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Factory blast survivor fell into chocolate vat while on fire

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:32:53 GMT

By Michael Rubinkam and Acacia Coronado | Associated PressA woman pulled alive from the rubble of a Pennsylvania chocolate factory after an explosion that killed seven co-workers says flames had engulfed the building, and her arm, when the floor gave way beneath her. That might have been the end, if she hadn’t fallen into a vat of liquid chocolate.The dark liquid extinguished her blazing arm, but Patricia Borges wound up breaking her collarbone and both of her heels. She would spend the next nine hours screaming for help and waiting for rescue as firefighters battled the inferno and choppers thumped overhead at the R.M. Palmer Co. factory.“When I began to burn, I thought it was the end for me,” Borges, 50, told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview from her hospital bed in West Reading, Pennsylvania, just minutes from the chocolate factory where she worked as a machine operator. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board planned to intervi...

Scores of affordable homes are being eyed near near big San Jose malls

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:32:53 GMT

SAN JOSE — Scores of affordable homes are being eyed in San Jose near the city’s primary major malls, a project that could sprout in what municipal officials hope is an emerging and vibrant new corridor.The proposed project would add 94 affordable homes at the northeast corner of West San Carlos Street and Cleveland Avenue in San Jose, according to documents on file with city officials.The development site has addresses ranging from 1921 through 1929 West San Carlos Street as well as 30 through 58 Cleveland Avenue, the planning documents show.Los Angeles-based real estate firm Path Ventures, which is active in the development of affordable housing, has proposed the project.PATH Villas on the Row, a 94-unit affordable housing development at the corner of West San Carlos Street and Cleveland Avenue, concept. (Steinberg Hart)The developer intends to bulldoze five buildings at that corner to clear the way for the new project.At present, the occupants of the buildings in...

Photos: Piedmont Bird Calling Show’s post-pandemic return to form

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:32:53 GMT

Students performing calls of the Thick Billed Raven, the Adélie Penguin and the Common Loon took the top three prizes Thursday night when Piedmont’s Bird Calling Show returned in person to the Alan Harvey Theater for its 54th annual contest following a three-year hiatus.Related ArticlesCalifornia News | Photos: Space shuttle toilet, UFO and Stealth fighter displays delight REACH Academy students California News | In Prime Video’s adaptation of ‘The Power,’ teen girls get it and the world is not the same California News | WATCH: Aaron Judge drills first-inning homer vs. SF Giants on Opening Day California News | Marin waterfalls draw visitors following historic rains California News | How you can go shark cage diving off Oahu’s North Shore Created in 1963 by Leonard Waxdeck, a biology teacher at Piedmont High School, the show grew into an annual event that over the decades has attracted local and na...

San Jose: National Koi Show 2023 returns this weekend — with outdoor fish viewing

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:32:53 GMT

They’re colorful and coy, er, koi.The nation’s top hobbyists will bring their most spectacular fish — up to 3 feet long — to South San Jose to compete this weekend, April 1-2, in the ZNA NorCal National Koi Show.And the public’s invited to come and gaze at 30 tanks’ worth of koi contestants, learn about the hobby of keeping koi and see the judges in action. Admission is freeThe ZNA (Zen Nippon Arankai) outdoor show has been held  in San Jose for a number of years. “The primary purpose is to advance koi education, from how to begin in the hobby to offering the latest information about koi keeping and improvement,” said organizer Dinh Nguyen, who added that there is an emphasis on appreciation for the “living art” of koi, or nishikigoi in Japanese.Related ArticlesEntertainment | Cupertino hosts Holi ‘Festival of Color’ April 2 Entertainment | ‘Galloping Horses’: Saratoga Library hosts talk on Chinese artist Entertainment | ...

100-mph chase on Hwy 101 in Santa Rosa ends with 3 arrests

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:32:53 GMT

(KRON) -- Three suspected robbers led police on a 100-mph high speed chase down Highway 101 through Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, and Petaluma Thursday night. Police used a spike strip and PIT maneuver to finally end the chase near the Sonoma County line. The three arrested men were identified by the Santa Rosa Police Department as James Edward Vines, 21, of Vallejo; Ettievy Coats, 23, of Vallejo; and Gregory Garcia, 23, of San Francisco.The incident began as an armed robbery at a Safeway grocery store at 2785 Yulupa Ave. in Santa Rosa. Police said three men dressed in ski masks stole several baskets full of merchandise before darting out of the store. When confronted by a clerk outside, the men brandished handguns and threatened to shoot the clerk, according to SRPD. The group fled in a vehicle described as a "black lowered sedan with tinted windows," SRPD wrote.Officers rapidly responded into the surrounding area and spotted the sedan entering southbound Highway 101 from the Highway ...

