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Man found in barrel at Malibu beach was an aspiring rapper

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:46 GMT

An aspiring rapper who was found dead inside a barrel at Malibu Lagoon State Beach was shot in the head, according to a new report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner.The victim, identified as 32-year-old Javonnta Murphy, was discovered on July 31 inside a 55-gallon drum floating in the water near the Pacific Coast Highway bridge.The coroner’s report also lists Murphy’s cause of death as a homicide. Murphy was found naked and sealed inside the barrel at the time. A park maintenance worker first spotted the barrel and paddled out in a kayak to investigate. When they tried to drag it to shore, it was too heavy so they left it in the water, according to the L.A. Sheriff’s Department.When a lifeguard arrived at work the next day and spotted the barrel around 10 a.m., they swam out to retrieve it. When they opened the barrel, that’s when they made the gruesome discovery, authorities said.Lifeguards discovered a body inside a barrel in Malibu Lagoon. July 31, 2023. (KTLA)...

Los Gatos high schooler wins short film contest

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:46 GMT

Award-winning videoA Los Gatos High School student took home the prize for best video in the 2023 Be-You-tiful Contest held by the Eating Disorders Resource Center, a local organization focusing on mental health and body image. The contest was open to all middle and high schools in the Bay Area, and participants created art, poems, essays or videos on the subject of social media.Kian Egami, an 11th grade student in Los Gatos, was recognized for his short video on society’s harsh body standards for men and how heavy social media use can be detrimental for mental health. Winners in all categories received a cash prize. Find the winning video, entitled “HELP – Winner of Be-You-Tiful Multimedia Contest” on YouTube.Brake for catsThe South Bay’s mountain lions gave the Town of Los Gatos its name—and officials are now asking residents to take care when driving to protect the big cats. The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority highlighted the need for safe wildlife crossings on road...

Cupertino climate summit tackles environmental issues

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:46 GMT

Students and community members who attended the recent Silicon Valley Climate Summit at Cupertino’s De Anza College came away with information about issues ranging from plant-based diets to clean energy to a circular economy.Besides professionals in the environmental space, the July 27 summit also drew politicians such as State Assemblymember Ash Kalra and former Cupertino mayor Rod Sinks, now a Fremont Union High School District trustee. Also among the guest speakers was State Sen. Dave Cortese, whose office co-hosted the event along with Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action (SVYCA), De Anza College VIDA and the Fremont Union High School District.In keeping with the SVYCA’s mission to empower teens and young adults to combat climate change, summit participants talked with guest speakers about developing actionable strategies around emission reductions, energy, transit and other climate issues.Bill Shireman, president and founder of the nonprofit consultancy Future 500, led a breakou...

Cupertino camp for disabled unveils new sports field

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:46 GMT

A Cupertino-based camp serving children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families marked the renovation of its outdoor sports field Aug. 2 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.The sports field was designed to advance Camp Via West’s mission to develop innovative social and recreational programs that promote inclusion and provide new opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities.The field features multi-use turf with football and soccer lines and will be used for volleyball and other recreational activities. It will have ADA-compliant bathrooms, concession stand, tents for shade and new sports equipment with storage.The renovations allow for community partnerships with organizations like Special Olympics Northern California, which announced a new collaboration with Camp Via West at the Aug. 2 event. Other nonprofit organizations can utilize Camp Via West for group retreats and educational activities.Camp Via West is located on county-owned land at 13851 ...

Sunnyvale’s annual Sunset Movie Series kicks off Aug. 11

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:46 GMT

Sunset Movie SeriesSunnyvale’s annual Sunset Movie Series kicks off Aug. 11 at Ortega Park, 636 Harrow Way, with “Minions: The Rise of Gru.” The series moves to Columbia Park, 789 Morse Ave., on Aug. 18 for “Top Gun: Maverick” and closes Aug. 25 with “Lightyear” at Washington Park, 840 W. Washington Ave.The parks will be open at 7 p.m. for attendees to set up on the lawn. All movies will begin after sunset. ·Public safety officers start trainingOn July 24, seven officers from Sunnyvale’s Department of Public Safety began their training at the Alameda County Sheriff’s Regional Police Academy. The recruits from class no. 178 were set to complete more than 1,064 hours of training in areas including firearms, defensive tactics, de-escalation and emergency vehicle operations. After graduating, they will enlist in the Fire Academy, EMT School and Field Training for Police and Fire. For more information, contact Capt. David Sakurai at 408-730-7176.Clean energy rebatesSunnyvale-based Silico...

