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Ex-California police detective pleads guilty to running string of sex parlors

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

SAN DIEGO  — A former San Diego police detective who used his badge and his knowledge to run a string of massage sex parlors in California and Arizona pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges.Peter Griffin and three other defendants entered pleas in San Diego federal court to racketeering-related conspiracy, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and other crimes, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement.The wire fraud charge carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.Prosecutors said that between 2013 and 2022, Griffin and the others owned and operated five massage spas that employed women to perform sexual services that were advertised online.The businesses were located in and around San Diego and in Tempe, Arizona, according to a grand jury indictment.Griffin, 78, was with the San Diego Police Department from 1975 to 2002, including time with the Vice Operations Unit that investigates prostitution, authorities said.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety...

SF Giants’ prospect Kyle Harrison starts against Fernando Tatis Jr., exits early in Triple-A debut

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

SACRAMENTO – On the mound stood Kyle Harrison, the San Francisco Giants’ prized pitching prospect.Casually waiting in the batter’s box was Fernando Tatis Jr., the San Diego Padres’ superstar who is embargoed from the majors until his suspension ends in two weeks.It’s a tantalizing matchup that should play out for years to come in the National League West, either at Oracle Park or Petco Park, up and down the coast.Instead, here they were in the Tuesday twilight just blocks from the state capital, in the Triple-A River Cats home opener against the El Paso Chihuahuas.This won’t be Harrison’s home for long. He could, maybe should, get called up for his major-league debut by season’s end.“Time moves fast, but that’s baseball. I’m excited to be here and want to get to the next step,” Harrison said after the River Cats fell 10-8.His Triple-A debut was a mixed bag en route to a no-decision: 62 pitches, two-plus innings, four strikeouts, four walks, one (infield) hit, and one run...

Downtown San Jose hotel tower deal nears, may lead to housing highrise

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

SAN JOSE — A downtown San Jose hotel tower could become a housing highrise, depending on the outcome of a real estate deal that’s headed into its latter stages, according to the property’s principal owner.The owner of the landmark Signia by Hilton San Jose, an 805-room hotel, is actively seeking a buyer for one of the two towers of the lodging complex.Up for sale is the 264-room south tower, which would be converted to a new use. The 541-room north tower would remain a conventional hotel, said Sam Hirbod, the principal owner of the double-tower hotel complex.Long-term lodging stays or a housing complex are among the potential future uses of a repurposed and redeveloped south tower under a new owner, according to a marketing brochure that’s being circulated by JLL, a commercial real estate firm that’s seeking buyers for the highrise.But the notion of extended lodging stays in the southern tower is encountering opposition from a coalition headed up by lab...

Barabak: Can Newsom kinda-sorta run for president and still do his job?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

He ran TV ads taunting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and raised billboards in seven states telling women that California would defend their access to abortion.He lashed out at fellow Democrats for being insufficiently incandescent in their rage over the Supreme Court’s impending reversal of Roe vs. Wade. “Where the hell is my party?” Gavin Newsom demanded.Then, just last week, California’s gallivanting governor announced the formation of a nationally focused political action committee, accompanied by all the trappings of a budding White House bid:A fundraising blitz.A launch video ablaze with ripped-from-the-headlines imagery, urgent narration by Newsom and a lineup of political villains — Donald Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, DeSantis — whom Democrats love to loathe.Finally, a campaign-style swing, with wife and kids in tow, to meet with Black leaders across the South, the first of a promised series of road trips to places, Newsom declared, “where freedom is most under attack.”All of w...

Opinion: How community solar could transform clean energy access

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

Community solar is finally about to have its moment in the sun.Signed into law last year, Assembly Bill 2316 requires the California Public Utilities Commission to assess new community renewable energy program proposals with a focus on serving low-income customers. This will make solar power an option for all residents, not just wealthier homeowners.Community solar allows families to subscribe to a project through a community solar provider. Customers will receive a community solar credit on their utility bill, saving them money on their energy bills. The customer’s participation in the community solar program supports the development and operation of a community solar project that provides energy to the grid.While California has the most rooftop solar installations in the country, solar energy is still out of reach for many residents. This includes the 44% of Californians who rent their homes, homeowners whose roofs are unable to host solar panels, or those who don’t have the resou...

