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Man convicted in San Jose ‘thrill kill’ released, touching off polarized reactions

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:13:59 GMT

SAN JOSE — A man convicted as a teen nearly a decade ago in a San Jose “thrill kill” murder case was freed this week, reviving wounds for the victim’s family and a contentious split over the juvenile justice reform law that paved the way for his release.Jae Williams, now 29, was ordered released Monday at a juvenile court hearing in San Jose, and walked out of the Santa Clara County jail the following day.The release follows a multi-year court battle over the constitutionality of Senate Bill 1391 — a state law passed in 2018 that outlawed charging teens under 16 as adults in criminal court — and how the court system would apply it to Williams, who was 15 when he and Randy Thompson killed their classmate Michael Russell.Russell’s aunt, Cathy Russell, said her family struggled with the inevitability of Williams’ release.“Even if you know it’s coming, you can’t prepare yourself for until it happens. We’ve had a lot of sleeples...

Thanksgiving weekend off to a smooth start despite looming snow

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:13:59 GMT

By Dee-Ann Durbin | Associated PressThe late crush of holiday travelers picked up steam Wednesday, with about 2.7 million people expected to board flights and millions more planning to drive or take the train to Thanksgiving celebrations.Airline officials say they are confident they can avoid the kind of massive disruptions that have marred past holiday seasons, such as the meltdown at Southwest Airlines over last Christmas. As of Wednesday evening that appeared to be the case.U.S. airports reported 59 flight cancellations into, out of or within the U.S. Wednesday and 2,750 flight delays, according to FlightAware, a tracking service. FlightAware said anything less than 300 cancellations and 4,000 delays per day is considered very good.Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York said it was checking all vehicles arriving at the airport and performing additional security screenings after a car crashed and exploded at a nearby checkpoint on the U.S.-Canada border. But the airport...

Bay Area rapper BussDown Bandy charged with human trafficking of teen girl

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:13:59 GMT

OAKLAND — A Fairfield rapper has been arrested and charged with trafficking a 16-year-old girl after she allegedly identified him from one of his music videos, court records show.Michael Isrealishia Moore, 28, was charged this month with human trafficking of a minor, as well as pimping and pandering, all related to the same girl, who came forward to police on Nov. 2. Authorities say patrol cops in Oakland stumbled upon the girl outside of a local convenience store and struck up a conversation with her because she appeared upset. The conversation led to a police interview where she allegedly identified Moore as her pimp.The girl said she had been trafficked by other men, and was walking along a high-prostitution area in Los Angeles when Moore allegedly approached her, invited her to smoke marijuana, and invited her to work for him as a prostitute instead. She later identified Moore by his stage name “BussDown Bandy,” and identified him from a music video on YouTube,...

The 49ers’ red zone offense is good. There’s no excuse for it to be less than great.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:13:59 GMT

The 49ers are the envy of 31 other NFL teams for their offensive weaponry.An efficient and accurate quarterback in Brock Purdy. The league’s most celebrated touchdown machine in Christian McCaffrey and another dual-threat wild card in Deebo Samuel. A classic wideout in Brandon Aiyuk and an old-school sure-handed tight end in George Kittle.That doesn’t even include fullback Kyle Juszczyk, a seven-time Pro Bowler who can produce offensively when overlooked amidst the galaxy of stars.The 49ers are tied for sixth in red zone offense with 24 touchdowns in 40 trips to the 20-yard line or closer. That’s 60 percent. Miami, with former 49ers running game coordinator Mike McDaniel running the offense as head coach, is first at 73 percent, followed by the L.A. Chargers (66.7), Buffalo (65.9), and Baltimore (65.2) with Indianapolis also at 60 percent.Tied for sixth isn’t bad. In fact, it’s good.But if the 49ers have made anything clear in 2023, it’s that bein...

California ramps up efforts to combat organized retail crime ahead of holidays

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:13:59 GMT

(KRON) -- As the holiday shopping season kicks off retailers are gearing up for more foot traffic and law enforcement agencies are increasing patrols to combat the rising tide of organized retail theft. From Sacramento and San Francisco to San Diego, the California Highway Patrol is deploying more uniformed and plainclothes officers to busy shopping corridors to stop retail thieves."These operations and efforts will result in increased safety for shoppers, merchants and our retailers," said CHP commissioner Sean Duryee.During a virtual news conference Wednesday announcing the launch of a statewide crackdown on organized retail thefts, the CHP was joined by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the San Francisco District Attorney. Two charged in organized retail thefts targeting Bath & Body Works "When stores are forced to close due to rampant theft, our communities lose important valuable jobs and access to much needed goods and services," said SF DA Brooke Jenkins.J...

