Top San Francisco Area Local News Stories
Source: MedleyStory
Caltrans was working hard Tuesday to prepare for the closure of the westbound upper deck of the Bay Bridge this coming holiday weekend as the project to complete the new eastern span got ready to take another major step forward.
As of Tuesday evening, everything was on schedule. But two major wildcards were still very much in play.
Even as traffic passes over the westbound incline, it’s very foundations are being shifted and replaced so it will not block where the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge touches down in Oakland.
"We're completing the structural work that we had to do because we had to widen the inclines so we could shift traffic over on to it," explained Bay Bridge Project Spokesman Bart Ney.
A plan to realign traffic lanes and build detours just west of the toll plaza will allow engineers and construction crews to complete those new eastbound lanes ahead of schedule. This approximately 1,000-foot-long stretch of the new Bay Bridge is called the Oakland Touchdown.
By implementing the detours for the next two years, the entire bridge will open to the public earlier than previously scheduled. The detours will allow construction crews to work between the existing and new bridges to complete the new eastbound lanes, which is not possible without the traffic realignment.
But there are some wildcards that could affect this weekend's closure. Number one: potential gridlock caused by those not aware of the closure despite massive radio, television and print advisories.
"Sometimes it's good to have a personal touch, so Teen Challenge is one of the groups we brought on to basically help get flyers out there and get information out there," said Ney.
"I would say the majority of people we give flyers to are unaware of it or unaware of the specifics of it," said Teen Challenge member Matt Waite.
Officials said the best bet for Bay Area residents to get around the closure is to take BART or ferries.
"On the Alameda/Oakland Ferry on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, we'll have 14 roundtrips per day," said Ernest Sanchez of the Water Emergency Transportation Authority. "We'll be using two boats. We have options for more vessels if we need them."
Wild card number two is the weather, which must be dry to complete scheduled paving and striping.
"So far, we've seen the weather patterns get better and better," said Ney. "In the beginning there was a pretty big concern that we were going to be challenged to make it through."
The official go ahead will come midday Wednesday.
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:19:23 -0800
Criminal charges are being filed against an airport shuttle company accused of making illegal donations to the campaign of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee last year, a district attorney's office spokeswoman said today.
Go Lorrie's Airport Shuttles, a company based at San Francisco International Airport, its general manager Jason Perez, 40, and its chief financial officer Hanan Qutami, 56, will be charged Wednesday with misdemeanor charges in the case, spokeswoman Stephanie Ong Stillman said.
According to court documents, Perez solicited Go Lorrie's drivers, dispatchers, administrators and spouses to each write a $500 check to Lee's campaign for mayor in the November election and promised they would be reimbursed.
After gathering 23 contributions of $500 from various employees, Perez and Qutami then allegedly reimbursed the donors with funds from the company, prosecutors said.
The defendants are charged with 23 counts of violating state election law prohibiting contributions made in a name other than the true name of a contributor, as well as one count each of violating San Francisco election laws of contributing more than $500 to a campaign and making a contribution by a corporation.
Lee's campaign returned all 23 contributions upon becoming aware of the possible improprieties and were not implicated in the alleged crimes, campaign officials said at the time.
The allegations were cited by other candidates in the race who also accused Lee's campaign of other improprieties, including voter ballot fraud in the city's Chinatown neighborhood.
Nevertheless, Lee easily won the Nov. 8 election, defeating Supervisor John Avalos 60 percent to 40 percent after 12 rounds of ranked-choice voting in the 16-candidate field.
Mayoral spokeswoman Christine Falvey said following today's announcement of charges filed against Go Lorrie's that Lee supported the investigation.
"The mayor appreciates the district attorney's thorough investigation and expects anyone who knowingly breaks the law to be held fully accountable," Falvey said.
Perez and Qutami are expected to be arraigned in San Francisco Superior Court on Wednesday morning, while the case against Go Lorrie's will first appear in court on Feb. 23, Stillman said.
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:46:59 -0800
Sixteen people died as a result of domestic violence in Santa Clara County last year -- the highest number of deaths in nearly a decade, the district attorney's office announced Tuesday.
Two of those who died were Imad Ed Daou and his 22-year-old son Andrew Daou. On the night of July 26, 2011, Ed Daou shot his son to death while he slept in the family's Los Gatos home and then took his own life with a .38-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver.
