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Commercial building torched by Signal Hill blaze

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

A commercial building in Signal Hill was partially destroyed by a fire Thursday morning.The blaze in the building at 1717 E. 28th St., which appears to be a Parts Plus store, broke out around 5:40 a.m.By about 6 a.m., it had been declared a second-alarm fire.Aerial footage from the scene showed that as of 6:30 a.m., the flames seemed to be mostly under control though they had burned through much of the building's roof.The fire appeared to have been prevented from spreading to other structures.

LGBTQ+ Pride month kicks off with protests, parades

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

The start of June marks the beginning of Pride month around the U.S. and some parts of the world, a season to celebrate the lives and experiences of LGBTQ+ communities and to protest against recent attacks on hard-won civil rights gains.This year’s Pride takes place in a contentious political climate in which some state legislators have sought to ban drag shows, prohibit gender-affirming care and limit how teachers can talk about sexuality and gender in the classroom.Events have been disrupted. Performers have been harassed. And in Colorado in November, five people were killed and several injured when a gunman shot them inside a gay nightclub.“What we’re seeing right now is probably the worst that it’s been since the early days, in terms of the demonization of our communities,” said Jay W. Walker, one of the co-founders of the Reclaim Pride Coalition, a New York City-based group.But that won’t stop people from coming out to mark Pride this month, he said.“You can’t ke...

Leveling Up: Concert to focus on female/POC game composers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

Leveling Up: On Saturday, June 3, a special event will take place at the Plaza del Sol, California State University, Northridge. Level Up will see nine composers of video game music, all women and/or people of color, perform together at a special concert presented by the Helix Collective and the Composers Diversity Collective.Two of those composers performing are Chase Bethea and Winifred Phillips. Both have exciting new work dropping – Bethea will see his music for the STEAM game Stardander: School for Witches go public in October, while Phillips’ latest project is the score for Assassin’s Creed: Liberation.Chase Bethea (Matt Ehnes)Bethea was composing music on the alto saxophone in seventh grade, and started composing for games in 2008.“I was always told that my music sounded like it should be in video games since the early 2000s,” Bethea says. “I already had the signature sound, but to do it properly I realized that I have to go to school. I did that, and before I left, I s...

Mother charged with manslaughter for allowing son to wander from home and freeze to death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

A 24-year-old Michigan woman has been charged with manslaughter on the allegation she was criminally negligent when she allowed her 5-year-old son to wander from their Clinton Township apartment and freeze to death.Derricka Kenora Fleming was arraigned Wednesday by Magistrate Ryan Zemke in 41B District Court for the incident in which she allegedly put the boy to bed at about 10 p.m. Jan. 22 at the Saravilla Apartment complex near Harper Avenue and 15 Mile Road. He was found several hours later, in the early morning hours of Jan. 23, at a nearby park dressed in an undershirt and underpants. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.Derricka Kenora Fleming(MACOMB COUNTY JAIL PHOTO) The overnight weather conditions were below freezing, with the official low of 27 degrees reported at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, according to the National Weather Service.A woman called 911 to report a missing child as a male was searching for him, according to ...

7 awesome Bay Area things to do this weekend, June 2-4

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

Fleur Geffrier and Tomohisa Yamashita star as competitors in a high-stakes inheritance contest in “Drops of God.” Apple TV+You think we’re going to take it easy after the long Memorial Day weekend? Fughetaboutit — we have a bunch of new ways to have fun this weekend, from great live and streaming shows to some killer wine country adventures.As with everything these days, be sure to double check websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines. Meanwhile, if you’d like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.com/newsletters or www.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.1 WATCH: A strange and brilliant new seriesA new Apple TV+ series finds two people locked in a high-stakes contest for control of the world’s most valuable wine collection. It tops our roundup of new shows and movies you should totally watch this weekend.2 PLAY & SIP: Check out the new winery exper...

Beach traffic turns Highway 17 into a mess again: Roadshow

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

Q: Someone needs to get the southbound entrance to Highway 17 closed on weekends! Drivers, stay on 17! Getting off at Camden or Lark is not going to save you any time! Really!!!Cheryl Kole, Monte SerenoA: This is a problem every summer as beach-bound traffic clogs Highway 17. Some drivers try to beat the backup by driving through Los Gatos but this does not save time. The best solution for beach-bound traffic is to leave early in the morning to get ahead of the crowd.Q: Extending the Caltrain Peninsula Corridor into downtown San Francisco already sounds difficult. I’d love to see if and how it plays out, being an avid train fan, and knowing that the Caltrain is far from empty in the morning and evening.I think the terminal being closer to Union Square would be a massive benefit from getting off the train and being faced with the options of walking or getting an Uber. However, I wonder what that could even look like, with all the buildings, infrastructure and skyscrapers in the...

