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Ex-correctional officer charged with sexually abusing 3 inmates in East Bay federal prison cells

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:43 GMT

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and MICHAEL R. SISAK | Associated PressWASHINGTON  — A former correctional officer at a federal women’s prison in California where inmates say they were subjected to rampant sexual abuse has been arrested and accused of abusing three inmates in his care, the Justice Department said Friday.Darrell Wayne Smith, who worked at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, was arrested on Thursday in Florida on a 12-count indictment. He is accused of sexually abusing the three women in their prison cells and in the prison’s laundry room between 2019 and 2021, prosecutors said.Smith is at least the sixth employee at the Dublin prison charged with abusing inmates. An Associated Press investigation last year revealed a culture of abuse and cover-up that had persisted for years at the prison, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) east of Oakland. That reporting led to increased scrutiny from Congress and pledges from the federal Bureau of Prisons that it would fix problems and ...

Editorial: San Jose officials’ strip club coverup violates state records law

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:43 GMT

As on-duty San Jose firefighters last fall parked a fire truck, lights flashing, outside the Pink Poodle strip club, a woman in a bikini exited the vehicle.It was captured on video. GPS tracking information later showed that Engine 4 also traveled that night to a bikini bar about two miles away.“If the investigation concludes that this video is as bad as it looks, then heads must roll,” then-Mayor Sam Liccardo said two days later. “We cannot have a life-critical emergency rescue apparatus relegated to a frat party bus.”We couldn’t agree more.Yet, city officials have since claimed that it’s none of the public’s business who was responsible and what, if any, punishment was doled out. For six months now, San Jose has stonewalled this news organization’s efforts to obtain documents about the incidents.Which is why last week we filed a lawsuit in Santa Clara County Superior Court demanding release of the records about the Pink Poodle fiasco.While we have been dumbfounded at times by atte...

Baby names: Favorites on new U.S. Top 20 list hold off the ‘Yellowstone’ trend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:43 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dutton and Wrenlee are on the rise but they’re no match for champs Liam and Olivia as the top baby names in the U.S. last year.The Social Security Administration released the annual list Friday. The agency tracks baby names in each state based on applications for Social Security cards, with names dating to 1880.It’s Liam‘s sixth straight year as No. 1. Olivia has reigned since the name unseated Emma four years ago. Emma is No. 2.Coming in third for girls’ names is Charlotte, followed by Amelia, Sophia, Isabella, Ava, Mia, Evelyn and Luna.As has been the case for the past several years, if the spellings Sophia and Sofia were combined, that would take the top spot.For boys’ names, Liam is followed by Noah, Oliver, James, Elijah, William, Henry, Lucas, Benjamin and Theodore.Luna is the only newcomer in either Top 10, booting Harper to 11th.California has led the way on some of the fast-rising U.S. names, with Luna, Camila, Mateo and Sebas...

5.2 magnitude aftershock shakes Northern California, one day after stronger earthquake

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:43 GMT

(KTXL) -- The U.S. Geological Survey reported that a 5.2 magnitude aftershock was felt in the community of East Shore on Friday morning, just over 11 miles from Chester. Seismic monitors registered the aftershock around 3:18 a.m., the largest aftershock in the area of Lake Almanor since a 5.5 magnitude earthquake shook the region.More Earthquake News•California's largest earthquake of the 21st century•Which California landmarks are at risk from a massive earthquake?•These are the fault lines in Northern California•California’s north coast has a long history of strong earthquakes•This is how to prepare for and respond to an earthquakeAccording to the USGS, the origin point for Friday morning's aftershock was around four miles from the earth's surface and so far almost 1,000 people have reported feeling the shaking. A 5.5 magnitude earthquake shook communities at around 4:20 p.m. on Thursday, on the western side of Lake Almanor.

A Hate Crime Narrative Takes Hold Around a Tragedy in Texas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:43 GMT

A man lights a candle at a memorial for eight migrants who were struck by a car and killed waiting at a bus stop on May 7, 2023, in Brownsville, Texas.Photo: Michael Gonzalez/Getty ImagesThe man who crashed into a group of mostly Venezuelan migrants in Brownsville, Texas, on Sunday — killing eight of them — sounds in the media like a cipher, if not a monster. A video of the collision shows his vehicle knocking people down like matchsticks. A reporter I know told me that human gore and bone lay in the grass for hours afterward, putrefying in the heat and reeking. On Democracy Now!, a human rights activist called the killings a hate crime.The driver was identified as George Alvarez. The police charged him with manslaughter, and they are investigating whether he committed hate crimes or acted intentionally. During a press conference, Brownsville Police Chief Felix Sauceda pointed to a list of Alvarez’s numerous criminal priors. One was “assaulting a public servant.”Sauceda failed to cl...

