Guide dog nicknamed Dogfather retires after fathering over 300 puppies

By Christopher Brito April 11, 2024 / 4:04 PM EDT / CBS News Nonprofit provides free guide dogs Nonprofit provides free guide dogs for the visually impaired 00:58 A guide dog, appropriately nicknamed the “Dogfather,” is retiring after fathering more than 300 puppies. Guide Dogs, a charity that helps pair dogs with people with vision impairment in the U.K., announced this week that their 9-year-old golden retriever Trigger won’t be part of their breeding program any longer.  “Trigger’s legacy can be seen in the independence and confidence his progeny has brought to the lives of blind and partially sighted people all over Britain,” Guide Dogs said in a news release. Trigger is the father of many guide dogs in U.K. cities, including London, Glasgow and Cardiff, and two of his litters were born abroad in France and the Netherlands.  Trigger is retiring from a guide dog program after fathering more than 300 puppies.  Doug Peters/PA Media Assignments According to Guide Dogs, 294 puppies have been bred by the nonprofit and 29 other pups were bred via assistance dog charities and guide dog schools, making Trigger

TedX to Poly Royal, there is a lot to do this weekend across the Central Coast

Here’s a look at some of the events taking place across the Central Coast from Friday, March 12th, through Sunday, April 14th. Multi-Day Events Poly Royal Rodeo Wednesday, April 10th through Saturday, April 13th Cotton Rosser Rodeo ComplexIt is almost time for the 2024 Poly Royal Rodeo! Tonight through Saturday enjoy all the fun of this rodeo and school showcase. While tickets are already sold out for the evening rodeo events head to the Cotton Rosser Rodeo Complex Saturday morning to check out the athletes compete in the qualifying rounds. Click here for full details! Saturday, April 13th Chumash Earth Day 110 a.m. to 2 p.m. Kitiyepumu’ Park Santa Ynez Kick off Earth Day celebrations Saturday at the Chumash Earth Day Celebration in Santa Ynez! From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Kitiyepumu Park will fill with family fun including face painting a raffle and educational booths, plus Smokey Bear and Safety Sam will be in attendance! Click here for full details! Sunday, April 14th TedX-San Luis Obispo Noon to 5:30 p.m. Performing Arts Center San Luis ObispoCheck out “Ideas Worth Spreading” at TedX- San Luis

City of San Bernardino Seeking the Public’s Help to Identify Individuals Responsible for a Severely Burned Puppy

The City of San Bernardino is asking the public to help identify the individual or individuals responsible for severely burning a three-month-old puppy in what may be an intentional act of animal cruelty and abandoned it and another puppy at a veterinary office on Highland Avenue on April 4. On Thursday, April 4, 2024, the City of San Bernardino’s Animal Services Department was called to a veterinary office on West Highland Avenue regarding two puppies abandoned in its parking lot overnight. When officers arrived at the location, they found two labrador retriever mix puppies, each approximately three months old. One of the puppies had what appeared to be burns to their face, ears, and body. The officer quickly brought both puppies back to the San Bernardino Animal Shelter for assessment. Upon examination, the veterinary technicians determined the puppy with the burns had suffered severe injuries that needed to be treated by a Veterinarian.  Both puppies were transported to the Shelter’s contract veterinarian. While the puppy without injuries was cleared by the Veterinarian, the puppy with the burns, named “Ember” by the vet team, required immediate

Crockett’s new BBQ restaurant is led by a former Pixar sous chef

It all started when chef Derrick Jones came to Crockett for a sandwich during the pandemic. The longtime chef, who’d worked for years as a sous chef at Pixar Animation Studios, gave his compliments to chef and sandwich maker Randy Valdez, owner of Lucia’s Craft Sandwich, and the two men became friends, Valdez says. After a couple of years of a friendship forged around food, they decided to start a restaurant together. They looked for locations for more than a year before space opened up next to Valdez’ sandwich shop in Crockett. After a successful pop-up run, the restaurant received a beer and wine permit and is now open for lunch on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays as well as weekend brunch. However, it won’t be fully operational until the wood smoker they have planned is up and running, Valdez says. “It’s kind of a long journey because of that element,” he says. Smoked salmon, a cornmeal waffle, cream cheese, watermelon radish and mixed herbs are served at Bobby Mac’s BBQ, a new barbecue restaurant in Crockett. (Courtesy Sarai Fox)  Currently, they’re doing Creole and Southern

