Nikola Jokic’s second ejection of season causes controversy, but Nuggets survive Bulls at end of back-to-back

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:22:37 GMT

Nikola Jokic’s second ejection of season causes controversy, but Nuggets survive Bulls at end of back-to-back CHICAGO — Eastern Conference NBA cities get to see Nikola Jokic play basketball in-person once a year. Already this season, two of those cities have been snubbed with less than half a game of the two-time MVP.Jokic was thrown out after barking at officials for the second time in his first 24 active games of 2023-24 on Monday night at United Center. Unlike Nov. 20 in Detroit, this ejection was abrupt, unexpected and controversial enough to evoke a smattering of boos from the Chicago fans.But like in Detroit, the Nuggets survived the second half without Jokic for a resilient win on the second leg of a back-to-back. Denver is 5-1 playing on 24 hours of rest this season after a 114-106 win over the Bulls, who were missing Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso.And like in Detroit, Reggie Jackson played a huge part in lifting the Nuggets’ offense when they needed it. Starting his 14th game this season, Jackson shot 9 for 16 from the field and 5 for 8 from 3-point range to lead Denver wi...

Armed bus driver abandons bus full of passengers and enters school lobby

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:22:37 GMT

Armed bus driver abandons bus full of passengers and enters school lobby A man who worked as a bus driver for the Victor Valley Transit Authority was arrested Monday, after he allegedly abandoned his bus with passenger onboard and entered a nearby school while armed with a handgun.Joshua Aldana, 28, of Victorville, was arrested around 11:15 a.m. at the campus of Lakeview Leadership Academy.Aldana was employed by Keolis, which operates buses for Victor Valley, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.For reasons that are unclear, Aldana apparently ditched his bus and the passenger on board and entered the school's campus lobby.School officials told authorities that Aldana appeared to be "in an altered state" and the school's campus security and resource officer were called to respond.The officer detained Aldana in the lobby on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance. After he was searched, the officer recovered a 9mm handgun on his person.He was arrested and transported to the High Desert Detention Center in Ade...

2 SoCal suspects accused of stealing millions through ‘grandparent scams’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:22:37 GMT

2 SoCal suspects accused of stealing millions through ‘grandparent scams’ Two L.A. County residents are accused of stealing over $2 million through “grandparent scams."The suspects were identified as James Wesley Jackson III, aka “Imperial,” 42, and Christopher Fagon, 45, who used several aliases, mostly variations of “Christopher Broker," according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.“Grandparent scams” typically involve convincing elderly victims to send money to help their relatives. Oftentimes, the victims are told their grandchildren are in legal trouble.Victims are told to send the money to bank accounts, business entities and addresses provided by the scammers through interstate wires and cashier’s checks, according to court documents.The stolen money is then handled by “money mules” who allow their addresses or bank accounts to be used to receive or negotiate cashier’s checks.Fagon was allegedly a manager of money mules, including Jackson, who then recruited his own money mules, officials said. Fagon is accused of creating businesses and opening bank ac...

Photos: Holiday celebrations in the San Francisco Bay Area

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:22:37 GMT

Photos: Holiday celebrations in the San Francisco Bay Area Related ArticlesLatest Headlines | Photos: Parishioners celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe Latest Headlines | Should there be a mandatory retirement age from concerts for over-the-hill rock stars? Latest Headlines | Security guard slain at Oakland convenience store is remembered; suspect still sought Latest Headlines | A holiday weekend getaway to Sausalito Latest Headlines | Photos: SantaCon fills San Francisco’s Union Square for 28th annual event Meet and greets with Santa Claus. Menorah and tree lightings. Grinch sightings and ugly sweaters.Winter holiday celebrations in the Bay Area offer a visual feast unlike anywhere else. From a choir of sixth graders singing at San Jose’s annual Christmas in the Park to throngs of visitors strolling Thompson Lane in the 85th year of Alameda’s holiday lights spectacle, our photographers captured the spirit of the season in action ac...

San Francisco's viral 'couch coyote' prefers Sam Altman's mansion

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:22:37 GMT

San Francisco's viral 'couch coyote' prefers Sam Altman's mansion SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A cute coyote made headlines this fall when it was caught on camera enjoying a nap in one San Francisco home's pristine backyard. The young male "couch coyote" spent a quiet November morning snoozing on an outdoor couch until an animal control officer encouraged him to move on. A new article by Time magazine revealed that the viral photographs were shot in the backyard of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's mansion.The article celebrated Altman as 2023's "CEO of the Year." Altman told Time that his firing and re-hiring at OpenAI did not rattle him enough to lose any sleep over. But the wild coyote does when it scratches on his backdoor.(Photo courtesy of San Francisco Animal Care and Control)"What keeps him up at night these days is something far more prosaic: an urban coyote that has colonized the grounds of his $27 million home in San Francisco," Time wrote. The OpenAI CEO said he thinks the coyote is "very cute," but also "very annoying at night."OpenAI CEO Sam Altma...

