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Appeals court: Walz had authority to impose face mask mandate during COVID pandemic

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:50 GMT

ST. PAUL — Gov. Tim Walz had the legal authority to mandate face masks when he declared a public health emergency in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Monday.Walz declared a peacetime emergency in March 2020 and mandated masking in most indoor public spaces in July 2020. The conservative Upper Midwest Law Center sued, challenging the mask requirement as unconstitutional. Walz lifted the mandate in May 2021, at which point the Court of Appeals declared the case moot.But the Minnesota Supreme Court in February sent the case back to the appeals court to settle the key legal question behind the case: whether the the Minnesota Emergency Management Act of 1996 authorizes a governor to declare a peacetime emergency during a public health emergency such as the pandemic. The high court called it an “important issue of statewide significance.”The appeals court rejected as “unreasonable” the plaintiffs’ assertions that the coronavirus “most lik...

Bear cubs rescued after momma found dead on San Bernardino County property

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:50 GMT

Two bear cubs are now orphans after their mother was found dead on a San Bernardino County property last week.  Like something out of National Geographic, longtime Forest Falls resident Micah Kiter captured cellphone footage of two bear cubs fending for themselves in the forest.  “The first time I came into contact with the cubs was Wednesday,” he said. “The brother bear was actually in the Mulberry tree, so he was up high. We have two separate families, a momma and two other babies and this was one of the sets.”  It was last week that Kiter learned that the momma bear, or sow, died. Another resident of Forest Falls reported the deceased bear on their property in a gated community on July 3.  “Found the carcass there, sexed it to be a female that was recently lactating, so expecting dependent young in the vicinity,” said Kevin Howells, with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.  Howells is a human wildlife conflict biologist in the Inland Empire. H...

L.A. police seek public’s help to identify sexual assault victims

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:50 GMT

A Los Angeles man was arrested for child molestation on Monday and now authorities are seeking the public’s help to identify additional victims. Martin Reyes Jr., 29, of East L.A. was arrested for lewd acts with a child under 14 years old. Police believe he is responsible for additional, unreported sexual assaults. Martin Reyes Jr., 29, of East L.A. was arrested for lewd acts with a child under 14 years old. (Source: LAPD)L.A. detectives are asking anyone who may be a victim, or has additional information to contact Juvenile Division Detective Morales at 213-486--0598. Reyes’ bail was set at $1 million. 

Four-bedroom home in San Ramon sells for $1.7 million

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:50 GMT

2614 Menorca Court – Google Street ViewA 2,055-square-foot house built in 1978 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 2600 block of Menorca Court in San Ramon was sold on June 22, 2023, for $1,650,000, or $803 per square foot. This single-story house offers a roomy layout with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The property is equipped with central heating and central A/C. Additionally, the house includes an attached two-car garage, offering generous space for vehicles and storage requirements. The lot of the property covers a substancial area of 8,400 square feet.Additional houses that have recently changed hands close by include:A 1,552-square-foot home on the 2600 block of Menorca Court in San Ramon sold in July 2022, for $1,705,000, a price per square foot of $1,099. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Celaya Circle, San Ramon, in September 2022, a 2,376-square-foot home was sold for $2,015,000, a price per square foot of $848. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3...

McCarthy under pressure from the right over defense bill

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:50 GMT

By Annie Grayer, Melanie Zanona, Manu Raju and Haley Talbot | CNNHouse GOP leaders are confronting a legislative landmine over a massive defense bill as right-wing lawmakers are pushing for a slew of hot button amendments that could put moderate Republicans in a complicated position and threaten Democratic support for the must-pass bill.The lawmakers are demanding amendment votes this week on a wide-range of controversial issues – everything ranging from abortion to transgender rights to diversity programs at the Pentagon – and are even privately warning that they could scuttle the defense bill on the first procedural vote if they don’t get their way.The move has once again put the focus on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as he tries to navigate the unyielding demands from members on his far-right while pushing legislation that many of his most vulnerable members are eager to tout back home. If he caters to the whims of members of the hardline House Freedom Caucus, he could win over mo...

