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Shock over off-duty Bay Area pilot accused of trying to shut off plane’s engines in flight

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:35 GMT

There was nothing about Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph David Emerson that suggested a simmering cauldron of rage or despair that might drive a seemingly successful and happy Pleasant Hill family man to allegedly jeopardize dozens of innocent lives on a full flight Sunday from Seattle to San Francisco.But authorities said that’s exactly what happened. Emerson, 44, was being held Monday on 83 counts each of attempted murder and reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon, where the plane landed safely after Emerson was removed from the cockpit. He’s scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.No one answered and the shades were drawn at Emerson’s tidy gray home with white trim, whimsically decorated for Halloween with tombstones, ghosts, skeletons, giant spiders and a “Beware” sign. But stunned neighbors said they saw nothing amiss in him.“There was no sign of depression,R...

The GOP House members running for speaker

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:35 GMT

By Jack Forrest | CNNThe high-stakes race for House speaker enters a new phase this week, with a slate of new candidates vying for the gavel following Rep. Jim Jordan’s exit from the race.Some of the eight candidates are fresh faces in the contest, while others have been here before, either following Kevin McCarthy’s ouster or during the 15-round speakership balloting on the floor in January.House Republicans are holding a candidate forum Monday evening to hear from those seeking the role, though it is not clear if any of the GOP lawmakers will be able to gather the support necessary from their conference to secure the 217 votes needed from the full House to serve in the top spot.After giving his speech at the forum, Rep. Dan Meuser, a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, dropped out of the speaker’s race, per members in the room. The Pennsylvania Republican had been announced as a candidate for the job by House GOP conference chair Elise Stefanik on Sunday.Here are the ...

Ukrainians prepare candles, firewood as they brace for winter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:35 GMT

By Hanna Arhirova | Associated PressMOSHCHUN, Ukraine — In the humble backyard of a destroyed house, a 13-year-old chops firewood to get ready for winter. His mother, Tetiana Yarema, has been preparing for months as she remembers last winter’s Russian strikes on the energy infrastructure that plunged Ukraine into darkness.“Those were dark days. I didn’t want anything. I just wanted to pack my things and go abroad,” said Yarema, 48, who says she ended up staying because of her son’s insistence.For the Yarema family, like millions of other Ukrainians touched by Russia’s war on Ukraine, winter is an especially challenging time.The mother and son live in trailers that were set up in their backyard after fighting in the early days of the war destroyed their house in Moshchun, a village about 25 kilometers (15 miles) northwest of Kyiv.“I have a feeling that when the cold sets in, they’ll start bombing again,” the woman said, echoing th...

H-1B: Government’s proposed visa changes are murky but could mean big changes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:35 GMT

The federal government is proposing major changes to the H-1B visa program intended to allow U.S. companies to hire foreign citizens with specialized skills, including expanding the types of work not subject to an annual cap.While the plan runs to 227 pages, it leaves unanswered some questions about how the new rules might change the number of H-1B visas and who could receive them.Silicon Valley technology giants rely heavily on the H-1B to secure top foreign talent. Those companies, and many others in the Bay Area, also employ large numbers of H-1B workers at below-market wages, using staffing and outsourcing companies to secure such employees. Critics cite reported abuses and say companies, including major tech firms and staffing and outsourcing companies, use the H-1B to supplant U.S. workers, drive down wages and facilitate outsourcing.The Department of Homeland Security on Friday released the proposal, saying it would “modernize and improve the efficiency of the H-1B prog...

7 dead as ‘super fog’ blamed for crashes near New Orleans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:35 GMT

Associated PressNEW ORLEANS — At least seven people were killed after a “superfog” of smoke from south Louisiana marsh fires and dense fog caused multiple massive car crashes Monday morning involving a total of 158 vehicles, authorities said.Twenty-five people were injured and the number of fatalities may increase as first responders continue to clear the crash scenes and search for victims, Louisiana State Police said in a press release Monday evening.Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a call for blood donors and asked for prayers “for those hurt and killed.”Videos of the wreck showed what looked like an endless junkyard of cars overtaking the busy interstate near the community of Manchac. Vehicles were crushed, rammed under one another and some were engulfed by flames. Many people stood on the side of the road looking in disbelief at the disastrous scene, while others remained in their car waiting for aid.Christopher Coll, 41, was among the drivers in one of the ...