Salmon fishing banned off the California coast for the second year in a row

In a major setback for California’s beleaguered fishing industry and the latest reminder of the state’s long-running battles over water supplies, particularly during drought years, all commercial and recreational salmon fishing will be prohibited off the California coast this year for the second year in a row. The Pacific Fishery Management Council, a federal agency based in Oregon, announced the decision Wednesday evening, citing low numbers of Sacramento River winter Chinook, Central Valley Spring Chinook, and Upper-Sacramento River fall Chinook salmon. The state’s salmon populations are struggling from the effects of the severe drought that gripped California from 2020 to 2022, when hotter temperatures and lower water levels in streams and rivers killed many of the young fish. During the drought, cities, farms and fishing interests battled for limited water supplies. On Thursday, fishing and environmental groups said state and federal water managers should have kept more water in rivers and behind dams to reduce the impact and managed it more effectively. That almost certainly would have meant less water would have been pumped to cities and farms during the drought. “It’s heartbreaking. It’s a

Editorial: Recount of tied congressional race a victory for election integrity

After a stunning tie vote in the Bay Area congressional race to replace retiring Rep. Anna Eshoo, it looks like voters will get the recount they deserve. Sadly, it’s coming with shameful, politically opportunistic, anti-democratic demonizing by two leading South Bay elected officials who should instead be embracing this victory for election integrity. The recount, if it begins on Monday, will provide a much-needed check on the highly improbable deadlocked vote for second place in the March 5 primary. And if, as is likely, the recount breaks the tie, we will have a November runoff between two rather than three candidates, meaning the winner will need a majority of voter support rather than just a plurality. To recap where we’re at today: The final results of the District 16 congressional primary covering parts of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties show that former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo finished first with 38,489 votes, or 21.1% of the ballots cast. Assemblymember Evan Low and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian tied for second place, each receiving 30,249 votes, or 16.6%. The tie is unprecedented for a

Years after release in double murder case, East Bay man charged with raping stranger on Concord trail

CONCORD — A 40-year-old man has been charged with raping and robbing a woman on a trail near the North Concord BART station, a crime that authorities describe as an attack on a randomly-selected victim. Larry Ridge Jr. was charged Wednesday with one count of forcible rape, one count of assault with intent to commit rape and one count of robbing the woman of her cellphone, records show. He is set to be arraigned Thursday afternoon before Judge Patricia Scanlon. Ridge was serving a life sentence for two second-degree murder convictions from 2004 until 2019, when a change in California law led to his release from jail. Those convictions stemmed from a quadruple shooting in Oakland that occurred — coincidentally — exactly 20 years to the day before Ridge allegedly raped the woman in Concord. On April 8, 2004, Ridge’s brother, 46-year-old Donald Jones, fired a rifle from a van containing Ridge, 28-year-old Ray Gilbert and one other person, at a group of people on 29th Street in West Oakland. A 15-year-old boy, Thomas Simpson, was killed and another teen was injured, prompting someone in

O.J. Simpson’s death unleashes strong emotions

By The Associated Press Reaction to the death of O.J. Simpson after prostate cancer. He was 76. Simpson’s family announced the news on his X account. Relatives said he died Wednesday. RELATED: 49ers’ historically bad trade for O.J. Simpson was mere blip in his complex life | O.J. Simpson rode his speed out of the Bay Area to fame and infamy. It didn’t start that way ___ “I feel that the system failed Nicole Brown Simpson and failed battered women everywhere. I don’t mourn for O.J. Simpson. I do mourn for Nicole Brown Simpson and her family and they should be remembered.” — Attorney Gloria Allred, who once represented Nicole’s family, on ABC News. ___ “The only thing I have to say is it’s just further reminder of Ron being gone all these years. It’s no great loss to the world. It’s a further reminder of Ron’s being gone.” — Fred Goldman, father of Ron Goldman, to NBC News. ___ “O.J. Simpson was the first player to reach a rushing mark many thought could not be attained in a 14-game season when he topped 2,000

