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BLM whistleblower says illegal grazing is ruining land along the Rio Grande River

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:57 GMT

A veteran employee of the Bureau of Land Management in the San Luis Valley filed a whistleblower complaint Monday, saying her bosses are failing to enforce livestock grazing rules on public lands and jeopardizing the ecosystem along the Rio Grande River.Melissa Shawcroft, who has been a BLM rangeland management specialist since 1992, is facing a two-week unpaid suspension after her supervisor decided to discipline her over discourteous emails and a failure to follow rules. Shawcroft is arguing that the discipline is retaliation for her insistence that the Bureau take action to stop area ranchers from trespassing by allowing their livestock to graze on BLM property without permits.The illegal grazing has gone unchecked for years on the nearly 250,000 acres she manages and her constant pleas for enforcement, which must be authorized by her supervisors, have gone unheeded, she said. Shawcroft has documented damage to the land and riverbanks during inspections, including with photograph...

Sergio Roberto Rojas Dies in Pedestrian Crash on Calvine Road [South Sacramento, CA]

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:57 GMT

31-Year-Old Man Pronounced Dead after Pedestrian Collision near Cliffcrest DriveSOUTH SACRAMENTO, CA (August 21, 2023) – Early Friday morning, Sergio Roberto Rojas was killed in a pedestrian crash on Calvine Road.The incident occurred around 3:00 a.m., near Cliffcrest Drive.Per reports, the driver of a 2015 Toyota Rav4 struck a man who was walking west on the bike lane with his dog, a shopping cart and a bicycle.Due to the extent of injuries sustained, medics pronounced 31-year-old Rojas, of Sacramento dead at the scene. Meanwhile, the female driver, described as a 42-year-old Elk Grove resident, remained at the scene and cooperated.Medical personnel also transported the driver to a nearby hospital for medical evaluation. According to CHP, drugs and alcohol do not appear to be a factor in the collision. Meanwhile, Rojas’ dog was later turned over to animal control.Sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Sergio Roberto Rojas. Thoughts are with them during this very diff...

Lorenzo Algood Killed in Motorcycle Collision on Pacheco Boulevard [Martinez, CA]

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:57 GMT

25-Year-Old Man Fatally Struck in Motorcycle Accident near Vine AvenueMARTINEZ, CA (August 21, 2023) – Sunday afternoon, Lorenzo Algood died in a motorcycle collision on Pacheco Boulevard.The incident occurred around 4:30 p.m., near Vine Avenue.Per reports, a motorcyclist struck a legally parked Nissan pickup-truck while heading east on Pacheco Boulevard.Paramedics arrived and took the rider to a nearby hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. On Monday, the coroner’s office identified the deceased rider as 25-year-old Algood, of Martinez.Police said the parked Nissan was believed to be unoccupied at the time. Those with additional information regarding the Pacheco Boulevard motorcycle crash can contact the CHP at (925) 646-4980.In this sorrowful time, the Sweet James team would like to extend their heartfelt condolences to the family of Lorenzo Algood. May you find comfort and strength during this difficult time.Losing a loved one in a motorcycle accident is always ...

Why would Elon Musk lash out at James Woods, of all people?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:57 GMT

Even though James Woods was one of Elon Musk’s biggest celebrity supporters when the Tesla CEO took over the social media site formerly known as Twitter, Musk showed that he wasn’t so inclined to reciprocate the actor’s good will and gracefully accept his criticism of his pledge to remove the platform’s “block” option.Musk, apparently being Musk, told Woods to “delete your account.” Musk then hit “block” on Woods — the very button the two men had been arguing about, the Daily Beast reported. Perhaps being thin-skinned, Musk didn’t take too kindly to Woods calling him a “greedy capitalist” and dismissing his claims of being a defender of free speech.Actor James Woods attends the 2017 WritersGuild Awards L.A. Ceremony at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 19, 2017in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Imagesfor WGAw) “Musk, whom I once championed, is only doing ...

Lazy Dog’s plans to come to this East Bay city are now in limbo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:57 GMT

With plans in limbo for Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar to locate in Brentwood, one councilwoman is asking the council to take a second look to see if the city can still work out a deal.Though the restaurant’s design plans earned the Planning Commission’s unanimous approval last week, that approval came with a number of design conditions that the developer, LRG Investors, could not agree to, so representatives made it clear they would walk late last week.That’s when Councilwoman Jovita Mendoza stepped in to ask the City Council to reevaluate the Commission’s decision and try to work out an agreement.“I pulled it for review in order to try to find a way to come to a consensus with him (the owner) and salvage the deal because we really want it,” Mendoza said. “I pulled it so that we can have more discussion and find a way to get to a ‘yes.’”Lazy Dog restaurants are known for their Rocky Mountain-inspired looks. (City of Brentwood) (City of Brentwood)Though the business owner or anyon...

