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Ari Harms, missing Colorado River kayaker, passionate about helping others, friends say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:32:51 GMT

Lizz Mueller, left, has been friends with Ari Harms for about 7 years. Harms has been missing since Sunday, when he entered the fast-moving Colorado River in a kayak in Grand County. (Provided by Lizz Mueller)As the search continues for an Edgewater man who has not been seen since entering the fast-moving Colorado River in a kayak on Sunday, colleagues and friends in Denver recall him as a tireless champion of people in need.Ari Harms, who has a master’s degree in international human rights from the University of Denver Josef Korbel School of International Studies, has worked for several Denver nonprofits where he helped people secure housing and other resources.“Ari has that sense of passion for the underserved and those without a voice in the community,” said Ron Buzzard, managing director of the ECDC African Community Center of Denver. “His sense of justice coupled with his sense of joy for life, it’s hard to find that kind of spirit within an indivi...

Punches thrown at elementary school Pride protest in North Hollywood

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:32:51 GMT

At Saticoy Elementary School in North Hollywood, controversy over a scheduled Pride event came to a head Friday morning when parents on both sides of the issue squared off in dueling demonstrations that turned violent.Supporters and opponents of a Pride month assembly gathered outside the school with city and school police stepping in to separate the sides.Officers were on the scene to "facilitate a peaceful and lawful exercise of constitutional rights," the Los Angeles Police Department said on Twitter. The two sides traded arguments and insults over the officers' heads. Helicopter footage showed the war of words turned physical at one point, with multiple punches thrown. After a few moments, other members of the crowd were able to successfully separate the combatants, and police swooped in to maintain order.A fight breaks out among protestors and supporters of a Pride event at Saticoy Elementary School in North Hollywood, California. June 2, 2023. (KTLA)The controversy began with ...

Allstate stops accepting new property insurance applications in California

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:32:51 GMT

California homeowners will no longer be in the “good hands” of Allstate.Almost a week after State Farm, California’s largest property insurer, announced that the company would stop accepting insurance applications for all business and personal property in California, another company is making headlines for a similar decision.Allstate told California’s Department of Insurance that it would stop selling new homeowner insurance to those in the Golden State last year, though the news didn’t seem to make waves until recently, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.Allstate was the state’s fourth-largest property and casualty insurance provider in 2021, and a company representative confirmed to KTLA that the decision to stop accepting new homeowner insurance claims is to “protect current customers.” Six California cities where lower-budget home buyers can purchase a home “We paused new homeowners, condo and commercial insurance policies in California last year so we can continue to protec...

Iconic ‘Wave House’ in Malibu hits market for almost $50 million 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:32:51 GMT

The “Wave House” – the iconic Malibu beachside home built by the late Harry Gesner – has surfaced on the housing market for the first time in 36 years. The home, located on the beach on Pacific Coast Highway, has officially been listed at $49.5 million. Its name is derived from the curved rooflines that resemble the waves crashing on the beach below and was built in 1957 by Gesner for his friends Glenn and Gerry Cooper. The "Wave House" has officially been listed at $49.5 million (Berlyn Photography)Gesner was known for his unique architectural design that incorporated aspects of nature and the environment, and some of his most prominent works include the Cole House on the Sunset Strip and the Sandcastle, which lies next to the “Wave House” in Western Malibu. The famed architect passed away in the Sandcastle in 2022 at the age of 97 due to complications related to cancer. Rod Stewart bought the "Wave House” in the 1970s and sold it to Warner Bros. record executive Mo ...

San Bernardino father arrested on child abuse charges 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:32:51 GMT

A Yucca Valley man was arrested for alleged child abuse after his 3-month-old daughter suffered serious injuries. According to the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, the infant was airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center Pediatric Intensive Care Unit with “life-threatening injuries consistent with child abuse.”Detectives identified the infant's father, 31-year-old Drew Hellerud, as the suspect and he was arrested on several charges including child endangerment, aggravated mayhem and torture.He was booked into the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino and is currently being held on a $1,000,000 bail.

