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Editorial: Horrific death of 8-year-old Sophia Mason must be independently examined

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

Sophia Mason, the 8-year-old girl whose 55-pound body was found decomposing in a bathtub last year, might be alive today if Alameda County social workers had not dismissed the danger the child was in.Records and reporting by this news organization over the past year show that social workers ignored at least eight separate warnings in the 15 months before Sophia’s death that she was being abused and in danger. But no one in the county has been publicly held accountable. No one.Not the social workers who dismissed warning signs. Not Michelle Love, head of the Department of Children and Family Services; Andrea Ford, director of the county’s Social Services Agency; nor County Administrator Susan Muranishi.And not the elected Alameda County Board of Supervisors. Supervisors Nate Miley and David Haubert last year promised an investigation of Sophia’s death, but nothing happened.The stonewalling has gone on too long. The board must hire an independent outside investigator to figure out how...

Opinion: What police departments can do to prevent racist cops

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

The Mercury News and East Bay Times story published April 16 “What Can Be Done About Racist Cops?” puts forward several possible answers to its own question but never seems to land on what I consider to be the best one: We need to fix the problem where it starts.The hiring process for the average police department is broken and all but incentivizes cops to embrace insular group think and cliques within cliques.Applicants are required to have 60 units of college credit, most commonly achieved through an associate’s degree in criminal justice or related fields of study. This field of education is certainly relevant for policing; it makes the career choice a real all-or-nothing enterprise for the applicant. If they aren’t hired as an officer or decide they want to move into another field, their options may be limited to corrections, probations or parole — important occupations but maybe not their desired goal.There’s nothing wrong with a lifetime career in policing, but currently...

Russian official: Ukrainian drones strike Crimea oil depot

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A massive fire erupted at an oil depot in Crimea after it was hit by two of Ukraine’s drones, a Russia-appointed official there reported Saturday, the latest in a series of attacks on the annexed peninsula as Russia braces for an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive. Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, a port city in Crimea, posted videos and photos of the blaze on his Telegram channel. Razvozhayev said the fire at the city’s harbor was assigned the highest ranking in terms of how complicated it will be to extinguish. However, he reported that the open blaze had been contained. Razvozhayev said the oil depot was attacked by “two enemy drones,” and four oil tanks burned down. A third drone was shot down from the sky over Crimea, and one more was deactivated through radio-electronic means, according to Crimea’s Moscow-appointed governor, Sergei Aksyonov. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, a move that mo...

Confiscan una ‘pajilla de vampiro’ a un viajero en el aeropuerto de Boston

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

(CNN) — Un viajero en el Aeropuerto Internacional Logan de Boston fue arrestado después de que se descubrió que tenía en su equipaje de mano una llamada “pajilla de vampiro”, que puede usarse como arma.El hombre de 26 años se dirigía a Chicago desde Boston el 23 de abril, según un correo electrónico de Daniel Vélez, portavoz de TSA New England. En Twitter, Vélez explicó que la Policía Estatal de Massachusetts confiscó la pajilla del bolso de mano del hombre y finalmente lo arrestó.Vélez le dijo a CNN que, si bien en algunos estados se permiten pajillas de vampiro en el equipaje facturado, es ilegal llevarlas en Massachusetts.Detienen a una estadounidense en Sydney después de que el personal del aeropuerto encontrara una pistola de oro en su equipajeEl hombre fue acusado de portar un arma peligrosa, según un comunicado de la Policía Estatal de Massachusetts. Su nombre no fue revelado por la policía.¿Qué es una pajita de vampiro?La imagen que Vélez publicó del artícu...

Más grave que nunca los trastornos alimenticios entre los adolescentes, según los CDC

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

Los trastornos alimentarios de los adolescentes nunca han sido tan desenfrenados ni tan graves. Las hospitalizaciones por trastornos alimenticios se dispararon durante la pandemia, duplicándose entre las adolescentes, según los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC, por sus siglas en inglés). Si bien la mayoría de los adolescentes han regresado a una vida normal de actividades escolares, deportivas y sociales en persona, los trastornos alimentarios, especialmente la anorexia, siguen en su punto más alto, advierten los expertos. “Los niños no están bien”, dijo Melissa Freizinger, directora asociada del programa de trastornos alimenticios del Boston Children’s Hospital. “A medida que la pandemia comenzó y luego avanzó, seguíamos pensando: ‘Oh, va a mejorar en 2022. Oh, va a mejorar en 2023. Pero no ha sido así”. En detalle: las señales que podrían indicar si tus hijos padecen un trastorno alimenticio Estos tres hábitos a...