While some stores are leaving San Francisco, Ikea is opening there this week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:57 GMT

By Nathaniel Meyersohn | CNNNew York — Ikea is opening a new store in downtown San Francisco Wednesday, bucking the trend of retailers closing in the city.Ikea will be the anchor tenant for a new mixed-use development on Market Street with retail, offices, restaurants and entertainment.City leaders are hopeful that the home furniture store will draw shoppers to downtown San Francisco and support other businesses in the area at a time of store closures and rising public safety concerns.Ikea’s parent company purchased the six-floor glass building in 2020 for redevelopment, at a cost of $260 million. The acquisition was part of Ikea’s strategy to open smaller stores in downtown districts after years of building sprawling locations on the outskirts of cities and in the suburbs.Ikea will be the first retailer to open in the new development. Its three-level, 52,000-square-foot store will showcase 27 different room options for apartments and smaller city homes for customers. Shoppers will ...

Northwestern’s hazing history: Cases over 150 years show how hard it can be for colleges, institutions to extinguish these rituals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:57 GMT

Angie Leventis Lourgos | Chicago Tribune (TNS)Accusations of hazing on Northwestern University’s football team have sent shock waves across the school this summer, fallout that continues as former players from a variety of sports come forward with new allegations of abusive behavior, bullying and a toxic culture.Yet the prestigious university has been grappling with hazing for well more than a century, from cases involving athletic teams and Greek life to class warfare between sophomores and incoming freshmen.One high-profile instance roughly a hundred years ago had particularly tragic consequences when an 18-year-old student went missing following participation in an annual freshman-sophomore hazing event, a case that remains a mystery today.The allegations this summer show the trauma and emotional damage that hazing can inflict, according to the claims of some former athletes in lawsuits filed against the university.“No teammate I knew liked hazing,” one former football player tol...

Trump Indictment: What’s next in Fulton County?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:57 GMT

Shannon McCaffrey | (TNS) The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionThe 41-count indictment handed up in Fulton County last week against former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies is the beginning of what is certain to be a long and complicated legal process.Here’s what to expect next:Surrenders: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis set a deadline of Friday, Aug. 25 at noon for the 19 defendants to turn themselves in for processing. By late Sunday afternoon, it did not appear that any had done so, despite Sheriff Patrick Labat noting that the Fulton County Jail was open 24/7. That means it’s likely to be a busy week at the Atlanta jail. Additionally, lawyers for those charged will be meeting with Willis and her staff this week to negotiate bond and other terms of surrender.Related ArticlesNational Politics | Inside Trump’s decision to skip the GOP debate National Politics | Legal scholars increasingly raise constitutional argument that Trump should be...

Ready for an electric car? What you need to know

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:57 GMT

Russ Mitchell | (TNS) Los Angeles TimesLOS ANGELES — Should you buy an electric car? If so, what kind? Pure electric? Plug-in hybrid? New? Used?As autos writer for The Times, I’m often asked for advice on electric car buying — most recently on a drive on Interstate 5 from Los Angeles to Berkeley, where I live. I was charging up a new blue Kia EV6 outside the Harris Ranch restaurant when a woman with a young child approached.What car is that, she wanted to know. She said she was thinking about a new EV. Should she buy one? After telling her what I did for a living, I came back with a question as my standard response: “Why do you want to buy an electric car?” She answered the way almost everyone does: “To help the environment.”“If doing your part to save the Earth is really your top priority,” I told her, “you should keep driving the gasoline car you already own until it’s ready for the junkyard. Then you should buy an electric car...

2 juveniles, 1 woman arrested in physical altercation in Rohnert Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:57 GMT

(KRON) -- Two juveniles and one woman were arrested following a physical altercation that left two people hospitalized, according to the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety.Officers responded to the 7300 block of Boris Court after receiving a 911 call regarding a person that had been stabbed. After arriving to the scene, officers located an 18-year-old woman and a juvenile female that had sustained lacerations on her legs, police said. Shortly after the juvenile arrived to the hospital, an 18-year-old man arrived at the same hospital with a laceration to his arm and several head injuries including a swollen eye and contusions. ‘Very large cat’ spotted in San Mateo Police later learned that two juvenile females were with the 18-year-old woman at a residence on Boris Court at the time the 18-year-old man was invited to the residence. A verbal altercation ensued between the 18-year-old man and one of the juvenile females that eventually led to a physical altercation involving t...