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Denver records one of its wettest Mays in decades. What does that mean for wildfires?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:36 GMT

Following repeated afternoon showers – and intermittent barrages of hail – Denver has logged its fourth wettest May on record, putting the precipitation in competition for one of the city’s wettest months in well over a century.As of Wednesday morning, Denver had recorded 5.52 inches of rain, according to National Weather Service Meteorologist Bruno Rodriguez. And while more showers might be expected in the afternoon, not enough rain is likely to fall to nudge the city into any of the top three slots.The top three wettest Mays in Denver are:3: May, 1969, which recorded 6.12 inches.2: May, 1957, which recorded 7.31 inches.1: May, 1876, which recorded 8.57 inches. This is also the wettest month in Colorado history.Much of the state’s eastern half has also enjoyed above-average rainfall, particularly along the Front Range and into the northeastern plains, Rodriguez said. Some areas saw between 3 to 5 inches more rain than usually falls, up to 200% of their normal precipitation. Some ar...

Editorial: Political patronage must end in Denver with either Brough or Johnston

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:36 GMT

Political patronage has no place in American politics, and yet the practice of putting friends, relatives, and donors in plum jobs is so ever-present that when Denver mayoral candidate Kelly Brough blew the whistle on a politician seeking a job in exchange for an endorsement, no one batted an eye.But we do not have to accept this small-scale corruption in Denver, even as presidents for decades — Eisenhower, Kennedy and Trump — have given relatives key positions in their administrations. And despite a push for the opposite, Biden continued the tradition of dolling out ambassador positions to political allies although he scaled down the practice from the prior administration.The next mayor coming in must stand strong against even the appearance of impropriety. In Denver, it is especially critical because of the strong-mayoral format of governance where the mayor’s cabinet wields more power than the 13 elected members of the City Council.Whether the candidate winning Tuesda...

Man left blinded by ball thrown at Angels Stadium sues team

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:36 GMT

A man is suing the Los Angeles Angels nearly a year after being hit in the face and eye by a souvenir ball during a game in Anaheim.David Mermelstein, 55, attended the June 22 game at Angels Stadium with his friends in an effort to take his mind off recent personal tragedies: His father, a Holocaust survivor, had just died and he was diagnosed with brain cancer, according to the civil complaint.“Things went horribly wrong,” the complaint reads.After Juan Lagares — then an Angels outfielder — caught the third out of the top of the 6th inning, the Gold Glove winner “randomly hurled the ball into the stands at high velocity,” striking the unsuspecting Mermelstein on the left side of his face and eye, according to the complaint.The plaintiff, who was sitting in the outfield bleachers, had looked down for a moment to eat some peanuts and had “no reasonable expectation to be on guard for a baseball careening toward him at high speed,” according to the complaint. Mermelstein heard the crow...

Police seek hit-and-run driver who sent pedestrian flipping over car in Westlake

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:36 GMT

A man was seriously injured after he was hit by a car while crossing the street earlier this month, and the Los Angeles Police Department is hoping the public can help find the driver.Just before 8 p.m. on May 14, the unidentified Angeleno was crossing at 3rd Street and Westlake Avenue in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles when he was struck from behind by a gray 2007-10 Toyota Camry, police said in a news release. Surveillance footage of the incident shows a speeding compact car strike the man, who then flips over the vehicle before crashing into the pavement. After hitting the man, the driver continued west on 3rd Street, then turned north onto Alvarado Street, police said. The man was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening, but still severe, injuries. He is expected to make a full recovery.A reward of up to $25,000 is available for information leading to the driver's identification, apprehension and conviction, or resolution through a civil compromise. If anyon...

Celebrating 16 Years of Qusqo And Milk Jar In Encino – Here’s What’s Popping Up

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:36 GMT

The women-owned Peruvian Qusqo Bistro and Gallery in West LA will celebrate 16 years on Friday, June 2, with a night of performances by local LA artists and  Dj Dooby Doo curated by host Arlee, as well as food and drink, RSVP for dinner recommended. Performances include Ashley Taylor, Detrell, Icy Tim, Naomi Renae, Irama and Juse MC. Just in time to celebrate the fifth anniversary of JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles,  UKA, a new dining destination overlooking Hollywood, opens on Thursday, June 8, and will feature contemporary kaiseki dining — an ever-changing omakase menu of small plates will interpret kaiseki tradition by spotlighting fresh seasonal and interlocal ingredients.Led by chefs Yoshitaka Mitsue and Shingo Kato, UKA draws on their deep roots in Japanese and French fine dining restaurants worldwide, as well as previous roles as private chefs to the UN Ambassador for Japan in New York. Presented on artisan-made traditional tableware, UKA features a nine-course prix fixe menu with ce...

