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Today in History: July 24, Apollo 11 returns home from the moon

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:41 GMT

Today in History Today is Monday, July 24, the 205th day of 2023. There are 160 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On July 24, 1915, the SS Eastland, a passenger ship carrying more than 2,500 people, rolled onto its side while docked at the Clark Street Bridge on the Chicago River. An estimated 844 people died in the disaster. On this date: In 1847, Mormon leader Brigham Young and his followers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in present-day Utah. In 1866, Tennessee became the first state to be readmitted to the Union after the Civil War. In 1911, Yale University history professor Hiram Bingham III found the “Lost City of the Incas,” Machu Picchu, in Peru.In 1937, the state of Alabama dropped charges against four of the nine young Black men accused of raping two white women in the “Scottsboro Case.” In 1959, during a visit to Moscow, Vice President Richard Nixon engaged in his famous “Kitchen Debate” with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.In 1969, the Apollo 11 astron...

Local band has gear stolen before practice session

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:41 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- A local chart-climbing music group is reeling after its instruments and gear were recently stolen.Sarah Christine Cotner, the leader of the group, Sarah Christine, said the items were stolen near East 35th Avenue and Columbine Street, as the three-member ensemble was prepping to practice.“It’s a huge bummer,” Cotner said. Suspects steal garage door openers to enter houses in Lone Tree  Cotner said they have filed a crime report with the Denver Police Department.“We’re talking drum kit, we’re talking speakers. Everything,” Cotner said.The group hopes to get its property back and that the thief/thieves don't do it again. But a friend also set up a GoFundMe to help them out. You can contact them on Instagram: @sarahchristinemplsmusic  or [email protected].“Right after I slept in cars and drove 22 miles,” she said. “And, played show-after-show, and then, got picked up. Like those are memories, with that gear, that I’ll never see, again,” Cotner said. Sara...

Support the Shield nominee has long family history of law enforcement in Colorado

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:41 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Colo. (KDVR) -- Law enforcement officers nominated for the Support the Shield recognition are everyday citizens. For this Louisville Police Department’s sergeant, it was somebody who is near and dear to his heart.Louisville PD Patrol Sergeant Benjamin Kurtz comes from a long and historic line of law enforcement service in Colorado. His great great grandfather, Daniel Kurtz, was justice of the peace in Jefferson County in 1871. His mother, Sue Kurtz, was Colorado‘s first female sheriff in 1982. That was in San Juan County.“I was torn. I wanted to serve, but I didn’t know which direction I should go. I said, ‘God, lead me and point me where you want me to be,’" Kurtz, who lives to serve, said. "I closed my eyes and opened up the Bible and put my finger down, and I looked. It was on Matthew 5:9, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.’” Colorado firefighters travel to Ukraine to teach trauma treatment techniques Kurtz has a loving and ...

Possibility for thunderstorms brings fire danger to San Diego County this weekend

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:41 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego County’s hot temperatures continue into the weekend, where the mixture of heat and humidity may heighten fire danger.“We do have some monsoonal moisture coming in on Sunday and Monday, so we’re expecting maybe some thunder showers. With that, could be some dry lightning that is of concern for us,” said Captain Mike Cornette with Cal Fire San Diego.The mountains and deserts will be greater areas of concern.“We do have a grass crop in the desert. We have had fires in the desert before caused by lightning. It’s a little more isolated out there and a little harder to tackle sometimes,” Cornette said.While the humid air does bring up moisture levels, Cornette says it likely won’t help to slow a fire. 2,000-gallon sewage spill forces East Mission Bay closure “I don’t think it’s going to be that much of a difference this time of year because those fuels are fully cured and ready to burn,” he said.Cal Fire crews are preparing by training and staying hydrated. They’v...

'I am a Jedi': Hundreds to meet for lightsaber battle in Balboa Park

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:41 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away … "force" sensitive beings wielded lightsabers in epic duels between light and dark. And once a year, those battles come to San Diego.During Comic-Con weekend, hundreds of "Star Wars" fans and martial artists meetup in Balboa Park for a night of simulated lightsaber combat, allowing them to live in the world of the franchise.The tradition started about seven years ago by Nick Murico, following the 2015 release of the first sequel movie to the classic trilogy, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Don’t have a Comic-Con badge? Check out these events that don’t require one Around the time, simulated lightsaber combat was already a go-to activity for some fans of the franchise, allowing them to reenact their favorite duels from the movies or play out some of their own battles."There (was) a lot of people who meet and play with lightsabers in the park," Murico said to FOX5SanDiego.com. "I was kind of like, 'Why is nobody doing this mor...

