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'Wall Street Whiz Kid' charged with defrauding victims out of nearly $250K in L.A. County

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:54 GMT

A man once known as the “Wall Street Whiz Kid” has been charged with stealing nearly a quarter of a million dollars as part of an investment scam in Los Angeles County, officials announced Tuesday.David Bloom, 59, faces nine counts of securities fraud and nine counts of grand theft with special allegations of two or more prior felony convictions, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. He is accused of committing multiple counts of theft by convincing people to give him money in exchange for investments and other financial opportunities. Prosecutors allege that Bloom never delivered on the investments and failed to return the bulk of the money given to him by victims in the case. The alleged fraud occurred between 2021 and 2023 and involved nine victims and nearly $250,000, according to the DA’s office. Bloom was arrested Monday and was set to be arraigned Tuesday. He was being held on a $500,000 bond. District Attorney George Gascón ...

Impact of Hollywood strikes felt outside the entertainment industry

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:54 GMT

The company had struggled for years, tossed around by pandemic-induced production shutdowns that began in March 2020. Last year, though, business for Valentino’s Costume Group had finally picked back up.Hoping to capitalize on that good fortune, the shop moved in January to a North Hollywood space twice the size of its old building.Then Hollywood's screenwriters and actors went on strike. Now, says co-owner Shon LeBlanc, Valentino’s can no longer afford to pay its rent.“My chest is tightening because the money is so tight,” says LeBlanc, bemoaning the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ apparent lack of urgency to try to reach an agreement with the unions. “When is the mayor going to step in and say, ‘I’m ordering you guys to figure something out because you’re about to collapse the economy in Los Angeles?’”Shon LeBlanc, co-owner of costume rental service Valentino's Costume Group, poses for a portrait amongst racks of themed clothing at his store, Friday, May 26, 2...

Man arrested after allegedly threatening to shoot LAPD officers in San Pedro

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:54 GMT

A man was arrested after allegedly threatening to shoot officers in San Pedro Monday morning.The incident unfolded around 7 a.m. when Los Angeles police officers responded to the 600 block of 12th Street of a man threatening violence.The caller told authorities the man suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and was having homicidal and suicidal ideations, police said. The man had also apparently threatened to shoot any officers that responded to the scene.When officers arrived, the man, who is in his 60s, exited his apartment while holding a large kitchen knife and allegedly threatened to stab, shoot and kill officers if they approach him, police said.The man then got back inside his apartment and refused to come out.Police had contacted the man before and were aware that he is a military veteran who had previously been placed on a mental evaluation hold at a local hospital. They also learned he had violated his parole and had an active warrant out for his arrest, police said.O...

49ers reveal 53-man roster: Who makes cut on Super Bowl-caliber roster?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:54 GMT

Here is how the initial 53-man roster looks (with player-by-player analysis in 49 characters or less):QUARTERBACK (3)Brock PurdyReady for encore after eight wins, elbow repair.Sam DarnoldFrom Jets to Panthers to Niners’ QB2 bullpen.Brandon AllenTrey Lance’s trade to Dallas opened QB3 job.* * *RUNNING BACK (5)Christian McCaffreyAgain capable of 1K/1K-yard rushing/receiving.Kyle Juszczyk (FB)So begins his eighth straight Pro Bowl season.Elijah MitchellTalented enough for 49ers to tolerate injuries.Jordan MasonFoot sprain in preseason puts Week 1 in question.Ty Davis-PriceAdds power dimension after redshirting as rookie.OUT: Jeremy McNichols, Brian Hill, Jack Colletto (FB).* * *WIDE RECEIVER (6)Brandon AiyukMatured into 1K receiver who runs elite routs.Deebo SamuelReady to rebound after self-dubbed ‘awful’ 2022.Jauan Jennings“Third-And-Jauan” must score more TDs (1 in ’22).Ray-Ray McCloudWill he rush back from wrist surgery for Week 1?Ronnie BellMay be this year’s relevant,...

What is this big thing perched at Valley Medical Center?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:54 GMT

Anyone visiting or passing by Santa Clara Valley Medical Center on Bascom Avenue the past few days may have done a double-take and wondered just what that thing is atop one of the county hospital’s buildings. It looks like a robot from a sci-fi movie or maybe an escapee from an intergalactic zoo. Don’t worry; it’s art.The 30-foot-tall kinetic sculpture perched on the Susanne B. Wilson Women and Children’s Center is called “Sentia,” created by German-born artist Christian Moeller. He specializes in large-scale installations — he’s the artist behind the “Hands” installation at San Jose Mineta airport — and many of them are curvy and colorful like “Sentia.”“Sentia,” a 30-foot-tall freestanding motion sculpture is seen in the reflection of windows at the Women and Children’s Center at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center on Aug. 28, 2023, in San Jose, Calif. The art installation, which was created by artist Chris...

