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California bill targeting Skittles, other candies really aimed at FDA, lawmaker says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:13 GMT

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel wants to make one thing clear: he loves Skittles. His favorite is the Wild Berry mix.So why is Gabriel, one of California's leading gun control advocates, now taking aim at one of his favorite treats? Because the Food and Drug Administration, he says, is failing to protect Americans.“I just assumed there was someone in Washington, D.C. who was watching our backs, and when I learned that was not the case, it all came together for me,” he explained to KTLA.Gabriel (D-Woodland Hills) is the author of Assembly Bill 418 which would prohibit the manufacture, sale, or distribution of products containing red dye No. 3, titanium dioxide, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil or propylparaben in California.Those five additives are found in Skittles, Hot Tamales, Peeps, Dubble Bubble Twist Gum, and thousands of other food products. A California bill could ban the sale of Skittles, Hot Tamales candy, Dubble Bubble Twist Gum, and other food items containing dan...

1 dead, 1 hospitalized in speed-related crash in Gardena, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:13 GMT

A driver is dead after their speeding vehicle smashed into a stopped car in Gardena Thursday evening, police said.A few minutes before 8 p.m., police responded to 135th Street and Crenshaw Boulevard near Hawthorne, where they found two vehicles with "major collision damage," the Gardena Police Department said in a news release. According to police, a white Kia headed north on Crenshaw "at a high rate of speed" hit a black Mercedes-Benz that was stopped at a red light.Both drivers were taken to a local hospital for treatment, and the Kia driver was pronounced dead. Their identity has not yet been released.The condition of the Mercedes driver has not been made public.Witnesses are encouraged to call Investigator Jose Zamudio at 310-217-6189 or Sgt. Danny Guzzo at 310-217-6122.

Bangladeshi Digital Marketer, Farhadul Alam Revolutionizes Dubai’s Domain Hosting Industry with Cutting-edge Solutions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:13 GMT

Farhadul Alam, an acclaimed digital marketer originally from Bangladesh, is set to disrupt the domain hosting industry in Dubai with his company, HOSTINGSAV L.L.C. Having already established a successful operation in Bangladesh, Alam brings his commitment to quality, competitive pricing, and unparalleled customer support to the UAE.Farhadul Alam, who has a rich background in web development, including expertise in server administration, digital marketing, WordPress, HTML, and CSS, identified a gap in Dubai’s digital services market. He observed that the hosting services on offer were often expensive and did not meet the quality standards he believed were essential for today’s fast-paced digital world.With his company, HOSTINGSAV L.L.C., Farhadul Alam is determined to rectify this situation. “Our top priority is quality,” states Alam, reflecting his mission to offer flawless services. Among the company’s offerings are WordPress Hosting, BDIX Hosting, sha...

Hotline mailbag: Future of the Oregon-Washington game, the Colorado “smoke”, Big Ten vetting, splitting CFP cash and more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:13 GMT

The Hotline mailbag is published every week. Send questions to [email protected] and include ‘mailbag’ in the subject line or hit me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline.Some questions have been edited for clarity and brevity.Should the Pac-12 set a fixed week for the Washington-Oregon matchup to maximize the exposure and allow the loser adequate time to recover in the rankings? — @RockDawg3Before we dive into the timing of the game, let’s take a broader view of that fabulous rivalry.In the post-USC edition of the Pac-12, the Oregon-Washington matchup will be the premier game on the schedule and should be treated that way.Under former commissioner Larry Scott, the conference placed far too much emphasis on treating every school equally. Oregon State and Arizona State, for example, seemed to carry as much weight at the executive level as Washington and USC.It was nonsense.The SEC doesn’t treat South Carolina and Mississippi State the same as Alabama and LSU.The Big ...

Study: California defendants are more likely to go free when they meet lawyers early

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:13 GMT

In most California courts, morning arraignments are a mess.Lawyers refer to them as “cattle calls.” Defendants troop in, typically in jail jumpsuits, and seat themselves in the jury box. Moments before a judge calls their name, they spend a few hushed minutes conversing with a public defender who explains what they’re charged with before they make a plea.But in Santa Clara County, when indigent defendants met with an attorney in jail soon after their arrest, their situation changed dramatically for the better.That was the conclusion of a study by California Policy Lab, a nonprofit research group affiliated with UCLA and UC Berkeley. Researchers found that indigent defendants in a pilot program were 75% less likely to be convicted if they met with a public defender within 48 hours of their arrest, and 75% more likely to be released before trial.Those meetings gave public defenders time to ask about their clients, such as whether they were in mental health or substance abuse treatment...

