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Bill to legalize 'magic mushrooms,' other psychedelics in California advances

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

A bill that would decriminalize the possession of some psychedelic substances passed the California State Senate Wednesday and now heads to the State Assembly. Senate Bill 58, which was introduced by Senator Scott Weiner, would allow people age 21 or older to own or prepare "certain hallucinogenic substances," including psilocybin, psilocyn, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine, and mescaline.Psilocybin is often referred to as "magic mushrooms."The bill would also repeal laws that prohibit growing "spores or mycelium capable of producing mushrooms or other material which contain psilocybin or psilocyn."SB 58's decriminalization of mescaline specifically excludes peyote derivatives.The bill's author states that peyote use and cultivation will remain a crime because the plant is "nearly endangered" and because of its historical spiritual use by Native Americans.In this Aug. 3, 2007, file photo magic mushrooms are seen in a grow room at the Procare farm in Hazerswoude, central Netherland...

Florencio Lagara-Perez Pronounced Dead in Rollover Crash on Fairview Avenue [Goleta, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

Single-Truck Accident near Highway 101 Left 55-Year-Old Santa Barbara Man DeadGOLETA, CA (May 25, 2023) – Early Tuesday morning, a rollover accident involving a single pickup truck left Florencio Lagara-Perez fatally injured.The deadly crash happened around 5:15 a.m. on the Fairview Avenue onramp to Highway 101 in the city of Goleta.According to CHP, a blue 1999 Ford Ranger driven by a 64-year-old Santa Barbara man, entered Fairview Avenue before spinning out of control.Subsequently, the pickup rolled over and landed on its roof on the right shoulder of the roadway.Reports showed several responders arrived at the scene, including CHP officers and paramedics, Santa Barbara County Fire, and American Medical Response.Unfortunately, the first responders declared the passenger dead at the scene. Meanwhile, the Ford driver was transported to a hospital with minor injuries.Later, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s-Coroner’s Office identified the deceased passenger as 55-year-old Flor...

Interesting Facts About Tina Turner: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Legendary Rock Icon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

The Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Tina Turner passed away at the age of 83. She died on May 24, 2023, in Küsnacht, Switzerland. Being one of the most recognizable voices and iconic figures in the ‘80s music scene, one of the many indisputable facts about Tina Turner is she left a legacy that many would like to remember and honor.10 Interesting Facts About Tina Turner1. Tina Turner was not her real name.Tina Turner was born on November 26, 1939, in Brownsville Tennessee. Her birth name was Anna Mae Bullock.2. Her mother abandoned herWhen Tina Turner was 11, her mother abandoned her and her sisters. Her mother allegedly did this because of her abusive relationship with her husband — or Tina Turner’s father. She spent the majority of her childhood in Nutbush and Knoxville, Tennessee.3. Tina Turner played basketball.One of the surprising facts about Tina Turner was she used to be a member of the Carver High School basketball team in Brownsville, Tennessee.4. She met her first husband when she...

The Voltaggio Brothers Go Retro In Las Vegas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

When celebrity chef Michael Voltaggio was a kid, he was such a picky eater that his mom Sharon had to bribe him with a “Champion Eater” trophy to get him to finish his dinner. His older brother, Top Chef alumnus Bryan, was an athlete who wrangled his own trophies. Both have fond memories of getting home as the streetlights went on and sitting down to a pot roast dinner after a day of skateboarding and riding bikes.Their new Las Vegas restaurant that has taken up a year-long residency at the Mandalay Bay resort, Retro by Voltaggio, is a culmination of those childhood memories and the brothers’ professional careers, a nostalgic nod to simpler times.Entrance to the massive 9,000-square-foot space is at the casino level, and descends two floors down to the dining room either via a telephone booth elevator or via the staircase of the retro tower that feels like you’re walking into an ‘80s and ‘90s vintage store.  There are blockbuster videos, nintendos, bikes, skateboards, original mobil...

City Babies GBH are Back in LA

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

City Babies GBH are Back in LA: Birmingham, UK, street punks GBH (originally called Changed GBH) released one of the genre’s great albums in 1982’s City Baby Attacked by Rats. “Time Bomb,” “Sick Boy,” “Boston Babies” — all are bonafide punk greats. But it’s not like they ever slowed down; 2017’s Momentum is a great record too. The Chisel and Niis also perform. “Momentum was recorded at Muther’s Studio in GBH’s hometown of Birmingham, England,” read a press release when it came out. Vocalist Colin Abrahall said: “We laid down all kinds of takes on the songs which made the mixing interesting as we’d send it all off to Michael (Rosen – Engineer) and him and Lars (Fredericksen – Rancid) would send back tracks. You’d think something was maybe a glitch or whatever and it’d come back and we’d listen and think ‘that’s f*cking amazing’!”“GBH formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band have released 11 albums, including City Baby Attacked By Rats (1982, Clay), City Babys...

