Marin county

Valley Water Board in Santa Clara County California proposed the creation of an enforcement program to fine those who waste water, according to a Wednesday statement. “To help us achieve our goal, for the first time in our history Valley Water is considering adoption of an enforcement program that could fine those who waste water,” said Valley Water Board Chair Pro Tem John L. Varela in the press release . “ We do not take this lightly, but we want everyone to know that we are in a very serious drought emergency, and we must all take immediate action to protect what little water we have.” (RELATED: Government Declares First Ever Water Shortage At Lake Mead Amid Historic Drought) Santa Clara Valley Water District may deploy “water cops” to police the worst water wasters. Their official title is Water Waste Investigator. https://t.co/SfRuL5eA5T — KPIX 5 (@KPIXtv) May 11, 2022 Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom suggested last July that Californians reduce water usage … [Read more...] about County In California May Deploy ‘Water Cops’ To Crack Down On Residents Ignoring Newsom’s Conservation Plea

This weekend, the Catholic Church made the news yet again over its views on abortion – this time concerning US House speaker Nancy Pelosi ’s ability to receive the sacrament of communion due to her pro-choice stance. While it’s no secret that the Catholic Church, and other churches, have been long-term vocal opponents of abortion , this move to block a sacrament from a politician is absolutely over the top. Religious organisations that involve themselves in politics in this way should lose their tax exempt status. Religious organisations are already not required to comply with rules that secular spaces must follow. For example, the Catholic Church has been blessed by the government with tax exemptions , as much as $3.5bn in government Covid-19 aid and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) bypassing . The requirements for these benefits are given to them under the condition of their religious organisation status. This status has responsibilities attached to … [Read more...] about If the Catholic Church can’t stay out of politics, it should start paying taxes

A mom and her boyfriend have been charged with murder after being accused of abusing and starving her 8-year-old twin daughters, one of whom has died. The couple, Soledad Mendoza and Ruben "Alex" Moreno, both 29, are alleged to have killed little Melanie Mendoza and caused the suffering of her sister at their home in Houston, Texas. Court documents seen by Fox 26 detail a catalog of alleged prolonged abuse of the children, including untreated fractured bones and clinical signs of starvation. When asked what happened to her twin by police, the surviving child allegedly replied: "My mom killed her." Mendoza and Moreno were arrested on Friday, May 20, after a lengthy investigation stemming from Melanie Mendoza's death in hospital on December 21, 2020, according to local news station Fox 26. The twins had both been taken to Memorial Hermann-Memorial City Center with numerous injuries. Despite being 8, each girl weighed less than 30 pounds and still wore diapers. Medics then … [Read more...] about Couple charged with murder, accused of starvation of twin girls

The grandmother of a 7-year-old girl mauled to death by a dog has been charged with the child's murder. Other relatives—including little Olivia Floyd's parents—are also facing charges connected to the youngster's death in Waynesboro, Virginia. Grandmother Penny Lee Bashlor, 64, and her husband Stephen Christopher Kachmar, 60, who was the girl's step-grandfather, were both told they faced a string of charges, including murder, on Friday, May 13, according to local police. The child was allegedly attacked by the couple's 4-year-old Rottweiler on January 29 in the 200 block of Parker Heights Road. She was rushed to Augusta Health but medics were unable to save her and she died from her injuries. The Rottweiler was seized by officers from Waynesboro Police Department and was later euthanized. An unnamed woman was also injured in the attack , according to local news station WHSV. She was reportedly treated for her injuries at the hospital. A joint statement released by … [Read more...] about Grandmother of girl mauled to death by dog charged with murder

A cache of previously unseen police files from Xinjiang has brought to light further details about the Chinese government's systemic internment of Muslims, in what a leading researcher has described as "most likely the largest incarceration of an ethno-religious minority since the Holocaust." The file dump, which follows a hack into a Xinjiang police database, includes key speeches by senior officials responsible for running the region's "re-education" camps, which officials in Beijing have described as vocational training centers. The files also contain mugshots of more than 2,800 detainees, among them 15 minors. The Xinjiang police files , authenticated research coordinated by Dr. Adrian Zenz , were published on Tuesday as the United Nations ' top rights official, Michelle Bachelet, begins a highly watched six-day visit to China to assess its human rights condition. Zenz, director of China studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation NGO, is among the leading … [Read more...] about Xinjiang police files reveal horrors of China’s Uyghur internment camps

