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He was seconds away from being sentenced to prison in $3 million California kidnapping plot. Then a series of unpredictable events led to his acquittal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:04 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Over the course of one year, a defendant in a $3 million kidnapping for ransom plot went from being seconds away from receiving a likely federal prison term to walking away from the case a free man with no convictions hanging over his head.And in a weird way, Evgeni Kopankov has his co-defendant’s cocaine use to thank for it.The uniquely astounding series of courtroom dramatics that led to Kopankov’s eventual acquittal started, ironically, after he’d already pleaded guilty to joining in a plot to kidnap a California cannabis farmer and threaten him into giving up $3 million. In February 2022, Kopankov appeared before U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria to be sentenced, but many in court — Chhabria included — were left flabergasted when both Kopankov and his attorney denied Kopankov had knowingly joined in an abduction plot at all.“What the heck is going on?” Chhabria demanded at one point in the hearing, before postponing the senten...

Can you rely on COVID-19 at-home tests? Here’s what you should know

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:04 GMT

When it comes to determining whether sniffles or a cough are COVID, people now rely more heavily on at-home tests to learn whether they have the virus.  But can they trust that a self-test is providing an accurate result?Experts say at-home rapid tests will pick up coronavirus even as new strains emerge — but a negative result doesn’t mean you don’t have COVID.As you stick the swab up your nose, you will want to consider what the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention says about COVID testing in 2023: Positive at-home test results are accurate and reliable. A single negative antigen test cannot rule out infection.Tests aren’t specific to variantsFor now, the COVID variant has little bearing on whether rapid tests picks up the virus because they target the nucleocapsid proteins of the coronavirus, which don’t change as much as spike proteins targeted by vaccines.“These at-home tests are designed to detect the part of the virus not affected by genetic changes that produce a new ...

Cooling centers open throughout Bay Area for weekend heat wave

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:04 GMT

As temperatures soar throughout the Bay Area on the first full weekend of October, the National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for the region, warning residents that the potential for heat-related illness has increased.For those in search of a cool place to pass the time while the heat wave hits its peak, Santa Clara, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties are providing several locations where people can relax in the presence of precious air conditioning.Santa Clara CountyCentral Park Library2635 Homestead Rd.Santa Clara, CA 95051Friday, Oct. 6 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.Community Recreation Center969 Kiely Blvd.Santa Clara, CA 95051Friday, Oct. 6 from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.Cupertino Library10800 Torre Ave.Cupertino, CA 95014Thursday, Oct. 5 – Friday, Oct. 6 from 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.Saturday, Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.Gilroy Library350 W. 6th St.Gilroy, CA 95020Thursday, Oct. 5 – Saturday, Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.Los Altos Library13 S. San Antonio Rd.Los Altos, CA 94022Fri...

William and Kate vs Harry and Meghan in scheduling World Mental Health Day events

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:04 GMT

Hours after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made headlines Thursday by saying they would be in New York City Tuesday, Oct. 10, to participate in a panel discussion for World Mental Health Day, news broke that their estranged in-laws, Prince William and Kate Middleton, would host their own World Mental Health Day event, but in the U.K.It would be nice to give these two couples and their teams the benefit of the doubt and figure that everyone has good intentions and wants to lend their famous names to support an important cause — youth mental health. After all, the two couples once were known as the “Fab Four” and briefly united to support Heads Together, a campaign that William, Kate and Harry launched in 2016 to tackle the stigma of mental illness.But these two couples have been locked in a bitter, high-profile, transatlantic feud over which side has done the other wrong in a number of royal rows, going back to before Harry and Meghan wed in 2018, as Harry has let t...

Why John Lynch says Lance’s intel on 49ers won’t help Cowboys on Sunday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:04 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Six weeks after the 49ers traded him to the NFC-rival Dallas Cowboys, Trey Lance says he’s excited to spill company secrets ahead of Sunday night’s return to Levi’s Stadium.Cowboys starter Dak Prescott says it’s “been very helpful, honestly” to debrief Lance, a third-string understudy.The 49ers are not concerned.“I mean, this isn’t the Houston Astros over there banging a drum for fastballs,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said Friday on KNBR 680-AM, referring to the Astros’ cheating scandal in 2017.”He can’t do that over there,” Lynch said of Lance. “Now, everything is through the headset. The closest thing back in the day was, when coordinators actually used to signal things in, you could glean some things, and people did, one organization did particularly well.”Lynch was not so subtly referring to his playing days on the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their Super Bowl demolition of the Raiders, who didn’t change their offensive signals even though their ex-coa...

