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Richmond pastor charged with 16 counts in 4-victim child molestation case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:17 GMT

RICHMOND — An East Bay pastor has been charged with 16 counts related to a massive child molestation investigation that so far has uncovered four alleged victims, court records show.Victor Manuel Hernandez-Pineda, of the Iglesia Pentecostes Movimiento De Gloria, was charged with kidnapping, multiple counts of forcible rape, committing lewd acts upon a minor, and annoying or molesting a minor. He remains in jail in lieu of $7 million bail, which is likely to be raised even more at his arraignment Wednesday morning.Hernandez-Pineda was arrested last week after a tip from one of the victims that led to police obtaining a warrant to arrest him on suspicion of kidnapping and child molestation, authorities said. In the days since his arrest, three more girls, all younger than 16, have come forward, authorities said.Hernandez-Pineda, 53, is listed as the director of the Richmond church located on 3rd Street at Macdonald Avenue. He lives in Oakland. His attorney could not immediately ...

Santa Clara County approves six affordable housing projects with some of the last of Measure A funds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:17 GMT

Santa Clara County is adding 716 new affordable homes to its housing stock, largely using Measure A money, leaving the county down to its last dollars from the 2016 affordable housing bond.On Tuesday afternoon, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved six new developments — one in Palo Alto, two in Mountain View and three in San Jose — that will house up to 2,762 residents once completed.The six projects will cost $47.4 million with $36.1 million coming from Measure A — a $950 million affordable housing bond approved by voters in 2016.As of the vote, the county has allocated roughly $857 million of Measure A funds with $648 million going to build 4,749 affordable homes, 51 units short of the county’s overall goal. The rest of the money has gone to other programs like assisting first-time homebuyers with down payments. Thus far, $92.4 million has yet to be spoken for and county officials said $32.3 million of that will be spent on priority projects...

Biden tells donors he’s ‘not sure’ he’d run again if Trump wasn’t

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:17 GMT

By Kevin Liptak, David Wright and Samantha Walderberg | CNNPresident Joe Biden told Democratic donors Tuesday he wasn’t confident he’d be seeking another term if his predecessor Donald Trump wasn’t himself running for the White House, a notably candid assessment of his reelection rationale as he enters a likely rematch with his 2020 rival.“If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running,” he said, saying Democrats “cannot let him win.”The comment, made during a fundraiser at a private home outside Boston, offered perhaps the starkest rationale to date for Biden’s reelection decision-making. The remark suggested Biden may not have sought a second term if Trump had not decided to run again.Biden has long viewed himself as the best shot at protecting the country from another Trump administration, and has framed the upcoming election as a defense of Democracy.The comment came as Biden began a fundraising sprint Tuesday ahead of an expensive reelection race.Biden is headlining three...

Man arrested for spree of Mountain View road rage incidents

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:17 GMT

(KRON) -- A man was arrested on Monday after he was accused of intentionally causing two car crashes and running over another person's foot, the Mountain View Police Department said. All three incidents purportedly happened on Monday. Officers first learned of a road rage incident on California Street at 9 p.m. MVPD said the suspect threatened the victim, and 911 dispatchers advised the victim to drive to the police station. Ex-San Jose cop went on road rage rampage, according to court docs The victim told officers that the suspect used a gold Toyota sedan to chase down his car and ram it. That vehicle was reported to have been involved in a similar assault on Central Expressway and Moffett Boulevard at about 10:30 a.m. Officers located the sedan and conducted a traffic stop on the 1900 block of California Street. The suspect was identified as 34-year-old Homero Topete. The victim of the Central Expressway assault identified Topete as the suspect. After Topete was detained, offic...

$15K trailer, equipment stolen from East Bay Boy Scout troop

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:17 GMT

(KRON) -- An East Bay boy scout troop is now without a very important trailer after thieves stole it over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.They say, they’re not able to continue with some of their programs. Inside of the trailer was 20 years' worth of equipment and ceremonial items valued at over $15,000.“The trailer was stolen from the back of the Church of the Valley in San Ramon," said Xeno Rasmusson, scoutmaster of troop 1776 and a professor at Cal State East Bay. "Thieves got it."With the theft, the troop lost everything they needed to continue their camping program, a core part of the scouting experience.”We were just shocked," Rasmusson said. "It was in disrepair and some of the adults were getting ready to change the flat tire. I thought that maybe someone got to it before I did. No. It was a little bit of anger, and then frustration knowing how much time it will take to reassemble that type of equipment that’s specialized for our needs.””Somebody had cut the chain to get to...