Ed Daou's wife Carmen and daughter Christina appeared at a Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office news conference this morning.
Carmen Daou said her husband carried out the act three weeks after she filed for divorce and obtained a restraining order against him that required him to stay away from her and Christina.
She said the couple had a history of domestic violence, although no charges were ever filed.
Carmen Daou called for a stricter gun confiscation policy by law enforcement.
"It is time to take weapons out of abusers' hands," Daou said. "We can no longer allow them to have the tools to cause harm to innocent victims."
Deputy District Attorney Steve Dick announced a new approach Tuesday to mitigate the issue, in which local law enforcement agencies will ask individuals who are served with protective or restraining orders to voluntarily surrender their firearms and weapons immediately rather than within 24 hours, as is the policy now.
"We offer this in hopes of keeping all persons listed on the protective order safe, as well as the rest of Santa Clara County, in possible future incidents," sheriff's Sgt. Jason Brown said.
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:36:19 -0800
A cruise ship well on its way around the world is now at the center of a federal cocaine bust after an unusual find by customs inspectors during a routine stop in San Francisco last month, federal investigators revealed Tuesday.
Federal officers told KTVU they seized a sizable amount of cocaine from the cruise ship Aurora when it docked at Pier 35 on January 25th.
The Aurora is billed as a "family friendly" cruise ship. But federal officers in San Francisco said what they found aboard the ship was anything but wholesome.
"In his luggage he had seven kilos of cocaine," said U.S. Customs & Border Protection officer Gary Horne.
The P&O Aurora was the site of two drug search and seizures after its arrival. The ship arrived in port from Curacao during a worldwide tour.
"It was during a normal interview of a passenger, as we normally do when they come in, explained Horne. We talk to them. We ask them where they're from and what they're bringing in. Based on that interview, there was an anomaly in the story."
That "anomaly" led to the arrest of Australian national Ahmed Rachid after inspectors said they found the seven kilos of cocaine in his cabin.
"We did a field test for the white powdery substance and it field tested positive for cocaine," said Horne.
Agents say the search of another cabin led to more coke and the arrest of New Zealanders Tony Wilkinson and Kirstie Harris.
"It was also in a briefcase under their bed," said Horne.
Customs inspectors won't say if the cases are related or where the drugs may've been headed.
But they told KTVU they found a total of 13 kilograms of cocaine -- about 28.6 pounds. Its estimated value was about $915,000.
The Aurora continued on its course after the arrests.
"It's been several years since we've had any type of seizure on a cruise ship vessel so that is a little unusual," said Horne.
The media relations department for P&O cruises did not return our calls.
The cocaine cases are now in the hands of immigration, customs enforcement and the U.S. Department of Justice. They declined comment on Tuesday.
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:09:08 -0800
A woman and her 13-year-old daughter were stabbed by a male family member in their Santa Cruz-area mobile home early Tuesday morning, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office was notified of a disturbance in the 2500 block of Portola Drive, between Santa Cruz and Capitola, at 6:52 a.m.
When Deputy Pat Dimick arrived at the home, he found the suspect, 45-year-old Christopher Lindner, choking the woman, sheriff's officials said.
Dimick use a Taser stun gun on Lindner and took him into custody.
The 36-year-old woman had suffered multiple slash and stab wounds to her face and hands, sheriff's Deputy April Skalland said. Her daughter had stab wounds on the inside of her throat and mouth.
The victims, who are related to Lindner, were transported to a hospital and treated for their injuries. Both are expected to recover, according to the sheriff's office.
Skalland declined to disclose the nature of Lindner's relationship to the victims.
Lindner was transported to a hospital for clearance, then booked into Santa Cruz County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder.
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:55:18 -0800
Throngs of San Franciscans crowded City Hall Tuesday in hopes of catching a glimpse of Tony Bennett, who was honored in a Valentine's Day tribute marking the 50th anniversary of his signature classic's recording.
Bennett, 85, recorded "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" in 1962, a tune that became the city's anthem and is played at AT&T Park after Giants' home wins.
With crowds stacked up to eight people deep on every level ringing the rotunda, City Hall resembled a concert hall during the midday celebration.
