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California to transform prison with death row legacy

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to transform a state lockup that is home to the nation’s largest number of death row inmates into a facility where prisoners can receive education, training and rehabilitation.Newsom’s office announced the new plans Thursday for San Quentin State Prison, which will be renamed the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. The governor plans to visit the prison on the shore of the San Francisco Bay on Friday as part of a statewide policy tour.“Today, we take the next step in our pursuit of true rehabilitation, justice, and safer communities through this evidenced-backed investment, creating a new model for safety and justice — the California Model — that will lead the nation,” Newsom said in a statement.The plan marks a massive shift in how the state would shape the fates of those behind bars.Newsom announced a moratorium on executions in 2019, but nearly 700 inmates remain on death row today.Death sentences in Californ...

LSU enters NCAA Tournament energized by Mulkey mania

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU All-America forward Angel Reese wrote the phrase, “four rebounds,” in her locker.The story behind that exemplifies Kim Mulkey’s influence on the Tigers, who enter Friday’s opening round of the 2023 NCAA tournament having won 54 of 62 games since LSU hired the three-time national champion coach away from Baylor. The 6-foot-3 Reese, who has averaged 23.4 points and 15.5 rebounds this season, pulled down a season-low four boards during LSU’s 88-64 loss at unbeaten South Carolina on Feb. 12.During a subsequent practice, Mulkey mentioned that less-than-flattering statistic more than once.“She has humbled me a lot; A lot of players probably can’t be coached by coach Mulkey,” Reese asserted. “I just appreciate how much she pushes me.“Of anybody, she gets on me the most,” Reese continued. “This is something I needed.”LSU (28-2), seeded third in the tournament’s Greenville 2 region, hosts Big West tournament champion No. 1...

Ex-Theranos exec finds way to delay start of prison sentence

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

Former Theranos executive Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani found an escape hatch Thursday from the scheduled start of his nearly 13-year prison sentence for a blood-testing hoax he engineered with his former boss and lover, Elizabeth Holmes.Just hours before Balwani was supposed to surrender to authorities, his lawyer filed documents notifying U.S. District Judge Edward Davila that he wouldn’t be doing so.The notice cited a last-minute appeal of a recent Davila ruling rejecting Balwani’s request to remain free while trying to overturn his conviction on 12 counts of fraud and conspiracy. The Wednesday appeal of Davila’s March 9 ruling triggered an automatic stay of his prison reporting date, which had been set for 2 p.m. PT Thursday. That’s because Balwani, 57, has been free on bail since a jury convicted him last July, triggering a clause that allows him to remain free on bail until the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals weighs in on Davila’s ruling issue...

No. 4 Hokies. Kitley have special connection

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks remembers feeling special, and lucky.He was in Atlanta watching an AAU basketball tournament, one of several dozen coaches hoping to lure a program-changing recruit to his school, when someone with no chance of being that player ambled past.“Raven was at the game and she was going to the bathroom,” Brooks said Thursday of Elizabeth Kitley’s sister, “and I remember she ran past all the coaches and she took like two or three steps past me, and she put the brakes on and she backed up and she said, `Hi, Coach Brooks’. And she waved at me and she took off, and the other coaches were like, Who was that? “And I’m like, yeah, we’re in good shape with Liz.”Raven Kitley. Elizabeth’s older sister, is autistic and especially connected to her sister’s career, and the Hokies. It’s been huge for Virginia Tech.Elizabeth Kitley, the two-time Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year, led the No. 4 Hokies to a No. 1 seed in the N...

Blues’ Binnington suspended 2 games for throwing punch

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington was suspended two games without pay Thursday for throwing a punch at Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman.Binnington’s suspension forced the Blues to call up Joel Hofer from Springfield of the AHL to serve as an emergency goaltender.Binnington received a match penalty in the second period of Wednesday’s 8-5 loss to Minnesota for swinging his blocker glove at Hartman. Binnington left his crease and went after Hartman right after giving up the Wild’s fifth goal of the night.Minnesota goalie Marc-Andre Fleury skated the length of the ice to confront the unmasked Binnington, but the two were separated by officials and Binnington was sent off the ice. Binnington will forfeit $64,864.86 under the NHL collective bargaining agreement based on his average annual salary. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.Binnington is 22-24-5 with a 3.39 goals-against average. Thomas Greiss will likely serve as th...