Another San Francisco restaurant abruptly closes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:17 GMT

(KRON) -- San Francisco Chinese restaurant Xiao Loong in West Portal announced it is closing Tuesday effective immediately."When I started out my business two decades ago, I never would have guessed that this journey would have far exceeded my expectations," owner Jeff Louie said in a statement on the restaurant's website. "More importantly though, from day one, this neighborhood provided me and my family with the warmest of welcomes where I have met so many wonderful customers (some of who have since become dear friends!) that have been supportive throughout all of these past years..embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of YOU as well as my staff, for all of the unforgettable experiences and great memories that I will forever ch...

This business makes a New Orleans staple, but it’s in Loudoun County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:17 GMT

Northern Virginia is not exactly close to New Orleans, but one small business owner in Loudoun County is giving his customers a taste of “The Big Easy.”Scott Bilstad, owner of Bilstad’s Beignets in Ashburn, is known for serving up beignets — deep fried squares of dough sprinkled with powdered sugar that are typically featured in French American cuisine. They’re most commonly associated with Louisiana cuisine, and are extremely popular in New Orleans.They are similar to doughnuts, but are just different enough to be highly unique.“Essentially, the flour we use is a little lower in protein, so it’s not as dense,” Bilstad said. “We also sheet it thinner, and then we cut them into squares.”Bilstad has been making them professionally for about four years now.Beignets are deep fried squares of dough sprinkled with powdered sugar. You can get a taste of the New Orleans specialty at Bilstad’s Beignets in Ashburn, Virginia. (Courtes...

More bodies found after sudden eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Marapi, raising confirmed toll to 23

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:17 GMT

BATU PALANO, Indonesia (AP) — Rescuers searching the hazardous slopes of Indonesia’s Mount Marapi volcano found the last body of climbers who were caught by a surprise weekend eruption, raising the number of confirmed dead to 23, officials said Wednesday.About 75 climbers started their way up the nearly 2,900-meter (9,480-foot) mountain in Agam district of West Sumatra province on Saturday and became stranded.Some 52 climbers were rescued after the initial eruption Sunday, and 11 others were initially confirmed dead. New eruptions on Monday and Tuesday spewed more hot ash as high as 800 meters (2,620 feet) into the air, reducing visibility and temporarily halting search and recovery operations, said Abdul Malik, chief of the Padang Search and Rescue Agency.The bodies of two climbers were located on Monday and nine more on Tuesday, the National Search and Rescue Agency said.West Sumatra’s Police Chief Suharyono said the body of the last climber was found early Wednesday, ...

Dodgers acknowledge meeting with Ohtani. Yankees covet Yamamoto

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:17 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Dave Roberts started to dodge the big question about Shohei Ohtani, rocking back and forth in his seat and staying silent for three seconds before his big admission:“Yeah, we met with him,” the Los Angeles Dodgers manager said Tuesday at the winter meetings, making Roberts’ club the first to publicly admit a sit-down with the unique two-way player likely to break baseball’s salary record.Officials on other teams danced meticulously around the question as if choregraphed by Bob Fosse. Toronto general manager Ross Atkins, who sparked speculation of a possible meeting by holding his Monday media availability on Zoom rather than at the winter meetings hotel, had this to say: “Some meetings that occur, that don’t occur, I’m not going to get into the specifics of.”New Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell batted away Ohtani queries as if in a cross-examination. After saying he had not met with Ohtani, Counsell was asked whether anyone in the Cubs fr...

Chicago White Sox and RHP Erick Fedde agree to $15 million, 2-year contract, AP source says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:17 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Erick Fedde is returning to the majors with the Chicago White Sox after spending last season in South Korea.The right-hander has agreed to a $15 million, two-year contract with Chicago, according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the move was pending a physical.The 30-year-old Fedde was selected by Washington in the first round of the 2014 amateur draft. He made his big league debut in 2017 and pitched for the Nationals for six seasons, going 21-33 with a 5.41 ERA in 102 games, including 88 starts.After he went 6-13 with a 5.81 ERA over 27 starts in 2022, he signed a one-year contract with the NC Dinos. Fedde went 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA and 209 strikeouts over 180 1/3 innings during his only season in South Korea.Fedde likely slots into a Chicago rotation fronted by Dylan Cease. But the White Sox are under new leadership with general manager Chris Getz, and Cease could be traded before the beg...