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Ventura man sentenced for deadly shooting, destructive pursuit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:42 GMT

A Ventura man was sentenced to 32 years in prison for a deadly shooting and destructive police pursuit.The suspect was identified as Richard Hernandez, 27, by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.Hernandez pled guilty to charges of second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Cameron Miller, an Oxnard resident.On June 29, 2016, Hernandez and three others — Alexis Ivan Ramirez, 28, Luis Aguilar, 26, and a 16-year-old girl were driving down East Main Street in Ventura. They stopped to confront two men walking on the sidewalk, police said. A verbal altercation ensued where gang names were yelled at the victims and Hernandez flashed a handgun.The four suspects then returned to their car and drove down the road. A few blocks away, they waited for the victims to walk by before firing several shots at the two men, police said.Miller was struck three times and died at the scene. The second victim was struck once but survived. The suspects sped off before authorities arrived....

Toys R Us to expand brick and mortar retail operations, including airports and cruise lines

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:42 GMT

Toys R Us is looking to make a major comeback, announcing this week it plans to expand its brick and mortar operations and add 24 new flagship stores in the country.WHP Global, the iconic toy store brand's parent company, announced it has partnered with a retail group to roll out new flagship stores across the U.S. beginning in 2024, as well as create new retail experiences for travelers by opening stores in airports and on cruise ships.The first airport store will open in November at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, the company said. Officials for WHP Global said the Toys R Us brand is still widely recognized and is growing rapidly since it acquired controlling stake in the company in 2021."Since acquiring Toys R Us, we have increased our global retail footprint by more than 50% with openings in the United States, United Kingdom, India, Dubai, and Mexico," said WHP Chief Executive Officer Yehuda Shmidman. "We now have over 1,400 stores and e-commerce sites across 31 cou...

After ouster of Gabe Kapler, SF Giants say they need to reset ‘standard’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:42 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Under appropriately gray skies Friday afternoon, players went about their business as usual at Oracle Park. Patrick Bailey conferenced with catching coach Craig Albernaz in the outfield. Brandon Crawford prepared himself for his possible sendoff Sunday.Still, it was impossible to ignore the solemn news of the day.They played so poorly, collapsed so totally, that their manager of four years, Gabe Kapler, was fired with three games to go.“This is a s—ty day for the Giants baseball,” starter Logan Webb said. “As a whole, we haven’t done our job.”Outfielder Austin Slater found out when he arrived in the clubhouse and said there “was definitely some shock.” His platoon partner, Mike Yastrzemski, called it “unfortunate” but acknowledged that “this is the nature of the beast and he wears the burden of our performance.”The Giants went from 13 games over .500 in the first week of August to out of the play...

The top five most expensive home sales in Saratoga, reported the week of Sep. 18

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:42 GMT

A house that sold for $8.4 million tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Saratoga in the past week.In total, five residential real estate sales were recorded in the area during the past week, with an average price of $5 million. The average price per square foot was $1,501.The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of Sep. 18 even if the property may have been sold earlier.5. $1.1 million, condominium in the 19200 block of Vineyard LaneThe sale of the condominium in the 19200 block of Vineyard Lane, Saratoga, has been finalized. The price was $1,140,000, and the condominium changed hands in September. The condominium was built in 1971 and has a living area of 1,132 square feet. The price per square foot was $1,007. The condominium features two bedrooms and two bathrooms.4. $3.5 million, single-family residence in the 18700 block of Dundee Ave.The property in the 18700 block of Dundee Ave. in Sara...

'Ringleader' of 1966 Monterey County killing spree granted parole

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:42 GMT

(KRON) -- A California inmate who went on killing spree in the 1960s in Monterey County was granted parole, and prosecutors vowed this week to continue fighting against his scheduled release.Jose Francisco Velasquez was 24 years old when he acted as a "ringleader" behind a series of killings in 1966, the Monterey County District Attorney's Office said. He is now 81 years old. The Board of Parole Hearings granted his request for freedom citing California's Youthful Offender and Elder Parole laws."We believe the inmate continues to pose an unreasonable current risk of harm to the public based on the egregious facts of these murders and currently lacks insight into both his responsibility for these murders and his sexual deviance," prosecutors wrote."During a horrific crime spree in 1966, inmate Velasquez and his crime partners Luis Francisco Pacheco, Jose Luis Galvan, Frank Urrea Gonzales, and Juan Vasquez Garcia, brutally murdered four victims," the DA's Office wrote. On July 29, 196...

