Naked man in women's bathroom; library-book lice; stun-gun discipline
- Updated
Odd and interesting news from around the West.
- By JONATHAN J. COOPER and SOPHIA BOLLAG Associated Press
- Updated
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California drivers will see gas prices jump in November and will pay more to register their vehicles come January after Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Friday a tax hike of $5 billion per year to fix the state's crumbling highways.
But drivers will have to wait months before crews begin repaving neglected roads with the fruits of their higher taxes.
State transportation officials have not begun the engineering work, environmental assessments and other necessary preparations before construction workers can begin tearing up pavement.
Brown and his legislative allies said the money was badly needed to fill potholes and repair rutted roads that lengthen commutes and damage vehicles.
"Safe and smooth roads make California a better place to live and strengthen our economy," Brown said in a statement. "This legislation will put thousands of people to work."
In the bill, SB1, the money is split roughly evenly between state highways and local roads.
Specific projects haven't been determined, said Mark Dinger, a spokesman for Caltrans. The California Transportation Commission, appointed mostly by Brown, will prioritize projects for the funding, he said, and the first construction work will likely begin work in the summer of 2018.
A few projects are known, however, including an extension of a commuter rail line between the Central Valley and Silicon Valley, a parkway linking the University of California, Merced to a major state highway and highway expansion in Riverside County. Those projects were promised to undecided lawmakers to win their support for the legislation.
On Friday, Brown also signed the legislation authorizing those projects, SB132, and a bill by state Sen. Anthony Cannella to shield architects, engineers and land surveyors from liability in certain circumstances, SB 496.
Cannella was the only Republican in the Legislature who voted for the gas tax increase. He won funding for transportation projects in his Central Valley district as part of the deal.
Most of the money from SB1 will go into Caltrans' budget for major maintenance projects. More than filling potholes and making spot repairs, the crews will completely rebuild roads in particularly damaged areas, Dinger said. Potential projects include major commuting corridors near Sacramento, Highway 101 in Sonoma County, Interstate 580 in the East Bay and a variety of bridge and pavement projects in the Los Angeles area.
The plan aims to address a $59 billion backlog in deferred maintenance on state highways and $78 billion on local streets and roads. It raises gas taxes by 12 cents per gallon in November, rising to a 19.5-cent increase by 2020. Diesel taxes will rise by 20 cents per gallon and diesel sales taxes by 4 percent. Drivers will pay a new vehicle registration fee ranging from $25 to $175 depending on value of their vehicles.
The fees and taxes will all rise annually with inflation in perpetuity, raising an estimated $52 billion over the next 10 years.
The measure passed the Legislature on April 6 with support from nearly all Democrats and one Republican. Critics said the tax hikes will hurt people struggling to make ends meet in a state that already has a high tax burden.
A conservative talk-radio host has organized an attempt to recall Sen. Josh Newman, a freshman Democrat who narrowly won his Orange County seat last year and voted for the gas tax hike.
Senate minority leader Patricia Bates said Brown and Democratic lawmakers should have embraced a plan to fund road repairs that did not increase taxes.
"Californians got a lemon of a gas and car tax hike today," the Laguna Niguel Republican said in a statement. "This tax hike particularly hurts Californians struggling to make ends meet."
- Updated
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Books at the Carson City Library have been removed after employees found bed bugs embedded within.
Library Director Sena Loyd says a customer returned the books and a staff member quickly noticed the bugs.
An investigation found five books to be contaminated. Another 34 books will remain quarantined and heat-treated as a precaution.
Book carts and bins have also been disinfected.
- Updated
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Nevada Supreme Court says a reality television show about Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson and prosecutors in Las Vegas is a news program, and its cameras can be in courtrooms.
The court ruled unanimously Thursday that although it's unusual for the county to get royalties from a film company, "Las Vegas Law" satisfies requirements for news reporting because courtroom proceedings are shown for informational or educational purposes.
Defense attorneys objected during a trial last year of a man convicted of killing a Las Vegas high school student over an iPad.
They argued the show produced by My Entertainment Television is a docudrama made for entertainment and commercial purposes, not news.
The first season of the show aired on Investigation Discovery. A second season is expected later this year.
