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Six face murder charges in Aurora organized crime investigation

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:50 GMT

Aurora police officials announced Wednesday that six people have been charged with murder in a two-year, multi-jurisdictional investigation into organized crime.The Regional Anti-Violence Enforcement Network on Tuesday arrested seven of 12 suspects discovered in the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act investigation, with all but one suspect charged with violent crimes, according to an Aurora Police Department news release. Three of the suspects already were in custody on other charges. One person remains at large and one person barricaded himself in his residence before taking his own life Tuesday.Officials believe all of the suspects belong to the same criminal organization.Luis Ramirez, 23; Dominik Ramirez, 21; Jonathan Ramirez, 18; Jason Frias, 19; Keyandre Robinson, 21; and Trayvon Weatherspoon, 19, were arrested Tuesday. Julian Nava-Hernadez, 18; Juan Carlos Rivas-Luna, 18, and Jose Cano-Venzor, 19, already were in jail. Donald Howard, 18, was not located during Tuesday’...

Authorities searching for guitar thief in L.A. County

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:50 GMT

Authorities with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are asking for the public’s help in identifying a woman whole stole a pair of guitars from a Westlake Village music store earlier this month. The theft occurred on Aug. 13 just before 4 p.m. at a Guitar Center located at 30730 Russell Ranch Rd.  A female suspect entered the establishment and walked around the store looking at guitars, according to LASD’s bulletin. When store employees were distracted, the woman walked out of the store with two guitars and made no attempt to purchase the merchandise.  A female suspect, seen here on surveillance cameras, allegedly stealing two guitars from a Guitar Center in Westlake Village on Aug. 13, 2023. (LASD)One of the stolen instruments, valued at nearly $1,000, was an Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard Outfit electric guitar. The other, valued at more than $900, was a Fender Player Stratocaster HSS Plus.  Anyone with information about this incident who may recognize the ...

Sean Philpot Dies in Motorcycle Collision on South Washington Street [Amarillo, TX]

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:50 GMT

18-Year-Old Rider Pronounced Dead after Motorcycle Accident near Southwest 41st StreetAMARILLO, TX (August 30, 2023) – Thursday night, Sean Philpot was killed in a motorcycle collision on South Washington Street.Police responded to the scene around 9:18 p.m., near Southwest 41st Street on August 10th.According to reports, the rider of a northbound motorcycle collided head-on with an SUV that was pulling out from a private parking lot. There, the driver struck the motorcyclist.Medical personnel arrived and pronounced the rider dead at the scene. Authorities later identified the deceased victim as 18-year-old Philpot.Meanwhile, paramedics rushed the SUV driver to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. Although, the name of the SUV driver remains unknown.Amarillo police continue to investigate the cause of the accident and will release additional information once it becomes available. Once available, further details will be provided.In this sorrowful time, the Sweet James team ...

Mariners rally past A’s, 5-4, as Seattle finishes with best month in team history

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:50 GMT

SEATTLE — The Oakland A’s nearly equaled their most successful month in a trying season on Wednesday afternoon. Instead, it was the Seattle Mariners, their opponent, who most wished August never ended after rallying to beat the A’s 5-4.“There’s like 60 days in August isn’t there? I wish there was,” Mariners manager Scott Servais quipped. “What a month.”The Mariners closed out the winningest month in team history after J.P. Crawford dropped a two-run single into left field in the seventh inning to give Seattle the lead for good after it rallied from a pair of deficits.The A’s came into Wednesday’s game with a more modest goal of equaling their most wins in a month this season. Instead, Oakland (39-95) settled for a 9-17 record in August, one win shy of its season-best 10-16 mark in June.Seattle went 21-6 in the month, bettering the previous franchise record of 20 victories in a month. The Mariners have won 13 of their last 15 games and will head into September in the midd...

Trump blasts NY fraud case, says he prevented nuclear war

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:50 GMT

By Michael R. Sisak | Associated PressNEW YORK — Donald Trump defended his real estate empire and his presidency in a face-to-face clash with the New York attorney general suing him for fraud, testifying at a closed-door grilling in April that his company is flush with cash — and claiming he saved “millions of lives” by deterring nuclear war when he was president.Trump, in testimony made public Wednesday, said it was a “terrible thing” that Attorney General Letitia James was suing him over claims he made on annual financial statements about his net worth and the value of his skyscrapers, golf courses and other assets.James released Trump’s 479-page deposition transcript in a flurry of court filings ahead of a Sept. 22 hearing where Judge Arthur Engoron could resolve part or all of the case before it is scheduled to go to trial in October. She pointed to evidence that shows Trump inflated his net worth by up to 39%, or more than $2 billion, in some years...

