State

SAN FRANCISCO—The California Senate Rules Committee approved a measure on Wednesday, August 28 that would make it more difficult for California law enforcement agencies to request for custody of detained accused criminals who are in federal custody. The measure, SB 57, was crafted by Republican Senators Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) and Shannon Runner (R-Antelope Valley), while being co-authored by Senator Cathleen Galgiana (D-Stockton). The senators...

VIRGINIA—On Wednesday, August 26, two Virginia TV news crew members were fatally shot during a live interview. WDBJ reporter Alison Parker, 24, and her cameraman, Adam Ward, 27, were gunned down by Vester Lee Flanagan, 41, at approximately 6:45 a.m. local time. The local official being interviewed, identified as Vicki Gardner, was also wounded by the gunman. She has undergone surgery and is said to be in...

CALIFORNIA—In June 2015, California passed a new law requiring children to be vaccinated against high-risk infectious diseases. Starting July 1, 2016, all children, 18 months or older, enrolled in public or private schools or in daycare facilities will be required to be vaccinated against whooping cough, measles, poliomyelitis (polio), diphtheria, tetanus, varicella (chickenpox), haemophilus influenza type B (Hib), mumps, and...

SAN FRANCISCO—On Tuesday, August 25, a San Francisco court judge will hear evidence brought forth in the case regarding Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, 45, the man allegedly responsible in the shooting death of Kathryn Steinle, 32, on San Francisco's Pier 14. As part of the preliminary hearing, the judge will decide whether the evidence presented will be enough for the case against...

SAN FRANCISCO—On Friday, August 21, a San Francisco man pled guilty to charges of violating federal laws that protect endangered or threatened wildlife after attempting to sell two black rhinoceros horns to an undercover federal agent for $55,000. The suspect, identified as Lumsden Quan, is a 47-year-old art dealer, but was posing as a broker for the horns' owners. He and his partner, Edward Levine,...

SAN FRANCISCO—San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón, has made allegations against Uber stating that “rapists, kidnappers, and killers are driving people to their destinations.”  Gascón filed a formal complaint with Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey against Uber in December 2014 objecting to the company’s claim of using “an industry-leading background check process" to hire their drivers. Gascón and Lacey stated...

PIEDMONT—At 6:49 a.m. on Monday, August 17, a 4.0 magnitude earthquake shook the Bay area, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).  The earthquake occurred approximately 1 mile north of Piedmont, 2 miles northeast of Emeryville, 3 miles northeast of Oakland, 3 miles southeast of Berkeley and 65 miles southwest of Sacramento. The specific source coordinates of the quake were 37.840°N and...

SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Unified School District board members have voted to grant diplomas to 107 students who were unable to graduate solely due to California’s decision to stop offering the California High-School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). Prior to the state’s decision, the exit exam was offered multiple times throughout the year, as well as once during the summer. According to...

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK—Two squirrels were discovered to have been killed by a plague at Yosemite National Park’s Tuolumne Meadows Campgrounds on Friday, August 14. According to the National Park Service, Tuolumne Meadows Campground will be closed from noon on August 17 to noon on August 21. All individuals who held camping reservations were contacted by the park services to have...

TURLOCK—Family and friends are seeking help in looking for 15-year-old Turlock resident Yarely Coria, who disappeared on Wednesday, August 12. Her family told San Francisco News that she was last seen leaving home via a taxi cab at around 2:45 a.m. The cab driver indicated that he dropped her off near Dublin, but did not see where she went after. The family...