- Updated
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi has apologized to a well-known Douglas cross-dresser for comments he says coincidentally fit the man's description.
The Casper Star-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2qfjV3f ) Enzi called Larry "Sissy" Goodwin on Thursday to apologize after comments the senator made seemed refer to him. The senator was recorded saying that if a man goes into a bar wearing a tutu and gets into a fight, the man was asking for it in a way during a high school appearance.
Goodwin owns petticoats that he says are often confused for tutus. Enzi's spokesman says even though many people thought he was talking about Goodwin, the senator was talking in general.
Goodwin has accepted the senator's apology, which he described as genuine. He says they both agreed national press attention has opened up discussions on LGBT issues.
___
Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com
- Updated
CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) — Two men found dead on marijuana culture's high holiday are accused of arguing about their portions of pot and then killing each other.
The Eastern New Mexico News reports (http://bit.ly/2pppBER ) Friday that police have completed a weeklong investigation into the deaths.
The victims are 43-year-old David "Bo Bo" Lopez and 25-year-old Carlos Gallegos.
Clovis Police Capt. Roman Romero says Lopez was found in an apartment building with a single gunshot to his buttocks. He says Gallegos was found in a car a few blocks away with a stab wound to his neck.
Witnesses told police a fist fight started April 20 after Lopez and Gallegos argued over marijuana. They told police Gallegos left with his hand on his neck and returned with a gun before firing it twice.
___
Information from: The Eastern New Mexico News, http://www.easternnewmexiconews.com
- Updated
PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix police say a man has been detained after being found with a non-operational replica rifle and a pellet gun in the vicinity of a high school.
A Police Department spokesman says there was no shooting and nobody was injured during the incident Friday morning and that the man was taken into custody while in a field.
Sgt. Alan Pfohl says police are trying to determine the man's intent.
Pfohl says police quickly searched the area and set up a perimeter after somebody reported seeing a man walking with a gun.
The school was placed on lockdown but the incident occurred before classes began and Pfohl says there's no indication the man was at the school.
Pfohl says police didn't have any immediate reports of anybody being threatened.
- Updated
ROSEBURG, Ore. (AP) — Federal regulators say Mount Nebo is obstructing the runway at Roseburg Municipal Airport
The News-Review reports (http://bit.ly/2p0DgDD ) the finding led Roseburg to shut down its nighttime instrument approach, limiting pilots from landing at night during cloudy conditions.
Airport Commissioner Clint Newell says the shutdown limits accessibility and has a damaging economic impact.
Regulators have offered some potential solutions, such as changing the instrument approach system.
That would be quick fix compared to the other suggestions, such as removing 11 feet from Mount Nebo.
To remove terrain, the city would have to get heavy equipment up a steep slope with few paved roads.
The 1,200-foot hill is perhaps best known for a herd of goats that gained national attention in the 1970s. People said they could predict the next day's weather by watching where the goats were stationed on the mountain — high meant dry, low meant rain.
___
Information from: The News-Review, http://www.nrtoday.com
- Updated
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A former New York hedge fund manager has won $160.5 million in his lawsuit against the Las Vegas Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports (http://bit.ly/2qeIZat ) the verdict in David Moradi's lawsuit came this week. His 2014 lawsuit claimed he suffered a traumatic brain injury after Marquee nightclub security guards and manager shoved him to the ground. A Las Vegas neurosurgeon diagnosed his injuries.
Defense attorneys say the dispute arose after Moradi reacted aggressively when the general manager told him there was a problem with his signature. They claim that Moradi did not suffer injury or permanent damage during the encounter.
Moradi says his hedge fund had to be shut down and he has not found work in the field since. The lawyers for both sides declined to comment on the verdict.
___
Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal, http://www.lvrj.com
- Updated
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco's cable-car system is considering becoming cashless after two employees were caught pocketing cash from riders.
KPIX-TV reported (http://cbsloc.al/2ppmfBE ) Thursday that the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency conducted an investigation and found two conductors had been stealing fare money.Agency Director John Haley says using cash has been part of the cable car's 140-year-old tradition, but it might be time to modernize.
The two employees accused of stealing are 61-year-old Albert Williams and 55-year-old David Reyes.