Man arrested for pulling gun during road rage incident

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:22:37 GMT

Man arrested for pulling gun during road rage incident (KRON) -- California Highway Patrol officers arrested a man over the weekend for allegedly pulling a gun on another driver during a road rage incident, officials said.On Dec. 9, a man in a white Mercedes Benz SUV brandished a gun at the occupant of another car in Oakland. Officers were able to catch the suspect and recover the gun from his car.He was arrested on felony charges related to brandishing a deadly weapon.Another victim's truck was recently shot twice during a road rage-related incident in Castro Valley. The suspect has not been caught but was said to have been driving a white or light-colored sedan, according to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office.

DeSantis goes after Trump on abortion, COVID-19 and the border wall in an Iowa town hall

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:22:37 GMT

DeSantis goes after Trump on abortion, COVID-19 and the border wall in an Iowa town hall Donald Trump “flip-flipped” on abortion, overreached in response to COVID-19 and failed to uphold his campaign pledge to get Mexico to pay for a wall on the southern U.S. border, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday in Iowa.DeSantis, who is in a distant second place behind Trump in most national polls in the battle for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, stepped up his case against the former president during a CNN town hall in Des Moines five weeks before the state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses.He zeroed in on abortion in a state where evangelical voters form the backbone of the GOP, contrasting Trump’s recent skepticism about strict anti-abortion laws with his earlier comments about protecting the sanctity of life. “You should be consistent in your beliefs, especially on something that’s very fundamental, and he has not been consistent,” DeSantis said. “And there’s a lot of voters in Iowa who really care about this, who need to know how he’s changed his pos...

Fabbri and Raymond score in 3rd period as Red Wings beat Blues 6-4

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:22:37 GMT

Fabbri and Raymond score in 3rd period as Red Wings beat Blues 6-4 ST. LOUIS (AP) — Robby Fabbri and Lucas Raymond scored in the third period to lift the Detroit Red Wings over the scuffling St. Louis Blues 6-4 on Tuesday night.Moritz Seider, Jake Walman, Jonatan Berggren and Michael Rasmussen also had goals for the Red Wings, who were 0-2-1 in their previous three games. Kevin Hayes scored twice for the Blues, who also got goals from Marco Scandella and Brandon Saad. St. Louis has lost a season-high four straight, and five of six.Raymond tied it 4-all with a power-play goal 48 seconds into the third. Fabbri put the Red Wings up 5-4 at 6:38 when he scored against his former team. Rasmussen added an empty-net goal at 18:21.Ville Husso (9-4-2) stopped 33 shots in his first game against the Blues since they traded him to Detroit for a third-round draft pick in July 2022.Jordan Binnington made 26 saves and fell to 8-9-1. St. Louis used three second-period goals to go ahead 4-3.Hayes scored twice 31 seconds apart, giving the Blues a 3-2 lead. He scored ...

Jets’ defense was thrilled to see Zach Wilson ‘cookin’ like that’ in the quarterback’s return

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:22:37 GMT

Jets’ defense was thrilled to see Zach Wilson ‘cookin’ like that’ in the quarterback’s return EAST HANOVER, N.J. (AP) — Zach Wilson played with confidence and command last Sunday for the New York Jets. And his teammates on defense loved every minute of it.Wilson bounced back from a two-game benching to have arguably the best performance of his nearly three-year career, going 27 of 35 for 301 yards while setting career highs with a 75% completion rate and a 117.9 passer rating in the Jets’ 30-6 romp over the Houston Texans.“When we’re out there and we see Zach cookin’ like that, we’re smiling and our hearts are so big smiling for Zach because we know what he’s been through,” said defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, who helped the team host a shopping spree for 25 students from Brooklyn Community Services’ Jets Academy on Tuesday night.“We know all the stuff he’s had to endure and we know the player that he is,” Thomas added. “We know the throws he can make, we know the talent he has. And for him to just go show everyone who he is — because that’s who Zach is, he can...

Carter and Guentzel score twice, Penguins end month-long power-play skid in 4-2 win over Arizona

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:22:37 GMT

Carter and Guentzel score twice, Penguins end month-long power-play skid in 4-2 win over Arizona PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins hope the end of one streak marks the beginning of another.Jeff Carter and Jake Guentzel both scored twice and Pittsburgh’s beleaguered power play snapped an 0-for-37 drought in a 4-2 win over Arizona on Tuesday night.Guentzel scored the Penguins’ first power-play goal in 31 days when he beat Carter Ingram just over a minute into the game. Carter’s deflection in front 4:32 into the third with Pittsburgh on the man advantage gave the Penguins the lead for good and — perhaps more importantly — will allow them to finally move on.“Hopefully we don’t have to talk about it anymore,” said Carter, who also had the 20th short-handed goal of his 19-year career in the first period.There was only tepid applause when the Penguins went on the power play 48 seconds in. It grew considerably louder moments later when Guentzel took a pass from behind the net by Sidney Crosby and beat Ingram from in close 1:12 into the game for Pittsburgh̵...