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‘I just lost it,’ California judge texts his court staff, prosecutors say. ‘I just shot my wife’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:52 GMT

It seemed like a morbid joke, the late-night text prosecutors say Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson sent to his court clerk and bailiff:“I just lost it. I just shot my wife. I won’t be in tomorrow. I will be in custody. I’m so sorry.”Minutes before the text was sent, prosecutors say, Judge Ferguson pulled a Glock .40 pistol from an ankle holster and fatally shooting his wife, Sheryl, in the chest at close range in front of an adult son.Slurring his words, smelling of alcohol and still wearing his now empty ankle holster, a prosecution court filing says, the judge made a series of expletive-laden, seemingly remorseful confessional comments to responding officers.“What the (expletive) did I … well, I guess I’m done for a while,” the judge said to police, according to prosecutors. “Oh my God. … My son. … My son. … (Expletive) me. … What an (expletive) I am, Jesus Christ. I’m sorry. … I (expletive) up. … Oh man, I can’t believe I did this.”Related: California judge cha...

Only 16% of Californians can afford to buy home as mortgage rates rise

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:52 GMT

By John Gittelsohn | BloombergBuying a home in California slipped further out of reach as interest rates climbed and scarce inventory bolstered prices.Only 16% of households could qualify to purchase a median-priced single-family home in the second quarter, the California Association of Realtors reported Friday. That’s down from 19% in the first quarter and 17% a year earlier.The state faces an affordability crisis that threatens to hamper growth in the economy and population. People and companies have left California, or chosen not to move there because housing is so much more expensive than in most of the US.“In the long run — three or four years — we’ll see tight supply and lower affordability will trim the competitiveness of California if nothing is done to increase the supply of housing,” Oscar Wei, deputy chief economist for the state Realtors group, said in an interview.Nationally, more than a third of households could afford to purchase a $402,600 median-priced home, accordi...

Walnut Creek: Man charged with 15 felonies in burglary spree targeting businesses

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:52 GMT

WALNUT CREEK — A 40-year-old man has been arrested and charged with committing a string of burglaries targeting local business, Contra Costa prosecutors announced Friday.The Daly City resident was charged with 15 felonies alleging he burglarized seven businesses. The other charges include grand theft, for the items he allegedly stole, and vandalism, for the property he allegedly broke to gain entry into the stores.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | SUV gutted in fiery Oakland crash; no one found inside Crime and Public Safety | Walnut Creek man shot early Friday on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland Crime and Public Safety | Man dead after Antioch shooting Thursday night Crime and Public Safety | Man shot in arm at East Bay park Crime and Public Safety | Oakland police identify man who was recently shot and killed in front of his wife In addition to the burglary case, the man faces separate charges ...

Closure of 3 California power plants likely to be postponed, state energy officials decide

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:52 GMT

By SOPHIE AUSTIN | Associated Press/Report for AmericaTemperatures in many California cities are cooling down this week, but a debate is simmering on how to generate enough electricity to power the state through extreme weather events while transitioning away from a reliance on fossil fuels.The California Energy Commission voted Wednesday to extend the life of three gas power plants along the state’s southern coast through 2026, postponing a shutoff deadline previously set for the end of this year. The vote would keep the decades-old facilities — Ormond Beach Generating Station, AES Alamitos and AES Huntington Beach — open so they can run during emergencies.The state is at a greater risk of blackouts during major events when many Californians simultaneously crank up their air conditioning, such as a blistering heat wave.“We need to move faster in incorporating renewable energy. We need to move faster at incorporating battery storage. We need to build out chargers faster,” commission...

Who’s in charge of the Pac-12? Answer unclear as the lawyers dig in

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:52 GMT

One week after presiding over the collapse of a 108-year-old conference, George Kliavkoff’s role remains unchanged.“He’s still our commissioner, and there have been no discussions with him besides him intending to still serve,’’ said Washington State president Kirk Schulz, chair of the Pac-12 Board of Directors.“In my conversations with how to move ahead, George has been exemplary in terms of making sure the four remaining schools have options … He’s still making the day-to-day decisions for the conference office and preparing us for the fall. We still have a (competition year) to produce.”However, numerous discussions about the future of the conference have taken place without Kliavkoff’s involvement, according to a source. The presidents and athletic directors of the four remaining schools (Stanford, Cal, Oregon State and Washington State) are in frequent communication.Schulz declined to say whether Kliavkoff would lead any media rights negotiations if the ...

