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San Jose: Lowriders, dancers kick off Hispanic heritage month

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic Vision, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.A DJ blasted vibrant Latin music. Children, laughing and shouting, skittered about fountains of water sprouting from the sidewalk, and the delicious aroma of churros wafted through downtown San Jose’s Plaza de César Chávez.For some of the hundreds who came to the joyous festival — Cultura in the Park — celebrating Latin American heritage on Saturday, it was a trip down memory lane.“Events like these bring back a lot of nostalgia for me,” said Cecilia Garcia, a Latina resident of San Jose who once lived in Mexico.“I love engaging with the Hispanic community and seeing all these young people getting in touch with their roots. … It’s nice that people who are not Hispanic also come to these events to get to know a little more about our culture,” s...

Diablo Valley College coach to be arraigned on pimping, trafficking charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

MARTINEZ, Calif. (KRON) -- A tenured Diablo Valley College communications professor and track coach accused of human trafficking, pimping and other serious charges will be in Contra Costa Superior Court in Martinez Tuesday to be arraigned.Kyle Lee Whitmore, 39, of Crockett, has been in jail at the Martinez Detention Facility since his arrest on Sept. 7. Whitmore was placed on paid administrative leave from Diablo Valley College.One of his alleged victims of trafficking and prostitution told campus police officers who ended up working with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, prosecutors said. After Whitmore’s arrest on Sept. 7 by sheriff’s deputies, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office filed a complaint on Sept. 11 after it felt it had enough evidence to proceed.Whitmore faces a nine-count felony complaint that includes human trafficking, pandering, pimping and sexual penetration by a foreign object. Names of the alleged victims are not being released due to the a...

City of Salinas agrees to pay nearly $200k for sewage spill into Natividad Creek

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

(BCN) -- The city of Salinas has agreed to pay nearly $200,000 in connection with a wastewater spill that polluted Natividad Creek, the Central Coast Water Board said this week. Over 53,000 gallons of untreated domestic and municipal wastewater entered the creek in April 2022, impacting water quality and harming the fish population, the water board said in a news release Monday. Diablo Valley College coach to be arraigned on pimping, trafficking charges The water board approved the agreement on Thursday after enforcement action was taken related to the spill, which began when an electrical failure occurred at a pump station. The failure caused approximately 108,600 gallons of untreated wastewater overflowing two manholes in Salinas' sanitary sewer collection system. According to the water board, Salinas responded immediately to the problem and recovered a significant portion of the untreated wastewater. However, 53,000 gallons ended up in Natividad Creek. The ...

Next Lodi chief of police announced, set to start early next year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

(BCN) -- The Lodi Police Department has announced their next chief, who will start early next year after the incumbent head of the city police retires. City officials said last week that police Capt. Ricardo Garcia, a Lodi native, will be sworn into his new role during a ceremony set to take place on Jan. 2, 2024. Garcia graduated from Tokay High School in Lodi and was described as someone with special connections to the community, according to Lodi police. 4.4-magnitude earthquake felt in Bay Area "He has been a champion of community-oriented policing, community engagement, and relationship building," the police department said. "He led the City's first Spanish speaking citizen's academy earlier this year." In 2007, Garcia joined the Lodi Police Department and served as a patrol officer, detective, watch commander and support services captain. "I am incredibly grateful and honored to have been selected as the next Chief of the Lodi Police Department," Garcia sai...

Trendy luggage retailer Away opens one of first retail stores in Georgetown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

Away opens it Georgetown location next week. (Courtesy Away)Contemporary luggage company Away, whose roll-ons and backpacks have a cult following, will open one of its first brick-and-mortar retail stores next Thursday in Georgetown.The retail store and showroom, at 3237 M Street in Northwest D.C., opens Sept. 28. It replaces the former Aldo Italian shoe store, which closed during the pandemic.Away suitcases, carry-ons and backpacks can cost hundreds of dollars. The New York City company was founded in 2016 as an online-only retailer. It now has 15 retail stores in the U.S., Canada and London, with more opening this year and next, including its second store in Boston.Its bestselling bags are named Flex as they are hard-sided cases that also incorporate an expandable zipper design. Its products also include packing cubes, which are suitcases within suitcases for the organization-obsessed traveler.Away travel cases have been seen with traveling Hollywood celebrities. In 2021, it partn...

Easy houseplants for neglectful gardeners

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

Confession time: I’ve murdered a Monstera, slaughtered a snake plant, assassinated an African violet and offed more orchids than I’d like to admit. It’s not that I don’t know how to care for these houseplants – I do! I just have a tendency to neglect them, and since they’re among the hardest to keep alive, it usually doesn’t end well.So when I bring a houseplant home, it’s of the low-maintenance, happy-go-lucky variety — the type that doesn’t pitch a hissy fit if I miss a watering (or three), move the pot around or grow it away from the window. Not coincidentally, they’re also the best houseplants for beginners to grow.My spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) asks only two things of me: moderate to bright sunlight and lightly moist soil. I keep it on a stand by the bathroom window and pour in whatever happens to be left in my nightstand water glass every morning. Sometimes, the glass is empty, but the plant doesn’t care. And it makes dozens of free plants for me despite getting ...

Turning right on red at certain Montgomery Co. intersections could become illegal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

Turning right on red would not be an option at certain intersections in downtown and town center areas in Montgomery County, Maryland, if a new bill passes Tuesday.The Safe Streets Act is set for a vote by the Montgomery County Council.In addition to turning right on red being prohibited, pedestrians and cyclists would have more time to cross the street. Cross walk signal times would be increased by a few seconds.The legislation was introduced by council president Evan Glass last year with the aim of making streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians.The legislation would also add more speed cameras in the area.And if someone is struck by a vehicle in a school zone, a county review of that incident would be prompted.Glass told NBC Washington in an interview that there have been 10 deaths from cyclists and a total of 392 pedestrians and cyclists were hit on Montgomery County roadways this year.Source

A bus plunges into a ravine in Montenegro, killing at least 2 and injuring several

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — A bus plunged into a ravine in Montenegro on Tuesday, killing at least two people and injuring several, police said.The bus was carrying some 30 passengers when it swerved down around noon, police said. Local media reported that the bus was traveling on a steep road connecting the town of Budva, on the Adriatic Sea coast, with Cetinje, which is located in a mountainous inland area. It was not immediately clear what caused the bus to skid down some 15 meters (yards) into the ravine. Photos showed rescue workers holding on to a metal wire to try to reach the wreckage. Police said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the two victims died on the spot while the injured received aid in Cetinje.Source

UN chief opens meeting of world leaders, saying that “we seem incapable of coming together”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — UN chief opens meeting of world leaders, saying that “we seem incapable of coming together.”Source

London police force says it will take years to remove officers accused of corruption and misconduct

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Hundreds of London police officers are facing dismissal as the department steps up efforts “to root out those who are corrupt” after a series of scandals eroded public trust and a scathing report found it was institutionally racist, homophobic and misogynistic.The Metropolitan Police Service said Tuesday that more than 1,000 officers are currently suspended or on restricted duties. That means the public is likely to be bombarded with stories of police misconduct over the next few years as the department works through the backlog of cases and around 60 officers face disciplinary proceedings each month.“This is going to take one, two or more years to root out those who are corrupt,” Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said as he updated reporters on efforts to reform the department.London’s police force, known by many as Scotland Yard, is under immense pressure to fire officers accused of misconduct and change its male-dominated culture after a serving officer kid...