| Magnitude | 3.0 |
|---|---|
| Date-Time |
|
| Location | 40.988°N, 123.669°W |
| Depth | 28.3 km (17.6 miles) |
| Region | NORTHERN CALIFORNIA |
| Distances |
|
| Location Uncertainty | horizontal +/- 0.2 km (0.1 miles); depth +/- 0.5 km (0.3 miles) |
| Parameters | Nph= 19, Dmin=14 km, Rmss=0.06 sec, Gp= 79°, M-type=duration magnitude (Md), Version=2 |
| Source | |
| Event ID | nc40234061 |
Sandra Cantu dead - body found in pond
Reward for information has grown to $22,165 thanks to donations from the public.
Sandra is 4 feet tall and weighs 45 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a pink Hello Kitty T-shirt and black leggings. She was reported missing at 7:53 p.m. Friday, and a search was started 15 minutes later. She was last seen around 4 p.m. Friday.
Investigators are tracking down more than 150 tips that have come in from the public.
Police say there is no evidence Sandra was abducted or the victim of foul play.
She was last seen on surveillance video Friday afternoon in the mobile home park where her family lives. Last seen wearing Pink " Hello Kitty" shirt and Black leggings
Information about the case should be directed to the Tracy Police Department at 831-6847. Tips may be called in to 831-4550 or to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.
Source: US Geological Survey, Menlo Park CA - Link
Update: 11:38:15 - 1.2 aftershock
Update: BART ten minute delay - BART is performing a system-wide check of all trains.
Did you feel it? Let the USGS know about it! - Link
Earthquake Location Map - San Francisco Bay Area| Magnitude | 4.6 |
|---|---|
| Date-Time |
|
| Location | 37.285°N, 121.620°W |
| Depth | 6.2 km (3.9 miles) |
| Region | NORTHERN CALIFORNIA |
| Distances |
|
| Location Uncertainty | horizontal +/- 0.1 km (0.1 miles); depth +/- 0.3 km (0.2 miles) |
| Parameters | NST=250, Nph=250, Dmin=7 km, Rmss=0.08 sec, Gp= 58°, M-type=local magnitude (ML), Version=2 |
| Source | |
| Event ID | nc40234037 |
While the scouts planted trees in 1963, a tractor started a 50-acre grass fire - a fire Dietrich and his comrades battled with buckets and wet burlap sacks.
Four and a half decades later, Dietrich retires Friday as fire chief of the San Bernardino National Forest, the site of some of the nation's most complex fire activity.
"I don't think you'd find anybody who would say anything negative about him," said Dietrich fan Casey Judd, business manger for the Federal Wildland Fire Service Association, which advocates on behalf of federal wildland firefighters.
Dietrich, who started in his current post in 1998, went to work for North Dakota's state parks in 1976. In 1979, he started working for the Bureau of Land Management in Oregon. With a degree in forestry from the University of Montana, Dietrich began his career working on the nonfire side of forest management and then began working on handcrews, fire engines and helicopters. He also worked on a Hot Shot crew in Oregon.
Also a highly regarded incident commander, Dietrich, 55, has been sent to manage groups working aspects of the Space Shuttle Columbia recovery and the aftermaths of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Frances.
"Mike is one of the best strategic thinkers I've ever worked with, and as a result, he's been able to develop, create some really forward-thinking partnerships," said San Bernardino National Forest Supervisor Jeanne Wade Evans.
Early in his career, Dietrich spent time in grocery stores looking for household items, like Dawn dish soap, in an effort to create firefighting foam. The foam makes water more effective against fires, and now all wildland fire engines carry the foam.
He was also one of the leaders in forming the Mountain Area Safety Taskforce, a multiagency group that works to prevent wildfires in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
"It's just been phenomenal to me," he said, pointing out that more than 32 agencies get involved in a serious fire incident. He said the idea was to get away from the scattered, "Stanford Marching Band" style of the past and move toward a coordinated effort.
Dietrich also helped develop the U.S Forest Service Honor Guard, along with class-A uniforms for members to wear, to attend memorials, services and other high-profile events.
