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San Francisco to open new 'command center' targeting open air drug markets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:56 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- The City of San Francisco will be opening a new command center near Civic Center that will target open air drug markets, the SF Department of Emergency Management confirmed Friday. The center is related to a targeted initiative that's a joint effort involving the Department of Emergency Management (DEM), the San Francisco Police Department, and the Department of Public Health. KRON4's Focus on Fentanyl The targeted initiative was launched on April 17, "in order to more closely coordinate and direct resources to better understand and disrupt open air drug markets," the DEM told KRON4. The new command center will officially be known as a "Drug Market Agency Coordination Center (DMACC)," that's intended to "enhance existing unified command efforts by moving from a virtual to an in-person environment," the DEM said.The command center is intended to "formalize the communications and operational coordination already in progress with state and federal partners, an...

Virginia Beach schools superintendent chosen to lead Loudoun Co. schools

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:56 GMT

Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia has hired Aaron Spence, superintendent of Virginia Beach Public Schools, to be the school system’s next superintendent.The school board voted 6-1 to approve Spence’s candidacy.Spence takes over for Daniel Smith, who was appointed interim superintendent in December. Smith had previously served as the school system’s chief of staff. Spence has led Virginia Beach schools since 2014.Loudoun County Public Schools, a Northern Virginia division with about 83,000 students, has been mired in controversy and scrutinized for the way it handled two in-school sexual assaults by the same student on different school campuses in 2021.After getting elected, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order calling for a review of how Loudoun County handled the assaults. Attorney General Jason Miyares impaneled a special grand jury.Former Superintendent Scott Ziegler was fired in December, a day after a special grand jury criticized the school s...

Montgomery Co. police searching for man suspected of groping women along Bethesda Trolley Trail

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:56 GMT

The Bethesda Trolley Trail. (WTOP/Scott Gelman)Montgomery County, Maryland, police are searching for a suspect they say groped multiple women on two separate occasions near the Bethesda Trolley Trail last month.The suspect groped women in the adjacent neighborhood along the trail between Edson Lane and Tuckerman Lane, police said in a news release Friday.In the first case, on May 21 at 9:30 p.m., a woman was walking on Nicholson Lane near the Kennedy Shriver Aquatic Center when police said she was approached by a man riding an electric scooter. The suspect knocked her to the ground and groped her. She was able to run away and call police, according to the release.Then, on May 23, two women were walking along the trail when they were approached by the same suspect riding an electric scooter. The suspect, police said, followed them and “touched them inappropriately.” One of the victims took a video of the suspect as he fled the scene.Police described the suspect as an adul...

Man cleared in hunters’ murders after 21 years in prison seeks $1M from Michigan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:56 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — A man who spent nearly 21 years in prison for the deaths of two Michigan hunters filed a lawsuit Friday seeking $1.02 million for wrongful convictions, a day after a prosecutor dropped murder charges and ruled out a second trial.Jeff Titus’ convictions were thrown out in February based on newly discovered evidence, a key threshold to get compensation from the state, attorney Wolf Mueller said in the lawsuit.Titus, 71, has long declared his innocence in the fatal shootings of Doug Estes and Jim Bennett near his Kalamazoo County land in 1990.He was released from prison — and a life sentence — earlier this year when authorities acknowledged that Titus’ trial lawyer in 2002 was never given a police file with details about another suspect. Thomas Dillon was an Ohio serial killer whose five victims between 1989 and 1992 were hunting, fishing or jogging.There is no dispute that the failure to produce the file violated Titus’ constitutional rights.“The ‘new ...

NCAA Division I Baseball Regionals Glance

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:56 GMT

All Times EDTDouble Elimination; x-if necessaryAt Plainsman ParkAuburn, Ala.Friday, June 2Samford 4, Southern Miss. 2, 10 inningsGame 2 – Auburn (34-21-1) vs. Penn (32-14), 7 p.m., ESPN+Saturday, June 3Game 3 – Samford vs. Game 2 winnerGame 4 – Southern Miss vs. Game 2 loserSunday, June 4Game 5 – Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loserGame 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winnerMonday, June 5x-Game 7 Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winnerAt Alex Box StadiumBaton Rouge, La.Friday, June 2Game 1 – LSU (43-15) vs. Tulane (19-40), 3 p.m., ESPNUGame 2 – Oregon St. (39-18) vs. Sam Houston (38-23), 8 p.m., ESPN+Saturday, June 3Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winnerGame 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loserSunday, June 4Game 5 – Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loserGame 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winnerMonday, June 5x-Game 7 Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winnerAt Davenport Field at Disharoon ParkCharlottesville, Va.Friday, June 2Virginia 15, Army 1Game 2 ...