Williams was arrested last week. Police searched his home and found $32,000 in cash and a packed suitcase.
Reyes was arrested on Wednesday.
___
Information from: KPIX-TV.
- Updated
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Authorities say three San Francisco police officers were injured when two police cruisers crashed into each other while responding to a call for backup.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/2oEUcB9 ) the accident occurred in the city's Mission district Thursday night.
Sgt. Michael Andraychak says both cars had their lights and sirens on as they responded to the call about 10:45 p.m.
Andraychak says the cars collided, with one of the cruisers also smashing into a fire hydrant before coming to rest against a building.
All three officers were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Their conditions were not available Friday.
The crash remains under investigation.
___
Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com
- Updated
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — A New Mexico court's decision in a criminal case stemming from a drug seizure and arrest says a driver's brief touching of her lane's left yellow line while she passed other vehicles on the right wasn't enough to justify a 2013 traffic stop.
A state Court of Appeals decision Tuesday says Karen Siqueiros-Valenzuela's momentary failure to stay entirely in her lane didn't provide reasonable suspicion for an officer to pull her over on Interstate 40 near Grants.
The appellate court upheld a trial judge's ruling to bar use of methamphetamine found in the vehicle as evidence against Siqueiros-Valenzuela.
The decision said the search and seizure violated Siqueiros-Valenzuela's Fourth Amendment privacy protections because New Mexico law only requires a driver to stay in a traffic lane "as nearly as practicable."
- Updated
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Police say they arrested a man after a woman reporting discovering him naked in a stall in a women's bathroom at Spokane Community College.
The Spokesman-Review reports (https://goo.gl/d2Y9wP ) 27-year-old Brandon Birdsill was arrested Wednesday.
Birdsill had previously been arrested for an identical crime on the same campus in 2014 and had been banned from returning.
Court documents say the woman told police she opened an unlocked stall door in the bathroom to find Birdsill lying on couch cushions while performing a sexual act. She told a professor who found Birdsill still in the bathroom.
The 2014 incident occurred in the same bathroom and the same building as Wednesday's incident.
He's being held in jail on $30,000 bond on suspicion of indecent exposure and burglary with sexual motivation.
___
Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesman.com
More like this...
- By JONATHAN J. COOPER and SOPHIA BOLLAG Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California drivers will see gas prices jump in November and will pay more to register their vehicles come January after Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Friday a tax hike of $5 billion per year to fix the state's crumbling highways.
But drivers will have to wait months before crews begin repaving neglected roads with the fruits of their higher taxes.
State transportation officials have not begun the engineering work, environmental assessments and other necessary preparations before construction workers can begin tearing up pavement.
Brown and his legislative allies said the money was badly needed to fill potholes and repair rutted roads that lengthen commutes and damage vehicles.
"Safe and smooth roads make California a better place to live and strengthen our economy," Brown said in a statement. "This legislation will put thousands of people to work."
In the bill, SB1, the money is split roughly evenly between state highways and local roads.
Specific projects haven't been determined, said Mark Dinger, a spokesman for Caltrans. The California Transportation Commission, appointed mostly by Brown, will prioritize projects for the funding, he said, and the first construction work will likely begin work in the summer of 2018.
A few projects are known, however, including an extension of a commuter rail line between the Central Valley and Silicon Valley, a parkway linking the University of California, Merced to a major state highway and highway expansion in Riverside County. Those projects were promised to undecided lawmakers to win their support for the legislation.
On Friday, Brown also signed the legislation authorizing those projects, SB132, and a bill by state Sen. Anthony Cannella to shield architects, engineers and land surveyors from liability in certain circumstances, SB 496.
Cannella was the only Republican in the Legislature who voted for the gas tax increase. He won funding for transportation projects in his Central Valley district as part of the deal.
Most of the money from SB1 will go into Caltrans' budget for major maintenance projects. More than filling potholes and making spot repairs, the crews will completely rebuild roads in particularly damaged areas, Dinger said. Potential projects include major commuting corridors near Sacramento, Highway 101 in Sonoma County, Interstate 580 in the East Bay and a variety of bridge and pavement projects in the Los Angeles area.
