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City of Encinitas moves forward with purchase of 'Hippie Hill' for $6 million

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:23:39 GMT

ENCINITAS, Calif. – City leaders in Encinitas are moving forward in their purchase of about 1.5 acres of land at La Costa Avenue and Highway 101, known to many as "Hippie Hill."“We wanted to see this land preserved and protected,” said Encinitas resident Elena Thompson.The purchase of the land is nearly official, with escrow expected to close by the end of September.“Having the opportunity to acquire this land and keep it from being developed into timeshares, I think the community has very much appreciated the work that we’re doing here,” Mayor Tony Kranz said.The northern end of Leucadia has seen the construction of a hotel and more development on the way including a nearby apartment complex, so the preservation of this land was paramount for long-time locals. 2 local ‘Bachelorette’ contestants among 5 saved after boat sinks on fishing trip “Now it’s not going to be developed. That’s great for the city. It’s a small parcel, but every open space is great,” Scott Campbell said.At W...

An Israeli tank was stolen from a military zone. Authorities found it in a junkyard

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:23:39 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli authorities are trying to figure out how a heavily armored, but unarmed, tank was stolen from a military training zone after finding it discarded in a junkyard.The Israeli Merkava 2 tank disappeared from a training zone in northern Israel near the coastal city of Haifa, the Israeli army said Wednesday. The training zone is closed to the public when in use, but is otherwise accessible to passersby.Police said the 65-ton tank was found abandoned in a scrapyard near a military base. In a video from the scene, the army green tank towers alongside rusty scraps of metal and other industrial castoffs.The army said the Merkava 2 was decommissioned years ago and was unarmed. It said it had been used most recently as a “stationary vehicle for soldiers’ exercises.” Police said they had arrested two suspects in connection with the theft. Julia Frankel, The Associated Press

Lebanon begins investigating shooting outside US Embassy that caused no injuries

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:23:39 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s security agencies have launched an investigation into a late night shooting outside the U.S. embassy in Lebanon that caused no injuries, officials said Thursday.No one claimed responsibility for the Wednesday night small arms fire in the vicinity of the entrance of the heavily-fortified compound in Beirut’s northeastern suburb of Awkar. It was not immediately clear if the incident was a politically-motivated attack.U.S. Embassy spokesperson Jake Nelson said that “there were no injuries, and our facility is safe.” He added: “We are in close contact with host country law enforcement authorities.”Shortly after the shooting, the Lebanese army took measures near the embassy and later security agencies started an investigation including analyzing security cameras in the area, a Lebanese official said on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.This year marked the 40th anniversary of a deadly bombing attack on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut on April 18, 1983, th...

Record number of Australians enroll to vote in referendum on Indigenous Voice to Parliament

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:23:39 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A record number of Australians enrolled to vote in a referendum that would create an Indigenous advocacy body, as the first ballots for constitutional change are set to be cast in remote Outback locations next week, officials said on Thursday.The referendum to be held on Oct. 14 would enshrine in Australia’s constitution an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. The Voice would be a group of Indigenous representatives who would advise the government and legislators on policies that effect the lives of the nation’s most disadvantaged ethnic minority.When enrollments closed on Monday, 97.7% of eligible Australians had signed up to vote, Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers said.That was the largest proportion of any electoral event in the 122 years that the Australian government has existed. The previous record was 96.8% for the federal election in May last year. Rogers said high public interest in the Voice was a factor in the large enrollment.“There is a ...

Mother of 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher in Virginia could be jailed for failing drug tests

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:23:39 GMT

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — The mother of a 6-year-old who shot his teacher in Virginia could be jailed Thursday for failing drug tests while awaiting sentencing on federal weapons charges that she used marijuana while possessing a firearm. A bond revocation hearing is set in federal court in Newport News for Deja Taylor. Her son used her gun to shoot Abby Zwerner in her classroom in January. The first-grade teacher was seriously wounded and has endured multiple surgeries.Taylor pleaded guilty in June to using marijuana while possessing a firearm. Authorities say she also lied about her drug use on a federal background check form when she bought the gun that her son brought to school.A judge had set an October sentencing date and released Taylor on bond under the conditions that she submit to drug tests and receive addiction treatment. But Taylor has twice tested positive for marijuana and once for cocaine, federal prosecutors wrote in a filing with the court this month. She also misse...

