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  • 10 backcountry skiers missing after avalanche and 6 awaiting rescue, Nevada County sheriff says

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    10 backcountry skiers missing after avalanche and 6 awaiting rescue, Nevada County sheriff says

    WHERE THE NEWS COMES FIRST. LIVE FROM KCRA 3 NEWS. WE BEGIN WITH BREAKING NEWS. THAT BREAKING NEWS IS IN NEVADA COUNTY. 16 BACKCOUNTRY SKIERS INVOLVED IN A SIERRA AVALANCHE TODAY IN. THE SEARCH IS UNDERWAY RIGHT NOW FOR TEN WHO ARE STILL MISSING. 4.5 HOURS LATER, THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS THE AVALANCHE WAS REPORTED NEAR THE CASTLE PEAK AREA. THAT WAS AROUND 1130 THIS MORNING. DEPUTIES, THE SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM AND OTHER AGENCIES ARE ALL LOOKING FOR THOSE MISSING SKIERS. AT LEAST SIX OF THE 16 SURVIVED. THEY REMAIN AT THE AVALANCHE SITE. THE GROUP CONSISTED OF FOUR SKI GUIDES AND 12 CLIENTS. EARLIER IN THE DAY, THE SIERRA AVALANCHE CENTER ISSUED AN AVALANCHE WARNING FOR PARTS OF THAT AREA, AND THAT WARNING LASTS UNTIL TOMORROW MORNING. ALL RIGHT, LET’S GET TO CAPTAIN RUSSELL GREEN WITH THE NEVADA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE. WE HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS. HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS AVALANCHE? FIRST? WE WERE NOTIFIED BY THE COMPANY THAT WAS PROVIDING THE SKI TOURS, AS WELL AS SOME OTHER EMERGENCY BEACONS. THEY WERE ACTIVATED, SO THEY HAD BEACONS THAT WENT OFF. THE COMPANY NOTIFIED YOU. BUT IS THIS SOMETHING THAT NORMALLY HAPPENS IN A STORM LIKE THIS, WHERE BACKCOUNTRY SKIERS HEAD OUT WHEN WE HAVE ALL THIS FRESH POWDER ON THE GROUND? PEOPLE GO OUT AND USE THE BACKCOUNTRY AT ALL TIMES. WE ADVISE AGAINST IT, OBVIOUSLY, BUT I WOULDN’T SAY THAT IT’S UNCOMMON. NOT THAT IT WAS A WISE CHOICE, BUT SO FOR A COMPANY. I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND INDIVIDUALS WOULD DO THAT, BUT FOR A COMPANY TO TAKE A GROUP OF CLIENTS OUT IN THESE CONDITIONS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE WAS ALREADY A WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT? AGAIN, I DON’T THINK IT WAS A WISE CHOICE, BUT WE DON’T KNOW ALL THE DETAILS YET. SO PRELIMINARY. I WOULD SAY THAT WE DISCOURAGE IT. HOW THIS HAPPENED WILL BE DETERMINED. ALL RIGHT. SO LET’S TALK ABOUT THE OPERATION UNDERWAY. HIGHLY SKILLED RESCUE TEAMS ARE OUT THERE RIGHT NOW. 46 FIRST RESPONDERS ARE INVOLVED IN THE LAST UPDATE. YOU GUYS JUST PUT OUT. HOW ARE THEY REACHING THIS SITE AND WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS LIKE OUT THERE RIGHT NOW? WELL, RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, THE INTERSTATE IS CLOSED BECAUSE OF ZERO VISIBILITY. THEY’RE REACHING THE SITE. WE’RE SENDING RESCUE WORKERS IN FROM A COUPLE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS SO THAT WE CAN ATTEMPT TO GET IN THERE. IT’S GOING TO BE SLOW GOING. WE HAVE BROUGHT IN SNOWCATS. WE HAVE INDIVIDUALS ON SKIS. SO WE HAVE SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS THAT PEOPLE ARE ATTEMPTING TO GET IN THERE. IT’S JUST GOING TO BE A SLOW, TEDIOUS PROCESS BECAUSE THEY ALSO HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL ACCESSING THE AREA DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE AVALANCHE DANGER IS STILL VERY HIGH. SO YOU SAY ATTEMPTING AT THIS POINT. SO AT THIS POINT, THE RESCUERS, YOUR TEAMS, THEY HAVE NOT MADE IT OUT THERE. THEY’RE THEY’RE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING TO THE ACTUAL SITE. THEY’VE DEPLOYED. BUT YEAH, THEY HAVE NOT MADE IT TO THE AVALANCHE SITE YET. BUT YOU’RE YOU’RE IN CONTACT WITH THEM, I GUESS. I MEAN, THAT’S THE THING I’VE BEEN WORRIED ABOUT ALL DAY. CURTIS ESPECIALLY, IS THAT YOU GO OUT THERE, BUT NOW THESE RESCUE PEOPLE HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, GO OUT THERE AND TRY AND FIND YOU PUT THEMSELVES IN HARM’S WAY. AND THEY STILL HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO GET THERE. SO WE KNOW AT LEAST SIX PEOPLE SURVIVED, BUT THEY’RE STILL THERE BECAUSE THERE’S REALLY NO WAY FOR THEM TO COME OUT YET. RIGHT? RIGHT. THERE’S NO QUICK WAY FOR THEM TO COME OUT. SO THEY’RE HAVING TO WAIT. THEY’RE YOU KNOW, WE’RE AND LIKE I SAID, THEY HAVE EMERGENCY BEACONS. SOME OF THEM THAT COMMUNICATE, YOU KNOW, VIA TEXT. SO WE’RE IN CONTACT WITH THEM AND DOING OUR BEST TO GET IN THERE. AND I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT IS THE COMMUNICATION BEEN LIKE. WHAT ARE THEY TELLING YOU FROM OUT THERE WHERE THIS HAPPENED. THEY’RE DOING THEIR BEST. THEY HAVE TAKEN REFUGE IN A AN AREA. THEY HAVE MADE UP A MAKESHIFT, YOU KNOW, SHELTER WITH A TARP AND DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO TO SURVIVE AND WAIT FOR RESCUE. ALL RIGHT. WE DO KNOW WE HAD GUIDES WHO WERE ALONG. DO WE KNOW IF THE GUIDES WERE CAUGHT IN THE AVALANCHE, OR IF THE GUIDES ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SAFE AT THIS POINT? AND IT’S THE CUSTOMERS WHO ARE CAUGHT IN THE AVALANCHE AT THIS TIME. WE’RE IN THE PROCESS OF NOTIFYING THE FAMILY MEMBERS OF EVERYBODY INVOLVED. SO I DON’T WANT TO RELEASE THAT INFORMATION. WE DO KNOW THAT SOME OF THAT INFORMATION, BUT WE’RE NOT GOING TO RELEASE IT TO THE PUBLIC RIGHT YET. OKAY. DO YOU KNOW THE NAME OF THE COMPANY? I DO KNOW THE NAME OF THE COMPANY. THE COMPANY IS. I THINK IT’S BLACK BEAR. I’M SORRY. GIVE ME ONE SECOND. I DON’T HAVE THAT RIGHT. READILY AVAILABLE. I’M SORRY. OKAY, WELL, WE’LL CHECK IN WITH YOU AND WE’LL GET THAT A BIT LATER ON. BUT WE APPRECIATE THE INFORMATION AND WE’LL CHECK BACK IN WITH YOU THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT. BUT AS HE’S TELLING US, THEY’RE STILL WORKING TO GET OUT TO THE SCENE SOME 4.5 HOURS LATER, AFTER THIS AVALANCHE WAS FIRST REPORTED, LIKE YOU SAID, JUST NOT A GOOD IDEA TO GO OUT ON A DAY LIKE THIS BECAUSE NOT ONLY DO YOU INJURE YOURSELF, YOU KNOW, ENDANGERING THE PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO GET TO YOU AND RESCUE YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND YOUR EFFORTS IN TRYING TO GET TO THESE PEOPLE. THIS IS ACTUALLY THE SAME AREA. A SNOWMOBILER WAS FOUND DEAD LAST MONTH FOLLOWING ANOTHER AVALANCHE. 42 YEAR OLD CHRIS THOMASON OF OREGON WAS WITH FOUR OTHER PEOPLE NEAR JOHNSON AND CASTLE PEAKS WHEN THA

    10 backcountry skiers missing after avalanche and 6 awaiting rescue, Nevada County sheriff says

    Updated: 5:11 PM PST Feb 17, 2026

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    Ten backcountry skiers are missing after an avalanche and six more are awaiting rescue and are being told to shelter in place the best they can, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday. The group of 16 skiers was in the Castle Peak area when the sheriff’s office said it received a report of an avalanche around 11:30 a.m. The group was made up of four ski guides and 12 clients on a tour. Deputies and the sheriff’s office’s search and rescue team, along with the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Washoe County Search and Rescue, and Truckee Fire are searching for the missing skiers. There are 46 first responders involved in all. Those involved in the effort to rescue the six known survivors departed from Boreal Mountain Ski Resort and Tahoe Donner’s Alder Creek Adventure Center.A Sno-Cat team was also launched from Alder Creek Adventure Center, the sheriff’s office said. Capt. Russell Green with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said first responders were notified by the company that was providing the ski tour after the avalanche. “People go out and use the backcountry at all times,” he said. “We advise against it honestly, but I wouldn’t say that it’s uncommon, not that it was a wise choice.”Green said that those who are awaiting rescue have made a makeshift shelter with a tarp.Earlier in the day, the Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning for parts of the area, which includes Castle Peak. The warning is in effect through 4 a.m. Wednesday.The avalanche happened as a snowstorm continues to dump piles of snow in the area, leading to shutdown highways and multiple spinouts and crashes. Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn said that Soda Springs, near Castle Peak, has recorded up to 40 inches of snow so far since Monday.This is developing. Stay with KCRA 3 as we work to gather details on the avalanche and the search for the skiers.See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at kcra.com/upload.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    Ten backcountry skiers are missing after an avalanche and six more are awaiting rescue and are being told to shelter in place the best they can, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.

    The group of 16 skiers was in the Castle Peak area when the sheriff’s office said it received a report of an avalanche around 11:30 a.m. The group was made up of four ski guides and 12 clients on a tour.

    Deputies and the sheriff’s office’s search and rescue team, along with the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Washoe County Search and Rescue, and Truckee Fire are searching for the missing skiers. There are 46 first responders involved in all.

