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Kids with autism can hate getting on a plane. A Connecticut program is helping families fly.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:57 GMT

Tamisha Colon of Wethersfield has never gone on a plane trip with her 10-year-old twin daughters, both of whom have autism. “We go on car trips. They can handle that,” she said.But next month, she wants to take the girls to Puerto Rico. So she brought them to Bradley International Airport on Tuesday to participate in Autism Flies. The program helps kids with autism become accustomed to airplanes and airports.“I know this will take a lot of patience. There’s a lot of waiting involved,” Colon said. “I want them to learn to follow the directions, remember where to go, to remember their numbers, to not be scared.”Dozens of other families joined the Colons at Autism Flies. A Breeze Airways plane was used as a classroom. The plane did not take off. Families got tickets, waited, boarded, learned pre-flight procedures, had some lessons and got off the plane.Lily Batiste, 4, from Mount Kisco, N.Y., leads her mom to a seat on a Breeze Airways plane as part of the Autism Flies program organize...

Dungeness crab fisherman from Half Moon Bay claims hefty fine ‘the most unfair thing’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:57 GMT

What are the three most important things about catching crabs?Location. Location. Location.Half Moon Bay commercial fisherman Paul Toste this week agreed to pay $17,000 in fines after state game wardens caught him fishing illegally for crabs in a marine preserve.But Toste, 52, claims he was unjustly persecuted and punished for a simple navigation mistake.“This was the most unfair thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Toste said. “The original fine was $610,000 — for 15 crab pots. They tortured me for nine months of negotiating. It was one of the most horrible things I went through.”Toste, who says his family has been fishing off the West Coast for generations, sunk the traps in January 2022, offshore from Pillar Point in Half Moon Bay. Wardens from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, patrolling by boat, saw 15 crab-trap buoys bobbing inside the Montara State Marine Reserve, according to the civil lawsuit filed against Toste by the State of...

East Bay highway to close Friday night for construction work

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:57 GMT

Drivers on State Route 4 in Brentwood will once again find both directions of the highway closed Friday and Saturday as Caltrans works on a bicycle and pedestrian bridge that will span over the road.This time, though, the closure will come earlier, at 9 p.m. Friday and extending until 6 a.m. Saturday as contractors pour concrete on the structure, according to officials.The overcrossing, located south of Lone Tree Way and north of Sand Creek Road, will connect the two sections of the Mokelumne Trail that were separated by the expansion of Highway 4 in the early 2000s.Bicyclists and pedestrians were promised a connection of the Mokelumne Trail in 2003 when the highway cut it off along with Marsh Creek and Delta de Anza trails. However, two of the three were connected, but not the Mokelumne Trail.By connecting the two sides of the Mokelumne Trail, the bridge will offer safe access for cyclists and pedestrians for commuting and recreational travel, according to officials.Weather permitt...

New 3D scan of the Titanic shows wreck in a new light

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:57 GMT

By Sylvia Hui | Associated PressLONDON — Deep-sea researchers have completed the first full-size digital scan of the Titanic, showing the entire wreck in unprecedented detail and clarity, the companies behind a new documentary on the wreck said Thursday.Using two remotely operated submersibles, a team of researchers spent six weeks last summer in the North Atlantic mapping the whole shipwreck and the surrounding 3-mile debris field, where personal belongings of the ocean liner’s passengers, such as shoes and watches, were scattered.Richard Parkinson, founder and chief executive of deep-sea exploration firm Magellan, estimated that the resulting data — including 715,000 images — is 10 times larger than any underwater 3D model ever attempted before.“It’s an absolutely one-to-one digital copy, a ‘twin,’ of the Titanic in every detail,” said Anthony Geffen, head of documentary maker Atlantic Productions.In this grab taken from a digital scan released ...

Map: People drowned or swept away in California rivers, spring 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:57 GMT

California rivers have been running high during the melt of this year’s snowpack, contributing to deaths or disappearances of several people and prompting the closure of some rivers to recreational use.The map does not include the drownings of six Californians during January’s storms.Drownings/disappearances1/ April 19: A 17-year-old kayaker from Washington died after falling into the South Yuba River in Nevada County. Rescue crews said they arrived to find the boy unresponsive on the bank of the river. He was said to have been one of a party of four experienced kayakers.2/ April 28: A 25-year-old man went missing in the Kaweah River near Slick Rock Recreation Area while attempting to help a man and a young girl who were trapped on rocks in the river. The father and daughter were rescued.3/ April 29: A man went missing on an outing with friends near the American River confluence in Auburn.4/ May 13: Billy Moore, 38, disappeared while riding a flotation device in the Tule...