Gil Navarro, longtime Inland Empire activist, dies at 81

Gil Navarro is seen Oct. 14, 2003, during his campaign for the San Bernardino City Unified School District board. He died Saturday, April 6, 2024, at age 81. (File photo by Greg Vojtko, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Inland Empire activist and student advocate Gil Navarro has died. Navarro, 81, died Saturday, April 6, at St. Bernardine Medical Center in San Bernardino, according to his family. Although he was a Navy veteran, Navarro had worked at the corporate office for Carl’s Jr. and for IBM, owned a taxes and bookkeeping business and a mailbox business and was a notary. But he is best known for his advocacy work. The longtime San Bernardino resident, who previously lived in Riverside, spent the past three decades holding public school districts and other local government agencies accountable across the Inland Empire. Though he often pushed school districts on policy or economic issues, he was most often seen fighting for the rights of individual students. “My eldest brother was the first one to get in trouble” in 1990, said his son, Joe Navarro, who is now president of the Jurupa school board. “Some

Fast horses, stylish boutiques, tasty bourbon, even a castle are found in this one Kentucky county

Patti Nickell | Tribune News Service (TNS) Where can you taste the world’s best bourbon, make the acquaintance of the world’s most famous Thoroughbred, tour the home of the “Paul Revere of the South,” shop for high-end antiques in a converted schoolhouse, and spend the night in a castle — all in the same small county? If you said Woodford County, Kentucky, go to the head of the class. Located in the state’s scenic Bluegrass Region, Woodford County offers enough to keep a visitor occupied for an entire vacation. Start with the Thoroughbreds. Drive along US 60, and you will quickly discover that you are in an upscale neighborhood where the sprawling farms belong to folks such as the Sheikh of Dubai (Gainsborough at Darley) and Barbara Jackson, widow of California wine magnate Jess Jackson (Stonestreet). Most visitors make a beeline for Coolmore at Ashford Stud where Triple Crown and Breeder’s Cup winner American Pharoah stands at stud. The superstar stallion, along with his stablemate, fellow Triple Crown winner Justified, will happily pose for pictures with adoring fans. These guys preen, prance and mug for

Time for tea in London? Top hotels show how it’s made to perfection

George Hobica | Tribune News Service Afternoon tea in London — whether at a posh hotel such as the Ritz or the Savoy or in a department store like Harrods or Fortnum & Mason — is a special occasion treat for visitors and locals alike. It’s not an inexpensive affair, as you’ll be sitting in elegant surroundings, perhaps dressed up a bit. The freshly baked scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, the traditional dainty crustless sandwiches, the cakes and pastries are so popular at some venues that you’ll need to book well in advance. But what about the tea itself? Claire Ptak, a Californian now living in London where she writes cookbooks and owns a celebrity-endorsed cake shop, has this to say about afternoon tea at one of London’s luxury hotels: “I will always associate England with tea. The Ritz is a magical experience, having all these little things brought to you. The tea itself is not the most ‘flavour-forward.’” Amen to that. Most people who brew tea, whether at home or as part of their job, don’t know how to extract full flavor

‘I’m gonna break all your records’ — O.J. Simpson rode his speed out of the Bay Area to fame and infamy. It didn’t start that way

Long before he became an NFL legend and the most famous murder suspect in the United States — or even a boastful preteen who once told fellow legend Jim Brown, “I’m gonna break all your records” — O.J. Simpson was a toddler in the projects of San Francisco, with homemade leg braces and shoes worn on the opposite feet. When the time to walk came, Simpson did not. So his parents took him to a doctor at a hospital near the Potrero Hill neighborhood where his mother, Eunice, worked. It turned out “The Juice” had rickets, and his family couldn’t afford the leg braces that were needed to heal him. So his parents made some. And from there, the legend began. Those famous bow legs that developed from the braces turned Simpson into a Heisman Trophy winner and one of the greatest sprinters in the nation; as his athletic career peaked and began to fade in the NFL, he also became a movie actor and one of the top endorsement personalities of the 1970s and 80s. That all went away when he was accused of

