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When robots screw up, who's at fault?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:41:32 GMT

Google is being sued by the family of a North Carolina man who died after Google Maps reportedly directed him to drive off a collapsed bridge.The family alleges Google was negligent because it failed to update its app to reflect the bridge's disrepair.Google for its part said it sympathizes with the family and is reviewing the lawsuit.This case is super-interesting, one of a number of lawsuits that are seeking to define where liability falls when automated systems cause mishaps or accidents.In the Google case, is the Silicon Valley tech giant ultimately responsible? Is it the software developer? Whoever wrote the algorithm? No one?Or is this a case of buyer beware? Are consumers liable if the systems they're using cause trouble?If your Tesla hits something while in Autopilot mode, is the carmaker liable? Whoever wrote the code? You for engaging the self-driving system?Cases such as these will probably work their way through the courts for years as society comes to terms with the gro...

LAPD seeking public’s help in locating missing man

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:41:32 GMT

Authorities are looking to the public for help in finding a man who has been missing for a month. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, Robert Gutierrez, 53, was last seen near the 800 block of East 89th Street in the Green Meadows neighborhood of L.A. around 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 21. Gutierrez is described as a Hispanic male with brown hair and brown eyes. He is listed as being 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighing approximately 150 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and camouflage shorts.  Angus Cloud’s cause of death revealed Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Robert Gutierrez is urged to contact Officer Hendrickson with the LAPD Missing Persons Unit at 213-996-1800. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-527-3247. Those wishing to remain anonymous can submit a tip by calling L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or by visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org 

California sues anti-abortion organizations for promoting experimental 'abortion pill reversal' procedure

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:41:32 GMT

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Thursday that a lawsuit has been filed against Heartbeat International, a national anti-abortion group, and RealOptions Obria, a chain of five crisis pregnancy centers in Northern California, for promoting an experimental procedure called “abortion pill reversal.”The lawsuit alleges that the two organizations “used fraudulent and misleading claims” to advertise the procedure as being a “safe and effective way to reverse a medication abortion,” when in reality, that’s not the case. With the lawsuit, Bonta seeks to block the two organizations from “falsely advertising APR as a safe and effective” procedure, a news release said. California stockpiles abortion drug misoprostol in wake of Texas court ruling The complaint also alleges that the two organizations violated California’s False Advertising Law and Unfair Competition Law by sharing the alleged misinformation.The lawsuit seeks an injunction to block further dissemination of the cl...

Driver Arrested after DUI Collision at Howard Road [Madera, CA]

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:41:32 GMT

h3 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-truck-accident-near-william-avenue-resulted-in-injury”>Truck Accident near William Avenue Resulted in InjuryMADERA, CA (September 21, 2023) – Tuesday morning, police arrested one person following a DUI collision on Howard Road.Officers responded to the crash around 7:00 a.m. in the area of Howard Road and Williams Avenue in Madera.Footage from a business across the street revealed a blue truck driving with three wheels before crashing into a storefront.According to the initial investigation, a truck driver collided with a parked vehicle on West Yosemite Avenue.The initial collision took out the truck’s right front tire before crashing into another vehicle near the W. Yosemite Avenue and Pine Street intersection. Ultimately, the truck crashed into the front of a Diamond Harvesters business building.Responding paramedics transported the 56-year-old truck driver to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Additionall...

Child and Teen Hurt in 2-Car Accident on State Route 94 [El Cajon, CA]

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:41:32 GMT

Four Hospitalized after Auto Collision on College AvenueEL CAJON, CA (September 21, 2023) – Saturday morning, an incident involving two vehicles on State Route 94 resulted in injuries to multiple individuals.Around 9:45 a.m., first responders arrived at the location along the westbound lanes of the freeway near College Avenue.According to initial reports, the driver of a Toyota Camry, a 33-year-old woman, veered into another lane and collided with a 2013 Dodge Challenger. The impact caused the Camry to flip over.Two young passengers, aged 10 and 14, who were not wearing seat belts, were thrown from the Camry onto the roadway.Emergency personnel then transported the injured 10-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy to a hospital for treatment of significant but non-life-threatening injuries. Both the Camry driver and the 43-year-old woman operating the Challenger were also admitted to the hospital with unspecified injuries.Currently, authorities from El Cajon are in the process of c...

