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Massive fire guts Los Angeles home leaving 1 dead, 2 critical

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:11 GMT

One person is dead and two others are in critical condition after a fire raged through a home in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles Thursday morning. The fire was reported at a one-story, single-family home in the 700 block of South Street Louis Street near Hollenbeck Park shortly before 4:30 a.m. Arriving firefighters found the home fully engulfed and were initially forced into a defensive mode, a Los Angeles Fire Department news alert stated.It took more than 50 firefighters 25 minutes to finally extinguish the flames. Crews determined that five people had been inside the home at the time of the fire. One person, who made it out of the home and was located on a porch, was "beyond medical help and determined deceased on scene," the news alert stated. Two patients were pulled out of the fire and transported in critical condition, according to the Fire Department. Massive surf to peak along Southern California coast Thursday Two other occupants were found outside the ho...

Dangerous surf to peak along Southern California coast Thursday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:11 GMT

Residents and beachgoers are being warned about the dangers of a massive swell that is expected to reach its peak along the Southern California coastline Thursday.The high surf and flooding dangers are of particular concern in Ventura County and at Hermosa, Manhattan and Palos Verdes beaches in Los Angeles County, according to the National Weather Service. Waves of 10 to 15 feet with sets to 20 feet are expected along the Ventura County coast. A high surf warning and coastal flood warning are in effect from 4 a.m. Thursday to 10 p.m. Saturday. “Most dangerous conditions are expected later today (Thursday),” KTLA’s Omar Lewis said.Beachgoers are being urged to use caution as high surf hits the Southern California Coast Thursday. (National Weather Service Los Angeles)Surf near Point Conception and Hermosa, Manhattan and Palos Verdes beaches will reach 7 to 12 feet with sets between 15 and 20 feet, according to the Weather Service. “We’re all excited,” said Manhattan Beach resident Rub...

Kratom vs. Cannabis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:11 GMT

View the original article about Kratom vs. Cannabis at Real Tested CBD.If you’ve been shopping around CBD stores, vape shops, or delta-8 dispensaries, you’ve probably run across kratom. Indeed, many hemp vendors nowadays put kratom front-and-center in their advertising. Since kratom is so prominent in the CBD and delta-8 market, you may assume it has something to do with the cannabis plant.Although many kratom proponents believe this drug shares many traits with hemp products like CBD, the two are not the same. In fact, kratom is an entirely different plant species with a unique chemistry. New customers must understand they can’t use kratom interchangeably with the delta-8 or CBD products listed on Real Tested CBD.So, What Is Kratom Exactly?Since kratom is so often found in cannabis shops (and has the same “k-sounding” beginning), many people confusingly think it’s a variant of the cannabis species. Honestly, kratom has a lot more to do with coffee than cannabis.Technically, kratom ...

Danny Masterson sent to California prison to serve sentence for rape convictions, mug shot released

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:11 GMT

DELANO  — “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson has been sent to a California state prison to serve his sentence for two rape convictions.Authorities said Wednesday that the 47-year-old Masterson has been admitted to North Kern State Prison, and they released his first prison mug shot. The photo shows him wearing orange prison attire, with long hair and a beard.In June, Masterson was convicted of raping two women in his Los Angeles home in 2003. In September, a judge sentenced him to 30 years to life in prison. His wife, actor Bijou Phillips, filed for divorce in the weeks that followed after a marriage of nearly 12 years.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am gets serious: No Hollywood celebrities or exhibition events Crime and Public Safety | Tatum O’Neal and two brothers shut out of Ryan O’Neal’s funeral, one brother says Crime and Public Safety | New Melania Trump mystery: She skips...

7 terrific Bay Area things to do over New Year’s weekend, Dec. 29-Jan. 1

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:11 GMT

Whether you’re aiming to ring in 2024 at home or on the town, we have some great ideas to add to your weekend plans. So let’s get to it, shall we?As always, be sure to double check event and venue websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines. Meanwhile, if you’d like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.com/newsletters or www.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.1 SEE & HEAR: Great shows are all overWhether you’re looking to rock out or laugh your fool head off (both solid objectives, in our book), this weekend offers lots of options. And if you’re still formalizing your New Year’s Eve plans, here’s a handy roundup of who’s playing where to ring in 2024.2 COOK & EAT: Get a head start …It’s a resolution a lot of us make every year — we’ll cook at home more and we’ll eat healthier. Well, Orinda cookbook author and former...

