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Former Long Beach EMT gets 29 years for gun, drug trafficking charges, including selling fentanyl to coworker

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:54 GMT

A former Long Beach first responder was sentenced to more than 29 years in federal prison after he was found guilty of gun and drug crimes, including selling fentanyl that resulted in the fatal overdose of a coworker, officials with the United States Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.  Cruz Noel Quintero, 43, of Long Beach, who was formerly employed as an emergency medical technician at a Long Beach hospital, shipped methamphetamine, cocaine and other drugs across the country beginning no later than Feb. 2018, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Central District of California Office.  In the parking lot outside the hospital’s emergency room, in May 2019, Quintero sold a coworker a white powder he claimed was cocaine for $100. The coworker was planning a trip to Vegas with her partner, a volunteer firefighter and former nurse at the Long Beach hospital.  According to evidence presented during the 43-year-old's trial, the coworker and her partner, n...

Nearly $200 million awarded to house thousands of homeless Southern Californians

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:54 GMT

Nearly $200 million dollars were awarded on Wednesday to move 7,300 homeless Californians out of encampments and into housing.The award was made possible through the Encampment Resolution Fund which is administered by the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency and the California Interagency Council on Homelessness.The grants will be disbursed to 23 projects across 22 communities throughout the state.The fund was “designed by Governor Gavin Newsom and the Legislature to provide communities of all sizes with the funding to move people living in encampments into housing,” according to the state officials.Wednesday’s announcement of $199 million is the third and largest round of ERF grants to be distributed. Previously, 26 communities were awarded $96 million from the fund over two rounds.Grants being disbursed to Southern California include:-Los Angeles County will receive the largest share with $59.5 million to serve 3,000 people on Skid Row.-The Los Angeles Homeless Services ...

Police raid Oakland sites, seize hundreds of catalytic converters, $260,000 in Bay Area-wide theft probe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:54 GMT

Officers from a police task force seized more than 200 allegedly stolen catalytic converters, along with about $260,000 in cash and guns as they simultaneously raided two Oakland locations, the California Highway Patrol said Wednesday.Six men suspected of thefts around the Bay Area were arrested.Police seized about $260,000 in cash and arrested six people after raiding two Oakland sites June 9 in a long-term investigation by the Alameda County Regional Auto Theft Taskforce into an alleged Bay Area-wide catalytic converter theft operation throughout the Bay Area. (courtesy of California Highway Patrol) The seizures and arrests Friday morning by the Alameda County Regional Auto Theft Taskforce —composed of members from the CHP, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, Oakland Police Department and Alameda County Probation Department — resulted from an investigation that started in mid-2022 into “a prolific catalytic converter fencing operation and crew responsible for thefts ...

Celebrated book editor Robert Gottlieb dies at 92; guided such authors as Toni Morrison, John le Carré, Michael Crichton

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:54 GMT

By Hillel Italie | Associated PressNEW YORK — Robert Gottlieb, the inspired and eclectic literary editor whose brilliant career was launched with Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22” and continued for decades with such Pulitzer Prize-winning classics as Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” and Robert Caro’s “The Power Broker,” has died at age 92.Gottlieb died Wednesday of natural causes at a New York hospital, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group announced. Caro, who had worked for decades with Gottlieb on his Lyndon Johnson biographies and was featured with him last year in the documentary “Turn Every Page,” said in a statement that he had never worked with an editor so attuned to the writing process.“From the day 52 years ago that we first looked at my pages together, Bob understood what I was trying to do and made it possible for me to take the time, and do the work, I needed to do,” Caro said in a statement. “People talk...

Nevada Assembly approves deal for Oakland A’s Las Vegas ballpark

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:54 GMT

The Oakland A’s cleared another important hurdle Wednesday in their quest to receive $380 million from Nevada taxpayers for a new ballpark in Las Vegas as the state Assembly’s approval the taxpayer-funded deal late Wednesday.The state Assembly’s 25-15 vote means the A’s now have won approval from both houses in the Legislature, clearing a path for the team to fulfill its vision of a $1.5 billion, 30,000-seat ballpark on the Vegas strip, though additional steps remain.“I am really excited to make memories with my daughter and see other families make memories with their kids – and where tickets start at $12,” Assemblymember Shannon Bilbray-Axelrod, a Democrat said at Wednesday’s proceedings of a possible A’s stadium.With its latest amendments, the proposal will return to the state Senate for another vote and if approved there, finally the desk of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, who has helped lead the effort to lure the As to Las Vegas.The...