"I've never seen anything in my life as beautiful as these young people," Bennett told the crowd.
The San Francisco Boys and Girls Choruses led the audience in singing the famous tune, along with the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus.
Before presenting Bennett with the key to the city, Mayor Ed Lee said the children's choruses "reflect Tony's dedicating his career" to encouraging young people to be leaders.
The ceremony included a video tribute with testimonials by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
Bennett himself did not perform at the noon event, which rubbed some of the fans in the crowd the wrong way.
"It wouldn't be worth it, even for Whitney," one man said, referring to the late Whitney Houston, as he stalked away from the overflow crowd.
Others, like Betty Straka, who, like Bennett, is in her 80s, reveled in the chance to see the singer for the first time.
"It was wonderful," said Straka, a San Francisco native. "He looks so great for his age."
Even though she didn't grow up in San Francisco, Anita Groethe said she loved Bennett and his music even as a child living in Minneapolis.
"I've always been a fan of his," Groethe said, holding a single red rose that she had plucked, like scores of other people, from the floral displays after the event concluded.
Unlike those who had arrived well before the noon event to snag a view of the crooner, Groethe said she didn't make it to City Hall until after the event had started.
"It was so fun anyway," she said.
Bennett is scheduled to sing "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" tonight at a sold-out benefit concert at the Venetian Room at the Fairmont Hotel in Nob Hill, where he first sand the song in December 1961.
"I always thought it would be a local song in this area," Bennett said at Tuesday's tribute.
The concert is to raise money for heart research at the University of California at San Francisco.
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:42:57 -0800
An Alameda County supervisor who's married to California's treasurer is undergoing treatment for substance abuse problems after being assaulted in a motel room.
Nadia Lockyer announced Tuesday that she enrolled in a recovery center to treat her "chemical dependency" and injuries from the Feb. 3 assault.
The 40-year-old Lockyer told police that she met an ex-boyfriend at a Newark motel, where she was staying after having an argument with her husband. She didn't discuss details of the motel incident in Tuesday's statement.
Prosecutors are deciding whether to charge the ex-boyfriend.
Lockyer has been married since 2003 to Democrat Bill Lockyer, one of California's longest-serving elected officials.
Bill Lockyer's spokesman, Tom Dresslar, told the Oakland Tribune that the treasurer declined comment and is concerned only with protecting his wife and their 8-year-old son.
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:26:28 -0800
A pedestrian was trapped under a shuttle bus in an accident that occurred in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood Tuesday afternoon, police and fire officials said.
The incident was reported at 2:18 p.m. at Eddy and Leavenworth streets.
San Francisco fire spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said the victim was struck by a transport van and pinned underneath the vehicle.
Fire crews responded and extricated the victim at 2:38 p.m., she said.
Two ambulances were called -- one for the pedestrian and another for the driver, who began suffering from a medical problem.
Talmadge said she did not yet have details about how the accident occurred.
Police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza said the accident shut down a stretch of Eddy Street.
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:19:50 -0800
SUMMARY: Sells television time to advertisers and their agencies. Service existing accounts with strong emphasis on the development of new-to-television and new-to-KICU business by performing the following duties:
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
Compiles lists of prospective customers for use as sales leads, based on information from newspapers, business directories, and other sources.
Daily travel throughout the south bay to call on regular and prospective clients to solicit orders or talks with clients by phone. Client functions often fall on nights and weekends.
Presents or demonstrates KICU programming, using computer Power Point presentations, video tape, ratings, and sales pieces prepared by Research Department, emphasizing salable features.
Negotiates ratings and rates. Prepares paperwork for orders obtained.
Makes presentations to advertising agencies and clients. Responsible for selling sponsorships that may include promotions initiated by sales persons.
Prepares reports of business transactions and keeps expense accounts.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: Bachelor's degree (B. A.) from four-year college or university in marketing, advertising, sales and/or broadcasting; or one to two years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS: Valid driver's license with good driving record required.
OTHER SKILLS and ABILITIES: Must have good working knowledge of ratings, BAR reports, etc. Co-op and vendor support knowledge helpful. Microsoft Office, Word, Excel and Power Point skills helpful.
Must be self motivated with lots of initiative.
WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee occasionally works in outside weather conditions (driving to and from clients/agencies).
