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Pleasant Hill promotes Interim Chief Vermillion to chief of police

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

PLEASANT HILL, Calif. (BCN) -- Pleasant Hill has a new police chief, the city manager announced Monday. Former Interim Chief Scott Vermillion will replace former Chief Bryan Hill, who retired in November. Vermillion was chosen after an extensive search process, City Manager June Catalano said in the announcement.Vermillion has been in law enforcement for 25 years, beginning with the Calistoga Police Department in 1997. He joined the Pleasant Hill Police Department in 2000 and was promoted to corporal in 2004 and sergeant in 2008. In 2015, Vermillion became a lieutenant, serving as both an operations commander and support services division commander.In 2020, Vermillion became captain and served as second-in-command to Chief Hill. He also attended the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.In addition to helping develop the city's emergency preparedness plan and facilitating emergency operation center meetings, Vermillion has served as assistant SWAT team commander, defensive tact...

Cheering Silicon Valley Bank Bailout, Gavin Newsom Doesn’t Mention He’s a Client

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom praised the Biden administration’s decision to intervene on behalf of Silicon Valley Bank’s clients after the bank was taken over by the FDIC on Friday amid a bank run. The White House “acted swiftly and decisively to protect the American economy and strengthen public confidence in our banking system,” Newsom said in a statement. What Newsom didn’t mention is that it also protected his own companies if they held over $250,000 in deposits.CADE, Odette, and PlumpJack, three wineries owned by Newsom, are listed as clients of SVB on the bank’s website. Newsom also maintained personal accounts at SVB for years, according to a longtime former employee of Newsom’s who handled his finances, and who requested anonymity to avoid professional reprisal.“Governor Newsom’s business and financial holdings are held and managed by a blind trust, as they have been since he was first elected governor in 2018,” Nathan Click, a spokesperson for Newsom, told ...

US no longer seeking death for man convicted in Sjodin case

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

U.S. prosecutors said Tuesday that they will no longer seek the death penalty for the man convicted in the kidnapping and killing of college student Dru Sjodin in 2003 in a case that led to changes in sex offender registration laws.U.S. Attorney Mac Schneider said in a news release that following a directive from Attorney General Merrick Garland, he filed a notice withdrawing his effort to seek the death penalty for Alfonso Rodriguez Jr.“My thoughts today are with Dru Sjodin’s family, particularly her parents, Linda Walker and Allan Sjodin,” Schneider said in the release. “They are genuinely good people and loving parents who in the wake of an unimaginable loss have worked closely with our office for nearly 20 years. We continue to wish them the greatest measure of peace possible.”Messages left with Rodriguez’s attorney and with the attorney general’s office wasn’t immediately returned.It’s not the first time Rodriguez has avoided the death penalty in the case. In ...

No Harvey Weinstein retrial on rape, sex assault charges

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles prosecutors told a judge Tuesday that they will not retry Harvey Weinstein on rape and sexual assault charges involving two women.Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson announced the decision to Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench at a hearing in downtown Los Angeles. The judge dismissed the charges and said Weinstein would be returned to New York, where he was convicted in a similar case. Prosecutors had been considering a new trial on charges that left jurors deadlocked at the former movie mogul’s trial. The jury convicted Weinstein of the rape and sexual assault of one woman. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. That’s in addition to the 23-year New York sentence he is already serving. Source

Column: Scheffler’s rise leads to incomplete grade on Smith

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Jordan Spieth can speak with authority on the remarkable run of Scottie Scheffler, except that Spieth never liked that term when he was the subject.Spieth had won seven times in 13 months — two majors, a shot at all four of them, No. 1 in the world and a FedEx Cup title — when he showed up at Kapalua to start 2016 and was asked what he had planned for an encore.“Doesn’t an encore mean that the show is then over?” he said.Golf has a couple of hit shows, and for now Scheffler is top billing.His superb play in windy conditions for a five-shot victory in The Players Championship was his sixth title in the last 13 months. Scheffler has been No. 1 longer than anyone during that stretch.But it was only 12 days ago when Jon Rahm, with six victories in the last 13 months, opened with a 65 at Bay Hill and looked as though no one could beat him. Maybe that’s still the case. Rahm never made it to the second round at The Players Championship because of ...

Los Angeles prosecutors will not retry Harvey Weinstein on rape, sex assault charges that left jury deadlocked

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles prosecutors will not retry Harvey Weinstein on rape, sex assault charges that left jury deadlocked.Source

US prosecutors no longer seeking death for man convicted in college student Dru Sjodin’s 2003 kidnapping, killing

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — US prosecutors no longer seeking death for man convicted in college student Dru Sjodin’s 2003 kidnapping, killing.Source

MATCHDAY: Madrid, Napoli look to advance in Champions League

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Wednesday:CHAMPIONS LEAGUEREAL MADRID vs. LIVERPOOL (5-2)Real Madrid will defend a three-goal lead for the round-of-16 second leg against Liverpool after a shock 5-2 win in England, where the defending champions rallied from an early 2-0 deficit. No away team has ever erased a three-goal loss from the first leg in the Champions League, and only five times the team that lost at home rallied in the second leg. Manchester United was the only one to overcome a two-goal deficit — in 2019 against Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16. Madrid is coming off a win against Espanyol in the Spanish league, while Liverpool lost at relegation-threatened Bournemouth to hurt its chances of moving closer to the top four in the Premier League.NAPOLI vs. EINTRACHT FRANKFURT (2-0)Napoli has been handed a triple boost ahead of the round-of-16 second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt as Kim Min-jae, Alex Meret and Hirving Lozano all returned to training. Ki...

Is my money safe? What you need to know about bank failures

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The recent failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, which catered mostly to the tech industry, may have you worried about your money. They were the second- and third-biggest bank failures in U.S. history.It all started last week when too many depositors tried to withdraw their money from Silicon Valley Bank in Santa Clara, California. That’s known as a bank run. The bank had to sell treasury bonds and other securities at a steep loss and more people kept trying to withdraw money as word of the situation spread, causing the bank to fail. Regulators took control of New York-based Signature Bank soon after, saying it was necessary to protect depositors after too many people withdrew money.In response, regulators guaranteed all deposits at the two banks and created a program to help shield other banks to shield them from a run on deposits.Here’s what you need to know:IS MY MONEY SAFE?Yes, if your money is in a bank insured by the Federal Deposit In...

AP source: Texans agree to trade for guard Shaq Mason

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Houston Texans have agreed to send the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a sixth-round draft pick for guard Shaq Mason and a seventh-round pick, a person familiar with the trade told The Associated Press on Tuesday.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal can’t be announced until Wednesday.Mason started 18 games for the Buccaneers at right guard last season after spending his first seven years in New England.Mason gives the Texans another veteran presence on an offensive line that includes tackles Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard entering the final year of their contracts.On Monday, the Texans agreed on a deal with backup quarterback Case Keenum.The 29-year-old Mason has started 115 games in his eight seasons.Texans general manager Nick Caserio was New England’s director of player personnel when the team drafted Mason in the fourth round in 2015. ___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFLSource