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Michael Jackson sexual abuse lawsuits may be revived

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:08 GMT

A California appeals court on Wednesday will consider reviving the dismissed lawsuits of two men who allege Michael Jackson sexually abused them as children for years, a move the court appears likely to make after a tentative decision that would order the cases back to a lower court for trial.The suits were filed after Jackson's 2009 death by Wade Robson in 2013 and James Safechuck the following year. The two men became more widely known for telling their stories in the 2019 HBO documentary, “ Leaving Neverland.”In this Feb. 28, 1984, file photo, Michael Jackson, left, holds eight awards as he poses with Quincy Jones at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Doug Pizac, File)Both sued MJJ Productions Inc. and MJJ Ventures Inc., two corporations for which Jackson was the sole owner and lone shareholder.In 2021, Superior Court Judge Mark A. Young ruled that the two corporations and their employees had no legal duty to protect Robson and Safechuck from Jackson and threw out the su...

Purchasing CBD Preroll Joints — Is Smoking Hemp Cigarettes Legal?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:08 GMT

Rolling and lighting joints is a central aspect of cannabis culture. Since joints are so closely associated with marijuana, many US customers assume they’re always illegal under federal law. However, with the rise in the CBD market, there’s a new legal breed of joints known as “hemp prerolls.”Unlike high-inducing marijuana joints, CBD prerolls are readily accessible in every state with flexible hemp policies. Many CBD customers have already fallen in love with the unique flavors and effects these new “CBD joints” offer.Is It Legal To Use CBD Preroll Joints?As long as manufacturers abide by the 2018 US Farm Bill, hemp joints and cigarettes are legal in the USA. The crucial feature all legal CBD joints share is a delta-9 THC percentage below 0.3 percent. Companies need to verify their CBD products contain ≤ 0.3 percent THC on a dry weight basis to legally sell in the USA.Although most states accept the ≤ 0.3 percent THC standard, a few territories a...

Mojave Grey Build Their House in the Sun

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:08 GMT

Mojave Grey Build Their House in the Sun: The men of innovative electro-pop duo Mojave Grey have both been producing and peforming for a decade.“Our musical DNA is grounded in more of a rock, singer-songwriter foundation,” they say. “When we mixed that foundation with electronic music, Mojave Grey was born. I would say at the top of this year things started getting really serious.”Today, they simply describe their sound as “dance music.”“Music that captures the experience of living and creating in Joshua Tree,” they say. “We are both multi-instrumentalists so that helps us blend organic sounds with more polished synth-heavy beats. Somewhere between Rufus du Sol, Depeche Mode, and U2.”The artists say that electronic music feels more relevant than ever right now.“We are so excited to see these hybrid acts, similar to us, popping up,” they say. “Monolink, Night Tales, Rufus…Ones that aren’t only on the decks,...

San Francisco homicide: Man stabbed in Mission District

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:08 GMT

A man was fatally stabbed in San Francisco’s Mission District, and a suspect was arrested, police said.The attack was reported at 3:50 a.m. Sunday, July 23, near 24th and Mission streets. Officers found two men suffering from what were apparently stab wounds.Both were taken to a hospital, and one, a 42-year-old man, was pronounced dead there.Investigators located a suspect, a 25-year-old man, in Daly City. He was booked at San Francisco County Jail on suspicion of homicide and assault and battery. Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Attorney for ex-UC Davis student charged in stabbing deaths says he’s not mentally fit for trial Crime and Public Safety | California man convicted of killing his lover’s husband Crime and Public Safety | Brentwood woman arrested after husband found stabbed to death Crime and Public Safety | Former Northern California minister charged with murder in 1975 slaying of 8-year-old girl ...

Saratoga’s economy bounces back from pandemic, but major budget deficit still looms

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:08 GMT

The City of Saratoga’s local economy bounced back from the pandemic last fiscal year, but a potential budget deficit could still be growing.Staff said Saratoga’s revenue sources were nearly 8% higher than anticipated for fiscal year 2022-23, and its expenditures came in 2% under budget. Higher than expected revenue from property taxes along with a boost in charges for services caused the increase.“Overall, the fiscal year ended on a positive note, and we expect that to continue,” said administrative services director Nick Pegueros at the July 19 council meeting.Sales and hotel tax revenues saw a 4.9% increase, bringing in an additional $120,000, and charges for services like construction fees brought in 37.6% more revenue than budgeted, or $1.05 million.“Saratoga has experienced an extremely robust recovery from the impacts of the pandemic, and 2022-23 has the highest sales tax collections in the past 15 years and likely longer,” according to the staff report.Property taxes, the cit...