Disneyland braces for a ‘crowd crush’ as ticket prices drop and annual passholders return

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:52 GMT

The dwindling days of summer are expected to bring a brewing “crowd storm” to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure as the twin forces of lower ticket prices and returning Magic Key annual passholders combine to swamp the Anaheim theme parks with visitors.A “crowd crush” is expected to descend on Disneyland and DCA on weekdays starting Monday, Aug. 14 after a summer of relatively lighter attendance, according to MiceChat.Disneyland employees have been warned to brace for traffic delays on the mornings of Aug. 14-18 and Aug. 20-25 on Ball Road, Disneyland Drive and Harbor Boulevard.SEE ALSO: Disneyland attendance rises and visitor spending increases thanks to higher ticket pricesIf recent history is any guide, the combined armies of bargain hunters waiting for Disneyland ticket prices to drop and Magic Keyholders shut out of the park for months are about to join forces over the next couple weeks at the Busiest Place on Earth.“Weekends have been a relative breeze crowd-wise this ...

San Mateo County: Man arrested after spray painting Nazi imagery on synagogue, vandalizing Teslas

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:52 GMT

SAN MATEO COUNTY — A man responsible for spray-painting Nazi imagery and the name of an Elon Musk-owned company on a synagogue in Foster City and damaging vehicles in Burlingame was arrested Tuesday, according to authorities.The San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office said that a 28-year-old former Foster City resident was arrested on suspicion of vandalism after three Tesla vehicles were scraped at a dealership in Burlingame, causing more than $60,000 of damages.On other occasions, according to the DA’s office, the man spray-painted more vehicles with the symbol and word for “Neuralink” in Burlingame.Neuralink is a Fremont-based company founded by Elon Musk that is currently developing brain-computer interfaces designed to assist people with medical needs. According to the company’s website, the implants will be used in the future to help quadriplegics move computer cursors with their neural signals, for example, and restore vision, motor and speec...

Playing football may increase risk of Parkinson’s disease, study suggests

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:52 GMT

By Giri Viswanathan | CNNPlaying football might increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, new findings from the Boston University CTE Center suggest.Using data from a large online survey sponsored by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, researchers found that participants who had a history of playing organized tackle football were 61% more likely to report a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis or parkinsonism, an umbrella term for symptoms like tremors and rigidity that cause movement problems, compared with those who played other organized sports.The report, published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open, also found that participants who played football at higher levels — professionally or in college — were nearly three times as likely to have Parkinson’s or parkinsonism compared with those who played at the youth or high school levels.“This is one more piece of evidence adding to the growing amount of evidence that repetitive brain trauma has long-term ...

Crews responding to Pittsburg HazMat incident

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:52 GMT

(KRON) -- Fire and HazMat crews are responding to a hazardous materials incident in Pittsburg, according to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. Contra Costa County fire assistant chief deploys to Maui wildfires No other information is currently available.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contra Costa County fire assistant chief deploys to Maui wildfires

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:52 GMT

(KRON) -- Contra Costa County Fire District Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Peter has been deployed to Maui as part of a FEMA mission, CON Fire announced Friday. Chief Peter left Oakland early Friday morning.He brings with him "a wealth of experience, spanning decades, in FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Team operations," according to Con Fire. Pilot error causes SF-bound United flight to nearly plunge into ocean, NTSB says Chief Peter is a member of one of FEMA's Incident Support Teams and has responded to disasters across the nation, CON Fire said. He brings with him a diverse range of expertise that includes search and rescue operations, logistics, and planning and recovery."This deployment underscores CON Fire's commitment to providing vital assistance in times of crisis," Con Fire said.CON Fire has strong representation within FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue Teams, CON Fire added, including USAR Incident Support Teams. Members of these specialized units have rigorous training and extens...