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Sunnyvale: Man accused of trying to extort money for dog’s return

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:00 GMT

A man was arrested for allegedly trying to extort money from a family in Sunnyvale to return their lost dog, the city’s Department of Public Safety said Wednesday.Norm was reunited with his family after he got lost, was found and held for ransom in Sunnyvale, Calif., on July 10, 2023. (Sunnyvale DPS via Bay City News) The suspect was arrested after investigators were notified Monday evening that a family was contacted by someone who said he had their dog, Norm, who had run off.The man demanded money from the family “or else they would never see their dog again,” the Department of Public Safety said on social media.Public safety officers helped the family to set up a meeting, then waited in unmarked patrol cars for the man to arrive with the dog. He was taken into custody, and Norm was reunited with the family at their home.The suspect was booked into Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of offenses including extortion and grand theft.The department on social m...

Musk announces new AI venture, and it's based in the Bay Area

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:00 GMT

(KRON) -- Elon Musk has announced his newest artificial intelligence venture in the Bay Area, and its aim is to better understand the "true nature" of the universe, according to the company's website. These Bay Area tech companies are cutting jobs xAI was formed by Musk and 11 other professionals from across the tech industry. The group boasts work from companies such as DeepMind, Google Research, Microsoft Research and the University of Toronto. Some members also joined from previous Musk ventures including OpenAI and Tesla. The xAI website states that the company is separate from X Corp. X Corp was formed by Musk to manage Twitter, which was renamed as "X." Though the companies will be separate, they will also collaborate "to make progress towards our mission," the site reads. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KRON4 Breaking News ...

Dog reunited with Sunnyvale family after extortion attempt

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:00 GMT

(KRON) -- A suspect is in custody and a dog is back with his family this week after what the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety called an incident of grand theft and extortion. Sunnyvale DPS received a call from a local family on Monday evening to request assistance in retrieving their lost dog, Norm.Norm had escaped and gotten lost apparently. However, according to Sunnyvale DPS, a strange man contacted the family and told them he had Norm. The man demanded the family pay him an undisclosed amount of money, or they would never see Norm again. Dog’s life saved with Narcan in Marin County Officers with Sunnyvale DPS assisted the family in setting up a fake meeting with the caller to exchange the dog for money. Unbeknownst to the caller, officers in unmarked patrol vehicles were waiting at the agreed-upon location.When the suspect arrived on the scene with the dog, officers emerged and the suspect was taken into custody. Norm was in good health, police said. He was safely reunite...

Family of man killed in San Rafael plane crash creates GoFundMe

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:00 GMT

(BCN) -- The family of a 59-year-old single father from Novato who died in a plane crash Saturday at the San Rafael Airport has set up a GoFundMe page to help honor his memory and support them in the wake of his death. Marc Pankin and his colleague Kirk Harford were on a flight home from Minden, Nevada, when their small plane's tail fin hit a power line and then crashed into a murky wetland area. Pankin was pronounced dead at the site of the crash. These are the latest Bay Area tech companies to cut jobs Harford, who was in critical condition, was rushed to a hospital. Pankin is survived by his three children, Matthew, who is 24 years old and Liam and Ava, who are 12 and 11 years old. Pankin was the sole guardian of his two youngest children. "Our family is in complete shock and devastated by this tragic and senseless event -- an event we were never prepared to have to go through," his family wrote on their GoFundMe page. The fund had raised more than $8,600 as of Wed...

Campaign to Recall Oakland Reform District Attorney Gets Rolling

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:00 GMT

The incipient campaign to unseat a reformist district attorney in California just became official: A new political committee was launched to recall Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, according to public registrations. The recall committee launched just seven months after Price, whose jurisdiction includes Oakland and other East Bay communities, took office.Price is one of more than a dozen reform-minded prosecutors who have faced recalls or attempts to restrict their discretion in recent years — part of a backlash to criminal punishment reforms and fearmongering over crime by police and their political allies.“They were threatening to recall her when she was running for the seat,” said Cat Brooks, co-founder and executive director of the Anti-Police Terror Project, which endorsed Price last year. “Unfortunately in the Bay Area and in other places in the country, this is the new political tactic,” she said. Brooks added that the campaigns follow a pattern: first, characte...

