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It looks like empty California desert, but it’s the breakaway nation of Slowjamastan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:47:41 GMT

The infrastructure of Slowjamastan, on the right side of the road, includes a mailbox and, in the background, the kiosk of the border crossing.A San Diego man who achieved his life goal of visiting every country in the world has moved onto his next project: He has created his own country in the California desert.Randy Williams in his office. (Republic of Slowjamastan Ministry of Communications) Randy Williams, a late-night radio DJ, is now the sultan of Slowjamastan, an 11.07-acre “micronation” west of the Salton Sea.The idea came while Williams was closing in on his goal of visiting all 193 recognized nations in the world. (He notched the last one, Turkmenistan, just last month.)He had visited his share of very small nations around the world, and, in August 2021, he toured the Republic of Molossia, an 11.3-acre micronation in Nevada that declared independence from the United States of America in 1998. During a personal tour by His Excellency President Kevin Baugh, Williams lea...

Oakland Embarcadero shooting is active scene, according to police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:47:41 GMT

(KRON) -- A shooting that occurred along the Oakland Embarcadero Wednesday morning is being investigated by the Oakland Police Department. The shooting was on the 200 block of Embarcadero at 8 a.m., police said. When officers arrived at the scene, they located a victim with at least one gunshot wound. What new laws are going into effect in California in July? The scene remains active, police said.Wednesday's shooting follows a violent holiday weekend in Oakland, in which four people were victims of homicide.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Rescue of man and two dogs that fell off cliff at Fort Funston underway

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:47:41 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A cliff rescue is underway at San Francisco's Fort Funston Wednesday afternoon, according to the San Francisco Fire Department. A man and two dogs have gone off the cliff, according to SFFD. ‘They are doing it wrong’: Ron DeSantis visits SF, slams city in campaign ad The man has been rescued successfully, according to an update from SFFD. Crews are going back down the cliff to rescue the two dogs.No immediate details were available on whether the man or the dogs were injured. People are being advised to avoid the area.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Henrik Lundqvist headlines the Hockey Hall of Fame’s goalie-heavy class of 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:47:41 GMT

Henrik Lundqvist is the headliner of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s goaltender-heavy class of 2023, which also includes Stanley Cup champions Tom Barrasso and Mike Vernon.Selection committee chairman Mike Gartner announced the seven-person class Wednesday. Former NHL forward Pierre Turgeon and Canadian women’s hockey star Caroline Oullette were the other players, while Cup-winning coach Ken Hitchcock and late executive Pierre Lacroix were picked to be inducted in the builder category.Lundqvist, elected in his first year of eligibility, backstopped Sweden to an Olympic gold medal in 2006 and led the New York Rangers to the playoffs in 11 of 12 years. That included a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014 and two Eastern Conference Final appearances.A seventh-round pick in the 2020 draft, Lundqvist ranks fifth on the NHL career victories list with 459. He won 61 more in the playoffs before halting his hockey career in 2020 because of a heart condition.“Grateful and extremely honored to be s...

Frank Vogel and Suns announce coaching staff including Kevin Young and David Fizdale

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:47:41 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — New Phoenix Suns coach Frank Vogel on Wednesday announced his coaching staff for the coming season, which includes associate head coach Kevin Young and former NBA head coach David Fizdale.Young was the associate head coach for the past two seasons under former Suns coach Monty Williams, who was fired after four seasons following the team’s second-round loss in the playoffs to the eventual champion Denver Nuggets.Young — whose offensive-minded approach should balance well with Vogel’s defensive pedigree — was a candidate to replace Williams before the franchise ultimately decided to go with Vogel, who led the Los Angeles Lakers to a championship in 2020.Fizdale has been the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks, leading the Grizzlies to the playoffs in 2017. He spent the past season as an associate general manager for the Utah Jazz.“I am thrilled with the coaching staff that we have assembled,” Vogel said. “Each person brings their own uni...

