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Alum of Santa Ana police youth program graduates from Harvard

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:48:00 GMT

An alumnus of the Santa Ana Police Department’s Athletic and Activity League (PAAL), a community program focused on building bonds between kids and cops, returned to his old stomping groundings after recently graduating Harvard University.  Alexis Rodriguez Mejia, who grew up in the Santa Ana area, joined the PAAL program when he was around 10 years old. He said he knows what paths his life could’ve taken had he not been a part of the program.  “It was very kind of easy for me to go with the neighborhood kids and be steered...potentially in the wrong direction,” he said. “But due to this program and really having this opportunity kind of changed me.”  Not only is Mejia a graduate of one of the most prestigious universities in the country, he’s the first in his family to graduate from college.  Corporal John Holcomb, who runs the PAAL program and was happy to celebrate Mejia’s graduation, knows how hard it can be for kids in the neighborhood to avoid trouble.  “The are...

2 arrested for Riverside building fire, causing millions in damages

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:48:00 GMT

Two men were arrested for allegedly setting fire to a city-owned building in Riverside, causing millions of dollars in damages.The two suspects, believed to be transients, were identified as 41-year-old Isaac Gutierrez Avila and 40-year-old Pasha Sadavandi, by the Riverside Police Department.On May 16, firefighters responded to a three-alarm structure fire located at 3460 Orange Street around 4:46 a.m.Crews discovered an unoccupied two-story building engulfed in smoke with fire coming from the roof. The entire first floor was boarded up, so firefighters forced open the boarded areas and “initiated an aggressive fire attack.”Thirty-three firefighters, along with five engines, three ladder trucks, a rescue squad and more responded to battle the blaze.“Almost 6 million gallons of water were used to mitigate this fire utilizing rotating engine crews for 16 hours straight,” said Riverside Fire.Two men were arrested for allegedly setting fire to a city-owned building in Riverside, causing...

NorCal softball regionals: St. Francis endures nine-inning thriller to reach Division I final

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:48:00 GMT

MOUNTAIN VIEW – Two great pitchers loomed large over St. Francis and Central-Fresno’s extra-inning softball duel in Mountain View. With a trip to Hollister for the NorCal Division I championship on the line, Central’s Mia Nishikawa and the home team’s Kate Munnerlyn traded punchouts, popups and powerful fastballs while zeroes piled up on the scoreboard. Seven innings weren’t enough for the two powerhouses, the game stretching into the bottom of the ninth with the semifinal still scoreless. Silhouetted by golden hour light, Rebecca Quinn finally put an end to the pitcher’s duel as the third batter in the frame, her slap into right field driving Jaime Oakland across the plate and giving St. Francis a 1-0 victory.  “Wherever the ball was, I just had to get my bat on it and get solid contact so we could score,” Quinn said. “We knew it was going to be difficult.”MOUNTAIN VIEW – St. Francis player Jaime Oakland scores the winning run in the ninth inning before running to celeb...

Gilroy man arrested in connection with February shooting

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:48:00 GMT

GILROY — A SWAT team on Thursday arrested a 46-year-old Gilroy man in connection with a shooting earlier this year and seized a cache of unregistered guns, police said.On Feb. 24, the victim reported being involved in a minor collision with another driver at Leavesley Road and Monterey Highway, according to the Gilroy Police Department. The suspect reportedly refused to exchange insurance information and the victim followed him through different parts of the city until he eventually stopped.When the victim pulled over, the suspect drew a gun and fired several shots in their direction, police said. The victim escaped injury but their vehicle was struck several times.Detectives identified the suspect as Arturo Lara and obtained a search warrant for his home in the 9000 block of Ridgeway Drive.In addition to arresting Lara at his home on Thursday, the Gilroy-Morgan Hill SWAT team seized ammunition and numerous unregistered firearms, including ghost guns, high-powered rifles and high-ca...

NorCal baseball playoffs: Freshman’s masterpiece leads St. Ignatius to semifinal win over Bellarmine

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:48:00 GMT

PACIFICA — St. Ignatius freshman pitcher Chase Gordon had 24 hours to mentally prepare for his first-ever varsity start.That start came in the NorCal Division II semifinals — and the 15-year-old delivered a masterpiece.The left-handed Gordon pitched a complete game to lead the Wildcats to a 5-1 win over Bellarmine on Thursday at Fairmont Field in Pacifica and lead SI to Saturday’s regional championship game at Casa Grande-Petaluma.“He’s just a ballplayer, man,” SI coach Brian Pollzzie said. “You can’t tell he’s 15 out there. He had a little swagger out there and he was locating, catching them off-balance.”St. Ignatius pitcher Chase Gordon (19) looks skywards as he celebrates their 5-1 win over Bellarmine High in their CIF NorCal Division II baseball semifinal game at St. Ignatius sports complex in Pacifica, Calif., on Thursday, June 1, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) Gordon scattered six hits and one walk across his seven innings, only allowing one unearned run. While Go...