BottleRock Exclusive: Here’s what’s really cooking on Culinary Stage in 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

BottleRock Napa Valley announced the star-studded 2023 lineup for its incredibly popular Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage, where chefs join forces with rock stars and other celebs to have fun and make food.The bill includes Wu-Tang Clan, Sammy Hagar, Lil Nas X, John Taylor & Roger Taylor of Duran Duran, Bastille, Keanu Reeves and his Dogstar pals Bret Domrose and Robert Mailhouse, José Andrés, Giada De Laurentiis, David Chang & Chris Ying, Roy Choi, Andrew Zimmern, Aarón Sánchez and the Voltaggio Brothers.Yet, what promoters didn’t mention in the news release sent out on May 24 is what those celebrity chefs and rockers will actually be doing onstage during the three-day festival, which runs May 26-28 in downtown Napa.In an exclusive interview with our publication, organizers detailed what to expect to see on at the stage.“Every kind of food will be cooked, fried, grilled, tasted & tested — from C.R.E.A.M.sicles by the Voltaggio brothers to fish & chip...

‘He was a victim of an unprovoked ambush’: Murder count dismissed in East Bay freeway shooting that killed 1-year-old boy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

OAKLAND — After an intense court hearing that spanned nearly a month, an Alameda Superior Court judge dismissed murder charges against one of three Bay Area men accused of causing a rolling gun battle on Interstate 880 that led to 1-year-old Jasper Wu being shot and killed by a stray bullet.Judge Scott Patton ruled Wednesday that the evidence against Richmond resident Johnny Jackson was not enough to meet even the burden of proof presented in preliminary hearings, where prosecutors must merely establish probable cause in order for the case to proceed. It is a low bar that requires only a “strong inference” of guilt, far less than the reasonable doubt standard jurors are given at criminal trials.While dismissing all but a single felony gun possession count against Jackson, the judge upheld murder and gang charges against Trevor Green, 22, of Richmond; and Ivory Bivins, 24, of Vallejo, ruling that there was enough evidence tying both men to the Nov. 6, 2021 freeway s...

Larry Magid: Pixel 7A gives you more than you pay for

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

You know that adage, “you get what you pay for.” Well, it’s not always true. With Google’s new Pixel 7A phone, you get more than you pay for, compared with other phones.Related ArticlesBusiness | Magid: AI has risks but can also make us safer Business | Larry Magid: Google unveils new devices while focusing on AI Business | Larry Magid: Voice cloning makes virtual kidnapping more convincing Business | The caller said he’d kidnapped my wife. Here’s what I did wrong then. At $499, the 6.1-inch Pixel 7A is $100 less than the 6.3-inch Pixel 7 and $400 less than the 6.7-inch Pixel Pro. In terms of screen size, the 7A is more than big enough. It fits in my hand better than the 7 and the 7 Pro. The 7A is bigger and a lot less expensive than the iPhone 14, which starts at $799. It’s also less expensive than most Samsung phones. Size is only one of several things to consider when buying ...

BART introduces anime mascots to try and attract youth riders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- The Bay Area Rapid Transit System has introduced a group of Bay Area-themed anime mascots. The five mascots are part of the transit system's effort to attract riders back, especially younger riders, according to a news release the transit agency put out this week.The five anime characters are "inspired by BART frontline employees and BART-contracted animals," like "Pac-Man the Harris hawk and the goats that graze BART property," BART said. "Pac-Man" is the name of a Harris hawk the transit system has deployed to scare away pigeons. Honolulu-bound flight from SFO turns back due to possible rudder issue The anime mascots also "contain numerous details highlighting the tight-knit connections between BART and the Bay Area."The mascots were also inspired by public transportation agencies in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, where it's common to use anime mascots to connect with riders. The mascots were chosen from an open call for California-based artists BART put ...

UK police lift cordon after car crashes into Downing Street; counterterrorism officers not involved in investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

LONDON (AP) — UK police lift cordon after car crashes into Downing Street; counterterrorism officers not involved in investigation.Source