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Suspect arrested in Glendale mall toilet bomb threat

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:00:02 GMT

A suspect was arrested after shoppers were evacuated for a bomb threat after a toilet was mysteriously left at the Americana at Brand shopping center in Glendale Thursday night.Police confirmed a male suspect was taken into custody although his identity was not released.The incident was first reported around 8 p.m., according to Glendale police. Officers found the paint-covered toilet around 50 feet from the AMC Theater at the shopping mall.A note accompanied the toilet stating that the item may be a bomb, police said. Shoppers were evacuated for a possible bomb threat after a toilet was mysteriously left at the Americana at Brand shopping center in Glendale on August 24, 2023. (KTLA)A dolly typically used for hotel luggage was also seen nearby, but it's unclear whether that was used to transport the toilet.Authorities evacuated shoppers from the scene. Sky5 video shows the toilet appears to have many images and letters scrawled all over it. The messages were not discernible from a ...

Burbank man arrested for leaving toilet at Americana at Brand, claiming it was a bomb, police say

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:00:02 GMT

The Glendale Police Department Friday morning identified the 22-year-old man accused of leaving a toilet that he claimed was a bomb at the Americana at Brand shopping center.Timothy Taratchila of Burbank was arrested Thursday for making a false bomb threat, the GPD said in a news release.Timothy Taratchila is shown in this mugshot released by the Glendale Police Department on Aug. 25, 2023. According to police, at about 8 p.m. Thursday, Taratchila placed "an object resembling a toilet" at the Americana, along with a note claiming the toilet was a bomb.The shopping center was evacuated until after 11 p.m., when the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department determined the paint-covered toilet was safe. Suspect arrested in Glendale mall toilet bomb threat Through witnesses and surveillance footage, Taratchila was identified as the person who placed the toilet, police said.He is being held at the Glendale Police Department in lieu of $15,000 bail.He is due to appear in Glendale Municipa...

Middle school teacher accused of teaching class while drunk

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:00:02 GMT

A teacher in Chino Hills was arrested by San Bernardino County Sheriff's Deputies Thursday morning following a complaint from school staff that he may have been intoxicated while teaching.Clifford Harper, 49, of Rancho Cucamonga, was arrested around 11:20 a.m. at Robert Townsend Junior High School on the 15000 Block of Ilex Drive.Faculty at the school called authorities to report their suspicion that Harper was under the influence of alcohol with students in the classroom.Deputies investigated the report and arrested Harper at the school. He was taken to the Chino Hills Police Department and booked into jail. He faces possible charges of public intoxication and child endangerment.Harper is listed on Townsend's website as a STEM instructor who teaches an introduction to technology course that includes the use of 3D modeling programs. That course syllabus includes a link to the rules and requirements for working in the school woodshop, although it's unclear if Harper was actively teac...

Band says they could only ‘hide and watch’ during Cook’s Corner mass shooting

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:00:02 GMT

What was supposed to be a fun night at the bustling Cook’s Corner biker bar turned deadly on Wednesday when a former police officer targeting his estranged wife opened fire in the packed restaurant, killing three and wounding six more.  The minutes that elapsed between when former Ventura Police Department Sgt. John Snowling began his rampage and when he was killed by police felt like hours to those who were trapped inside the restaurant, according to members of the band that was performing at the establishment on Wednesday night. “Fight or flight was not an option, it was fight or hide,” said Deb Johnson, who is part of the band M Street. “And we didn’t have anything to fight with, so it was more like hide and watch.” Band members Ed Means and Dave Stretch were injured during the shooting but are set to be released from the hospital by Friday.  Witnesses describe chaos during mass shooting at Orange County biker bar According to Mark Johnson – Deb's husband an...

Hemp For Hyperactivity — Can CBD Oil Calm ADHD Symptoms?

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:00:02 GMT

We’re living in an age of impulsivity. Spurred on by our fast-paced Internet-based lifestyle, more people struggle with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The CDC now claims that about 6.1 million children in the USA have clinically recognized ADD or ADHD.Although there are therapies, diets, and medications for these mental conditions, many ADHD patients have become interested in using natural supplements like CBD. Since CBD shows potential for anxiety, it’s not a far leap to assume it would be beneficial for ADD or ADHD. So, is there any science to back up these claims?Can CBD Oil Help With ADD-Related Hyperactivity?To date, most placebo-controlled clinical studies on CBD don’t focus on ADD or ADHD. Instead, scientists seem to be most interested in CBD’s effectiveness for social anxiety disorder (SAD). Studies from Japan and Brazil strongly suggest CBD capsules could reduce a SAD patient’s fear levels, even when they have to give a public speech.A key question is whet...