3 dead after series of stabbings in San Jose, Milpitas

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:48:00 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- Three people died after a series of stabbings in the South Bay, multiple law enforcement agencies said. The San Jose Police Department responded to a carjacking and two stabbings Thursday afternoon, and the Milpitas Police Department responded to a separate stabbing as well.One suspect is currently in custody, and authorities do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the public. The first stabbing happened at the intersection of Kooser Road and Dellwood Way in San Jose around 3:11 p.m.About 20 minutes later, SJPD responded to a separate stabbing that led to a carjacking on the 1800 block of Hillsdale Avenue, police said. The suspect drove away in the stolen car and hit a pedestrian. The pedestrian who was hit by the car suffered non-life-threatening injuries. KRON On is streaming news live now.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .e...

CHP officers confiscate 225K doses of fentanyl in Tenderloin

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:48:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- California Highway Patrol officers working in the Tenderloin District seized a large amount of drugs on May 15, police announced Thursday.The narcotics were recovered after an officer conducted a traffic stop. They were "destined for the streets," CHP said. Woman steals $1K worth of items from Walgreens, arrested in Brentwood: police The drugs -- methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and various prescription drugs -- were found in a backpack. The suspect also had scales and cash, and is facing multiple felony charges. CHP said the amount of fentanyl discovered in 225,000 lethal doses. "Our commitment to removing these substances from San Francisco and California remains unwavering, and we will continue to work closely with our partners to make our communities safer," CHP said. On May 1, Gov. Gavin Newsom implemented a new operation to limit fentanyl trafficking in the drug-riddled Tenderloin. The CHP is patrolling various areas of San Francisco as pa...

Woman steals $1K worth of items from Walgreens, arrested in Brentwood: police

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:48:00 GMT

(KRON) -- A woman was arrested after being accused of stealing over $1,000 worth of items from a Walgreens, the Brentwood Police Department (BPD) announced Thursday on Facebook. The arrest was made when a BPD officer conducted a traffic stop near Claudia Lane and Empire Avenue for an expired vehicle registration.The officer approached the driver and saw in the backseat a variety of medications and hygiene products without any grocery bags. The driver was identified as 33-year-old Antioch woman Latisha Vandycke. (Brentwood Police Department)(Brentwood Police Department)She admitted that the items in the car were stolen from a Walgreens outside of the city of Brentwood, according to police. The total amount of merchandise stolen was over $1,000, and the times were returned to the Walgreens at an unknown location.Vandycke was arrested for shoplifting and other theft-related charges. She was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility.

Swastika spray-painted at North Bay elementary school

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:48:00 GMT

(KRON) -- Staff at Wade Thomas Elementary School in San Anselmo found a swastika spray-painted on the school's campus on Thursday, the Ross Valley School District said in an email.The symbol was spray-painted on the asphalt near a classroom. The school district believes it was painted Wednesday night at the school, which is located at 150 Ross Ave. Salinas police kill heavily-armed suspect in 8-hour standoff School staff members covered the swastika and notified police after discovering it. After an officer arrived, it was removed by school maintenance. The school district said it was treating the incident as "hate-motivated behavior." It plans to "move forward with consequences to the full extent possible." "It is tremendously disheartening to have this happen on one of our campuses and within our RVSD community where we have worked to create acceptance and a strong sense of belonging for all of our students, staff, and families. Such acts of hate are deeply offensive and an aff...

Bregman, Abreu and Tucker help Astros past Angels 5-2 as Blanco get first MLB win

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:48:00 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Alex Bregman and José Abreu had two RBIs each and Kyle Tucker added three hits to lead the Houston Astros to a 5-2 win over Los Angeles on Thursday night in a game during which Angels manager Phil Nevin was ejected.The victory was the 2,126th of manager Dusty Baker’s career, moving him past Joe McCarthy into sole possession of eighth place on baseball’s all-time list.Houston’s Ronel Blanco (1-0), who was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land before the game, allowed seven hits and two runs in 5 1/3 innings for the win in his first major league start. The 29-year-old has made 16 career relief appearances.“He was good after he settled down,” Baker said. “He started out a little shaky and … then he settled down and he got out of a couple of tough jams with some tough hitters.”Ryan Pressly allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth for his 11th save. Houston trailed by 1 in the fifth when Corey Julks doubled and moved to third on a wild pitch by Reid Detmers (0-5). The ...