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Superintendent vows to put armed officers in Denver’s high schools even though it “likely violates” board policy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:39:00 GMT

Superintendent Alex Marrero said Wednesday that he will place armed officers in Denver’s high schools following the shooting at East High despite the fact that doing so “likely violates” Board of Education policy, according to a letter he sent to board members. “However, I can no longer stand on the sidelines,” Marrero wrote in the letter to the school board. “I am willing to accept the consequences of my actions.”The decision to have armed police in the city’s schools comes after East students and parents called for tighter security measures following the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old student in February and on the heels of a second shooting Wednesday in which two administrators were injured.Two armed officers from the Denver Police Department will be stationed at East during school hours for the rest of the academic year. Marrero is also “committing” to have an armed officer at each high school and conversations with principals “to understand their continuing need and desire for...

Denver East students, parents struggle with ongoing violence: “High school shouldn’t be like this”

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:39:00 GMT

Janaiya Hopper‘s eyes scanned through a crowd of anxious parents, searching for her mother. Then, from across a crowded intersection outside Denver’s East High School, they locked eyes.The 18-year-old senior’s face crumpled as she ran into her mother Jamela Brown‘s open arms.Hopper sobbed into her mother’s shoulder as a single tear trickled down Brown’s cheek. When the two finished their hug, the teen looked at her mom, and said, “I don’t want to go back to school.”On Wednesday morning, Brown joined hundreds of East High School parents gathered at the intersection of 17th Avenue and City Park Esplanade after police say a student shot two administrators inside the building. They waited while officers wearing ballistic vests surrounded the school, City Park and nearby businesses on East Colfax Avenue, all while a police helicopter circled overhead.It’s a scene repeated far too often outside the nation’s schools after ca...

'Craziest thing I've ever seen': Tornado damages buildings in Montebello

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:39:00 GMT

A tornado touched down in Montebello on Wednesday, damaging several buildings and leaving a trail of destruction, the National Weather Service confirmed. The rare weather event was reported a few minutes before 11:30 a.m., according to the Verdugo Fire Communications Center. Aerial video from Sky5 showed the storm ripped-off parts of a roof and scattered debris in the area of South Vail Street and Washington Boulevard.It tore through portions of roof tops, sent signs flying, downed trees and damaged several cars.The National Weather Service dispatched a team to Montebello, a city eight miles east of downtown Los Angeles, to assess the damage.A video submitted by a KTLA viewer shows what appears to be a funnel cloud descending from the clouds as a storm moved through the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The owner of a recycling company in the area said he was driving when the weather event occurred. He later saw the storm had torn off the roof of the bui...

Cell phone video shows tornado tear through Montebello

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:39:00 GMT

As if Southern California hadn’t already seen enough wild weather since the start of the year, a tornado touched down in Montebello late Wednesday morning, damaging buildings. There were no reports of injuries.The twister was first spotted around 11:30 a.m. in the area of South Vail Street and Washington Boulevard. Video captured by several KTLA viewers shows intense rotation as the tornado tore the roof from a large commercial building and sent debris flying.A National Weather Service damage survey team was dispatched to Montebello, a city just east of downtown Los Angeles, and confirmed it was, in fact, a tornado that touched down. "No EF rating yet, we are still assessing the damage!," NWS tweeted.KTLA viewer "IDKLeroy on IG/ Tik Tok" captured video of the tornado in Montebello on March 22, 2023. Tornadoes are classified using an EF (Enhanced Fujita) Scale. An EF0 is a tornado with three-second wind gusts of 65 to 85 miles per hour. An EF1 has winds...

Armed arsonist caught on video using accelerant to start fire at Orange County business

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:39:00 GMT

Authorities in Orange County on Wednesday announced that they’re seeking the public’s help in identifying an armed man captured on surveillance video using an accelerant to start and spread a fire inside an auto parts business.  The incident occurred on Mar. 20, at approximately 3:30 a.m., in the 1000 block of East 6th Street in Santa Ana, according to a news release from the Orange County Fire Authority.  Surveillance video shows the suspected arsonist, armed with a handgun, enter an office with desks and computers against the wall at Freeway Auto Parts.  After looking around, he picks up a blue and white container and examines it. Moments later, the man tucks the gun in his waistband and begins pouring the unknown accelerant out of the container across the top of the desks.  The fire department received a call not long after that, with initial reports saying the building was engulfed in flames.  OCFA Capt. Brian Abney said it only took firefighters 11 minutes t...

