Deputy admits gang affiliation, shows tattoo in court: Los Angeles Times

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:52 GMT

For years, the existence of deputy gangs within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has been a point of contention, with officials like former Sheriff Alex Villanueva publicly disputing that the secret organizations even exist.Last week, however, a deputy testifying in court revealed his involvement in one of those groups and even displayed the tell-tale tattoo that alleged members receive upon initiation.Deputy Jaime Juarez said during his time in the Compton station, he joined the Executioners and was inked with "a helmet-wearing skeleton gripping a rifle," the Los Angeles Times reports. Commission blasts former Los Angeles County Sheriff Villanueva on alleged deputy gangs Villanueva has long asserted the groups don't exist, going so far as to send the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors a cease-and-desist letter telling them to stop using the term "deputy gangs."However, the Civilian Oversight Commission found the groups do exist and that those who have spoken up ab...

GO Campaign’s Vintage Hollywood Food Festival Returns on Saturday, June 10

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:52 GMT

GO Campaign, the nonprofit that raises awareness and funds to help vulnerable children around the world, will present the 2023 Vintage Hollywood event, hosted by comedians Christopher Titus and Rachel Bradley, on Saturday, June 10, at The Park Santa Monica. The event will showcase various wineries and food, as well as a silent auction with items that include a private tour of Jay Leno’s Big Dog Garage, an oceanfront Hawaii villa, a flight in an L39 Albatross fighter jet, and a stay at Petit Ermitage.Participants include Los Angeles favorites like Suzanne Tracht’s JAR, Raphael Francois’s Tesse, Chris Sayegh’s Nostalgia Bar & Lounge, Ayara Thai Cuisine, GoGo’s Tacos, Wabi on Rose, Marino Ristorante, Paradise Burger, Qué Padre, and pastries from Thomas Henzi, executive pastry chef at The Beverly Hilton. Vintage Hollywood food and wine fest at The Park Santa Monica (Tiffany Rose/Getty Images)Wines will flow from Acquiesce, Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery, Ampelos Cell...

Ken Balayev Killed in Wrong-Way Crash on 110 Freeway [Los Angeles, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:52 GMT

Samantha Molina Arrested after Fatal Head-On Collision near Exposition BoulevardLOS ANGELES, CA (May 30, 2023) – Early Friday morning, Ken Balayev was killed in a head-on collision on 110 Freeway.The incident happened shortly before 3:00 a.m. along the northbound 110 Freeway near Exposition Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles.According to the investigators, Samantha Molina, in a black Chevrolet Cruze, went southbound in the northbound lanes. There, the Chevy collided with a taxi cab heading in the opposite direction. The impact of the collision severely injured several people.Emergency crews pronounced the taxi driver, identified as 71-year-old Ken Balayev of Calabasas, dead at the scene. Balayev’s passenger inside the cab suffered minor injuries.Meanwhile, responding paramedics rushed the Chevy driver and a female passenger to a hospital for treatment of major injuries.Following the crash, authorities arrested Molina on unspecified charges.No words can mend the broken hearts an...

Jack Cogburn Injured in Fatal Two-Vehicle Crash on Forty Mile Road [Yuba County, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:52 GMT

49-Year-Old North Highlands Woman Killed in Collision near Hoffman Plumas RoadYUBA COUNTY, CA (May 30, 2023) – Monday morning, a head-on collision on Forty Mile Road left a woman dead and Jack Cogburn seriously hurt.The two-vehicle crash happened around 7:50 a.m., just south of Hoffman Plumas Road.Based on the initial investigation, a 2013 Mazda 6 made an unsafe left turn while traveling along Forty Mile Road. The Mazda then crashed into the front end of a Dodge Ram 3500 driven by 88-year-old Jack Cogburn of Brownsville.The first responders to the site of the collision declared the Mazda driver dead at the scene. She was identified only as a 49-year-old woman from North Highlands.Meanwhile, paramedics rushed Cogburn to a hospital for treatment of significant injuries, including a broken limb.According to the California Highway Patrol, it remains unclear whether drugs or alcohol contributed to the crash. Those with additional information are encouraged to contact the Yuba-Sutte...

