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Suit accuses Leon Black of rape in Epstein’s NY townhouse

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

By Allison Morrow | CNNA woman is suing the billionaire investor Leon Black, accusing him of raping her at Jeffrey Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse when she was 16 years old.The lawsuit describes in gruesome detail the woman’s account of a sexual assault that left her bleeding and sobbing. Her lawyers say that the woman, identified as Jane Doe, has autism and a rare form of Down syndrome that has left her “developmentally… about 12 years old.”A lawyer for Black, Susan Estrich, said Black has never met the woman and called the lawsuit “frivolous” and full of “vicious and defamatory lies.” Estrich also says the suit was “manufactured by the Wigdor law firm,” which had filed a previous sexual assault complaint against Black that was eventually thrown out.A spokesman for Black, Whit Clay, echoed Estrich’s denial, saying the law firm “has an agenda” and that its credibility has been impugned by the dismissal of the previous suit.In response to the vendetta claim, Jeanne M. Christensen, a pa...

Richmond chemical plant fined $1.15 million for years-long air pollution violations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

A sulfuric acid manufacturing plant in Richmond was fined $1.15 million Thursday for violations connected to faulty emissions monitors, local air-quality officials said.Since at least 2014, Chemtrade underreported sulfur dioxide emissions after failing to properly calibrate, operate and maintain its continuous monitoring system, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.These measurements at the plant, located at 525 Castro St. next to the Chevron Refinery in the city’s western industrial hub, are crucial to determining compliance with emissions limits.While the air district’s audit did not find evidence that Chemtrade’s sulfur dioxide emissions exceeded its permitted limits, BAAQMD reported that the company’s monitoring system was unable to reliably monitor the extent of the plant’s emissions.Sulfur dioxide — a colorless, pungent gas used to produce fertilizers, explosives and petroleum catalysts — can have adverse impacts on the respiratory system, incl...

Home sale prices from Santa Clara and The Peninsula, July 23, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

Residential transactions in Santa Clara and The Peninsula. Click here to browse previous weeks’ transactions.Occasional incorrectly reported, atypical home sales and special circumstances may be listed or alter the average cost per square foot. If the cost looks erroneous, please email [email protected] for more information.Atherton 9402776 Catalpa Drive $7,600,00006/13/23 Built 19404310 SF, 5 BR, 5.5 BTH335 Fletcher Drive $22,000,00006/13/23 Built 19552210 SF, 4 BR, 2.5 BTH224 Park Lane $19,500,00006/14/23 Built 20078779 SF, 6 BR, 6.5 BTH Belmont 940021701 Francis Court $2,365,00006/15/23 Built 19471680 SF, 3 BR, 2 BTH1903 Hillman Avenue $2,075,00006/14/23 Built 19481407 SF, 3 BR, 2 BTH2802 Ponce Avenue $2,300,00006/13/23 Built 19541630 SF, 4 BR, 2 BTH Brisbane 94005304 Klamath Street $1,095,00006/13/23 Built 19351340 SF, 3 BR, 1 BTH Burlingame 940103060 Atwater Drive $3,775,00006/16/23 Built 19652200 SF, 4 BR, 2 BTH3072 Atwater Drive ...

Oakland carjacking suspects arrested in connection to Skyline Blvd. incident, others

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

(KRON) -- Several arrests have been made in connection to a series of carjackings, the Oakland Police Department announced on Thursday. "Multiple individuals" were arrested in connection to carjackings including a recent incident on Skyline Boulevard.OPD officers assigned to the Violent Crime Operations Center located a person wanted in connection to that attempted carjacking on July 26. Officers attempted to stop the suspect's vehicle on the 2600 block of East 12th Street, but the suspect took off. Contra Costa County DUI driver sentenced after killing 2 teens Officers pursued the suspect to San Leandro with the assistance of OPD's helicopter. Three occupants got out of the vehicle and fled on foot. They were safely taken into custody by VCOC officers, police said.The three individuals arrested, two men and one male juvenile, were all Oakland residents. In addition to the Skyline incident, the suspects have been connected to multiple armed carjackings in:Tompkins Avenue Neighborh...

