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Colorado Supreme Court to hear case against Christian baker who refused to make LGBTQ-themed cake

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:04 GMT

DENVER — On the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court victory this summer for a graphic artist who didn’t want to design wedding websites for same-sex couples, Colorado’s highest court said Tuesday it will now hear the case of a Christian baker who refused to make a cake celebrating a gender transition.The announcement by the Colorado Supreme Court is the latest development in the yearslong legal saga involving Jack Phillips and LGBTQ+ rights.Phillips won a partial victory before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 after refusing to make a gay couple’s wedding cake but was later sued by Autumn Scardina, a transgender woman, who asked his suburban Denver bakery to make a pink cake with blue frosting for her birthday. It refused after Scardina explained it would celebrate her transition from male to female.The justices didn’t explain how or why they made the determination. It was announced in a long list of decisions about which cases they will hear and reject.The case involves the state’s a...

Complex ‘phantom hacker’ scams targeting senior citizens’ life savings, FBI says 

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:04 GMT

The FBI is warning the public of an increase in “phantom hacker” scams nationwide that target senior citizens. Officials warned that this type of scam is an “evolution of more general tech support scams” that can consist of three steps. “[Scammers] layer imposter support, financial institution and government personas to enhance the trust victims place in the scammers and identify the most lucrative accounts to target,” an FBI news release said. “Victims often suffer the loss of entire banking, savings, retirement or investment accounts under the guise of ‘protecting’ their assets.” According to the FBI release, 19,000 complaints related to tech support scams were submitted to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center between January and June of 2023.  27 suspected gang members arrested in California crackdown The estimated victim losses totaled over $542 million, the FBI said. Almost half of the victims who reported crimes to the IC3 were over 60 years old. Scammers g...

This is the wealthiest person in California

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:04 GMT

You can probably name some of the richest people in the country: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett. But do you know the wealthiest person in your state?Unless you have a few billion dollars lying around, it likely isn’t you. Every year, Forbes releases a list of the 400 wealthiest people in the U.S. This includes those who have garnered their wealth through investments, software, sports, retail, real estate, family ties, and food. The 2023 list includes some notable firsts. Michael Jordan, for instance, is the first professional athlete to land on the Forbes 400. His off-the-court income, namely from his deals with Nike and the sale of his stake in the Charlotte Hornets, propelled him onto this year’s list. Another newcomer is Josh Kushner, the son of real estate developer Charles Kushner and brother of Jared Kushner. The latter Kushner’s father-in-law, former President Donald Trump, failed to make the Forbes 400 this year. Another name to fall off the list this y...

Steven Tyler's vocal injury 'more serious'; Aerosmith postpones farewell tour to 2024

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:04 GMT

Aerosmith announced they are now postponing all the remaining shows of their farewell tour until next year because of Steven Tyler's vocal injury. The band says the injury is "more serious than initially thought."On Wednesday afternoon, Aerosmith took to X, formerly Twitter, to alert fans of the update."(Tyler's) doctor has confirmed that in addition to the damage to his vocal cords, he fractured his larynx which requires ongoing care," the update read. "He is receiving the best medical treatment available to ensure his recovery is swift, but given the nature of a fracture, he is being told patience is essential."The singer's injury has prompted the band to postpone the currently scheduled shows of their Peace Out tour until 2024.Steven Tyler of Aerosmith performs during night one of their "Peace Out: The Farewell Tour" on Sept. 2, 2023, at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)Aerosmith will announce the new dates as soon as they get more information....

Judge imposes limited gag order on Trump in fraud trial

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:04 GMT

By Michael R. Sisak, Bobby Caina Calvan and Jennifer Peltz | Associated PressNEW YORK — A New York judge imposed a limited gag order on defendant Donald Trump Tuesday after the former president disparaged a key court staffer during his civil business fraud trial.Judge Arthur Engoron issued the order, which applies to all parties in the case and pertains only to verbal attacks on court staff. It came after Trump recirculated a disparaging social media post about Engoron’s principal law clerk, Allison Greenfield.Without naming Trump, Engoron said that a defendant in the case “posted to a social media account a disparaging, untrue and personally identifying post about a member of my staff.” He added that “personal attacks on members of my court staff are unacceptable, not appropriate” and not tolerated.Trump had already deleted the post. Engoron said he ordered it gone.The post included a photo of Greenfield with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y...

