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Jury finds Castle Rock man guilty in $1.5 million theft from charities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

A Denver jury on Friday found a Castle Rock man guilty of stealing more than $1 million from two charities that he worked for as treasurer, court records show.Bill Schwartz, 45, was convicted of two counts of felony theft after a week-long jury trial in Denver District Court. A single count of money laundering was dismissed by the judge, court records show.Schwartz faces between eight and 24 years in prison on the most serious felony conviction and between four and 12 years in prison on the lesser theft charge. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 18.Schwartz stole money from the Order of Quetzalcoatl, a nonprofit organization that exists to raise money for Shriners Hospitals for Children, a system of nonprofit hospitals associated with The Shrine, a fraternity made up of masons, according to a lawsuit the Order filed against Schwartz. The indictment didn’t identify the second charity.Schwartz used $90,000 of the Order’s money to pay his personal credit card bills, among oth...

Move Disney World to Colorado if Nuggets beat the Heat, Polis proposes to DeSantis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

On the verge of the NBA finals, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has proposed a “friendly wager” with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, with a happy Disney ending should the Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat.The championship matchup starts on Thursday and Polis suggests that the Walt Disney World Resort pull up stakes from the Sunshine State and land in colorful Colorado should the Nuggets beat the Heat.In the wager, posted at 1:50 p.m. Tuesday on Twitter, Polis refers to Colorado as “the ACTUAL happiest place on earth to do business, have fun, and be free!”Related ArticlesColorado News | Kiz vs. Singer: What’s biggest challenge Miami Heat present Nuggets in NBA Finals? Colorado News | Nuggets 2023 championship odds: What sportsbooks think Denver’s chances are against Miami Heat in NBA Finals Colorado News | Where to eat and drink near Ball Arena for a Denver Nuggets game Colorado News | Denver Nuggets...

Feastbox barbecue chain takes over former Burger King in Five Points

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

An urgent care owner’s back-up plan will soon host a barbecue restaurant.Darius Kerman, owner of the local AFC Urgent Care chain, has leased the shuttered Burger King property he bought in Five Points last year to a Utah-based barbecue chain.Feastbox offers various styles of barbecue, including Texas, Hawaiian and Korean, as well as topping-laden hot dogs, sandwiches and loaded fries.Kerman paid $1.8 million for the former fast food building at 3200 N. Downing St. last summer. He said it was meant to be a “plan B” option when his plans to open an AFC location across the street, at 3177 Downing St., hit a roadblock.But AFC will be able to open at Kerman’s original desired location. He said he decided the 2,037-square-foot restaurant building would be a great coffee shop, but when deals with two coffee chains took too long, he opened his search up to restaurants and Feastbox jumped on the deal. “I can’t wait for that intersection to get lively,” Kerman said. “That will have a great im...

Not so free freeways? Officials float idea of adding new toll roads in L.A.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

Officials are floating the idea of adding new toll roads to Los Angeles freeways.An anticipated study from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is expected to show that drivers should pay up if they want to enter certain freeways. Officials said such a program could help ease up traffic in the heavily congested region.Metro is considering the program called congestion pricing, which suggests motorists pay a fee on the highways. The cost could depend on how far a commuter drives, entry to certain neighborhoods or business districts.The next step would be seeking input from the public and use that feedback to help design a pilot project, come up with ways to give people better travel options and low-income assistance programs.In an independent report on the matter, the UCLA’s Institute of Transportation Studies estimated that 13% of households might be unduly burdened by freeway tolling in California due to low incomes and travel habits.Michael Manville of the ...

Restaurant patrons aren't feeling the love

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

Have restaurants fallen out of love with their customers? Could be, says the New York Times. But many eateries are trying to fix things."A plaintive cry is rising from America’s dining rooms: Can we get some service around here?" the newspaper reports."And not just any service. Diners say they crave a night out free from QR codes, waiters who don’t seem to care and menus designed to glorify the chef and attract influencers."In short, customers "want to feel like welcome guests again, wrapped in the kind of warm, competent hospitality they fantasized about while the pandemic took it all away."Sounds like somebody needs a hug.In any case, the Times says restaurant owners are taking the matter seriously."Some restaurant owners, even as they struggle to train a new generation of waiters, hosts and cooks, say they’re looking for ways to restore and even improve that essential piece of the experience," it reports."They’re retiring robot waiters, making dining rooms cozier and giving serve...