Saratoga middle school student is a winner in Be-You-tiful contest

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:46 GMT

Redwood Middle School eighth-grader Claire Kwon is among the winners of this year’s Be-You-tiful contest, sponsored by the Campbell-based Eating Disorders Resource Center (EDRC). The annual contest asked Bay Area middle and high school students to share their thoughts on how social media affects body image and overall well being.In her painting, which took first place in the middle school art category, Claire uses roses to express the negative effects social media can have on an individual.“The roses represent people today,” she wrote in her artist’s statement. “The rose with the phone appears to be unhealthy and dried up. The dried-up rose is also trapped in the bottle, as the bottle has a cork.“Like the roses, someone who spends too much time on their phone in a way that they get addicted or ‘trapped’ can suffer from drastic consequences,” Claire continued. “Our phones can expose us to different apps, which includes social media. Excessive social media and scrolling can lead one  ...

San Jose students win scholarships that come with a mentor

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:46 GMT

Students from Pioneer and Lincoln high schools were among 11 winners of scholarships from Pursuit of Excellence (POE-South Bay) this summer.POE-South Bay, a scholarship and mentorship program for low-income, high-achieving students, was founded in 2015 by Donna Guldimann of Saratoga and Rosemary Rossi of Los Gatos. Scholarship winners receive up to $4,000 per year during college and work with a mentor to help navigate college life.This year’s POE-Scholars from Lincoln High School are Ximena Soto Hernandez, who will be attending San Jose State University to major in nursing; Jimena Gomez, who is going to UC Santa Barbara to major in biology; David Zamora, who will major in mechanical engineering at SJSU; Elyssa Castrejon, who is going to UCLA along with her twin sister to major in biology and society; and  Marina Garcia, who will attend UC Davis and plans to major in biomedical engineering.Scholarship winners from Pioneer High School are Tamba Mbawa, who will attend Stanford Universi...

Mayor Lazybones? ‘Cart Narcs’ busts East Bay politician over unreturned shopping cart

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:46 GMT

Call to order! Mayor … Lazybones presiding?The popular YouTube channel “Cart Narcs” — which has amassed a following for busting so-called “lazybones” shoppers who don’t return their shopping carts to cart corrals — caught Newark Mayor Michael Hannon in its sights last year, when he was a city councilman.In a video posted July 26, 2022, “Cart Narcs” host Sebastian Davis confronts Hannon over an unreturned shopping cart at the FoodMaxx parking lot on Cedar Boulevard in Newark. The encounter leads to a testy back-and-forth, with Hannon dropping a few choice words.The video — which is titled “At The Car Wash” and has logged more than 280,000 views — shows Hannon growing increasingly heated, objecting to Davis’ confrontational tactic of repeatedly sticking flimsy, shopping-cart shaped magnets of shame to Hannon’s car.“Don’t throw s*** on my car when I just got it cleaned,” Hannon says repeatedly as he gets out of his car and tosses the magnets in the parking lot, threatening to call the ...

Bay Area groups march for immigration reform

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:46 GMT

(BCN) -- Immigrants and their supporters began marching toward San Francisco from San Jose and Petaluma on Saturday to demonstrate for legislation that would allow undocumented people to apply to be permanent U.S. residents. The two groups plan to unite at the Golden Gate Bridge on Monday and then march to the Civic Center and San Francisco Federal Building, organizers said. The marchers are calling for passage of legislation that would provide lawful permanent resident status to certain long-term residents, including the undocumented. Known as the Registry Bill, H.R. 1511 is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose. Taxi workers to protest expansion of driverless cars in San Francisco Organizers of the march say it would allow about 8 million undocumented residents to apply for legal permanent residency. The marchers also hope to draw attention to what they see as anti-immigrant practices at the U.S.-Mexico border and in states like Texas and Florida. "We as...

Suspect arrested after allegedly shoplifting at Kohl's in Pleasant Hill

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:46 GMT

(KRON) -- Police in Pleasant Hill arrested a suspect accused of shoplifting at a Kohl's around 11 p.m. Friday night. US loses to Sweden on penalty kicks, marks earliest Women’s World Cup exit ever The suspect was booked and all merchandise was returned. Photos taken by Pleasant Hill PD show the suspect's car and items inside that were allegedly stolen. Pleasant Hill PDPleasant Hill PDPleasant Hill PDPolice say they are partnering with local loss prevention groups to continue to crackdown on shoplifting.