay Point man arrested in ridiculous crossbow theft Crime and Public Safety | East Bay man’s murder arraignment delayed in Santa Cruz court Crime and Public Safety | East Bay man arrested in connection with Aptos ‘road rage’ shooting Authorities conducting a welfare check about 4:40 p.m. Wednesday inside a home on Southard Court found 60-year-old Brad Triebsch, 60, and Rebekah Triebsch, 59. Both were dead from gunshot wounds, Moraga police Chief Jon King said.Police received a call from an offspring of the two saying their parents couldn&...