The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.
Hours are irregular and often exceed a 40-hour week (preparation, travel and entertainment), based on business demand. Hours may include evenings and weekends.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
KICU is an equal opportunity employer. Discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender, marital status or disability is prohibited.
Send resumes to: KICU, Human Reources Department, 2 Jack London Square, Oakland, CA 94607.
Resumes may also be emailed to Human.Resources@KICU.com
PLEASE INDICATE YOUR REFERRAL SOURCE. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:12:14 -0800
Authorities are back excavating an abandoned well in search of more human remains believed to be victims of the notorious "Speed Freak Killers."
San Joaquin Sheriff's Department Les Garcia says the search outside the farming town of Linden resumed Tuesday after rains forced a daylong postponement.
Authorities found more than 300 bone fragments at the site over the weekend.
Death row inmate Wesley Shermantine led authorities there after a bounty hunter offered him money for information about victims of his killing spree in the 1980s and 1990s. Investigators believe Shermantine and childhood friend Loren Herzog may have killed as many as 20 people.
Sheriff's officials set up a hotline for families that believe a loved one may have been a victim. Officials say they've received more than two dozen calls.
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:20:20 -0800
Vandals caused about $1 million in damage at the newly constructed Nystrom Elementary School in Richmond on Sunday, a police spokeswoman said.
At about 6 p.m. Sunday, the Richmond Fire Department responded to the school after a fire alarm went off.
The vandals had broken a nozzle off of a water heater, causing water to flood the floors and create steam, which triggered the fire alarms, Richmond police Lt. Bisa French said.
Police arrived just after 6 p.m. but did not find anyone at the scene, French said.
The newly constructed school, located just off of South 12th Street, had not yet opened for classes at the time it was vandalized.
The new school was built to replace the old Nystrom Elementary School building in the 200 block of Harbour Way South, French said.
The vandals spilled more than 20 gallons of paint onto carpets and floors, and broke every window in the auditorium, among other damage, French said.
"They made sure everything would need to be replaced," French said.
An earlier fire alarm sounded at 1 p.m. on Sunday at the old elementary school building, two blocks from the new building.
French said the fire department responded to the old building, didn't find anything suspicious, and left.
No suspects have been identified, but French said police are keeping the investigation broad, having reason to believe it was not the typical student vandal, but perhaps a disgruntled employee or a group of adults, French said.
French said this is the second act of vandalism at the newly constructed school in the last month and a half. Police have not made any arrests in the earlier case.
Richmond police are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of a suspect.
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:52:33 -0800
The city of San Francisco sued a federal pipeline safety agency Tuesday for allegedly failing to enforce safety standards for natural gas transmission pipelines.
The lawsuit was filed against the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration on behalf of San Francisco by City Attorney Dennis Herrera.
The agency is a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation, which was also named as a defendant.
The suit claims the agency has "abjectly failed" to oversee a state pipeline safety program.
Herrera charged in the suit that unless the agency corrects its alleged abdication of its duty, "it is not a question of if another pipeline will explode, but a question of when."
The lawsuit cites the explosion of a PG&E natural gas pipeline in San Bruno in 2010, in which eight people were killed, as well as two other explosions in Rancho Cordova in 2008 and Cupertino in 2011.
Under federal law, the U.S. secretary of transportation must prescribe minimum safety standards for natural gas pipelines and then oversee state agencies in enforcing those standards. In California, the state agency is the Public Utilities Commission.
The lawsuit charges that the federal agency has been shirking its duty to make sure the CPUC enforces the standards for at least a decade.
The lawsuit seeks a court order requiring the agency to carry out its enforcement duties.
Herrera said three major natural gas transmission lines, including the one that exploded in San Bruno, run under densely populated business and residential areas of San Francisco.
The lawsuit alleges that the federal agency's failure to oversee pipeline safety has placed the lives and property of "hundreds of thousands of men, women and children in San Francisco at risk."
A spokesperson for the agency was not immediately available for comment.
In a notice of intent to sue issued last year, Herrera originally said he planned to sue the state commission as well.
But Herrera said today that the commission is not included in the lawsuit because it has begun to take steps to improve its enforcement and regulatory practices.
