statewide California news
The Justice Department on Thursday announced a new rule designed to require unlicensed dealers selling firearms at gun shows or online to run background checks on buyers. The rule is meant to close what is known as the “gun show loophole,” which has been exploited by felons and Mexican drug cartels, according to the ATF. Scott MacFarlane has more.
The devastation from a tornado that tore through Slidell, Louisiana, on Wednesday was severe, with dozens of buildings damaged and half the city left without power, shuttering schools and businesses. The same storm system was also responsible for multiple tornadoes in Florida on Thursday. Tom Hanson has the latest.
Efforts in the Arizona State Legislature to repeal the newly-revived 1864 law were shut down by Republicans.
By JULIA FRANKEL (Associated Press) JERUSALEM (AP) — Under heavy U.S. pressure, Israel has promised to ramp up aid to Gaza dramatically, saying last week it would open another cargo crossing and surge more trucks than ever before into the besieged enclave. But days later, there are few signs of those promises materializing and international officials say starvation is widespread in hard-hit northern Gaza. Samantha Power, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said this week she accepted “credible” reports that famine is now occurring in the area and urged Israel to take further steps to expedite humanitarian aid shipments. Power’s remarks echoed those of U.S. President Joe Biden, who said on Wednesday that Israeli efforts to increase aid were “not enough.” While Israel says it has dramatically increased the number of aid trucks entering the territory, U.N. workers report only a slight uptick — possibly because they count trucks differently. Here’s what we know about the aid entering Gaza, and why discrepancies in reporting persist: HOW MUCH AID IS ENTERING GAZA? Israel says that since Sunday it has transported an average of 400
Coach David Quinn and the San Jose Sharks were only in Salt Lake City for a few hours in October when they played at the Delta Center for a preseason game against the Los Angeles Kings. But in the short time he was there, Quinn sure got the impression the city was ready to host an NHL team. “To me, when you left there, you felt this would be a great place to have an NHL franchise,” Quinn said Thursday. “You just felt the excitement in the building and around the arena.” Indications are the Sharks could be back in Salt Lake City as soon as this fall, with the NHL, per multiple reports, working on one contingency plan that would have the Arizona Coyotes relocate to Utah in time for next season. While nothing has been finalized, an announcement from the league could come later this month, per ESPN and other outlets. Daily Faceoff first reported Wednesday that the league is preparing two schedules for next season, one with the Coyotes in Arizona, playing at 4,600-seat Mullett Arena in Tempe, and the other with
SANTA CLARA — Five years after cornerback Rock Ya-Sin battled in one-on-one matchups with wide receiver Deebo Samuel at the Senior Bowl, they’ll be doing so again in 49ers practices. Ya-Sin was signed Thursday to a one-year deal, the 49ers announced. Drafted in the 2019 second round by the Indianapolis Colts, Ya-Sin moved on to play with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022 and the Baltimore Ravens last year. His experience (66 games, 40 starts) will bolster a still-young cornerback corps that is led by incumbent starters Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir, each of whom are entering their final season under contract, pending potential extensions. Ya-Sin, 27, is listed at 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds. He has two interceptions, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 29 passes defended and 193 tackles in his NFL career, which has seen him appear in just one playoff game. Ankle and knee injuries have hindered his career. Ya-Sin was the second pick of the 2019 draft’s second round; Samuel went two spots later to the 49ers. Related Articles San Francisco 49ers | Kurtenbach: A 7-round 49ers mock draft with two
OAKLAND — Kelsie Whitmore’s list of “firsts” just got a little longer. The Southern California native was the first woman to play in the Atlantic League and the Pacific League. Now she will be the first woman to sign a contract with a Pioneer League team as the Oakland Ballers announced on Wednesday that they were adding the trailblazing pitcher after a successful tryout last weekend. She was part of the three signings the Ballers announced, which also includes St. Francis High grad Andrew Martinez and Vacaville’s Connor Caporale. While Whitmore’s ultimate goal is to become an immediate impact player for the Ballers, she is also hoping her journey inspires more women to play baseball. “I’m gonna do my best and whatever I can to encourage and inspire other women and young girls to continue playing the game,” Whitmore said. “I know some were told they couldn’t, but hopefully I can motivate and encourage them through the way I play on the field for them to continue doing what they love.” Kelsie Whitmore, the first woman to appear in a game in the independent Atlantic
KINGS COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — As we head into the warmer months and people are hitting the road more often, gas prices are also on the rise. According to AAA, the average cost in California is up 20 cents from last week and 53 cents from last month. In Kings County, drivers there are saving a little money while fueling up. There are two spots in Lemoore where they prefer to buy gas because it’s cheaper. One of them is the station at Tachi Palace casino and the second spot is at the local Fastrip. The cheapest is just over $4.80, that’s still 60 cents below the state’s average. “$88.95,” said Nancy Royer while holding her receipt and card in hand. Royer called the trip to fill up ‘another fun day at the pumps.’ It cost nearly $90 to fill up her 18-gallon Ford Explorer. Thursday’s total for Nancy is a few bucks more than the last time she pumped. “I don’t know how people do it with families, I’m almost 80 years old so I am beyond that, but I don’t know how people
