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Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic loses MVP to 76ers’ Joel Embiid despite historic season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:57 GMT

Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets and Joel Embiid (21) of the Philadelphia 76ers stand side by side during the NBA All-Star game draft at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)As history hung in the balance, Nikola Jokic did his best to deflect, ignore or dismiss every MVP inquiry that was lobbed in his direction throughout an arduous regular season.Having already secured back-to-back MVPs, Jokic had a chance to join hallowed legends Larry Bird, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to win three consecutive awards.That achievement didn’t come to fruition with Tuesday’s announcement that Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid secured his first MVP award. Jokic finished second in the voting, while Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo finished third. Embiid tallied 915 points (and 73 first-place votes) to Jokic’s 674 (and 15 first-place votes). Antetkounmpo finished with 606 (and 12).Wh...

Black Californians could receive up to $1.2 million in reparations payments, task force says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:57 GMT

The State of California is one step closer to paying reparations to Black residents whose ancestry goes back to the American slave trade. The California Reparations Task Force released estimates, as well as breakdowns of the methodology used to determine the amounts, on Monday ahead of a critical vote that will take place later this week.The possible payments reflect the work of economists who advised the task force and who were asked to estimate the total financial losses suffered by Black Californians impacted by slavery and institutional racism. As outlined by the San Francisco Chronicle, an eligible resident who lived in California their whole life and was 71 or older could, in theory, receive as much as $1.2 million.If approved, the task force would urge that the money begin to be disbursed in the form of "down payments," according to CalMatters. A new state agency would need to be established to distribute funds and determine eligibility, CalMatters writes. That agency would a...

Substitute teacher arrested for lewd acts with student in Riverside County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:57 GMT

A 22-year-old substitute teacher in Riverside County has been arrested on felony charges of committing lewd acts with a student under the age of 18, authorities announced Tuesday.  Detectives with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit responded to Orange Vista High School in Perris on April 28 to investigate the allegations, according to a RCSO news release.  Authorities said they found evidence that Rebekah Blackwell-Taylor of Moreno Valley, a substitute teacher at the high school, “committed a lewd act with a male student.”  Blackwell-Taylor was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on May 2 on charges of “annoying and molesting a child under the age of 18 and additional felony charges,” authorities said.  The investigation into the incident is ongoing and authorities encourage anyone with information to call Investigator J. Oseguera at 706-550-8716. 

Video shows police shoot man accused in L.A. Metro station assault, stabbing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:57 GMT

Police officers shot a man accused of assaulting a woman at a Metro train station in East Hollywood and then stabbing another person outside the station Tuesday morning, officials said.The incident unfolded around 10 a.m. at the Vermont/Beverly Metro station where the suspect was involved in a “physical altercation” with a woman on a train platform, according to Los Angeles Police. The suspect then fled to the street level where he confronted another man with a knife and then stabbed a different man before police arrived.“He attempted to flee northbound on Vermont (Boulevard) and that’s where officers made contact with the suspect … and an officer-involved shooting occurred,” Sgt. Leticia Ruiz said at a news briefing.A witness, who did not want to share his name, provided KTLA with video of the shooting that was recorded from his apartment window. It shows the suspect trying to elude officers by hiding behind a car, even dropping the knife at one point and then picking it up again. ...

Did a woman really have a 'full body orgasm' during an L.A. Philharmonic performance? Accounts differ

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:57 GMT

A different kind of crescendo highlighted a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony at the Los Angeles Philharmonic on Friday.Those attending the symphony at Walt Disney Concert Hall reported hearing a woman in the audience moaning as if she were having an orgasm, the L.A. Times first reported.Magnus Fiennes, a composer and music producer, was among the witnesses.“A woman in the audience had loud and full body orgasm during the 5th's second movement,” Fiennes tweeted. “(The) band politely carried on.”Twitter user @LoneWolfTronCat posted a recording of the moaning.Sharon Su, a classical pianist, tweeted that she checked with someone who works at the L.A. Phil and they "confirmed” the incident occurred.But what exactly happened is open to debate.One audience member who was seated near the moaning woman offered this account:“Pretty quickly, she sort of fell onto her partner’s shoulders, and then onto his lap. And then her body went limp,” the concertgoer, who requested anonymi...