As fire chief, Dietrich has been close to his firefighters.
Judd, business manager of the firefighters association, called him down to earth, honest and willing to talk to anyone.
"His firefighters just love him, and I think that's the most important thing," he said.
The low point for Dietrich was when five firefighters died fighting the Esperanza Fire in October 2006.
"It is extremely emotional, and I'll carry that with me for the rest of my life," he said.
Earlier this month, a Riverside jury found Beaumont resident Raymond Lee Oyler guilty of murder for starting the fire and sentenced him to death.
After leaving the Forest Service, Dietrich plans to get his professional forester license so he can practice forestry as a private consultant. He also plans to work with the La Verne Fire Department on a part-time basis as a deputy chief of emergency operations and to teach.
Kurt Winchester, the current Mountaintop District ranger on the San Bernardino forest, will take over for Dietrich.
"I think Mike has just been an extremely valuable asset to the forest," Winchester said of his predecessor. "He's done tremendous work, particularly in terms of interagency cooperation."
As a fire chief and incident commander, Dietrich said he enjoys being able to see the results of his work.
"And to me it's serving the public," he said.
Source: RDF - Link
Accused Arsonist - Joshua Jack Charlton
Arson investigators have arrested a 20-year-old McArthur man in connection with a rash of fires in northeastern Shasta County between June and February, according to a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection press statement.
Joshua Jack Charlton was booked into Shasta County Jail today on suspicion of six felony arson counts. The investigation will continue to determine if additional charges can be filed against Charlton, according to the press statement.
The fires Charlton is suspected of setting were quickly contained, CalFire Unit Chief Michael Chuchel said in a press statement. But the blazes threatened homes, he said.
The Shasta County Sheriff's Office and Mayers Memorial Hospital District helped CalFire with the investigation, according to the press statement.
Charlton was held in jail without bail.
Anyone with additional information about the fires may call CalFire at (800) 468-4408. Callers can remain anonymous.
Source:www.redding.com - Link
Gangsta being booked at Firehouse
Police bring suspected gang members into a Desert Hot Springs fire station for processing after rounding them up Friday during a multi-agency raid.
Photo credit: Jay Calderon The Desert Sun
Full story at: www.mydesert.com - Link
|
Authorities, who have crafted an elaborate plan to detour traffic, warn that the closures could slow traffic in the South of Market and waterfront neighborhoods.
The northbound King Street off-ramp will be closed starting at 5 a.m. Saturday through 10 p.m. Sunday, and again on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Northbound traffic will be diverted to Sixth Street with detours set up to the Embarcadero.
The ramp will be open for the early morning weekday commute.
The King Street on-ramp for southbound I-280 will be closed on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Traffic will be detoured from King Street to Mariposa Street or Sixth Street at Brannan Street.
The elevated freeway ramps, which provide a spectacular view of the San Francisco skyline, will be used for filming the pilot episode of "Trauma," in which emergency responders will be dealing with a fiery tanker crash.
The simulated freeway crash, to be filmed over the weekend, will include an explosion with what city officials describe as "a fireball and billowing smoke." A helicopter will be used in the shoot.
Traffic also will be stopped now and then at southbound Sixth Street and King Street whenever a stunt is being filmed or a helicopter is taking off or landing, officials said.
Source article here: www.sfgate.com/ - Link
Salinas Fire Chief Candidate Excited About New Position
The funeral is open to the public, but Oakland police Capt. Paul Figueroa stressed that the sole priority is to "honor our fallen officers and their families." The families met together with the department Tuesday to go over planning, Figueroa said.
"We are guests at a private funeral, and we have the honor of being there," Figueroa said.
Processions will begin from the cities where the officers lived at 8 a.m., and members of the Police Department will be bused to the funeral.
PLEASE USE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IF POSSIBLE
Amtrak is providing complimentary travel to all police officers, active, reserve and retired traveling to and from the memorial.
BART has a station at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum/Oracle arena members of the public who wish to attend the services are urged to take BART to avoid traffic snarls. Parking lots will open at 7 a.m., and the doors to the arena will open at 9 a.m.
