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Tesla says DOJ Is probing personal benefits violations, advertised vehicle range

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:52 GMT

By Sean O’Kane | BloombergTesla Inc. says it has received requests for information and subpoenas from the US Department of Justice related to potential personal benefits violations, the advertised range of its vehicles and personnel decisions.The company disclosed in a filing Monday that it received the requests in the third quarter.The Wall Street Journal in September reported that federal prosecutors are investigating perks provided to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk going back as far back as 2017, including a project described as a glass house for Musk. Earlier this year, Reuters reported that Tesla had created a special “diversions team” to avoid dealing with complaints from customers about their vehicle ranges.The filing warned of “the possibility of a material adverse impact on our business” should the government pursue an enforcement action. So far, to Tesla’s knowledge, any on going investigation hasn’t concluded any wrongdoing.Related ArticlesBusiness | Why Tes...

Israel ramps up Gaza strikes as US pushes for invasion delay

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:52 GMT

By Najib Jobain, Samy Magdy and Joseph Krauss | Associated PressRAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israel ramped up its airstrikes Monday in Gaza, where the death toll was rising rapidly, and the United States advised Israel to delay an expected ground invasion to allow more time to negotiate the release of hostages taken by Hamas militants.A third small aid convoy from Egypt entered Gaza, where the population of 2.3 million has been running out of food, water and medicine under Israel’s two-week seal. With Israel still barring entry of fuel, the U.N. said its distribution of aid would grind to a halt within days when it can no longer fuel its trucks. Gaza hospitals are struggling to keep generators running to power life-saving medical equipment and incubators for premature babies.Heavy airstrikes demolished buildings across Gaza, including in areas where Palestinians were told to seek refuge, killing hundreds and sending new waves of wounded into already packed hospitals, according to Pales...

Facing sex abuse claims, the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts filed for bankruptcy. One man vows both will pay.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:52 GMT

Jean Marbella | Baltimore SunAs a divorced mother in the 1970s, Carole Hines was happy to drive her son to camping trips with the Boy Scouts or host parties in their home for his men and boys’ choir. Both the troop and the choir were affiliated with the Catholic school he attended in Highlandtown, which she herself had gone to as a child.“I thought, ‘He has male role models,’” Hines recalled. “I was so oblivious.”These days, the Boy Scouts and the Catholic Church no longer command such unquestioned trust. Both are in the throes of a reckoning over decades of child sex abuse committed by troop leaders, clergy, teachers and others affiliated with them, and the institutions’ role in enabling and covering it up.The Boy Scouts filed for bankruptcy in 2020, resulting in a record $2.46 billion fund from which they will compensate about 82,000 men who say they were sexually abused as children.The Archdiocese of Baltimore filed for bankruptcy Sept. 29, just before a new Maryland law lifted a...

US renews Philippines defense vow after South China Sea incidents

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:52 GMT

By Jim Gomez and Simina Mistreanu | Associated PressMANILA, Philippines — The United States renewed a warning Monday that it would defend the Philippines in case of an armed attack under a 1951 treaty, after Chinese ships blocked and collided with two Filipino vessels off a contested shoal in the South China Sea.Philippine diplomats summoned a Chinese Embassy official in Manila on Monday for a strongly worded protest following Sunday’s collisions off Second Thomas Shoal. No injuries were reported but the encounters damaged a Philippine coast guard ship and a wooden-hulled supply boat operated by navy personnel, officials said.President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called an emergency meeting with the defense secretary and other top military and security officials to discuss the latest hostilities in the disputed waters. The Philippines and other neighbors of China have resisted Beijing’s sweeping territorial claims over virtually the entire South China Sea, and some, like Manila...

Single-family house in Oakland sells for $1.6 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:52 GMT

6115 North Rockridge Boulevard – Google Street ViewThe historic property located in the 6100 block of North Rockridge Boulevard in Oakland was sold on Sept. 15, 2023 for $1,575,000, or $1,151 per square foot. The house, built in 1924, has an interior space of 1,368 square feet. This single-story home has three bedrooms and one bath. In addition, the house features a garage.Additional houses that have recently changed hands close by include:In January 2023, a 1,952-square-foot home on Ocean View Drive in Oakland sold for $1,975,000, a price per square foot of $1,012. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 2,150-square-foot home on the 5800 block of Margarido Drive in Oakland sold in May 2023, for $1,931,500, a price per square foot of $898. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Margarido Drive, Oakland, in April 2023, a 3,551-square-foot home was sold for $2,400,000, a price per square foot of $676. The home has 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. 