    Those involved in the effort to rescue the six known survivors departed from Boreal Mountain Ski Resort and Tahoe Donner’s Alder Creek Adventure Center.

    A Sno-Cat team was also launched from Alder Creek Adventure Center, the sheriff’s office said.

    Capt. Russell Green with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said first responders were notified by the company that was providing the ski tour after the avalanche.

    “People go out and use the backcountry at all times,” he said. “We advise against it honestly, but I wouldn’t say that it’s uncommon, not that it was a wise choice.”

    Green said that those who are awaiting rescue have made a makeshift shelter with a tarp.

    Earlier in the day, the Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning for parts of the area, which includes Castle Peak. The warning is in effect through 4 a.m. Wednesday.

    The avalanche happened as a snowstorm continues to dump piles of snow in the area, leading to shutdown highways and multiple spinouts and crashes. Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn said that Soda Springs, near Castle Peak, has recorded up to 40 inches of snow so far since Monday.

    This is developing. Stay with KCRA 3 as we work to gather details on the avalanche and the search for the skiers.

    See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at kcra.com/upload.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • Who abducted Nancy Guthrie? A week after abduction, few answers as search grows more desperate

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    A week after Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her Tucson home, investigators spent the weekend searching at least two residences as more details emerged about a ransom note.

    The frantic search comes as Nancy’s daughter, NBC News anchor Savannah Guthrie, issued a second video appeal to the kidnappers. Sources told The Times the ransom note felt credible because it included details about a specific damaged property and the placement of an accessory in the home.

    The Times has not reviewed the note, but sources said it sought millions of dollars for her return.

    On Saturday, Savannah Guthrie made a new video plea to the kidnappers of her mother, saying “we will pay” for her safe return.

    “We received your message, and we understand,” Guthrie said in the new video posted Saturday afternoon. She sat next to her brother and sister. “We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”

    Authorities were at Nancy Guthrie’s home again this weekend as well as at the property of another family member, sources said. They also removed Guthrie’s car from her home. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

    No one has been named as a person of interest or suspect.

    Guthrie was last seen by her family just after 9:45 p.m. last Saturday, which officials said matched with when her garage door opened and closed that night.

    About four hours later, at 1:47 a.m., officials said her doorbell camera disconnected. An empty frame for the camera had been previously noted at her home.

    Then at 2:12 a.m., the security camera software at Guthrie’s home detected a person — or an animal — on one of the home’s cameras, but Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said they have not been able to recover that footage and don’t know which camera recorded the movement.

    About 15 minutes later, at 2:28 a.m., Nancy’s pacemaker app shows a disconnect from the phone, Nanos said. That appears to be exactly when she left her home, as her phone was left behind.

    Her family went to check on her at home just before noon Sunday, after she hadn’t shown up for church. They found she was missing and almost immediately called 911, Nanos said.

    There has been no “proof of life” offered by the abductors, officials said several days ago. But Nanos said Thursday officials believed she was still alive.

    The letter, sent to TMZ and a local TV station in Tucson, contained a first deadline of 5 p.m. Thursday and a second demand with a Monday deadline, said Heith Janke, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix division. He declined to say what, if anything, was requested at each deadline, or whether there was a threat if the deadlines weren’t met.

    On Friday, the fifth day since Guthrie disappeared, Arizona news outlet KOLD reported it received a new note from the alleged abductor. The station did not report details from the new letter, but said that “the new note contains information the senders seem to think will prove to investigators they’re the same people who sent the first note.”

    Nancy Guthrie‘s children have been trying to publicly communicate with the abductors.

    Her son, Camron Guthrie, issued a video pleading with the kidnapper Thursday afternoon, around the time of the ransom letter’s first deadline.

    “Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you,” he said. “We haven’t heard anything directly. We need you to reach out and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward.”

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    Richard Winton, Grace Toohey

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  • Reddit looks to AI search as its next big opportunity | TechCrunch

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    Reddit suggested on Thursday that its AI-powered search engine could be the next big opportunity for its business — not just in terms of product, but also as a revenue driver impacting its bottom line. During the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Thursday, it offered an update on its plans to merge traditional and AI search together and hinted that although search is not yet monetized, “it’s an enormous market and opportunity.”

    In particular, the company believes that generative AI search will be “better for most queries.”

    “There’s a type of query we’re, I think, particularly good at — I would argue, the best on the internet — which is questions that have no answers, where the answer actually is multiple perspectives from lots of people,” said Reddit CEO Steve Huffman.

    Traditional search, meanwhile, is more like navigation — it’s a way to find the right link to a topic or subreddit. But LLMs can be good at this, too, if not better, he said. “So that’s the direction we’re going.”

    The exec also noted that weekly active users for search over the past year grew 30% from 60 million users to 80 million users. Meanwhile, the weekly active users for the AI-powered Reddit Answers grew from 1 million in the first quarter of 2025 to 15 million by the fourth quarter.

    “We’re seeing a lot of growth there, and I think there’s a lot of potential too,” Huffman added.

    Reddit said it’s working to modernize the AI answers interface by making its responses more media-rich, and pilots of this are already underway.

    The company is also thinking about how it can position itself when it’s not just a social site, but a place people come for answers. Reddit told investors on the call that it’s doing away with the distinction between logged-in and logged-out users starting in Q3 2026, as it will aim to personalize the site — using AI and machine learning — and make it relevant to whoever shows up.

    The company announced in 2025 it was planning to combine its AI search feature, Reddit Answers, with its traditional search engine to improve the experience for end users. In the fourth quarter, Reddit said it had made “significant progress” in unifying its core search and its AI feature. It also released five new languages on Reddit Answers and is piloting dynamic agents along with search results that include “media beyond text.”

    Though Reddit sees value in its AI answers, it’s not been keeping that to itself. The company’s content licensing business, which allows other companies to train their AI models on its data, is growing, too. That business revenue is reported as part of Reddit’s “other” revenues (i.e., its non-ad revenue). This “other” revenue increased by 8% year-over-year to reach $36 million in Q4 and was up 22% to reach $140 million for 2025.

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    Sarah Perez

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  • Man Hospitalized After Stabbing In Tigard; Police Search Area Near Railroad Tracks – KXL

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    A man was hospitalized with serious injuries after a stabbing in Tigard early Tuesday morning, prompting a large police search for a suspect in an area near railroad tracks and nearby encampments.

    Police received a 911 call reporting the stabbing at about 7:14 a.m. Investigators believe the incident occurred behind a row of businesses on Southwest Cascade Avenue, south of Southwest Scholls Ferry Road.

    The victim, a 33-year-old man, was taken by ambulance to a hospital. His injuries are believed to be serious, police said.

    Multiple officers responded to the scene, including a K-9 unit and drone operators. Police searched a marshy, wooded area near the railroad tracks for several hours. The area includes a creek and several encampments, which officers searched as part of the investigation.

    Police said thermal imaging from a drone was used to help guide search efforts through trees, brush, camps, debris and areas along the creek.

    One man in the area was briefly detained in connection with the investigation but was later released. No arrests have been made, and detectives are continuing to work to identify a suspect.

    Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Tigard Police tips line at 503-718-COPS or email [email protected].

    More about:

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    Jordan Vawter

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  • Search underway for missing 5-year-old in Alabama who is believed to be in danger

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    A search is underway in Alabama for a missing child who authorities believe is in danger.> > WATCH VIDEO OF THE SEARCH SCENE HERE:The Walker County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public to stop searching for a missing 5-year-old believed to be in danger because of explosives and booby traps found on the property in the area.Johnathan Everett Boley, 5, was last seen about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 7000 block of Highway 195 in Jasper. He was originally reported to be four years old, but the sheriff updated his age to five.Sheriff Nick Smith said the boy was living with his father, who reported him missing at about 1 p.m. The mother moved to Florida one year ago and the father is given five days each year for visitation. The child went missing during visitation, according to the sheriff.The boy weighs 50 pounds, has blond hair, blue eyes and was wearing a yellow Mickey Mouse shirt, black pants and “Paw Patrol” shoes, authorities said.Johnathan may be with the black Labrador Retriever seen in this photo. That dog is also missing.Explosives foundHis father was taken into custody after explosive devices were found on the property.Deputies were planning to execute a search warrant at the father’s home on Wednesday, but called off that search after finding what they called “unusual explosive devices” on the property.Authorities released photos of the explosives, described as pipe bombs, found on the property.The father is former military and neighbors said they have heard explosions for weeks.There was one reported Wednesday, but officials cannot confirm if that is connected to the missing child.The FBI explosives team is on the scene.The searchOfficials are still continuing the search. Agencies have been using drones and tracking dogs to search for the 5-year-old boy. A helicopter from Montgomery is also being used.Divers were brought in on Thursday to search some ponds around the house.The sheriff asked anyone with a doorbell camera or game camera to check their video to see if the child is on it.Anyone with information is asked to contact the Walker County Sheriff’s Office at 205-384-7218 or call 911.

    A search is underway in Alabama for a missing child who authorities believe is in danger.

    > > WATCH VIDEO OF THE SEARCH SCENE HERE:

    The Walker County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public to stop searching for a missing 5-year-old believed to be in danger because of explosives and booby traps found on the property in the area.

    Johnathan Everett Boley, 5, was last seen about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 7000 block of Highway 195 in Jasper. He was originally reported to be four years old, but the sheriff updated his age to five.

    Sheriff Nick Smith said the boy was living with his father, who reported him missing at about 1 p.m. The mother moved to Florida one year ago and the father is given five days each year for visitation. The child went missing during visitation, according to the sheriff.

    The boy weighs 50 pounds, has blond hair, blue eyes and was wearing a yellow Mickey Mouse shirt, black pants and “Paw Patrol” shoes, authorities said.

    Johnathan may be with the black Labrador Retriever seen in this photo. That dog is also missing.

    Walker County Sheriff’s Office

    Explosives found

    His father was taken into custody after explosive devices were found on the property.

    Deputies were planning to execute a search warrant at the father’s home on Wednesday, but called off that search after finding what they called “unusual explosive devices” on the property.

    Authorities released photos of the explosives, described as pipe bombs, found on the property.

    The father is former military and neighbors said they have heard explosions for weeks.

    There was one reported Wednesday, but officials cannot confirm if that is connected to the missing child.

    The FBI explosives team is on the scene.

    Officials are still continuing the search. Agencies have been using drones and tracking dogs to search for the 5-year-old boy. A helicopter from Montgomery is also being used.

    Divers were brought in on Thursday to search some ponds around the house.

