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IDF reports it mistakenly killed 3 Israeli hostages in Gaza

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

By Karin Laub, Najib Jobain and Jack Jeffery | Associated PressRAMALLAH, West Bank — The Israeli military on Friday mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages during its ground operation in the Gaza Strip, military officials said.The army’s chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Israeli troops found the hostages and erroneously identified them as a threat. He said it was not clear if they had escaped their captors or been abandoned.The deaths occurred in the Gaza City area of Shijaiyah, where troops have engaged in fierce battles against Hamas militants in recent days.He said the army expressed “deep sorrow” and was investigating.The deaths were announced as a U.S. envoy said the U.S. and Israel were discussing a timetable for scaling back intense combat operations in the war against Hamas, even though they agree the overall fight will take months.U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan also met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the bes...

Bay Area restaurant news: Boba and chicken spot debuts in East Bay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

Pinole native and Boba Birds owner Daniel Zhang started out pursuing a culinary career, before pivoting to a higher-paying office job. Now he’s left that cubicle life behind to start his own restaurant back in his hometown.Chicken wings are among the menu items available at Boba Birds, a new chicken wings and boba spot in Pinole. (Courtesy Daniel Zhang and Marisa Narasaki) Boba Birds is still in its soft opening phase, but is already drawing customers from as far away as San Jose for its chicken wings and boba, Zhang says. As you might have guessed from the name, the restaurant offers boba drinks and a lineup of chicken dishes, including chicken wings, “bird bites” nuggets and popcorn chicken, with chicken sandwiches and salads on the way. The marinades, batters and sauces are all made fresh and in-house, he says.The restaurant, which Zhang hopes will breathe fresh life into its sleepy shopping center location, is built around a “happy bellies” phi...

Health advisory goes out to Martinez residents after suspected flaring at refinery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

MARTINEZ — Officials in Contra Costa County issued a health advisory Friday after a strong chemical odor pierced the air, the latest in a series of flaring incidents that have rattled the communities around a cluster of refineries.Related ArticlesHealth | From flush to faucet: More places look to turn sewage into tap water Health | Oakland entrepreneur’s app empowers people to save the environment Health | Coastal town in Mexico being destroyed by the rising seas Health | COP28 delegates agree to transition away from fossil fuels Health | Restoring San Francisco Bay wetlands, one industrial salt pond at a time The alert, which was sent to residents through the county’s community warning system about 10:45 a.m., said the odor may be associated with flaring at the Martinez Refining Company.A hazardous materials team was summoned, according to the alert. Officials said they have not determ...

Cal football: Standout RB uses unique way to announce his return

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

The Cal football team will have one of its biggest playmakers back next year as running back Jaydn Ott announced Friday that he will be returning to the Golden Bears for his junior season in 2024 rather than enter the transfer portal.Ott made the announcement on social media and during a news conference in advance of Saturday’s Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., where the Golden Bears will face Texas Tech.On the Cal football team’s X account, Ott sat down in a chair and said with a straight face that he was going to enter the portal.“Respect my decision, please,” Ott deadpanned.After he sat up and stepped off camera, Ott came back and said, “Nah, I’m playin’. I’m going to stay.”Ott, a Chino native, rushed 229 times for 1,260 yards with 11 touchdowns this season and caught 21 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a 100-yard kick return for a touchdown, and set new career highs with 1,501 all-purpose yards and 14 touchd...

Prince Harry wins court case over tabloid phone hacking

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

By Brian Melley | Associated PressLONDON — Prince Harry’s phone was hacked by journalists and private investigators working for the Daily Mirror who invaded his privacy by snooping on him unlawfully, a judge ruled Friday, delivering an historic victory for the estranged royal who broke from family tradition to take on the British press.Phone hacking was “widespread and habitual” at Mirror Group Newspapers, and executives at the papers covered it up, Justice Timothy Fancourt said in his 386-page ruling handed down in the High Court.The newspapers were ordered to pay the Duke of Sussex 140,000 pounds ($180,000) for using unlawful information gathering in 15 of the 33 newspaper articles examined at trial.Harry said the ruling was “vindicating and affirming” and should serve as a warning to other news media that used similar practices, an overt reference to two tabloid publishers that face upcoming trials in lawsuits that make nearly identical allegations.&...