AP: Russia says it killed tank, video shows it was a tractor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:13 GMT

By Michael Biesecker | Associated PressWASHINGTON — A grainy black-and-white gunsight video Russia released this week to bolster a claim its military blew up some of Ukraine’s most fearsome tanks actually documented the destruction of a tractor, according to a visual analysis by The Associated Press.The Russian Embassy in Washington announced Monday on Twitter its forces had “annihilated” eight German-made Leopard tanks, among the most advanced and powerful weapons NATO countries have provided to Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defense then posted a video Tuesday on the social media network Telegram with text saying it showed “footage of the destruction of foreign armored vehicles, including Leopard tanks.”The video was shown extensively by Russian state-controlled broadcasters and news sites, which said it was recorded from the thermal imaging system of a KA-52 Alligator attack helicopter. Several black silhouettes of vehicles can be seen, before the ...

Officials: Fire displaces eight residents of Oakland apartment building

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:13 GMT

OAKLAND — Eight residents of an East Oakland apartment building were displaced Thursday evening after a two-alarm fire that started in a lightwell, officials said.No residents or firefighters were injured.Authorities said the fire started about 5:11 p.m. Thursday in the lightwell of the Kensington Gardens apartment building, a three-story, 41-unit complex at 1900 26th Ave.Acting Battalion Fire Chief Porya Jeddi said the fire started on the ground floor and worked its way up all three floors, getting into seven units. He said the fire damage was mostly confined to the bathroom areas of the units.Residents of the entire complex self-evacuated.The fire was declared under control at 5:51 p.m.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Officials: Fire guts clubhouse at Lake Chabot Golf Course in Oakland Crashes and Disasters | Man found dead inside burning truck in Oakland hills Crashes and Disasters | Arson, domestic violence probes underway ...

Elusive sperm whales hanging around Southern California coast 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:13 GMT

Sperm whales have been making a splash off the Orange County coast in recent days, creating a buzz among ocean enthusiasts.The elusive species is the largest toothed whale and can be tough to find in the open ocean, with hour-long dives into the deep waters, usually far offshore, that make tracking the animal hard.These current whales were first spotted by Newport Coastal Adventure charters on June 3 and 4, before heading down to San Diego earlier this week. Another encounter on Thursday, June 8, by Dana Wharf Whale Watching and Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari means they could be hanging around while searching for food.A sperm whale spotted off Dana Point on June 8, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Matt Stumpf/Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari)A sperm whale spotted off Dana Point on June 8, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Matt Stumpf/Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari)A sperm whale spotted off Dana Point on June 8, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Matt Stumpf/Capt. Dave&#...

East Bay woman gets wedding ring back following theft of tote bag from car

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:13 GMT

PLEASANT HILL — Police provided good news to a woman who briefly left her vehicle unlocked in her home driveway, only to return and find that somebody had stolen a tote bag that held her wedding ring.They found the suspect and got the wedding ring back.It all happened this week, beginning Sunday, when police received the original report of the theft, Pleasant Hill police Lt. Brian Leonard said in a statement. The woman told officers she loaded the tote bag into her vehicle parked in her driveway on Maxine Drive, ran inside, and came back to find the bag gone, he said. The bag also contained other jewelry.Leonard said detectives reviewed home security footage from the area and spoke with neighbors, allowing them to identify a suspect. They served a warrant at that suspect’s home in Martinez on Thursday, where Leonard said they arrested him on suspicion of grand theft from a vehicle.The jewelry and ring in the tote bag had been pawned, but detectives tracked down where the...

California ranchers intentionally violated an emergency water order. Now lawmakers want to triple the fines

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:13 GMT

When ranchers violated an emergency order to stop pumping water from the drought-plagued Shasta River last year, state officials fined them $4,000, or roughly $50 each. Now California legislators are weighing a bill that would triple fines for such infractions — and could allow the penalty to climb higher than a million dollars.Authored by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, a Democrat from San Ramon, the bill cleared the Assembly in a 43 to 20 vote last week and is now awaiting discussion in Senate committees.The proposed legislation aims to give California’s water enforcers more muscle to act swiftly and levy larger penalties for water agencies, irrigation districts and landowners who violate state orders and policies by pumping from rivers and streams.Bauer-Kahan introduced AB 460 after CalMatters reported in November that the state had imposed minimal fines on about 80 Siskiyou County ranchers — served by the Shasta River Water Association — who had violated an emergency order t...