Train hits, kills man in East Oakland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:04 GMT

OAKLAND — A pedestrian was struck and killed by an Amtrak train Friday morning in the Fruitvale district, authorities said.Authorities said the person killed was a man. His identity will be released after notification of his next of kin.The collision happened about 8:45 a.m. Friday in the areas of 37th Avenue and San Leandro Street.Police said initial reports were that the man was walking on the railroad tracks when he was hit by an Amtrak passenger train.The person was pronounced dead at the scene.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | California cop, survivor of Las Vegas mass shooting, killed in freeway crash Crashes and Disasters | Onewheel skateboards under recall after four deaths Crashes and Disasters | Police: East Bay man driving stolen SUV dies after Oakland collision Crashes and Disasters | Contra Costa County judge shows no leniency to man convicted of killing two girls during 2018 crash Crashes and D...

Airbnb renter who refuses to leave LA home was reportedly kicked out of Oakland rental

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:04 GMT

It's sometimes said that uninvited guests are most welcome when they leave, but Brentwood resident Sascha Jovanovic wouldn't know from personal experience. Instead, as he detailed to the Los Angeles Times, a one-time Airbnb tenant has remained on his property for over a year, refusing to either leave or pay.Jovanovich had initially approved the woman’s request for a six-month stay at a rate of $105 per night. When her stay was over and she refused to leave, that's when the trouble began. “This is like a nightmare, to be honest," Jovanovic tells KTLA. “This is extortion. This is like manipulation. Nobody should go through this.""When Elizabeth Hirschhorn’s Airbnb stay ended in April 2022, she simply didn’t move out. She’s been living there rent-free ever since, and she refused to budge unless Jovanovic paid her a relocation fee of $100,000," the Times reports.Hirschhorn's attorney told the Times that "she was not required to pay rent because the city had never approved the unit for o...

Bruce Springsteen Chase Center dates rescheduled... again

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:04 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- For the second time, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street band have rescheduled a pair of San Francisco shows, the Chase Center announced on Friday. The shows which had previously been rescheduled for Dec. 10 and Dec. 12 at Chase, will now be pushed back until Mar. 28 and Mar. 31, the venue tweeted.A representative from Chase Center confirmed the schedule change. Blue Angels SF schedule: where to watch, what you need to know "Earlier today, Bruce Springsteen announced his new 2024 North American tour dates after postponing his original dates to recover from peptic ulcer disease," the representative said. "The tour will make a stop at Chase Center on Thursday, March 28, 2024 and Sunday, March 31, 2024."Tickets for the original shows will be valid for each of the new dates, respectively, according to Chase Center. Fans who are unable to attend, can request a refund through their original point of purchase.Springsteen announced on X, formerly Twitter, in Septe...

$1.4 billion Powerball prize is a combination of interest rates, sales, math — and luck

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:04 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — At $1.4 billion, the Powerball jackpot on the line Saturday night is the world’s fifth-largest lottery prize, due to higher interest rates, long odds, fewer ticket sales per drawing and, of course, luck.A combination of all those factors means that unless there is a winner soon, the jackpot could top the record lottery prize of $2.04 billion won last November by a Powerball player in California.HOW DID WE GET HERE?Someone last won the Powerball jackpot July 19, and since then it has grown three times a week, with each drawing on Mondays, Wednesday and Saturdays without a winner. It started at $21 million on July 22 and after 33 straight drawings in which no one matched all six numbers drawn, it has reached $1.4 billion for Saturday night’s drawing.MATH AND LUCKThat winless streak shouldn’t be a surprise because it shows the game is operating as it was designed. The immense jackpot odds of 1 in 292.2 million are intended to make winning rare so the grand prize...

Fitzpatrick stays on a high after Ryder Cup exploits to lead Dunhill Links Championship after Day 2

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:04 GMT

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — Matt Fitzpatrick is showing no sign of any emotional hangover following Europe’s victory in the Ryder Cup.The Englishman shot 8-under 64 at Kingsbarns on Friday to take a one-stroke lead at the Dunhill Links Championship, the European tour event that also takes place at St. Andrews and Carnoustie. After a round at each of the three Scottish courses, the final round is back on the Old Course on Sunday.Fitzpatrick, who had Friday’s low round, was on 13 under par and a shot clear of Scotland’s Grant Forrest (67) and Spain’s Nacho Elvira (66) after a day when strong winds affected the scoring. Forrest and Elvira both played at St. Andrews.Fitzpatrick is one of three players — along with Tommy Fleetwood and Robert MacIntyre — in the field who played at last week’s Ryder Cup outside Rome, where the European team beat the Americans 16 1/2-11 1/2 to regain the trophy.He said he wanted a “nice and relaxed” week after his exertions in...