Overflow crowds will be invited to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, where a big screen will broadcast the service.--The four fallen Oakland Police officers killed in the line of duty
Tracey thanked the citizens who called police after the traffic stop and singled out a man who performed CPR on Dunakin at the scene. He also addressed the members of the SWAT team present when Romans and Sakai were killed.
"Console yourself knowing that they spent their last moments in your company," he said. He also told the officers not to let the deaths "hold you back."
The officers' coffins lined the front of the arena. The tall black motorcycle boots that Dunakin and Hege wore were placed by their caskets and their beloved motorcycles sat nearby.
Individual eulogies from friends, colleagues and relatives of the officers sketched portraits of dedicated, hard-working family men.
Dunakin, 40, known as "Dunny," was the life of the party who loved looking good on his motorcycle. Hege, 41, volunteered to work overtime at the Coliseum during Raiders home games to see his favorite team. Romans, 43, a former Marine Corps drill sergeant, was an avid hunter and enjoyed cooking up his game. Sakai, 35, was a former Boy Scout who loved backpacking through untouched wilderness.
Outside, a sea of police vehicles filled the parking lot. A contingent of Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrived on horses.
New York City police Lt. Tommy Ng, who attended the ceremony, said the tragedy brought back memories of Sept. 11. He said he was not surprised by the outpouring of support.
"When one of us is hurt, all of us are hurt," Ng said before the service. "We're all brothers."
Minneapolis police Sgt. Steve Blackwell and three other officers drove two squad cars from Minnesota over three days to attend Friday's service.
"It's a national tragedy," Blackwell said, "so it cuts pretty deep. We want to let the people of Oakland see that we care. I hope that this city finds strength from this tragedy to move ahead." - modbee.com - Link
Update: 1215 - Oakland Police officer Cesar Garcia, left, escorts relatives of OPD Sgt. Dan Sakai for the funeral services for the four slain Oakland Police officers at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, March 27, 2009 Photo credit: (Ray Chavez/Mercury News - Link1205- Funeral service underway - Fr. Jayson Landeza, OPD Chaplain, started services with a prayer after the national anthem was sung.
The entire 815-member Oakland Police Department, wearing dress white caps and gloves and black mourning bands on their badges, filled the front rows, saluting their fallen brethren as their flag-draped caskets were carried inside
1105 - Arena has reached its capacity of 19,000 - overflow crowd is being redirected to the Coliseum next door, where screens have been set up.
1100 - Service scheduled to begin, The services will be led by the Rev. Jayson Landeza, chaplain of the Oakland Police Department. The playing of bagpipes, a 21-gun salute with a military cannon and flyovers will follow speakers.
1030 - Officials expect more than 19,000 people at the service.
1015 - Schwarzenegger is scheduled to meet privately with the families before the service.
0850 - About 5,000, mostly uniformed police, waiting to go in
At least 5,000 are already waiting to go in, mostly uniformed officers from around the state and country, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Piedmont, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Bakersfield, Emeryville, Portland, UC Berkeley, San Diego and Irvine. The U.S. Coast Guard has officers here too.
0830 - Schwarzenegger and Boxer added to speakers list: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer have been added to the speakers list for today's funeral, police officials said today. Other speakers include acting police Chief Howard Jordan, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, state Attorney General Jerry Brown, and family and friends of the officers.
0815 - Oracle Arena starting to fill up
0800 - Funeral processions were scheduled to begin at from the cities where the four officers lived to Oracle Arena, while buses were ready to pick up Oakland police officers and civilians.
Funeral processions: All Bay Area Freeways impacted - All processions will begin at 8 a.m. from the cities where the officers lived.
"Freeways will be shut down during the procession," Oakland police spokesman Jeff Thomason said. "It will affect every freeway. Bear with us — this is a major event."
CHP Sgt. Trent Cross warned that people should expect delays on southbound Interstate 880 between West Grand Avenue and Hegenberger Road from 8 to 11 a.m. and both directions from 3 to 6 p.m.