San Jose: Pedestrian suffers life-threatening injuries in traffic collision; partial Lincoln Avenue road closure in place

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:08 GMT

SAN JOSE — A West San Jose collision early Wednesday left a pedestrian with life-threatening injuries and forced road closures as emergency vehicles swarmed the scene, according to authorities.The crash in the 600 block of Lincoln Avenue was reported at 4:35 a.m., according to social media posts by San Jose police. The pedestrian was taken to a hospital. As of 6 a.m., there were no updates on the victim’s condition.No additional information about the crash was provided.Road closures are in place on Lincoln Ave in both directions between Auzerais Ave and Parkmoor Ave. Commute traffic will be impacted. Please use alternate routes and drive carefully around emergency vehicles. Updates will be provided as they become available. TOC: 04:35 AM— San José Police Media Relations (@SJPD_PIO) July 26, 2023Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | When driving in the express lane might not make sense: Roadshow Crashes and Disasters | Ready for the Eras Tour...

Businessman gets over 5 years in prison for “We Build The Wall” fundraiser fraud

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:08 GMT

NEW YORK — A Colorado businessman convicted of fraudulently siphoning hundreds of thousands of dollars from an online fundraiser that raised $25 million to build a wall along the U.S. southern border was sentenced Tuesday to five years and three months in prison.Timothy Shea was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by Judge Analisa Torres, who presided over an October trial that ended with his conviction on charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and obstruction of justice. A trial earlier in 2022 had ended when a jury deadlocked on charges.Shea, 52, of Castle Rock, Colorado, also was ordered to forfeit $1.8 million and to pay restitution of an equal amount.Shea was charged three years ago along with three others, including Steve Bannon, the former top adviser to then-President Donald Trump. Trump pardoned Bannon in early 2021 while two others pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison. Bannon, who is now being prosecuted in New York...

California Exodus: Once growing rapidly, state population projected to remain the same through 2060

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:08 GMT

After adding residents for nearly its entire history, California can expect its population to remain roughly the same through 2060, new projections show, in a trend that would upend previous predictions and threaten the Golden State’s status as an economic powerhouse.The forecast from the state’s finance department comes on the heels of three years of unprecedented population declines totaling about 1%, as residents fed up with high housing costs and other quality-of-life concerns fled California in droves.A decade ago, the finance department had projected the state population would maintain its upward trajectory, reaching about 53 million people by 2060. But after accounting for factors including declining births, aging residents, and more people moving away in the years leading up to and during the pandemic, officials now project the population will hold steady at around 39.5 million.“Adding those numbers has shown a reality that’s different than what we ex...

Two women and 14-year-old boy found dead in Colorado mountains had gone to “live off the grid”

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:08 GMT

A woman from Colorado Springs, her son and her sister apparently were trying to “live off the grid” in the mountains near a wilderness area northeast of Gunnison when they died at a campsite last winter, Gunnison County authorities said Tuesday.While a final toxicology analysis hasn’t been completed, the three decomposed bodies found at the remote campsite have been identified as those of Rebecca Vance, 42, Christine Vance, 41, and Rebecca’s 14-year-old son, Gunnison County Coroner Michael Barnes said.Formerly residents of Colorado Springs, they set out near the end of July last year, Barnes said. “According to some family members I talked to, they indicated they were going to go ‘live off the grid.’ They didn’t specify where. The family members said they trusted they knew what they were getting into.”Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Missing girl who bicycled away from home with her cat is found living in tent; mother’s ex arrested Crime and Public Saf...

When driving in the express lane might not make sense: Roadshow

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:13:08 GMT

Q: I drive in express lanes with my wife where having two or more people is required. I don’t like to drive over the 65 mph speed limit, but find that many drivers treat that lane as the fast lane. I find myself easily going 75 or more sometimes. Am I within my rights to drive 65 or maybe 70?David M.A: You can drive 65 or 70 in the express lane when others are trying to drive faster, but you’re going to be more comfortable in a lane where you can drive safely without being pressured by people speeding up behind you.Q: On Via Del Oro between Great Oaks and Bernal Road in south San Jose, there are two entrances into a shopping center. There are solid yellow lines on the outside and dotted yellow lines on the inside, which means we can’t pass over them.Do you have any idea why they would not have put a break in them so that cars could actually enter and exit the driveways? The only legal way to enter is a break leading into the side parking lot of a men’s gym, and we have t...