Juveniles Detained after Stolen Vehicle Crash on 4th Street [Sacramento, CA]

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:41:32 GMT

Traffic Collision near J Street Left Multiple People HospitalizedSACRAMENTO, CA (September 21, 2023) – Sunday evening, a stolen vehicle crash on 4th Street in Sacramento sent four juveniles to a hospital.Authorities responded to reports of the crash shortly before 7:00 p.m. in the area of 4th and J Streets.Subsequently, officers spotted the vehicle attempting to flee the scene near 19th and L Street, which resulted in a brief chase.The runaway vehicle ultimately came to a stop after it hit another vehicle near 19th and P Street.In the end, authorities detained the four minors inside the stolen vehicle and transported them to nearby hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries.Meanwhile, the two other occupants of the vehicle that was hit were hospitalized as a precaution. A portion of the roadway was temporarily shut down to allow for cleanup and preliminary duties.Sacramento officials will provide more information about the stolen vehicle crash once available.Thousands of peop...

Single-family residence in Fremont sells for $1.6 million

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:41:32 GMT

3666 Turner Court – Google Street ViewA house located in the 3600 block of Turner Court in Fremont has new owners. The 1,708-square-foot property, built in 1972, was sold on Aug. 4, 2023, for $1,640,000, or $960 per square foot. This single-story house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Additionally, the home is equipped with a garage.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:A 1,708-square-foot home on the 3500 block of Surry Place in Fremont sold in July 2022, for $1,625,000, a price per square foot of $951. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In December 2022, a 1,480-square-foot home on Surry Place in Fremont sold for $1,591,000, a price per square foot of $1,075. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Kemper Road, Fremont, in October 2022, a 1,708-square-foot home was sold for $1,735,000, a price per square foot of $1,016. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. 

Beach bounce back? California’s largest volunteer event seeks to restore former glory after COVID downturn

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:41:32 GMT

It is the largest annual volunteer event in California: Every September since 1985, tens of thousands of people have flocked to beaches, rivers and lakes across the state to pick up tons of trash, beautify the environment and help protect wildlife.But like downtown office buildings and public transit, Coastal Cleanup Day — which takes place this Saturday from 9 am to noon at 695 locations — is struggling to rebound from the COVID pandemic.“We’ve been seeing the volunteer numbers tick back up slowly,” said Eben Schwartz, marine debris program manager at the California Coastal Commission, which oversees the event. “We’re ramping back up to the size that we previously had. But I do think it is going to take time.”In 2019, before COVID hit, 74,410 volunteers picked up 918,000 pounds of litter.There was no organized Coastal Cleanup in 2020 due to the pandemic. And although the traditional cleanup day returned in 2021 and 2022, turnout last year was sti...

Berkeley police exchange gunfire with suspected shooter inside Albany car service center

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:41:32 GMT

ALBANY — Berkeley police officers exchanged gunfire Thursday morning with a suspect who had just shot someone inside an Albany vehicle service center, officials said.The city’s mayor said in a statement that the shooter had been “shot and subdued” by police. The status of the person who had been shot inside the business was not immediately clear.Police were called at 11:14 a.m. to a Toyota dealership and service center at 1025 Eastshore Highway on a report of a shooting, Berkeley police Officer Jessica Perry said Thursday afternoon. Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín later said in a statement that Berkeley officers had responded to a mutual-aid request from Albany police on an active-shooter situation.When officers entered the building, they found a person who had been shot and encountered an armed individual, resulting in an exchange of gunfire. Multiple Berkeley officers fired their weapons, Perry said.The shooting prompted a huge police response to the area, wh...

San Francisco man convicted of raping, murdering woman in SRO

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:41:32 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Thirteen years ago, 37-year-old Amy Mustain was viciously raped and murdered inside a single-room-occupancy hotel room in San Francisco. The man who carried out the killing, Henry "Mickey" Hall, is now facing life in prison without possibility of parole, prosecutors said.Hall, 72, of San Francisco, was convicted of murder, rape by force, and sodomy this week following a jury trial. In September of 2010, Mustain was inside Hall's SRO room when fellow Krishna Hotel residents heard her scream, prosecutors said.According to trial testimony, Mustain had gone to stay with Hall after an argument with her husband. They were friends, and she would often spend time Hall.Hall provided the victim heroin and cocaine before he began to violently sexually assault her, the DA's Office said."She was yelling for him to stop and he was telling her to shut up. If I would have known he was killing her I might have tried to help, but I know Mickey would have done something to me t...