Cross said that the CHP will run traffic breaks and provide escorts for funeral processions on Interstates 880, 980, 680 and 580, and State Highway 238. On-ramps along those freeways may be closed temporarily as the entourage passes, Cross said.
As many as 19,000 people are expected to attend, including 12,000 police officers. About 75 officers from the Boston Police Department alone arrived in Oakland this week
Firefighters offer aid and comfort to Police:When awful, unexplainable things happen, sometimes the best thing is a warm meal served by a friend who has been there before.
That's why Oakland firefighters loaded up on hamburger and tri-tip steak and took over the kitchen at the Oakland Police Officers Association, to serve comfort food to a force reeling from the slaying of four of its officers last weekend.
Firefighters lit the grill and worked the room, offering round-the-clock meals and conversation since Monday morning.
"We are there to talk to the guys," said Lt. Chuck Garcia, president of the Oakland branch of the International Association of Firefighters. "This is a big, crazy city. We have to be there for each other."
Two professional counselors and a medical doctor also are offering their services.
Grief is rippling from department headquarters on Seventh Street throughout the city after the shooting deaths Saturday of Sgts. Mark Dunakin, 40, of Tracy, Ervin Romans, 43, of Danville, and Daniel Sakai, 35, of Castro Valley, by Lovelle Mixon, a 26-year-old parolee whom police had pulled over in a routine traffic stop. Mixon was killed in a shootout with SWAT officers. - SF Chronicle
About 75 officers from the Boston Police Department alone arrived in Oakland this week.
Live Streaming video: ABC7 - Link
Guest books: Post condolences for Mark Dunakin, Erv Romans, Dan Sakai, John Hege
At 1:58 pm on the afternoon of March 25, Long Beach Fire Engine 8 and Rescue Boat 1 responded to 5875 Appian Way to a report of a PWC (Personal Water Craft) requiring assistance.
The rider said that the throttle stuck in the “wide open” position. The rider fell off, but the ski kept going.
The PWC raced all the way across the channel at approximately 60+MPH, hit the sand at the Girl Scout Base (under the bridge), skidded all the way up the beach, flew through the fence, and rolled across two lanes of traffic on Appian Way.
It stopped, upside-down, in the South bound side of Appian Way. There were no injuries to the rider, bystanders or to emergency responders. The only damage reported was to the PWC and the fence.
Source: Jet Ski Takes Off Without It’s Rider | Firechannel| Magnitude | 3.4 |
|---|---|
| Date-Time |
|
| Location | 40.760°N, 124.418°W |
| Depth | 19 km (11.8 miles) |
| Region | OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA |
| Distances |
|
| Location Uncertainty | horizontal +/- 0.6 km (0.4 miles); depth +/- 0.6 km (0.4 miles) |
| Parameters | NST= 69, Nph= 69, Dmin=32 km, Rmss=0.15 sec, Gp=194°, M-type=local magnitude (ML), Version=2 |
| Source | |
| Event ID | nc40233857 |
The cuts include laying off the equivalent of 42.3 full-time county staffers, and cutting the $2.5 million firefighting contract with the Cal Fire.
With one major exception, the proposed cuts are the same ones the supervisors didn't act on three weeks earlier.
That change, passed on a 3-2 vote, is to not close six foothill fire stations in winter, including ones in the Forest Ranch area, Harts Mill and on the upper Paradise ridge.
Cal Fire-Butte County Fire Chief Henri Brachais told the board and the standing-room-only audience that by making cuts elsewhere and eliminating another field battalion chief position, he would be able to keep the foothill stations open year-round.
The $2.5 million cut in fire service includes "brownouts," which involve closing two county stations a day on a rotating basis.
Deputy County Fire Chief George Morris explained the brownouts will be designed so adjacent stations will not go unmanned at the same time. The goal is to close down one in the north county and one in the south on any given day.
Brachais said the rotating closures will save $1.2 million a year.
The staff cuts will hit almost every other department in the county, but members of the public who spoke focused almost exclusively on fire and library services.
