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Arrests made in $10M Arizona-to-California recycling fraud case

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:26 GMT

Two Arizona business owners were arrested Wednesday as part of an ongoing investigation into an interstate recycling fraud scheme that saw tons of recyclables transported over state lines to be redeemed in California.The two business owners were arrested in Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona, respectively, and will be extradited to California to face charges of recycling fraud and grand theft.The arrests were made as part of a large ongoing investigation involving efforts to defraud Golden State residents of millions of recycling redemption credits that are meant to encourage Californians to recycle their goods.Investigators allege that the businesses trucked thousands of pounds of recyclables to California to take advantage of the state's California Redemption Value (CRV) program. The program allows Californians to return beverage containers to privately-owned recycling centers in exchange for $.05 to $.10 per container.The program is funded by Californians every time they purchase an eligi...

'Management associate'? Assistants desire new titles

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:26 GMT

Executive assistants are the backbone of the corporate world, accomplishing a wide variety of tasks and keeping the wheels of capitalism turning.But do they get sufficient respect?Bloomberg reports that some assistants are now pushing for more glamorous titles that better reflect their far-ranging responsibilities -- and that might look a little classier on resumes.Some of the proposed alternatives:Administrative partnerAdministrative leadManagement associateStrategic business partnerAgain, let's emphasize that these are hard-working people -- predominantly young women -- and it's perfectly understandable that they'd prefer titles that tell the world they're not just picking up the boss' dry cleaning."The stigma with 'assistant' has to do with the stereotypes of secretaries as the put-upon lackeys in 'The Devil Wears Prada,'" Bonnie Low-Kramen, who runs an assistant training firm, told Bloomberg."Some people really suffer from old ideas of what an assistant is," she said.That's undo...

IRS to open 6 Taxpayer Assistance Centers in California

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:26 GMT

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced Wednesday that it’s opening up six Taxpayer Assistance Centers in California to help assist state residents with any tax-related inquiries they may have.The offices will be located at:• 300 N. Los Angeles St., Los Angeles, CA 90012• 212 Coffee Road, Suite. 200, Bakersfield, CA 93309• 2525 Capitol St., Suite 101, Fresno, CA 93721• 1301 Clay St., Oakland, CA 94612• 4330 Watt Ave., Sacramento, CA 95821• 450 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102The centers will be open on March 11 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and residents don’t need an appointment to meet with IRS employees, a news release said. IRS announces 2023 tax season start date and deadline All services routinely offered at the offices are expected to be available for people who visit on Saturday, except for making cash payments towards taxes that may be owed.People are encouraged to visit the IRS website to learn more about the services offered at their closest location since each c...

Researchers find link between sewage from Mexico and bacteria in the air in California

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:26 GMT

IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. (Border Report) -- Researchers from the University of California San Diego last week released findings from a study showing how some bacteria in the air comes from raw sewage flowing into California from Mexico.They uncovered that the bacteria becomes airborne when sewage hits the ocean as it gets churned by the surf."The big takeaway from that study is that contaminants from the sewage are getting into the air," said Greg Sandstron, a UCSD researcher. Recent storms sent 7 billion gallons of raw sewage from Mexico into U.S., mayor says Sandstron and others are now collecting air samples daily as they try to determine whether viruses, not just bacteria from the sewage, are also getting into the air people breathe.Greg Sandstron is a researcher with the University of California San Diego. (Salvador Rivera/Border Report)This is a big concern because millions of gallons of raw sewage flow into the Tijuana River Valley between Tijuana and San Diego, forcing beach...

2 more Long Beach businesses burglarized this week

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:26 GMT

Two more businesses in Long Beach were broken into this week amid ongoing investigations into a string of similar crimes in the city, officials said. Soggy Dog grooming was broken into Sunday, and Holé Molé was burglarized either late Monday or early Tuesday. They are among at least 25 break-ins at local businesses that have occurred in the past few months. Long Beach police believe three different groups may be involved in these crimes, and they are trying to figure out if the last two are connected. They typically happen late at night and thieves target mom-and-pop businesses. Long Beach burglaries leave small business owners on edge Now, patrols are increased in the city, and a burglary task force was created to try and track down those responsible. The burglars may also be looking for more than just cash, including tablets or other machines used to pay called "point of sale machines."“It’s an opportunistic crime that they’re going after,” Long Beach Police Cmdr. Lee Debraband...

