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US prisoner exchange with Iran looking more likely

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 15:11:47 GMT

By Jon Gambrell and Matthew Lee | Associated PressDUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran has put five Iranian-American prisoners to house arrest, a U.S.-based lawyer said Thursday, a move coming as Tehran for months has suggested a prisoner swap was possible between it and Washington in exchange for billions of dollars frozen in South Korea. Iran did not immediately acknowledge the move.The move comes amid months of heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S. A major American military buildup in the Persian Gulf is underway, with the possibility of armed U.S. troops boarding and guarding commercial ships traveling through the crucial Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of all oil traded passes.It remains unclear whether the Iranian-Americans’ transfers reflect significant progress in a possible prisoner swap between the two countries. Iran in past months has overstated progress in talks, likely conducted with mediation from Oman and Qatar, on a potential trade.The U.S. in March ...

Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles, fresh off her triumphant return to gymnastics, is coming to San Jose

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 15:11:47 GMT

Simone Biles, one of the greatest gymnasts of all-time who stepped away from the sport to focus on her mental health after the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, is coming to San Jose.The four-time Olympic gold medalist will join another all-around Olympic gold medalist, Sunisa Lee, among 147 of the country’s best gymnasts who will compete in the 2023 U.S. Gymnastics Championships that will be held Aug. 24-27 at the SAP Center.Biles, 26, made her triumphant return to the sport last weekend in the suburbs of Chicago, where she dominated a stacked field that included four members and two alternates of the U.S. team that competed in Tokyo.Biles won the event, the U.S. Classic, by a whopping five points, creating about the same distance between her and the second-place finisher as the distance between second and 17th.There had been some uncertainty over Biles’ future in the sport after she withdrew a quarter of the way through the 2021 Olympic team final while citing a case of the “twis...

Oakland: A man and woman were seen entering a hotel together. Then he left, covered in blood, police say

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 15:11:47 GMT

OAKLAND — A 38-year-old man has been arrested and charged with murder in a case that was apparently solved by a security camera pointed at the door of a North Oakland hotel room, court records show.Juan Gonzalez-Ortega was charged Tuesday with murder and an enhancement alleging use of a firearm. The victim has not yet been publicly identified, authorities say.According to police, on Aug. 1, Gonzalez-Ortega and the woman were seen on surveillance video entering a room together at the Value Inn. Later, Gonzalez-Ortega was reportedly captured by the same video leaving the room while covered in blood, authorities say.On the afternoon of Aug. 1, a 911 caller reported hearing a gunshot at the hotel. An officer responded but failed to locate the victim or any witnesses, so he left, according to police.The woman was found suffering from a gunshot wound inside the hotel room at around 11:20 a.m. Aug. 2. She was pronounced dead about 15 minutes later, police say. The hotel is located at...

One person injured after driving instructor trainee crashes into Colorado driving school

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 15:11:47 GMT

One person was injured when an aspiring driving instructor at a Lakewood Learn to Drive school crashed a gray hatchback through the center’s front window and wall Tuesday, forcing people to dive out of the way, police said.The driver was cited for a traffic violation after the crash, according to a Lakewood Police Department posting on X, the social media site formerly called Twitter.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Man who died on trail had been on a trip to scatter father’s ashes in Sierra Nevada Crashes and Disasters | Four relatives came to lunch. Three died with symptoms of ‘death cap’ mushroom poisoning Crashes and Disasters | Cal Fire to probe tragic missteps in aerial firefighting ‘ballet’ Crashes and Disasters | Alameda drowning victim was on fishing trip when boat began sinking Crashes and Disasters | 6-year-old girl hurt after drunk father hits several cars and ambulance, police say ...

Man who impersonated search-and-rescue official sexually assaulted hiker, Colorado authorities say

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 15:11:47 GMT

A man impersonating a search and rescue official sexually assaulted a woman near Nederland in Boulder County in late July, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.The suspect, later identified as William Tidwell, 50, of Northglenn, was arrested Monday, and investigators believe he may have assaulted for victims.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | 5 fabulous DIY hostess gifts for foodies, cocktail lovers and more On July 25, a woman was hiking near Caribou Road and Forest Service Road 505 outside Nederland when an unknown man driving what she described as a “search and rescue vehicle” wearing a green shirt styled to look like a search and rescue uniform contacted her, according to the Sheriff’s Office.The man offered her a ride to a different trail in the area, and while the woman was with him, he sexually and physically assaulted her.She was able to leave the man and immediately reported the incident, according to the sheriff’s office.Investi...