One of Amber Heard's expert witnesses caused a huge reaction online after his "villain"-like behavior caused a huge reaction online, and from Johnny Depp during the trial. Psychiatrist Dr. David Spiegel caught the attention of viewers who were watching the Depp v. Heard trial on Monday. Several of his answers and mannerisms have gone viral online since he took the stand. The current trial between former married couple Depp and Heard is entering its final week at the Circuit Court in Fairfax County, Va. Depp is suing Heard for $50 million in loss of career earnings after she wrote a 2018 op-ed describing herself as a survivor of domestic violence. Dr. Spiegel took the stand on Day 20 of the trial and gave testimony for almost three hours. Throughout his time on the stand, social media users, specifically those on TikTok, found moments to highlight. He was also the subject of some scathing reviews on Twitter too. Longtime social media user Ozzy Man Reviews shared his take by … [Read more...] about Amber Heard’s expert witness compared to movie villain after odd testimony

Amber Heard was compared to a number of other movie stars including Zendaya and Gal Gadot during Monday's court proceedings as an entertainment industry consultant testified about her career trajectory. The multimillion-dollar defamation trial between Heard and her ex-husband Johnny Depp resumed on Monday in what is the final week in the Fairfax, Virginia, court room. Ana De Armas, Jason Momoa and Chris Pine were also mentioned in the list of celebrity names by an expert witness and entertainment industry consultant Kathryn Arnold. Arnold testified that Heard's career success would be on par with those big names if it weren't for Depp's alleged "smear campaign" against her. "When you look at the time frame of when the Waldman statements came out, and you look at what was going on with Ms. Heard's career prior to the statement and what happened after the statement, it's very clear to make that correlation," Arnold said. She was citing Depp's attorney, Adam Waldman, who … [Read more...] about Why Amber Heard was compared to Zendaya, Gal Gadot during trial

A pivotal dispute emerging from the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial is the case of the severed finger. Depp has accused Heard of cutting off the tip of his finger during a heated argument they had in Australia in August 2015. Heard, her legal team and now expert witnesses have disputed Depp's account of events. Depp and Heard are currently embroiled in a $50 million defamation suit after Depp's team argued Heard's 2018 op-ed resulted in loss of career earnings for the actor. Depp was never mentioned by name in the article in which Heard stated she was a survivor of domestic violence, but his team argue the insinuation was damaging enough. The claim has become a big part of the trial amongst the public too. An Australian bakery sent a box of cakes shaped like a hand and a Smirnoff vodka bottle to Heard. Depp alleges that the injury occurred when Heard threw a bottle at him. But what actually happened to Johnny Depp's finger? Newsweek have compiled the evidence we've … [Read more...] about What happened to Johnny Depp’s finger? Experts can’t agree

Fans have shared videos of Amber Heard being named in a guessing game played on Amazon Echo devices, after the app asks if the person in question is considered "abusive" and "a liar." Heard, 36, on Monday returned to court for the final week of her defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp , who has sued her for $50 million after she wrote in a 2018 op-ed for The Washington Post that she was a domestic abuse survivor. While Heard did not name Depp, 58, in the article, his lawyers have argued that it was clear she was referring to the actor. Heard is countersuing for $100 million. As Depp and Heard took to the stand respectively at Virginia's Fairfax County Circuit Court in recent weeks, they accused one another of domestic violence during their ill-fated relationship. Both have denied the allegations. With the courtroom proceedings sparking heightened interest on social media, fans have taken to sharing video footage of themselves using their Amazon Echo devices to … [Read more...] about Amazon Alexa guessing game calls Amber Heard “abusive,” “liar”

Days after a group of people dressed in clothing reminiscent of Nazi brownshirts drove a rented box truck displaying hateful messages down Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, a watchdog group is speaking out against the incident and says it has identified the hate group and two of its members. According to StopAntisemitism, an organization that works to expose people and groups that engage in antisemitic behavior, the group responsible for Saturday’s incident is the Goyim Defense League. The organization also named two people who were captured on video participating in the hateful rally: Jon Minadeo II and Robert Frank Wilson. “We are horrified that innocent bystanders in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, Jewish and otherwise, were subjected to such vile and atrocious hate,” Liora Rez, executive director of StopAntisemitism, told The Times on Monday. “When white supremacists like the Goyim Defense League are allowed to spread this type of vile bigotry … [Read more...] about Anti-hate group speaks out against antisemitic incident in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills