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Hiltzik: Supreme Court rejects ethics oversight. Can anything change that?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:10:11 GMT

It’s hardly a secret that the public standing of the Supreme Court is in a bad way.The reasons go beyond a string of recent rulings that run counter to the weight of public opinion — eviscerating abortion rights, shrinking voting rights, undermining gun safety regulations among them.But the court now has another problem, namely, increasing doubts about the justices’ ethical standards.The doubts arise from publicity about a potentially improper financial relationship between Justice Clarence Thomas and Harlan Crow, a wealthy real estate developer; questions about whether Thomas and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. should have recused themselves because of the appearance (at least) of conflicts of interest due to their wives’ activities; and questions about whether Thomas and Justice Neil M. Gorsuch made adequate disclosures about their financial transactions.Beyond the specifics, the allegations have focused attention on an inconvenient fact about the ethical atmos...

Kurtenbach: A small Warriors Game 2 change exposed the Lakers’ biggest flaw

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:10:11 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — A stomach bug might have won the Warriors their second-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers.It certainly highlighted the fundamental difference between these two teams and showed just how difficult it will be for the Lakers to take another lead, much less win it.Typically both of these teams start two non-shooters.But when Warriors center Kevon Looney came down ill two hours before Game 2, it forced coach Steve Kerr to drop him from the starting lineup. One non-shooter was out.In came JaMychal Green at center. He is absolutely a shooter.The result was total Lakers befuddlement, back-to-back 40-plus-point quarters for the Warriors, and a 27-point Golden State victory.Yes, there were other adjustments the Warriors made: The ball was in Steph Curry’s hands more on offense. They drove to the basket more and seriously crashed the glass. The Warriors clogged the paint on defense, and they didn’t commit a dozen stupid fouls on the Lakers, either.But the m...

2 teens killed in sledding accident at Colorado ski resort died of blunt force trauma, coroner’s report says

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:10:11 GMT

The pair of teenagers killed in a sledding incident at Copper Mountain Resort on March 19 died of multiple blunt force trauma injuries, according to the records from the Summit County Coroner’s Office.Drew Fehr, 17, and Dylan Bozzell, 18, both of Fairbury, Illinois, were seniors at Prairie Central High School and teammates on the high school basketball and football teams, the Pontiac Daily Leader had previously reported.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Shaquil Barrett’s wife shares first message after 2-year-old daughter’s drowning death: ‘Our world will never be the same’ Crime and Public Safety | At least 6 dead in Illinois crash during dust storm Crime and Public Safety | Gwyneth Paltrow denied bid to recoup attorney’s fees in ski crash lawsuit Crime and Public Safety | Concord: Man killed in 4:30 a.m. solo crash on I-680 Crime and Public Safety | Major crash closes stretch of Blacow Road in...

Court hears first-of-its-kind challenge to police’s use of Google search terms to ID murder suspects

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:10:11 GMT

GRAND JUNCTION — The Colorado Supreme Court on Thursday grappled with privacy and freedom of speech concerns as the justices heard a legal challenge to a controversial new law enforcement technique that Denver police used to identify the three teenagers accused of killing five people in a house fire three years ago.The groundbreaking legal case considers for the first time in Colorado — and, attorneys said, nationally — whether police can legally issue search warrants that require Google to turn over account information for any users who searched particular keywords in a particular time frame.Such “reverse keyword search warrants” require Google to scan through potentially billions of search histories in order to find the keywords sought by law enforcement. Attorneys challenging the warrant said during oral arguments Thursday that the massive scope amounts to an illegal search that violates Google users’ constitutional protections for free speech and against unreasonable searches. A...

As part of a plea deal, Bay Area man gets 11 years for killing his father

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:10:11 GMT

A 34-year-old Fairfield man, acquitted in March for the 2018 first-degree murder of his father and the jury hung on second-degree murder, later pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced last week to 11 years in state prison, The Reporter has learned.Victor Alfonso Estrada, who appeared April 27 in Department 11 for the sentencing hearing, faced Judge William J. Pendergast, who handed down the sentence, as stipulated in the April 3 plea agreement, in the Justice Center in Fairfield.Estrada’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Nick Filloy, confirmed the sentence.Estrada, who has been in custody for more than five years in a case at the intersection of the state’s mental health and criminal court systems, remains in the Stanton Correctional Facility, a check of jail records showed on Thursday, and awaits transfer to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.With the no-contest plea, Estrada did not admit guilt but essentially stated he would offer n...

US probes complaint that woman was trapped in flaming SUV

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:10:11 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — U.S. safety regulators are investigating possible electrical problems in older Dodge Journeys after a woman was trapped and died when her SUV caught fire in December.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it’s investigating whether inoperative door locks and windows can prevent people from getting out of the SUVs during an emergency.Documents posted Friday on the agency’s website say the probe covers more than 82,000 Journeys from the 2009 model year. The investigation was opened after the woman’s death on Dec. 9.A complaint filed with the agency says the woman pulled to the side of a road when warning lights started flashing, windshield wipers came on, the horn started honking, windows wouldn’t go down and the doors wouldn’t unlock. The complaint alleged that fire apparently started in the engine and spread, trapping the woman inside.“The driver was unable to exit the vehicle, resulting in her death,” the agency wrote in...

Maryland teacher charged with sexually abusing student

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:10:11 GMT

Authorities have charged a teacher at Mt. Hebron High School in Howard County, Maryland, with sexually abusing a 15-year-old female student, following his arrest in North Carolina.Police arrested Matthew Barth, 44, of Ellicott City, on Thursday, in North Carolina, where he awaits extradition.Barth, who had been teaching at the high school in Ellicott City since 2003, was charged with sexual abuse of a minor and a third-degree sex offense.The Howard County Police Department said it was notified Tuesday by a friend of the teenage student, who police said was the victim of the alleged abuse by Barth.After investigating the friend’s report, police said the acts happened multiple times inside the school building “over a period of approximately four months.”Police said a review of “electronic records” also indicates sexual contact between Barth and the teen.Investigators ask anyone with more information to contact them at 410-313-7867 or by email.Source

Study: China’s squid fleet avoids Peru to dodge new port law

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:10:11 GMT

A port regulation adopted by Peru to combat illegal fishing by Chinese squid vessels appears to have backfired and driven the world’s largest overseas fishing fleet deeper into the shadows, increasing the risk of forced labor, according to new research.Peru in 2020 began requiring any foreign fishing boat entering its ports to use a vessel monitoring system allowing its activities to be tracked in real time 24 hours a day. The equipment, which tracks a vessel’s geographic position and fishing activity through a proprietary satellite communication system, sought to provide authorities with visibility into several hundred Chinese squid vessels that every year amass off the west coast of South America. With the support of Global Fishing Watch, a non-profit that encourages sustainable fishing, Peru joined a handful of countries making the information publicly available as well. Decades of overfishing have pushed China’s fishing fleet farther from home. But its expansion to far-flu...

Sunstone Hotel: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:10:11 GMT

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. (AP) — ALISO VIEJO, Calif. (AP) — Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc. (SHO) on Friday reported a key measure of profitability in its first quarter. The results topped Wall Street expectations.The Aliso Viejo, California-based real estate investment trust said it had funds from operations of $43.8 million, or 21 cents per share, in the period.The average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for funds from operations of 17 cents per share.Funds from operations is a closely watched measure in the REIT industry. It takes net income and adds back items such as depreciation and amortization.The company said it had net income of $17.3 million, or 8 cents per share.The hotel real estate investment trust, based in Aliso Viejo, California, posted revenue of $243.4 million in the period, also exceeding Street forecasts. Five analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $223.9 million.For the current quarter ending in June, Sunstone Hotel expects its per-share...

CBOE: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:10:11 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — CHICAGO (AP) — CBOE Global Markets, Inc. (CBOE) on Friday reported first-quarter profit of $172.6 million.On a per-share basis, the Chicago-based company said it had profit of $1.63. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were $1.90 per share.The results beat Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.85 per share.The holding company for the Chicago Board Options Exchange posted revenue of $988.2 million in the period. Its adjusted revenue was $471.4 million, which did not meet Street forecasts. Five analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $481 million.CBOE shares have climbed 9% since the beginning of the year. The stock has risen 20% 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 CBOE at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CBOESource