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California lawmakers are on the cusp of striking a last-minute deal to tie one of the year’s most ambitious and controversial housing bills to a new set of minimum wages for housing construction workers — a proposal that has thrown a wrench into budget negotiations just days before the deadline. The new legislative language, buried in a sprawling budget bill put into print on Tuesday, represents a grand political bargain between pro-development advocates and the state’s carpenters union. Supporters say the new arrangement could reshape the way that future California housing legislation is written and negotiated. There is intense opposition…

Some 85 koi were stolen from a decorative pond outside a Yucaipa restaurant, authorities said, as two masked men were caught on a surveillance video hauling buckets of them away. Investigators serving a search warrant on a home said they later discovered a large water tank. But by then, only five koi were recovered. Photos shared by Oak House restaurant on social media show the pair with their faces covered and the buckets in hand during the early morning hours of June 21. While the motive remains under investigation, Koi are highly valued for their size and vibrant coloration, and…

By JACK BROOK and JENNIFER McDERMOTT Louisiana is the latest state to redefine natural gas as green energy under a new law the Republican governor signed this week, even though it’s a fossil fuel that emits planet-warming greenhouse gases. Three other states led by Republicans— Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee— have passed similar legislation. In some Democratic-led states, there have been efforts to phase out natural gas. New York and California cities like San Francisco and Berkeley have moved to ban natural gas hookups in new buildings, though some of these policies have been successfully challenged in court. President Donald Trump…

DENVER — Coors Field has never been particularly kind to Clayton Kershaw. His 4.53 ERA in 28 career starts there is his highest at any ballpark where he has pitched more than twice. Dodger Stadium will be a much more appropriate setting to validate his Hall of Fame career. Kershaw moved within reach of 3,000 career strikeouts with one of his better mile-high outings on Thursday afternoon. He allowed just two hits over six innings as the Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of the struggling Colorado Rockies with a 3-1 victory. Kershaw struck out five and now has 2,997 career…

“The Seven Year Itch” is not only a great Marilyn Monroe movie, but a natural occurrence for California governors and legislators of the same party in the seventh year of an eight-year administration.  Governors dominate legislators for most of their tenure, then lawmakers begin to push back and act more independently in the seventh year of a governor’s term, typically on budget priorities. However, new legislation from a group of legislative Democrats to overhaul the forthcoming update of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard is more than the 2025 remake of a Billy Wilder classic.  It’s Democrats abandoning what Gov. Gavin…

Nearly every Windows user has had a run in with the infamous “Blue Screen of Death” at some point in their computing life. Now, after more than 40-years of being set against a very recognizable blue, the updated error message will soon be displayed across a black background. The changes to the notorious error screen come as part of broader efforts by Microsoft to improve the resiliency of the Windows operating system in the wake of last year’s CrowdStrike incident, which crashed millions of Windows machines worldwide. “Now it’s easier than ever to navigate unexpected restarts and recover faster,” Redmond,…

A Riverside County sheriff’s deputy chasing an assault suspect across a Moreno Valley street on Wednesday, June 25 was hospitalized after being struck by a driver who authorities said fled before being arrested. The deputy suffered “pretty significant injuries, but he’s expected to survive,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Keith Ballantyne, whose agency is investigating the collision. The events unfolded a few minutes after 9 p.m. Deputies were investigating a report of an assault with a deadly weapon near Indian Street and Alessandro Boulevard when a deputy ran across Alessandro, attempting to catch a suspect, Ballantyne said. The driver of…

By REBECCA SANTANA and CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemala and Honduras have signed agreements with the United States to potentially offer refuge to people from other countries who otherwise would seek asylum in the United States, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday at the conclusion of her Central America trip. The agreements expand the Trump administration’s efforts to provide the U.S. government flexibility in returning migrants not only to their own countries, but also to third countries as it attempts to ramp up deportations. Noem described it as a way to offer asylum-seekers options other than…

DENVER — This next month before the trade deadline could have been very different for Max Muncy. As he slumped through the first six weeks of the season – batting .190 with a .599 OPS and just one home run in his first 150 plate appearances – Muncy became a favorite target of fan ire and speculation that the Dodgers would be looking to replace him at some point. Nolan Arenado’s name became a frequent companion to Muncy’s – despite the fact that Arenado was enduring his own struggles (which continue). “When you have as close a relationship as I…

There’s a video going around social media of a man named Narciso Barranco being beaten while pinned on the ground by Border Patrol agents in Orange County. The 48-year-old father of three Marines was working a landscaping job when he was approached – before officers subdued Barranco and punched him multiple times in the back of the head, footage shows Barranco running while holding a weedwacker.  On Twitter, the Department of Homeland Security alleged that Barranco swung the weedwacker at agents – of the several angles available of Barranco holding the machine, none show him swinging it or assaulting border…