East Bay man drowns after diving near Northern California dam

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:52 GMT

A man was found dead Sunday afternoon downstream of Magalia Head Dam after reportedly diving into the water, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.The body of 21-year-old Jonathan Nguyen, of Livermore, was recovered around 1:30 p.m. Sunday by search and rescue teams, said community relations coordinator Megan McMann.Nguyen was reported Saturday afternoon to have dove off the dam, briefly resurfaced and then went underwater, she said.Search and rescue teams from Butte County Sheriff’s Office and Cal Fire-Butte County searched Saturday and Sunday until he was found using boots, dive equipment, helicopters and drones, McMann said.

Nvidia surge results in historic $1 Trillion market valuation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:52 GMT

By Ryan Vlastelica | BloombergNvidia Corp became the first chipmaker to achieve a $1 trillion market valuation on Tuesday, as excitement over artificial intelligence technology has led to a massive advance in the stock.Shares gained as much as 7.7%, and it last traded with a market capitalization of $1.01 trillion. The stock has soared by about 180% this year. In contrast, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Semiconductor Index has risen by about 41% in 2023, touching its highest intraday on Monday since February 2022.Nvidia has powered past other semiconductor companies as it is the world’s biggest maker of the specialized chips needed to power a new generation of AI products, one of the biggest investment themes on Wall Street.Not only has it trounced the performance of other components of the index — it has done roughly twice as well as the next-best performer, Advanced Micro Devices Inc., up 93% — but it has vastly eclipsed them in size. The second-biggest component of the semicondu...

Who’s fact-checking Wikipedia editors who distort, misinform?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:52 GMT

How easy is it to rewrite history?Scary easy. And when much of the world gets its information from a single online encyclopedia — and swarms of AI chat bots amplify its “facts” — distortions and misinformation can repeat into infinity, drowning out truth.The current controversy involves Wikipedia pages on Poland and the Holocaust, but academics say it’s a chilling abject lesson for all that can come next.Shira Klein, associate professor of history at Chapman University, and Jan Grabowski, history professor at the University of Ottawa, put their heads together to document how Polish nationalists have commandeered Wikipedia’s coverage of Polish-Jewish wartime history, editing documents to glorify Polish heroism and downplay anti-Semitism and cooperation with the Nazis.It takes Herculean effort to counter misleading narratives, and the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation — with more than $250 million in net assets after its bills are paid — must take decisive action to defend historical acc...

Robert Englund wanted to be James Dean. Then Freddy Krueger called.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:52 GMT

Actor Robert Englund is best known for portraying one of the biggest horror icons of all time, Freddy Krueger, in Wes Craven’s massively popular “A Nightmare on Elm Street” film franchise.When he was approached by directors Gary Smart and Christopher Griffiths and writer Neil Morris a couple of years ago about being the sole subject of a documentary, he was hesitant at first. While he’s appeared in many horror documentaries, he wasn’t interested in taking a deep dive into his villainous character, but rather sharing how he got to that place and what his life and career have been like since.Luckily, all parties were in agreement, and they began interviewing Englund about his life on film at his home in Laguna Beach. They also filmed interviews with several peers including his “A Nightmare on Elm Street” co-star Heather Langenkamp, “Candyman” actor Tony Todd, “Insidious” star Lin Shaye, and “Friday the 13th” actor Kane Hodder. “Hatchet” director Adam Green and “Cabin Fever” director E...

Spencer Carbery hired as Capitals coach after 2 seasons as Maple Leafs assistant

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:52 GMT

The Washington Capitals have hired Spencer Carbery as their next coach, bringing back a favorite of the organization to fill the job he was envisioned to get years ago.The team announced the move Tuesday, bringing Carbery back into the fold after he spent the past two seasons as an assistant for the Toronto Maple Leafs.Before that, Carbery was considered the heir apparent to veteran Capitals coach Peter Laviolette because of his time with Washington’s top minor league affiliate. Carbery coached the American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears for three seasons from 2018-21 before getting his first NHL job on Sheldon Keefe’s staff with Toronto.“Spencer is one of the best young coaches in the game who’s had success at every level at which he has coached,” general manager Brian MacLellan said in a statement. “We feel his leadership, communication skills, ability to develop players and familiarity with our organization will be a tremendous asset as he makes this next step in his coachin...