Martinez woman pleads guilty to over $1.3M in embezzlement

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:32:53 GMT

(KRON) -- A Martinez woman has pleaded guilty Thursday to embezzling almost $1.4 million through her former employer Ramar Foods International in Pittsburg, the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office announced in a news release. Officials said Mary Antoinette Narvaez Hernandez, 60, committed crimes including felony grand theft embezzlement, identity theft, money laundering and tax evasion from 2016 to 2021.Hernandez was the account manager for Ramar Foods International. Officials said Hernandez embezzled a total of $1,399,342.84 from the company and failed to pay $97,568 in state taxes. Executive Director of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association charged with importing fentanyl Ramar Food International president Susie Quesada said Hernandez had many friends who trusted her at work at the arraignment."It is with deep regret now that we look upon the years of working with Mary Anna tainted with lies and deception," Quesada said. Frank Somerville makes first TV appearan...

A Trump lo acusaron. Esto es lo que sigue ahora en la corte

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:32:53 GMT

(CNN) — La acusación del expresidente Donald Trump por parte de un jurado investigador de Manhattan pondrá en marcha un proceso penal que, en cierto modo, funcionará como el de cualquier otro acusado y, en otros, se verá muy diferente.Cuando se acusa a alguien, los cargos a veces se mantienen en secreto hasta la primera comparecencia del acusado ante el tribunal. Los cargos que el jurado investigador aprobó contra Trump actualmente no son públicos.Acusan a Donald Trump en una investigación sobre un esquema de pago de dinero por silencio. Esto es lo que sabemos“Esta noche nos comunicamos con el abogado del Sr. Trump para coordinar su entrega a la Oficina del Fiscal de Distrito de Manhattan para la lectura de cargos en una acusación de la Corte Suprema, que permanece sellada. Se proporcionará orientación cuando se seleccione la fecha de lectura de cargos”, dijo un portavoz del fiscal de distrito de Manhattan, Alvin Bragg, en un comunicado.Primera impresiónLas primeras comparecen...

Calif., 3 other states join bid to block JetBlue-Spirit deal

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:32:53 GMT

California and three other states have joined a federal lawsuit aimed at blocking JetBlue’s $3.8 billion purchase of Spirit Airlines, which is scheduled for trial this fall.New Jersey, Maryland and North Carolina also joined in an updated version of the complaint that was filed Friday in federal district court in Boston. The Biden administration argues that the deal would reduce competition and drive up prices for airline consumers by eliminating Spirit, which is known for low fares. JetBlue argues that the deal will help consumers by making the New York-based airline a stronger competitor against American, Delta, United and Southwest.The original lawsuit was brought earlier in March by the U.S. Justice Department, Massachusetts, New York and the District of Columbia against JetBlue Airways and Spirit. Attorney General Merrick Garland led a press conference to announce the lawsuit, a signal of the importance that the Biden administration attaches to the case as part of its ca...

Weather service: Tornado emergency issued for Arkansas capital of Little Rock, residents warned to seek safety

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:32:53 GMT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Weather service: Tornado emergency issued for Arkansas capital of Little Rock, residents warned to seek safety.Source

Texas Tech hires coach Grant McCasland after NIT title

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:32:53 GMT

Grant McCasland was hired as Texas Tech’s new coach Friday, getting a six-year contract with the Red Raiders a day after North Texas won the NIT title to wrap up that school’s first 30-win season.North Texas was 135-65 in six seasons under McCasland, who has a master’s degree from Texas Tech. The Mean Green were 31-7 this season, which came a year after they had first broken the school record by winning 25 games.During his time on the Lubbock campus while getting his master’s degree, McCasland served as Texas Tech’s director of basketball operations for coach James Dickey from 1999-2001. “The commitment and vision for Texas Tech has no limits and we look forward to loving our team everyday with a greater purpose,” McCasland said in a statement Friday. McCasland earned his undergraduate degree from Baylor, where he was listed as a 5-foot-9 walk-on player who got into 47 games over four seasons, from 1995-99. He later was an assistant coach for the Bears from 2011-16 under coach...