NY AG says Trump inflated his net worth by $2.2B in 1 year

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:50 GMT

By Kara Scannell and Jeremy Herb | CNNDonald Trump inflated his net worth by as much as $2.2 billion in one year, lawyers for the New York attorney general’s office alleged as part of their civil fraud lawsuit against the former president, his adult sons and the Trump Organization.Over a 10-year period, the attorney general’s office said that when it corrects the Trump financial statements for alleged misvaluations it “reduces Mr. Trump’s net worth by between 17-39% in each year, or between $812 million to $2.2 billion, depending on the year.” The $2.2 billion disparity came in 2014, the state said.The new allegations were made in a partial summary judgment motion made public Wednesday by New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat.“Based on the undisputed evidence, no trial is required for the court to determine that defendants presented grossly and materially inflated asset values in the (statements of financial condition) and then used those SFCs repeatedly in business tr...

Sanctions appear to be working on the Russian economy

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:50 GMT

By David McHugh | Associated PressThe Russian ruble’s wobble in value has exposed a crack in President Vladimir Putin’s fortress economy, a vulnerability quickly plastered over by the Kremlin’s economic team in a move that allowed the currency to regain its footing, at least for now.Yet the patch — an emergency interest rate increase — cannot hide the dilemma at the heart of the Russian economy: how to fund the military while not undermining the national currency and overheating the economy with corrosive and politically embarrassing inflation.Life in Moscow presents a facade of normality despite sweeping sanctions tied to the war in Ukraine and the departure of hundreds of name-brand Western companies.Outdoor seating at restaurants and bars on the popular Bolshaya Nikitskaya street were packed on a recent evening with well-dressed residents enjoying balmy August weather. Loud music from DJs boomed from a nearby courtyard eatery. Malls haven’t changed at firs...

San Jose risks penalties after plan to add more than 60,000 new homes fails to meet state requirements

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:50 GMT

California regulators say San Jose’s proposal to add more than 60,000 new homes over the next decade isn’t up to snuff, leaving the city as still the last of the Bay Area’s three largest metropolises without a finalized state-mandated housing plan.Until San Jose can persuade state officials to sign off on the plan, it risks missing out on valuable affordable housing and transportation funds as well as losing control over the approval process for many new housing projects.In June, when the City Council, in a split vote, agreed to send the plan to the state for approval, a host of pro-housing advocates, tenant activists and construction labor backers voiced concerns. Many were skeptical that city officials had done enough to convince regulators to approve the city’s 239-page “housing element” planning document, meant as a roadmap for the city’s future housing growth.In a letter to the city on Monday, the state housing department wrote that it ...

Oakland man charged with human trafficking of girl he met on Instagram

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:50 GMT

OAKLAND — Weeks before his 22nd birthday, an Oakland man has been charged with trafficking a teen girl after they met on social media, according to court records.Jeremiah Means, 21, was charged Aug. 28 with human trafficking of a minor, pimping a minor and pandering by encouraging. He also faces unrelated charges of brandishing a weapon, according to jail records.The investigation started on July 26, when Oakland police were called to a residence on Holly Street for a report that a runaway teen human trafficking victim was staying there. They made contact with the girl and arrested Means in the backyard of the residence. He was detained, released and re-arrested Aug. 24, in anticipation of the charges being filed, records show.Police say Means met the girl on Instagram and traveled outside of the Bay Area to pick her up and bring her back to Oakland.During the investigation, investigators uncovered text messages between the two that “clearly show a pimp and prostitute re...

Drones strike deep in Russia; Kyiv attack kills 2

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:50 GMT

By Susie Blann and Dasha Litvinova | Associated PressKYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine sent waves of drones deep into western Russia in more than four hours of nighttime attacks that struck military assets, Russian officials and media reports said Wednesday.The drones hit an airport near Russia’s border with Estonia and Latvia, causing a huge blaze and damaging four Il-76 military transport planes, the Russian state news agency Tass reported, citing emergency officials.With at least six regions targeted, the barrage appeared to be the most extensive Ukrainian drone attack on Russian soil since the war began 18 months ago, although no injuries were reported. The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Ukraine of cross-border incursions on the Belgorod region of Russia and of launching drones toward Moscow.There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials, who usually don’t claim attacks inside Russia. The Kremlin’s forces, meanwhile, hit Kyiv with drones and missiles during the ...