    The sheriff asked anyone with a doorbell camera or game camera to check their video to see if the child is on it.

    Anyone with information is asked to contact the Walker County Sheriff’s Office at 205-384-7218 or call 911.

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  • Prominent Canadian Musician Says Gig Was Cancelled After Google AI Overview Wrongly Branded Him Sex Pest

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    Prominent Canadian fiddler Ashley MacIsaac says he was wrongly branded a convicted sex offender by Google’s AI Overview feature, leading concert organizers to cancel a gig last week. 

    Before we continue, I’ll need you to watch the music video for “Sleepy Maggie” by Ashley MacIsaac (with Scottish Gaelic vocals by Mary Jane Lamond). Not being from Canada where this song was a hit in 1995, I had never been treated to this sumptuous feast of 90s imagery and sounds before today, but that oversight has been corrected thanks to this news event. For best results, light up a clove cigarette before pushing play:

     

    Anyway, according to an article in The Globe and Mail on Tuesday, the guy in that video with the fiddle, Ashley MacIsaac, was preparing to perform at the Sipekne’katik First Nation community in central Nova Scotia when organizers suddenly backed out, apparently having read that MacIsaac had ghastly sounding convictions on his record for sexual assault and “internet luring.”

    It later emerged, MacIsaac says, that these organizers had seen a Google AI Overview result that had mixed up MacIsaac’s biography with some other, much more horrible, MacIsaac, also from eastern Canada. 

    You probably remember the controversy over the Google AI Overviews feature from back in 2024, when it debuted, and quickly became a joke after telling people to put glue on pizza and such. For my part, I gave the feature six months to improve before reviewing it, and found a number of bizarre error types it was still prone to making in what I believed were plausible simulations of real world use cases. Google told me at the time it still had “work to do on the quality side of things.”

    If MacIsaac’s characterization is right, it still does, and it really needs to not make mistakes like the one alleged here. There’s a choice quote in the Globe and Mail from Clifton van der Linden, an assistant professor at McMaster University who has researched AI misinformation. “We’re seeing a transition in search engines from information navigators to narrators,” he told the newspaper.

    AI Overviews are original snippets of text, sort of like chatbot answers made fresh to order when a term gets Searched on Google, and they’re derived from whatever Google can find online that seems to relate to the subject you’re searching. You never know how someone might phrase a search about you, because the possibilities are endless, and thus, you never know how the AI Overview might go wrong.

    MacIsaac wonders in the Globe and Mail piece if other people had Googled him, and seen similar results without telling him. He views this as a potential cause for concern, because he thinks he may have lost work, or gained an enemy who believed what they read and decided to cause him harm.

    For what it’s worth, Google spokesperson Wendy Manton told the Globe and Mail the following: “Search, including AI Overviews is dynamic and frequently changing to show the most helpful information. When issues arise – like if our features misinterpret web content or miss some context – we use those examples to improve our systems, and may take action under our policies.” That newspaper also says Google “amended search results for the musician.” 

    Also, a representative from the Sipekne’katik First Nation community told MacIsaac they “We deeply regret the harm this error caused to your reputation, your livelihood, and your sense of personal safety,” and told him he was welcome to perform there in the future, he says. The Globe and Mail didn’t hear back from Sipekne’katik First Nation when they requested a comment.

    This all sounds like a lot of trouble for a lot of people to go through over an apparent AI hallucination. But hey, at least I learned about “Sleepy Maggie.” 

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    Mike Pearl

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  • 2-year-old among 6 killed in Mexican Navy plane crash off Texas, officials say

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    A sixth person has been found dead after a Mexican Navy plane carrying medical patients crashed into the waters of Galveston Bay in Texas on Monday afternoon, leaving only two survivors and killing a 2-year-old child, the Mexican Navy said.The body of a final unaccounted-for victim was found Tuesday as search-and-rescue teams scoured the foggy bay waters for a second day, the agency said in a statement.Eight people were on board the plane – four Naval crew members and four civilians, the Mexican Navy confirmed. The plane had been transporting burn patients, Galveston County Sheriff Jimmy Fullen told KPRC.Two people who were recovered alive on Monday are in stable condition, the Mexican Navy said. One woman was pulled from the wreckage by a local man who waded into the water before first responders arrived, driven by instinct and his own experience as a plane crash survivor.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum offered her condolences to the families of the passengers and sailors onboard the plane at a news conference Tuesday.Sheinbaum said her government will investigate the cause of the crash, noting, “There were about 10 minutes during which communication with the aircraft was lost.”Officials had assumed the plane had landed, she said. It was only later that her government learned of the accident.“Until the black box is recovered and analyzed, it will not be possible to know the cause of the crash,” Sheinbaum said.The incident holds striking similarities to another plane crash earlier this year, in which an air ambulance carrying six Mexican nationals — including a child who came to the U.S. for critical medical treatment — careened into a Philadelphia neighborhood shortly after takeoff. The fiery crash left no survivors and engulfed homes and vehicles, killing a couple whose car went up in flames.Childhood crash survivor pulls a woman from the wreckageSky Decker, a local yacht captain and childhood plane crash survivor, told CNN he jumped in to rescue a woman trapped in the debris before divers had arrived on scene.“Everyone was just waiting for divers to arrive. And I thought if there’s a woman alive in that plane, she’s not going to be alive for long,” he told CNN. “It was critical to get her out of there.”Inside the wreckage, Decker found a woman who was surviving by breathing in a pocket of air just inches from the roof of the plane.“It was hard to believe that there could (be) any possibility that anybody could be alive in that wreckage,” Decker said on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper.”When he saw her inside, he said, “it was just unbelievable.”He went back through the debris and pulled out the body of a man who was already dead, he said.Decker, whose mother was Mexican, said he was initially the only person at the scene who could speak Spanish and console the surviving woman.Decker said he was tormented by dreams about plane crashes for years after he survived the crash of his father’s plane when he was 10 years old. He said the traumatic accident had a “huge impact” on him.“Oddly, it almost seems like it fits in with my life in some strange way,” he said of the crash.The woman he rescued is “doing much better,” Decker said. “I hope to meet with her at some point. I hope I can console her in some way.”The aircraft, a small twin turbo plane, took off from Mérida, the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán, and was headed for Galveston Scholes International Airport, which lies about 50 miles southeast of Houston, according to data from FlightRadar24.Mexico’s Navy said the plane was helping with a medical mission in coordination with the Michou and Mau Foundation, which provides emergency transports to children with life-threatening burns to Shriners Children’s hospital in Galveston, according to the nonprofit’s website.A statement from Mexico’s Navy shared on X said the plane had an “incident” during its approach to Galveston, but did not elaborate.NTSB launches an investigationThe National Transportation Safety Board has also opened an investigation into the crash.In a statement shared with CNN Tuesday, a spokesperson for the agency said the first step will be to recover the plane from Galveston Bay, “which could take a week or more to complete.”The investigation will focus on three areas, the agency said — the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment.Throughout the investigation, the agency will gather information, including recordings of any air traffic control communications, maintenance records and flight tracking data.Investigators will issue a preliminary report into their findings within 30 days of the incident, the spokesperson said.CNN also reached out to the FAA, which referred requests for comment to the US Coast Guard. In a statement following the crash, the Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston said the cause of the crash is under investigation.Foggy island coastline had ‘zero visibility,’ witness saysBilly Howell, who works at Galveston Bait and Tackle, told KTRK there was “literally zero visibility” at the time of the crash, adding it is not uncommon near the island, where foggy conditions can roll in within minutes.“As the sea fog goes and the wind blows and changes directions, the fog does get a lot more dense,” Howell said.When the Coast Guard received a report of the crash around 3:17 p.m., a blanket of fog and mist had reduced visibility to just a quarter mile near Galveston and Scholes Field, NOAA data shows.“It looked like it would be impossible for anybody to survive. The plane was almost completely underwater,” Decker told CNN.Wildly fluctuating fog conditions may also have complicated the search for the remaining person.Visibility remained very low Monday night as Coast Guard vessels, a dive team, crime scene unit, drones and police patrols scoured the area. During the search Tuesday, visibility ranged widely from about a quarter mile to up to 10 miles.Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are on scene assisting the investigation, the Texas Department of Safety said in a post on X.Mexico’s Navy said in a post on social media it extends “its deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident.” It said it is coordinating with the Mexican Consulate in Houston. CNN has reached out for more information.The Michou and Mau Foundation also said in a post on X, “We express our deepest solidarity with the families in light of these events. We share their grief with respect and compassion, honoring their memory and reaffirming our commitment to providing humane, sensitive, and dignified care to children with burns.”

    A sixth person has been found dead after a Mexican Navy plane carrying medical patients crashed into the waters of Galveston Bay in Texas on Monday afternoon, leaving only two survivors and killing a 2-year-old child, the Mexican Navy said.

    The body of a final unaccounted-for victim was found Tuesday as search-and-rescue teams scoured the foggy bay waters for a second day, the agency said in a statement.

    Eight people were on board the plane – four Naval crew members and four civilians, the Mexican Navy confirmed. The plane had been transporting burn patients, Galveston County Sheriff Jimmy Fullen told KPRC.

    Two people who were recovered alive on Monday are in stable condition, the Mexican Navy said. One woman was pulled from the wreckage by a local man who waded into the water before first responders arrived, driven by instinct and his own experience as a plane crash survivor.

    Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum offered her condolences to the families of the passengers and sailors onboard the plane at a news conference Tuesday.

    Sheinbaum said her government will investigate the cause of the crash, noting, “There were about 10 minutes during which communication with the aircraft was lost.”

    Officials had assumed the plane had landed, she said. It was only later that her government learned of the accident.

    “Until the black box is recovered and analyzed, it will not be possible to know the cause of the crash,” Sheinbaum said.

    The incident holds striking similarities to another plane crash earlier this year, in which an air ambulance carrying six Mexican nationals — including a child who came to the U.S. for critical medical treatment — careened into a Philadelphia neighborhood shortly after takeoff. The fiery crash left no survivors and engulfed homes and vehicles, killing a couple whose car went up in flames.

    Childhood crash survivor pulls a woman from the wreckage

    Sky Decker, a local yacht captain and childhood plane crash survivor, told CNN he jumped in to rescue a woman trapped in the debris before divers had arrived on scene.

    “Everyone was just waiting for divers to arrive. And I thought if there’s a woman alive in that plane, she’s not going to be alive for long,” he told CNN. “It was critical to get her out of there.”