Facts and figures for the PGA Championship at Oak Hill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:43 GMT

PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — A brief look at the 105th PGA Championship:Dates: May 18-21Site: Oak Hill CC (East).Length: 7,394 yards.Par: 70.Field: 156 players (20 PGA professionals).Prize money: TBA ($15 million in 2022).Winner’s share: TBA ($2.7 million in 2022).Defending champion: Justin Thomas.Last year: Justin Thomas won the PGA Championship for the second time and tied the tournament record by rallying from seven shots behind. He closed with a 3-under 67 at Southern Hills and then beat Will Zalatoris in a three-hole playoff. Mito Pereira had a one-shot lead going to the 18th hole and made double bogey to finish one shot out of the playoff.Last time at Oak Hill: Jason Dufner won his only major when he closed with a 2-under 68 for a two-shot victory over Jim Furyk. Dufner finished at 10-under 270, the lowest winning score for any major at Oak Hill.Tiger Tales: Tiger Woods had ankle surgery last month and will miss the PGA Championship, and likely the rest of the majors this year.Grand...

No. 2 US diplomat Wendy Sherman to retire after decades in government service

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:43 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration’s number two diplomat is retiring after decades of U.S. government service.Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will step down from the post this summer, having been involved in some of the most consequential, and controversial, foreign policy decisions during Democratic administrations since Bill Clinton was president.Sherman, 73, said in an internal note to State Department staff that her retirement would be effective at the end of June. “The arc of history will only bend toward justice if people of conscience steer it in the right direction,” she said. “That it is our job to have courage, to collaborate with others and seek out common ground, to persist against the odds, to use our voice and our power for good—to keep faith with the promise of our democracy and to never, ever lose hope.”“Diplomacy is not for the faint of heart,” she added.Secretary of State Antony Blinken lauded Sherman’s career, saying that President Joe Biden chose ...

Amtrak Mother’s Day sale: DC to Philly for $29, NYC for $47

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:43 GMT

Amtrak’s five-day Mother’s Day Flash Sale doesn’t actually include discounted travel on Mother’s Day, but it is good for discounts covering the next three months.The sale is good for tickets purchased now through May 17, and it’s valid for travel on most Amtrak routes across the country from June 1 to August 30.For D.C. travelers, Northeast Regional tickets require a 21-day advance purchase for the discount.Sample fares include:D.C. to New York City for $46.50 each way on the Northeast Regional (and $106.50 on Acela)D.C. to Atlanta for $159D.C. to Philadelphia for $28.50, andLorton, Virginia to Sanford, Florida on the Auto Train for $142.50, plus the cost of the vehicleThe Mother’s Day sale is good for coach class travel, and Acela Business Class. Online booking requires the code “C514.”Like airlines, Amtrak has recovered from the dramatic pandemic drop in travel. In fiscal 2022, Northeast Corridor ridership was 110% of what it was in ...

US upsets defending champ Finland at hockey worlds, Czechs top Slovakia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:43 GMT

TAMPERE, Finland (AP) — The United States overcame defending champion Finland 4-1 to open the ice hockey world championship on Friday.Alex Tuch scored two goals and Drew O’Çonnor had a goal and two assists to lead the U.S. Cutter Ganthier also scored and goaltender Casey DeSmith stopped 23 shots in Tampere.Teemu Hartikainen gave the hosts a 1-0 lead late in the opening period on a power play before Ganthier tied it from the left circle in the second.O’Çonnor and Tuch completed the rally midway through the final period. Tuch scored his second into an empty net.In the Latvian capital of Riga, the Czech Republic beat Slovakia 3-2.Last year’s runner-up, Canada, faced Latvia in its opener late Friday while Sweden played Germany in Tampere.Finland and Latvia are staging the tournament after the hosting rights were stripped from Russia because of the war in Ukraine. Tampere was one of the host cities last year, and Riga was a host in 2021.Russia and its ally Belarus are excluded from...

A hole-by-hole look at Oak Hill for the PGA Championship

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:43 GMT

PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — A hole-by-hole look at the East Course at Oak Hill Country Club, site of the 105th PGA Championship that starts Thursday:No. 1, 460 yards, par 4: The tee shot is from an elevated tee to a fairway that bends to the left and has a slope about 290 yards out. Allen’s Creek runs across the fairway some 360 yards from the tee. Out-of-bounds is to the right and three bunkers are on the left. The green is surrounded by grass knolls and a bunker short and right.No. 2, 405 yards, par 4: The narrow fairway features deep bunkers on both sides, so this likely will be an iron off the tee. The approach is to an elevated green that slopes severely from back to front, meaning the best birdie chances will come from below the hole.No. 3, 230 yards, par 3: The green is elevated and relatively small, sloping predominantly from back to front. Three deep bunkers are short of the green, which has a false front. This typically is one of the tougher holes at Oak Hill.No. 4, 615 yards, ...