'The Fuse' pleads guilty for violent Palo Alto arrest

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:32 GMT

'The Fuse' pleads guilty for violent Palo Alto arrest (KRON) -- A former Palo Alto police sergeant nicknamed "The Fuse" is taking court-ordered anger management classes and LGBTQ sensitivity training this winter after pleading guilty to assault. Wayne Benitez, 66, pleaded guilty last month for assaulting a man he arrested at Buena Vista Mobile Home Park on Feb. 17, 2018. The sergeant and other officers had gone to the mobile home park to arrest a man suspected of driving without a driver's license. The sergeant "slammed the face of a handcuffed arrestee against the windshield of the arrestee’s car," the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office wrote. Benitez was known amongst his police colleagues as "The Fuse," apparently for having a short temper. He has since retired from the Palo Alto Police Department. Benitez pleaded guilty on November 21. As part of a court order, he was sentenced to complete 750 hours of community service. The former sergeant was also ordered by a judge to take anger management and LGBTQ sensitivity traini...

3 Bay Area cities among places where homes are selling the fastest

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:32 GMT

3 Bay Area cities among places where homes are selling the fastest The pace at which homes sell in the U.S. tends to ebb and flow over the calendar year, with homes selling fastest in the summer and slowest in the winter. But things are more muted in 2023 as high home prices and mortgage interest rates spook potential buyers.In October, the median number of days a home spent on the market was 34, one day less compared to the year before. Another San Francisco restaurant abruptly closes When homes sell faster, it can be a sign that any given market is less buyer-friendly, and decisions must be made quickly.Stacker compiled a list of metros where homes are selling the fastest, using data from Redfin. Metros are ranked by the most days listed for sale for October, with the metros with the most home sales ranked higher in cases of ties. Metros with over 300 home sales were included.Sean Pavone // Shutterstock#50. Oklahoma City- Median days on market: 22- Median sale price: $247,000- Total homes sold: 1,587Canva#49. Mobile, Alabama- Median days on mar...

Chiefs missing several starters to injury as they begin preparing for visit from Bills

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:32 GMT

Chiefs missing several starters to injury as they begin preparing for visit from Bills KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs could be getting injured linebacker Nick Bolton back just in time after they lost his replacement, Drue Tranquill, and several other key players to injuries during last week’s loss to the Green Bay Packers.Tranquill was still in the concussion protocol on Wednesday, when the Chiefs resumed preparation for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills. But coach Andy Reid said that Bolton would continue to practice after they opened the 21-day window in which they must decide whether to activate him or put him on season-ending injured reserve.Bolton has been out since having surgery for a dislocated wrist sustained during a Week 7 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.“Nick is a great player, a significant impact player,” Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna said. “Just having his presence back there is going to be huge for us.”The Chiefs also lost starting safety Bryan Cook to what appeared to be a significant ankle injury in Green Bay, th...

Correction: Legends Community story

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:32 GMT

Correction: Legends Community story In a story published November 22, 2023, about the NFL Legends Community, The Associated Press misspelled the name of league executive Tracy Perlman. Source

Third-tier Saarbruecken stuns Frankfurt to keep dream German Cup run going. Leverkusen wins

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:32 GMT

Third-tier Saarbruecken stuns Frankfurt to keep dream German Cup run going. Leverkusen wins SAARBRUECKEN, Germany (AP) — First Bayern Munich, now Eintracht Frankfurt.Third-division Saarbruecken’s dream run in the German Cup continued Wednesday with a 2-0 win over last season’s cup runner-up Frankfurt for a place in the quarterfinals.Saarbruecken had an opening goal ruled out in the 20th minute when Kai Brünker headed in at a corner but video review spotted a push by one of his teammates.Even after that reprieve, Frankfurt struggled to get into the game and Brünker finally scored a goal that counted in the 64th when the defense left him in space.More poor Frankfurt defending in the 78th allowed Luca Kerber to score Saarbruecken’s second goal, and things got even worse soon after for the visiting team with a straight red card for Noel Futkeu. The striker had only come off the Frankfurt bench six minutes earlier in his first-team debut but aimed a kick at an opponent with the ball nowhere near.It was Frankfurt’s fourth consecutive loss in all competiti...

US announces new weapons aid for Ukraine as Congress is stalled on more funding

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:32 GMT

US announces new weapons aid for Ukraine as Congress is stalled on more funding WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is sending a $175 million package of military aid to Ukraine, including guided missiles for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), anti-armor systems and high-speed anti-radiation missiles, the Pentagon and State Department announced on Wednesday.The latest aid comes as Congress remains stalled on legislation that would provide new funding for Ukraine as it battles to push back Russian forces, as well as money for Israel’s war with Hamas and other security needs. The Biden administration has said funding to aid Ukraine is running out, and the Pentagon packages of weapons and other equipment for the war have become much smaller in recent months.In a statement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that unless Congress approves the supplemental funding, “this will be one of the last security assistance packages we can provide to Ukraine.”The White House is seeking nearly $106 billion, but the bill has gotten bogged down in negotiations o...

