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California elementary school janitor who spent years in jail acquitted of child sexual abuse

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:51 GMT

JOSHUA TREE — A jury has acquitted a former Southern California elementary school janitor who spent years in jail after being accused of sexually abusing students, his attorneys announced Tuesday.Pedro Martinez, of Hesperia, who’s been jailed since January 2019, was found not guilty on Monday on all 10 counts against him. An 11th charge was dismissed during his 3 1/2-month-long trial, according to a statement from his attorneys.He has been released.“We are thrilled that Pedro Martinez has been found not guilty of any of the terrible crimes that he was accused of, and he is home again with his family,” defense attorney Ian Wallach said in the statement.Martinez’s attorneys alleged there wasn’t any legitimate evidence in the case and accused the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office and the Sheriff’s Department of bungling and misconduct. They didn’t immediately indicate whether Martinez might sue but said he is considering his options.“Although the outcome was not what we ...

49ers mailbag: Putting this offense, George Kittle, No. 1 seed into historical perspective

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:51 GMT

SANTA CLARA – Time to get to the 49ers Faithful’s wish list this holiday season, or at least their questions in our social media mailbox:Do you think this is the best offense you’ve seen under Kyle Shanahan? (@casiano9679)Without a doubt. It’s the most impressive/entertaining/consistent/star-laden cast in my 24 seasons covering the 49ers. The early 2000s relied heavily on Hall of Famer Terrell Owens and Jeff Garcia, the 49ers’ most recent Pro Bowl quarterback (21 years ago). The Harbaugh years saw Frank Gore complemented by Alex Smith and then Colin Kaepernick, the latter of which had a dual-threat dominance that flamed out too fast. Mark Purdy, my former Bay Area News Group colleague and no relation to Brock, was on the phone with me Monday, and he thought this team most reminded him of the 1984 championship squad, which I think is their best ever.Hundred-percent healthy or No. 1 seed, which would you take? (@rogeoneandthelovetts)The No. 1 seed comes with the playoffs’ only bye for...

San Jose International Airport post-COVID recovery has begun to stall

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:51 GMT

SAN JOSE — Passenger totals at San Jose International Airport have stalled, an unsettling reminder the Silicon Valley aviation hub faces turbulence as it seeks to recover from economic woes spawned by the coronavirus.During October, San Jose Airport accommodated nearly 1.06 million passengers, according to a post on the airport’s website.The 1.06 million figure was about 2.3% below the slightly more than 1.08 million passengers who traveled through San Jose Airport in October 2022, a review of the airport’s statistics shows.However, the October figures for this year are 3.8% higher than the total for September, when slightly fewer than 1.02 million passengers traveled through the San Jose transportation complex, the airport reported.The airport’s performance for October marked the third straight month that the travel center reported a monthly result that was less than the same month the year before. The airport’s year-to-year comparisons began to falter...

Opinion: A joyous celebration of Hanukkah this year feels incongruous

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:51 GMT

For each night so far of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, Jews across the Bay Area and around the world have lit an additional candle, bringing a bit more light into a world that so desperately needs this symbol of hope. And every night, the reminder of the miraculous survival of the Jewish people against all odds grows brighter as the flames glow in our windows.But this year, a joyous celebration of Hanukkah has felt incongruous. We are still grieving for the victims of Hamas’ barbaric attack on Israeli civilians and desperately hoping for the return of all the hostages held by terrorists in Gaza. We are pained by the suffering of Palestinian civilians, caught between the Israel Defense Forces and terrorists using hospitals and schools as military command centers. And rising antisemitism at home — in our city halls, the public square, on social media and in our schools — is compounding the trauma.Antisemitism is playing out in myriad ways across the Bay Area. At...

Tesla recalls 2 million vehicles limit use of ‘Autopilot’ feature after nearly 1,000 crashes

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:51 GMT

By Chris Isidore | CNNNew York  — Tesla is recalling nearly all 2 million of its cars on US roads to limit the use of its Autopilot feature after a review of nearly 1,000 crashes in which the feature was engaged.The recall was disclosed in a letter to Tesla posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which said that Tesla had agreed to an over-the-air software update starting on Tuesday that will limit the use of the Autosteer feature if a driver repeatedly fails to demonstrate he or she is ready to resume control of the car while the feature is on.Tesla has been pushing its driver-assist features, including Autopilot and what it calls “Full Self Driving,” which Tesla has insisted make driving safer than cars operated exclusively by humans. But NHTSA has been studying reports of accidents involving Autopilot and its Autosteer function for more than two years.The recall comes two days after a detailed investigation was published by the Washington Post that found at ...

