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What is fentanyl?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

Fentanyl is a highly addictive, synthetic opioid up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Here’s what you need to know about it:There is pharmaceutical fentanyl prescribed to treat pain and illicitly manufactured fentanyl.Illicit fentanyl can be found both as a white powder and a clear liquid. It is frequently mixed into drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine, or pressed into pills made to resemble other prescription opioids.Fentanyl is tasteless and odorless. The only way to determine whether it is in a drug is using fentanyl test strips.Smoking is the primary method used to deliberately consume illicit fentanyl. Fentanyl can be injected, but this poses a higher risk of overdose due to the drug’s potency.Illicit fentanyl is mainly manufactured in foreign labs and smuggled into the United States through Mexico.Illicit fentanyl first arrived in Los Angeles around 2016, but its use started increasing exponentially in 2019 and has continued growing e...

Colorado AG confirms Wyatts Towing investigation: “You shouldn’t have to be a state senator to be treated fairly”

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser on Monday took the unusual step of publicly acknowledging his office’s investigation into Wyatts Towing, days after a state senator who helped write last year’s towing legislation said she was illegally towed.Weiser told The Denver Post in an interview that Sen. Julie Gonzales’ case exemplifies the concerning behavior from Colorado’s largest towing company that prompted his office’s probe last year.“You shouldn’t have to be a state senator to be treated fairly,” Weiser said. “Sen. Gonzales didn’t have to pay the substantial fee only because she had the knowledge and ability to advocate for herself. Most people wouldn’t be in that position.”State investigators will be contacting Gonzales, Weiser said, and adding her testimony to the growing body of evidence the office has collected.“We want to make sure we’re protecting consumers and taking on any company that pre...

“I still get joy from my life”: Blind former inmate reflects on life after Boulder jail settlement

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

On Wednesday, Ryan Partridge received about $1.5 million of his $2.5 million settlement after a lawsuit against Boulder County Jail for employees’ “excessive force” and “deliberate indifference” against him while he was an inmate facing serious psychiatric needs in 2016.Partridge, 37, settled the lawsuit Aug. 9, almost seven years after he was released from Boulder County Jail. Throughout his stay, Partridge made multiple suicide attempts and committed forms of self-harm, including gouging his eyes out, which led to permanent blindness, and banging his head on a metal toilet that caused him to break seven teeth.Today, Partridge lives with his two divorced parents, who got back together to help care for him. He is on medication to treat his schizophrenia and is seeing a local care team. However he will likely remain blind for the rest of his life.Ryan Partridge with his father, Richard, left, and mother, Shelley, at their home in Boulder on Wednesday. (Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photograp...

State targets 'forced outing policy' of Chino Valley school board

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

The state of California is taking action in an attempt to stop a controversial Chino Valley Unified School District policy involving transgender students from being enacted.Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday announced that the state Department of Justice is suing the CVUSD board over its requirement that parents be notified if their child asks to use a name or pronoun other than that listed on their birth certificate or school records, something described as a "forced outing policy.""The policy also requires notification if a student requests to use facilities or participates in programs that don't align with their sex on official records," Bonta's office said in a press release. The policy was approved last month with a 4-1 vote, despite a decidedly mixed response from those in attendance at the meeting.School boards nationwide have been urged by conservative parents and groups to enact such policies, though their efforts haven't always been successful at higher levels.For instan...

Green Day capitalizes on Trump's viral mugshot with new merchandise benefiting Maui wildfire victims 

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

Donald Trump became the first former president to have his mugshot taken on Thursday, and the image has quickly become a viral sensation. Within days of the photo's release, it was plastered all over shirts, posters, mugs and even beverage coolers. And while some merchandise is for sale on Trump’s Save America fundraising committee website, others are making their own custom shirts featuring the now-infamous mugshot. California's own Green Day, the alternative band known for their songs “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and “Basket Case,” is one of the groups that have joined in on the viral merchandising trend.As a play on their 1997 album "Nimrod," which features two men with their faces obscured by a yellow circle bearing the word "nimrod" on it, Green Day adapted the shirt to feature Trump’s mugshot instead, with his face obscured by the same yellow "nimrod" circle featured on the original cover.Proceeds from the shirt will be donated to the Greater Good Music cha...

