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Antioch’s five city council members voted unanimously in a Friday night meeting via Zoom to remove Ken Turnage II from his post as chairman of the city’s planning commission, NBC Bay Area reported. Turnage sparked fury after he claimed the COVID-19 crisis was a good way of culling those who he characterized as a drain on society. “The World has been introduced to a new phrase Herd Immunity which is a good one....

According to a statement sent to Newsweek, a hiker spotted a non-native snake, presumed to be a ball python, on the side of one of the trails in the park. The statement noted that abandoning any animals in the park system is illegal. Native species of plants and animals in the parks can be negatively impacted, as well as the animal that was released. There are things an owner can do if they are no longer able to care for their pet, according to the Southeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (SEPARC)....

During a sermon that was delivered at Destiny Christian Church in Rocklin and streamed online, pastor Greg Fairrington warned congregants that not classifying places of worship as essential services threatened their rights and the church’s role in the future. “The government is taking away our rights,” he said. “Once your rights are taken from you, they’re never giving them back.” California is one of several states that have reported record high numbers of new virus cases in recent weeks....

Although details are complex, the root cause of California’s electricity problem is simple: demand outran supply. A booming economy coupled with little power-plant construction led to a scarcity of generating capacity, which was compounded by low levels of water to produce hydroelectric power. Wholesale electricity prices rose dramatically, in part because prices for natural gas–the fuel used in many of California’s plants–were rising dramatically. Little of this was Davis’s fault, but he made a bad situation worse....

Criswell traveled to California on Thursday with President Joe Biden, who visited Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties to survey damaged areas and speak with local residents impacted by the winter storms. While talking with reporters onboard Air Force One during the flight from Washington, D.C., to California, Criswell was asked what the agency believes the recovery efforts will cost. FEMA is beginning to review initial estimates, Criswell said, but the duration of the extreme weather and the continuation of road closures in some parts of the state due to flooding and debris have made it difficult to determine the true extent of the damage....

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been facing growing pressure to resume in-person instruction from parents keen to have children back in classrooms before the entire school year slips away. He’s faced pushback from teacher’s unions, including the California Teacher’s Association, that have called for all teachers to be vaccinated before returning to classrooms. Last month, the embattled governor told the Association of California School Administrators that waiting to reopen schools until teachers had received vaccines was unrealistic....

Lake Fire, Lake Hughes The Lake Fire is one of the most critical infernos in California right now. Starting on Wednesday afternoon, it has reached a size of 11,000 acres. It was only five per cent contained at the time of writing. Location: Lake Hughes Rd and Prospect Rd, southwest Lake Hughes. Pin point: Lat 34.679402, long -118.451917 Evacuation: Evacuations of more than 500 homes have been ordered around the areas of Lake Hughes Road, Lake Elizabeth Road and West Trail Mountain View Road, as well as areas south of Highway 138, including Pine Canyon....

Fires have also sprung up in the northern part of the state, despite local energy utility Pacific Gas & Electric’s effort to minimize fire risks by cutting power to 34 counties ahead of the windstorms. Earlier this year, state fire officials found PG&E responsible for 2018’s Paradise Fire, California’s deadliest blaze, which left 85 people dead. As the Saddleridge Fire continued to blaze in California’s San Fernando Valley on Friday, the state announced that a red flag warning for Los Angeles and Ventura counties would remain in effect until 6 p....

The agency is predicting above-normal potential of “significant” wildfires in both northern and southern California over September and October, but expects the risk in northern California to fall back to normal come November and December. Sections of southern California, however, remains at above-normal levels from Santa Barbara down to the Mexican border. “August represents the peak of fire season for the western United States and above normal significant fire potential is expected across much of the Great Basin, northern California, Pacific Northwest, and northern Rockies,” the seasonal fire assessment said....

Former employees Alex Horn, Lance Aytman and Keith Hooker said in a statement issued by their lawyer that between 2012 and 2018 the trio faced discrimination that included death threats, consistent use of racial slurs, and vandalism of their personal property. Upon voicing these complaints to management, the trio were forced out of their jobs with Kraft Heinz allegedly terminating their contracts illegally. They said they “repeatedly” asked management to investigate the incidents, only for the treatment to be subsequently tolerated....