Josiah Toleafoa Fatally Struck in Pedestrian Crash in Play City Parking Lot [Chula Vista, CA]

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:36 GMT

3-Year-Old Boy Pronounced Dead after Pedestrian Accident at 891 Showroom PlaceCHULA VISTA, CA (May 31, 2023) – Saturday evening, Josiah Toleafoa was fatally struck in a pedestrian crash in the Play City parking lot.The incident occurred at the 891 Showroom Place on May 27th.Per reports, the 36-year-old driver of a vehicle struck the young child as he was walking into Play City for his birthday party.Upon arrival, authorities performed life-saving measures until the fire department arrived.Emergency responders transported the 3-year-old boy victim to Rady’s Children’s Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Chula Vista Officials identified the victim as 3-year-old Josiah Toleafoa.Police said the involved driver remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation. At this time, the circumstances that led up to the incident remain unknown. However, authorities are ruling out intoxication as a factor in the crash.The family of Josiah Toleafoa started a GoFundMe...

Noted Oakland A’s pitcher gains confidence, but his role isn’t changing

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:36 GMT

OAKLAND – Shintaro Fujinami would like to return to the starting rotation at some point but manager Mark Kotsay said he and the Oakland A’s will continue to take a measured approach with the Japanese-born right-hander.Fujinami earned his second MLB win Tuesday, as he entered the A’s game with the Atlanta Braves with two outs in the top of the ninth inning. Fujinami used a 97-mph sinker to retire Austin Riley for the last out, and the A’s won the game 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth as Seth Brown scored from third base on Riley’s fielding error on a ground ball by Jonah Bride with the bases loaded.It was Fujinami’s third appearance in four games since Saturday and the one run he’s allowed in the past 2 1/3 innings before Wednesday was a solo homer to Braves first baseman Matt Olson on Memorial Day.For the season, though, Fujinami is 2-5 with a 12.00 ERA in 30 innings, as he continues to work his way back from a disastrous start to his big-league career in April.“We have no plans for F...

Single-family residence sells for $1.9 million in Piedmont

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:36 GMT

16 Prospect Road – Google Street ViewThe spacious historic property located in the first block of Prospect Road in Piedmont was sold on May 1, 2023. The $1,900,000 purchase price works out to $833 per square foot. The house, built in 1927, has an interior space of 2,280 square feet. The property features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a garage. It sits on a 4,704-square-foot lot.Additional houses that have recently been purchased close by include:On Oakmont Avenue, Piedmont, in August 2022, a 1,696-square-foot home was sold for $2,100,000, a price per square foot of $1,238. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 2,917-square-foot home on the 1100 block of Ranleigh Way in Piedmont sold in December 2022, for $2,250,000, a price per square foot of $771. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In July 2022, a 1,656-square-foot home on Wildwood Avenue in Piedmont sold for $1,850,000, a price per square foot of $1,117. The home has 2 bedrooms and 1 bathrooms. 

With Mayor Lamar Thorpe absent, Antioch council pushes for rule changes

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:36 GMT

(BCN) -- Members of the Antioch community came out Tuesday night to defend Mayor Lamar Thorpe at a special meeting called by two City Council members to examine how the council does its business. Turns out, it was much ado about almost nothing, at least when it came to a proposal to consider Antioch switching from four to five council districts and annually rotating the mayor's position among council members, instead of electing one mayor for a four-year-term. There were two proposals up for discussion: the first, the realignment of power on the council, from a more-dominant mayoral system to power-sharing of rotating mayors. The latter wouldn't have gone into effect until after the 2024 election, when Thorpe's current term ends. This Bay Area city is the best place in the country to raise a family: study Members of the public still accused the council of trying to undermine the mayor, with one person calling it a "coup d'etat." The idea immediately lost steam after the...

Zogg Fire: PG&E reaches settlement with Shasta County DA

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:36 GMT

(KRON) -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company has reached a multi-million dollar settlement with the Shasta County District Attorney's Office in connection to the 2020 Zogg Fire. This Bay Area city is the best place to raise a family, new study says CalFire ultimately determined that the Zogg Fire was caused by a tree that fell onto a PG&E powerline. As a part of the settlement, the Superior Court dismissed more than half of the original 31 criminal charges against the company, and a later ruling from the judge tentatively dismissed the remaining felony charges. A tree burns from embers in Igo on September 27, 2020 (Photo by ALLISON DINNER/AFP via Getty Images)PG&E, citing the court order, states that there were several inspections near the area before the fire, and there was no evidence which showed PG&E's efforts "fell below the industry standard of care." The inspections did not lead anyone to believe that the tree was a risk, PG&E said. The fire burns a home alon...