    Inside the wreckage, Decker found a woman who was surviving by breathing in a pocket of air just inches from the roof of the plane.

    “It was hard to believe that there could (be) any possibility that anybody could be alive in that wreckage,” Decker said on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper.”

    When he saw her inside, he said, “it was just unbelievable.”

    He went back through the debris and pulled out the body of a man who was already dead, he said.

    Decker, whose mother was Mexican, said he was initially the only person at the scene who could speak Spanish and console the surviving woman.

    Decker said he was tormented by dreams about plane crashes for years after he survived the crash of his father’s plane when he was 10 years old. He said the traumatic accident had a “huge impact” on him.

    “Oddly, it almost seems like it fits in with my life in some strange way,” he said of the crash.

    The woman he rescued is “doing much better,” Decker said. “I hope to meet with her at some point. I hope I can console her in some way.”

    The aircraft, a small twin turbo plane, took off from Mérida, the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán, and was headed for Galveston Scholes International Airport, which lies about 50 miles southeast of Houston, according to data from FlightRadar24.

    Mexico’s Navy said the plane was helping with a medical mission in coordination with the Michou and Mau Foundation, which provides emergency transports to children with life-threatening burns to Shriners Children’s hospital in Galveston, according to the nonprofit’s website.

    A statement from Mexico’s Navy shared on X said the plane had an “incident” during its approach to Galveston, but did not elaborate.

    NTSB launches an investigation

    The National Transportation Safety Board has also opened an investigation into the crash.

    In a statement shared with CNN Tuesday, a spokesperson for the agency said the first step will be to recover the plane from Galveston Bay, “which could take a week or more to complete.”

    The investigation will focus on three areas, the agency said — the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment.

    Throughout the investigation, the agency will gather information, including recordings of any air traffic control communications, maintenance records and flight tracking data.

    Investigators will issue a preliminary report into their findings within 30 days of the incident, the spokesperson said.

    CNN also reached out to the FAA, which referred requests for comment to the US Coast Guard. In a statement following the crash, the Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston said the cause of the crash is under investigation.

    Foggy island coastline had ‘zero visibility,’ witness says

    Billy Howell, who works at Galveston Bait and Tackle, told KTRK there was “literally zero visibility” at the time of the crash, adding it is not uncommon near the island, where foggy conditions can roll in within minutes.

    “As the sea fog goes and the wind blows and changes directions, the fog does get a lot more dense,” Howell said.

    When the Coast Guard received a report of the crash around 3:17 p.m., a blanket of fog and mist had reduced visibility to just a quarter mile near Galveston and Scholes Field, NOAA data shows.

    “It looked like it would be impossible for anybody to survive. The plane was almost completely underwater,” Decker told CNN.

    Wildly fluctuating fog conditions may also have complicated the search for the remaining person.

    Visibility remained very low Monday night as Coast Guard vessels, a dive team, crime scene unit, drones and police patrols scoured the area. During the search Tuesday, visibility ranged widely from about a quarter mile to up to 10 miles.

    Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are on scene assisting the investigation, the Texas Department of Safety said in a post on X.

    Mexico’s Navy said in a post on social media it extends “its deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident.” It said it is coordinating with the Mexican Consulate in Houston. CNN has reached out for more information.

    The Michou and Mau Foundation also said in a post on X, “We express our deepest solidarity with the families in light of these events. We share their grief with respect and compassion, honoring their memory and reaffirming our commitment to providing humane, sensitive, and dignified care to children with burns.”

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  • Black Friday Broke Records. The Real Story Is How AI Changed the Way We Shop

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    If you only looked at the numbers, you’d think Black Friday was business as usual—just bigger. And, to be clear, it was definitely bigger. Adobe, which tracks more than a trillion retail site visits across 18 categories, says consumers spent a record $11.8 billion online yesterday, up 9.1 percent from last year and even above the company’s own forecast. Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Adobe says shoppers spent $12.5 million every minute.

    By any metric, that’s a massive number of people shopping for deals. It’s a record for Black Friday sales online, but if you look a little closer, you realize it’s also a massive number of people shopping in very different ways than they used to.

    Black Friday has already changed quite a bit in the past few years. What was once a single day defined by incredible deals and lines outside big-box stores has stretched into a weeks-long digital shopping season. And, let’s be honest, people aren’t camping outside a Target anymore; they’re sitting on their couch, scrolling their phones.

    The AI holiday

    The most interesting part of the story is how things have shifted even more this year. Adobe’s data shows that AI-generated traffic to retail sites jumped 805 percent year-over-year. Not only are people using AI tools to find deals and compare products, but shoppers who landed on a site from an AI assistant were 38 percent more likely to convert than everyone else.

    That’s surprising, and yet, it makes perfect sense.

    One of the things AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are good at is instantly surfacing the best price across half a dozen retailers. This year, there were plenty of headline features: electronics, toys, apparel, TVs, and appliances were discounted between 24 and 30 percent. AI tools just made it easier to find them.

    And those deals didn’t just convince people to buy more. Adobe says that people spent more on higher-end items. The share of units sold from the most expensive tier of products spiked: 64 percent in electronics, 55 percent in sporting goods, 48 percent in appliances. With the right combination of discounts and AI-assisted shopping comparison, people weren’t just looking for deals—they were looking for the best value.

    Mobile continued to dominate

    Depending on the hour, around 55 percent of online Black Friday sales happened on a phone—$6.5 billion worth. That’s up 10 percent from last year and represents billions of dollars processed through screens smaller than a wallet.

    Mobile phones reward frictionless experiences. And it turns out, AI is very good at removing friction. When the easiest way to shop is to ask ChatGPT for a recommendation and the best deal, it changes the way retailers have to think about Black Friday.

    Not only that, but the timeline seems to have shifted. Adobe says one of the biggest spikes happened from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Shopping habits shifted toward the times when people are already using their phones. You don’t need to wait for a sale to “start” when an AI assistant can surface the best price the moment it exists.

    Adobe expects U.S. consumers to spend more than $250 billion online this holiday season, with Cyber Monday alone projected to hit $14.2 billion. But the part worth paying attention to isn’t the total—it’s how we got there.

    Shoppers are trusting AI to do the busywork and find them the best value. For a shopping event that used to be all about physical stores, that’s a significant shift that retailers have to pay attention to.

    The challenge is that they no longer control the narrative—the AI assistant does.

    The lesson here may not seem obvious, but the reality is that retailers need to redefine what loyalty means when more shoppers start their journey with an AI prompt instead of walking into a store or pulling up your website.

    When an assistant compares every retailer at once, being “top of mind” matters far less than being the lowest-friction, highest-confidence option in that moment. That means loyalty isn’t something you win with flashy ads or homepage banners—it’s something you earn through the operational details an AI actually cares about. 

    Black Friday broke spending records. But the more interesting record is the one you might overlook: how many of those purchases started with someone typing a question into an AI instead of typing a URL into a browser.

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

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    Jason Aten

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  • Stockton diver searches for missing Army specialist swept out to sea near Big Sur

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    DURING THE HOLIDAYS. TONIGHT, THE SEARCH FOR A MAN WHO FELL INTO THE WATER ALONG THE RUGGED BIG SUR COAST HAS BEEN SUSPENDED. BUT A VOLUNTEER DIVER FROM STOCKTON IS REFUSING TO GIVE UP UNTIL HE IS FOUND. HERE’S FELIX CORTEZ. OUR FIRST LOOK AT ARMY SPECIALIST AMON, WHO WAS SWEPT OUT TO SEA SATURDAY AFTERNOON. AT SOME POINT NEAR GARRAPATA STATE PARK. THE 35 YEAR OLD, PICTURED HERE WITH HIS NEPHEW, WAS A STUDENT WHO LEAVES BEHIND A WIFE. THEY ONLY THINK ABOUT GETTING HIM BACK. THEY ALREADY PASSED UP. THE STAGE. THAT OKAY, HE’S DEAD. NO. THEN THAT STAGE THAT I WANT CLOSURE. I WANT MY BROTHER. I WANT MY HUSBAND BACK. THAT’S WHY IT’S. I MEAN, FOR THAT REASON, TO BRING CLOSURE TO THE FAMILY. VOLUNTEER DIVER. ONE HEAD OF THE NONPROFIT ANGELS RECOVERY DIVE TEAM HOPING TO BRING THAT CLOSURE. HE JOINED COUNTY AND STATE DIVE TEAMS AS THEY ENTERED THE WATER FOR ONLY THE SECOND TIME SINCE TINY WAS SWEPT OFF THE ROCKS INTO THE OCEAN. HE WOULD BE RECOVERED. HE WOULD BE, YEAH, THAT’S FOR SURE. I’M GOING TO STAY TOMORROW. I’M GOING TO DIVE AGAIN. AND. AND COMING BACK FRIDAY AGAIN. AND IF THEY HAD TO COME SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, I WILL BE HERE. HE WILL BE FOUND FOR SURE. HEREDIA IS THE SAME DIVER WHO LOCATED THE BODY OF A SEVEN YEAR OLD CANADIAN GIRL WHO WAS SWEPT OUT TO SEA JUST A WEEK EARLIER, NOT FAR FROM WHERE THE ARMY SPECIALIST WENT IN. THE GIRL’S FATHER ALSO DROWNED. AS VACATIONERS COME IN FOR THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. A WARNING TO BEACHGOERS. RESPECT THE OCEAN. DON’T TURN YOUR BACK ON IT AND OBEY ALL SIGNS AND WARNINGS. EVERYWHERE WE GO, EVERY SIGN THAT SAYS, DON’T GO THERE, YOU DON’T GO THERE. YOU DON’T GO ON THE ROCKS. YOU DON’T GO WHERE THERE’S DANGER BECAUSE THERE’S JUST TOO MUCH RISK. YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING TO BE OKAY? IT LOOKS OKAY. AND THEN THEY GET WET AND YOU FALL. THAT WAS FELIX CORTEZ REPORT

    Stockton diver searches for missing Army specialist swept out to sea near Big Sur

    Updated: 10:45 PM PST Nov 27, 2025

    Editorial Standards

    The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has suspended its search efforts for Army Specialist Amanpreet Thind, who was swept out to sea Saturday afternoon at Soberanes Point near Garrapata State Park, after four days of searching from the air, water, and along the rugged Big Sur coast.Despite the suspension, resources will remain on standby should there be any sign of the missing man. Volunteer diver Juan Heredia, from the non-profit Angels Recovery Dive Team, is determined to continue searching until Thind is found. Thind, a 35-year-old DLI student, leaves behind a wife and was last seen with his nephew. Heredia said, “They only think about getting him back. They already pass that stage that, okay, he’s dead, now they’re in that stage that I want closure, I want my brother, I want my husband back, I’m diving for that reason to bring that closure to the family.”Heredia joined county and state dive teams as they entered the water for only the second time since Thind was swept off rocks into the ocean. “He will be recovered, he will be. Yeah, that’s for sure. I’m going to say tomorrow and dive again, and coming back Friday again. And if I have to come Saturday and Sunday, I will be here. He will be found for sure,” Heredia said.Heredia previously located the body of a 7-year-old Canadian girl who was swept out to sea just a week earlier near the same area. The girl’s father also drowned. As vacationers arrive for the holiday weekend, there is a warning to beachgoers to respect the ocean, not turn their back on it, and obey all signs and warnings. A concerned mother, Connie Riley, advised, “Everywhere we go, every sign that says don’t go there, you don’t go there, you don’t go in the rocks. You don’t go where there’s danger because there’s just too much risk. You think you’re going to be okay. It looks okay. And then they get wet and you fall.”The family of Thind will continue to search from the shore at Garrapata State Park, while Heredia plans to dive as long as water conditions allow.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has suspended its search efforts for Army Specialist Amanpreet Thind, who was swept out to sea Saturday afternoon at Soberanes Point near Garrapata State Park, after four days of searching from the air, water, and along the rugged Big Sur coast.