Elevate Your Cannabis Experience with the Pulsar Sipper

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:26 GMT

Pulsar has always been at the forefront of water-cooled vaping with the success of the H2O series of cartridge vaporizers and the brand’s flagship electronic oil rig, the RöK. Their latest innovation? The introduction of the Pulsar Sipper, a dual-function water filtration vaporizer that seamlessly merges the functionality of e-rigs and the ease of cart vapes, without sacrificing a millimeter of style. Released last summer, the Sipper has been generating buzz and acclaim from all corners as a step forward in concentrate consumption for all users.With a glowing review from High Times calling this rig “the most unique vaporizer on the market,” this little bubbler has been making a big splash. As Redditors have been saying, the Sipper is “guaranteed built by stoners, they’re just actually engineers this time.” They’re not wrong! Pulsar’s product team are veterans of the industry with decades of cumulative experience between them. The team put their hearts and souls int...

Ja Morant out for Warriors’ game at Grizzlies amid NBA investigation

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:26 GMT

Grizzlies star Ja Morant will not play against the Warriors in Memphis on Thursday night after he caused a stir last weekend by showing an apparent handgun during an Instagram Live video at a Denver-area nightclub.The Grizzlies initially announced Saturday that Morant would miss at least two games, and now that has been extended to six, through the team’s game at Miami next Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The team has declined to give a timeline, and Morant is not technically suspended.Morant was investigated by Glendale, Colorado police but not charged in relation to the video, which went live on Morant’s account in the overnight hours after Memphis’ Friday night loss to the Nuggets in Denver.Colorado is an open-carry state, but it is illegal to possess a gun while under the influence of alcohol. Glendale police concluded Wednesday that there were no threats made, and nobody at the club filed a complaint or reported a disturbance.The NBA i...

Arrests made in mysterious 2020 killing of two California men: Feds say it was ordered by the Aryan Brotherhood

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:26 GMT

SACRAMENTO — With little fanfare, federal prosecutors here secured an indictment alleging that two men lured to their deaths in October 2020 were fatally shot on the orders of an incarcerated Aryan Brotherhood member, court records show.The indictment was added to an existing federal prosecution targeting the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang and a Fresno-area white power gang known as the Fresnecks. But while the original case included only allegations of alleged drug trafficking, prosecutors now claim they have evidence implicating gang members in three killings and two additional murder conspiracies that never came to fruition.The new defendants, Kenneth “Kenwood” Johnson, Francis Clement, Brandon Bannick and Justin Gray, are charged with murdering Allan Roshanski, 34, of Vista, and Ruslan Magomedgadzhiev, 40, of Tarzana. Both men were fatally shot in the early morning hours of Oct. 4, 2020 in the Los Angeles County city of Lomita, a small community located near Lon...

San Jose welcomes sister-city delegation from Dublin

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:26 GMT

In Dublin, Ireland on Wednesday, the temperatures were in the high-30s with sleet and snow flurries. The conditions in San Jose were just a tad warmer with morning showers and snow still capping Mt. Hamilton.Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ireland, Caroline Conroy, left, and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, right, take part in a flag raising ceremony at city hall on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in San Jose, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) Dublin Lord Mayor Caroline Conroy said this was her first visit to San Jose and while she has seen the sun on the city’s logo, she had yet to see it in person.”It was nice of you to arrange the weather like at home,” she said during a ceremony for the raising of the Ireland and Dublin flags that was moved into the City Hall Rotunda because of the rain.San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan welcomed the Irish visitors with a good attempt at “good morning” in Gaelic, conceding that his Irish ancestors would probably not think much of it.“For nearly my entire life...

Oakland officials urge residents to prepare for coming rainstorm

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:26 GMT

OAKLAND, Calif. (BCN) -- Wind and lots of rain is expected in Oakland starting Thursday morning and city officials urge residents to prepare and even volunteer to prevent flooding. Forecasters with the National Weather Service have issued a flood watch for the entire Bay Area, which includes a 40 percent chance of flash flooding Thursday night into Friday morning. Danville town officials ask residents to prepare for weekend atmospheric river Oakland residents can expect 2 to 2.5 inches of rain between Thursday morning and Friday night, weather service officials said. It will get windy Thursday morning, too. "It will be particularly windy," National Weather Service meteorologist Dalton Behringer said. "We could see gusts of 45 to 50 mph" in the city. Gusts of 55 mph might occur in the Oakland Hills, he said. With the consistent rain recently, soils are saturated. That increases the chance that trees could fall, Behringer said. Emergencies such as downed trees or l...