Red Sox lefty Chris Sale to miss one start, at least

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:56 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale will miss his next start and may have to go onto the injured list with a sore shoulder, manager Alex Cora said on Friday.The seven-time All-Star, who hasn’t had an injury-free season since 2017, left Thursday night’s start against Cincinnati in the fourth inning after two visits from the medical staff. The team was awaiting the results of an MRI on Friday morning, when Cora said Sale reported soreness. “We don’t know where we’re at, but it’s a possible IL,” Cora said before Friday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Sale, 34, has been to the IL in each of the last five seasons, missing all of 2020 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. ___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Holtorf’s three hits lead Washington past Utah in Women’s College World Series

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:56 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Rylee Holtorf had three hits, including a two-run homer, to help No. 7 seed Washington defeat No. 15 Utah 4-1 on Friday in the Women’s College World Series opener for both teams.Holtorf, who entered with a .263 batting average, went 3 for 3 with three RBIs in a game that had been moved from Thursday night because of weather.Washington’s Lindsay Lopez won in relief of starter Ruby Meylan, allowing one hit in 3 2/3 shutout innings. Meylan gave up just one run and two hits in 3 1/3 innings. Mariah Lopez went the distance for Utah. Kendall Lundberg’s RBI double produced the Utes’ only run.Washington (44-13) advanced to play Florida State (56-9) on Saturday, with the winner of that game moving to the semifinals of the double-elimination bracket. Utah (42-15) was to play in an elimination game Friday night against Oklahoma State (46-15).Holtorf hit her fifth homer of the season, a two-run drive in the second, to give the Huskies the 2-1 lead. H...

Oregon rallies to defeat Xavier 5-4 at Nashville Regional

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:56 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Colby Shade and Drew Cowley hit back-to-back RBI doubles in the seventh inning to lift No. 2 seed Oregon to a 5-4 victory over No. 3 Xavier on Friday in the Nashville Regional.The Ducks (38-20) trailed 4-3 entering the bottom of the seventh before a one-out double by Rikuu Nishida. Shade tied it with his double and Cowley, who finished with two RBIs, delivered the go-ahead run with his double. Four Oregon relievers held the Musketeers (37-24) without a hit over the final six innings. Austin Anderson (4-0) got the win and Josh Mollerus picked up his 10th save.Garrett Schultz drove in three runs and had two of Xavier’s five hits.The Ducks advance to a winner’s bracket game on Saturday and Xavier will play a loser-out game. No. 1 seed Vanderbilt and No. 4 Eastern Illinois were scheduled to play later Friday.___AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25Source

Snyder, Tincher go deep, Washington defeats Dallas Baptist 9-5 in Stillwater Regional

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:56 GMT

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Michael Snyder and Johnny Tincher hit home runs in a seven-run fifth inning and third-seeded Washington defeated No. 2 seed Dallas Baptist 9-5 on Friday in the opening game of the Stillwater Regional.With the score tied at 1 heading to the fifth, the Huskies broke the game open with seven runs on six hits. After Jeter Ybarra drew a leadoff walk, Snyder hit a two-run home run to left-center field. Will Simpson delivered an RBI-single and Coby Morales drove in a run with a grounder to shortstop. Tincher capped the inning with a three-run blast.Sam Boyle pitched 3 1/3 innings in relief of starter Stu Flesland III. Boyle allowed one run on four hits and struck out three.Washington (35-18) advances to a winner’s bracket game on Saturday and DBU (45-15) drops to a loser-out game, also on Saturday. George Specht and Luke Heefner drove in two runs each for DBU.___AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25Source

City of Kingston seeks court order to remove Belle Park encampment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:56 GMT

The city of Kingston is taking another step in its effort to remove an encampment at Belle Park that has remained at the centre of the region’s conversations around homelessness for several years. After initially issuing trespass notices in March to those on site, the city says it has relied on voluntary compliance to move residents and has not forcibly removed anyone.Several months after the eviction notices were distributed however the city says about 25 people remain in the encampment, leading to an application for a ruling from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in order to remove the encampment at Belle Park. A Thursday statement from the City of Kingston says this move is being made at council’s direction, and that even with “low barrier” shelter spaces available on a relatively consistent basis, some residents have declined available beds.“Kingston offers low-barrier shelter options to accommodate different needs, including couples, women-only...