    Despite the suspension, resources will remain on standby should there be any sign of the missing man.

    Volunteer diver Juan Heredia, from the non-profit Angels Recovery Dive Team, is determined to continue searching until Thind is found.

    Thind, a 35-year-old DLI student, leaves behind a wife and was last seen with his nephew.

    Heredia said, “They only think about getting him back. They already pass that stage that, okay, he’s dead, now they’re in that stage that I want closure, I want my brother, I want my husband back, I’m diving for that reason to bring that closure to the family.”

    Heredia joined county and state dive teams as they entered the water for only the second time since Thind was swept off rocks into the ocean.

    “He will be recovered, he will be. Yeah, that’s for sure. I’m going to say tomorrow and dive again, and coming back Friday again. And if I have to come Saturday and Sunday, I will be here. He will be found for sure,” Heredia said.

    Heredia previously located the body of a 7-year-old Canadian girl who was swept out to sea just a week earlier near the same area. The girl’s father also drowned.

    As vacationers arrive for the holiday weekend, there is a warning to beachgoers to respect the ocean, not turn their back on it, and obey all signs and warnings.

    A concerned mother, Connie Riley, advised, “Everywhere we go, every sign that says don’t go there, you don’t go there, you don’t go in the rocks. You don’t go where there’s danger because there’s just too much risk. You think you’re going to be okay. It looks okay. And then they get wet and you fall.”

    The family of Thind will continue to search from the shore at Garrapata State Park, while Heredia plans to dive as long as water conditions allow.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • Gemini 3 Is Here—and Google Says It Will Make Search Smarter

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    Google has introduced Gemini 3, its smartest artificial intelligence model to date, with cutting-edge reasoning, multimedia, and coding skills. As talk of an AI bubble grows, the company is keen to stress that its latest release is more than just a clever model and chatbot—it’s a way of improving Google’s existing products, including its lucrative search business, starting today.

    “We are the engine room of Google, and we’re plugging in AI everywhere now,” Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, an AI-focused subsidiary of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, told WIRED in an interview ahead of the announcement.

    Hassabis admits that the AI market appears inflated, with a number of unproven startups receiving multibillion-dollar valuations. Google and other AI firms are also investing billions in building out new data centers to train and run AI models, sparking fears of a potential crash.

    But even if the AI bubble bursts, Hassabis thinks Google is insulated. The company is already using AI to enhance products like Google Maps, Gmail, and Search. “In the downside scenario, we will lean more on that,” Hassabis says. “In the upside scenario, I think we’ve got the broadest portfolio and the most pioneering research.”

    Google is also using AI to build popular new tools like NotebookLM, which can auto-generate podcasts from written materials, and AI Studio which can prototype applications with AI. It’s even exploring embedding the technology into areas like gaming and robotics, which Hassabis says could pay huge dividends in years to come, regardless of what happens in the wider market.

    Google is making Gemini 3 available today through the Gemini app and in AI Overviews, a Google Search feature that synthesizes information alongside regular search results. In demos, the company showed that some Google queries, like a request for information about the three-body problem in physics, will prompt Gemini 3 to automatically generate a custom interactive visualization on the fly.

    Robby Stein, vice president of product for Google Search, said at a briefing ahead of the launch that the company has seen “double-digit” increases in queries phrased in natural language, which are most likely targeted at AI Overviews, year over year. The company has also seen a 70 percent spike in visual search, which relies on Gemini’s ability to analyze photos.

    Despite investing heavily in AI and making key breakthroughs, including inventing the transformer model that powers most large language models, Google was shaken by the sudden rise of ChatGPT in 2022. The chatbot not only vaulted OpenAI to center stage when it came to AI research; it also challenged Google’s core business by offering a new and potentially easier way to search the web.

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    Will Knight

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  • 2 Massachusetts men arrested in explosion on Harvard University medical campus

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    Two men were arrested in connection with an explosion on Harvard University’s Longwood Medical Campus, federal officials said Tuesday. The explosion happened Saturday just before 3 a.m. on the fourth floor of Harvard’s Goldenson Building, which is on the university’s medical campus.Special agents and officers with the FBI Boston’s Joint Terrorism Task force and Harvard University Police Department arrested the Massachusetts men, who were not identified. A news conference is planned for 1 p.m.There was no structural damage to the building in the aftermath, and all labs and equipment remained fully operational. “It’s a shame that people do things like that,” said Boston police commissioner Michael Cox. “I’m pretty confident we will hold people accountable for that.”University police released photos of two suspects in the explosion, saying that the two were seen running from the building when police arrived at the scene.Cleaning crews were at the site of the explosion on Sunday, ensuring everything was cleared and fully operational. A sweep of the building was done, and no additional devices were found.”I haven’t heard anything like that going on here, so to hear that is wild,” said student Therese Lipscombe. “Big-name people are going to listen. So whatever their motive was, I’m sure they thought people were going to hear about it.””I do feel like this is a safe area. There’s a hospital nearby and a school, and just a lot of people in general,” said Lindsey Birmingham, who works nearby. “So I usually feel safe. I think I do still feel safe, but it definitely raises a lot of questions and alarms.”A person who lives nearby says they heard two explosions about five minutes apart.No one was injured in the incident.There will be an increased police presence at Harvard’s Longwood campus as officials continue to investigate. There is no threat to the public.

    Two men were arrested in connection with an explosion on Harvard University’s Longwood Medical Campus, federal officials said Tuesday.

    The explosion happened Saturday just before 3 a.m. on the fourth floor of Harvard’s Goldenson Building, which is on the university’s medical campus.

    Special agents and officers with the FBI Boston’s Joint Terrorism Task force and Harvard University Police Department arrested the Massachusetts men, who were not identified.

    A news conference is planned for 1 p.m.

    There was no structural damage to the building in the aftermath, and all labs and equipment remained fully operational.

    “It’s a shame that people do things like that,” said Boston police commissioner Michael Cox. “I’m pretty confident we will hold people accountable for that.”

    University police released photos of two suspects in the explosion, saying that the two were seen running from the building when police arrived at the scene.

    Hearst OwnedHarvard University

    Cleaning crews were at the site of the explosion on Sunday, ensuring everything was cleared and fully operational. A sweep of the building was done, and no additional devices were found.

    “I haven’t heard anything like that going on here, so to hear that is wild,” said student Therese Lipscombe. “Big-name people are going to listen. So whatever their motive was, I’m sure they thought people were going to hear about it.”

    “I do feel like this is a safe area. There’s a hospital nearby and a school, and just a lot of people in general,” said Lindsey Birmingham, who works nearby. “So I usually feel safe. I think I do still feel safe, but it definitely raises a lot of questions and alarms.”

    A person who lives nearby says they heard two explosions about five minutes apart.

    No one was injured in the incident.

    There will be an increased police presence at Harvard’s Longwood campus as officials continue to investigate. There is no threat to the public.

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  • FBI searches Melodee Buzzard’s home in case of the missing Santa Barbara girl

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    The search for 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard took a new turn on Thursday when the FBI searched the girl’s Santa Barbara County home weeks after she was reported missing.

    Detectives escorted the girl’s mother, Ashlee Buzzard, off the property to another location “that would not interfere with their ability to conduct a thorough search,” the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said.

    Along with the search at the home in the 500 block of Mars Avenue, authorities also searched a storage locker and the rental car that the girl was last seen in. Authorities said Melodee was missing on Oct. 14 after a prolonged absence from her school. Officials believe she was last seen as recently as Oct. 7 and may have been driven to Nebraska by her mother, the Sheriff’s Office said.

    Sheriff’s detectives and FBI agents served a search warrant at the Buzzard home where a makeshift memorial on the sidewalk includes a picture of the curly haired girl.

    “We appreciate the FBI’s assistance in today’s searches,” Lt. Chris Gotschall from the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “In cases like this, every detail matters and it is invaluable to have additional resources and specialized expertise. Collaboration with our federal partners allows us to ensure we’re using every available tool to help bring resolution to this case.”

    The Lompoc School District contacted the Sheriff’s Office to report the girl’s prolonged absence from her independent study program Oct. 14. Authorities then visited her home that day, but Melodee was nowhere to be seen and Buzzard refused to cooperate with their investigation, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

    Relatives on the girl’s father’s side of the family said they have not seen the girl in years.

    “She hasn’t let us see her for a few years,” Melodee’s aunt Bridgett Truitt told local news station KEYT. “And all of us have tried. But we never stopped thinking about her or loving her or praying for her.”

    Local authorities were unable to confirm any sightings of the girl within the last year. The FBI joined the investigation four days after her school district reported her absence.

    Melodee is described as 4 feet 6 inches tall, weighing about 60 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

    Staff writer Clara Harter contributed to this report.

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    Nathan Solis

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  • Everyone Said AI Would Kill Google. Its First-Ever $100 Billion Quarter Just Proved Them Wrong

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    Every story about Google starts and ends with search. It makes sense—Google is a search engine. It’s not only the company’s most important and profitable business, but it’s the thing that has defined the internet for two decades.