Warriors’ Mike Dunleavy Jr. shares thought behind Chris Paul, Poole trade; why Dario Saric was team’s first call

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:50 GMT

LAS VEGAS – The Chris Paul acquisition may still be perplexing for some.Why would the Warriors trade a promising 24-year-old Jordan Poole for a 38-year-old point guard on his last leg?It was a bold trade for Mike Dunleavy Jr., who had been named as Golden State’s new general manager four days earlier. But he had a simple explanation for the move.“We’re looking to improve our team and felt like adding Chris is a chance to get better and addresses some things for us overall as a team,” Dunleavy said Monday afternoon following a Warriors Summer League practice. “It also gives us some financial flexibility moving forward.”The Warriors are well above the collective bargaining agreement’s newly implemented second luxury tax apron. Punishments for staying above that threshold will grow more punitive in the next few years; they aren’t able to sign free agents above the veteran minimum this year and will have first-round picks frozen with strict trading limitations if they ...

Freshmen representatives sue House leadership over transparency law

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:50 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Colorado lawmakers have been out of session for the past two months, but that's not stopping some of the drama behind the scenes from surfacing.Two Democratic representatives are suing leadership in the House of Representatives, alleging that leaders repeatedly violated Colorado Open Meetings Law. 11 new Colorado laws go into effect in July The two freshmen representatives behind the suit have cried foul throughout the session over claims of a lack of transparency. Now those allegations have been formalized via a lawsuit filed in the Denver District Court last Friday.Colorado has seen its fair share of cases regarding the state's Open Meetings Law. Cases like the one brought against members of the Douglas County School Board or the active case FOX31 and other media outlets are pursuing involving Denver Public Schools. Executive Director of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition Jeff Roberts, said this one is different."I can't think of another case like thi...

Illegal towing nightmare: South Florida woman’s car disappears from CVS lot, forced to pay to retrieve it

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:50 GMT

She walked into a drugstore. When she came out, her car had been towed and she had to pay to get it back. Is it legal to tow a customer’s car? It’s why one South Florida woman picked up the phone and called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.Look around, traffic backed up, people lined up.Clearly, South Floridians have one thing in common; they are busy.Katherine Grigelis: “And I don’t have a lot of time to do like, shopping and a lot of things like that personally.”Proof of that, the other day, Katherine didn’t have time to run an errand until after midnight.Katherine Grigelis: “I saw the CVS and I decided, I needed a couple of things I would run in.”Katherine pulled in next to this sign that read “If you park and leave the shopping center, you are subject to tow.”Katherine Grigelis: “And it didn’t faze me at all because I didn’t leave the lot and I didn’t do anything wrong.”When she was in th...

Police search for grocery thief, stealing $400 of meat goods from Tropical Supermarket

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:50 GMT

Police are searching for a man that stuffed his backpack with hundreds of dollars worth of meat products in a West Miami grocery store.The stealing spree happened at Tropical Supermarket on SW 8th Street on July 3rd, but it wasn’t the first time that the store has been the victim of a crime like this.“It did start out as a theft, but escalated when the subject pulled out a knife to an armed robbery,” said West Miami Police Department Detective Richard Menor.Surveillance footage displayed a criminal grocery run involving an armed man and a dispute over steaks and salami.“We really want to get this person off the street,” said the detective.Menor said he wants to find the man that stole about $400 of the store’s meat products. The man first browsed the beef and pork section, where he boldly stuffed products into his backpack until he was met by the store manager.He then pulled out a pocket knife and made what seemed to be a stabbing motion toward th...

48-year-old Ohio man charged with battery escorted off United Airlines flight from FLL airport

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:50 GMT

An Ohio man was charged with battery and was escorted off the flight from Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport.Shawn Levan, 48-year-old was accused of being a problem passenger on a United Airlines flight headed to South Florida, Saturday. 7 News spoke with another passenger, Claudia Mondelo who was on the same flight, Saturday. “Where are you, when I need you,” said Mondelo.Claudia Mondelo captured the video of the man, who was escorted out of flight before deputies took him to the Broward County jail.Mondelo said Levan had been a less-than-ideal passenger.“He didn’t want to go back to his seat, he didn’t want to put on his seatbelt, he just wanted to cause a scene,” said Mondelo. Mondelo said the drama began at the counter in Washington DC, where she was waiting for her Fort Lauderdale flight.“He was screaming at the ticket counter lady, pretty much everyone heard him because he was extremely loud, so I was surprised when I saw ...