SFO in 'close contact' with federal authorities following explosion at US-Canada border

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:13:59 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) --A vehicle crashed and exploded at a checkpoint in Niagara Falls at the U.S.-Canada border in New York on Wednesday. The explosion resulted in two fatalities. As of now, there is no indication that this was a terrorist attack.Although flights have not been affected, officials told travelers at Buffalo Niagara International Airport to expect additional screenings for security purposes. As for the Bay Area, the three major airports in the region (SFO, Oakland Airport and San Jose Airport) have not been affected. Best and worst times to hit the road for Bay Area Thanksgiving travel San Francisco International AirportSFO officials said there have been no changes in security protocol. However, the airport is in "close contact" with federal government agencies and prepared to make any adjustments if necessary.Oakland AirportAs of Wednesday afternoon, operations at Oakland Airport have not been affected. The airport did not disclose its security plans, if any, rega...

Hundreds of California jobs at stake if NASA Mars mission axed

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:13:59 GMT

(KRON) -- Hundreds of tech and science jobs will be lost in California if NASA moves forward with a plan to cut funding from the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, according to state lawmakers. U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.-30), sent a letter on Wednesday to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson to reverse a decision to slash the mission's funding. The funding cut would "result in the loss of hundreds of California jobs, prevent the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) from making its 2030 launch window, and lead to the cancelation of billions of dollars in contracts supporting American businesses," the lawmakers wrote. JPL is a federally funded NASA research and development center managed by Caltech in Southern California. Lawmakers said they were "mystified" by NASA’s "rash decision."If the mission goes forward in 2030, it will mark the first time in human history that a spacecraft is launched from the surface of another planet. The spacecraft wo...

Cooper Kupp misses practice and Puka Nacua is limited in Rams’ initial preparation for Cardinals

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:13:59 GMT

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Cooper Kupp missed practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury, and rookie receiver Puka Nacua was limited by a shoulder injury when the Los Angeles Rams began their preparations to face Arizona.Kupp sprained his ankle during the Rams’ 17-16 victory over Seattle last Sunday after making just one reception. The Super Bowl 56 MVP already missed the first four games of this season with a serious hamstring injury.“He’s feeling good,” coach Sean McVay said. “We’re going to hold him out today. See what (Thursday) looks like.”Kupp returned impressively from his hamstring injury with two big games last month, including seven catches for 148 yards and a touchdown in a 26-9 win over Arizona. His impact has been much more muted since then, with only nine receptions for 109 yards and no scores over the Rams’ past four games.Nacua hurt his shoulder in the fourth quarter of the win over the Seahawks, but he was able to participate in some of Wed...

No. 4 Stanford survives tough battle with scrappy Belmont, moves to 5-0 with 74-55 win

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:13:59 GMT

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Cameron Brink scored 27 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to help lead No. 4 Stanford to a 74-55 victory over Belmont on Wednesday in the opening round of the Ball Dawgs Classic.The Bruins turned in a formidable performance before national powerhouse Stanford (5-0) pulled away for the win.After falling behind 33-32 early in the third quarter, a 3-pointer by Hannah Jump ignited a 9-0 run – the other six points coming from Brink – as the Cardinal took a 41-33 lead to seize control.And when the Bruins (2-3) cut their deficit to six, 59-53 with 4:34 left in the game, the Cardinal closed things out on a 15-2 run for the win.Kiki Iriafen scored 14 points and nine rebounds for Stanford.”(Cam) had a great second half … I thought Kiki had a really good game. I thought our fourth quarter was great,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. “We started making some shots and we’ve got to run offense better. We worked hard defensively.”Tuti Jones and Tessa Mille...

Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo out with bruised hip against Cavs still without guard Donovan Mitchell

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:13:59 GMT

CLEVELAND (AP) — Miami All-Star center Bam Adebayo will miss Wednesday night’s game against Cleveland with a hip bruise, while the Cavaliers are again without star guard Donovan Mitchell because of a lingering hamstring issue.Adebayo took part in the team’s morning shootaround, but began feeling discomfort afterward. He consulted with the Heat medical staff before the decision was made for him to rest.He missed a game earlier this season with the injury.A team spokesman said Adebayo aggravated the hip bruise when he fell on it during a recent game. The 6-foot-9 Adebayo has scored at least 20 points in eight straight games and is averaging 22.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists.Miami coach Erik Spoelstra will count on backups Thomas Byant and Orlando Robinson to help offset the loss of Adebayo, who is equally dominant on the defensive end.Meanwhile, the Cavs continue to be short-handed.Mitchell is out for the fourth straight game with a hamstring injury. He last playe...