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LAUSD strike begins, closing schools for more than half a million students

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:39 GMT

Despite last-minute negotiations that went into the evening Monday, the Los Angeles Unified School District was unable to come to agreement with the union representing thousands of its employees to avert a work stoppage.On Tuesday morning, the LAUSD strike began, shutting down hundreds of schools and creating hardships for hundreds of thousands of parents.Demonstrators could be seen picketing under the rain as early as 5:30 a.m. in Van Nuys, video showed.The strike had been in the works for several weeks, and union reps identified Tuesday as the first day of what is tentatively planned to be a three-day stoppage.The strike includes the support of as many as 60,000 employees of the school district who are members of both the Local 99 of Service Employees International Union and United Teachers Los Angeles.The unions represent both educators and school district employees, including bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and teaching aids. LAUSD superintendent: Strike talks stall...

Woman, 12 cats found dead after Sylmar fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:39 GMT

A woman in her 70s was killed in a Sylmar house fire late Monday.Additionally, 12 cats were found dead in the blaze, officials said.The fire was reported around 10:45 p.m. in the 14300 block of Tyler Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.Responding firefighters we able to extinguish the flames at the single-family house in about 20 minutes.“Sadly, despite paramedics' best efforts to revive her, one woman (approximately 75 years old) was beyond medical help and declared dead at the scene,” officials said in an alert.A dozen cats were also found dead in the home, but it is unclear if they died as a result of the fire, Firefighter David Ortiz said.Ortiz said there were no working fire alarms inside the home at the time of the blaze.The home is expected to be uninhabitable after the fire, and the cause is under investigation.

Judge: California law mandating handgun safety features violates Second Amendment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:39 GMT

A federal judge is blocking a California law that would mandate certain safety features for semiautomatic handguns. U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney on Monday ruled in favor of the California Rifle & Pistol Association (CRPA) and four individuals who had said the law violates the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms since no new guns being manufactured complied with it, Reuters reported. The plaintiffs noted that gun buyers in California were de facto limited to purchasing models from before 2013, the year when the law fully took effect. California’s Unsafe Handgun Act, enacted in 2001, requires new semiautomatic weapons to have an indicator showing when there is a round in the chamber and a mechanism to prevent firing when the magazine is not fully inserted in case to prevent an accidental discharge, according to Reuters. The state law also requires handguns to implement microstamping, where a serial number will be stamped on each bullet fired. ...

Why Online Dating Sucks: Men and Women Vent on Reddit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:39 GMT

Dating apps may not be everyone’s cup of tea but according to the Pew Research Center, 1 in 10 non-single adult has met their current partner online or via a dating app. It can sound like a modern-day fairytale but others think online dating sucks because of their previous experience/s before — and nope, it’s not a fairytale at all! Horror? Thriller? Comedy? We’ll let you decide!Here are some terrible date experiences that some Reddit users wrote about on the internet.Why Some Reddit Users Think Online Dating Sucks“There’s plenty of catfish in the sea”u/Hoggiebearz shared a story of someone they knew who had been catfished by an older lady. They wrote, “He had been talking to this girl online for a really long time. He was planning on driving to Texas (we live in north Georgia) to visit her. When he told her that he was going to drive over to see her she confessed that she was actually an overweight 43-year-old lady. He was 23 at the time. He doesn’t like to talk about it…” Yi...

CBD For Moms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:39 GMT

View the original article about CBD For Moms at Real Tested CBD.Parenting can come with ups and downs, but somehow moms always seem to prevail. Moms can do it all, from running the kids to school, sports and piano while grocery shopping, cooking and often-times working a full-time job on top of it all, we could consider moms our day-to-day superheroes.Being a mom can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be incredibly exhausting. So, how can moms wind down and make sure they are getting that well deserved “me time?” CBD could be the answer. If you are a mom, read on for a few amazing benefits of CBD that could benefit your daily routine and lifestyle.What Is CBD?CBD is a natural compound found in hemp and cannabis plants. CBD, also called cannabidiol, is one of many cannabinoids that can be extracted from hemp plants and turned into a variety of products.Unlike another well-known cannabinoid called THC, CBD is non-intoxicating and will not get you “high.” However,CBD does have th...

