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What started the Marshall fire? Boulder County set to announce findings of 17-month investigation

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:05:00 GMT

Boulder County’s sheriff and district attorney on Thursday will announce the findings of their investigation into the origin of the deadly Marshall fire in late 2021.A news conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, but no hint of what will be announced has been given. A media advisory says Sheriff Curtis Johnson and District Attorney Michael Dougherty will speak on “the investigative outcome into the cause and origin of the 2021 Marshall fire.”The Dec. 30, 2021, wildfire was the most costly in Colorado history, destroying more than $2 billion in property. Two people died in the fire, and more than 1,000 homes and businesses were destroyed in Superior, Louisville and unincorporated Boulder County. The fire burned across 6,000 acres as it was fueled by hurricane-force winds and dry grass and brush.Since the fire’s start, speculation around the cause has wavered between multiple theories. It is believed to have started nea...

3 Los Angeles restaurants and chefs win prestigious food award

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:05:00 GMT

About two dozen lucky (and undoubtedly hardworking) chefs and restaurant teams around the country received one of the food world's top honors this week. The James Beard Award winners were announced Monday at a ceremony in Chicago. Los Angeles restaurants, or one of their chefs, took home the top prize in three categories. Margarita Manzke, of French restaurant and bakery République, won the prize for outstanding pastry chef or baker. On weekend mornings, passersby will often see a line snaking outside the restaurant as people wait for pastries or a brunch seat. 18 new California restaurants awarded Michelin stars Los Angeles Times restaurant critic Bill Addison wrote in 2019 he found himself recommending République more than any other restaurant. Addison recommends the raspberry pistachio kouign-amann, a flavorful twist on the buttery viennoiserie pastry from the Brittany region of France.Justin Pichetrungsi, Anajak Thai (Sherman Oaks, CA) wins Best Chef: California at the 2023 J...

Man convicted in killing of Malibu Creek State Park camper sentenced to life in prison

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:05:00 GMT

A man convicted last month in the shooting death of a father who was camping with his daughters at Malibu Creek State Park was sentenced on Wednesday to life in prison.A jury found Anthony Rauda guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Tristan Beaudette and of the attempted murders of the two young girls.Rauda fatally shot Beaudette in the head while the 35-year-old father camped in a tent with his daughters on June 18, 2018 in Malibu Creek State Park, roughly 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of downtown Los Angeles. Man convicted of 2nd-degree murder in killing of Malibu Creek State Park camper He was taken into custody in late 2018 in a ravine near the park with a rifle in his backpack.The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Rauda was sentenced to a total of 119 years to life. Rauda’s attorney, Nicholas C. Okorocha, declined to comment on Wednesday's sentencing but said he appreciated the “deeply moving” victim impact statement delivered by Beaudette'...

Tupac Shakur posthumously receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:05:00 GMT

Long ago Tupac Shakur asked the question: "How Long Will They Mourn Me?"Almost 30 years after that song was released, fans are still paying homage to the West Coast rapper's legacy. Hundreds lined up along Hollywood Boulevard to witness Shakur posthumously receive a star on the Walk of Fame."He was an outstanding individual when it came to communicating a message to those that needed to hear it and he was always all about change and to make that change," said fan Janel Alexander-O'Connor, who traveled to Tinsel Town to attend the ceremony. Shakur was gunned down on Sept. 13, 1996, but his influence lives on in his music and message. His memory has been honored in murals across the U.S. and even across the globe in parts of Africa and beyond. "If you listen to his music today. "If you want to get the party going, you can put his music on right now and have no complaints," fan Mr. L.A. Bell said. Big Boy of Big Boy's Neighborhood met Shakur years before getting into radio. He served a...

Lionel Messi says he's joining Major League Soccer's Inter Miami after exit from Paris Saint-Germain

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:05:00 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Lionel Messi says he is coming to Inter Miami and joining Major League Soccer.After months of speculation, Messi announced his decision Wednesday to join a Miami franchise that has been led by another global soccer icon in David Beckham since its inception but has yet to make any real splashes on the field.That likely will soon change. One of Inter Miami's owners, Jorge Mas, tweeted out a photo of a darkly silhouetted Messi jersey shortly before the Argentinian great revealed his decision in interviews with Spanish news outlets Mundo Deportivo and Sport.It was widely believed that Messi eventually would choose to play for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, following fellow great and his longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo to a nation where some clubs now are funded by the state’s sovereign wealth fund. Going back to Barcelona, a storied franchise that he spent most of his career with, was another possibility.But in the end, he made the call that surprised many. Messi is joining MLS...

