January 4, 2021

Brian Urquhart, early leader of United Nations, dies at 101

Source: AP

TYRINGHAM, Mass. (AP) — British diplomat Brian Urquhart, an early leader of the United Nations who played a central role in developing the U.N. practice of peacekeeping, has died, according to his family. He was 101.

Urquhart’s son, Thomas, confirmed he died at his home in Tyringham, Massachusetts, on Saturday but didn’t provide a specific cause, the New York Times reported.

Urquhart, born in Bridport, England in 1919, served in British military and intelligence during World War II before becoming the second official hired by the U.N. after its formation in 1945. He went on to be a principal adviser to the first five U.N. secretary-generals.

Urquhart worked for the commission that set up the United Nations Secretariat in 1945, arranged the General Assembly's first meeting in London and settled on New York City as the U.N.'s permanent home. But he was best known for creating and directing U.N. peacekeeping operations in war zones around the world.

Read more: https://www.yourconroenews.com/news/article/Brian-Urquhart-early-leader-of-United-Nations-15843043.php

January 4, 2021

K-9 removed from home of Vacaville police officer filmed punching it

The K-9 filmed being punched by its handler has been removed from the officer's home and "placed in the care of a third party," the Vacaville Police Department said.

Last week, Vacaville police launched an investigation one of their own after video surfaced on Facebook of an officer punching his K-9 partner during a training exercise.

A short clip posted on Facebook last Monday shows an officer with the dog pinned between his legs near a warehouse on Vaca Valley Parkway. At one point, he reaches back and strikes the dog. According to witness Robert Palomino, the officer punched the dog repeatedly before he caught the incident on camera.

"I heard a dog crying, when I looked, the officer was punching the dog over and over and got shocked about it," Palomino wrote. "... I’m sure he saw me, he stopped beating the dog when he saw me and went behind those trailers in the video."

Read more: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/K-9-removed-from-home-of-Vacaville-police-officer-15842781.php

Aside from the cruelty to animals charges, the dog is also state property. Throw the book at him.

January 4, 2021

'Burn the mask' protest temporarily shutters Fresno Trader Joe's

A group of anti-mask protestors temporarily shuttered a Trader Joe's in Fresno.

Although scientific evidence — and guidance from local, state and federal officials — support the importance of mask-wearing to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, "Burn the Mask" protestors blocked the entrance of the grocery store on Saturday afternoon. As a result, the store chose to close early. It was not closed by police, as some on social media erroneously claimed.

Video posted to social media shows one protestor reading a prepared list of reasons why Trader Joe's, a private business, must serve him despite his refusal to wear a mask. As he argues close up and maskless with a masked Trader Joe's employee, he's cheered on by a group of supporters, many filming on their phones. The protestors then begin writing down the names of the employees based on their name tags. The man claims they will be "legally prosecuted" for barring them from entering the store, to which an employee says, "Alright" as he closes the door on them.

The man cites the 1964 Civil Rights Act as evidence he is being discriminated against, a common talking point for anti-maskers. Title II of the act reads: "All persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation, as defined in this section, without discrimination or segregation on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin."

Read more: https://www.sfgate.com/coronavirus/article/antimask-covid-protest-Fresno-Trader-Joes-15842614.php

January 4, 2021

The hunt for COVID-19 genomes that could worsen pandemic

The highly contagious new strain of COVID-19 that’s spreading throughout the United Kingdom may now be coursing through the U.S.

The challenge is finding it.

Unlike the UK, America has not yet fully harnessed the power of genomics to quickly detect important changes in the virus that could alter the trajectory of the pandemic ravaging the country.

“We’re working blind,” with insufficient screening to know how prevalent the strain is, said Dr. Charles Chiu of UC San Francisco, whose lab is collaborating with the state’s Department of Public Health to seek the new variant, called B.1.1.7., in viral samples among recent UK travelers in many California counties.

-snip-

But of the more than 19 million COVID-19 cases officially reported in the United States, just 58,500, or 0.3 percent, have been genetically analyzed for variants, according to the latest data from a centralized database.

Read more: https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/01/03/the-hunt-for-covid-19-genomes-that-could-worsen-pandemic/
(San Jose Mercury News)

January 3, 2021

Los Angeles mayor says virus spreading within households

LOS ANGELES — The pandemic is getting worse in Los Angeles as the coronavirus spreads rapidly within households and Californians let their guard down, according to Mayor Eric Garcetti, who said Sunday that the nation’s most populous county is recording a new COVID-19 case every six seconds.

Garcetti said on the CBS program “ Face the Nation ” that he’s concerned news of a vaccine rollout “has made everybody so hopeful” that they feel they can relax their behavior.

“We cannot. We cannot let up,” the mayor said. “This is a virus that preys off of our weakness, preys off of our exhaustion.”

Overall Los Angeles County is seeing high compliance of mask-wearing and people abiding by stay-home orders, Garcetti said. Despite that, the state is reporting enormous numbers of new cases, including more than 12,400 in Los Angeles County on Sunday.