Mailbag: Cash available for the ‘Pac-4,’ the rules of withdrawal, options for WSU and OSU, Kliavkoff’s strategy and more

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 15:11:47 GMT

The Hotline mailbag typically publishes each Friday. Given the extraordinary developments that led to the demise of the Pac-12, we are planning a series of mailbags (beginning today) in the hopes of addressing all the topics that matter to our readers. Send questions to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com and include ‘mailbag’ in the subject line. Or hit me on Twitter: @WilnerHotlinePlease note: Some questions have been edited for clarity and brevity.How much money is in the Pac-12 accounts? And are the four remaining schools obligated to share that, and the 2023-24 revenue, with the departing schools? — @grasslandJerryThe finances are critical to the next move for the remaining schools, and there are many unknowns at this early stage. But we have been told by multiple sources that the quartet controls the conference as the lone voting members of the Pac-12 Board of Directors.They control the cash, to the extent that there is cash to be controlled.Our reading of the bylaws indicates t...

Videos show longtime Tylenol murder suspect James Lewis discussing the crime with undercover agents

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 15:11:47 GMT

Christy Gutowski and Stacy St. Clair | Chicago TribuneCHICAGO — One month after the death of James Lewis, the sole suspect in the 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders, authorities have released two old videotaped FBI interviews in which he makes what many investigators view as incriminating statements about his possible role in the unsolved crime.Arlington Heights police, the lead law enforcement agency in the investigation, provided the video clips late Tuesday in response to a Chicago Tribune open-records request. The Tylenol investigation remains open, but Lewis’ July 9 death from a blood clot in his lungs cleared a legal path for some of the long-confidential recordings to be released.To watch the videos, click here for the story published originally by the Chicago TribuneEach interview was recorded during an elaborate 2007-08 undercover FBI sting investigation and runs about an hour in length; some of the audio is redacted.Last year, the Tribune reported exclusive details about the sec...

San Francisco pays off 13,000 ex-City College students' debts

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 15:11:47 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- San Franciscans who attended City College within the last five years are getting their debts erased with taxpayer dollars.Mayor London Breed and City College Chancellor David Martin announced debt relief of outstanding student fees for thousands of San Francisco residents who attended City College. With a $2.1-million allocation in the city's budget, more than 13,000 former students will once again be able to enroll in classes and continue pursuing their educations, according to the mayor's office. A fee balance of as little as $10 prevents a student from enrolling in any classes."With this new funding allocation, thousands of students who attended City College between August 2017 and December 2022 will see holds lifted from their accounts allowing them to be able to once again enroll in classes," the mayor's office wrote. "Thousands of community members who couldn’t previously enroll in classes will now be able to continue their education. Removing financial...

Questions arise about supposed death of Lil Tay: reports

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 15:11:47 GMT

(KRON) -- Lil Tay is not dead, according to a report in TMZ. Reports had emerged earlier this week that the rapper and social media influencer had died, along with her brother. However, speaking to TMZ, Tay said, "I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive."According to the report, Tay claimed her Instagram account had been "compromised" and used to spread "jarring information" regarding her and her brother's supposed deaths. Angus Cloud’s death in Oakland home not a suicide, mother says "I'm completely heartbroken, and struggling to even find the right words to say," Tay told TMZ. "It's been a very traumatizing 24 hours. All day yesterday, I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones al while trying to sort out this mess."Prior to the TMZ report, Tay's father and former manager refused to confirm her death, according to Insider.

Foster City synagogue vandalism suspect identified

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 15:11:47 GMT

(KRON) -- A suspect who police say spray-painted a swastika on the exterior of a Foster City synagogue in June has been identified, according to the Foster City Police Department. The incident occurred on June 18 at the Peninsula Sinai Congregation.Yoichi David Suruki, 28, of Foster City, allegedly spray-painted a backward swastika along with the symbol and word for Neuralink, a brain-implant company founded by Elon Musk, on the building. Foster City PD used Critical Reach to inform other local law enforcement agencies of the facts around the vandalism. Fire near Port of Oakland still impacting Bay Area air quality On Tuesday, Aug. 8, the Burlingame Police Department contacted Foster City PD to inform them that three Teslas were vandalized with the same spray-painted words. Burlingame PD had video of the suspect vehicle. Through an investigation, they were able to ID the suspect as Suruki.Burlingame PD arrested him.While in custody for those charges, Suruki was interviewed by Fost...