Share the Spirit: A unique roommate finder helps Bay Area seniors stay in homes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:11 GMT

Snezhanka Stefanova was in a serious bind before she met Jeanne Falla.Related ArticlesHousing | Share the Spirit: After years in the foster system, a young woman gets a room of her own Housing | Share the Spirit: How one Concord garden made a world of difference, and a reason to get out of bed Housing | From stories to action: Share the Spirit readers respond Housing | Share the Spirit: Stepping out of the darkness and into the light Housing | Share the Spirit: ‘Bags of Hope’ nourish families holding vigil over loved ones in the hospital The then-20-year-old would soon be without a home. Her parents planned to move back to their native Bulgaria, but the recent high school graduate had lived in Contra Costa County most of her life. She wanted to start college and didn’t want to leave her friends.“In order for me to stay here, I had to figure out how I’m going to live on my own,” said Stefanova...

Despite billions spent, new data shows almost a third of the nation’s homeless now live in California

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:11 GMT

California’s homeless population grew 6% this year to more than 181,000 people–by far the largest estimate of any state, accounting for nearly three in 10 unhoused people nationwide, according to new federal data.The increase comes as public frustration is mounting over California’s struggle to curb homelessness despite unprecedented billions spent in recent years to get people off the street.Experts and advocates say that while drugs and mental health play a significant role, the homelessness crisis will persist until the state can reverse its intensifying affordable housing shortage. Between 2000 and 2021, California’s typical rent swelled 38% while renter income rose only 7%, according to researchers with the nonprofit California Housing Partnership.“California’s homelessness crisis is being driven by the same factors that are driving the crisis in the rest of the country, but driven to the extreme,” said Alex Visotzky, senior California ...

Crash, bang, ow! Virtual-reality injuries rise amid jump in popularity of VR gaming headsets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:11 GMT

The 20-something man walked into Stanford Health Care’s emergency department suffering from a common injury with an uncommon — but growing — cause: He broke his hand while flailing around in a virtual world.Wearing a virtual-reality headset that immersed him in a computer-generated environment, the man had “gotten a little too enthusiastic” and punched a wall, said Dr. Ryan Ribeira, assistant medical director of the Stanford Emergency Department, who treated the patient.“There are a number of VR games where you end up swinging your arms around a bit,” Ribeira said. “When you’re in VR, things feel real. There are experiences where a spider might jump out at you. It can be that you’re fighting zombies in VR and they’re jumping out at you. You may have to jump away or fall on the ground.”RELATED: Staying safe in virtual worlds: What to do, and not do, with a VR headset onLittle data exists on how many people are in...

Staying safe in virtual worlds: What to do, and not do, with a VR headset on

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:11 GMT

Broken bones, cuts and contusions: Researchers say these are the most-common injuries as rising numbers of people wearing virtual reality headsets come into contact with hard reality while at play in computer-generated worlds.Recently published Dignity Health research into U.S. emergency-room data shows significant increases in injuries as the technology has become more popular.Major companies selling virtual reality headsets provide warnings about how to use the products safely, and recommend keeping small children from using them. Dr. Ryan Ribeira, assistant medical director of the Stanford Emergency Department and founder of SimX, a startup providing VR-based training for doctors, nurses and paramedics, also provided tips to help VR users stay out of emergency rooms.RELATED: Crash, bang, ow! Virtual-reality injuries rise amid jump in popularity of VR gaming headsetsTo keep yourself and your loved ones from getting hurt in the real world while playing in a virtual one, here are re...

New digital SAT raises concerns about equity

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:11 GMT

Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic Vision, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.After nearly a century of using pencil and paper, the SAT will join the age of digital testing by introducing a new online exam in March.But the change is raising concerns within the education community about how low-income students without sufficient home access to computers and the internet will be able to adequately prepare for a crucial test that can decide — or limit — their college choices.“On a practical level, preparing for the digital SAT test requires consistent access to high-speed internet, accurate mock test items, and a physical environment that mimics optimal testing conditions. All of these are harder to come by for low-income students,” said Irene Shih, chief executive officer of Minds Matter Bay Area, an organization dedicated to increasing the numb...