Category: Sacramento

LA GRANGE — Construction of the Tuolumne River Mainstem Channel Restoration project, which aims to provide healthy habitat in which fish can thrive, was completed this week by partners Turlock Irrigation District, Modesto Irrigation District and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

On Dec. 14, 1924 — exactly 100 years ago today — the local chapter of the Knights of Columbus came into existence.

The community gathered Thursday night for the 27th annual Lighting of the Homicide Victims’ Memorial Tree & Candlelight Vigil in downtown Modesto.

Saturday, December 14, 2024 7:49AM Newly released body camera video shows a deadly shootout between Fresno Police and a homicide suspect back on October 26th. FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Newly released body camera video shows a deadly shootout between Fresno Police and a homicide suspect back on October 26th. It captures the chilling moments a sergeant was shot while sitting in his car and the officers who helped save his life. The footage from the sergeant’s body camera shows the moments after he’d been shot three times in his legs. He still went after the suspect while calling for help. Moments earlier, that sergeant had responded to a shotspotter notification at Eighth and Platt in southeast Fresno. He was sitting in his car when 40-year-old Andy Morales drove by and fired several rounds into the vehicle. That led to a pursuit. Security video shows the suspect using his truck for cover and moving around during the gun battle. Other officers responded, shooting Morales, who died at the hospital. The officers rushed to help their sergeant by putting tourniquets around his legs. The entire encounter was

Saturday, December 14, 2024 12:32AM OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is planning to make a $1 million personal donation to President-Elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, joining a number of tech companies and executives who are working to improve their relationships the incoming administration. LOS ANGELES — OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is planning to make a $1 million personal donation to President-Elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, joining a number of tech companies and executives who are working to improve their relationships with the incoming administration. A spokesperson for OpenAI confirmed the move on Friday. The announcement comes one day after Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said it donated $1 million to the same fund. Amazon also said it plans to donate $1 million. “President Trump will lead our country into the age of AI, and I am eager to support his efforts to ensure America stays ahead,” Altman said in a statement. Altman, who is in a legal dispute with rival Elon Musk, has said he is “not that worried” about the Tesla CEO’s influence in the incoming administration. Trump is putting Musk, the

Friday, December 13, 2024 11:45PM At least 16 people were hospitalized Friday afternoon after two airboats collided in Florida Everglades, investigators said. Officers responded to the 911 call around 3:15 p.m. and found several people injured at the site of the collision near Ochopee, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said two airboats, one with 20 people on board and the other with 13 on board, collided near Ochopee, Fla., on Dec. 13, 2024. WPLG One boat was carrying 13 passengers while the other was carrying 20, the commission said. The conditions of the injured passengers were not immediately released Investigators were working to determine the cause of the collision and the probe was ongoing. Copyright © 2024 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved. Top Stories

Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Tiffany Boone voice the lead lions in “Mufasa: The Lion King,” in theaters December 20. By Crystal Benitez Friday, December 13, 2024 11:45PM Actors Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Tiffany Boone share what it’s like to star in “Mufasa: The Lion King,” in theaters December 20. ESCONDIDO, CA — The stars of “Mufasa: The Lion King”: Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Tiffany Boone opened up to On The Red Carpet about playing the three lead lions in the upcoming Disney adventure. Pierre voices the title character, Mufasa, the father of Simba who was first introduced in the original ‘Lion King’ movie in 1994. Harrison Jr. plays his adoptive brother Taka who fans know better as the villain, Scar. And Boone plays Sarabi, a female lion who attracts the attention of the two males, putting their brotherly bond to the test. The new film opening in theaters December 20, isn’t the first time Pierre and Harrison Jr. have worked together. The pair also portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X in Nat Geo’s “Genius: MLK/X.” Harrison

The U.S. military has transported out of Syria an American who disappeared seven months ago into former President Bashar Assad’s notorious prison system and was among the thousands released this week by rebels, U.S. officials said Friday. Travis Timmerman, 29, was flown to Jordan on a U.S. military helicopter, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing operation. It’s unclear where Timmerman may go next. He thanked his rescuers for freeing him but has told American officials that he would like to stay in the region, according to another person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly. Timmerman was detained after he crossed into Syria while on a Christian pilgrimage from a mountain along the eastern Lebanese town of Zahle in June. He told The Associated Press in an interview earlier Friday that he was not ill-treated while in Palestine Branch, a notorious detention facility operated by Syrian intelligence. In his prison cell, Timmerman said, he had a mattress, a plastic drinking container and two others for waste. He said the Friday calls to