Photos: Tornado touches down in Montebello, leaves damage in its wake

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:39:00 GMT

A tornado touched down in Montebello Wednesday, leaving extensive damage in its wake. Video from Sky5, residents and motorists alike showed the damaged roofs and debris swirling around during the rare weather event. ‘Craziest thing I’ve ever seen’: Tornado damages buildings in Montebello The tornado was reported a few minutes before 11:30 a.m. and firefighters responded to the 1200 block of South Vail Street. Here are some images of the destruction left behind. A roof in Montebello was damaged by a reported tornado on March 22, 2023. (KTLA) A roof in Montebello was damaged by a reported tornado on March 22, 2023. (KTLA) A roof in Montebello was damaged by a reported tornado on March 22, 2023. (KTLA) A roof in Montebello was damaged by a reported tornado on March 22, 2023. (KTLA) A roof in Montebello, California was damaged by a reported tornado on March 22, 2023. (KTLA) A tree toppled over a vehicle during a suspected tornado in Montebello on March 22, 2023. (Gurgot Singh) Debris...

Woman attacked at memorial of East Bay homicide victim by group who blamed her for fatal shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:39:00 GMT

ASHLAND — Alameda County prosecutors have filed felony charges against a man who allegedly participated in the group beating of a woman who suffered a broken jaw as she visited the memorial of a January homicide victim, court records show.The defendant, a 37-year-old Alameda County resident, was charged March 9 with battery involving serious bodily injury. He was also charged in connection with a November 2022 armed carjacking, court records show. On March 10, he pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains out of custody while the case is pending.The victim was assaulted Feb. 2 as she visited a memorial for Lamar Converse, 35, of Ashland. Just days earlier, Converse had been fatally shot near E. 14th Street and 166th Avenue in Ashland, an unincorporated area of Alameda County.According to police, as the woman stood next to Converse’s memorial, she was accosted by a group of women and one man who blamed her for the fatal shooting. Several of them identified themselves a...

Witnesses sought in fatal Palo Alto crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:39:00 GMT

PALO ALTO – Police are looking for witnesses to a collision that left an elderly pedestrian dead earlier this week in Palo Alto.The crash was reported around 10:25 a.m. Monday at Charleston Road and Commercial Street, the Palo Alto Police Department said in a statement. Officers and firefighters arrived to find the pedestrian, a man in his 80s, unconscious in the roadway.The man was taken to a hospital, where he died Tuesday. The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office will release his identity once it is confirmed and his next of kin is notified.Police said an investigation revealed that a driver, a man in his 60s, hit the pedestrian with his 2002 Ford F-150 while making a right turn onto Charleston Road from westbound Commercial Street. The pedestrian was in an unmarked crosswalk at the time.The impact caused the pedestrian to fall over backward and hit his head on the ground, police said. The driver called 911; he also remained at the scene and cooperated with the in...

“They let us down”: California flooding victims demand answers as town hall devolves into shouting match

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:39:00 GMT

WATSONVILLE — Nearly two weeks after a levee failure forced hundreds of families in the small Monterey County community of Pajaro to leave their homes in the middle of the night, both county officials and residents are demanding answers for why federal assistance promised by the governor has yet to materialize.At a heated town hall meeting Tuesday, county authorities told Pajaro residents that emergency evacuation orders could be lifted by the end of the week and that they are “hoping” evacuees will be able to return starting Friday. Still, the meeting quickly devolved into a shouting match as residents excoriated officials over a lack of information, miscommunication and a failure to deliver the financial aid they need to rebuild their lives.“What else do you want or how else do you want me to ask you? Do you want me to get on my knees and beg?” evacuee Elba Carrillo said to officials, through tears, as she and about a dozen others surrounded Monterey ...

San Francisco hit hard by deadly wind storm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:39:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Fierce wind gusts blew into San Francisco and a deadly March storm toppled hundreds of trees, sent broken glass shattering down from skyscrapers, stirred up unusually big waves in the bay, and shut down both the Third Street Bridge and the Bay Bridge. The brunt of the storm hit Tuesday afternoon. Two victims died after they were struck by falling trees in separate parts of the city. The Chief Medical Examiner identified the victims as Ryan Taylor, 36, of Clark County, Nevada, and Qiaoying Han, 55, of San Francisco. On Wednesday, city crews were out assessing, repairing, and cleaning up damages."We saw areas of significant damage, as well as dangerous conditions caused by falling glass and downed trees. Tragically, two people lost their lives, which is a grave reminder of how serious and dangerous this storm became," Mayor London Breed said. Mission Street remained blocked off Wednesday due to windows broken on floors 11-30 at Salesforce east building and the ...