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Judge dismisses criminal charges against California energy company in 2020 fatal wildfire

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:53:26 GMT

REDDING, Calif. (AP) — A California judge on Wednesday dismissed all charges against Pacific Gas & Electric in connection to a 2020 fatal wildfire sparked by its equipment that destroyed hundreds of homes and killed four people, including an 8-year-old.The utility also reached a $50 million settlement agreement with the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office, officials from both announced in separate statements. The wind-whipped blaze began on Sept. 27, 2020, and raged through rugged terrain and small communities west of Redding, killing four people, burning about 200 homes and blackening about 87 square miles (225 square kilometers) of land in Shasta and Tehama counties.In 2021, state fire investigators concluded the fire was sparked by a gray pine tree that fell onto a PG&E distribution line. Shasta and Tehama counties sued the utility, alleging negligence. They said PG&E failed to remove the tree even though it had been marked for removal two years earlier. Th...

UN chief implicitly criticizes Cambodia’s upcoming elections after top opposition party ban

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:53:26 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres implicitly criticized Cambodia’s upcoming elections Wednesday for failing to be inclusive, after the top opposition party was not allowed to register. The Candlelight Party would have been the sole credible challenger to the governing Cambodian People’s Party in the July elections, but the country’s Constitutional Council last week refused to overturn a ban on its registration in a decision that cannot be appealed.“The secretary-general reiterates that inclusive elections, in which a plurality of views and voter choices is represented, are important to engender confidence in the electoral process and underpin the ability of Cambodia’s people to exercise their democratic rights,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.“As (Guterres) said during his visit to Cambodia last year, it is vital that civic space be open, for human rights defenders to be protected, and for civil society to play a wider role in socie...

3 in critical condition after crash, 2 possibly shot, in Garfield Park

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:53:26 GMT

CHICAGO — Three people are in critical condition after a crash and a possible shooting Wednesday evening in Garfield Park.The crash happened near North Homan Avenue and West Fulton Boulevard. Teen riding bike critically injured after driver hits him in Batavia According to the Chicago Fire Department, two people were taken to Stroger Hospital and one person was taken to Mt. Sinani Hospital. They are all believed to be men, the fire department said. It appears two of them were shot.Video from Skycam 9 shows a large tree and street sign that appears to have been knocked over during the crash. Additional details haven't been released yet.

Amazon charged with privacy violations over Alexa and Ring cameras: FTC

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:53:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Amazon will pay more than $30 million to settle alleged privacy violations involving its voice assistant Alexa and its doorbell camera Ring.The Federal Trade Commission voted to file charges in two separate cases Wednesday that could also force the company to delete certain data collected by its popular internet-connected devices.In the Alexa case, the FTC said Amazon had deceived users of the voice assistance service for years. It retained children’s recordings indefinitely unless a parent requested the information be deleted, the agency said, and even when it deleted those recordings, Amazon often kept the transcripts.The FTC ordered the company to delete inactive child accounts as well as certain voice information and geolocation data. Check your phone: Popular Android app reportedly started spying on users, making recordings In imposing a $25 million fine, the agency said Amazon had violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and FTC Consumer Protec...

May review: Twins conclude month leading AL Central, pitching well and not hitting much

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:53:26 GMT

HOUSTON — The Twins have reached the one-third mark of their season in first place in the American League Central, but far from playing their best baseball. They’re hovering around .500 for the season and were under that mark in the month of May.No other team in the division is above .500, which has helped the Twins maintain their hold on first place since the very beginning of the season.“I would say we’re playing fine, but I don’t think we’ve hit our stride yet as a group,” manager Rocco Baldelli said over the weekend.As the calendar flips to June, here are five Twins observations from the month of May:Lineup hasn’t produced as expectedThe Twins played a lot of similar-looking games in May, a fact that Baldelli pointed out at one point during the month. What’d that look like?There were a lot of games where the starting staff, which has continued to be one of the best in the majors, certainly threw well enough to keep the Twins in the game, but Twins batters were unable to co...