One of The Iron Sheik's final tweets was hilarious

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:05:00 GMT

The former professional wrestler known as The Iron Sheik has died, according to an announcement posted to his Twitter page Wednesday morning. He was 81 years old.Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri was born in Iran but came to prominence in the United States in 1979 with World Wrestling Entertainment, which was then known as the World Wrestling Federation.During the 1980s, he was a mainstay of professional wrestling, developing a fierce rivalry with Hulk Hogan.More recently, his Twitter account, @the_ironsheik, drew hundreds of thousands of followers to read his often profane reactions, usually in capital letters and utilizing the word "JABRONI.""F— THE APPLE VISION PRO HEADSET," he wrote in one of his final missives. Several other tweets also included F-bombs directed at wildfires, "THE RHYTHM AND THE RHYME," The Little House on the Prairie, and Mondays.The Sheik is survived by Caryl, his wife of 47 years. "Their bond was an anchor, providing him the strength to face the challenges that lif...

Ne-Yo, Robin Thicke and more to perform at Orange County Fair

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:05:00 GMT

Orange County Fair officials announced its entertainment line up for the upcoming summer fair on Wednesday. Guests can expect performances from singer-songwriters Ne-Yo, Robin Thicke and Mario, among others.This year’s fair will have a total of 71 performances across the fair’s three entertainment venues: Pacific Amphitheatre, The Hangar and Action Sports Arena, a news release said. Orange County hosting free summer events at local parks The Pacific Amphitheatre will be celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. It will kick off the entertainment performances with two pre-fair concerts from Stephen Marley on July 1 and The Green, Hirie, Mike Love, Jesse Royal and Common Sense will perform on June 8.A few days after those performances, the Toyota Summer Concert Series will celebrate the fair's opening weekend with performances from Bee Gees Gold and ABBA LA on July 14, Doors Down and Candlebox on July 15, and The Happy Together Tour on July 16.Ne-Yo, Robin Thicke and Mario will pe...

Bay Area arts: 7 cool live shows to catch this weekend and beyond

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:05:00 GMT

There are a lot of great live shows in the Bay Area to catch this weekend and beyond. Here’s a partial rundown.Center Rep reaches the ‘Heights’“In the Heights” often seems relegated in theater discussions to being “that Lin-Manuel Miranda musical that isn’t ‘Hamilton,'” a designation which unfairly overlooks many of its wonderful attributes.First off, the music and choreography are beautiful and exhilarating and practically guaranteed to put you in great mood. The show immerses viewers in a vibrant Dominican American neighborhood in northern Manhattan for a three-day stretch with a fascinating cast of characters and storylines. And while it is not given credit, as “Hamilton” was, of rewriting the rules of the contemporary theater, it was groundbreaking in its own ways.Opening a decade before “Hamilton,” “In the Heights” featured a primarily Latin cast and score heavy on Latin and hip-hop songs ...

Public invited to tour Palo Alto’s colorful new murals

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:05:00 GMT

Palo Alto’s California Avenue has been getting a colorful makeover this week thanks to a mural festival sponsored by the city’s public art program. Three artists — Paz de la Calzada, Nicole Ponsler and Olivia Losee-Unger — were invited to create the large-scale paintings and have been working on them all week.Ponsler and Losee-Unger brought a little “flower power” to their work. Losse-Unger painted “Moonflowers for Georgia” on the wall at Izzy’s Brooklyn Bagels, with the white blooms bursting out of a green and lavender background. (They were a favorite flower of Georgia O’Keeffe — Losse-Unger’s personal artistic hero. Meanwhile, Ponsler’s “Bloom” has come to life of Palo Alto Central, a few blocks away adding the sunset colors of marigolds to a blank wall.The third mural is a ground mural by Paz de la Calzada, who is working with groups of volunteers at the intersection of California Avenue an...

Two SF Giants prospects win monthly honors, plus more minor-league updates

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:05:00 GMT

The San Francisco Giants are getting major-league contributions from their latest crop of prospects earlier this season than most anybody expected thanks to the aggressive promotions of Casey Schmitt and Patrick Bailey, and they aren’t the only ones in the farm system who have moved quickly this season.A pair of 2022 draftees — well, one second-round pick and one undrafted free agent — excelled to such a degree in May that, when they earned monthly honors for their respective leagues, each had already been promoted to the next level.Left-hander Carson Whisenhunt, the 66th overall selection in the 2022 MLB draft, was named Pitcher of the Month in the High-A Northwest League, and outfielder Carter Howell, who signed for $50,000 out of Augustana University (Sioux Falls, S.D.), was named Hitter of the Month in the Single-A California League.Whisenhunt, 22, earned a promotion to Double-A Richmond on Saturday, reaching his third level in his first full professional season. He posted...