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California bill aims to halt organized retail theft through two-pronged approach

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:35 GMT

A bill before the California Assembly hopes to reduce a problem that's plagued Southern California business owners for years now: organized retail theft.Assembly Bill 1708 both allows shoplifting charges to be pursued as misdemeanors or felonies if that person has multiple previous offenses. Alternatively, with a judge's approval, shoplifters can be placed into a diversion program for rehabilitation.As the law currently stands, theft can only be charged as a felony if the amount of goods taken is worth at least $950 in most cases. If this bill is signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, that figure drops to $400."This bill is proposing a balanced approach to focus on repeat offenders, to hold them more accountable while, at the same time, providing diversion programs, treatment programs like for substance abuse addiction as well as mental health," said Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), the bill's author.AB 1708 reverses some of the changes implemented by the controversial Prop...

Homeowner who shot Black teen Ralph Yarl pleads not guilty, expected to cite 'Stand Your Ground' law in defense

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:35 GMT

The 84-year-old man who shot Ralph Yarl when the Black teenager went to his door by mistake pleaded not guilty Wednesday in a case that has shocked the country and renewed national debates about gun policies and race in America.Andrew Lester walked into the courtroom with a cane and spoke quietly during Wednesday’s hearing, his first public appearance since last week’s shooting. Authorities say he shot Yarl, a 16-year-old honor student, first in the head, then in the arm after Yarl came to his door because he had confused the address with the home where he was supposed to pick up his younger brothers.The case is among three in recent days involving young people who were shot after mistakenly showing up in the wrong places. A 20-year-old woman was killed in upstate New York when the car she was in pulled into the wrong driveway. In Texas, two cheerleaders were shot after one of them mistakenly got into a car thinking it was hers.Yarl was shot at point-blank range in the head but mira...

2 people shot, 1 killed in Sun Valley

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:35 GMT

Two people were taken to the hospital Wednesday night after a shooting in Sun Valley, and one of them succumbed to their injuries, authorities said.  Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department responded to calls of an assault with a deadly weapon and shots fired in the 7300 block of Vineland Avenue at around 8:45 p.m. Two men, one believed to be between 17 and 19 years old and the other about 20 years old, were standing outside when the shooter drove by and opened fire on them, according to the LAPD.Crews with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene and transported the victims to the hospital, where the teen remains in stable condition. The other man, however, succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital, the LAPD said.Personnel with L.A. police were on the scene of a shooting in Sun Valley on April 19, 2023. (KTLA)Personnel with L.A. police were on the scene of a shooting in Sun Valley on April 19, 2023. (KTLA)Both victims are known gang mem...

Abbas Sajwani-Ruling the Real Estate Sector of Dubai

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:35 GMT

Dubai is now one of the most popular places to invest because it has a lot of fascinating real estate properties and developments for both global and local investors. Due to the artistic architectural building structures and its ideal location, many real estate investors select this region to have a connected and comfortable lifestyle. This along with a variety of other reasons and benefits draws a great population of individuals to lease or purchase property in Dubai.  It is a great time to buy real estate in Dubai as it has become a major Middle Eastern business center with outstanding real estate projects of DAMAC and AHS Group which are supervised by leaders like Abbas Sajwani.Dubai is one of the most lucrative markets for real estate investments. It is the best place to invest because there are no capital gains taxes, it is one of the most secure and safest countries across the globe as its economy is stable, and it is multicultural land. Dubai’s tallest buildings and artificia...

Larry Magid: Teens can now use Meta Horizon Worlds

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:35 GMT

As of this week, teens can join Meta Horizon Worlds with safeguards in place to help protect young users from some of the risks associated with virtual reality. I’ll have more on that later, but first, a little history behind Meta’s transformation into a social VR platform company.Related ArticlesBusiness | Magid: I asked ChatGPT to help me write an AI safety guide Business | Magid: Google doubles down on sleep sensing Business | Magid: Is the internet responsible for increased anxiety? Business | Magid: Is artificial intelligence the next search engine? In 2014 the company then called Facebook acquired Oculus, the leading provider of virtual reality headsets. A year later, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was already talking about integrating social networking into VR at Facebook’s annual developers’ conference where I witnessed a demonstration of people in different locations not only having social interactions, but remot...