Man set to be executed for 1996 slaying of University of Oklahoma dance student

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:23:39 GMT

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma is set to execute an inmate Thursday morning for the 1996 slaying of a University of Oklahoma dance student, a case that went unsolved for years until DNA from the crime scene matched a man serving time for burglary.Anthony Sanchez, 44, is scheduled to receive a three-drug injection at 10 a.m. CDT at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. He took the unusual step earlier this year of opting not to present a clemency application to the state’s Pardon and Parole Board, which many viewed as his last chance to have his life spared. His former attorneys blamed Sanchez’s decision on his spiritual adviser, the Rev. Jeff Hood, an anti-death penalty advocate who has befriended death row inmates across the country.Sanchez’s new attorney, Eric Allen of Columbus, Ohio, has requested a stay of execution in federal court, claiming he needs more time to go through boxes of evidence in the case. So far, that request has been rejected by a federal ...

EU-China: Commission and China hold second High-Level Digital Dialogue

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:23:39 GMT

The Commission has held its second High-level Digital Dialogue with China. Co-chaired by Vera Jourova, Vice-President for Values and Transparency, and Vice-Premier of China, Zhang Guoqing, this dialogue hosted in Beijing covered key issues such as platforms and data regulation, artificial intelligence, research and innovation, cross-border flow of industrial data, or the safety of products sold online. The Commissioner for Justice and consumer rights, Didier Reynders, also participated in the discussions by video message.Both parties engaged in a thorough discussion on crucial areas of digital policy and technologies. The Commission provided an update of EU regulatory developments including the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act.Both sides exchanged views about Artificial Intelligence. The Commission presented developments on the Artificial Intelligence Act and stressed the importance of an ethical use of this technology in full respect of universal human rights, in th...

Residents on Palos Verdes Peninsula concerned after 2 homes red tagged due to shifting soil

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:23:39 GMT

Residents who live on the Palos Verdes Peninsula are on edge, worried about the unstable ground beneath their homes some 10 weeks after landslides destroyed nearly a dozen homes in Rolling Hills Estates. Two homes on the peninsula have already been red tagged, meaning the residences are currently uninhabitable and the future is uncertain for a number of other homeowners.  “We’re all worried, we’re all calling for help,” resident Eva Albuja told KTLA’s Rick Chambers.  For many others in the Sea View neighborhood of Palos Verdes, that feeling is understandable. The ground under some of the homes has moved, with huge cracks appearing on some properties and the streets and sidewalks shifting.  “It’s rapid and we’re worried,” Albujua, who lives just down the block from the two red-tagged homes, said. “We’re worried about our homes. Everyone is very upset. We're all talking about it every night and we don’t want to leave our homes. We’ve been here over 20 years.”  ...

Southern California student protests school flag ban by handing out hundreds of Pride flags

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:23:39 GMT

After the Temecula Valley Unified School District approved a controversial flag ban policy on campuses, one student protested the new rule by handing out hundreds of Pride flags to classmates.The move has now sparked a campaign to support Moxxie, a 16-year-old junior at Great Oak High School in Temecula, with people donating Pride flags, pins and stickers to the teen.After a 3-2 approval on Sept. 12, only state and U.S. flags can be displayed at schools within the district. All other flags would require the superintendent’s approval.Some critics believe the new policy will be used to censor LGBTQ+ support and target pride flags.Following the decision, Moxxie, has been handing out Pride flags and stickers at his school. Despite being a standout AP student, Moxie said he doesn’t feel very supported by his school district.Pride flags being handed out by Moxxie, a 16-year-old high school student in Temecula, to his classmates in protest of the school district’s flag ban policy. (KTLA)Pr...

Tangerine Dream Scores in Hollywood

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:23:39 GMT

Tangerine Dream Scores in Hollywood: Tangerine Dream‘s name is often mentioned in the same breath as Kraftwerk, because they both pioneered electronic music back in the late ’60s/early ’70s, and probably because they’re both German.But honestly, the similarities kind of end there. While Kraftwerk revel in sparse arrangements that seem to attempt to convey the human experience as something entirely robotic, Tangerine Dream create lush, orchestral art. It’s little wonder they’ve long been a top choice when movie creators are looking for scores.We did a “Not Another DJ” column with them in May, and bandleader Thorsten Quaeschning told us that, “It’s an everlasting evolving and morphing process, learning from every note ever played and combining things that were explored and set as rules inside our microcosm. We are combining Synthesizer from all decades, hardware, modular, software to come as close to the sound, created in our heads and i...