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:28:24 -0800
In what has become a San Francisco Valentine’s Day tradition, at least eight same-sex marriage advocates were detained Tuesday for staging a sit-in in the office of the county clerk protesting their inability to get marriage licenses.
Karen Hong Yee, director of San Francisco's office of the county clerk, said “They have come in every Valentine’s Day to protest the fact that they are not able to obtain a marriage license,” she told KTVU. “With the ruling last week, we are one step closer to resuming same-sex marriage in California legally, but until that time we have to refuse them.”
Just last week, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that a lower court judge correctly interpreted the U.S. Constitution and Supreme Court precedents when he declared in 2010 that Proposition 8 -- a response to an earlier state court decision that legalized gay marriage -- was a violation of the civil rights of gays and lesbians.
However, the appeals court said gay marriages cannot resume in the state until the deadline passes for Proposition 8 sponsors to appeal to a larger panel of the 9th Circuit. If such an appeal is filed, the panel's ruling would remain on hold until its resolved.
On Tuesday, about 30 people organized by Marriage Equality USA gathered on the Polk Street steps of City Hall, with some holding signs reading, "We all deserve the freedom to marry." One message was written on a red heart-shaped sign decorated as a valentine.
Moving inside the building, about a dozen of those people, including a guitarist, made a slow procession to the clerk's office, as the Oakland East Bay Gay Men's Chorus accompanied them with song.
The lead couple in the procession presented two heart-shaped boxes of chocolates to the clerk's office, and the group sat in a circle on the office's floor, singing a modified version of "Chapel of Love," replacing "chapel" with "courthouse."
Edward Mendoza, 50, who has participated in Marriage Equality's "Marriage License Counter Action" in previous years, said that the court's decision has cast a different tone over the event.
"This year definitely feels like a year of victory," he said outside the clerk's office.
Mendoza, who is bisexual, said he supports marriage equality for everyone. He and his wife married in 1991.
Sheriff's deputies arrived to clear out the cramped office at about 9:50 a.m. Those who failed to follow their orders to disperse were detained.
Sheriff's department spokeswoman Susan Fahey confirmed that eight people were detained for failure to disperse and were later released.
Fewer than 10 minutes later, business as usual resumed at the clerk's office, with heterosexual couples queuing up outside the office to obtain their marriage licenses.
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:03:00 -0800
Move over, estrogen. There's a new theory that helps explain why men are more likely than women to get heart disease.
A new study shows that some men may inherit a higher risk for heart disease directly from their fathers.
The finding is significant in the world of genetics because it ties heart disease risk to the male Y chromosome. Previous studies have suggested that the Y chromosome, which carries relatively few genes, has little to do with inheritance beyond conferring male sex characteristics.
“It gives a completely new role for the Y chromosome,” says Lisa Bloomer, MSc, who made the discovery as a third-year PhD student in the department of cardiovascular sciences at the University of Leicester in the U.K. “It changes a lot of how we see genetics and the sex chromosomes and how important they are.”
A Visual Guide to Heart Disease
For the study, which is published in The Lancet, an international team of researchers analyzed DNA from more than 3,000 men in the U.K.
In particular, they looked at 11 regions on the Y chromosome. Because the Y chromosome has not changed much over time, scientists can use these regions to determine a person’s ancestry. In genetics, people with shared ancestry belong to the same haplogroup. There are thought to be about 30 haplogroups worldwide.
Researchers found that men who developed heart disease were more likely to belong to the same haplogroup -- haplogroup I -- compared to men who stayed healthy. In fact, being a member of haplogroup I raised a man’s risk for heart disease by about 50% compared to men of different backgrounds.
That risk remained even after researchers took into account traditional risk factors for heart disease like high blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, and obesity.
Haplogroup I was the third most powerful predictor that men would develop heart disease, behind their HDL, or “good,” cholesterol levels, and whether or not they were taking cholesterol-lowering drugs. Experts estimate that about 20% of men in Europe and 10% of men in the U.S. belong to haplogroup I.
The lineage is more commonly found in northern European countries, like Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and it becomes less frequent in southern countries including Spain, France, and Italy.
“You see kind of a gradient in Europe between the North and the South,” Bloomer says. “Many more people in the North have this group than in [the] South, and you have many more people getting coronary artery disease in the North of Europe than in the South.”