British American Tobacco writes down $31.5 billion as it shifts its business away from cigarettes

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:32 GMT

British American Tobacco writes down $31.5 billion as it shifts its business away from cigarettes Shares of British American Tobacco tumbled Wednesday after the owner of Camel and American Spirit cigarettes took an impairment charge of about $31.5 billion, mainly related to its struggling U.S. cigarette brands with the number of people who smoke in steep decline.In a financial update, London-based British American Tobacco said it is in the process of transforming its business from traditional, combustible products to “smoke-free” ones. Its goal is to get half its revenue from non-combustibles by 2035. Combustibles currently account for about 83% of its sales, according to the data firm FactSet.In 2017, British American Tobacco bought Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based Reynolds American Inc. for about $49 billion in cash and stock. Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a survey that showed U.S. cigarette smoking in another all-time low, with 1 in 9 adults saying they were current smokers. In the mid-1960s, 42% of U.S. adults were smokers.The ...

¿Qué es Hanukkah? Cómo y cuándo se celebra en todo el mundo este 2023

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:32 GMT

¿Qué es Hanukkah? Cómo y cuándo se celebra en todo el mundo este 2023 Hanukkah (también escrito Janucá u otras transliteraciones del hebreo) es la “fiesta de las luces” del judaísmo. Durante ocho anocheceres consecutivos, los judíos se reúnen con familiares y amigos para encender una vela adicional en la menorá, un candelabro de múltiples brazos.En hebreo, Hanukkah significa “dedicación”, y la festividad marca la nueva dedicación del Templo en Jerusalén en el siglo II a. C., después de que un pequeño grupo de combatientes judíos lo liberaron de las fuerzas ocupantes extranjeras.Con la pequeña provisión de aceite ritualmente puro que encontraron en el templo, encendieron la menorá y permaneció encendida durante ocho días. El ritual de encender una vela todas las noches, así como el énfasis en cocinar alimentos en aceite, como las tortitas de patata llamadas latkes, conmemoran este aceite milagrosamente duradero.¿Cuándo es Hanukkah 2023?Las fechas de la festividad se basan en el mes hebreo de Kislev, que suele coincidir con noviembre-diciemb...

The UK plans to ignore part of its human rights law to revive a Rwanda asylum plan

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:32 GMT

The UK plans to ignore part of its human rights law to revive a Rwanda asylum plan LONDON (AP) — The U.K. government triggered criticism from opponents and division inside the governing Conservatives on Wednesday with a bill that will let it ignore a part of the country’s human rights law in order to send asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda. The legislation is part of government plans to overcome a block by the U.K. Supreme Court on its Rwanda policy. The court ruled last month that the plan was illegal because Rwanda isn’t a safe country for refugees.Britain and Rwanda have since signed a treaty pledging to strengthen protection for migrants. The U.K. government says that will allow it to pass a law declaring Rwanda a safe destination.Home Secretary James Cleverly said the Safety of Rwanda Bill “will make absolutely clear in U.K. law that Rwanda is a safe country.” He urged lawmakers in Parliament to pass the legislation, even though it may violate international human rights rules.The government says the law will allow it to “disapply” se...

Lawsuit accuses Sean Combs, 2 others of raping 17-year-old girl in 2003; Combs denies allegations

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:32 GMT

Lawsuit accuses Sean Combs, 2 others of raping 17-year-old girl in 2003; Combs denies allegations NEW YORK (AP) — A woman sued the hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs on Wednesday, claiming he and two other men raped her 20 years ago in a New York City recording studio when she was 17.The woman, whose name wasn’t disclosed in the court filing, is the fourth person to file a lawsuit accusing Combs of sexual assault in recent weeks.The lawsuit alleges that Combs, Harve Pierre, the former president of Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment, and an unnamed man gave the accuser drugs and alcohol and then taking turns raping her inside Daddy’s House Recording Studio, a studio owned by Combs and Bad Boy, in 2003.Combs, 54, denied the allegations in a statement. A request for comment from Pierre was sent to Bad Boy Entertainment.According to the lawsuit, Pierre met the teenager in Michigan and flew with her on a private plane to meet Combs.“As alleged in the complaint, Defendants preyed on a vulnerable high school teenager as part of a sex trafficking scheme that involved plying her with drugs...