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Owner of driving school in San Mateo gets 18 years for child pornography

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:57 GMT

(BCN) -- A driving instructor in San Mateo was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for coercing teenage girls into producing child pornography, federal prosecutors said this week. Johnnatan Zelaya pleaded guilty on May 4 to recruiting girls between the ages of 14 and 17 to create sexually explicit images for posting online, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Zelaya committed these crimes between 2013 and 2022, and also admitted to having sex with at least two of the victims and even filmed himself having sex with a minor. According to prosecutors, he then distributed the video. Bay Area air quality advisory continues Wednesday Zelaya recruited seven of his victims using social media and in person. Online, he would use sites such as Instagram to persuade underage girls to produce sexually explicit content. In person, he used the driving school that he owned and operated to find students to recruit. His crimes included offering to "manage" the sale of the gir...

Alameda County takes steps to combat homelessness

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:57 GMT

(KRON) -- The Alameda County Board of Supervisors has voted to authorize a proposal for a countywide state of emergency on homelessness.Although the county believes it’s not a “state of emergency “ yet, they have approved to start working on a plan. The resolution proposed by the board president would direct the county’s Office of Homeless Care and Coordination (OHCC) to lead the research.They would be tasked to develop an “emergency response plan to homelessness” for the county and come back to the board with recommendations within 60 days. Ex-OPD chief LeRonne Armstrong sits down with KRON4 Homelessness in the county has been rising. A recent county survey shows the homeless population has increased 22 percent since 2019, and 73 percent of the homeless residents are unsheltered.As of early 2022, Alameda County had at least 9,700 unhoused residents on a given night. OHCC said if a local state of emergency is declared, it would unlock tools the county can use to streamline the cre...

Bowlero buys Lucky Strike (bowling is still very popular)

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:57 GMT

Richmond, Virginia-based Bowlero, the largest operator of bowling venues in the U.S., has completed its acquisition of Encino, California-based Lucky Strike Entertainment for $90 million.It adds 14 Lucky Strike bowling centers in Bowlero’s business, including Lucky Strike at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Maryland.Bowlero owns the Professional Bowlers Association. It operates 345 bowling centers across North America under the Bowlero and AMF names.In 2021, Bowlero acquired Alexandria, Virginia-based Bowl America and its 17 locations in Virginia, Maryland and Florida.It acquired AMF in 2013, after AMF filed for bankruptcy in 2012.Bowlero says its venues serve nearly 30 million guests a year.Bowling remains popular in the U.S., both on the professional bowling circuit, and through amateur bowling leagues and pastime play.A recent Ipsos sports poll found 19% of American adults are bowlers, more than twice as many who said they golf.EDITOR’S NOTE: This report has bee...

Fairfax Co. schools still owes students with disabilities thousands of learning hours from the pandemic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:57 GMT

Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia has received an extension to finalize meetings with families of students who may be eligible for extra help in the aftermath of the pandemic.At Thursday’s school board meeting, Superintendent Michelle Reid said the county has already held meetings about eligibility for 30,656 students, or 96.7%, and expects to be finished by next month. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights extended the deadline for the county to hold all of the meetings to Oct. 15.Of the meetings the school system has already had, it determined that 6,266 students, or 20.4%, were eligible for the extra learning hours. Either the school system can provide the services or families can pursue help through a private vendor and submit it to their school for reimbursement. However, some families have reported delays in getting reimbursed, which Reid said the county is working to address.Thousands of students are entitled to the compensatory service...

A cease-fire in the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh still leaves thorny issues unresolved

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:57 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The announcement of a cease-fire in Nagorno-Karabakh, just a day after Azerbaijan launched heavy artillery fire against Armenian forces, toned down fears of a third full-scale war over the region in the southern Caucasus Mountains.But it still leaves significant unresolved questions about the conflict.Under the agreement mediated by Russian peacekeeping forces, Nagorno-Karabakh’s separatist authorities made sizable concessions: disbanding the region’s defense forces and withdrawing Armenia’s military contingent. But the question of Nagorno-Karabakh’s final status remains open and is to be at the center of talks between the sides beginning Thursday.Emotions and ethnic pride are intense on both the Azerbaijani and ethnic Armenian sides, with neither showing an inclination for compromise in the previous three decades of conflict that killed tens of thousands of soldiers and displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians.WHAT IS THE REGION?Nagorno...