$75,000 reward offered in unsolved murder of 4-year-old Monrovia boy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:57 GMT

A $75,000 reward is being offered for information on the murder of a Monrovia boy killed in 2016.The child, 4-year-old Salvador Esparza III, was shot and killed while standing on a house porch on the 300 block of Figueroa Drive in Altadena on July 5, 2016, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.Esparza was standing at the home’s front door when the unidentified shooter opened fire, striking him in the head, authorities said. He was found lying on the front porch with another gunshot victim, a 27-year-old man.The boy was transported to a local hospital where he died from his injuries. The 27-year-old man survived.Salvador "Chiquito" Esparza III, 4, of Monrovia, was killed in a shooting in Altadena on July 5, 2016. (Credit: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department)Coral Salvador speaks at a news conference Aug. 25, 2016, on the killing of her son. (Credit: KTLA)Salvador Esparza is shown in a photo posted to a GoFundMe page. He was killed in a July 5, 2016, shooting in...

John Shin Arrested after Hit-and-Run on Azusa Canyon Road [Irwindale, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:57 GMT

Pedestrian-Auto Collision in Irwindale Leads to Arrest of 33-Year-Old Baldwin Park ManIRWINDALE, CA (May 2, 2023) – Early Sunday morning, police arrested John Shin following a deadly hit-and-run on Azusa Canyon Road.The fatal collision happened on Saturday at around 1:26 p.m. at the 5000 block of Azusa Canyon Road.According to reports, authorities managed to obtain surveillance footage from a local business. The footage showed a dark-colored SUV hitting the pedestrian and fleeing the area.Following the collision, medical responders declared the pedestrian dead at the scene. Their identity has not been disclosed to the public.At about 2:25 a.m. the next day, the police arrived at the suspect’s residence near the area where the collision occurred. Upon arrival, authorities determined 33-year-old John Shin as the suspect in the hit-and-run and charged him with vehicular manslaughter.Shin was later released on a $50,000 bond.Those with additional information regarding the Az...

Adult and Child Killed in Three-Vehicle Crash on Interstate 15 [North County, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:57 GMT

Three-Vehicle Crash on Interstate 5 Resulted in 2 Deaths and Multiple InjuriesNORTH COUNTY, CA (MAY 2, 2023) – Sunday afternoon, an infant and an adult were killed in a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 15.On April 23rd, at around 3:15 p.m., police responded in the southbound lanes of Interstate 15, just south of Mission Road and north of State Route 76.According to North County Fire Department, at least three vehicles, a black pickup truck, a white Tesla, and a black sedan, were involved in the incident. The collision of the three vehicles caused multiple people to sustain injuries.Investigators report that the pickup truck rolled over and ended up on its roof and the sedan was smoking. Following the collision, officials pronounced one infant and one adult dead at the scene. Four other people were injured including one person who was in serious condition.Medics then transported the injured people to a local hospital for treatment. At this time, officials have not released the...

SF Giants release Gary Sánchez, move forward with Joey Bart, Blake Sabol

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:57 GMT

HOUSTON — The San Francisco Giants brought in a former All-Star catcher last month, but they will move forward with the two young backstops currently on the roster.The Giants released veteran Gary Sánchez on Tuesday, a day after he had the right to opt out if he wasn’t on their active roster.Since signing a minor-league deal last month, Sánchez had played 16 games at Triple-A Sacramento but had recorded only one extra-base hit (a double) in 55 at-bats and was hitting .164/.319/.182 (a .501 OPS). Initially brought in to solidify one of the biggest question marks on the Giants’ roster, the club determined that Sánchez wouldn’t be an upgrade over their current catching combo of Joey Bart and Blake Sabol.“I just don’t think at this time he was an option for our major-league club,” manager Gabe Kapler said before their game Tuesday against the Astros. “That being said I’m sure there’s a desire for Gary to find an opportunity and for us, that wasn’t rig...

Woman arrested for allegedly throwing drink at Rep. Matt Gaetz

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:57 GMT

By Hannah Rabinowitz | CNNA 41-year-old woman was arrested over the weekend for allegedly throwing a drink at Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz at a wine festival.The woman, Selena Chambers, has been charged with one count of misdemeanor battery and one felony count of battery on an elected official. Chambers has been released on bond, according to the court docket.In a statement posted to his website Tuesday, Gaetz thanked the Walton County Sheriff’s Office for their “swift action” and said that he “will be pressing charges against this individual in order to uphold the civility our community deserves.”Chambers has pleaded not guilty. CNN has reached out to her attorney for comment.According to a Walton County Sheriff’s Office police report, Gaetz told officers at the scene on Saturday that Chambers and another woman were “cursing” at the congressman and his family. Gaetz said Chambers then threw a drink, which hit him in the left sh...