The plan aims to address a $59 billion backlog in deferred maintenance on state highways and $78 billion on local streets and roads. It raises gas taxes by 12 cents per gallon in November, rising to a 19.5-cent increase by 2020. Diesel taxes will rise by 20 cents per gallon and diesel sales taxes by 4 percent. Drivers will pay a new vehicle registration fee ranging from $25 to $175 depending on value of their vehicles.
The fees and taxes will all rise annually with inflation in perpetuity, raising an estimated $52 billion over the next 10 years.
The measure passed the Legislature on April 6 with support from nearly all Democrats and one Republican. Critics said the tax hikes will hurt people struggling to make ends meet in a state that already has a high tax burden.
A conservative talk-radio host has organized an attempt to recall Sen. Josh Newman, a freshman Democrat who narrowly won his Orange County seat last year and voted for the gas tax hike.
Senate minority leader Patricia Bates said Brown and Democratic lawmakers should have embraced a plan to fund road repairs that did not increase taxes.
"Californians got a lemon of a gas and car tax hike today," the Laguna Niguel Republican said in a statement. "This tax hike particularly hurts Californians struggling to make ends meet."
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Books at the Carson City Library have been removed after employees found bed bugs embedded within.
Library Director Sena Loyd says a customer returned the books and a staff member quickly noticed the bugs.
An investigation found five books to be contaminated. Another 34 books will remain quarantined and heat-treated as a precaution.
Book carts and bins have also been disinfected.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Nevada Supreme Court says a reality television show about Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson and prosecutors in Las Vegas is a news program, and its cameras can be in courtrooms.
The court ruled unanimously Thursday that although it's unusual for the county to get royalties from a film company, "Las Vegas Law" satisfies requirements for news reporting because courtroom proceedings are shown for informational or educational purposes.
Defense attorneys objected during a trial last year of a man convicted of killing a Las Vegas high school student over an iPad.
They argued the show produced by My Entertainment Television is a docudrama made for entertainment and commercial purposes, not news.
The first season of the show aired on Investigation Discovery. A second season is expected later this year.
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi has apologized to a well-known Douglas cross-dresser for comments he says coincidentally fit the man's description.
The Casper Star-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2qfjV3f ) Enzi called Larry "Sissy" Goodwin on Thursday to apologize after comments the senator made seemed refer to him. The senator was recorded saying that if a man goes into a bar wearing a tutu and gets into a fight, the man was asking for it in a way during a high school appearance.
Goodwin owns petticoats that he says are often confused for tutus. Enzi's spokesman says even though many people thought he was talking about Goodwin, the senator was talking in general.
Goodwin has accepted the senator's apology, which he described as genuine. He says they both agreed national press attention has opened up discussions on LGBT issues.
___
Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com
CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) — Two men found dead on marijuana culture's high holiday are accused of arguing about their portions of pot and then killing each other.
The Eastern New Mexico News reports (http://bit.ly/2pppBER ) Friday that police have completed a weeklong investigation into the deaths.
The victims are 43-year-old David "Bo Bo" Lopez and 25-year-old Carlos Gallegos.
Clovis Police Capt. Roman Romero says Lopez was found in an apartment building with a single gunshot to his buttocks. He says Gallegos was found in a car a few blocks away with a stab wound to his neck.
Witnesses told police a fist fight started April 20 after Lopez and Gallegos argued over marijuana. They told police Gallegos left with his hand on his neck and returned with a gun before firing it twice.
___
Information from: The Eastern New Mexico News, http://www.easternnewmexiconews.com
PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix police say a man has been detained after being found with a non-operational replica rifle and a pellet gun in the vicinity of a high school.
A Police Department spokesman says there was no shooting and nobody was injured during the incident Friday morning and that the man was taken into custody while in a field.
Sgt. Alan Pfohl says police are trying to determine the man's intent.
Pfohl says police quickly searched the area and set up a perimeter after somebody reported seeing a man walking with a gun.
The school was placed on lockdown but the incident occurred before classes began and Pfohl says there's no indication the man was at the school.
Pfohl says police didn't have any immediate reports of anybody being threatened.