National pundits turn on John Fisher after A’s fans show strong ‘reverse boycott’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:54 GMT

OAKLAND — A’s fans flocked to the Coliseum on Tuesday night to show the world that they still want their team, and it was John Fisher, the team’s owner, who had turned his back with the intention to move their club to Las Vegas.The “reverse boycott” drew a season-high 27,759 fans endlessly chanting “Sell the Team!” and an assortment of often vulgar anti-Fisher missives. But was it just noise, or did it resonate outside of the Bay Area?“I think for the average fan that may not pay attention day-to-day, it’s easy to think A’s fans aren’t showing up and the fanbase does not exist,” ESPN national baseball writer Joon Lee said in a phone interview Wednesday. He added that the boycott is “such an in-your-face example of how the fanbase shows up when things are good. We’ve seen this in the past, too, when the A’s are good.”CBS Radio host Jim Rome went to bat for A’s fans on his nationally syndicated show on Wednesday, noting that ...

Big-rig fire on eastbound 580 in Livermore closes two lanes, spreads to hillside

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:54 GMT

(KRON) -- A big-rig fire on I-580 east of North Flynn Road in Livermore has shut down traffic across two lanes and set fire to a nearby hillside, according to Caltrans. Cal Fire says the fire has now spread to 10 acres and is 40% contained.The truck caught fire in the eastbound lanes. Major delays are expected, the CHP said shortly before 4 p.m. Wednesday. A photo of the burning truck shows a large cloud of smoke billowing from the rig's cab. 240 stolen catalytic converters found in Bay Area theft ring bust "Thank you for your patience and driving safely," the CHP said in a tweet.The fire has extended to the adjacent hillside, however, the driver was able to safely exit the vehicle, according to a Traffic CAD alert.There is no word yet on what caused the rig to catch fire. Crews are working to put out the fire on the adjacent hillside.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

A's stadium bill passes in Nevada State Assembly

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:54 GMT

(KRON) -- The Nevada State Assembly has approved $380 million to help the Oakland Athletics build a new stadium in Las Vegas. The bill passed Wednesday is slightly different than the bill passed on Tuesday in the state senate. The bill passed the assembly with 25 in favor and 15 opposed. Movie theater to leave San Francisco Centre after Westfield departure The bill will now be returned to the Nevada Senate for concurrence. If that goes through, the bill will go back to the Nevada governor for signature and then will need final approval from Major League Baseball.The bill's passage in the state assembly comes the day after A's fans staged a "reverse protest," with over 27,000 fans showing up at the Oakland Coliseum for the team's 2-1 win against the Tampa Bay Rays.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Tesla involved in 'major injury' vehicle collision in Santa Clara

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:54 GMT

(KRON) -- A Tesla was full engulfed in flames after a single-vehicle collision which caused delays in Santa Clara on Wednesday afternoon, according to the City of Santa Clara. Movie theatre to leave San Francisco Centre after Westfield departure The crash happened in the northbound lanes of San Tomas Expressway between Forbes Avenue and Homestead Road. Local police and fire departments are on the scene. As of 3:45 p.m. San Tomas Expressway was closed in both directions near the scene of the crash. By 4:30, the southbound lanes of San Tomas Expressway were reopened. The northbound lanes are expected to remain closed for several more hours.Viewer photos from the scene of the crash show a white Tesla fully engulfed in flames. The vehicle appeared completely destroyed after the flames were extinguished. A witness who said they saw the crash told KRON4 that speed may have been a factor. The witness said that the driver lost control of the vehicle before swerving left in the intersecti...

PHOTOS: Crews respond to fire at Vallejo middle school

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:54 GMT

(KRON) -- Crews responded to a fire at a Vallejo middle school Tuesday night, the city's fire department announced on social media. Officials said the fire happened in the middle of the night at Hogan Middle School.The Vallejo Fire Department posted photos of the fire's aftermath (below). Woman slain before East Bay high speed police chase identified (Vallejo Fire Department)(Vallejo Fire Department)(Vallejo Fire Department)(Vallejo Fire Department)A Vallejo Police Department patrol officer noticed smoke coming out of the campus, according to VFD. The officer quickly reported the fire, and crews were able to respond to the blaze fast enough to prevent further damage. The cause of the fire remains under investigation and is unknown at this time. Hogan Middle School is located at 850 Rosewood Ave. The students' last day was on June 8, according to the Vallejo City Unified School District. KRON On is streaming news live now.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.2...