La ESMA, el centro de detención y tortura más emblemático de la dictadura en Argentina, ingresó en la Lista del Patrimonio Mundial de la Unesco

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:57 GMT

(CNN Español) — El Museo Sitio de Memoria de la Antigua Escuela de Mecánica de la Armada (ESMA) de Buenos Aires fue declarado este martes Patrimonio Mundial por la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (Unesco). Allí funcionó el mayor centro de detención, tortura y desaparición de personas de la última dictadura militar de Argentina, entre 1976 y 1983.“La Argentina debe ser felicitada por traer esta nominación y buscar justicia por los hechos cometidos por la dictadura contra oponentes armados y no armados y entender la influencia global y la resonancia de estos eventos en el Museo ESMA”, indicó el organismo al anunciar la declaratoria, según información difundida por la agencia estatal Télam.La decisión de sumar este edificio emblemático de Argentina a esta lista, donde ya se encuentran otros como el campo de Auschwitz-Birkenau y el Memorial de la Paz de Hiroshima, se dio en el marco de la 45ª sesión del Comité del Patrimon...

Marseille coach Marcelino steps down amid tensions between fans and club management

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:57 GMT

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Marseille coach Marcelino stepped down Wednesday after less than three months in charge amid tensions with fans who complained this week about the team’s poor showing and the way the club is run.Marcelino’s departure was announced on the eve of Marseille’s Europa League game at Ajax, and only days before the French league’s biggest game against rival Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday.The former Athletic Bilbao coach had replaced Igor Tudor in June after Marseille secured a third-place finish in the league“Olympique de Marseille considers that the events of Sept. 18 do not allow Marcelino and his technical staff to carry out the role for which they were hired in the best possible conditions,” the club said. “As a consequence of this deplorable situation, Marcelino and his staff will not continue their mission at Olympique de Marseille.”It was not immediately clear who would be in charge of the team against Ajax.The announcement followed a ...

Tornadoes kill 10 people and seriously injure 4 others in eastern China

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:57 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Two tornadoes within hours killed 10 people and seriously injured four others in eastern China, state media said Wednesday. The first tornado hit parts of Suqian city in Jiangsu province on Tuesday afternoon, state broadcaster CCTV said. It destroyed 137 homes and damaged crop land and pig farms. Five people died and four were injured.A second tornado in the evening killed five people in Yancheng city, which is in the same province about 190 kilometers (120 miles) southeast of Suqian.Videos posted online of the first tornado showed cars that had been tossed about, including at least one flipped onto its side, and debris swirling in the air above a several story-high building. CCTV said that power and road service had been restored in the Suqian area. Tornadoes are rare in China but have caused deaths in Jiangsu in recent years. One person in the province was killed in a tornado last year and four died in 2021. Another tornado killed eight people in the city of Wuhan t...

Voting guide: Breaking down the 2023 Blue Book

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:57 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Election Day is less than two months away, but Coloradans will receive their Blue Book in early October. Here's everything you need to know about the Blue Book and what's on the ballot this year.What is the Blue Book?Starting off with information for the new voters, the Blue Book is also known as the Ballot Information Booklet, which is already out online. It breaks down the amendment, law or question found on the ballot. These propositions will be voted on, but it's not the same as voting for a person. Propositions are a change in laws that require a majority vote to pass. The Blue Book gives an unbiased CliffsNotes version of the propositions. What's on the Blue Book this year?There are two propositions in the 2023 Blue Book. For each of the propositions, you either vote "yes" or "no." Will Prop HH eliminate TABOR refunds? Scenario ‘likely’ over time These propositions include:Proposition HHThe Blue Book says this bill proposes to reduce property taxes and allow...

Kraft recalls faulty American cheese singles that might be ‘unpleasant’ or make you gag

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:57 GMT

New York (CNN) — Kraft Heinz is recalling about 83,000 cases of its individually wrapped Kraft Singles American cheese because they might pose a choking hazard.The company said in a statement that a “temporary issue” with one of its wrapping machines means a “thin strip of the individual film may remain on the slice after the wrapper has been removed.” If that isn’t removed, it could be “unpleasant and potentially cause a gagging or choking hazard.”Kraft said that it issued a recall after “several” customer complaints of finding the piece of plastic on its cheese, including six complaints from eaters that choked or gagged on it. No injuries or health issues have been reported and the faulty machine has since been fixed.The issue affects two types of packing, including 16-ounce “Kraft Singles American Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product” with a “Best When Used By” date between January 10, 2024, and January 27, 2024. Individual packages in this recall contain an “S” and “72” in the ma...