    But for most of the past two years, the biggest story about Google has been that artificial intelligence would, inevitably, make search obsolete. People would stop “Googling” things because AI chatbots could just tell them the answers. Search—the company’s $200-billion-a-year cash cow—was supposed to be doomed.

    On the one hand, the idea that people would no longer type queries into Google’s search box and then click on the blue links that show up on results pages was a doomsday scenario. And AI chatbots certainly made that look increasingly likely.

    Then again, that story always assumed Google would sit still while the world around it changed. It assumed the company that practically invented the modern internet—or at least the way most of us experience it—wouldn’t figure out how to adapt.

    On Wednesday, Alphabet, Google’s parent company, reported its first-ever $100 billion quarter. Revenue rose 16 percent to $102.3 billion. Net income jumped 33 percent to $34.98 billion. Those are not the numbers of a company whose main business is being disrupted. It’s more like the numbers of a company that’s quietly figuring out how to change with the behavior of its users.

    Google Search and YouTube each grew at a double-digit pace. “Google Search & other” revenue climbed 15 percent to $56.6 billion. YouTube ads rose 15 percent to $10.3 billion. Combined, Google’s advertising machine brought in more than $74 billion for the quarter. Not only that, but its cloud business grew by 35 percent over the previous year. That leads to the most interesting part of this story, which is the part about how Google is spending all that money.

    As it announced its earnings, Google said it would raise its capital expenditures, specifically as it invests in infrastructure to serve its cloud businesses. That’s the part of the business that powers its AI ambitions. Google made more money than ever from search, and it’s spending that money on AI.

    Training and running massive models requires staggering amounts of computing power. But that’s exactly where Google’s advantage lies—it already owns what is probably the largest global computing infrastructure ever built.

    Now, it’s doubling down. Alphabet expects to spend $91 billion to $93 billion in capital expenditures this year—mostly on data centers, networking, and custom chips designed for AI workloads. That’s up sharply from last year and puts Google in the same spending league as Amazon and Microsoft.

    And even with those huge investments, Alphabet’s operating margin—excluding a $3.5 billion European Commission fine—rose to 33.9 percent. In other words, it’s spending tens of billions to expand AI capacity while remaining one of the most profitable companies on the planet.

    Google’s strategy isn’t just about protecting search ads. It’s about using the strength of that business to fund a transformation into something bigger: the dominant AI platform.

    That’s still a big lift. Yes, Google is a household name, but it’s still behind in AI—at least in terms of consumer mindshare. OpenAI’s ChatGPT is the front-runner in terms of customer adoption, but Google has almost every other advantage. It has the technology, the infrastructure, and a built-in user base that already trusts it as the default source of information.

    And because Google controls so many layers of the stack—hardware, data centers, models, and consumer products—it can absorb the cost of AI adoption in a way startups and rivals can’t. It doesn’t have to rent the future on someone else’s platform; it’s already building it.

    Now, Google is doing something very few companies have ever pulled off: funding its own disruption without losing momentum. Search and YouTube are still massive profit engines, generating the cash Google needs to build the infrastructure for AI. Basically, Google doesn’t really care whether you type your queries into a search box or a chatbot window, as long as you keep asking it your questions.

    For all the hype about AI replacing search, this quarter makes one thing clear: Google’s biggest business isn’t dying. It’s evolving into something that could be far more lucrative. If the company’s $93 billion AI spending spree pays off the way Pichai expects, Google might have just figured out a better end of the story than search.

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

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    Jason Aten

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  • Oregon City Man Arrested In Girlfriend’s Murder; Teen Son Also Charged, Second Son Sought – KXL

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    OREGON CITY, Ore. — Detectives from the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and the Oregon City Police Department have arrested an Oregon City man accused of killing his girlfriend earlier this year and disposing of her body in the Mount Hood National Forest.

    William Glen Blake, 56, was taken into custody Thursday, Oct. 23, on charges of second-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, unlawful use of a weapon, and tampering with evidence, according to a joint statement from the two agencies.

    Jennifer Ruth Stuart, via Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office

    Investigators believe Blake killed his girlfriend, Jennifer Ruth Stuart, on Aug. 15, 2025, during an argument at the couple’s home in the 600 block of Hilltop Lane in Oregon City. Stuart’s body was found more than two weeks later, on Sept. 1, in a remote area of the Mount Hood National Forest off Forest Service Road 45 near South Hillockburn Road in unincorporated Clackamas County.

    Two Sons Implicated

    Detectives also arrested Blake’s 15-year-old son, accusing him of helping to move Stuart’s remains after her death. The teen was taken to the Clackamas County Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center, where he faces charges of second-degree abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence.

    Authorities are still searching for Blake’s 17-year-old son, Austin Michael Blake, who they believe may be connected to the case. Investigators are also looking for a 2002 red and gray Chevy Avalanche pickup truck with Texas license plates TFN3197.

    Public Asked to Help Locate Teen, Vehicle

    Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Austin Blake or the Chevy Avalanche is urged to contact the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at 503-723-4949. Tips can also be submitted online via the “Submit A Tip” form on the sheriff’s office website or through the ClackCo Sheriff mobile app.
    Please reference case number CCSO 25-018448.

    More about:

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    Jordan Vawter

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  • Police investigating the disappearance of a Philadelphia woman say a tip led them to shallow grave

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    Two weeks after a 23-year-old Philadelphia woman went missing, human remains belonging to an unidentified female have been found in a shallow grave in a heavily wooded area behind an abandoned school, police say.The remains are now in the care of the medical examiner’s office, which is responsible for determining whether they belong to Kada Scott, Philadelphia Police First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford said at a news conference Saturday, CNN affiliate WPVI reported.On Tuesday night, a man was arrested and charged with Scott’s kidnapping — as well as the kidnapping of another woman earlier this year in what police call part of a “pattern.”Suspect Keon King, 21, also faces a charge of recklessly endangering another person and use of a communication facility, meaning his phone, in the disappearance of Scott, who was last seen at her workplace on the night of Oct. 4, prosecutors said.Tracking phone communications led police to King, Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski said at a news conference Wednesday morning.”Mr. King is the last person, we believe, to be in contact with her and that he was in contact with her when she went offline,” Toczylowski said.The remains were found after a “very specific” anonymous tip was received overnight and were removed from the scene by late afternoon, Stanford said. The remains indicate the person has been deceased “for some time,” he added.Police had previously searched the area around the abandoned school after receiving an earlier tip and found at least two of Scott’s belongings, but her body was not discovered at that time, according to CNN affiliate KYW.”When you know that you’re looking for something but don’t know where someone hid it, it’s not that easy,” Stanford said.”I know sometimes it seems like the information is not coming fast enough, but we have a job to Miss Scott, we have a job to her family, if this is confirmed that this is her, to ensure that we are doing everything in the proper way to make sure that the individuals are held accountable.”Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said in a statement on Saturday the city is supporting Scott’s family in any way possible.”There are no words that I can employ to remove the unimaginable pain and turmoil that the family of Kada Scott is experiencing with the tragic loss of their beloved daughter, sister, and loved one,” Parker said. “I Pray that God will give the family a certain peace that passes all understanding to meet this moment.”Scott’s mother, Kim Matthews, had told CNN affiliate WPVI last week she just wanted her daughter to come home.”It’s been horrible,” Matthews said. “I just need her to come home and be safe. That’s what I fear — she’s not safe.”What police know about Scott’s suspected kidnapperWhen the district attorney’s office joined the investigation into Scott’s kidnapping, prosecutors learned King was charged earlier this year in a case involving accusations of strangulation and kidnapping, Toczylowski said.In that case, King allegedly kidnapped a woman in front of her house, threw her in a car, assaulted her and eventually let her out of the car, Toczylowski said. The case is “domestic in nature” as King and the victim knew each other, she added.Charges in that case were withdrawn by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office in May because a witness failed to appear in court, Toczylowski said. The office has refiled those charges and King is expected to face preliminary hearings in both kidnapping cases in the coming months, she said.Video evidence from the alleged incident earlier this year will be played at the preliminary hearing, according to Toczylowski.CNN is working to determine whether King has retained an attorney.”He’s being really charged with two cases today,” Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said Wednesday.”This is a pattern of behavior,” Vanore added.The Philadelphia Police Department’s homicide division is leading the investigation into Scott’s disappearance with assistance from the FBI’s Violent Crime Task Force.Tips from the public lead investigators to key evidenceScott’s family has been desperately waiting for answers and urging anyone with information relating to the case to come forward.”You never know what little, small, minuscule information may apply to the big picture, the puzzle that might get Kada home,” her father, Kevin Scott, told WPVI last week.During Wednesday’s news conference, police asked for the public’s help in locating a gold 1999 Toyota Camry believed to be linked to King. The same afternoon, they received a tip that led them to the car in an apartment complex parking lot, WPVI reported.Authorities believe Scott may have been in the car at some point. The vehicle has been tracked in multiple locations across the city, officials said Wednesday. The car will be searched after authorities obtain a search warrant, WPVI reported.Before her disappearance, Scott was in contact with King, who met with her shortly after she left her workplace, police said, citing video and digital evidence. She left her car at work about 20 minutes after she first arrived there and disconnected thereafter, authorities said.”We need to find Ms. Scott, figure out where she is, what may have happened to her to cause her to completely disappear from all her items, her phone, her Instagram, social media sites and everywhere else,” Vanore said.What relationship King and Scott had and how long they knew each other is under investigation, Toczylowski said.”Obviously, they had a connection. They’re going back and forth and they’ve known each other for a short time but I don’t know how long,” Vanore said.Authorities have been tracking several phone numbers involved in Scott’s case and investigating whether any other individuals were involved with the kidnapping. “All roads at this point lead to” King and “that’s what we’re hoping leads us to” Scott, Toczylowski said.

    Two weeks after a 23-year-old Philadelphia woman went missing, human remains belonging to an unidentified female have been found in a shallow grave in a heavily wooded area behind an abandoned school, police say.

    The remains are now in the care of the medical examiner’s office, which is responsible for determining whether they belong to Kada Scott, Philadelphia Police First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford said at a news conference Saturday, CNN affiliate WPVI reported.

    On Tuesday night, a man was arrested and charged with Scott’s kidnapping — as well as the kidnapping of another woman earlier this year in what police call part of a “pattern.”

    Suspect Keon King, 21, also faces a charge of recklessly endangering another person and use of a communication facility, meaning his phone, in the disappearance of Scott, who was last seen at her workplace on the night of Oct. 4, prosecutors said.