Superstar Pride Paints Pictures

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:39 GMT

Superstar Pride Paints Pictures: Fast-rising rapper Superstar Pride has released now single and video “Painting Pictures,” and as the title suggests, it’s a lyrically vivid gem.“I used to be too vulnerable with my music and I was shy, but then I started going through so much shit in life to the point where I can’t hide it,” Pride said in a statement. “It’s like everybody know my business, so I might as well put this shit into the world.”According to the press release, ‘Painting Pictures’ takes a deep dive into Pride’s intrusive thoughts as his inner monologue contemplates survival. Throughout, the Mississippi newcomer’s lyrics carry a true-to-life feel, leaning into a state of self-reflection that feels relatable. Additionally, ‘Painting Pictures’ was produced by stunnamade (Hunxho) & GlobalKnockz (IceJJFish), and the latter directed the music video as well.”The lyrics paint a frank, stark lifestory, while t...

Milpitas model train enthusiast tracks his passion to his grandpa

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:39 GMT

Milpitas photographer and filmmaker Robert Burrill showed another side of himself March 18 at the annual meeting of the Bay Area Garden Railway Society, aka BAGRS. The model train enthusiast brought pieces from the Rural Burrill Garden Railroad, which he built in memory of his grandfather Charly, who was a track inspector for the Maine Central Railroad for 50 years.Burrill, a BAGRS member, started building his railroad in 1996, laying 30 feet of track on a $30-a-month budget. The first loop went around his entire backyard. Many hours of work later, the track switched out and over the first loop to form a second loop, then climbed out of the backyard to circle the house and a dinosaur mountain with a lit glass tunnel.During the pandemic, Burrill created a model of the 1934 America’s First streamliner and its dining cars, along with a switch tower to control the new electrified switches.BAGRS was formed in 1988. Promoting modeling and garden railroading in the San Francisco Bay Area, ...

Former Los Gatos town attorney condemns commissioner’s censure

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:39 GMT

Los Gatos’ former town attorney said the disciplinary process used against a planning commissioner last month went against the town’s code of conduct, adding another criticism to the process as the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California announced they now represent the commissioner in question.Rob Schultz, who served as Los Gatos’ attorney from 2013 to 2021, said in a text message to Mayor Maria Ristow obtained by this newspaper through a public records request that his replacement, Gabrielle Whelan, and town staff “didn’t follow the procedures as set forth in the code of conduct,” and in doing so, set a risky precedent.“Just my opinion, it should have been a minor violation with private counseling like we did on many other times for far worse things,” Schultz said. “Not sure what Gabriel (sic) was thinking by not following the procedure set forth in the code of conduct.”Schulz did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.Los Gatos Town Council cens...

Campbell crime report for the week of March 31

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:39 GMT

March 13300 block of Budd Avenue: Someone tagged the men’s bathroom. Staff was unable to make out what was written.Overnight in the 500 block of West Rincon Avenue: Someone drove through the grass and did doughnuts, damaging the grass.11:02 a.m. in the 2300 block of West Campbell Avenue: A man was found to be too intoxicated to care for himself.3:03 p.m. in the 1200 block of White Oaks Road: Someone rented a white 2017 GMC Savana van and did not return it.10:30 p.m. at Winchester Boulevard and Sunnyoaks Avenue: A man, 57, was stopped for a traffic violation and found to be DUI.1:03 a.m. at Campbell Avenue and San Tomas Expressway: A man, 36, was a passenger in a car stopped for a traffic violation. He lied about his name and was eventually discovered to have three felony warrants. He possessed a key fob to a car reported stolen out of San Jose, which was located. He also possessed methamphetamine and has prior convictions for auto theft.10 p.m. in the 1300 block of Camden Avenue: A ...

Taste-Off: The best tater tots in supermarket freezer cases — and the ones to avoid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:39 GMT

Warning: There’s absolutely nothing healthy or nutritionally redeeming about “tater tots.” They’re straight up junk food, loaded with fat and salt. But they’re also crispy, salty and simply irresistible — at any age.Ore-Ida’s Tater Tots were invented in Oregon in 1953 as a way to use up potato scraps. The tots are essentially shredded potatoes mixed with seasonings, oil and starch before being shaped into tiny cylinders and fried. The result is a pile of crunchy potato croquettes loved all over the world.Besides their appeal as a crispy snack or side, tots are a fantastic shortcut ingredient in an egg scramble, a cheesy casserole or a diner-style skillet dinner. But the best part about them is that you simply can’t mess them up. Whether you bake them too long or not long enough or serve them hot or at room temperature, they’re just plain tasty.While Ore-Ida retains the greatest share of the Tater Tot market — and the trademark for that name — mult...