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM A judge who helped orchestrate one of the worst judicial scandals in U.S. history — a scheme to send children to for-profit jails in exchange for kickbacks — was among the 1,500 people whose sentences were commuted by President Joe Biden this week. Biden’s decision to commute the 17-year prison sentence of Michael Conahan angered many in northeastern Pennsylvania, from the governor to the families whose children were victimized by the disgraced former judge. Conahan had already served the vast majority of his sentence, which was handed down in 2011. “I do feel strongly that President Biden got it absolutely wrong and created a lot of pain here in northeastern Pennsylvania,” Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said during an unrelated news conference in Scranton on Friday. The scandal “affected families in really deep and profound and sad ways,” he added. Conahan “deserves to be behind bars, not walking as a free man.” A message seeking comment was sent to an attorney who recently represented Conahan, the former president judge of the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas. In what came to be

By DAVID BAUDER Time magazine gave Donald Trump something it has never done for a Person of the Year designee: a lengthy fact-check of claims he made in an accompanying interview. Related Articles National Politics | Trump’s lawyers rebuff DA’s idea for upholding his hush money conviction, calling it ‘absurd’ National Politics | Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time National Politics | Ruling by a conservative Supreme Court could help blue states resist Trump policies National Politics | A nonprofit leader, a social worker: Here are the stories of the people on Biden’s clemency list National Politics | Nancy Pelosi hospitalized after she ‘sustained an injury’ on official trip to Luxembourg The fact-check accompanies a transcript of what the president-elect told the newsmagazine’s journalists. Described as a “12 minute read,” it calls into question 15 separate statements that Trump made. It was the second time Trump earned the Time accolade; he also won in 2016, the first year he was elected president. Time editors said it wasn’t a particularly hard choice over other finalists Kamala Harris, Elon Musk, Benjamin Netanyahu and

By CLAIRE RUSH PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Googly eyes have been appearing on sculptures around the central Oregon city of Bend, delighting many residents and sparking a viral sensation covered widely by news outlets and featured on a popular late-night talk show. On social media, the city shared photos of googly eyes on installations in the middle of roundabouts that make up its so-called “Roundabout Art Route.” One photo shows googly eyes placed on a sculpture of two deer, while another shows them attached to a sphere. It’s not yet known who has been putting them on the sculptures. “While the googly eyes placed on the various art pieces around town might give you a chuckle, it costs money to remove them with care to not damage the art,” the city said in its posts. The Facebook post received hundreds of comments, with many users saying they liked the googly eyes. “My daughter and I went past the flaming chicken today and shared the biggest laugh,” one user said, using a nickname for the “Phoenix Rising” sculpture. “We love the googly eyes. This town is

Aaron Siri, an attorney to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., petitioned the FDA to “withdraw or suspend” its approval of a polio vaccine.

An American Airlines flight departing from New York City for Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff after a possible bird strike. No injuries were reported on board.

Here’s a look at the top stories making headlines on the “CBS Evening News” with Margaret Brennan.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is recovering in a hospital in Luxembourg after being hurt in a fall while in Europe as part of a congressional delegation marking the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge.

The Public Policy Institute of California, a think tank that conducts vigorous and objective research into vital state issues, is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a series of retrospective reports. Housing, or the chronic lack thereof, is arguably the most important of those issues, since it lies at the core of so many of California’s existential challenges. They include the nation’s highest levels of homelessness and poverty, a yawning gap in generational wealth, and the outflow of people and jobs to other states with more abundant and less expensive housing. Unfortunately, Public Policy Institute researchers Hans Johnson and Eric McGhee could find little progress over the past three decades, writing, “While California’s housing market has undergone tremendous changes over the years, with some aspects worsening in the last decade, the central problem — high housing costs — remains the same. “As California’s population has increased, more housing units have been built — yet housing costs and rent increases have outpaced building,” they add. Since 1990 the state has added 3.6 million homes, up 33%, and 9.4 million residents, up 31% as of last January. California’s median

