State

Accomplice In Revenge Porn Site Pleads Guilty

SAN FRANCISCO—Charles Evens, a 26-year-old Studio City resident pleaded guilty in San Francisco Superior Court after being charged for illegal access to personal Gmail accounts. The announcement was made on June 17 by California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris, who stated that, “Evens is being held accountable for stealing victims’ most private and intimate images and profiting from this...

First Homeless Shelter For LGBT Adults Opens

SAN FRANCISCO—On Wednesday, June 17, the first homeless shelter dedicated to LGBT adults opened at 1050 S. Van Ness St. in the Mission District.  The shelter is named Jazzie's Place, after the late San Francisco-based transgender activist Jazzie Collins. The shelter has been in the works since March 2010, when several homeless LGBT people attended a Board of Supervisors meeting...

Gap Closing 175 Stores

SAN FRANCISCO—The Gap has announced that it will be closing approximately 175 stores across North America as it tries to restore the brand back to its position as one of the leading retailers in the world. The announcement follows five consecutive quarters of decreased sales. Gap Inc. Chief Executive Officer Art Peck said in a press release that after, “following a thorough...

Uber Bans Guns On Rides

SAN FRANCISCO—As of Friday, June 19, Uber drivers and passengers are no longer permitted to carry fire-arms per reversal in company policy. Citing safety and comfort as a top priority, Uber warned on its webpage that “any rider or driver found to have violated prohibition may lose access to the Uber platform.” The prohibition also applies to Uber’s affiliates...

Obama And Clinton Visiting Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO—President Obama will be in Southern California on Thursday, June 18 before coming to the Bay Area this weekend. Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton will be close behind, arriving in the Bay Area shortly after the president and is expected to depart on Saturday, June 20. Both Democrats will be making the rounds in California to attend fundraisers. In...

2 Injured At Great America Amusement Park

CALIFORNIA—On June 12, at around 8:10 p.m., an employee and a guest at California's Great America amusement park were injured on the Flight Deck ride. Both individuals were transported to a hospital following the incident for medical treatment. An eyewitness told KPIX 5 that they saw the employee step into the path of the moving roller coaster to reach a cell...

California: World’s Seventh Largest Economy

CALIFORNIA—California's economy is now larger than Brazil's, Russia's and Italy's. The economy is the world's seventh largest when measured by GDP. California's gross domestic product reached $2.3 trillion last year. The state's economy is hugely impacted by the entertainment industry that thrives in Southern California, the vast array of agriculture in Central California and the booming tech industry that resides...

SportsNet LA Coming To More Homes

LOS ANGELES—In a $56.7 billion deal, Charter Communications has agreed to purchase Time Warner Cable. The acquisition will bring SportsNet LA, which is owned by the Dodgers to a larger customer base in Los Angeles. Prior to this deal, Time Warner exclusively carried games on the SportsNet LA channel. This deal gives nearly 300,000 Charter subscribers in the Los Angeles region...

California Considers Recycling Sewage Water

CALIFORNIA—The severe drought affecting the state has prompted officials to consider recycling sewage water for tap water. This is a process that has been successful in Orange County, as well as Texas. The water recycling system has been unsuccessfully proposed in the past. The idea has been met with opposition. Back in 2000, opponents used the phrase "toilet to...

MDMA Therapy Trials Approved By FDA

MDMA
MARIN COUNTY—A team of psychotherapists working in Marin County have received federal approval to use ecstasy (MDMA) on patients during clinical trials. Dr. Phillip Wolfson, a San Anselmo psychiatrist and MDMA therapy advocate has started recruiting 18 people to participate in a study to determine if therapy sessions in which patients are under the influence of ecstasy can alleviate the...