Single family residence sells in Los Gatos for $4.1 million

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:04 GMT

125 Dover Street – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the 100 block of Dover Street in Los Gatos was sold on Sept. 14, 2023. The $4,100,000 purchase price works out to $1,224 per square foot. The house, built in 2003, has an interior space of 3,349 square feet. This two-story home offers a roomy layout with four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The property is equipped with forced air heating and a cooling system. Additionally, the house features a two-car garage.These nearby houses have also recently been purchased:On Sharon Court, Los Gatos, in October 2022, a 2,220-square-foot home was sold for $2,120,000, a price per square foot of $955. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 1,950-square-foot home on the 100 block of Westchester Drive in Los Gatos sold in October 2022, for $2,437,500, a price per square foot of $1,250. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In September 2022, a 2,010-square-foot home on Blossom Hill Road in Los Gatos sold for $2,650,000, a price...

Alameda County DA opposes release of pair convicted in journalist Chauncey Bailey’s murder

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:04 GMT

Twelve years after they were convicted of murders that included the assassination of Oakland journalist Chauncey Bailey, the former leader and a staffer at the defunct Your Black Muslim Bakery have filed longshot petitions for release from prison.Yusuf Bey IV and Antoine Mackey, both 37, filed motions this year seeking to overturn their 2011 murder convictions for the assassination of Bailey in the summer of 2007. Both men are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole, in New Folsom and Salinas Valley prisons, respectively.Bey IV was convicted of three murders — Bailey’s, Odell Robertson and Michael Wills — all killed in Oakland during the summer of 2007. Mackey was also convicted of fatally shooting Wills, an Oakland resident killed in what prosecutors called a copycat of the race-based Zebra Murder spree of the 1970s.The motions cite changes in California’s felony murder rule under a 2019 law that raises the bar for when prosecutors can charg...

East Bay telecommunications consultant illegally exported software to Iran

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:04 GMT

ALAMO — An East Bay telecommunications consultant pleaded guilty to a federal charge that he violated U.S. sanctions against Iran while exporting software upgrades for commercial-grade telecommunications servers to the country, authorities said.Farhad Nafeiy, 70, of Alamo, entered the plea after federal authorities filed a charge that he violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, according to a statement from Ismael J. Ramsey, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California. Nafeiy also pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion, Ramsey said.U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin scheduled Nafeiy’s sentencing for Jan. 29, 2024. Ramsey said Nafeiy could receive a maximum of 20 years in prison for violating the IEEPA and five years in prison for the tax evasion, with additional fines of up to $1.25 million.According to Ramsey, the IEEPA banned certain activities and transactions with Iran after a finding by the President that the country was a...

White House Faces Calls to Stop Ex-Guantánamo Detainee’s Forced Return to Russia

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:04 GMT

The mother of a former Guantánamo Bay detainee waited anxiously at her home in Russia last weekend, expecting to hear heart-stopping news about her son Ravil Mingazov, who has been imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates since his release from Guantánamo six years ago.In recent weeks, 87-year-old Zuhra Valiullina has grown convinced that something even worse could soon happen to Mingazov: He might be forced back to Russia, the country he fled after being persecuted for his Muslim faith.As all but 30 prisoners from Guantánamo Bay have been released, the notorious detention center has faded from the headlines. But Mingazov’s case — fraught with geopolitics — has drawn an unusual level of public attention. A former Russian soldier and ballet dancer, he fled Russia in 1999 in search of a place where he and his family could live and practice their faith freely. He was picked up in a raid in Pakistan in early 2002, when the U.S. was paying bounty for suspects, according to Gary Thompson, M...

Trump judge issues limited gag order after former president makes disparaging post about court clerk

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:04 GMT

Former President Donald Trump speaks with journalists during a midday break from court proceedings in New York, Monday, Oct. 2, 2023, as he attends the start of a civil trial in a lawsuit that already has resulted in a judge ruling that he committed fraud in his business dealings. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)(AP/Craig Ruttle) Former President Donald Trump speaks with journalists during a midday break from court proceedings in New York, Monday, Oct. 2, 2023, as he attends the start of a civil trial in a lawsuit that already has resulted in a judge ruling that he committed fraud in his business dealings. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)(AP/Craig Ruttle) NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge imposed a limited gag order on defendant Don...