NBA sends whistle-happy officiating crew to Warriors-Kings Game 3

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:35 GMT

The referees have already made their presence known during the first round series between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.Now, as the series shifts to San Francisco and the Warriors desperately need to climb out of their 2-0 hole, they may make yet another big impact on Thursday night.The NBA announced its three-person crew early Thursday morning for the pivotal Game 3, with Eric Lewis, Kevin Scott and Sean Corbin calling the game.For a Warriors team that will be without Draymond Green, who is serving a one-game suspension for stomping on Sacramento’s Damontas Sabonis, this crew brings three referees who rank at or near the top of the league in fouls called per game officiated.Lewis, the crew chief, had the most fouls called per game of any full-time official this season, with 42.9 fouls per game in his 63 regular season games. Lewis was third overall out of the 76 referees who worked any games this year, but the two ahead of him only worked six games each.Both Corbin...

Homeschooled California eighth-grade QB with Pac-12 offer enrolls in high school for next school year

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:35 GMT

One of the top, incoming freshman quarterbacks in Orange County has enrolled at Huntington Beach High for the next school year.Brady Edmunds, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound eighth grader, recently confirmed his enrollment at the Sunset League school.Edmunds, who is home-schooled, has been offered by Arizona State and attracted recruiting interest from other colleges.“One of the most varsity-ready eighth graders I have seen in Orange County,” said Dan Selway, who has coached Edmunds privately. “(He) has the size and arm to challenge anyone. Should be fun to watch him this season and beyond.”“He’s always been a hard worker, humble and talented,” Selway added about Edmunds, who also plays basketball.Huntington Beach football coach Brett Brown said Tuesday that he his aware of Edmunds’ enrollment.Related ArticlesHigh School Sports | Weekend recap: Menlo School breaks track record, girls flag football update, Oakland throws parade High School Sports | College Park hires...

Ex-California Homeland Security employee gets 8 years in prison for molesting young girls

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:35 GMT

A former Department of Homeland Security employee who molested two girls in Irvine, inappropriately touched a third girl and destroyed evidence prior to his arrest was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in prison.Terry Edward Keegan, now 59, targeted a vulnerable girl who lived with Keegan and his girlfriend, as well as two of her friends, by inappropriately touching them and taking photos of them, Orange County Superior Court Judge Andre Manssourian noted prior to announcing the prison sentence.The judge also cited the trust other parents had in Keegan due to his work with Homeland Security, as well as his background working with the Transportation Security Administration and as a reserve deputy for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.“It turns out the fox was guarding the hen house, and undoubtedly the defendant took advantage of a position of trust,” Manssourian said.One of the victims told the judge that at the time of the abuse she felt like she was alone and responsible for...

Prep roundup: Livermore shocks third-ranked Amador Valley in baseball

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:35 GMT

BaseballLivermore stuns No. 3 Amador ValleyLivermore coach David Perotti figured his team was going to have some growing pains this season. The Cowboys had only five seniors on the roster, and not all of them started.Then injuries struck, and a 5-0 start quickly evaporated into 10 losses in their next 13 games. But the Cowboys showed on Wednesday they are better than their overall record, as they shocked Amador Valley, the No. 3 team in the Bay Area News Group Top 20. The final score was 2-1.Ray Castillo, who has struggled to keep his batting average above .200, singled home the game’s first run with a single in the top of the fourth, then he hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth that snapped a 1-1 tie.Pitchers CJ Johnstone and Josh Rodriguez did the rest, allowing two hits and striking out nine. Johnston went the first five innings for the win, and Rodriguez got the save.“CJ struggles with his command a little,” Perotti said, “but he can be a bear of an at-bat when he’s throwing well. R...

Bay Area city to get new Ikea store

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:35 GMT

By Anna Cooban | CNNIkea is planning to splash 2.19 billion to expand its furniture empire in the United States in what will be the retailer’s biggest-ever investment in a single country.Ingka Group, Ikea Retail’s Dutch holding company, said in a statement Thursday that it hoped to open eight large stores and nine smaller “plan and order points” in America over the next three years. The new outlets would create 2,000 jobs, it added.Ikea plan and order points are aimed at customers who want to speak with a consultant on how to design their homes, as well as place orders.RELATED: IKEA debuts ‘as-is’ online store for discontinued, used itemsThe exact locations of the new US stores have not yet been decided, an Ingka spokesperson told CNN, though the company intends to build up its presence on the east and west coasts, and invest more in the south of the country.Tolga Öncü, head of Ikea Retail, said the company saw “endless opportunities to grow” in t...