Richmond man charged with San Francisco mass shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A Richmond man will make his first court appearance Friday afternoon after prosecutors charged him in connection to a mass shooting in San Francisco. Investigators said Javier Campos, 23, shot nine people in the Mission District on June 9. Prosecutors said Campos is a gang member who was out of jail on bail when the shooting unfolded. He is charged with discharging a firearm from a vehicle and causing great bodily injury, assault with a semi-automatic firearm, and unlawful firearm possession. According to the San Francisco Police Department, on June 9 at 9:07 p.m., officers found multiple gunshot victims in the area of 24th and Treat streets. The victims were targeted at an outdoor party celebrating a local clothing store, according to Mission Local. "The Mission District shooting was horrifying and once again demonstrates the horrors of gunviolence," said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. "Brazen shootings like this one exact a heavy toll on our neighborhood...

Oakland police ask for public's help to find at-risk 64-year-old man

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

(BCN) -- Oakland police are asking for the public's help in finding a 64-year-old man who went missing Thursday and is considered at-risk because he has Alzheimer's disease.James Broussard was last seen around 7:30 a.m. Thursday in the 400 block of 63rd Street and was wearing a gray sweatshirt and gray pants with black shoes, according to police.Police have released a photo of Broussard, who is 6 feet tall, weighs about 180 pounds and has gray hair and brown eyes. ‘I’m sick of the lies’: Frank Somerville owns up to dark side, problems with alcohol Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Broussard is asked to call the Oakland police missing persons unit at (510) 238-3641.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

300 days of sunshine? Not so much, according to cloud cover data

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- If it's seemed cloudier than average this fall, your intuition is not wrong. Coloradans love to flaunt the amount of sun the state gets — how many times have you been told that the state gets "300 days of sunshine" each year? Even Denver's tourism bureau advertises it on its website. Denver weather: Plenty of sunshine and warming into weekend However, that statistic is entirely a myth. According to the National Weather Service's 2020 Annual Climate Summary, Denver had 115 "fair" days and 208 party-cloudy days, leaving 43 cloudy days on record. Not quite 300 sunny days. While "cloudy" may be relative from person to person, FOX31's using any day when meteorologists marked "overcast" in data from the Iowa Environment Mesonet, provided through Iowa State University.Last year from Dec. 1-15, four days were overcast at the Denver International Airport (where the measures were taken). This year, there have been eight days with overcast clouds from Dec. 1-15.Data from th...

Mother of 6-year-old who shot teacher in Virginia gets 2 years in prison for child neglect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — The mother of a 6-year-old who shot his teacher in Virginia was sentenced Friday to two years in prison for felony child neglect, nearly a year after her son used her gun to critically wound the educator.Friday’s sentencing was the second time Deja Taylor was held to account for the classroom shooting, which stunned the nation and shook the military shipbuilding city of Newport News.The state sentence she received Friday from Circuit Court Judge Christopher Papile was stiffer than what is called for in state sentencing guidelines and harsher than a joint sentencing recommendation of six months prosecutors and Taylor’s lawyers had agreed to in a plea deal.Taylor was sentenced in November to 21 months in federal prison for using marijuana while owning a gun, which is illegal under U.S. law. The combination of her state and federal sentences amounts to a total punishment of nearly four years behind bars.Taylor’s son told authorities he got his mother’s 9m...

Sunrise man arrested for alleged threats, assault and animal cruelty in Florida Keys

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

BIG PINE KEY, Fla. (WSVN) – A South Florida man is facing charges of assault, battery and animal cruelty following an investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department. MCSO deputies responded to a call on Dec. 11 at a residence in Big Pine Key, where three women reported that Steven Maltese, 28, of Sunrise, had allegedly threatened to kill them. According to MCSO, the incident involved Maltese choking one of the women, pushing them and throwing a coffee mug at them. One victim was transported to Fishermen’s Hospital in Marathon for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.Maltese then allegedly placed a dog in a suitcase with a cloth tie wrapped around its neck before closing the suitcase. The dog sustained no serious injuries.Maltese had reportedly left the scene before authorities arrived, but warrants were subsequently obtained for his arrest. He was apprehended and booked into jail on Friday.