San Jose animal shelter looking for homes for hundreds of dogs, cats and other pets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

The San Jose Animal Care and Services Center is seeing record-high numbers of animals coming to the shelter, with more than 900 dogs, cats and other pets calling the shelter home as of late May.Jay Terrado, the Deputy Director of the center, said what’s happening in San Jose is part of a broader national crisis taking place in shelters across the country of more pets arriving and staying longer. With so many animals at the shelter, the center is pleading with the community to help out, and warning that their ability to help new animals is limited because of their strapped capacity.A kitten is spoon fed at the Animal Care and Services Center on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in San Jose, Calif. The center is experiencing record-high numbers of pets entering the shelter and staying longer. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) As of late May, there were around 250 dogs and puppies, roughly 600 cats and kittens, and several dozen other pets, such as rabbits, at the shelter. To manage the...

Fatal Fremont crash raises new questions about boulder ‘minefield’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

A turnout on a frontage road in Fremont once described as a haven for truckers and people living in RVs is now a “minefield” of boulders that may have contributed to a fatal crash this month.The move to install the rocks along Kato Road, controversial at the time, was an example of what is known as “hostile architecture”—a type of design that creates barriers to restrict behavior— that pushed the homeless population living there elsewhere into the county.But in trying to solve one safety issue by putting the boulders in the turnout, did the city create a larger problem?Tractor trailers, cars and recreational vehicles are parked along Kato Road in Fremont, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020. In 2020, the city of Fremont installed boulders along Kato Road to stop vehicles from parking on the roadside. A motorist died after hitting the boulders on May 12, 2023. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group) Kelly Abreu, a longtime Fremont resident and member of the Mission Peak Conservancy, a loca...

List: Who voted against the debt ceiling bill in the House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

A 314-117 vote Wednesday in the House of Representatives sent to the Senate a  debt ceiling and budget cuts package. It is expected to pass there by week’s end.Below are the representatives who voted against it.RepublicansAlabama: Barry Moore, Dale StrongArizona: Andy Biggs, Eli Crane, Paul Gosar, Debbie LeskoColorado: Ken BuckFlorida: Vern Buchanan, Kat Cammack, Byron Donalds, Matt Gaetz, Anna Paulina Luna, Brian Mast, Cory Mills, Bill Posey, Greg Steube, Mike WaltzGeorgia: Andrew Clyde, Mike Collins, Richard McCormick, Gary PalmerIdaho: Russ FulcherIllinois: Mike Bost, Darin LaHood, Mary MillerIndiana: Victoria SpartzKansas: Tracy MannLouisiana: Clay HigginsMaryland: Andy HarrisMinnesota: Brad Finstad, Michelle FischbachMississippi: Michael GuestMissouri: Mark Alford, Eric BurlisonMontana: Matt Rosendale, Ryan ZinkeNew Jersey: Jeff Van DrewNew York: George SantosNorth Carolina: Dan BishopOklahoma: Josh Brecheen, Kevin HernPennsylvania: Scott PerrySouth Carolina: Russel Fry, ...

Fatal collision near Santa Rosa Veterans Building

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KRON) – Police in Santa Rosa are investigating a fatal crash that occurred near the city’s Veterans Building Tuesday evening.On Wednesday just before 7 a.m., officers responded to a vehicle collision at the Santa Rosa Veterans Building and located a red Toyota Tundra which had crashed into the fences of the building and a residence. A deceased male in the driver’s seat was located by police, SRPD said.  4-year-old girl injured in Oakland shooting An investigation determined the collision occurred the night before at around 11 p.m. when the Toyota was driving northbound on Brookwood Avenue and veered west into the parking lot where it collided with the Veterans Building and residential backyard fences, police said. The residence was determined to be vacant. Staff from the Veterans Building called Santa Rosa police Wednesday morning once they arrived to work to report the incident, police said.The driver has been identified as Mario Garcia-Villavicencio, 37,...