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DFLers clash over Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:11 GMT

A rift among Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmakers on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict entered the spotlight this week after a group of senators condemned a colleague for statements on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.At a Wednesday news conference, Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, and Jewish community groups railed against a boycott movement pushing for governments to pull investments out of Israel. Latz, who is Jewish, described Gaza as a “poisonous” breeding ground for terrorism.“Palestinian youth dream of the opportunity to achieve glory and even martyrdom by killing as many Jews as possible,” said Latz. “Is it any wonder that these same children grow up and call their parents after slaughtering innocent concert-goers in the desert to brag about killing 10 Jews?”Latz was referring to a video released by the Israeli government allegedly showing a Hamas fighter bragging about the number of people he killed during the Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel. H...

President of Douglas County school board resigns, successor promises less drama

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:11 GMT

The president of Douglas County’s school board on Thursday announced his resignation following a tumultuous tenure leading the suburban district.Mike Peterson, during a special meeting of the board Thursday evening, said he planned to resign at the end of the meeting, effective Friday. He previously told the Douglas County News Press that he was stepping down because his family was moving out of state.Peterson’s term would have expired in November 2025.Christy Williams — like Peterson, a member of the board’s conservative majority — was elected by a 4-to-3 vote to become the next board president. Peterson declined to recuse himself, voting for Williams over director Susan Meek.The directors, in nominating Meek and Williams for the chairperson role, said it was crucial the board avoid the bitter infighting that marked the previous two years under Peterson.Williams cited 25 years of leadership experience as proof that she would make a good board president...

Free RTD rides reduced Front Range air pollution in July and August. But is that enough?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:11 GMT

The Regional Transportation District spent more than $15 million this summer on free rides with the goal of cleaner air along the Front Range, and a first-of-its-kind study shows more than 6 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions were cut during the Zero Fare for Better Air promotion.However, 6 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions is just a bite-sized chunk of the air pollution Colorado wants to reduce. The state’s Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap calls for a reduction of 12.7 million tons in annual transportation emissions by 2030.People who chose to ride RTD’s buses and trains in July and August likely reduced the number of vehicle miles traveled by 145,393 a day, or 9 million miles over the course of two months, according to the Zero Fare for Better Air 2023 Evaluation report released Thursday.By not traveling all those miles, drivers did not contribute to the pollutants that combine on hot summer days to create ground-level ozone.The Regional Air ...

CU athletic director Rick George excited about Buffs’ future under Deion Sanders

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:11 GMT

Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders, left, super fan Peggy Coppom, center, and athletic director Rick George during the Boulder Chamber Kickoff Luncheon at the Buffaloes’ indoor practice facility on Aug. 25, 2023, in Boulder, Colo. (University of Colorado Athletics)Colorado athletic director Rick George didn’t expect the Buffaloes’ football season to be over before the calendar flipped to December, but he’s also not upset about it.Going 4-8 (1-8 Pac-12) isn’t what George, head coach Deion Sanders or anyone else at CU had in mind for this year, but it’s certainly nowhere near where the program was one year ago.“I think if you went into this year, from at the end of last year, you’d be really happy to where we are,” George said in an interview with BuffZone. “The fact that we’ve competed in (almost) every game tells me a lot about these players and I think when we get a full year with a group under our belt, I think we’re gonna see results that are going to really be meaningful...

L.A. police shoot man armed with hatchet

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:11 GMT

LOS ANGELES - Police officers opened fire on a man who approached them with a hatchet outside of a motel in North Hollywood Thursday afternoon.Emergency dispatchers first received calls of an assault with a deadly weapon in the 7500 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard, near the intersection of Saticoy Street, at around 2 p.m., a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson told KTLA. An LAPD officer with the North Hollywood Division seen firing non-lethal rounds from a shotgun at an assault suspect carrying a hatchet on Nov. 30, 2023. (KeyNews.TV)Before using lethal force, officers attempted to stop the man as he approached them by firing non-lethal rounds from a shotgun, video captured by Key News Networks shows. The non-lethal rounds were ineffective and, as the man drew closer, at least one officer opened fire with his service weapon, striking the man in the torso.An LAPD officer with the North Hollywood Division seen firing his weapon at an assault suspect carrying a hatchet on ...