DC students get lesson in saying ‘No’ as part of drug prevention education

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

District schools are taking a new tack when it comes to teaching kids how to avoid drugs. Along with stocking schools with naloxone, teachers are also working with students on what to do in real-life scenarios.In establishing the drug, alcohol and tobacco use unit, D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee said DCPS wants to ensure students possessed what he called critical skills when it comes to substance abuse.“The skills around refusal is the first step, right? You know, ‘I’m not interested,'” Ferebee said while visiting the Coolidge High School nurses’ suite Thursday morning.“We know this type of unit around awareness of the potential consequences of drug abuse, alcohol abuse, tobacco abuse, is important,” he continued.More Local NewsMore DC NewsThe suite, which is operated by Mary’s Center, has more than four beds for ill students as well as remote check-in for students. It also puts a supply of naloxone on the shelves for eve...

Police never investigated Denver Health for inmate's death, despite red flags

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Despite multiple witness statements about questionable medical care following the death of Denver inmate Leroy Taylor last year, a detective's own report makes clear he never investigated medical staff for possible negligence.Instead, the investigative report conducted by Denver Police Detective Louis Estrada stated at one point, "Detective Estrada advised Investigator Bolton that Detective Estrada was only investigating the incident pertaining to if the inmates had caused the death of Mr. Taylor." Wheelchair amputee left in the cold by hospital security guards The 16-page report obtained by the Problem Solvers makes it clear no inmate was ever thought to have contributed to Taylor's death. Instead, multiple inmates provided statements that they recognized Taylor was sick and needed more acute medical attention.The police report mentions a sheriff's deputy, who said, "Taylor seemed delirious, and the other inmates were helping Taylor when he needed to use the bathr...

Outdoor Colorado: Extreme winter camping

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

EAGLE COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) - Colorado is a very popular destination for camping in the spring, summer and fall. But what about winter? Right in the middle of a frigid Colorado winter people will still camp out. It's called extreme winter camping, and the landscape can be cold and downright dangerous to your health. Colorado mountains once hosted the famous 10th Mountain Division But the Rocky Mountains in February are exactly where you will find Jeff Franta and Sabrina Roberts."I wouldn't consider this extreme though. I think because we've done it a lot. It's not extreme for us," Roberts said. "I think extreme would be camping in Antarctica, which is my dream destination.""I think extreme for us would be paddling in a birch bark canoe," Franta said.Camp Hale is Jeff and Sabrina's destination on this trip in a very frigid February.  But why?"Because I am secretly trying to murder him, just kidding," Roberts said with a laugh.Critically cold winter camping requires specialized ...

CU Boulder students call for new football player's expulsion over sexual assault allegations

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

WARNING: Some details in this article may be disturbing to some readers. Viewer discretion is also advised for the video player below.MONUMENT, Colo. (KXRM) — Students at the University of Colorado Boulder are calling for the expulsion of a recently committed football player, Anthony “Deuce” Roberson, following numerous sexual assault allegations from former high school classmates.When freshman Jenna Baker found out, she said: “My heart just dropped.” Baker, who attended the same high school as Roberson, started a petition calling for his expulsion. Since Jan. 25 when she started the petition, Baker said around 30 women have come forward to her, alleging they were sexually harassed and/or assaulted by Roberson while attending Palmer Ridge High School in Monument.Roberson, who attended the high school from 2016 to 2020, committed to CU Boulder, becoming one of the football team’s newest wide receivers.The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) is currently investigating Roberson for ...

Watkins store celebrates 44 years in business

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

WATKINS, Colo. (KDVR) -- O'Malley's Mercantile is a mom-and-pop retail store that just celebrated 44 years of being in business. The COVID lockdowns almost ended that, but it hung on and is now on the mend.It was 44 years ago, almost to the day, when Kathleen and Mike O'Malley opened the doors to their modest feed store, Watkins Feed and Supply.In 2001, they officially changed the name to O'Malley's.  "Watkins Feed and Supply was primarily horse, chicken, dog, that was about it," Mike O'Malley said.O'Malley, once a cowboy, used to wrangle for an outfit south of Denver now known as Highlands Ranch. He teamed up with Kathleen Marie Ziegler and got hitched in 1976.  Boar rescued from ‘hogging the roadway’ Together, they hatched up an idea to open a feed store in Watkins, but why there? "We were not very smart," O'Malley said laughing.Watkins was incorporated in 2004. About 18 months later it was unincorporated because, well, it is small.But it is big enough to be the c...