For about two hours a line of citizens came to the lectern to thank the board for finding a way to save the foothill stations and to object to the brownouts.
Source: chicoer.com - Link
The district ranger who oversees the area from Crestline to the San Gorgonio Wilderness has been selected as the new fire management officer for the San Bernardino National Forest, according to an agency news release.
Kurt L. Winchester, 54, replaces Chief Michael J. Dietrich, who retires April 3.
Winchester has been ranger for the forest's Mountaintop District since May 2007. He came to the forest from the Plumas National Forest in Northern California where he worked for three years as a special assistant in implementing forest management legislation across three national forests, the release stated.
Winchester received a bachelor's degree in forest management from Utah State University in 1977 and started his career on a Forest Service fire crew for three years in Utah.
Source: pe.com - Link
| Magnitude | 3.9 |
|---|---|
| Date-Time |
|
| Location | 33.295°N, 115.719°W |
| Depth | 7.9 km (4.9 miles) |
| Region | SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA |
| Distances |
|
| Location Uncertainty | horizontal +/- 0.3 km (0.2 miles); depth +/- 0.8 km (0.5 miles) |
| Parameters | Nph=083, Dmin=7 km, Rmss=0.28 sec, Gp= 65°, M-type=local magnitude (ML), Version=C |
| Source | |
| Event ID | ci14435776 |
| Magnitude | 3.1 |
|---|---|
| Date-Time |
|
| Location | 35.991°N, 117.300°W |
| Depth | 2.8 km (1.7 miles) |
| Region | CENTRAL CALIFORNIA |
| Distances |
|
| Location Uncertainty | horizontal +/- 0.4 km (0.2 miles); depth +/- 1 km (0.6 miles) |
| Parameters | Nph=034, Dmin=11 km, Rmss=0.26 sec, Gp= 54°, M-type=local magnitude (ML), Version=C |
| Source | |
| Event ID | ci14435320 |
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING...
| Magnitude | 3.7 |
|---|---|
| Date-Time |
|
| Location | 33.294°N, 115.721°W |
| Depth | 7.9 km (4.9 miles) |
| Region | SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA |
| Distances |
|
| Location Uncertainty | horizontal +/- 0.3 km (0.2 miles); depth +/- 0.9 km (0.6 miles) |
| Parameters | Nph=090, Dmin=7 km, Rmss=0.35 sec, Gp= 36°, M-type=local magnitude (ML), Version=E |
| Source | |
| Event ID | ci14435296 |
An Lockheed Martin F-22A fighter has crashed at approximately 10 a.m near Edwards Air Force Base in the high desert of Southern California, the Air Force has confirmed. Questions about the aircraft accident should be addressed to the Edwards Air Force Base Public Affairs Office at 661-277-3511.
SOURCE Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company Crash Site Update: Air Force officials are asking the public to refrain from entering the F-22A crash recovery site northeast of Edwards Air Force Base.Update 1400: Downed Raptor was assigned to Edwards' 412th Test Wing and was on a test mission.
The jet crashed 35 miles northeast of the base at a location six miles north of Harper dry lakebed, said Gary Strassburg, a Pentagon spokesman. He had no information about the area.
Rescue crews were en route to the site and the status of the pilot was unknown, said Maj. David Small. There was no immediate word on whether the pilot ejected.
Update 1320: Crash site near Cuddleback Dry Lake very rugged area...All 4WD...east of the 395 and southwest of China Lake Navel Weapons Center.
The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22A Raptor is a fifth-generation, fighter aircraft that uses stealth technology. It is primarily an air superiority fighter, but has multiple capabilities that include ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence roles.
The United States Air Force considers the F-22A a critical component of the US strike force, and claims that the F-22 cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft.[1]The F-22 is able to fly at supersonic speeds without using afterburners. That allows it to reach and stay in a battlespace faster and longer without being easily detected.
The two-engine fighter is 62 feet long, has a wingspan of 44½ feet and is flown by a single pilot.
The Lockheed Martin aircraft was variously designated F-22 and F/A-22 during the three years before formally entering US Air Force service in December 2005, as the F-22A