Fact check: Donald Trump delivers barrage of false claims in first post-indictment address

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

By Daniel Dale | CNNFormer President Donald Trump made a speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Tuesday night after he was arraigned in Manhattan on felony charges of falsifying business records — and delivered a barrage of false claims that have been previously debunked.Trump pleaded not guilty to all the charges Tuesday.The former president was repeatedly inaccurate when he pivoted to the subject of the federal investigation into his handling of official documents. He also repeated some of his favorite falsehoods on a variety of other subjects.Here is a fact check of some of Trump’s claims.Presidential Records ActTrump, denouncing the August federal search of Mar-a-Lago, claimed that the Presidential Records Act requires prolonged negotiations over the return of documents.He said: “Just so everyone knows, I come under what’s known as the Presidential Records Act, which was designed and approved by Congress long ago just for this reason. Under the act, I’m supposed to negotiate with NA...

Detached house in Saratoga sells for $4.2 million

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

13313 Via Madronas Drive – Google Street ViewA 3,059-square-foot house built in 1962 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 13300 block of Via Madronas Drive in Saratoga was sold on March 9, 2023. The $4,200,000 purchase price works out to $1,373 per square foot. The property features five bedrooms, three baths, a garage, and two parking spaces. The unit sits on a 0.4-acre lot.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:In September 2022, a 2,153-square-foot home on Charters Avenue in Saratoga sold for $3,950,000, a price per square foot of $1,835. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,148-square-foot home on the 13100 block of Via Arriba Drive in Saratoga sold in February 2023, for $3,100,000, a price per square foot of $1,443. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Via Escuela Court, Saratoga, in August 2022, a 3,340-square-foot home was sold for $4,850,000, a price per square foot of $1,452. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. 

San Francisco tech executive killed in stabbing near SoMa

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A tech executive died after an apparent stabbing near SoMa early Tuesday morning, and police are asking for the public to come forward with any information, according to the San Francisco Police Department. The victim is Bob Lee, 43, of Mill Valley. Not only was he the founder of mobile payment service Cash App, he was an executive at cryptocurrency MobileCoin and part of mobile payment service Square.No arrests have been made and no description of a suspect has been released. San Jose purse-snatching suspects who targeted AAPI community arrested Around 2:35 a.m., officers were called to the 400 block of Main Street, near the Highrise Condos, after receiving a report of a stabbing in the area. Officers found Lee suffering from what appeared to be stab wounds. Lee was provided medical aid by officers and emergency medical responders before he was taken to a local hospital. He later died of his injuries. KRON On is streaming now.embed-container { position: re...

Allergy season in full swing following recent storms

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

(KRON) -- Seasonal allergies are at an all time high mostly due to the recent rainfall. If you’re experiencing them for the first time, you’re not alone.The Center for Disease Control says 26 percent of U.S. adults and 19 percent of kids get them every year. And this year a lot of us may get them.Seasonal allergies normally happen during spring when the body reacts to pollen from grasses and trees. Over the last few months, rainfall has been significant across the state impacting the growth of trees and the amount of pollen put out. In addition we have had high winds moving that pollen all around.Pollen.com ranks pollen levels from zero to 12, eight being considered a medium high. By this weekend, the Bay Area may be around a 10.6.KRON4 meteorologist John Shrable said, “Pollen levels are particularly high, even compared to the past few years. High levels of ash, elder juniper right now. And our pollen levels are actually going to increase into the weekend. Which I know for families ...

As Villa soars, Unai Emery changing opinions in England

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

English soccer’s perceptions of Unai Emery are starting to change.During a testing 18-month spell at Arsenal in 2018-19, Emery was placed in an almost impossible situation — the successor to longtime manager Arsene Wenger and the face of a club going through upheaval behind the scenes as it adapted to a status outside the Premier League’s title-chasing elite.He was mocked for his tactics and, reportedly, his ability to communicate because of his broken English.Now at Aston Villa, Emery is working more in the shadows, away from the glare and scrutiny that comes with being at one of the country’s top clubs.Well, maybe until now.Since the Spanish coach took charge of Villa on Nov. 1 as the replacement for Steven Gerrard, only Arsenal and Manchester City — the two teams fighting it out for the title — have collected more than Villa’s 32 points.The team from central England has soared to seventh place and is in the running for European qualification, from being in 16th and just one...