Cómo y dónde votar en las elecciones generales de Paraguay 2023: horarios, documentos válidos, requisitos y más

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

(CNN Español) — El domingo 30 de abril más de 4 millones de ciudadanos de Paraguay podrán votar en las elecciones generales.Desde las 07:00 a.m. hasta las 04:00 p.m., hora local, los paraguayos que hayan cumplido 18 años de edad votarán para elegir al próximo presidente y vicepresidente de la República; 45 senadores titulares y 30 senadores suplentes; 80 diputados titulares y 80 diputados suplentes; 17 gobernadores; y 257 miembros titulares y otros 257 miembros suplentes para juntas departamentales.Tanto los paraguayos que viven dentro del territorio nacional, como en el extranjero, deberán presentar su cédula de identidad vigente o vencida para poder votar. No obstante, los paraguayos que residen en Argentina, Brasil, Estados Unidos o España, también podrán utilizar su pasaporte vigente como documento electoral válido, según el Art. 208 del Código Electoral de Paraguay.Elecciones generales en Paraguay, ¿qué prometen los candidatos a la presidencia?A diferencia de los nacional...

Oil and gas critics escalate their gripes against Biden

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

The most aggressively climate-minded president in history is getting flak from his green base — thanks to a series of pro-fossil-fuel moves that are starting to remind environmental activists of his old boss’ first term.To some green groups, the Biden administration’s approval of a massive oil project in Alaska, embrace of natural gas exports and slowness to announce its plans on offshore drilling fall far short of the president’s 2020 campaign promises of bold action to wean the nation off fossil fuels. Instead, they’re evoking echoes from the early years of Barack Obama’s administration, when the then-president embraced the economic gains of the fracking boom and delayed politically awkward decisions like the fate of the Keystone XL pipeline.The frustration from elements of the climate movement is starting to become manifest: Activists have interrupted recent public appearances by Biden’s aides and are vowing to “blo...

Royal super fan celebrating next week’s crowning

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

The coronation of King Charles is just one week away, and one royal superfan is gearing up for next Saturday’s main event, decking out her house with an extensive collection of memorabilia. Margaret Tyler said she missed Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953 because her family didn’t have a TV. For King Charles’s coronation, she says her eyes will be glued to the screen.“I’m going to get comfy on here,” Tyler said. “I’m going to have many cups of tea during the whole time.”79-year-old Tyler is obsessed with all things royal. Over the years, she has met many members of the royal family including Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana.Royals memorabilia fills more than four rooms in her London home, and now with King Charles’s coronation, she expects her collection will grow even larger.“I think he’ll be very good as a king, actually,” she said.Tyler watched Charles grow up, and even traveled to Wales in 1969 to attend his investiture as Prince o...

Suspected drone strike triggers massive fire in Russian-occupied Crimea

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

(CNN) — A suspected drone strike has sparked a huge fire at a fuel storage facility in the Russian-occupied Crimean port city of Sevastopol.The Russian-backed governor of the city, Mikhail Razvozhaev, said four fuel tanks were hit but no one was injured.Razvozhaev said the fire had been contained, adding it would not affect fuel supply in Sevastopol.Razvozhaev shared pictures and videos on Telegram showing firefighting trucks watering the area with smoke coming out. It is unclear whether there is still fire in some parts of the facility.Crimea was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, and is internationally recognized as being part of Ukraine.An important port and a major naval base for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, Sevastopol has endured multiple suspected Ukrainian attacks. On Monday, Razvozhaev said there was a drone attack on the city, one of which was destroyed, and the other exploded on its own.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to R...

Mike Lupica: How good are Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks? We’re about to find out vs. rival Heat

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

The back story with the Knicks and Heat is tremendous, without question, and not just because of the shadow of Pat Riley over the whole thing. But the bigger story, at least around here, is this, and in the form of a question:Just how good are the Knicks?Of course, all of the stuff from the time machine is big fun, about big memories. You know how easy it is for the Knicks fans around a quarter-century ago to remember the ending of Game 5 of Knicks vs. Heat at the Miami Arena, and not just Allan Houston making his shot to put the Knicks ahead, but then Jeff Van Gundy chasing ref Ed T. Rush even after the game was over, because Rush had allowed Miami’s Terry Porter to catch and take a dribble and shot — all with just .8 left in Miami.“We’re celebrating in the locker room,” Dave Checketts said. “And we can’t find our coach, because he’s still coaching.”And that’s just one piece, you know it is, if you remember what a time we ...