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Illinois and Missouri among hardest-hit by cyber-fraud

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:35 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A new report out from the FBI shows Americans lost more than $10 billion to cyber criminals in 2022.“At the end of the day, all fraud boils down to this: it’s a lie to steal your money,” said David Nanz, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Springfield, Illinois Office.Nanz says fraud schemes are constantly evolving.“The fraud perpetrators are just growing their schemes,” he said. Top Stories: Kim Gardner gets extra time to respond to A.G.’s lawsuit According to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, Illinois had the fifth-most victims per state. Business Email Compromise scams, which target businesses and individuals performing transfers of funds, topped the list, with $83.3 million lost. Investment fraud losses totaled more than $75.6 million, and tech support scams accounted for $31.4 million lost.Missouri was the 22nd most victimized state, losing $49.1 million to BEC scams, $29.2 million to investment fraud, and $11.4 million in tech support scams.“A lot...

1 in 4 Colorado teens say they can get a loaded gun within 24 hours, new study finds

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:35 GMT

One in 4 Colorado teens reported they could get access to a loaded gun within 24 hours, according to survey results published Monday. Nearly half of those teens said it would take them less than 10 minutes.“That’s a lot of access and those are short periods of time,” said Virginia McCarthy, a doctoral candidate at the Colorado School of Public Health and the lead author of the research letter describing the findings in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics.The results come as Coloradans are reeling from yet another school shooting. On March 22, a 17-year-old student shot and wounded two school administrators at East High School in Denver. Police later found his body in the mountains west of Denver in Park County and confirmed he had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Another East High student was fatally shot in February while sitting in his car outside the school.The time it takes to access a gun matters, McCarthy said, particularly for suicide attempts, which are often impuls...

Pedestrian killed in hit-and-run crash in west Denver

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:35 GMT

A pedestrian is dead after a hit-and-run collision in west Denver late Monday.Denver police were investigating the collision near the intersection of West 10th Avenue and North Sheridan Boulevard.Paramedics pronounced the pedestrian dead at the scene, police said in a Twitter posting. “The motorist did not remain at the scene.”#HeadsUp: #DPD is investigating a traffic crash at W. 10th Ave and N. Sheridan Blvd, involving a motorist that collided with a pedestrian. The pedestrian was declared deceased on scene. The motorist did not remain at the scene. Expect delays in the area. #Denver pic.twitter.com/HZDej8AWBo— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) March 28, 2023Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Mayor would have forced police back into Denver schools if board didn’t act, Auon’tai Anderson alleges Crashes and Disasters | Educator at Denver’s Bruce Randolph School arrested after being found with loaded gun on campus ...

Northbound 5 Freeway remains closed in Lebec hours after shooting

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:35 GMT

Traffic is still backed up for miles Tuesday morning hours after northbound lanes of the 5 Freeway were closed at Grapevine Road for a shooting investigation Monday night. Officers responded to reports of a man who was brandishing a gun on the side of the freeway around 7:30 p.m. The suspect was also accompanied by a woman, Fort Tejon CHP Officer Williams told KTLA.  While details are limited, authorities say the driver of a semi-truck that pulled over was shot after getting into an altercation with the suspect.  The truck driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital in Bakersfield, authorities said.  The suspect, described as a white male wearing all black, along with an unarmed Hispanic female who was also wearing black, fled the scene on foot. Authorities are unsure if the pair might have gotten into another vehicle to get away but said that they are investigating all possibilities. Just before 9 p.m., Caltrans reported that...

Controversial fence around Echo Park Lake to come down

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:35 GMT

A fence surrounding Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles, which triggered protests and demonstrations, is coming down two years after it was first installed.  Initially touted as a temporary barrier that would let the city clear out the park’s homeless encampments and conduct much-needed repairs, the fence quickly became a symbol of the city’s homelessness crisis.  Two years ago this week, hundreds of protesters clashed with police over the closure of a sprawling homeless encampment at the park. Since then, the city has spent $600,000 to remove tons of trash, repair lighting and bathrooms, and restrict entry points to the park.  Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez says the barrier will be completely removed by the end of the week. “He said that when the fence comes down, there’s going to be 24/7 security,” said Emily Lee, who lives nearby. “So, we just want to make sure he keeps his word and there’s security here once the fence is down ... the way it was when the fence was up.”  Lee...