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — A man is out of jail after being arrested for the assault of a woman working at a store in northwest Fresno. The alleged attack happened at the Mattress Firm on Blackstone near Bullard at about 10:30 am Wednesday. Now, a security guard sits outside of the store. Police say that suspect is 33-year-old Xiang Zhao. It’s believed the employee was alone in the store and does not know the suspect. Police say Zhao did not have a prior criminal history. Police say the victim was able to fight him off, call police and give a description of the suspect. “The victim was very, very courageous, was able to ward off and fight the suspect off of her, was able to run off and call for help,” said Fresno Police Sgt. Diana Trueba Vega. Raquel Garcia, program director at RCS Fresno, the County’s Rape crisis center says even if you are able to escape, sometimes the trauma can still impact you later. “Is really focusing on what is happening after with you and yourself, to be able to feel safe to
By Tara Campbell Thursday, April 11, 2024 11:05PM Gaza protesters disrupted a dinner party at a UC Berkeley dean’s home, accusing his wife of assault, and drawing questions about free speech. BERKELEY, Calif. — Free speech rights are being called into question after assault allegations and tense moments at a private dinner party at the home of University of California Berkeley faculty. This happened during an annual dinner Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinksy and his wife Professor Catherine Fisk hold for students. Now students are accusing Professor Fisk of assault. Video shows the moments when Professor Fisk tries to take the microphone from a protester voicing support for the people in Gaza. The protester then says “You don’t have to get aggressive,” to which Fisk responds “I’m not being aggressive.” “Please leave our house. You are guests at our house,” Chemerinsky said. The group protesting released a statement, saying in part: “Fisk’s assault was a symbol of the deeper Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian racism, and religious discrimination that runs rampant within the University of California administration.” Chemerinksy did not want to speak on camera but responded to
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — It’s a sound like nothing else — dozens of voices joined together in music. You have an opportunity to experience that music live and for free this weekend. We sat down with the conductor of the “Community Choir of the Central Valley,” Ed Cobb, to talk about what you can expect. For news updates, follow Vanessa Vasconcelos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Copyright © 2024 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.
The double-murder case against football star and actor O.J. Simpson, who died of cancer Thursday at age 76, forever transformed the TV landscape. Network news was still a buttoned-down institution in 1994, when more than 30 million viewers were tuning into the evening newscasts each night. The anchors of the time — Tom Brokaw on NBC, Peter Jennings on ABC and Dan Rather on CBS — were powerful arbiters of what the public needed to know. The internet was nascent and CNN, available in about half the country on cable, was considered a tier below the Big Three networks. But the landscape changed on June 17, 1994, the day of the wild slow-speed police chase on the freeways of Los Angeles of Simpson in his white Bronco, two days after the brutal slayings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. A reported 95 million people watched Simpson flee capture. Airing across all three networks, local stations and CNN, the chase became a defining “where were you” TV moment on par with the Kennedy assassination in 1963 or the explosion of the
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Bryson DeChambeau created some headaches for himself a few years ago when he suggested Augusta National wasn’t as tough as its billing. He said the par-72 course was “a par-67 for me” because he could reach all the par-5 holes in two shots. He was mercilessly mocked for the comment, especially after he pulled out of that Masters because of vertigo. An older, wiser DeChambeau was far more respectful of the storied course Thursday after an opening-round 65 put him atop the leaderboard for the opening round. He said he has learned “a lot of patience, especially out here on this golf course where you feel it’s gettable, you see it’s right in front of you, but it’s just tricky out here. It can be super tricky.” Even in inclement weather that delayed the start of the tournament 2½ hours, DeChambeau deftly navigated his way through his round, with birdies on the first three holes and another stretch of five birdies in six holes. It was his best performance in 25 career rounds at the Masters and the first time here he has
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Thursday vacated the conviction of William Woods, who spent nearly two years locked up — including a stint in a psychiatric hospital — for a crime he did not commit. Woods had pleaded no contest to identity theft and false impersonation in 2019, despite trying to convince authorities he was the real Woods and someone else had stolen his identity. Last week, the man who stole Woods’ identity — Matthew David Keirans — pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a National Credit Union Administration-insured institution and aggravated identity theft. The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office then filed a motion to vacate Woods’ conviction. In a hearing that lasted less than 15 minutes, Judge William C. Ryan said he was “more than happy” to sign the order vacating the conviction, calling the case “astounding.” “The word that comes to mind is Kafkaesque, out of the novels of Franz Kafka,” Ryan said. Woods, who now lives in El Paso, was not present in court but called in to the hearing. “I’m happy, because I knew I was