    Tracking phone communications led police to King, Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski said at a news conference Wednesday morning.

    “Mr. King is the last person, we believe, to be in contact with her and that he was in contact with her when she went offline,” Toczylowski said.

    The remains were found after a “very specific” anonymous tip was received overnight and were removed from the scene by late afternoon, Stanford said. The remains indicate the person has been deceased “for some time,” he added.

    Police had previously searched the area around the abandoned school after receiving an earlier tip and found at least two of Scott’s belongings, but her body was not discovered at that time, according to CNN affiliate KYW.

    “When you know that you’re looking for something but don’t know where someone hid it, it’s not that easy,” Stanford said.

    “I know sometimes it seems like the information is not coming fast enough, but we have a job to Miss Scott, we have a job to her family, if this is confirmed that this is her, to ensure that we are doing everything in the proper way to make sure that the individuals are held accountable.”

    Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said in a statement on Saturday the city is supporting Scott’s family in any way possible.

    “There are no words that I can employ to remove the unimaginable pain and turmoil that the family of Kada Scott is experiencing with the tragic loss of their beloved daughter, sister, and loved one,” Parker said. “I Pray that God will give the family a certain peace that passes all understanding to meet this moment.”

    Scott’s mother, Kim Matthews, had told CNN affiliate WPVI last week she just wanted her daughter to come home.

    “It’s been horrible,” Matthews said. “I just need her to come home and be safe. That’s what I fear — she’s not safe.”

    What police know about Scott’s suspected kidnapper

    When the district attorney’s office joined the investigation into Scott’s kidnapping, prosecutors learned King was charged earlier this year in a case involving accusations of strangulation and kidnapping, Toczylowski said.

    In that case, King allegedly kidnapped a woman in front of her house, threw her in a car, assaulted her and eventually let her out of the car, Toczylowski said. The case is “domestic in nature” as King and the victim knew each other, she added.

    Charges in that case were withdrawn by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office in May because a witness failed to appear in court, Toczylowski said. The office has refiled those charges and King is expected to face preliminary hearings in both kidnapping cases in the coming months, she said.

    Video evidence from the alleged incident earlier this year will be played at the preliminary hearing, according to Toczylowski.

    CNN is working to determine whether King has retained an attorney.

    “He’s being really charged with two cases today,” Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said Wednesday.

    “This is a pattern of behavior,” Vanore added.

    The Philadelphia Police Department’s homicide division is leading the investigation into Scott’s disappearance with assistance from the FBI’s Violent Crime Task Force.

    Tips from the public lead investigators to key evidence

    Scott’s family has been desperately waiting for answers and urging anyone with information relating to the case to come forward.

    “You never know what little, small, minuscule information may apply to the big picture, the puzzle that might get Kada home,” her father, Kevin Scott, told WPVI last week.

    During Wednesday’s news conference, police asked for the public’s help in locating a gold 1999 Toyota Camry believed to be linked to King. The same afternoon, they received a tip that led them to the car in an apartment complex parking lot, WPVI reported.

    Authorities believe Scott may have been in the car at some point. The vehicle has been tracked in multiple locations across the city, officials said Wednesday. The car will be searched after authorities obtain a search warrant, WPVI reported.

    Before her disappearance, Scott was in contact with King, who met with her shortly after she left her workplace, police said, citing video and digital evidence. She left her car at work about 20 minutes after she first arrived there and disconnected thereafter, authorities said.

    “We need to find Ms. Scott, figure out where she is, what may have happened to her to cause her to completely disappear from all her items, her phone, her Instagram, social media sites and everywhere else,” Vanore said.

    What relationship King and Scott had and how long they knew each other is under investigation, Toczylowski said.

    “Obviously, they had a connection. They’re going back and forth and they’ve known each other for a short time but I don’t know how long,” Vanore said.

    Authorities have been tracking several phone numbers involved in Scott’s case and investigating whether any other individuals were involved with the kidnapping. “All roads at this point lead to” King and “that’s what we’re hoping leads us to” Scott, Toczylowski said.

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  • Search underway for gunman who shot three teenagers in Sun Valley

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    Authorities are searching for a gunman who opened fire at three teenagers in Sun Valley on Friday evening before fleeing in a silver car, authorities said.

    The Los Angeles Police Department responded to the reported shooting at 5:37 p.m. Officers found three male teens who had been shot near Vineland Avenue and Arminta Street. The victims, all between 16 and 18 years old, suffered non-life threatening wounds and were taken to hospitals.

    The shooter, described as a man in black clothing, was last seen fleeing eastbound on Arminta Street toward Vineland Avenue, according to an LAPD spokesperson. He is believed to be driving a silver Lexus RX SUV and may be armed with a handgun.

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    Clara Harter

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  • Sacramento city leaders announce Maraskeshia Smith as next city manager

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    Sacramento city leaders announce Maraskeshia Smith as next city manager

    So good morning and thank you all for being here today. So standing before you today, I am filled with deep gratitude and humility as I accept the honor of serving as the next city manager for the city of Sacramento. This moment marks not only *** milestone in my professional career, but *** commitment in city leadership built on countless hours of engagement, collaboration, placemaking, and innovation. I want to begin by expressing my appreciation to Mayor McCarthy, Council member Jennings, chair of the personnel Committee, and every member of this esteemed council. Your selection for me in this role reflects tremendous trust, and I am truly moved by your confidence in my ability to serve this community. Please know that your faith in me is not taken lightly. I pledge to honor it with integrity, transparency, and unwavering dedication. I also want to extend my appreciation to interim city manager Lanny Milstein. Laney, your leadership during this transitional period has been exemplary. You answered the call to serve with grace, fortitude, and purpose, guiding the organization through change and uncertainty. Your steady hand and commitment preserve the city’s focus and unity. And you laid the foundation for *** smooth transition and I just wanna say thank you. Most importantly, I want to recognize the phenomenal employees of the city. You are the heartbeat of the city of Sacramento. Every day through your hard work, creativity and passion, you make it possible to deliver exceptional services to our residents, whether it’s repairing roads, supporting families, ensuring public safety, or nurturing our parks and green spaces. Your efforts are the foundation on which the city is built, and I look forward to working alongside you. To our residents, business owners, and volunteers, your commitment to Sacramento is the driving force behind the city. You inspire us to seek better solutions, more inclusive policies, and *** stronger sense of community. I am deeply committed to improving the lives of our residents and the prosperity of the entire community. Your voice matters. Your engagement is essential to the success of our city. To our community members and regional partners, I offer my full commitment to collaboration. Challenges such as homelessness, housing, economic development, and transportation do not exist in isolation. They demand that we come together, pooling our resources, strengths, knowledge to amplify *** greater impact. I promised to break down silos, build bridges between departments across neighborhoods and with neighboring jurisdictions. Only through true partnership can we unlock the full potential of the Sacramento region. Up on my official start date, the city manager’s office in close coordination with this governing body, we will begin scheduling *** series of listening sessions. These gatherings will be designed for you, our residents, business owners, and community members so I can listen and learn and connect with you directly. I wanna hear your priorities, your concerns, and your aspirations for Sacramento. City employees, you will receive that same invitation. I want to understand your remarkable work and how you’re laying the foundation to drive innovation, solve complex problems, and deliver essential services. Please know that your insights are invaluable. So in closing, I just wanna be clear, this is not just *** job for me. This is *** calling. I step into this role with humility, honor, and *** deep sense of responsibility. I am ready to serve this community, steward its resources and help guide its future. This is *** moment of opportunity, *** chance for us to all come together, dream boldly and continue to build *** city that reflects the best of who we are. Thank you, counsel.

    Sacramento city leaders announce Maraskeshia Smith as next city manager

    Updated: 9:44 AM PDT Sep 30, 2025

    Editorial Standards

    Maraskeshia Smith will become Sacramento’s new city manager after a months-long nationwide search. She will become the first Black woman to serve in the role. Mayor Kevin McCarty and city council members announced Smith’s appointment at a news conference Tuesday at the SAFE Credit Union and Convention Center, saying she’ll begin her job on Jan. 5. Smith most recently served as the city manager of Santa Rosa, and also has experience working as Deputy Director and Director of Public Works in Cincinnati, Assistant City Administrator in Oakland, and Deputy City Manager in Stockton.”This is not just a job for me,” Smith said. “This is a calling.”City officials launched a search for a new city manager position after deciding not to extend Howard Chan’s contract. However, he took on a role as assistant city manager a day before his contract was set to expire.In January, the city council appointed Leyne Milstein as interim city manager as it continued its search for a permanent position. Milstein will now return as assistant city manager. While Sacramento has a mayor as an elected official, the city manager oversees more of the daily operations and is appointed by the city council. When Chan was city manager, he had a take-home salary of $400,000, one of the highest salaries for the role in the state of California. However, the State Controller’s Office in 2023 reported he earned nearly $600,000 with a vacation payout.Under the role he assumed as assistant city manager, Chan’s salary is nearly $341,000 a year, the highest posted salary for that position.Milstein’s salary as interim was $352,000. The city states that nearly 100 people applied for city manager, and the final interviews were held earlier in September. McCarty and Councilmembers Karina Talamantes and Rick Jennings described Smith as the top candidate among those who were interviewed. Prior to the news conference, the city council will held a closed-door session where the new city manager was officially “considered,” according to a news release from the city. Officials also planned to hold a “priority and goal setting workshop” following the end of the news conference.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    Maraskeshia Smith will become Sacramento’s new city manager after a months-long nationwide search. She will become the first Black woman to serve in the role.

    Mayor Kevin McCarty and city council members announced Smith’s appointment at a news conference Tuesday at the SAFE Credit Union and Convention Center, saying she’ll begin her job on Jan. 5.

    This content is imported from YouTube.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    Smith most recently served as the city manager of Santa Rosa, and also has experience working as Deputy Director and Director of Public Works in Cincinnati, Assistant City Administrator in Oakland, and Deputy City Manager in Stockton.

    “This is not just a job for me,” Smith said. “This is a calling.”

    City officials launched a search for a new city manager position after deciding not to extend Howard Chan’s contract. However, he took on a role as assistant city manager a day before his contract was set to expire.

    In January, the city council appointed Leyne Milstein as interim city manager as it continued its search for a permanent position. Milstein will now return as assistant city manager.

    While Sacramento has a mayor as an elected official, the city manager oversees more of the daily operations and is appointed by the city council. When Chan was city manager, he had a take-home salary of $400,000, one of the highest salaries for the role in the state of California. However, the State Controller’s Office in 2023 reported he earned nearly $600,000 with a vacation payout.