Remains of woman killed 46 years ago identified as victim of serial killer Samuel Little

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:57 GMT

MACON, Ga.  — The remains of a Georgia woman killed 46 years ago were identified and confirmed as a victim of Samuel Little, known as the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history, authorities said Thursday.FILE – This Sept. 24, 2018, booking photo provided by the California Department of Corrections shows Samuel Little. The remains of a Georgia woman killed 46 years ago were identified and confirmed as a victim of Samuel Little, known as the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history, authorities said Thursday, May 18, 2023. (California Department of Corrections via AP, File) Yvonne Pless was about 20 when Little killed her in 1977, according to a news release from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. She had been dubbed “Macon Jane Doe” by The Telegraph newspaper in the city.Little, who died in December 2020, confessed in 2018 to killing two Macon women, prompting Georgia investigators to travel to Texas in 2019 to interview him. ...

Four-bedroom home sells for $2.1 million in Danville

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:57 GMT

74 Stonington Court – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the first block of Stonington Court in Danville was sold on May 2, 2023. The $2,050,000 purchase price works out to $750 per square foot. The house, built in 1979, has an interior space of 2,734 square feet. The property features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, an attached garage, and three parking spaces. The backyard also has a pool. The unit sits on a 9,900-square-foot lot.These nearby houses have also recently changed hands:On Stowbridge Court, Danville, in August 2022, a 2,599-square-foot home was sold for $1,842,500, a price per square foot of $709. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In September 2022, a 2,599-square-foot home on Highbridge Lane in Danville sold for $1,830,000, a price per square foot of $704. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,344-square-foot home on the first block of Rockport Court in Danville sold in June 2022, for $1,865,000, a price per square foot of $796. The home ha...

Bob Lee's accused killer pleads not guilty, judge denies bail

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:57 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Nima Momeni, the accused killer of Cash App founder Bob Lee, pleaded not guilty in a San Francisco courtroom Thursday morning. A judge denied granting bail to keep the accused killer behind bars as he awaits a preliminary hearing. Momeni, 38, is accused of stabbing Lee to death on April 4 in a well-to-do enclave of San Francisco near the Bay Bridge. He was arrested eight days later at his Emeryville loft, and charged with murder. Homicide victim Bob LeeHours before Lee's death, the wealthy tech executive had been socializing and drinking with Momeni's younger sister, Khazar Elyassnia, prosecutors said. A witness saw Momeni confront Lee to find out is he was doing drugs or anything "inappropriate" with his sister, court documents state. Momeni's friends reportedly said he was very protective of his sister. Questions remain in Bob Lee homicide case Defense attorney Paula Canny said her client is not a murderer. She says that fact that her client didn't try t...

Crews respond to brush fire near Highway 4 in Martinez area

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:57 GMT

(KRON) -- Firefighters are responding to a brush fire near Highway 4 in the Martinez area, according to the Crockett Carquinez Fire Department. The fire is burning adjacent to westbound Highway 4, east of McEwen.Firefighters are reportedly calling for a second alarm.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Union City ukulele festival celebrates aloha spirit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:57 GMT

(KRON) -- As we continue our celebration of Asian-American-Pacific-Islander Heritage Month, we want to shine the spotlight today on a "small" contribution from the Pacific Islands that made a big impact on American culture – the ukulele.The Bay Area recently hosted the Northern California Ukulele Festival at James Logan High School in Union City. Vietnamese winery offers versatile food and wine pairing "There’s something about hearing the ukulele that transports you – relaxes you," said Georgia, a fan at the festival.Although the ukulele is synonymous with tropical vacations and the Pacific Islands, it didn’t come from there. It’s actually the descendant of a Portuguese instrument called the "machete," that settlers brought with them to Hawaii in the late 1800s. The locals loved it.One of its biggest fans was Hawaii’s last reigning king – King David Kalakaua – who insisted it be played at royal gatherings. It was around this time the instrument was redesigned… retuned… and renamed...