St. Paul mayor, lawmakers tout big wins for Capital City — and a possible sales tax for roads

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:53:26 GMT

Elected officials from in and around St. Paul gathered Wednesday to celebrate a legislative session that delivered hundreds of millions of dollars for a wide range of local projects.St. Paul will get $25 million to spend the next three years replacing the deteriorating Third Street Bridge that connects downtown’s Kellogg Boulevard to the East Side.Two of the city’s homeless service centers — Listening House and Ain Dah Yung — will receive nearly $2 million each for needed improvements.And the Walker West Music Academy on Selby Avenue can expect $4 million for a new facility, while other community spaces, such as a Latino economic development center, the Mississippi River Learning Center, Playwrights Center and North End Community Center will benefit, too, from the priciest and arguably most productive state legislative session in history.“We are giving this city an extreme makeover,” said Mayor Melvin Carter, flanked by the city’s elected st...

Judge orders year in jail/probation for St. Paul man convicted in fatal stabbing over parking spot

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:53:26 GMT

A St. Paul man found guilty of fatally stabbing a man during a parking dispute on the East Side in 2021 will not serve time in prison.Ramsey County District Judge Leonardo Castro on Wednesday gave Brian Harry Kjellberg a year in the county workhouse and 10 years of probation for killing 27-year-old Arnell Jermel “AJ” Stewart with a single stab to his chest on Dec. 2, 2021.Brian Harry Kjellberg (Courtesy of Ramsey County sheriff’s office)Castro initially sentenced Kjellberg, 51, to a 12½-year prison term, which was the presumptive sentence, but then stayed the time on the condition that he complete terms of his probation, which includes 150 hours of community service in years 2 through 4.Castro said the “compelling reasons” for the dispositional departure from the presumptive sentencing guidelines include: Kjellberg is particularly amenable to probation; the risk assessment did not identify any areas of concern; and no prior criminal history. He also noted how Kjellberg, a Navy...

Grief, tears and gratitude as victims' families react to limo crash sentencing

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:53:26 GMT

SCHOHARIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The operator of the limousine company involved in the fatal 2018 crash in Schoharie was sentenced in Schoharie County Court Wednesday. The family members impacted by the tragic loss had a chance to address the court ahead of sentencing.The outcome was what the families wanted, but it was still a difficult day in the courtroom. Tears were shed; there was anger directed right at the defendant; but also gratitude for the judge who made the day possible. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! It's been a long road for the families to get to sentencing day. Family members shared their grief in front of Nauman Hussain, the man who will serve time in prison for causing the crash that claimed 20 souls, loved ones the people in the courtroom will never see again.As they each asked the judge to hand down the maximum possible sentence, they addressed the defendant directly. Wearing an orange jumpsuit, Hussain was ...

What House passage of debt ceiling deal signifies: 5 takeaways

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:53:26 GMT

The House’s passage of a debt limit deal on Wednesday night marks the end of a pivotal chapter for the new House GOP majority, putting Congress on a path to avoid a default and securing a huge victory for Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — even as it’s infuriated conservatives in his own conference.The vote followed months of jockeying between McCarthy and President Biden over the appropriateness of negotiating future spending as part of the effort to extend the government’s borrowing authority — a fight McCarthy won handily, by forcing Biden reluctantly to the table.But the final agreement also excluded most of the spending cuts and other favored provisions in the Republicans’ partisan debt-ceiling package, passed last month, highlighting the political realities — and potential pitfalls — of shepherding big ideas through a divided Washington.With a final vote tally of 314-117, the bill overwhelmingly passed, and McCarthy garnered a "yes" vote from about two-thirds of the Republica...

Massive Palm Springs compound named best vacation home rental by Vrbo

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:53:26 GMT

A nine-bedroom, nine-bathroom luxury compound in Palm Springs was named one of 2023's best vacation homes by short-term rental marketplace Vrbo.The 7,000-square-foot "luxury oasis estate" was among 11 properties in the United States and Mexico to receive the honor.The expansive desert property includes 18-foot ceilings, a full spa lounge with a waterfall tub, outdoor grill and fire pit, an infinity hot tub and oversized pool, and plenty of outdoor space. Powerball jackpot winner purchases $25.5 millon mansion in Hollywood Hills The inside includes an "entertainer's kitchen, breakfast table, custom breakfast booth, dining table for 16, a spacious living room with giant 30 foot pocket slider doors to the pool, and seven additional bedrooms designed to wow." Each bedroom includes a large 4K TV, and the living room TV is 75 inches.The home has also undergone upgrades to make it more self-sustainable, including solar panels, electric vehicle chargers, recycling bins and energy efficien...