    Under the role he assumed as assistant city manager, Chan’s salary is nearly $341,000 a year, the highest posted salary for that position.

    Milstein’s salary as interim was $352,000.

    The city states that nearly 100 people applied for city manager, and the final interviews were held earlier in September.

    McCarty and Councilmembers Karina Talamantes and Rick Jennings described Smith as the top candidate among those who were interviewed.

    Prior to the news conference, the city council will held a closed-door session where the new city manager was officially “considered,” according to a news release from the city. Officials also planned to hold a “priority and goal setting workshop” following the end of the news conference.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • Settlement reached for woman who said she was injured on Epic Universe ride

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    Update: On Friday, September 26 a notice of settlement and a notice of voluntary dismissal with prejudice as to the defendant, Universal City Development Partners, Ltd., were both filed in the woman’s lawsuit alleging that she sustained an injury from riding the Stardust Racers roller coaster.The case is still pending as of Saturday, September 27 according to the Orange County Clerk of Courts. A lawyer for the plaintiff says they are unable to make further comment other than confirm a settlement has been. WESH 2 also reached out to Universal Orlando Resort for comment on the settlement and dismissal notices.Original story below:A lawsuit has been filed by a Central Florida woman who claims she was injured on the same ride as a man who was found unresponsive and later died. The man, Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, was found unresponsive on the Stardust Racers roller coaster earlier this month. The Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office determined he died from multiple blunt impact injuries and ruled the death accidental. The woman’s attorney has asked that her name not be released at this time. >> Video above: Incident report details unresponsive man on Epic Universe ride who later diedHer complaint says Stardust Racers caused her head to shake violently and slam against her seat’s headrest. It goes on to say she had a reasonable expectation that the rides inside Epic Universe would be reasonably safe.One of the allegations is that Universal failed to properly restrain her head while riding Stardust Racers. Before the grand opening of Epic Universe in May, she got to check out the new immersive worlds and attractions during the preview period on April 30.The Spetsas-Buist law firm filed the lawsuit on Wednesday, asking for a jury trial to decide how much Universal should compensate their client for her head injuries.Universal Orlando Resort President Karen Irwin said the ride was functioning properly when Rodriguez Zavala was on it. The Ben Crump Law Firm has started its own investigation on behalf of Rodriguez Zavala’s family in search of answers about how he died from what the medical examiner described as blunt impact injuries. What happened to the woman is not included in state records through July 15, which show a 63-year-old man with a pre-existing condition experienced dizziness, and a 47-year-old woman with a pre-existing condition had visual disturbance and numbness after riding Stardust Racers. Universal did not respond to requests from WESH 2 for comment about this new lawsuit. >> This is a developing story and will be updated

    Update:

    On Friday, September 26 a notice of settlement and a notice of voluntary dismissal with prejudice as to the defendant, Universal City Development Partners, Ltd., were both filed in the woman’s lawsuit alleging that she sustained an injury from riding the Stardust Racers roller coaster.

    The case is still pending as of Saturday, September 27 according to the Orange County Clerk of Courts. A lawyer for the plaintiff says they are unable to make further comment other than confirm a settlement has been. WESH 2 also reached out to Universal Orlando Resort for comment on the settlement and dismissal notices.

    Original story below:

    A lawsuit has been filed by a Central Florida woman who claims she was injured on the same ride as a man who was found unresponsive and later died.

    The man, Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, was found unresponsive on the Stardust Racers roller coaster earlier this month. The Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office determined he died from multiple blunt impact injuries and ruled the death accidental.

    The woman’s attorney has asked that her name not be released at this time.

    >> Video above: Incident report details unresponsive man on Epic Universe ride who later died

    Her complaint says Stardust Racers caused her head to shake violently and slam against her seat’s headrest. It goes on to say she had a reasonable expectation that the rides inside Epic Universe would be reasonably safe.

    One of the allegations is that Universal failed to properly restrain her head while riding Stardust Racers.

    Before the grand opening of Epic Universe in May, she got to check out the new immersive worlds and attractions during the preview period on April 30.

    The Spetsas-Buist law firm filed the lawsuit on Wednesday, asking for a jury trial to decide how much Universal should compensate their client for her head injuries.

    Universal Orlando Resort President Karen Irwin said the ride was functioning properly when Rodriguez Zavala was on it.

    The Ben Crump Law Firm has started its own investigation on behalf of Rodriguez Zavala’s family in search of answers about how he died from what the medical examiner described as blunt impact injuries.

    What happened to the woman is not included in state records through July 15, which show a 63-year-old man with a pre-existing condition experienced dizziness, and a 47-year-old woman with a pre-existing condition had visual disturbance and numbness after riding Stardust Racers.

    Universal did not respond to requests from WESH 2 for comment about this new lawsuit.

    >> This is a developing story and will be updated

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  • Shelter-in-place issued in Clear Creek County amid search for trespassing suspect

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    CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — A shelter-in-place has been issued in Clear Creek County as law enforcement searches for a suspect believed to be associated with several trespassing incidents.

    In a social media post Thursday evening, the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office said it has received three reports this week of a suspicious person trespassing on private properties in the area of Highway 103. Surveillance cameras captured the suspect wearing a black mask and carrying a firearm.

    At one property, the man reportedly told the property owner via camera surveillance that he was with the US Forest Service before disconnecting the camera.

    According to the sheriff’s office, the man is accused of trespassing on two properties on Peaceful Valley Lane in Idaho Springs between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Monday. He allegedly stole more than $2,000 worth of items from one of the properties and caused roughly $2,000 worth of damage.

    Between 9:20 a.m. and 10:10 a.m. Thursday, the man reportedly trespassed on a property on Ute Creek Road in Idaho Springs. The sheriff’s office said he was seen loading and cocking a firearm.

    The suspect is associated with a white Ford Escape SUV that does not have license plates.

    Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office

    In an update, the sheriff’s office said the suspect vehicle was spotted stopped along Highway 103 just after 6 p.m. Law enforcement responded to set up a perimeter, but the suspect drove off.

    After a “short pursuit,” the vehicle crashed near mile marker 3, according to the sheriff’s office. The suspect got out of the vehicle and ran away.

    Deputies are searching the area for the driver. A shelter-in-place order has been issued for a 1-mile radius near the crash.

    The Idaho Springs Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Golden Police Department are assisting with the search. Law enforcement is also using a drone and K9.

    Though it has not been confirmed, the sheriff’s office said it is “working on the assumption [that] this is the same suspect” from the trespassing incidents and that he may be armed.

    The man is described as a Black man with a slim build and nearly six feet tall. During the incidents, he was wearing tactical colors (green and black) and a tactical belt.

    If you see him, call 911.

    Coloradans making a difference | Denver7 featured videos


    Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what’s right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.

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    Sydney Isenberg

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  • Human remains in Washington state identified as Travis Decker, wanted for killing his daughters

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    Forensic tests confirmed that human remains found on a remote mountain in Washington state this month were those of Travis Decker, a former soldier wanted in the deaths of his three young daughters last spring, officials confirmed Thursday.His remains were discovered on a steep, remote, wooded slope partway up Grindstone Mountain in central Washington, less than a mile from the campsite where the bodies of 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker, and 5-year-old Olivia Decker were found on June 2, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said.Law enforcement teams had been searching more than three months for Decker, 32, before the sheriff’s office announced last week it had located human remains believed to be his. Sheriff Mike Morrison said Thursday that DNA tests on clothing found at the scene, as well as from the remains, matched Decker.The sheriff said investigators wanted to honor the girls’ memory by solving the case, and he apologized to their mother, Whitney Decker, for it taking so long.“I hope you can rest easier at night knowing that Travis is accounted for,” Morrison said.Decker had been with his daughters on a scheduled visit but failed to bring them back to his former wife, who, a year ag,o said that his mental health issues had worsened and that he had become increasingly unstable.He was often living out of his truck, she said in a petition seeking to restrict him from having overnight visits with them.A deputy found Decker’s truck as well as the girls’ bodies three days after Decker failed to return them to their mother’s house. Autopsies found the girls had been suffocated.Decker was an infantryman in the Army from March 2013 to July 2021 and deployed to Afghanistan for four months in 2014. He had training in navigation, survival, and other skills, authorities said, and once spent more than two months living in the backwoods off the grid.More than 100 officials with an array of state and federal agencies searched hundreds of square miles, much of it mountainous and remote, by land, water, and air during the on and off search. The U.S. Marshals Service offered a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to his capture.At one point early in the search, authorities thought they spotted Decker near a remote alpine lake after receiving a tip from hikers.Officials say the coroner’s office continues to work on determining the cause and time of his death.

    Forensic tests confirmed that human remains found on a remote mountain in Washington state this month were those of Travis Decker, a former soldier wanted in the deaths of his three young daughters last spring, officials confirmed Thursday.

    His remains were discovered on a steep, remote, wooded slope partway up Grindstone Mountain in central Washington, less than a mile from the campsite where the bodies of 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker, and 5-year-old Olivia Decker were found on June 2, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said.

    Law enforcement teams had been searching more than three months for Decker, 32, before the sheriff’s office announced last week it had located human remains believed to be his. Sheriff Mike Morrison said Thursday that DNA tests on clothing found at the scene, as well as from the remains, matched Decker.

    The sheriff said investigators wanted to honor the girls’ memory by solving the case, and he apologized to their mother, Whitney Decker, for it taking so long.

    “I hope you can rest easier at night knowing that Travis is accounted for,” Morrison said.

    Decker had been with his daughters on a scheduled visit but failed to bring them back to his former wife, who, a year ag,o said that his mental health issues had worsened and that he had become increasingly unstable.

    He was often living out of his truck, she said in a petition seeking to restrict him from having overnight visits with them.

    A deputy found Decker’s truck as well as the girls’ bodies three days after Decker failed to return them to their mother’s house. Autopsies found the girls had been suffocated.

    Decker was an infantryman in the Army from March 2013 to July 2021 and deployed to Afghanistan for four months in 2014. He had training in navigation, survival, and other skills, authorities said, and once spent more than two months living in the backwoods off the grid.

    More than 100 officials with an array of state and federal agencies searched hundreds of square miles, much of it mountainous and remote, by land, water, and air during the on and off search. The U.S. Marshals Service offered a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to his capture.

    At one point early in the search, authorities thought they spotted Decker near a remote alpine lake after receiving a tip from hikers.

    Officials say the coroner’s office continues to work on determining the cause and time of his death.

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