ROSEBURG, Ore. (AP) — Federal regulators say Mount Nebo is obstructing the runway at Roseburg Municipal Airport
The News-Review reports (http://bit.ly/2p0DgDD ) the finding led Roseburg to shut down its nighttime instrument approach, limiting pilots from landing at night during cloudy conditions.
Airport Commissioner Clint Newell says the shutdown limits accessibility and has a damaging economic impact.
Regulators have offered some potential solutions, such as changing the instrument approach system.
That would be quick fix compared to the other suggestions, such as removing 11 feet from Mount Nebo.
To remove terrain, the city would have to get heavy equipment up a steep slope with few paved roads.
The 1,200-foot hill is perhaps best known for a herd of goats that gained national attention in the 1970s. People said they could predict the next day's weather by watching where the goats were stationed on the mountain — high meant dry, low meant rain.
___
Information from: The News-Review, http://www.nrtoday.com
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A former New York hedge fund manager has won $160.5 million in his lawsuit against the Las Vegas Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports (http://bit.ly/2qeIZat ) the verdict in David Moradi's lawsuit came this week. His 2014 lawsuit claimed he suffered a traumatic brain injury after Marquee nightclub security guards and manager shoved him to the ground. A Las Vegas neurosurgeon diagnosed his injuries.
Defense attorneys say the dispute arose after Moradi reacted aggressively when the general manager told him there was a problem with his signature. They claim that Moradi did not suffer injury or permanent damage during the encounter.
Moradi says his hedge fund had to be shut down and he has not found work in the field since. The lawyers for both sides declined to comment on the verdict.
___
Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal, http://www.lvrj.com
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco's cable-car system is considering becoming cashless after two employees were caught pocketing cash from riders.
KPIX-TV reported (http://cbsloc.al/2ppmfBE ) Thursday that the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency conducted an investigation and found two conductors had been stealing fare money.Agency Director John Haley says using cash has been part of the cable car's 140-year-old tradition, but it might be time to modernize.
The two employees accused of stealing are 61-year-old Albert Williams and 55-year-old David Reyes.
Williams was arrested last week. Police searched his home and found $32,000 in cash and a packed suitcase.
Reyes was arrested on Wednesday.
___
Information from: KPIX-TV.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Authorities say three San Francisco police officers were injured when two police cruisers crashed into each other while responding to a call for backup.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/2oEUcB9 ) the accident occurred in the city's Mission district Thursday night.
Sgt. Michael Andraychak says both cars had their lights and sirens on as they responded to the call about 10:45 p.m.
Andraychak says the cars collided, with one of the cruisers also smashing into a fire hydrant before coming to rest against a building.
All three officers were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Their conditions were not available Friday.
The crash remains under investigation.
___
Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — A New Mexico court's decision in a criminal case stemming from a drug seizure and arrest says a driver's brief touching of her lane's left yellow line while she passed other vehicles on the right wasn't enough to justify a 2013 traffic stop.
A state Court of Appeals decision Tuesday says Karen Siqueiros-Valenzuela's momentary failure to stay entirely in her lane didn't provide reasonable suspicion for an officer to pull her over on Interstate 40 near Grants.
The appellate court upheld a trial judge's ruling to bar use of methamphetamine found in the vehicle as evidence against Siqueiros-Valenzuela.
The decision said the search and seizure violated Siqueiros-Valenzuela's Fourth Amendment privacy protections because New Mexico law only requires a driver to stay in a traffic lane "as nearly as practicable."
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Police say they arrested a man after a woman reporting discovering him naked in a stall in a women's bathroom at Spokane Community College.
The Spokesman-Review reports (https://goo.gl/d2Y9wP ) 27-year-old Brandon Birdsill was arrested Wednesday.
Birdsill had previously been arrested for an identical crime on the same campus in 2014 and had been banned from returning.
Court documents say the woman told police she opened an unlocked stall door in the bathroom to find Birdsill lying on couch cushions while performing a sexual act. She told a professor who found Birdsill still in the bathroom.
The 2014 incident occurred in the same bathroom and the same building as Wednesday's incident.
He's being held in jail on $30,000 bond on suspicion of indecent exposure and burglary with sexual motivation.
___
Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesman.com
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