Beyond the association between heart disease and haplogroup, researchers went one step further. They looked to see if the activity of certain blood cells was different between ancestral groups. They found that genes related to the development of atherosclerosis -- hardening of the arteries -- were more active in men who belonged to haplogroup I. There were other key differences related to inflammation and immune function.
“The sex chromosomes matter in terms of disease,” says Virginia M. Miller, PhD, a professor of physiology and surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Miller, who studies sex differences in heart disease, wrote a commentary on the new findings, but she was not involved in the research.
She says the new findings mean that family history may be a stronger predictor of heart disease risk for men than for women.
“You may have a family history, but this paper says it matters if it’s from your father’s side and you’re a man,” she says.
Some heart disease risk calculators, like the widely used Framingham Risk Score, don’t account for family history or whether it comes from the mother’s or father’s side, she says. If further research confirms the findings of this study, Miller thinks they will probably need adjusting.
“We need to broaden our scope in terms of what is the individual risk and really personalize it for people in terms of managing their own health,” she says.
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:02:08 -0800
An outage caused by a wayward Mylar balloon knocked out power to 2,200 PG&E customers Tuesday morning in San Francisco, a PG&E spokesman said.
The outage began at 8:44 a.m. and affected businesses and homes in an area near Market and 10th streets.
All of the affected customers had their power back by 9:50 a.m.
The balloon that caused the outage came into contact with power lines at 16th and Florida streets, PG&E spokesman Joe Molica said.
The Little Griddle restaurant at the corner of Market and Fell streets lost power but continued to serve their customers coffee and breakfast using gas but no electricity.
PG&E had warned residents earlier this week to be careful with metallic balloons purchased for Valentine's Day, as hundreds of outages each year in Northern California are caused by balloons drifting into power lines.
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:03:52 -0800
An Antioch man at home with his young son shot and killed an apparent intruder who attempted to bust into the house armed with a gun Monday night, Antioch police said.
Around 8:20 p.m. someone rang the doorbell at a home in the 4800 block of Wexler Peak Way. The resident, at home with his son, did not answer the door right away and soon heard someone kicking down his door, according to police.
The resident confronted a man with a gun at the front door and a fight ensued. The resident was able to take away the man's gun and shot him several times before calling police, according to police.
The apparent home intruder died at the scene and has yet to be identified, police said.
The resident and his son were uninjured, police said.
Anyone with information about the home invasion and shooting is asked to call Antioch police Detective D. Bittner at (925) 779-6939.
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:10:14 -0800
A North Bay couple fighting an all too familiar battle to keep their home is asking for help that will keep them and their stable of miniature horses from leaving their ranch.
Angel and Faberge are just two of the tiny horses that live on Lovepatch Farms in Penngrove. But they might be forced from their home within a few weeks.
About 40 miniature horses live on the ranch.
The horses are the star attraction for the many senior and children's tour groups that have traveled to Sonoma County to enjoy the companionship of these playful animals for the past three decades.
But now Lovepatch Farms faces foreclosure.
Lee Romero and her partner Cory Vandergeld were able to lease back their property after going through a short sale three years ago.
But now the owner says unless the couple can come up with about $500,000 to buy it back, they'll have to leave.
"I don't know what we're going to do," said Romero. "Ultimately we would like to purchase the property back and continue doing the tours and community outreach."
Not only short on the needed funds, they also can't find another, less expensive property to care for their prized horses.
"Down in my heart I have a feeling God is with us," said Vandergeld.
Despite their financial trouble, they don't want to sell their treasured animals.
"We will never ever bring them to an auction house. Auctions are pretty much populated by kill buyers," said Romero. "They buy them by the pound and they don't care."
Both Cory and Lee said they feel overwhelmed and aren't sure what to do as an April deadline nears
"I do a lot of praying," said Vandergeld. "I know He's pulling all the strings and turning all the buttons to make things work, so I have faith."
The property owner said he's tried to work with the couple to come up with a solution, but nothing has worked out.
The couple says they're hoping they can learn how to set up a non-profit so they can continue their work with kids and seniors.
Published: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:34:51 -0800
Whether you're looking for an alternative to flowers and candy this Valentine's Day or just want to vent some frustration -- the Great San Francisco Valentine's Day Pillow Fight is the place to be.
