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Renfield‘s Dracula Makeover is a Bloody Mess

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:45:44 GMT

Renfield is half alive, which for a movie about the undead is sort of a compliment. Directed by Chris McKay from the story of Dracula, the film has a few things going for it– it’s got the great Nicolas Cage in the part of Drac, a script from Robert Kirkman (Walking Dead) and enough blood to fill a swimming pool. So why does this satire turn out to be such a nasty mess?The film stems from Universal’s attempt to bring back its classic monsters, and it starts out promising enough. Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) gives us a recap on the origin of Dracula through the lens of Tod Browning’s original film. Cage and Hoult are digitally inserted into the classic black and white footage, replacing Bella Lugosi and Dwight Fyre as the two protagonists, and it’s a total blast.When we catch up with Drac’s henchman, he’s in a support group for couples, only to find that his problems with Nosferatu aren’t exactly on the same level as everyone else’s. Someone’s husband ...

Civil rights attorney plans federal lawsuit against Antioch cops named in racist text scandal

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:45:44 GMT

ANTIOCH – Bay Area civil rights attorney John Burris, who filed the class-action lawsuit that led to federal oversight of the Oakland Police Department, is planning to file a similar suit against the Antioch Police Department, this news organization learned Wednesday evening.Burris and his law firm are expected to name as defendants Antioch police officers who sent racist, homophobic and sexist messages in text groups that included nearly half of the police force.Those texts, revealed last week, included sergeants, gang unit members and K9 officers using racist language to describe Black residents, some of whom they also had planned to target with violence or already had.About 20 years ago, Burris along with civil rights attorney Jim Chanin, filed an action against the city of Oakland on behalf of 119 plaintiffs – mostly Black West Oakland residents – who were brutalized and framed by Oakland officers known as the Riders. That civil suit led to a settlement agreement resulting in fe...

Magnitude 3.6 quake rattles East Bay

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:45:44 GMT

ANTIOCH — An earthquake registering 3.6 magnitude shook underneath multiple East Bay towns but did not cause any injuries or visible damage, the U.S. Geological Survey said Wednesday.The quake struck at 8:35 p.m. at a depth of just over 10 miles, and was centered in a remote southwest corner of the city west of Empire Mine Road. After an initial listing of 3.8 magnitude, the quake was downgraded within an hour to 3.6.According to a USGS “did you feel it?” community intensity map, citizens reported feeling the quake across multiple parts of the East Bay.There were no reports of injuries, damage or other disruptions in either quake. Bay Area Rapid Transit trains did not issue any public alerts about service delays as part of its regular quake-based precautions.USGS scientists have predicted a 63 percent chance of a magnitude 6.7 or larger quake striking the Bay Area in the next 30 years.Recent earthquakes in the East Bay and around the state have focused renewed atte...

Mitty softball snaps streak, rallies to defeat No. 1 St. Francis – “This is huge for us”

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:45:44 GMT

SAN JOSE – Kyleigh Mace expected to spend her first Mitty vs. St. Francis game cheering from the home dugout. But the freshman was ready to go when an injury to senior ace Ava Markert on Tuesday thrust Mace into the starting role, and one could hardly call her unproven.After all, she had already pitched a six-inning perfect game against West Catholic Athletic League opponent in Sacred Heart Cathedral on April 5. Mace wasn’t quite perfect on Wednesday, but she still threw a gem of a complete game to give the Monarchs a 3-2 victory, snapping an eight-game losing streak to the Mountain View school with their first win since 2019.The right hander held the prolific St. Francis offense to six hits in a nail-biter between the WCAL’s best teams.“This is huge for us,” Mace said. “It’s a confidence-booster.”SAN JOSE – Mitty pitcher Kyleigh Mace throws a pitch in the first inning. St. Francis and Archbishop Mitty played in a high school softball game at Archbishop Mitty high school...

Civil rights attorney John Burris to file federal lawsuit against City of Antioch

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:45:44 GMT

(KRON) -- Civil rights attorney John Burris will file a federal lawsuit against the City of Antioch and members of the Antioch Police Department, he announced Wednesday. The police department is currently under investigation by the FBI and the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office for “crimes of moral turpitude” and criminal offenses. Recently released documents showed officers use racist speech in text messages.Burris will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. Thursday morning on the steps of the APD building. "It's criminal that these officers who are supposedly 'serving and protecting' the community have conducted themselves in such an openly outrageous manner that the community should be as afraid of the Antioch Police officers as they are of the criminals in the street," Burris said. 3.8 magnitude earthquake reported in Antioch Forty-five officers are embroiled in the scandal, according to Contra Costa County chief public defender Ellen McDonnell, 16 of which are in ma...