Outdoor gear industry facing challenges after “insane” post-pandemic growth

Across 30 years in downtown Golden, Colo., Bent Gate Mountaineering has withstood three economic downturns including the Great Recession of 2008 and the pandemic recession of 2020. The store, at 1313 Washington Ave., attracts customers ranging from serious mountaineers to tourists who buy T-shirts and rain ponchos for shows at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, but it’s facing increasing competition in the outdoor retail world. A banner that hangs out front hints at the market pressures confronting it and other independent outdoor retail stores: “HUGE HUGE HUGE SALE” it says in big letters and vibrant colors. That sign, a semi-permanent fixture, is an example of fallout from turbulence the outdoor industry experienced during the pandemic and its aftermath. Following boom years in 2021 and 2022, outdoor retail sales saw a 3% decline last year to $27.5 billion, and independent specialty shops got hit hardest. Half of them endured double-digit declines, according to the Outdoor Industry Association’s annual retail sales trends report, and on average they declined 9.7%. A banner touting “huge” sales at Bent Gate Mountaineering in Golden is a sign of the times. General manager Ryan

What to watch: Unsettling ‘Civil War’ is the ultimate what-if movie

War is at the center of three of the best new films/shows to catch this week — be it in the chilling premise of Americans fighting Americans (“Civil War”), in the form of the aftermath of a nuclear attack (“Fallout”) or yet another look at the Vietnam War (“The Sympathizer”). Here’s our roundup. “Civil War”: The joyless eyes and weathered face of photojournalist Lee (Kirsten Dunst) tell her story, one of an entrenched sense of hopeless resignation as she and her colleagues cover a war that pits California and Texas and other states against the government and its supporters. Alex Garland’s intense dystopian “what if” movie — which is far less polarizing than you’d think — serves as a warning of the perils of national disharmony, constant conflict and the human desire to dominate and win at any cost, even when we’ve lost sight of what it is we’re fighting for. Lee has seen these developments play out too many times in other nations, yet she’s never flinched from capturing the savagery — the scorched, bullet-ridden corpses of men, women and children — on camera. Now

Music Tonight: Thursday, April 11

The Basement continues its hit parade of steady weekly shows featuring killer local acts. Tonight’s feature is the jazz fusion group RLAD, which, when I saw them last in 2023 was composed of Tim Randles on keyboard, Ken Lawrence on bass, Mike LaBolle on drums and Doug Marcum on drums. Skilled players, all of them, and creators of a heady brew when assembled as such. It’s at 8 p.m., no cover…

How to Survive This

I won’t check the news right now   if you won’t. Instead, let’s think about   summer peaches so ripe   we’ll eat them leaning over the kitchen sink,   or the crunching sound of walking on snow,   and that dusty smell of the first rain, Let’s imagine how it would feel   to put on warm socks right out of the dryer,   fold a king-sized bottom sheet on the first try,   and find those lost keys in a pocket. In place of updates, alerts, and daily round-ups,   bulletins, flashes, and re-reviews, Why not sharpen a fistful of #2 yellow pencils   and write thank-you’s to our favorite teachers   in cursive. Or stroll alongside a playground   listening for ear-piercing squeals   only happy children make. Or go bird-watching, lying on our backs   waiting for fly-overs,   while eating popcorn. Of course, we could always just pause between headlines to come up for air, suspended between thoughts, and practice the dying art of   exhaling   very   very   slowly before diving back in. Diana Lynn…

Dust to Dust

The green burial movement looks to set down roots in Humboldt County Arcata resident Michael Furniss traces his aspiration for a natural burial back to a rainy afternoon four decades ago when he was a graduate student at the University of California at Berkeley studying soil science and forestry. Watching swirls of water from the downpour absorb into the ground while sitting near a creek on campus, Furniss says he found himself thinking, “When my time comes, I’d like to be buried in the root zone of a giant Sequoia,” allowing his remains to enrich the soil and “ascend into a tree.” In his 20s at the time, Furniss says he began exploring the idea of what he later trademarked as “entreement” — rather than an internment — but couldn’t find any options available that fit his vision. Time passed and life marched forward, with Furniss going on to a career as a woodland soil scientist and international expert in climate vulnerability infrastructure assessments. Still, he says, that epiphany, “stuck with me and it’s been there ever since.” After entering semi-retirement, the Cal Poly Humboldt