Sports betting advocacy group tagged with largest elections board fine in Maryland history

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:47:41 GMT

A consortium of top gambling companies was slapped Tuesday with the largest fine in the history of the Maryland State Board of Elections.The $48,000 fine levied against Sports Betting Alliance was assessed for failing to comply with the state’s 48-hour disclosure requirements.“We’re cracking down hard on disclosure with independent expenditure entities and that was the biggest one that was collected so far,” said Jared DeMarinis, director of candidacy and campaign finance for the board.DeMarinis will become the state elections administrator in September.The state Board of Elections collected nearly $75,000 in fines between April and May. The penalties are for violations including failures to keep campaign donation and expenditure records properly, as well as failures to record contributions and expenditures.Most of the penalties assessed were $1,200 or less. Many of those were for $100 or less.In all, 28 entities were fined a total of $74,900. Of that, nearly 91% — about $68,000 inv...

Stock market today: Falling tech stocks slow Wall Street’s rally and leave it mixed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:47:41 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Tech stocks are falling Wednesday, keeping Wall Street mixed and sapping more momentum from its five-week rally. The S&P 500 was 0.2% lower in afternoon trading. It’s on pace for a third straight pullback after rallying last week to its highest level in more than a year. The Nasdaq composite was lagging the market and down 0.7% as of 3 p.m. Eastern time. Slightly more stocks were rising than falling on Wall Street, though, particularly in the energy and industrial industries. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 5 points, or less than 0.1%, at 34,059.Wall Street has been on a tear this year, and the S&P 500 has rallied roughly 14% amid hopes that inflation is coming down quickly enough for the Federal Reserve to stop hiking interest rates soon, which could allow the economy to avoid a recession. Some analysts say the rally ran too far, too fast while inflation has remained stubbornly high, which may force the Fed to keep rates higher for longer.Fed Chair J...

Aventura police officer arrested by Broward Sheriff’s Office on multiple charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:47:41 GMT

A police officer from Aventura was arrested and booked into the Broward County Jail. David Esteban Delgado, 30, is facing charges including two counts of kidnapping, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of being armed while engaged in a criminal offense, and one count of battery.The arrest comes after a complaint was filed on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, regarding an incident that occurred in Pompano Beach on Saturday, May 20, 2023, at approximately 10:15 PM. The initial allegations against the officer involved misuse of authority and false arrest. Following the complaint, an immediate internal affairs investigation was launched by the Aventura Police Department, and the officer in question was suspended with pay.Given that the incident occurred within Broward County’s jurisdiction, the Broward County Sheriff’s Public Corruptions Division took over the investigation. The Aventura Police Department has fully cooperated with the Broward Sheriff’...

Pentagon documents leak suspect Jack Teixeira pleads not guilty to federal charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:47:41 GMT

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guard member accused of leaking highly classified military documents on a social media platform, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal felony charges.Teixeira, 21, entered the pleas during a hearing in Worcester’s federal court days after he was indicted by a grand jury on six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information. Each count is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.Handcuffed and wearing orange jail garb, Teixeira smiled at family seated in the gallery at the start of the hearing. He stood at the defense table next to his lawyers and leaned over to say “not guilty, your honor” into the microphone after the judge read each count. The judge also denied a defense request to reconsider his detention order.Teixeira, of North Dighton, has been behind bars since his April arrest on charges stemming from the most consequential intelligence leak in years. A mag...

State rests in trial of former school resource officer who stayed outside during Parkland shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:47:41 GMT

(CNN) — The prosecution rested its case Wednesday in the trial of the former school resource officer who stayed outside a Parkland, Florida, high school while 17 people were killed and 17 others were wounded during a February 2018 mass shooting.Throughout their case, prosecutors sought to portray Scot Peterson, then a deputy with the Broward Sheriff’s Office, as a law enforcement officer who failed to appropriately respond during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School despite years of service and active shooter training.Instead, the state alleges, Peterson took cover outside the scene, the school’s 1200 building, for more than 45 minutes.“You’re supposed to go towards the shots to find out, investigate what’s going on,” Detective John Curcio of the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the state’s final witness, testified Wednesday. He was the lead investigator in the case against the shooter.“The goal is to stop (the shooter) from killing people,” said Curcio,...