Who is Danny Serafini? Bay Area native goes from top MLB draft pick to murder suspect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:35 GMT

(KRON) -- After winning the 1991 World Series, the Minnesota Twins used their first pick of the 1992 MLB Draft on a talented left-handed pitching prospect from San Mateo who they believed could help their championship core. That man was Danny Serafini, who pitched three seasons for the Twins and was an MLB player until 2007. Thirty-one years after he was drafted, he was hauled away in a cop car in connection with the Lake Tahoe slaying of his father-in-law, the Placer County Sheriff's Office said. Who is Danny Serafini?Minnesota selecting Serafini in the first round of the draft set him up to be the latest baseball star to come out of Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, a school that has produced a dozen MLB players. Serafini pitched in the minor leagues from 1992-1995, and he made his MLB debut in 1996 at age 22. That was the only big-league game Serafini pitched in 1996, and he appeared in just six more in 1997. In 1998, he saw extended action but struggled, prompting the Twi...

Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross arrested in suburban Kansas City

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:35 GMT

SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) — Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross was arrested Monday in suburban Kansas City and is accused of causing criminal damage of more than $25,000, according to a booking report from the sheriff’s office in Johnson County, Kansas.The report does not provide any details or indicate whether bond was set.The Chiefs said they were aware of the arrest but declined to comment.The 23-year-old Ross, who originally signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent, missed all of last season following foot surgery. He has appeared in all seven games this season and has three catches for 34 yards.Ross helped Clemson win the college football national championship in 2018, when he caught 46 passes for 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns as a freshman. He was nearly as productive as a sophomore before missing his entire junior year, when he was found to have a congenital fusion condition in his neck and spinal area that required career-threatening surgery.Even though Ross returned...

Why insurance claims go up during Halloween

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:35 GMT

From the candy to the costumes, Halloween is a fun-filled time for all — including for thieves.Experts say theft- and vandalism-related insurance claims are often higher during this time of year. In fact, they say vandalism claims are as high as 72%.When “you’re out with the children, neighborhood hopping, trick-or-treating, that’s the perfect time for someone to take advantage of that opportunity,” said insurance agent Joshua Harders of Harders and Bradford Insurance Agency in Silver Spring, Maryland.He told WTOP potential fire hazards in the home are another reason for the increase in insurance claims.“You know, like lighting a candle and forgetting to put it out,” Harders said. “Or with decorations, we’re seeing a lot of people overloading powers strips, daisy-chaining extension cords and that can produce excess heat.”According to the National Fire Protection Association, nearly 800 residential fires are reported every Hallowe...

Matan al secretario de Seguridad y a 10 policías municipales de Coyuca de Benítez, Guerrero

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:35 GMT

(CNN Español) –– El secretario de Seguridad de Coyuca de Benítez, Guerrero, Alfredo Alonso López, y 10 policías del municipio murieron en un ataque armado este lunes, informó en una transmisión vía Facebook el vicefiscal de Investigación del estado, Gabriel Alejandro Hernández Martínez.Hernández Martínez indicó que la Fiscalía de Guerrero ya tiene dos líneas de investigación sobre el ataque, las cuales no reveló. También agregó que funcionarios de la institución ya fueron a la zona para continuar con las indagatorias.CNN contactó a la presidencia municipal de Coyuca de Benítez para tener más información sobre el hecho, pero no ha recibido respuesta.Coyuca de Benítez es un municipio de la región de la Costa Grande de Guerrero ―en el sur de México―, un estado con altos niveles de violencia. Entre enero y septiembre de este año, en el estado se registraron 1.280 homicidios dolosos, lo que lo ubica como el séptimo con más crímenes de ese tipo entre las 32 entidades del país, según el re...

Ex-lawmaker Maria Corina Machado dominates opposition’s presidential primary in Venezuela

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:35 GMT

Opposition presidential hopeful Maria Corina Machado, center, speaks to her supporters after winning the opposition primary election, at her campaign headquarters in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. Machado will run against President Nicolás Maduro in the 2024 presidential elections. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)(AP/Ariana Cubillos) Opposition presidential hopeful Maria Corina Machado, center, speaks to her supporters after winning the opposition primary election, at her campaign headquarters in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. Machado will run against President Nicolás Maduro in the 2024 presidential elections. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)(AP/Ariana Cubillos) CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Former lawmak...