U.S. Census data reveals the largest racial group in Los Angeles County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

Newly released data from the U.S Census Bureau breaks down the largest racial groups for Los Angeles County and other places nationwide. The data, released Thursday, gives a more in-depth look at the 2020 Census data.Researchers found that Los Angeles County’s population is 10,014,009 and the largest racial group is Latino people. In total, there are more than 4 million Latino people in the county alone. For California, that number rises to over 15 million, according to the data.The data was divided into multiple categories, which include, health, race and ethnicity and education. These are the ‘best’ places to live in California, study says. See where L.A. ranks Here is a breakdown of the racial groups in L.A. County.American Indian and Alaska Native: 163,464Asian: 1,499,984Black or African American: 794,364Hispanic or Latino: 4,804,793Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 24,522White: 3,259,427According to the data, Latinos are also the largest racial group statewide. Six Cali...

NorCal baseball regionals: Santa Teresa’s code cracked as Stevenson advances

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

SAN JOSE — It wasn’t easy to crack Santa Teresa’s pitching code.For 34 consecutive innings, the Saints put only zeroes on the scoreboard, a run that included a 14-inning victory in the section semifinals and a shutout in a championship game.But the code was finally solved in a midday matinee on its home field in San Jose on Tuesday.And then Stevenson pounced.After tying the score 1-1 on a throwing error in the fifth, the visitors from Pebble Beach erupted for four runs in the sixth to win the first-round NorCal Division IV regional game 5-1.Stevenson, the seventh seed, advanced to play in the semifinals Thursday.Santa Teresa’s season ended at 17-14.“It’s tough,” Santa Teresa coach Patrick Hawk said. “They just grinded some at-bats. You thought one run was going to hold it. They were able to come up with a big hit with the bases loaded.”In a game that began at 11:05 a.m. to accommodate Santa Teresa’s 4 p.m. graduation at San Jose State — a ceremony that will include four baseba...

Sale closed in Hayward: $1.8 million for a four-bedroom home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

2615 Hillcrest Avenue – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 2600 block of Hillcrest Avenue in Hayward has new owners. The 3,013-square-foot property, built in 2011, was sold on May 1, 2023. The $1,762,500 purchase price works out to $585 per square foot. The property features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a garage as well as three parking spaces. The unit sits on a 0.3-acre lot.These nearby houses have also recently changed hands:In September 2022, a 2,450-square-foot home on Tribune Avenue in Hayward sold for $1,585,000, a price per square foot of $647. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,685-square-foot home on the 2600 block of Home Avenue in Hayward sold in April 2023, for $1,315,000, a price per square foot of $490. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Parkside Drive, Hayward, in August 2022, a 1,111-square-foot home was sold for $935,000, a price per square foot of $842. The home has 3 bedrooms and 1 bathrooms. 

Winchester Mystery House reveals plans for 100th anniversary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

It sounds like it’s going to be the Summer of Sarah — Winchester, that is — as her storied mansion in San Jose celebrates its 100th anniversary as a tourist attraction starting in June.A famously private person, Winchester — who died in 1922 after moving to San Jose in the 1880s — probably would have been annoyed by all the brouhaha about her sprawling, 161-room house, which she called Llanada Villa. Not to mention the millions of people who’ve stalked through the house in a century, chuckling at the “easy riser” stairs installed because of her diminutive stature, marveling at the “modern” technology touches like an elevator and admiring the gorgeous Victorian architecture and interior design. And if you got a chill visiting the seance room or were puzzled by the door opening out to a long drop? That’s just part of the experience.If you want to get an early jump on the celebration, the Winchester Mystery House’s...

Turtle rescued from BART tracks at Union City Station

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

(KRON) -- A turtle that somehow made its way into the track at the Union City BART Station last weekend was rescued and handed over to an animal welfare nonprofit, according to a tweet from BART. The turtle was spotted on Saturday by a train operator on the track.The operator alerted staff, and the station agent on duty was able to recover the turtle from the track. The agent housed the turtle in the station agent booth until members of the Ohlone Humane Society arrived to rescue the turtle. Mastodon mystery in Santa Cruz County: Ice Age tooth vanishes from beach "In my 27 years at BART, I can say, I never have heard of a turtle breach into the Right-of-Way," said the track supervisor, according to BART. "Most who heard about it were, well, shell-shocked."Photos accompanying the tweet showed the turtle visible on the track and on the floor of the agent booth in front of the lost and found drawer.