RED BLUFF—A breakfast gathering at Red Bluff Dodge on Thursday morning brought the community together to enjoy holiday cheer and collect toys for Saturday’s Children’s Christmas Festival. According to California Highway Patrol Officer William Parker, more than 900 people have signed up for this event, which gives away gifts and other gifts to families in need. Volunteers will be at the Red Bluff Community Center Friday to set up for the big event, which will take place from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at 1500 S Jackson St. George Johnston/ Daily NewsAttendees line up for the breakfast provided by Los Mariachis. (George Johnston/ Daily News) “If it were not for the community, for everybody who is here, all the businesses that donate, people who volunteer their time, we would not be able to do this,” Parker said. Red Bluff Chamber of Commerce CEO Dave Gowan was the master of ceremonies for the breakfast event. He discussed the chamber’s recent mixer last week, during which they auctioned off several trees. Prizes were given for the best holiday dresses and coal for those who did not bother

By MIKE CATALINI CHATHAM, N.J. (AP) — That buzzing coming out of New Jersey? It’s unclear if it’s drones or something else, but for sure the nighttime sightings are producing tons of talk, a raft of conspiracy theories and craned necks looking skyward. Cropping up on local news and social media sites around Thanksgiving, the saga of the drones reported over New Jersey has reached incredible heights. This week seems to have begun a new, higher-profile chapter: Lawmakers are demanding (but so far not getting) explanations from federal and state authorities about what’s behind them. Gov. Phil Murphy wrote to President Joe Biden asking for answers. New Jersey’s new senator, Andy Kim, spent Thursday night on a drone hunt in rural northern New Jersey, and posted about it on X. But perhaps the most fantastic development is the dizzying proliferation of conspiracies — none of which has been confirmed or suggested by federal and state officials who say they’re looking into what’s happening. It has become shorthand to refer to the flying machines as drones, but there are questions about whether what people are seeing

BY MELISSA GOLDIN Social media users are misrepresenting a report released Thursday by the Justice Department inspector general’s office, falsely claiming that it’s proof the FBI orchestrated the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The watchdog report examined a number of areas, including whether major intelligence failures preceded the riot and whether the FBI in some way provoked the violence. Claims spreading online focus on the report’s finding that 26 FBI informants were in Washington for election-related protests on Jan. 6, including three who had been tasked with traveling to the city to report on others who were potentially planning to attend the events. Although 17 of those informants either entered the Capitol or a restricted area around the building during the riot, none of the 26 total informants were authorized to do so by the bureau, according to the report. Nor were they authorized to otherwise break the law or encourage others to do so. Here’s a closer look at the facts. CLAIM: A December 2024 report released by the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General is proof that the Jan. 6

The 49ers will do everything they can to finish the 2024 season with a 9-8 record but coach Kyle Shanahan isn’t thinking beyond that. A 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams all but ended their playoff aspirations with games at Miami, at home against Detroit and the regular-season finale in Arizona still to play. For a team that had played in the NFC Championship Game four out of the last five years and played in two Super Bowls, it’s a huge letdown. “I’ll talk about 2025 when we get to 2025,” Shanahan said in a conference call with local media Friday. “But you have hope every year. You put together the best team possible, you go and practice and you go out there and you battle. So that’s what we do every single offseason. “You figure out how to get the best players possible through free agency and the Draft, you try to keep your best players as possible, you go to work and you show up for Week One.” The 49ers are coming to grips with being an also-ran. The reasons for the

By Alex Webb Friday, December 13, 2024 11:15PM Donna Thomas turned her grief into action, founding the nonprofit organization James’ Warriors to battle the stigma surrounding suicide. RED HOOK, New York — In October 2018, Donna Thomas’ life was changed forever when she lost her son James to his battle with mental health. He was just 19 years old. Six years after his death by suicide, Donna still remembers James as he was: fun, adventurous, funny and kind. “But my hope is that people would know that just because you have a person who is handsome, popular, and funny, it doesn’t mean that they’re OK,” she said. In 2020, Donna turned her grief into action, founding the nonprofit organization James’ Warriors to battle the stigma surrounding suicide and bring hope to people like James who may be battling in silence. Built on love for her son James, the organization works to bring hope through mental-health education and awareness. Donna and her team visit schools and local organizations and attend fundraisers, working directly with students to start the conversation about mental health and “talk about the