Capitol riot suspect arrested near Obama’s home will remain jailed until trial, judge rules

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:00 GMT

FILE - Rioters loyal to President Donald Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. Federal prosecutors say Taylor Taranto, 37, who prosecutors say participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol and arrested last week near the home of former President Barack Obama, told followers on his YouTube live stream that he was looking to get a “good angle on a shot” and that he was trying to locate the “tunnels underneath their houses” shortly before he was taken into custody by the Secret Service. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)(AP/Jose Luis Magana) FILE - Rioters loyal to President Donald Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. Federal prosecutors say Taylor Taranto, 37, who prosecutors say participated in the Jan. ...

EPA moves to reduce childhood exposure to lead-based paint dust

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Wednesday moved to reduce children’s exposure to lead, proposing stricter limits on dust from lead-based paint in older homes and child-care facilities.Declaring that “there is no safe level of lead,” the administration estimates that the proposed rule would reduce lead exposure for approximately 250,000 to 500,000 children under the age of six each year.That’s important because health scientists have said for some time there is no safe level of lead in a child’s blood. Lead’s damage to the brain is well known: It takes points off IQ, deprives kids of problem-solving abilities, and can make it harder to learn to read. But it also affects other organs, including the liver and kidneys.“This proposal to safely remove lead paint along with our other efforts to deliver clean drinking water and replace lead pipes will go a long way toward protecting the health of our next generation of leaders,” Janet McCabe, deputy director of the...

Woman dies after being rescued from Boulder Creek

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:00 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- A woman fell in Boulder Creek early Wednesday and was rescued, but she later died at the hospital.It happened just after 4 a.m. when a woman who was camping near the creek fell into the water, according to a press release from the city of Boulder. 3 badly decomposing bodies found in remote Colorado campsite Boulder Police Department and Boulder Fire-Rescue responded, and once they found her, they worked to pull her out.Firefighters worked to get her out of the bed of the creek near 6th Street and Canyon Boulevard, where they gave her CPR. She was taken to the hospital in critical condition and later died. The Boulder County Coroner's Office will identify her and determine the cause of death.

Where you can find Taylor Swift's Eras Tour merch truck in Denver

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:00 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Empower Field at Mile High has officially announced where fans will be able to grab merchandise ahead of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour shows this weekend.The truck will open for early merchandise sales on Thursday, July 13.Fans will be able to line up starting at 7 a.m. that day, and the truck will be located at Counties Gateway Place in front of Gate 2. Taylor Swift in Denver: 5 things you need to know before the Eras Tour Gate 2 is located in the center of the western side of the stadium.The truck will open at 10 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m. Fans will be able to park in lots C and D starting at 7 a.m.What are the prices?Here are the prices for Eras Tour merchandise, according to the official Taylor Swift website:Hoodies - $75Crewneck sweaters - $65Cropped pullovers - $65T-shirts - $45Tour poster - $30Blankets - $75Phone case and inserts - $30Tumbler - $35Mugs - $20On Friday and Saturday, merchandise trailers outside of the stadium will open when parking lots open at...

Police join teen basketball game after responding to HOA complaint

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:00 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — When an HOA complained about noise from a group of Aurora teens, a police officer showed up. But as the police department tells it, the encounter ended not with a confrontation but in a game of basketball.The officer was part of Aurora's Community Relations Section, which a department spokesperson described Wednesday as "the bridge between the community and the police department." Officer injured by fire truck during Nuggets parade has leg amputated "They're tuned in to the voice of the community and what's happening in Aurora," public information officer Sydney Edwards said. "They will plan events, act as the liaisons between community leaders and the department, and listen to concerns from the public — concerns that our CRS officers may be able to resolve."The team has two officers, one lieutenant and two civilian staff members. During the summer, three school resource officers also join the team.It's expanding, too. The team will bring one detective and two new ...