Police accuse two youths in string of armed robberies in the Los Angeles area

Los Angeles police have tied two youths accused of robbing a convenience store in South Los Angeles to a string of robberies throughout Los Angeles County. On Saturday the LAPD received a call of an armed robbery in progress at a convenience store near the 3200 block of South Central Avenue. When officers arrived on scene, a witness pointed them to the suspects’ vehicle fleeing the store. Officers tried in vain to stop the vehicle, then pursued it, according to a police report. During the pursuit, police allege, one of the occupants tossed a firearm out of the car, and it was recovered by officers. When the pursuit ended, police detained both occupants of the vehicle: Los Angeles resident Nathen Sanchez, 18, and a 12-year-old girl, whose name was not released. Nathan Sanchez, 18, and a 12-year-old girl are accused of robbing a convenience store. (LAPD) Police say they recovered a large but undisclosed amount of currency from the vehicle, which had been reported stolen earlier that day in an armed carjacking in Hollenbeck. The pair are also believed to be involved in additional armed

Metrolink awarded $1.3 million to develop AI-powered system to detect hazards on tracks

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded Southern California’s commuter rail system $1.3 million to develop an artificial intelligence-powered security system to detect unexpected movement on Metrolink tracks. The technology would aim to automatically slow down or stop a train when cameras and sensors verified the presence of a person, vehicle or debris, Metrolink said about the proposed “track intrusion detection” system. The technology would integrate with existing GPS that notifies train crew about a possible track danger, such as a homeless encampment or a pedestrian. “If it succeeds, this project will not only improve the safety of our passengers and crew, it will directly benefit pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and everyone else who interacts with our system,” Los Angeles City Council President and Metrolink Board member Paul Krekorian said in a statement. The current system, which is also linked to the U.S. earthquake-warning system, relies heavily on what people see and report in real time. While it accounts for human error by automatically stopping a train if an engineer does not respond to an alert, the new technology would create a predictive model to better understand

Urgen a los de la tercera edad en Estados Unidos unirse a una encuesta para “fondo de retiro”

Los Ángeles —  Activistas comunitarios del Sur de California lanzan una encuesta, que busca arrojar las necesidades de las personas de la tercera edad sin documentos legales en Estados Unidos, para pedirle a los gobiernos de México y este país, un estipendio o “fondo de jubilación” para este sector de trabajadores. De acuerdo con los activistas de The National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), que apoya a la comunidad de jornaleros, la encuesta fue lanzada en conjunto con la Universidad de Chicago, Illinois, este 8 de abril, debido al aumento de personas de la tercera edad tanto en California como en el resto de Estados Unidos, que es cada vez más evidente. El problema es que muchas de estas personas no tienen documentos legales para vivir en Estados Unidos y por ello no califican para las pensiones de retiro, y en muchos estados ni siquiera tienen beneficios de salud, dijo Nancy Torres, coordinadora de la campaña para la encuesta en NDLON. “Estos trabajadores de la tercera edad fueron y muchos siguen siendo el pilar de la economía de Estados Unidos, pero parece que se nos olvida

‘RHOSLC’s’ Monica Garcia reveals she is ‘unexpectedly’ pregnant with baby No. 5

“Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Monica Garcia will welcome another child in her life, and she said she has no time for haters. The reality TV personality revealed on Thursday that she is expecting her fifth baby. She shared the news on Instagram, hours after she first made the announcement on a three-hour episode of Nick Viall’s podcast, “The Viall Files.” “Yes. I already have four girls. No. I was not planning on being 39 and going through the baby stage again, but unexpectedly here I am,” she captioned a video of her taking multiple pregnancy tests. Garcia, who appeared in Season 4 of “RHOSLC,” shares four children — Bri, Jaidyn, West and Kendall — with ex-husband Mike Fowler. The pair reportedly finalized their divorce last year. She told Viall and his fiancée, Natalie Joy, that she is expecting her newest child with her 29-year-old boyfriend Braxton, whom she began dating a year ago. “I have not told one … person,” she told the couple, before revealing she is seven weeks into her pregnancy. The pregnancy announcement dropped three months after “RHOSLC’s” bombshell