The annual event will take place Tuesday evening at Justin Herman Plaza and participants should be ready to start swinging at 6 p.m.
Tuesday marks the seventh year the feathers will be flying and Department of Public Works spokeswoman Gloria Chan said city workers will be ready for the post-fight cleanup.
Chan said last year's attendance was not as high as previous years and the cleanup did not take long.
The free feather fight has garnered high marks on the review website, Yelp, earning four and a half stars.
Some of the past participants offered tips for newcomers. Some tips include bringing fresh, soft pillows and hunting down the Valentine's Day couples.
"Always hit the obvious Valentine's Day couple," Lanie L. said. "Because destroying cuteness is fun with pillows."
Another reviewer, Gen D., posted her displeasure with some of the pillows.
"To those that brought tempurpedic pillows," she said. "May ugly monkeys gnaw on your face! They're freaking bricks!"
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:43:07 -0800
The owner of a popular South Bay nightclub was out on bail Monday night after being accused of raping one of his patrons. The club owner's lawyer adamantly denies the charges.
The Myth Taverna in San Jose is one of two downtown nightclubs owned by a man accused of raping one of his patrons. But the alleged crime did not happen there.
The unidentified 27-year-old alleged victim claims it happened in the club owner's 4,000-square-foot Los Gatos home in January. It is the home of night club owner Gholam "Ray'' Shafazand, where his lawyer says the woman had stayed before.
"I'm not getting into the facts of what happened or didn't happen, other than to say she certainly wasn't raped." said attorney Anthony Pagkas.
Pagkas said the woman was a friend of his client. He said she had been at the Myth Taverna on the night of the alleged rape and asked nightclub security to take her to Shafazand's home when the club closed.
The lawyer says throughout that night Shafazand's wife and daughter were also in the house. In court papers, the alleged victim says she went to sleep in a guest bedroom and woke to find her clothes being pulled off and was eventually raped.
"So many of the outrageous allegations made by this woman are a complete farce," said Pagkas. Shafazand is free on $100,000 dollars bail.
The sheriff's department has revoked his concealed weapons permit.
Arraignment on one count of rape is scheduled for Thursday. His lawyer said he will plead not guilty.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:51:24 -0800
Two women, a toddler, and two other people were struck by gunfire during a shootout at a Vallejo nail salon Monday evening, according to Vallejo police.
Around 7:15 p.m. police received a call about shots fired at 1833 Springs Road, where Tina's Nails is located, police said.
Arriving officers found two women and a little girl suffering from gunshot wounds. All three were taken to Bay Area trauma centers, according to police.
Two other people arrived at Bay Area hospitals with gunshot wounds and officers were able to connect them to the nail salon shooting, police said.
It was sheer terror inside the Back in Style Beauty Salon where Laura Holloway was working with a client.
"I heard them from the outside and then they got louder and louder," said Holloway. "So I just got on the floor and protected my baby. That's all I could do."
Holloway said she doesn't believe the salon was the intended target, but rather that the business was simply in the line of fire of dueling gunman on the street.
Witnesses said three people inside Tina's Nails were injured: two women and a two-year-old little girl.
The mother of the young victim was too upset to talk with KTVU. She paced back and forth holding her daughter's small pink shoes.
The woman was trying to figure out a way to get to Oakland's Children's Hospital, where the child was taken by medical helicopter.
Witnesses described hearing a few shots, then a flurry of gunfire that made it impossible to count the number of shots.
"It was very, very scary," said Holloway. "I don't know [how many shots]. It was too many. I couldn't tell. I just got on the floor. It was too much."
"There's a lot of bullet holes in the glass and in the chairs and stuff and a lot of bullets in the walls," said Back in Style owner Rominida Lofton.
In the hours following the incident, police were continued to search the area, using a ladder to get onto the roof of the strip mall to search for clues.
At least three nearby businesses were struck by bullets, police said.
The Benicia Police Department, the California Highway Patrol and Solano County Sheriff's Office provided mutual aid, police said.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Vallejo police Detective Fabio Rodriguez at (800) 488-9383 or the anonymous Solano Crime Stoppers tip line at (707) 644-STOP.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:07:22 -0800
CampbellCalifornia.com
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