Los Angeles Times • 16th April 2024

Suspect in brutal Venice attacks charged with rape and attempted murder

Two women were brutally attacked near the Venice canals on April 6.

Prosecutors have charged a 29-year-old man with multiple counts of forcible rape and one count of attempted murder after attacking two women near the Venice canals earlier this month, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón announced at a news conference Monday.

Anthony Jones, 29, was arrested in San Diego last week after police identified him as a suspect in the violent attacks. He was brought back to Los Angeles and tak

Los Angeles Times • 15th April 2024

LAFD recruit killed on 101 Freeway while responding to collision

Firefighters place a flag over the body of a Los Angeles Fire Department recruit killed Monday morning on the 101 Freeway.

A Los Angeles Fire Department recruit was killed Monday morning on the 101 Freeway in Studio City while rendering aid at the site of a traffic collision.

Jacob Fuerte, 22, was fatally injured shortly after 5 a.m. near Vineland Avenue. He was on his way to routine academy training in his personal vehicle when he stopped to assess the scene of a crash, said LAFD Capt. Erik S

Los Angeles Times • 2nd April 2024

L.A. Metro's D Line hits a milestone: Tunneling is complete for expansion to the Westside

A construction worker at the future Wilshire/Fairfax stop on Monday as L.A. Metro celebrated completion of tunneling for the subway’s D Line extension into the Westside.

After five years of construction and numerous delays, crews have finished tunneling operations for the 9-mile westward expansion of the Metro D Line, which will stretch from the current terminus in Koreatown to a new Westwood/VA Hospital Station.

The will add seven Metro stations and a high-speed connection from downtown Los A

Los Angeles Times • 29th March 2024

License plate readers and video cameras are coming to Orange to fight crime, officials say

A Flock automated license plate reader camera in Costa Mesa. The city of Orange plans to add similar readers and cameras to fight crime.

Joining other Southern California municipalities, Orange has announced plans to add dozens of license plate readers and video cameras to its streets in an effort to catch criminals traveling through the city.

The move represents a significant step forward for Orange, which is “a little bit behind the curve” in crime-fighting technology, Police Chief Dan Adams

Florida's favorite paper, Tampa Bay's favorite local news site • 26th August 2022

Hurricane Forecasters keeping an eye on 2 tropical disturbances over weekend

Hurricane forecasters are watching disturbances in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea this weekend, although neither system posed much of a threat to strengthen.

In the eastern Atlantic, a broad area of low pressure was producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms, according to the National Hurricane Center in its advisory issued at 2 p.m. Friday.

Meteorologists said there was just a 10% chance the disturbance grows into a stronger system over the weekend, and a 30% chance there is f

Florida's favorite paper, Tampa Bay's favorite local news site • 18th August 2022

Pinellas deputies’ use of deadly force ruled justified in Safety Harbor shooting of Tampa man

The Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney’s Office ruled Thursday that four Pinellas County sheriff’s deputies were justified in their use of deadly force in the killing of a carjacking suspect in Safety Harbor in June.

An investigation into the incident concluded the four deputies “were in the lawful performance of their legal duties and acting in the public interest to prevent future violent crimes” when they shot and killed the suspect, 43-year-old Robert Hubbard of Tampa.

Hubbard was suspected of

Florida's favorite paper, Tampa Bay's favorite local news site • 12th August 2022

Tampa Seminole Hard Rock gambler robbed after openly celebrating $53K in winnings

A gambler who won $53,000 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino earlier this summer was followed back to his hotel and robbed after he publicly flaunted his cash prize, according to court records. The suspects got away with at least $10,000.

Before the robbery, the man “was taking pictures with his recently won cash,” according to a search warrant for one of the suspect’s cellular phone data filed by Tampa police. Surveillance footage from June 14, the night of the incident, shows three susp

Florida's favorite paper, Tampa Bay's favorite local news site • 7th July 2022

Hillsborough man sentenced to life in prison for murder of 2-year-old boy

After a four-day trial and a guilty verdict, a Hillsborough man was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for the murder of a 2-year-old boy.

Kaydan Guerrero died under David Vasquez Malave’s care in July 2020 after the boy suffered a brain hemorrhage and other injuries. Vasquez Malave initially told police that the child had fallen out of the back seat of a car during a diaper change and hit his head.

Prosecutors argued that the boy’s injuries were not accidental. Medical experts said the inju

Florida's favorite paper, Tampa Bay's favorite local news site • 17th June 2022

Antisemitic flyers found in three Tampa neighborhoods

TAMPA — For three consecutive weekends, Tampa Bay area residents discovered antisemitic flyers left outside their homes.

The flyers were found in bags of rice near porches and driveways this last weekend, the previous weekend and on Saturday, June 4, the Tampa Police Department confirmed in an email to the Tampa Bay Times. The flyers found June 4 were in Hyde Park, police say, then the following weekend in Beach Park. The most recent batch was left at homes on Davis Islands.

The person or grou

Florida's favorite paper, Tampa Bay's favorite local news site • 16th June 2022

The heat index in Tampa Bay is dangerously high

The Tampa Bay area will experience extreme heat for the rest of the week and into the weekend, with daily temperatures expected to be in the mid-90s through Monday. The heat index — the “feels like” temperature calculated from a combination of relative humidity and air temperature — is also expected to reach dangerous levels.

The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory Thursday for the Tampa Bay area from noon until 6 p.m., warning of the risks of heat exhaustion and even heat stroke. T

Florida's favorite paper, Tampa Bay's favorite local news site • 15th June 2022

Man who hacked thousands of iCloud accounts to steal nude photos gets prison

TAMPA — A California man was sentenced to nine years in prison Wednesday after he hacked into thousands of private iCloud accounts, stole people’s nude images and videos and shared them with other people.

Hao Kuo Chi, 41, received his sentence Wednesday morning in federal court in downtown Tampa.

Chi pleaded guilty last year to four felonies, including one count of conspiracy and three counts of computer fraud. He faced a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.

Before he was caught, Chi illega