Ahead of the Chicago Home Series, which begins Friday, the CDL announced a change to its server setup it hopes will cool down gameplay criticism. The CDL will now use nine dedicated servers around the country rather than the five it deployed during the Dallas Home Series. It will also give teams a chance to test servers before matches and veto ones not up to par. MORE: Why FaZe, NFL are combining forces...

How serious is this? No one really knows. Foreign nationals are prohibited from contributing to U.S. political campaigns, but naturalized citizens and resident aliens have every right to give. And the law on soft-money contributions is just what the term implies: squishy. As a result, Indogate so far is a matter of tracing connections that look unsavory. Still, the questions are serious enough to force Attorney General Janet Reno to order a formal review of possible criminality–the first step toward requesting the appointment of an independent counsel....

Former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Austan Goolsbee, who advised the Obama administration, told CNN that he feels something needs to be done soon in order to prevent a potential double-dip recession. “There are a lot of people really hurting in the country, I hope that they can agree on something soon,” Goolsbee, who was also chief adviser for the Economic Recovery Advisory Board established during Obama’s presidency, said....

But to Jennifer, 15, the image had a different meaning. “I think she looks cute there,” Jennifer said. “All my friends wear pants down past their underwear.” In her school, she said. Calvin Klein was the most popular designer, though boys were always stealing her Victoria’s Secret catalog. “I don’t think they’re exploiting her at all,” Jennifer said of the gift in the ad. “She’s got the body to wear it....

The Rams – and fantasy owners – are hoping that the young running back’s performance in the playoffs is not a precursor of what we could see this season. Below, we’ll take a look at Akers’ fantasy outlook and where he stands in ADP. DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2022 fantasy cheat sheet Cam Akers Injury Update: Latest news on Rams’ RB UPDATE: After returning to practice on Aug. 29, Akers was deemed “good to go” for Week 1 by head coach Sean McVay....

The new Patriots QB shared an Instagram video of himself working out on Sunday and proclaimed, “I’m getting tired of being humble now.” MORE: Details of Cam Newton’s new contract with Patriots confirm total lowball A post shared by Cam Newton (@cameron1newton) on Jul 5, 2020 at 5:03pm PDT “I’m really a killa. I’m really a killa,” Newton said on the Instagram video. “You hear me? I’m getting tired of all this humble s—....

The NFL’s reigning MVP clearly was disappointed in the punishment. (Via TMZ) MORE: Cam Newton, Ron Rivera issue bigger than a dress code violation Newton was benched for the Panthers’ first offensive series Sunday night because he failed to wear a tie on the team’s flight from northern California to Seattle. After the game, the quarterback said he had plenty of ties to wear, but they wouldn’t work with the collarless shirt he was wearing....

Phoenix guard Cameron Payne has been ruled out for the remainder of Thursday’s contest after suffering an ankle injury late in the first quarter. Payne turned his left ankle while pursuing a loose ball near the sideline and appeared to be in pain as he attempted to transition from offense to defense. MORE: How Suns executed perfect game-winning play vs. Clippers Payne finished out the first quarter, but he didn’t play the rest of the first half....

The source has confirmed to Newsweek that Vasquez had meant to say “abuse victim.” Vasquez was one of the lawyers that represented Depp in his legal proceedings against his ex-wife Amber Heard which saw a jury award the actor $10 million in compensatory damages, as well as $5 million in punitive damages. The punitive damage award was later lowered to $350,000 under a Virginia law that caps punitive damages....

In Plastic Scoop, filmmakers Andy Hughes and Dr. Mandy Bloomfield, a lecturer in English at the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom, explore environmental messages they have found in Grand Theft Auto V, juxtaposing them with public service information films from the past 100 years. “I’ve been playing this game for probably about 10 years and I’ve noticed over a period of time the game designers have started to integrate into the game aspects of contemporary culture....