North Oakland elementary school evacuated after bomb threat with ‘racial undertones’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:54 GMT

A bomb threat that included “racial undertones” forced the evacuation of a North Oakland elementary school on Tuesday morning, according to police.The threat, which was emailed to the principal of Chabot Elementary School, was among several that Oakland police investigated throughout the city, according to Oakland police Capt. Lisa Ausmus. The rest of the threats appeared directed at individuals living in private residences elsewhere in the city, she said.Oakland police were told of the bomb threat at Chabot Elementary shortly before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, before most students had arrived at the school. About 30 children were at the building when the principal called police, and those kids were later reunited with their parents.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Pacifica: Driver arrested on suspicion of DUI, hit and run, police say Crime and Public Safety | East Bay fire district to pay nearly $100,000 settlement for wrongfully rescinding jo...

Historic San Jose church comes into view after eyesore tarp is removed

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:54 GMT

SAN JOSE — James Salata, head of Garden City Construction, decided that enough was enough when it came to an abandoned historic church in downtown San Jose covered with a tattered tarp.“This is really gnawing at me,” Salata said Tuesday as he watched his construction crew finish up a wide-ranging job this week to transform the blighted church property into a little less of an eyesore in downtown San Jose.The historic structure on Salata’s mind is the First Church of Christ Scientist at 43 East St. James Street in downtown San Jose. A growing number of observers, activists and neighbors have begun to complain about the church’s disrepair under its years-long ownership by a China-based real estate firm and the nebulous oversight by city staffers and code enforcement officers.The church’s exterior has been exposed for years to fierce winter storms and blazing summer sunshine, depending on the season. Winds have steadily shredded the makeshift tarp.Th...

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez ends presidential campaign

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:54 GMT

By Kit Maher and Melissa Holzberg DePalo | CNNMiami Mayor Francis Suarez announced Tuesday that he is ending his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.“While I have decided to suspend my campaign for President, my commitment to making this a better nation for every American remains,” Suarez said in a statement.Suarez’s move comes after he failed to fully meet the requirements set by the Republican National Committee to make the first presidential debate in Milwaukee last week. He had told CNN prior to the debate that candidates who do not make the stage should drop out – even if that included himself.“I look forward to keeping in touch with the other Republican presidential candidates and doing what I can to make sure our party puts forward a strong nominee who can inspire and unify the country, renew Americans’ trust in our institutions and in each other, and win,” Suarez said Tuesday.Suarez launched his long-shot bid for the presidency just over two months ago, ...

Pacifica: Driver arrested on suspicion of DUI, hit and run, police say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:54 GMT

PACIFICA — A 20-year-old New Jersey man was arrested after he crashed into another vehicle while drunk driving in a rented truck, police said.Police responded at about 5:22 p.m. Aug. 20 to a reported hit-and-run collision on the parking lot at 5200 Cabrillo Highway, according to a news release Tuesday. There, officers found a damaged Tesla that had been hit by a white Ford F-150 truck. Police later saw the truck, determined to be a rental, run through a stop sign at the intersection of Crespi and Seville drives.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | 70-year-old Peninsula man pleads not guilty to molestation charge Crime and Public Safety | Arrest made in vicious attack at Redwood City park Crime and Public Safety | 23-year-old arrested after Mountain View man is shot and killed Crime and Public Safety | San Mateo: Man, 43, arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a minor Crime and Public Safety | Man s...

‘Barbie,’ ‘Fast X’ will be available for streaming right after Labor Day

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:54 GMT

Karu F. Daniels | New York Daily News“Barbie” and “Fast X,” two of the summer’s biggest blockbusters, will be available outside of movie theaters next month.On Sept. 5, the day after Labor Day, fans of Greta Gerwig’s box office smash will get to see it in the comfort of their own homes.The star-studded “Barbie,” which has grossed over one billion dollars globally since its July 21 release, will be available on paid video on demand platforms such as Prime Video, Apple TV and Vudu for $24.99.Each digital streamer is taking preorders but their launch dates haven’t been listed.This image released by Universal Pictures shows Vin Diesel, left, and Daniela Melchior in a scene from “Fast X.” (Peter Mountain/Universal Pictures via AP) Peter Mountain/Universal Pictures via APMeanwhile, the Vin Diesel-led “Fast X” — arguably the antithesis of the pink-hued, female-centric movie — will begin streaming on Peacock on Sept. 15.Earlier this month, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Z...