Two weeks after sinking into a murky abyss, the legend of Shohei Ohtani has suddenly come up for air, surfacing powerfully through a thick layer of felonious lies and criminal deceit. It smiles at those who doubted its integrity. It shakes its head at those who questioned its motives. The legend lives. I didn’t quite believe Ohtani recently when he said he knew nothing about an alleged $4.5 million in wire transfers to an illegal bookie. With federal prosecutors announcing Thursday that they have charged translator Ippei Mizuhara with stealing more than $16 million from the Dodgers superstar to pay Mizuhara’s gambling debts, I now believe. (Sixteen million? Are you kidding me?) I didn’t quite believe Ohtani when he recently threw Mizuhara under the bus by saying, “Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has told lies.” With Thursday’s criminal complaint containing allegations of phone conversations in which Mizuhara actually impersonates Ohtani to gain access to the money, I believe. (He actually faked Ohtani’s voice? Are you serious?) After hearing the charges announced in a downtown Los Angeles news conference by E. Martin
Every year, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation bestows an award meant to honor acts of political courage. The criteria include strength of character, sound judgment, decisiveness (“particularly during periods of crisis”) and determination “in the face of adversity.” David Hume Kennerly, a member of the foundation board, had in mind the perfect candidate: Liz Cheney. The former Wyoming lawmaker sacrificed her political career and was effectively excommunicated from the Republican Party for defying President Trump and overseeing the congressional probe into the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, as well as Trump’s treacherous attempts to overturn the 2020 election. “There was only one human on the planet who should have been getting that award,” Kennerly, who served as White House photographer during the Ford administration, said in an interview. “She checked every box.” But the foundation’s executive committee ignored Kennerly’s recommendation and passed over Cheney — even after others declined the award — citing concerns that, as a possible 2024 presidential candidate, her selection could imperil the group’s tax-exempt status. It’s a fig leaf so thin the merest whisper of a breeze wafts it away. In
Paul Flores, the man convicted of killing Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart nearly 30 years ago, was attacked in prison for the second time, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Flores was attacked Wednesday afternoon inside Pleasant Valley State Prison and the assault is being investigated as an attempted homicide, officials said. Prison staff reported that Flores was stabbed by another inmate in a recreation yard. Officers responded and recovered two “inmate-manufactured weapons” at the scene. Flores was transported to an outside medical facility, but has since returned to prison. His condition is described as “fair.” A suspect has not been identified, but prison staff say the attacker has been placed in restricted housing as the investigation continues. Flores was previously attacked in August 2023, days after arriving at Pleasant Valley, and was hospitalized in serious condition after his throat was slashed by another inmate. The inmate suspected in that attack was later identified as Jason Budrow, the man who made national headlines in 2021 after he strangled serial killer Roger Reece Kibbe, known as the I-5 Strangler who was responsible for
The 2023-24 ski season at Big Bear Mountain Resort was one for the record books. Officials say the recent season is the second-snowiest in the last quarter-century when the resort began formally tracking snowfall at its three mountains. Snow Valley received 199 inches, and both Snow Summit and Bear Mountain received 174 inches, according to the resort’s historical snow tracker. Big Bear Mountain Resort is shown on April 1, 2024, after a weekend of storms dropped more than two feet of snow. (Big Bear Mountain Resort) February proved to be the big difference maker this season. According to resort officials, it was the snowiest February since at least 2000, including one week in particular that created massive snow banks. From Feb. 2 through Feb. 8, Snow Valley received more than eight feet of snow, including 73 inches that took place over a 72-hour period starting Feb. 6. California ski resorts benefiting from wet winter History aside, all good things must come to an end, including this year’s ski and snowboard season. This weekend, Snow Valley and Bear Mountain will officially close for the season; Snow
Can Trump save Mike Johnson’s speakership? – CBS News Watch CBS News Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene continues questioning House Speaker Mike Johnson’s fitness for the job. Could Johnson’s upcoming meeting with former President Donald Trump end the efforts to oust him? Longtime national political correspondent Olivier Knox and Semafor political reporter Kadia Goba join “America Decides” to discuss. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On
Trump “hush money” trial to begin Monday: What to know – CBS News Watch CBS News Jury selection in former President Donald Trump’s “hush money” trial is set to begin on Monday. CBS News legal analyst Rikki Klieman joins “America Decides” to preview the proceedings. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On
Biden campaign goes on the offensive on abortion in Arizona – CBS News Watch CBS News President Biden’s reelection campaign launched a seven-figure ad buy in Arizona focused on abortion rights. The battleground state is grappling with the fallout of the state’s Supreme Court upholding a near-total ban from 1864. CBS News senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang reports. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On
