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Court upholds Avenatti’s extortion plot conviction

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:09 GMT

By Michael R. Sisak | Associated PressNEW YORK — A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti’s conviction for plotting to extort up to $25 million from Nike – one of several legal messes that have landed him behind bars.The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Avenatti’s claim that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to support his February 2020 conviction on charges of extortion and honest-services fraud for threatening to smear Nike in the media if he didn’t get paid.A three-judge panel weighing Avenatti’s appeal found that evidence, including bank statements, text messages, emails and witness testimony, was enough to permit “a reasonable jury to conclude that he had no claim of right to a personal payment from Nike, let alone to a $15-25 million payment.”The panel also rejected Avenatti’s claims that jurors weren’t properly instructed in the law and that the trial judge missed a deadline fo...

Dirty air, dangerous fire conditions bring Bay Area reminders of how August weather can be

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:09 GMT

On the penultimate day of the month, nature reminded the Bay Area of how August has normally felt and smelled over the past few years, while offering the region a reminder of the danger that usually comes with it.Amid a Spare the Air alert, air quality pollution figures soared around the region, and the National Weather Service issued its first Red Flag warning in more than a year. Temperatures were expected to creep into the 100s in the Bay Area’s hottest places and move well into the 90s throughout the region.Additionally, PG&E began a public safety power shutdown to conserve energy that was expected to affect approximately 8,400 customers in small portions of Napa, Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Shasta, Tehama, Yolo and Butte counties. The Pit River Tribes and Grindstone Rancheria also were expected to be affected, according to the utility.Par for the course, normally, in many previous August months. Not so much in 2023.“That kind of speaks to the broader scale patterns,...

Nick Bosa holdout: Which other 49ers stars have skipped training camp practices?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:09 GMT

As the 49ers get closer to the start of the 2023 NFL season, the concern over the ongoing holdout of star defensive end Nick Bosa is growing.Bosa missed the entirety of the 49ers’ training camp and wasn’t in Santa Clara for Wednesday’s practice either, bringing the length of his holdout to 37 days.San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan has signaled he expected Bosa’s extended absence and both he and general manager John Lynch have expressed optimism that they’ll get things done.But still, it isn’t done yet, which means Bosa’s absence is starting to get uncomfortable. Sure, plenty of 49ers have skipped offseason workouts before, but most reported to training camp. Bosa didn’t, and now the worst-case scenario of Bosa missing a regular season game — or several — feels possible. If so, he could arguably be the most prominent 49er to ever miss a regular season game because of a contract dispute.Here’s a list of noteworthy holdouts in 49ers history (in chronological order):Ronnie Lott, 1984 (n...

Single-family residence sells in Oakland for $1.5 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:09 GMT

1965 Gaspar Drive – Google Street ViewA 1,488-square-foot house built in 1937 has changed hands. The property located in the 1900 block of Gaspar Drive in Oakland was sold on July 18, 2023, for $1,525,000, or $1,025 per square foot. The layout of this single-story house consists of three bedrooms and two baths. In addition, the home comes with a garage.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:On Gaspar Drive, Oakland, in December 2022, a 1,606-square-foot home was sold for $1,450,000, a price per square foot of $903. The home has 2 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In March 2023, a 2,237-square-foot home on Snake Road in Oakland sold for $2,150,000, a price per square foot of $961. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 1,904-square-foot home on the 6000 block of Snake Road in Oakland sold in March 2023, for $1,410,000, a price per square foot of $741. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. 

Oakland man’s murder confession: He told cops he killed woman, then drove with her body in front seat to commit a second homicide, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:09 GMT

OAKLAND — Earlier this month, Oakland police arrested 34-year-old Amadi Monroe after identifying him as a murder suspect who went by the nickname “Bang” and who’d been stalking his victim, Jerald Larnell Clark II, since Monroe’s release from jail a month earlier.But when Monroe sat down in a police interrogation room after his Aug. 11 arrest and waived his Miranda rights, Monroe confessed not just to killing Clark, but also to fatally shooting 30-year-old Brenda Diaz in a Target parking lot hours earlier, authorities said. He then drove Diaz’s Lexus to Oakland to shoot Clark, with her body still in the front seat, according to authorities.Despite the confession, Monroe has thus far only been charged with murder in the killing of Clark. Authorities say the delay in charging him with Diaz’s death has been jurisdictional; investigators are working to confirm his story that he shot Diaz within San Rafael city limits, and whether the Marin or Ala...