Median home price in Southern California rises for 1st time since last May

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:35 GMT

Home prices edged higher in Southern California last month, marking the first increase since the spring of last year, according to new data from the California Association of Realtors.The median sale price of existing homes in the region was $745,000 in February, a month-over-month increase of 0.9%. The increase can largely be attributed to higher prices in San Diego, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties were down month-over-month, data showed.Southern California Median Home PricesCountyFebruary 2023January 2023February 2022Month-over-month price changeYear-over-year price changeLos Angeles$726,870$778,540$773,490-6.6%-6.0%Orange$1,159,000$1,194,500$1,260,000-3.0%-8.0%Riverside$595,000$585,000$605,0301.7%-1.7%San Bernardino$466,500$446,900$450,0004.4%3.7%San Diego$875,000$824,950$888,0006.1%-1.5%Ventura$805,000$815,000$887,500-1.2%-9.3%California Association of RealtorsHome prices in Southern California had been in a freefall for eight stra...

Baby Tate and Saweetie Cover Hey Mickey (Sort of)

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:35 GMT

Baby Tate and Saweetie Cover Hey Mickey: Rappers Baby Tate and Saweetie have released a stunning reworking of Toni Basil’s 1981 pop classic “Hey Mickey.” It’s practically unrecognizable, besides the refrain in the chorus. But that’s what makes it so fun and interesting.“It’s so crazy how much Hey, Mickey has blown up in the past few months,” said Tate in a statement. “I’m super proud to be able to give this song new life with a fire verse from Saweetie along with a super hot video that I can’t wait for people to see!”Tate originally released  a version of the song back in 2016 and it went viral on TikTok. It has already amassed more than 140 million global streams.“With the arrival of this remix, that number is expected to skyrocket,” reads a press release. “The collaboration comes on the heels of Tate’s 2022’s acclaimed 14-track project Mani/Pedi, an infectious statement of self-love boasting features from 2 Ch...

Wish You Were Here: A wintry wildlife hike in Japan

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:35 GMT

Our readers have been traveling far and wide — trekking through the Amazon, cycling Oregon bike trails, exploring Old Montreal — and sharing their travel adventures with us via photos, stories and practical tips. Here’s another tale, this time of a wintry wildlife hike in Japan.Wish You Were HereJAPAN: Boulder Creek residents Ken Zaremba and Susan Kamprath’s February trip to Japan included multiple wildlife photography opportunities, starting with their first stop at the Snow Monkey Park near Nagano. “The snow monkeys — Japanese macaques — are the northernmost resident primate,” Ken says. “The monkeys are very entertaining and used to people, so you can get very close to them. We then went on to the northern island of Hokkaido, where we photographed red-crowned cranes, whooper swans, Steller’s sea eagles, white-tailed eagles, deer, foxes and other wildlife.”Related ArticlesTravel | Wish You Were Here: Reade...

Bay Area storms: More messy wind and rain storms expected throughout Tuesday

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:35 GMT

A foreboding 3.5 earthquake with an epicenter near Pacifica jolted the Peninsula and other parts of the Bay Area just after 6 a.m. Tuesday, perhaps reminding the region that mother nature isn’t quite done with it yet as yet another wind and rain storm barreled closer to landfall in time for the morning commute.The Bay Area was placed under wind advisory as of 5 a.m. until 8 p.m. Tuesday as wind gusts as high as 45 miles per hour could grace the region. On the Marin coastline, winds could reach upwards of 50 mph. Those winds were predicted to occur sometime after 8 a.m., according to the National Weather Service, lasting into the early afternoon.Those winds paired with moderate-to-heavy rains could make for a messy morning commute. San Jose and Walnut Creek were forecast for between one-quarter and one-half of an inch of rain Tuesday, with much of it expected in the daytime hours. Oakland could receive around three-quarters of an inch while San Francisco was forecast for nearly...

Arthur Mac’s Little Snack opens with funky pizzas, hot wings at Emeryville’s Bay Street mall

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:14:35 GMT

Any American mall needs its staples: brand-name clothing stores, 3D-movie theater, a weirdly high number of makeup shops and at least one pizza joint.This January, Bay Street Emeryville came dangerously close to losing its identity when the California Pizza Kitchen suddenly closed. But never fear, folks who like to have pizza after trying on Victoria’s Secret: Things are back to normal with the April 1 grand opening of Arthur Mac’s Little Snack, an expansion of the East Bay’s Arthur Mac’s Tap and Snack known for brick-oven pies, hot wings and craft brews. (Soft openings are scheduled this week from Wednesday through Friday.)The original Arthur Mac’s is by the MacArthur BART station in Oakland – thus the name – and another, larger one will open in late 2023 or early 2024 in Hayward. (Fun fact: It’s going to have a decommissioned 1990s BART train car for seating and playing retro video games.) The Emeryville location earns its “Little” moniker by be...