Group fails to stop marijuana dispensary approval in SF

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:45:44 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – Some residents are against a marijuana dispensary coming to San Francisco’s Inner Parkside neighborhood because it happens to be within steps of a preschool and other businesses.The new dispensary is expected to be above Gold Mirror, an Italian restaurant on Taraval Street. “We're unhappy. It's right across the street from a daycare. It's surrounded by martial arts schools and dental offices that cater to kids,” said Lefteris Eleftheriou, against the dispensary.Eleftheriou is part of a neighborhood group that has been petitioning to prevent the new cannabis dispensary from getting approval. San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors allowed the project to move forward in a 9-2 vote this week. Deputies investigate shots fired at Sacramento International Airport garage; airport ‘fully operational’ “I think it's a bad idea because the 600-foot buffer zone is here to protect the children so they should include the preschool,” said Maurice Wong, owner of Happy Day Pres...

Deputies investigate shots fired at Sacramento International Airport garage; airport 'fully operational'

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:45:44 GMT

(KTXL) — The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said someone at the Sacramento International Airport fired shots on Wednesday night.The shooter was reportedly found dead inside a car in the garage, and it is believed the shooter died by suicide. No one else is believed to have been injured, the sheriff's office said.  Authorities closed off the overnight parking lot near Terminal A.This article will be updated as more information becomes available.

Family honors life of Mario Gonzalez, killed by police two years ago

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:45:44 GMT

ALAMEDA, Calif. (KRON) -- Wednesday marks two years since the killing of Mario Gonzalez, the 26-year-old who died while being restrained by Alameda police back in 2021.Family and friends of Gonzalez gathered to celebrate his life on Oak Street, where he was killed. "You know just share space with people and get out spirits lifted, commemorate him and remember him. Do things that he liked to do, listen to music, and eat tacos,” said his brother, Jerry Gonzalez. Homicide suspect found when trying to reenter the U.S. from Mexico James Fisher, Cameron Leahy and Eric McKinley were the three police officers involved in his death. Gonzalez’s death was ruled a homicide, however, previous Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley said criminal charges on the three officers could not be justified. Just this year, new District Attorney Pamela Price announced she is reopening the case. "I think she should stand firm on her ground on what she believes is right and giving justice to famil...

Indonesia recovers bodies of 4 troops killed in Papua clash

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:45:44 GMT

JAYAPURA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian security forces recovered the bodies of four government soldiers who were killed in a separatist attack while searching for a New Zealand pilot taken hostage by the rebels in Indonesia’s restive Papua region, officials said Thursday.The four elite army troops were killed on Saturday after attackers from the West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, ambushed 36 government soldiers in Nduga district in the mountainous Papua Highlands province.Security forces found the bodies on Wednesday, including that of a soldier who fell into a 15-meter-deep (49-foot) ravine, and evacuated them to a hospital in Timika, a mining city in neighboring Central Papua province, said Papua military spokesperson Col. Herman Taryaman.The troops were ambushed by the rebels while searching for Phillip Mark Mehrtens, a New Zealand pilot who was abducted by the rebels in February, Taryaman said. The rebels shot a soldier who fell into the ravine...

2 dead as severe storms, tornadoes move through central U.S.

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:45:44 GMT

COLE, Okla. (AP) — Strong storms including tornadoes, winds and hail moved through parts of the Central U.S. on Wednesday, killing at least two people, causing injuries, destroying homes and leaving thousands without power.The National Weather Service began issuing tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings Wednesday evening in Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa with forecasters warning people to find shelter. Central Oklahoma saw multiple tornadoes, including one that raced through the communities of Shawnee and Cole Wednesday night. Authorities said at least two people were killed in the small town of Cole in McClain County and there also were injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to some requiring hospitalization, although the numbers weren’t immediately clear as hundreds of people fanned out in search operations.Power lines also were torn down, trees toppled and homes and other buildings badly damaged or destroyed. Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee and an airport received damag...