Read more: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/california/story/2021-01-03/los-angeles-mayor-says-virus-spreading-within-households

January 3, 2021

Inflatable Christmas costume suspected in COVID outbreak at California hospital

A Kaiser Permanente San Jose emergency room employee briefly donned an inflatable costume on Christmas to “lift the spirits” of fellow workers, hospital officials say.

Now 43 hospital employees, including the person who wore the costume, have tested positive for COVID-19, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. Officials say the air-powered costume may have inadvertently spread the virus through the emergency room.

“Any exposure, if it occurred, would have been completely innocent, and quite accidental, as the individual had no COVID symptoms and only sought to lift the spirits of those around them during what is a very stressful time,” said Irene Chavez, hospital senior vice president, in a statement, KGO reported.

“If anything, this should serve as a very real reminder that the virus is widespread, and often without symptoms, and we must all be vigilant,” Chavez said, according to the station.

Read more: https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article248243520.html

January 3, 2021

Propane spill near Wilton prompts three-hour long evacuation, Sacramento deputies say

Residents of southern Sacramento County were temporarily evacuated Sunday morning due to a propane spill southeast of Wilton, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

South Sacramento-area California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Jim Young said a propane tanker truck was hauling about 1,200 gallons of the highly flammable substance when it overturned near the intersection of Walmort and Reigl roads — a rural and sparsely populated area with many open and dry grassy fields.

Young said up to 300 gallons of the volatile material spilled out into the shoulder as a result of the crash and evacuations began as a precaution.

The Sheriff’s Office opened an evacuation center at the Wilton Community Center around 10:40 a.m. A department spokesman said about a square mile surrounding the crash was evacuated.

Read more: https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article248248000.html

January 2, 2021

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's father reportedly seeks French citizenship

CALAIS, France — France’s government cast a favorable light Friday on a reported bid by the father of Britain’s prime minister to take up French nationality, saying it shows how attached Britons are to the European Union that they’re no longer part of.

Reports that Stanley Johnson, the father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is seeking to keep a foot in Europe by taking up French citizenship made headlines just as his son led Britain’s split Thursday from the EU. Britain left the European bloc’s vast single market for people, goods and services at 11 p.m. London time on New Year’s Eve.

Visiting Calais on Friday to inspect how the French port is adjusting post-Brexit, France’s minister for European Affairs, Clément Beaune, described the citizenship application as emblematic of enduring British sentiment for Europe.

“If Mr. Johnson’s father has a right to French nationality, wants to remain a European citizen and become a French citizen, then we will examine that,” he said. “To me, this is a wink, or a sign, that lots of British people, in different ways, still love Europe.

Read more: https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-01/france-praises-nationality-bid-by-british-leaders-dad

January 2, 2021

Evangelist singer draws a crowd of 2,500 to New Year's Eve gathering, ignoring risk of COVID-19

Evangelist singer draws a crowd of 2,500 to New Year’s Eve gathering, ignoring risk of COVID-19 spread


Southern California residents mostly stayed home on New Year’s Eve, heeding warnings by public health officials, but several large gatherings were still held across the region, including one by Christian activist Sean Feucht that drew an estimated 2,500 mostly unmasked attendants to a church parking lot in Valencia.

Despite the risks of spreading the coronavirus amid a deadly surge in the pandemic, people could be seen standing shoulder to shoulder while jumping, singing and shouting in a video posted by Feucht’s Instagram account. Most in the crowd did not wear face coverings.

The gathering took place Thursday night in the parking lot of Higher Vision Church in Valencia for a New Year’s Eve concert and worship service coordinated by Feucht.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies said there were no incidents reported before, during or after the event.

Read more: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-01-01/sean-feucht-kirk-cameron-gatherings-new-years-eve

The statement by the deputies at the end of the excerpt means that there wasn't a rapture.

January 2, 2021

Deputies break up 5 "super-spreader" parties in LA County on New Year's Eve

Deputies arrested dozens of people after shutting down five New Year’s Eve “super-spreader” parties across Los Angeles County, and also confiscated seven handguns, officials said Friday, Jan. 1.

Two of the gatherings happened in Los Angeles, Los Angeles sheriff’s officials said in a news release. The others took place in Hawthorne, Pomona and Malibu. The venues included rented homes, vacant warehouses, hotels and shuttered businesses.

A total of 90 people were cited for violations of the county’s Safer At Home order, officials said. More than 900 people were warned and reminded of the latest precautions to stem the spread of COVID-19.

A large group of partygoers wearing dress shirts, evening gowns, blazers or high heels filed out of a commercial building in footage posted to social media by the Sheriff’s Department. Most wore face coverings as they left the building, although at least one was seen holding a scarf over his face in lieu of a mask.

Read more: https://www.dailynews.com/2021/01/01/deputies-break-up-5-super-spreader-parties-in-la-county-on-new-years-eve/
(Los Angeles Daily News)