Man who was shot and killed by SFPD in Bayview was armed: Police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A man shot and killed by the San Francisco Police Department on Wednesday was armed, according SFPD. SFPD Chief Bill Scott said that the man was holding a gun when he was shot and that a weapon was recovered at the scene. The man who was shot in the Bayview/Hunters Point neighborhood has been identified as Ryant Bluford, 41, of San Francisco. Police shot and killed Bluford while attempting to arrest someone in the city's Bayview District on Wednesday, the San Francisco Police Department said.The shooting happened in the area of Fairfax Avenue and Catalina Street.SFPD said plain-clothes officers were making an arrest when a second person, now identified as Bluford, approached them at about 2:53 p.m. The man appeared to be armed, per police. An officer shot the man after he did not follow commands, per police. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.Police do not believe the person who was killed was related to the initial arrest. 2 arrested in San Francisco ...

Major crash closes Bollinger Canyon, Crow Canyon roads in San Ramon

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

(BCN) -- The San Ramon Police Department is investigating a collision Thursday at Bollinger Canyon and Crow Canyon roads that resulted in major injuries. Police said that as of 2:50 p.m., eastbound Crow Canyon Road was reopened, but was closed in the westbound direction at Porter Drive and Park Place. Contra Costa County DUI driver sentenced after killing 2 teens Northbound traffic on Bollinger Canyon Road is still closed at Deerwood Drive. Police said that the roads will remain closed until at least 5 p.m. and travelers are advised to find an alternate route. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Niger Coup Leader Joins Long Line of U.S.-Trained Mutineers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

brig. gen. Moussa salaou barmou, the chief of Niger’s Special Operations Forces and one of the leaders of the unfolding coup in Niger, was trained by the U.S. military, The Intercept has confirmed. U.S.-trained military officers have taken part in 11 coups in West Africa since 2008.“We have had a very long relationship with the United States,” Barmou said in 2021. “Being able to work together in this capacity is very good for Niger.” Just last month, Barmou met with Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, the head of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, at Air Base 201, a drone base in the Nigerian city of Agadez that serves as the lynchpin of an archipelago of U.S. outposts in West Africa.On Wednesday, Barmou, who trained at Fort Benning, Georgia, and the National Defense University in Washington, joined a junta that ousted Mohamed Bazoum, Niger’s democratically elected president, according to Nigerien sources and a U.S. government official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.Barmou did not ...

Advantage Energy: Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Advantage Energy Ltd. (AAVVF) on Thursday reported second-quarter profit of $1.9 million.The Calgary, Alberta-based company said it had profit of 2 cents per share.The oil and gas company posted revenue of $69.5 million in the period.Advantage Energy shares have declined roughly 1% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Thursday, shares hit $6.97, a fall of 13% in the last 12 months._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on AAVVF at https://www.zacks.com/ap/AAVVFSource

Big Ten’s four new coaches took divergent paths to new-look West Division

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Luke Fickell got his first taste of leading a Big Ten program as Ohio State’s interim coach in 2011. This fall, he’s back with the more traditional title of head coach — at Wisconsin.Former Baylor coach Matt Rhule is back in the college fray, too, this time at Nebraska.They are the highest-profile members of the Big Ten’s four new coaches, all of whom took jobs with West Division teams in a league they revere.“We could take the whole time on ‘why Wisconsin,’” Fickell said on the second and final day of the Big Ten’s annual football kickoff in Indianapolis. “It has a lot to do with being back in the Big Ten. It has to do with the respect I’ve always had playing against and preparing for Wisconsin, understanding and recognizing what I assumed the culture was like from afar. It felt like something that would be really, really in my wheelhouse.”The Badgers certainly believe Fickell is the perfect fit to complete the mission Barry Alvarez...

Frances Tiafoe launches charitable fund at tennis center where he grew up

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:52 GMT

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Frances Tiafoe stood with his hands on his hips and feigned disappointment Thursday after his partner during a doubles drill dumped an overhead into the net.Moments earlier, on the same courts at the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) where he learned the game not far from the nation’s capital, Tiafoe jokingly chastised another of his temporary teammates — all aged 10 or under — for not celebrating a good shot properly, explaining the importance of yelling and punching the air.A semifinalist at the U.S. Open last year and now ranked in the ATP Top 10, he took part in the clinic with dozens of kids after a ceremony to announce the launch of The Frances Tiafoe Fund in conjunction with the USTA Foundation, the charitable arm of the sport’s national federation.“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. It’s something I’ve always been passionate about. I love people. I love helping people,” the 25-year-old Tiafoe said. “I’m a product of this place. I’m a guy who...