Alex Cobb hopes near-no-hitter gets SF Giants’ momentum rolling

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:09 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Oracle Park was still buzzing the morning after Alex Cobb’s near no-hitter. Though he was an out away from completing the rare feat, his complete game one-hitter, and Giants third straight win, signaled a rejuvenation.The Giants had lost seven straight series heading into the three-game set against the Cincinnati Reds. When rookie Kyle Harrison dazzled in Monday’s opener, 35-year-old Cobb wondered how he could top it.“I was watching his game last night thinking I can’t believe I have to follow this outing,” Cobb said on Tuesday. “Electric fans, hometown kid. Punched out every single player he faced.”With one of his best splitters going, Cobb kept the juju going and spun together arguably one of the best starts of his career. No-hitting the Reds through 8 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts. With the adrenaline simmered down, reality will set in. Cobb threw a career-high 131 pitches — the most he’d thrown was 1...

Lafayette: CHP chase on Highway 24 ends in crash, foot chase

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:09 GMT

By Tony Hicks | Bay City NewsA vehicle pursuit that started in Pittsburg on Wednesday morning ended with a vehicle crashing into five other vehicles and rolling over at the Pleasant Hill Road exit on westbound state Highway 24 in Lafayette.The suspect exited the vehicle, which landed on its roof, and led California Highway Patrol officers on a foot chase before they caught up and arrested him.No one was hurt during the multiple crashes.CHP Spokesman Officer Adam Lane said the pursuit began at 8:50 a.m. when a CHP unit attempted to pull over the suspect on westbound Highway 4 at Railroad Avenue.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | One killed, another wounded in East Oakland shooting early Wednesday Crime and Public Safety | ‘Act of antisemitic vandalism’ reported at UC Berkeley Jewish fraternity Crime and Public Safety | Crime victims assail bill they say could free some of California’s worst killers Crime and Public Safety ...

Gannett to pause AI experiment after botched sports stories

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:09 GMT

By Clare Duffy | CNNNewspaper chain Gannett has paused the use of an artificial intelligence tool to write high school sports dispatches after the technology made several major flubs in articles in at least one of its papers.Several high school sports reports written by an AI service called LedeAI and published by the Columbus Dispatch earlier this month went viral on social media this week — and not in a good way. The reports were mocked on social media for being repetitive, lacking key details, using odd language and generally sounding like they’d been written by a computer with no actual knowledge of sports.CNN identified several other local Gannett outlets, including the Louisville Courrier Journal, AZ Central, Florida Today and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, that have all published similar stories written by LedeAI in recent weeks.Many of the reports feature identical language, describing “high school football action,” noting when one team “took victory away from” another and ...

Owners of Oakland group homes slapped with lawsuit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:09 GMT

(KRON) -- The owners of several group homes in Oakland that serve mentally ill residents were slapped with a lawsuit for illegally evicting and abusing tenants, according to the city attorney.The suit filed by Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker claims that the sober living houses also created a public nuisance in neighborhoods, and racked up hundreds of police responses from the Oakland Police Department.Oakland police reports show a pattern of "horrific and unlawful treatment" inflicted on tenants, the lawsuit states.The lawsuit, first reported by Oaklandside, was filed against One Rose of Unity, unity's founder Angelique Austin, her son Terrell Bailey, as well as several landlords and employees who were tasked with managing Independent Living Facilities.ILFs are unlicensed, unregulated boarding homes from adults. "The lack of regulation and oversight of ILFs creates opportunities to use this business model to exploit low-income tenants," Parker wrote. That's exactly what Austin,...

Hayward PD looking for missing person considered at-risk

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:09 GMT

(KRON) -- The Hayward Police Department is asking for the community's assistance in locating a missing person, the department announced Wednesday. Haben Woldemariam is a 32-year-old Black man who is considered at-risk due to a mental health diagnosis.He was reported missing on Aug. 24 and was last seen at his home in Hayward, according to police. Critical fire weather arrives in Northern California’s interior; PG&E cuts power to 8,400 customers Woldemariam is described as 5'11", 240 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black, white and red sweater and black jeans.His unoccupied vehicle was recovered early on the morning of Aug. 25 on the San Mateo Bridge. There is no evidence of foul play at this point, police said.Anyone with any information regarding Woldemariam's whereabouts is asked to contact the Hayward Police Department.