What do more quakes at one of California’s riskiest volcanoes mean? Scientists think they know

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:52 GMT

Rong-Gong Lin II | Los Angeles Times (TNS)One of California’s riskiest volcanoes has for decades been undergoing geological changes and seismic activity, which are sometimes a precursor to an eruption, but — thankfully — no supervolcanic eruptions are expected.That’s according to Caltech researchers who have been studying the Long Valley Caldera, which includes the Mammoth Lakes area in Mono County. The caldera was classified in 2018 by the U.S. Geological Survey as one of three volcanoes in the state — along with 15 elsewhere in the U.S. — considered a “very high threat,” the highest-risk category defined by the agency.The two other volcanoes in California with that classification are Mt. Shasta in Siskiyou County and the Lassen Volcanic Center, which includes Lassen Peak in Shasta County. The threat assessment is not a list of which volcanoes are most likely to erupt or a ranking of those that are most active; rather, it’s defined as a combination of ...

Wrongly convicted, they ‘lost hope’ after 17 years in prison. Then a California mom helped prove their innocence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:52 GMT

They seemed destined to die in prison, but two men serving life sentences were set free because the daughter of a Laguna Beach lawyer needed a driving lesson.When attorney Annee Della Donna hired driving instructor Daniel Mulrenin, she was unaware he had another set of skills. He was a private investigator and retired Los Angeles Police Department lieutenant haunted by the case of two Black teenagers who he believed were wrongly convicted on multiple charges of attempted murder.Mulrenin couldn’t stop thinking about it. And in Della Donna’s kitchen, he couldn’t stop talking about it.“I couldn’t let it go, because I know they didn’t do it,” Mulrenin recalled. “How could I come home to my wife and live by the beach when those guys are serving 11 consecutive life sentences?”Della Donna had a full calendar of civil cases and no experience as a criminal lawyer. But she listened as Mulrenin told how he was hired by a defense firm to look into the Los Angeles County conviction of Juan Rayfo...

‘Goodfellas’ mobster Vincent Asaro dead at 88

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:52 GMT

John Annese | New York Daily News (TNS)Reputed mob boss and Bonanno crime family member Vincent Asaro has died, the Daily News has learned.Asaro was 88 years old when he died last week, his criminal defense attorney Liz Macedonio confirmed Sunday.“He was a larger than life client who lived life to the fullest,” Macedonio said. “He will be deeply missed by his family and friends.”Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Burt Young dies at 83; Oscar-nominated actor played Paulie in ‘Rocky’ films Crime and Public Safety | Martti Ahtisaari dies at 86; winner of Nobel Peace Prize was former president of Finland Crime and Public Safety | Photos: Bay Area native Suzanne Somers through the years Crime and Public Safety | Suzanne Somers, of ‘Three’s Company,’ dies at 76 Crime and Public Safety | Piper Laurie, 3-time Oscar nominee with film credits such as ‘The Hustler’ and ‘Carrie,’ dies at 91 Asaro ...

San Jose State football: Cinderella story at fullback for Spartans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:52 GMT

SAN JOSE — When Charlie Rogers caught a 10-yard touchdown pass Saturday night, the San Jose State sideline erupted. It wasn’t just the first touchdown of his collegiate career. it was the first time he’d ever touched the ball.It couldn’t have come at a more crucial time.For the fans inside Spartan Stadium, the touchdown put SJSU up 14 points heading into the fourth quarter. But for Rogers and his teammates, the touchdown was the culmination of the hard work and sacrifice the walk-on fullback/linebacker had made in the three seasons he suited up for the Spartans.“Charlie Rogers might be the most-liked guy on our football team,” said SJSU coach Brent Brennan after the Spartans’ 42-21 homecoming win over Utah State Saturday night.  He’s all about the right things. He’s a great dude, he works incredibly hard. He just keeps showing up and everyone loves him.”Rogers is from Loomis, but his football roots are in San Jose. His father, Daryl Rogers played three seasons for ...

Main Street Alameda Ferry Terminal closed for rest of the year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:52 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A planned closure for the Main Street Alameda Ferry Terminal began Monday and will last through the rest of the year. The terminal will be closed so that the terminal can be refurbished.The refurbishment is a "major construction project," according to SF Bay Ferry. The project will include repair and replacement of existing terminal infrastructure designed to bring the site into compliance with current seismic safety requirements. Alaska Airlines plane diverted to Portland Airport after ‘credible threat’ Upgrades will see the bridge, foundation and gangway replaced. The existing float will also be demolished and replaced. Water, electrical and utility upgrades are also planned.The construction will also see the addition of design elements to prepare the terminal for future fleet electrification. Upon the project's completion, passengers will see benefits that include more efficient ferry operations and modernized terminal lighting, according to SF Bay Ferry...