Local police department sends off retiring K9 cop in style

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

With a touching final radio call and a cake, police in Placentia, California honored a beloved K9 officer who retired last week.“We would like to thank K9 Kyra for her 38-and-a-half dog years … otherwise known as eight human years of distinguished service to the Placentia Police Department,” the dispatcher says in a video posted to social media featuring the nine-year-old Belgian Malinois and her handler, Officer Jeff Irvine.“You can now take your well-deserved rest, chase squirrels instead of bad guys and enjoy some belly rubs and back scratches. Your presence will be greatly missed. Go enjoy being a dog. Good girl, Kyra. Good girl.”Members of the Placentia Police Department pose with K9 Kyra. Aug. 25, 2023. (Placentia PD)Placentia Police shared a photo of local children sharing messages of gratitude to retiring K9 Kyra. Aug. 25, 2023. (Placentia PD)K9 officer Kyra enjoys her retirement cake. Aug, 25, 2023. (Placentia PD)In her eight years of service, Kyra recovered $10 million to ...

Jose Martinez Killed after Vehicle Crashed into Home near 31st Avenue [Phoenix, AZ]

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

66-Year-Old Man Dies after a Vehicle Crashed into His Home near Southern AvenuePHOENIX, AZ (August 28, 2023) – Early Wednesday morning, a crash near 31st Avenue claimed the life of Jose Martinez.The incident happened on August 23rd, just after 1:00 a.m. Deputies received a call involving a vehicle that slammed into a home near 31st Avenue and Southern Avenue.According to reports, an SUV, driven by 38-year-old Aaron Johns, was traveling in the area when he lost control of the vehicle and slammed through the downstairs bedroom.In the house, Cynthis Cerecero and David Perales heard a loud bang and went downstairs. There, they found Martinez pinned underneath the SUV.First Responders pronounced 66-year-old Jose Martinez dead at the scene.Following the collision, police arrested Johns and charged him with manslaughter and suspected DUI.No words can mend the broken hearts and sorrow felt during this delicate moment. The Sweet James team sends their deepest condolences and sympathies...

A Happy Homecoming for Metallica

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

A Happy Homecoming for Metallica: There was a moment during Metallica‘s first of two shows at the enormous SoFi Stadium on Friday evening when frontman James Hetfield allowed himself to enjoy some nostalgia and a bit of pride.Metallica have been a stadium-filling band around the world pretty much since the release of the self-titled “black album” in 1991. Even before that, they were playing arenas. So it’s quite heart-warming to know that their massive and loyal fanbase still touches Hetfield’s heart (and his bandmates’ too, we’re sure).Between songs, Hetfield took a moment to marvel at the fact that his band’s now iconic logo was stretched across the walls backstage at the SoFi, a logo that he was scrawling on a napkin 41 years ago in Norwalk, “about 15 miles from here.”Later, midway through the still gorgeous “Fade to Black,” he paused to say (words to the effect of), “We’re so glad that you’re her...

Billion-dollar drugs’ makers set to face their first US price negotiations

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

John Tozzi and Nacha Cattan | (TNS) Bloomberg NewsSome of the most widely used drugs in the U.S. may be heading for lower prices under Medicare, a move that could save taxpayers billions of dollars and squeeze profits for big pharmaceutical companies.The U.S. government is preparing to release a list this week of 10 drugs that the health program for the elderly will be able to negotiate prices for — one of the key elements of President Joe Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act. Analysts expect Johnson & Johnson’s Xarelto blood thinner and Eli Lilly & Co.’s Jardiance for diabetes to be among the medications chosen.The ability for the government to haggle over prices is a marked change for pharma companies that have long been able to charge whatever they think a medication is worth, even as most other industrialized companies bargain hard. With the IRA now enabling Medicare to come to the table over products that have long been on the market, drugmakers are girding for the...

San Jose takes center stage at U.S. gymnastics championships but network still only shows San Francisco scenes

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

Day one of the thrilling #XfinityChamps starts NOW! : @peacock pic.twitter.com/pFkZDo2Kva— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 25, 2023Kudos to NBC announcers for repeatedly highlighting San Jose and the SAP Center numerous times during the broadcasts of the U.S. gymnastics championships last week. Simone Biles won a record-breaking 8th U.S. all-around title ahead of the Paris Olympics next year.But viewers may have been left confused when during breaks in the action, the network strictly showed iconic San Francisco scenes. You know, the ones of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, etc. Where was the Rose Garden? Plaza de Cesar Chavez? Tommie Smith statue at San Jose State?Screenshot of NBC’s U.S. gymnastics championships coverage. (Bay Area News Group) Screenshot of NBC’s coverage of U.S. gymnastics championships. (Bay Area News Group) Related ArticlesSports | Silencing the media won’t change USA Gymnastics’ culture of abuse ...