Alzolay returns from injured list as slumping Cubs seek bullpen boost for final weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:42 GMT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Adbert Alzolay returned from the the injured list Friday in hopes of providing a boost for the struggling Chicago Cubs bullpen during their playoff push.Alzolay has been one of the Cubs’ top relievers, but he hasn’t pitched since Sept. 9 due to a forearm strain. The Cubs made room for him by optioning pitcher Keegan Thompson to their spring facility in Arizona.The Cubs have done a poor job of protecting leads without him. They have fallen out of playoff position by losing five games this month that they had led in the eighth inning or later. They blew a 6-0 lead on Tuesday and squandered ninth-inning and 10th-inning advantages Wednesday while getting swept in Atlanta this week.“We’ve missed him when he’s out,” Cubs manager David Ross said before Friday’s game at Milwaukee. “He’s been a big part of our success, so having him back helps us kind of shorten the game hopefully, which we haven’t been able to do a lot lately. When we get one of our better arms back, ...

EE.UU. impone restricciones de visado a 100 funcionarios de Nicaragua, a quienes señala de apoyar violaciones a derechos humanos

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:42 GMT

(CNN Español) — Estados Unidos impuso este viernes restricciones de visado a 100 funcionarios municipales de Nicaragua, a quienes señala de apoyar violaciones a los derechos humanos y las libertades llevadas a cabo por el Gobierno de Daniel Ortega, informó el Departamento de Estado en un comunicado.Con las personas sancionadas van más de 1.000 funcionarios que reciben medidas similares por parte del Gobierno estadounidense “por su respaldo a abusos, por limitar las libertades civiles y actuar contra organizaciones independientes”, precisó la nota de prensa.El anuncio del Departamento de Estado se produce solamente unos días después de que el Gobierno de Ortega emitiera un decreto que anuló la personalidad jurídica de la escuela de negocios Instituto Centroamericano de Administración de Empresas (Incae) y expropió sus bienes en Nicaragua.La institución educativa reprobó la decisión y anunció que mantendrá en operaciones su sede en San José, Costa Rica.“Aquellos que participan e...

Looming shutdown could destabilize Maryland’s budget picture

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:42 GMT

In Maryland, more than 350,000 households directly benefited from wages or retirement income from the federal government. The $31 billion in income accounts for nearly 11% of all income earned in the state, according to the Office of the Comptroller. Photo: Board of Revenue Estimates. In Maryland, more than 350,000 households directly benefited from wages or retirement income from the federal government. The $31 billion in income accounts for nearly 11% of all income earned in the state, according to the Office of the Comptroller. Photo: Board of Revenue Estimates. A looming federal government shutdown could destabilize Maryland’s budget outlook.Minor decreases in projected revenues announced Thursday by the...

Charlie Blackmon and Colorado Rockies agree to 2024 contract

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:42 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Charlie Blackmon and the Colorado Rockies agreed Friday to a one-year contract for 2024 that prevents the outfielder from becoming a free agent.The 37-year-old is in the final season of a six-year contract guaranteeing $108 million, a deal Blackmon agreed to after winning the NL batting title with a .331 average.A four-time All-Star, Blackmon has spent his entire 13-season big league career with Colorado. Only Todd Helton at 17 seasons played longer for the Rockies.Blackmon entered Friday’s game against Minnesota hitting .283 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs. “Charlie Blackmon is synonymous with Rockies baseball and we look forward to watching him continue his great career at 20th and Blake,” Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt said in a statement. “Nobody works harder than Charlie preparing for the game and we are excited to see him contribute both on the field and in the clubhouse for another season.”___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLBSource

Rangers rotation takes a hit as Jon Gray lands on 15-day injured list with forearm strain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:42 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — The Texas Rangers’ potential playoff pitching staff took a hit Friday after right-hander Jon Gray was placed on the 15-day injured list with a forearm strain.“Probably would be a situation where he could skip a start and go but we don’t want to be short at this time of pitchers. So we had to put him on the IL,” Bochy said.Gray had imaging following his start against the Los Angeles Angels this week, which revealed a grade 1 strain, manager Bruce Bochy said. Gray did some light throwing following his initial scans, but didn’t feel any better.The Rangers were planning to start Gray on Saturday against Seattle in a game that could have significant playoff implications. Bochy didn’t say who will start in his place.Gray is 9-8 with a 4.12 ERA in 29 starts this season and is second on the team in innings pitched (157 1/3) and strikeouts (142). Gray had made every scheduled start this season until now.“It really wasn’t coming around to the point where we would put him ...