As he leaves Phoenix’s blistering sun, AP’s climate news director reflects on desert life

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:41 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — I blink, and the edges of my eyelids feel like they are being singed. My cheeks burn as if they are being pressed with a hot iron ready to tackle a pile of wrinkled shirts. It is 4 p.m. I look at my 12-year-old son, whose face is flushed. He lets out a groan and puts his hand on his forehead to shield his eyes from the blistering sun.It is 117 degrees Fahrenheit (47 degrees Celsius).My family knows being in temperatures like this is dangerous. We’ve lived here for four years. This time, though, we are outside for only a few minutes to conduct an important experiment: How long will it take to cook a quesadilla on the sidewalk? Such is life these days in Phoenix, one of the hottest cities in the world. But for us, this summer is our last here; this weekend, I’m moving with my family to New York for my job as — wait for it — The Associated Press’ global climate and environment news director.I’M LEAVING TOWN DURING A UNIQUE SUMMER FOR PHOENIXWorking with AP jo...

Elderly woman brutally beaten as East L.A. rape suspect remains at large

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:41 GMT

An elderly victim was hospitalized after possibly being assaulted by a rape suspect wanted for a series of attacks targeting older women in East Los Angeles.The victim, 84-year-old Angelica Fieros was hospitalized after being attacked, beaten and mugged on July 15, just outside her front door.The suspect, believed to be 21-year-old Sergio Andrew Garcia, stole her purse, keys, and vehicle before fleeing the scene during the early-morning attack.Angelica required facial surgery as she recovers at Los Angeles General Medical Center.Garcia is wanted in connection with six assaults in the L.A. area, including 67-year-old Rosalina Martinez who was brutally beaten in her garden on the same day as Angelica.“We see her come out of her sister's apartment, face full of blood,” said a neighbor who witnessed Angelica’s attack. “She was crying. He punched her in the face several times. She fell to the floor. She was screaming for help and he had taken her purse and her keys to her apartment.”Ange...

Police find child living in drug-infested Apple Valley home

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:41 GMT

Three suspects were arrested on Thursday after police recovered methamphetamine and heroin during a home search in Apple Valley where a young child was living.After receiving information about a drug house, authorities with the Apple Valley Police Department conducted a search of the residence located in the 13400 block of Kiowa Road, according to the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department. During the search, deputies found methamphetamine, heroin, a taser, and drug paraphernalia. They also found rat feces scattered throughout the home. The drugs and paraphernalia were accessible to a young child who was living at the home, police said. The child was later released to a family member.  The residents, David James Myers, 27, Amanda Michelle Smith, 39, and Michael Jay Myers 58, were arrested for child cruelty and operating a drug house. Michael was later released at the scene.David and Smith were booked in High Desert Detention Center and are currently being held ...

Woman allegedly steals watch from man while begging for job in L.A. County 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:41 GMT

Police are searching for a woman after she allegedly stole a watch from a man in Palos Verdes Estates on Friday. According to a news release from the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department, a woman walked up to a home in the 2100 block of Via Visalia and rang the doorbell around 1:45 p.m. When the victim answered the door, the woman began begging for a job, while holding his arm. He then asked her to leave. After the woman left in a silver sedan, the victim noticed his watch was missing, police said.The suspect is described as a female, possibly Hispanic, with dark hair and a black dress. Anyone who sees someone matching the description in the area is urged to call Palos Verdes Estates Police Department at 310-378-4211.

Collared black bear hit, killed on 101 Freeway

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:41 GMT

BB-12, a black bear that was being tracked by the National Park Service died after it was hit by a vehicle on the 101 Freeway in Ventura County on Thursday, authorities said.A driver first reported the bear to the California Highway Patrol and, around 10:30 p.m., a NPS biologist found the carcass on the median at the top of the Conejo Grade between Newbury Park and Camarillo.The male bear, believed to be 3-4 years old, had a GPS radio collar that was attached in April when he was captured in the western Santa Monica Mountains south of the 101 Freeway, NPS said.This National Park Service photo shows BB-12 when he was captured and collared in April 2023. (NPS)“When any of our radio-collared animals get killed on the road, it’s sad but not that surprising after 20 years of studying these animals in the region,” said Jeff Sikich, the lead field biologist for the mountain lion study at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. “Roadkill is the number one source of mortality for ou...