Tag Archives: California

Los Angeles’ ABC affiliate reports: An intense fire broke out at Disneyland in Anaheim on Saturday night as packed crowds were enjoying a show at the theme park. The fire ignited on Tom Sawyer Island during the Fantasmic! nighttime water and fireworks show held on the Rivers of America. Citizen video captured by parkgoers shows massive flames fully engulfing Maleficent’s …

Variety reports: Prosecutors are expected to drop manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin in the death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, sources confirmed on Thursday. In a statement, Baldwin’s lawyers said they were pleased with the outcome. “We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances …

The watchdog site Church Leaders reports: Jesse Joshua Aceves, who founded the Christian clothing brand The Way and had been active in the Christian hip-hop music scene, was convicted last month of “numerous” charges of child molestation. The 36-year-old, who was arrested in California back in 2020, has been sentenced to 35 years in a state prison. According to police …

Sacramento’s Fox affiliate reports: The California State Capitol building was temporarily evacuated Thursday morning due to ‘credible threats’ from a suspect connected to two shootings in the Sacramento area that occurred the previous day and who is still at large, according to Roseville Police and the California Highway Patrol. The evacuation lasted a little over an hour, and legislators and …

San Francisco’s Mission Local reports: Mission Local is informed that the San Francisco Police Department early this morning made an arrest in the April 4 killing of tech executive Bob Lee, following an operation undertaken outside the city’s borders. The alleged killer also works in tech and is a man Lee purportedly knew. We are told that police today were …

The Chicago Sun-Times reports: The former pastor of a Rolling Meadows church has been charged with felony battery and assault in California. James Macdonald, who was fired from Harvest Bible Chapel in 2019, was arrested March 22 in Coronado, California, after he allegedly attacked a 59-year-old woman. He was trying to parallel park his truck about 10:15 a.m. in the …

The Hill reports: Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the former Speaker, questioned calls for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to step down over her health, arguing that she has never seen a man in that position face similar calls. “It’s interesting to me. I don’t know what political agendas are at work that are going after Sen. Feinstein in that way. I’ve …

The Associated Press reports: Recuperating U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California asked Wednesday to be temporarily replaced on the Judiciary Committee, shortly after two House Democrats called on her to resign after her extended absence from Washington. In a statement, the long-serving Democratic senator said her recovery from a case of shingles she disclosed in early March had been delayed …

The Daily Beast reports: Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) absence from the Senate is making life increasingly difficult for President Joe Biden. The 89-year-old has missed 60 of the 82 votes taken in the Senate so far in 2023, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. It’s gotten so bad that a number of top voices in the Democratic party are calling …

SF Gate reports: After a short stint in downtown San Francisco, the Whole Foods at 1185 Market St. is closing this week. The Whole Foods at Trinity Place is set to close on April 11, a Whole Foods Market spokesperson confirmed with SFGATE. “To ensure the safety of our Team Members, we have made the difficult decision to close the …

The Modesto Bee reports: A Modesto man who has served in a leadership role over student ministries at his church has been charged with molesting a family member. Michael Sasser, 40, was charged last month with forcible sexual penetration, continual sexual abuse of a child and lewd and lascivious acts with a child. According to the criminal complaint, the first …

Santa Barbara’s ABC affiliate reports: Former youth pastor Jeffery York, 53, at New Beginnings Community Church in Nipomo was arrested Wednesday for child molestation and sexual abuse over a three-year period, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office. SLO Sheriff’s arrested the 53-year-old from Portland following an investigation into York for child molestation of a male victim in …

The Christian Post reports: Churchome, the Washington state megachurch led by Judah Smith and his wife Chelsea, has been slapped with a class action lawsuit for allegedly imposing a tithing policy on employees, in violation of state law, that requires them to give back no less than 10% of their gross earnings to the church or face disciplinary action, including …

Los Angeles’ NBC affiliate reports: A retired Orange County pastor has been convicted of sexually abusing two young girls he is related to, according to court records obtained on Thursday. Jose Andres Lopez, 70, of Mission Viejo, was convicted Wednesday of 18 felony sexual assault charges dating as far back as 1991 through 2020. On Aug. 21, 2020, one of …

CBS News reports: California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Saturday that the state has launched a 10-year partnership with a drug maker to produce insulin for its residents at a significantly lower cost. The state plans to sell insulin at a cost of $30 for a 10-milliliter vial, Newsom said in a press conference Saturday near Los Angeles. The insulin will …

The Washington Post reports: The Justice Department has opened an investigation into the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and the actions of its senior executives, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe an investigation still in its early stages. Financial regulators closed the bank, popular among tech firms and start-ups, …

San Francisco’s CBS affiliate reports: The Diocese of Santa Rosa filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy on Monday in the face of potentially hundreds of sexual abuse lawsuits. Bishop Robert Vasa had announced the filing was imminent in a media release. “This decision was made necessary due to the number of child sexual abuse lawsuits filed against the Diocese over the …

The New York Times reports: If there is one enduring axiom in banking, it is this: Don’t run out of money. Silicon Valley Bank, a lender to some of the biggest names in the technology world, did just that on Friday, becoming the largest bank to fail since the 2008 financial crisis. The move put nearly $175 billion in customer …

Bloomberg News reports: California will no longer renew a $54 million contract with Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. following the drugstore chain’s decision to stop dispensing abortion pills in several states, according to Governor Gavin Newsom. The action comes a day after the Democratic leader said California would stop doing business with the company. Renewal of the contract to procure specialty …

San Francisco’s NBC affiliate reports: A lay official with the Diocese of Oakland has been arrested on suspicion of possessing and sharing child pornography, NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit has confirmed via local law enforcement. Jeremiah York, 24, worked as the Director of Liturgical Ministries and the Executive Assistant to the Rector at the Cathedral of Christ the Light in …