Skelton: California leaders need the guts to fix state’s money woes

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:51 GMT

California state government’s bank account has dwindled from a nearly $100 billion surplus 18 months ago to a projected $68 billion deficit.How could that possibly happen?Three reasons:• Sacramento politicians haven’t had the guts to fix a very flawed roller-coaster tax system that generates barrels of revenue in good times but goes bust when the economy sours.• They spend too much money. That’s self-evident. At any rate, they’re spending more than the state is taking in. A lot more.• All that aside, rising interest rates cooled the economy by increasing borrowing costs. That stifled home buying and business expansions, according to independent Legislative Analyst Gabriel Petek, who projected the $68 billion deficit last week.Tax deadline chaosThe analyst says the state stumbled into the red ink hole partly because the federal government extended the normal tax filing deadline this year from April until November. It wanted to ease life for Californians harmed...

6 hospitalized after UC Santa Cruz solo bus crash

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:51 GMT

(KRON) -- A University of California, Santa Cruz transit bus was involved in a solo collision Tuesday night, sending all six onboard to the hospital, according to UC Santa Cruz Police Chief Kevin Domby.The UC Santa Cruz Police Department responded to reports of a solo bus crash at 8:30 p.m. on Coolidge Drive. One of the university’s buses that continuously loops through the campus was heading downhill toward the main entrance of campus when it went off the road and hit a fence and rock structure, officials said.(AIO Filmz)(AIO Filmz) Hero teachers save choking student at North Bay school The five passengers on board, along with the driver, were injured in the crash and transported to the hospital. The bus driver was air-lifted to the hospital, police said. The injuries range from moderate to severe, according to Ramon Romo of the UCSC PD. The current condition of those involved is unknown.The cause of the crash remains under investigation, according to UCSC police. Impairment does...

Turkish soccer matches to resume on Dec. 19 after suspension caused by attack on referee

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:51 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish soccer league matches, suspended after a referee was attacked by the president of a top-flight club, will resume on Dec. 19, the head of the Turkish Football Federation said Wednesday.Mehmet Buyukeksi also told reporters that the federation’s disciplinary board would announce on Thursday the punitive measures to be imposed on MKE Ankaragucu and its president, Faruk Koca, who has since been arrested. Koca punched referee Halil Umut Meler in the face on the field after the final whistle of a 1-1 draw in a Super Lig home game against Caykur Rizespor on Monday. The referee, who fell to the ground, was also kicked in a melee as fans invaded the playing surface after Rizespor scored a last-minute equalizer.The attack led to the suspension of all league games in Turkey, which has been selected to co-host the 2032 European Championship with Italy.“All league games will restart on Tuesday, Dec. 19,” Buyukeksi announced after a federation meeting, adding th...

Poland’s new Prime Minister Donald Tusk takes office, ending 8 years of conservative rule

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:51 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The new Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his Cabinet members took office Wednesday after they were sworn in by the president, marking the end of eight tumultuous years of rule by a national conservative party, Law and Justice.The swearing-in ceremony of the pro-European Union government, the final step in a transition of power, took place in the presidential palace in Warsaw. Tusk was returning to the job after a nine-year spell in opposition. Leaders and senior officials from around the world, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said were looking forward to working with Tusk’s team. Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz used Polish to amplify his congratulatory message to “dear Donald Tusk.”“Donald Tusk wants Poland to be again in the heart of the EU and that’s where her place is,” he said. “I am happy that together, arm in arm with Poland develop the EU and Polish-German relations.” The countries’ ties were strained under...

In a first, delegates at UN climate talks agree to transition away from planet-warming fossil fuels

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:51 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Nearly 200 countries agreed Wednesday to move away from planet-warming fossil fuels — the first time they’ve made that crucial pledge in decades of U.N. climate talks though many warned the deal still had significant shortcomings.The agreement was approved without the floor fight many feared — and is stronger than a draft floated earlier in the week that angered several nations. But it didn’t call for an outright phasing out of oil, gas and coal — and it gives nations significant wiggle room in their “transition” away from those fuels.“Humanity has finally done what is long, long, long overdue,” Wopke Hoekstra, European Union commissioner for climate action, said as the COP28 summit wrapped up.Within minutes of opening Wednesday’s session, COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber gaveled in approval of the central document — an evaluation of how off-track the world is on climate and how to get back on — without giving critics a chance to comment. He hailed ...