Woman charged in Hollywood exec's slaying accused of stalking director

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:11 GMT

A Hollywood marketing agent who was allegedly shot to death by a homeless woman was targeted for being friends with another woman that she had been stalking, prosecutors revealed on Thursday.Michael Latt, 33, was gunned down inside his home on Alandale Avenue in Los Angeles' Mid-Wilshire neighborhood on Monday night.Officers arrested Jameelah Michl, 36, at the scene. She faces one count of murder and one count of first-degree residential burglary with a person present, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced.From left: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Common and Michael Latt seen in a personal photo.“She allegedly knocked on the door, forcing herself into the residence once it was opened by one of the occupants,” the D.A.’s Office said in a news release. “Michl, who was allegedly armed with a semi-automatic handgun, shot and killed the victim inside of the home.”Latt was transported to a hospital where he succumbed to his wounds.Prosecutors have not released informatio...

Convicted felon arrested weeks after being released

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:11 GMT

A man who was paroled from prison on a grand theft auto charge just weeks ago has been arrested again, this time for riding a stolen electric bike and possessing a stolen vehicle in Riverside, police said.Justin Evans, 26, was paroled on Oct. 31, but on Tuesday, he found himself in police custody again, the Riverside Police Department said on Instagram.According to police, officers near the Lowe's Home Improvement store on Magnolia Avenue found a Jeep that had been reported stolen from UC Irvine "a couple days prior." No one was in the vehicle, but it did contain a black-and-white Trek e-bike, officers noted.The Riverside Police Department provided this photo that they say shows Justin Evans riding a stolen e-bike before his Nov. 28, 2023, arrest.The Riverside Police Department provided this photo of a stolen e-bike they say Justin Evans rode before his Nov. 28, 2023, arrest. Justin Evans is shown in this undated photo provided by the Riverside Police Department.After staking out th...

Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden to receive commemorative stamp

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:11 GMT

One of the most accomplished coaches in sporting history will be remembered by the United States Postal Service when a new commemorative stamp is released next year.John Wooden, who led the UCLA men's basketball program to 10 national championships and a record-breaking 88 straight wins, will grace a new Forever stamp that will go on sale in early 2024.Wooden, who died in 2010 at the age of 99, left an "indelible mark on the university, the sport and a generation of student athletes," UCLA said in a news release.The United States Postal Service has unveiled a new Forever stamp that honors for UCLA Bruins men's basketball coach John Wooden. (USPS via UCLA)The stamp depicts Wooden courtside in the early 1970s, watching the game from the sideline and wearing a pinstriped suit, patterned tie and black-framed glasses. In the background, a player defends a shot attempt, with each jersey number representing milestones in UCLA's basketball history.One player wears the number 4 in honor of t...

Imagine LA Hosts Dance Competition to Help End Family Poverty and Homelessness

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:11 GMT

Image Credit: Pretend PhotographyImagine LA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending family poverty, hosted a ballroom dance competition fundraiser featuring celebrities and prominent community members. Dancing with the Imagine LA Stars was held on November 15, 2023, at 7 pm at Say Yes on Wilcox Avenue in Hollywood.Image Credit: Pretend PhotographyProduced by renowned choreographers Allen Walls and Jennifer Berry along with Imagine LA’s Emerging Leaders Advisory Board, the event brought together ten celebrities to compete in showstopping ballroom dance routines including salsa, tango, chacha, hustle, and more. The star performers were a group of actors, pro sports players, singers, and other prominent LA figures. Ciara Riley Wilson and Tricia Fukuharaare actresses who can be seen on Netflix and ABC. Drew Davis is a former pro football player for the Atlanta Falcons and Michael Blanks is a fitness coach for professional athletes. Other performers included country singer Laura Br...

Bay Area couple races to Israel to embrace sister freed from Gaza

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:11 GMT

It took 58 days for Yael Nidam to hear the news she’d been desperately hoping for since the Hamas terror attacks in Israel.The UC Berkeley doctoral student’s sister-in-law, Rimon Buchshtav Kirsht, was being released — nearly two months after being kidnapped from her southern Israel home.“We didn’t have a long conversation, because it was very obvious that the first thing we needed to do was get on the next plane over,” said Nidam, speaking of the hurried trans-Atlantic call with her mother-in-law in Israel.Within hours, Nidam and her husband, Lotem Kirsht, were catching the next flight from San Francisco to Israel. By Wednesday afternoon, they were holding Kirsht’s sister, Rimon — who’d been relocated to a hospital room in Tel Aviv — in their arms.“We went directly from the airport to the hospital,” Nidam said Thursday in an interview with the Bay Area News Group. “And once I saw her, I gave her the biggest hug I could ever give.”The hug was long,...