Beachgoers urged to avoid swimming at these L.A. County beaches

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:32:51 GMT

As the weather begins to heat up, Southern California residents are still urged to avoid swimming at some Los Angeles County beaches, officials announced Friday.Officials are urging beachgoers to avoid swimming, surfing, and playing in ocean waters at the following locations:Mothers Beach in Marina Del ReySanta Monica Pier in Santa MonicaMarie Canyon Storm Drain at Puerco BeachPena Creek at Las Tunas County BeachThe warnings were issued since bacterial levels exceeded health standards when last tested by experts.However, it’s not all bad news since high bacterial warnings were cleared for Santa Monica Canyon Storm Drain at Will Rogers State Beach and Malibu Lagoon at Surfrider Beach in Los Angeles County. California beaches make Tripadvisor’s list of ‘the best of the best’ in U.S. The infamous “May Gray” weather has transitioned into “June Gloom.” Still, summer-like weather is on the horizon, with meteorologists predicting that more sunshine will be prevalent in the coming days.In...

College baseball regionals: Stanford beats SJSU; Santa Clara loses to Arkansas

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:32:51 GMT

Alberto Rios hit a grand slam to ignite a six-run third inning and top-seeded Stanford breezed to a 13-2 victory over San Jose State at home Friday in the Stanford Regional.It was the only hit of the game for Rios, but it erased a 2-1 deficit and gave the Cardinal (39-16), ranked eighth in the coaches poll, the lead for good.Former Los Gatos High standout Tommy Troy had three hits for Stanford, raising his average to .401. He had a two-run homer in the fifth, an RBI single in the 7th and scored three runs. Leadoff batter and ex-Valley Christian star Eddie Park had three hits, including a solo homer in the first, driving in two runs and scoring four. Stanford’s No. 9 batter Owen Cobb had two hits, including an RBI double.Quinn Mathews (8-4) earned the win in a start for the Cardinal. He allowed two runs on five hits and two walks, working seven innings with seven strikeouts.Jack Colette singled in a pair to give the Spartans (31-26) a 2-1 lead in the top of the third. Jonathan Clark ...

Davenport mayor says he has regrets after building collapse

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:32:51 GMT

By Scott McFetridge, Hannah Fingerhut and Ryan J. Foley | Associated PressDES MOINES, Iowa — A structural engineer’s report issued last week indicated a wall of a century-old apartment building in Iowa was at imminent risk of crumbling, yet neither the owner nor city officials warned residents of the danger days before the building partially collapsed, leaving three people missing and feared dead.The revelation is the latest flashpoint after Sunday’s partial collapse of the building in Davenport, where residents have lashed out at city leaders over what they see as an inept response.“Do I have regrets about this tragedy and about people potentially losing their lives? Hell yeah. Do I think about this every moment? Hell yeah.” Mayor Mike Matson said Thursday. “I have regrets about a lot of things. Believe me, we’re going to look at that.”City officials said Thursday that they did not order an evacuation because they relied on the engineerR...

Sneak peek at new Dutch Slough trail on Saturday

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:32:51 GMT

Visitors will get a chance to see what the Dutch Slough Restoration Project will look like at a special opening of one trail on Saturday.River Partners, a nonprofit, and the California Department of Water Resources will be stationed along the trail to answers questions about the multi-agency project. Anyone interested in seeing the slough, which is now under construction, should meet at Marsh Creek Trail where it mees Big Break Trail in Oakley.The new trail will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.Begin in 2018, the project is one of the first major tidal wetlands restoration sites in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to that the DWR will implement. It aims to transform 1,187 acres of land into tidal marsh to provide habitat for salmon and other native fish and wildlife.An excavator is used to work on part of the Dutch Slough Restoration Project in Oakley, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. The Department of Water Resources purchased three parcels of old farmland to be turned into functio...

OBIT: Acclaimed composer Kaija Saariaho dies at 70

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:32:51 GMT

By Ronald Blum | Associated PressKaija Saariaho, who wrote acclaimed works that made her the among the most prominent composers of the 21st century, died Friday. She was 70.Saariaho died at her apartment in Paris, her family said in a statement posted on her Facebook page. She had been diagnosed in February 2021 with glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable brain tumor.“The multiplying tumors did not affect her cognitive facilities until the terminal phase of her illness,” the statement said. Her family said Saariaho had undergone experimental treatment at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris.“Kaija’s appearance in a wheelchair or walking with a can have prompted many questions, to which she answered elusively,” the family said. “Following her physician’s advice, she kept her illness a private matter, in order to maintain a positive mindset and keep the focus of her work.”Her “L’Amour de Loin (Love from Afar)” premiered at the Salzburg Festival in 2000 and made its...