Gilroy’s Nola Matthews rides soaring confidence into U.S. Gymnastics Championships in San Jose

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:00:02 GMT

SAN JOSE – Back in 2016, Nola Matthews went to the U.S. Olympic Trials at SAP Center and found herself mesmerized as she watched some of her favorite gymnasts battle for a spot on Team USA for the upcoming Rio de Janeiro Games.Matthews was even more inspired when some former Olympians, including 2004 gold medalist Carly Patterson, visited one of her practices at Airborne Gymnastics in Santa Clara that week.“I want to do what they’re doing someday at the Olympic trials,” Matthews, then 9, told her mother.Seven years later, Matthews returns to SAP Center this weekend – only this time she’ll be on the floor, not snapping pictures from the stands as the Gilroy native is among the nation’s top gymnasts in San Jose this week for the U.S. Gymnastics Championships.“It’s really cool,” Matthews, now 16, said of the opportunity to compete at the same arena that helped ignite her Olympic dreams. “It’s been a long time coming, I think a lot of work has to be done to get to this point. But it fee...

Splitting from Scientology, San Jose band releases first album in over 50 years

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:00:02 GMT

Geoff and Robbie Levin were living the rock ‘n’ roll dream in the late ‘60s.Their San Jose band People! was opening shows for The Doors and The Who, and had appeared on Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand” while their catchy single “I Love You” climbed the charts.Yet, that dream evolved into a nightmare fueled by Scientology, the controversial church founded by L. Ron Hubbard that split the band apart and eventually drove a wedge between the two brothers that at one point seemed insurmountable.Although both brothers joined at first, Robbie left the church while Geoff remained entrenched for decades.“I didn’t think he would ever leave Scientology, which meant I would never see him again,” Robbie says of Geoff, referring to the church’s call for severing ties with those who don’t support it.“I felt the same way,” Geoff agrees. “I would never see my brother again.”Geoff eventually pried himself free from Scientology after 46 years inside the organization and reunited with his ...

Readers share questions and stories about self-driving cars: Roadshow

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:00:02 GMT

Q: As my wife was taking a video of a driverless car cruising down the street in San Francisco, I wondered about driverless cars and 2+ HOV lanes. Are these cars aware of the lane limitations?When there are no passengers, I would think that they cannot use 2+ HOV lanes. What if they only have one passenger? Do they get credit for the “driver” who is not a person, or do they need 2 passengers?Also, I recently referenced your column about school traffic during drop-off in response to a friend’s Facebook post about what a mess school drop-off had been.Rick GoldmanA: I do not know but checked with John-the-MTC-spokesman. He didn’t know, either, but presumed autonomous vehicles would be programmed not to use a 2+ HOV lane at any time. If that’s incorrect, he thought AVs would be programmed not to use a 2+ HOV lane unless they were carrying two or more passengers. A missing driver certainly shouldn’t be counted as a vehicle occupant, he said. I agree.Do...

Elderly Hayward man with dementia missing

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:00:02 GMT

(BCN) -- Hayward police are asking for the public's help locating a missing 76-year-old man with dementia who was last seen Thursday afternoon. Police said Anthony Scalucci was last seen in the 500 block of Beechmont Lane in Hayward at around 2 p.m. He was wearing a long sleeve gray shirt, dark blue sweat pants, brown shoes, and a medical alert bracelet on his wrist. Car crashes into Wells Fargo Bank in Orinda Scalucci is described as a white male, 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 300 pounds. He suffers from dementia and Parkinson's disease, and is considered at risk, police said. Anyone with relevant information is asked to call Hayward police at 510-293-7000 or call 911. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

San Jose mayor takes aim at negligent building owners

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:00:02 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is taking aim at property owners who have vacant buildings in the city. He says the owners aren't doing enough to keep the buildings from deteriorating. According to Mahan, urban blight such as the long vacant First Church of Christ Scientist will not go ignored. "Behind me is a symbol of negligence that will no longer be tolerated in the City of San Jose," Mahan said.The mayor says the city will be taking a proactive approach to addressing deteriorating properties by considering an increase in penalty caps from $100,000 to $500,000. He hopes it will force the owners of the church, China-based Z&L Properties, to fix up the site. "We have what should be a civic pride that's turned into a point of frankly embarrassment for our city and we're not going to stand for that any longer," Mahan said. Councilmember Omar Torres says his office has been flooded with constituents calling the site "trashbag church". Man found dead in car...