mercurynews--2020-12-16--Fashion mogul Peter Nygard arrested on sex counts alleging women and girls were abused in the L.A. a

Fashion mogul Peter Nygard arrested on sex counts alleging women and girls were abused in the L.A. area, elsewhere

By ROB GILLIES and LARRY NEUMEISTER | The Associated Press NEW YORK — Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard was arrested on charges alleging he sexually abused women and girls after luring them into his orbit with opportunities in fashion and modeling over the last 25 years .
Nygard , 79 , was detained after a Winnipeg , Canada , court appearance Tuesday following his Monday arrest by Canadian authorities at the request of the U.S. No date was set for a bail hearing , though he was due to return to court Jan. 13 .
His lawyer in Winnipeg , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all allegations and blames a conspiracy caused by a feud with his billionaire neighbor in the Bahamas .
“ That is Mr. Nygard ’ s contention .
This all stems from a conspiracy from the hedge fund billionaire Louis Bacon , ” Prober said in a phone interview .
“ He expects to be vindicated in court but the first order of business is to make a bail application for him considering his age of 79 and his medical issues .
He ’ s very susceptible to the worst consequences of COVID-19 which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Bacon could not be immediately reached for comment .
Nygard ’ s arrest on sex trafficking , racketeering and related charges came after the FBI raided his Manhattan offices earlier this year .
The raid came soon after 10 women sued Nygard , saying he enticed young and impoverished women to his Bahamas estate with cash and promises of modeling and fashion opportunities .
Several plaintiffs in the suit , filed in New York City , said they were 14 or 15 years old when Nygard gave them alcohol or drugs and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charges , authorities said Nygard used the prestige of an international clothing design , manufacturing , and supply business he founded and headquartered in Winnipeg , Canada , to persuade victims , sometimes with a history of being abused , to submit to his demands .
According to an indictment , he capitalized on the Nygard Group ’ s influence , using its employees , funds , and resources to recruit women and girls under the age of 18 .
The indictment alleged that Nygard and his co-conspirators , including Nygard Group employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coercion to enlist the women and girls , who were sexually abused and assaulted by Nygard and others .
The federal indictment in New York said Nygard offered false promises of modeling opportunities and other career advancement , along with financial support , to lure victims , while restricting their movements to isolate them .
It said he forcibly sexually assaulted some victims while others were forcibly assaulted by his associates or were drugged to ensure compliance with sexual demands .
Dozens of adult and minor-aged females were enlisted to engage in commercial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the indictment said .
It said Nygard maintained personal and quasi-professional relationships with some victims , referring to them as “ girlfriends ” or “ assistants ” while requiring them to travel with him regularly and to engage in sexual activity at his direction with himself , with each other or with others .
It said he also directed them to recruit new women and minor-aged girls to be sexually abused .
Nygard abused some women and girls at his properties in Marina del Rey , California , and in the Bahamas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where some women , including minors , were drugged to force compliance with his sexual demands , the indictment said .
It added that he sometimes paid the women and girls amounts ranging from hundreds of dollars to several thousand dollars .
He also directed and pressured “ girlfriends ” to have sex with other men at sex and “ swingers ” clubs in New York City , Miami , Los Angeles and Winnipeg and utilized sexual “ swaps ” in which male friends and business associates would bring Nygard a “ date @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access to one of Nygard ’ s “ girlfriends , ” the indictment said .
Meanwhile , 57 women , including 18 Canadians , have joined the lawsuit , which alleges that Nygard used his company , bribery of Bahamian officials and “ considerable influence in the fashion industry ” to recruit victims in the Bahamas , United States and Canada .
“ The fact it is finally being acknowledged that he is a predator , and that he has done so much damage to so many for so long , and now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be accountable , it ’ s amazing , ” said April Telek , a 47-year-old Canadian actress who says she was raped by Nygard at the age of 20 in Winnipeg .
The Associated Press does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault unless they have given permission to be named publicly , as Telek has done .
Telek said Nygard used money and intimidation to keep women from coming forward .
The lawsuit alleges Nygard kept a database on a corporate server containing the names of thousands of potential victims .
Nygard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from them when they were flown into the Bahamas , the lawsuit alleges , adding the designer “ expected a sex act before he was willing to consider releasing any person ” from his estate .
A spokesman for Nygard said earlier this year he was stepping down as chairman of Nygard companies and would divest his ownership interest .
Nygard International began in Winnipeg as a sportswear manufacturer .
Its website says its retail division has more than 170 stores in North America .
“ We are encouraged that a small measure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developing , ” Greg G. Gutzler , a lawyer for the women , said in a statement Tuesday .
“ We are relieved that some measure of accountability is hopefully forthcoming , but we would be remiss if we did not state that this is something that should have been done decades ago.
” Associated Press Writer Rob Gillies reported from Toronto .
Associated Press Writer Jim Mustian contributed to this report .

By ROB GILLIES and LARRY NEUMEISTER | The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard was arrested on charges alleging he sexually abused women and girls after luring them into his orbit with opportunities in fashion and modeling over the last 25 years.
Nygard, 79, was detained after a Winnipeg, Canada, court appearance Tuesday following his Monday arrest by Canadian authorities at the request of the U.S. No date was set for a bail hearing, though he was due to return to court Jan. 13.
His lawyer in Winnipeg, Jay Prober, said his client denies all allegations and blames a conspiracy caused by a feud with his billionaire neighbor in the Bahamas.
“That is Mr. Nygard’s contention. This all stems from a conspiracy from the hedge fund billionaire Louis Bacon,” Prober said in a phone interview. “He expects to be vindicated in court but the first order of business is to make a bail application for him considering his age of 79 and his medical issues. He’s very susceptible to the worst consequences of COVID-19 which is really running rampant in our jails.”
Bacon could not be immediately reached for comment.
Nygard’s arrest on sex trafficking, racketeering and related charges came after the FBI raided his Manhattan offices earlier this year.
The raid came soon after 10 women sued Nygard, saying he enticed young and impoverished women to his Bahamas estate with cash and promises of modeling and fashion opportunities. Several plaintiffs in the suit, filed in New York City, said they were 14 or 15 years old when Nygard gave them alcohol or drugs and then raped them.
In announcing criminal charges, authorities said Nygard used the prestige of an international clothing design, manufacturing, and supply business he founded and headquartered in Winnipeg, Canada, to persuade victims, sometimes with a history of being abused, to submit to his demands.
According to an indictment, he capitalized on the Nygard Group’s influence, using its employees, funds, and resources to recruit women and girls under the age of 18. The indictment alleged that Nygard and his co-conspirators, including Nygard Group employees, used force, fraud, and coercion to enlist the women and girls, who were sexually abused and assaulted by Nygard and others.
The federal indictment in New York said Nygard offered false promises of modeling opportunities and other career advancement, along with financial support, to lure victims, while restricting their movements to isolate them. It said he forcibly sexually assaulted some victims while others were forcibly assaulted by his associates or were drugged to ensure compliance with sexual demands.
Dozens of adult and minor-aged females were enlisted to engage in commercial sex through fraud, force and coercion, the indictment said.
It said Nygard maintained personal and quasi-professional relationships with some victims, referring to them as “girlfriends” or “assistants” while requiring them to travel with him regularly and to engage in sexual activity at his direction with himself, with each other or with others.
It said he also directed them to recruit new women and minor-aged girls to be sexually abused.
Nygard abused some women and girls at his properties in Marina del Rey, California, and in the Bahamas, during so-called “Pamper Parties” where some women, including minors, were drugged to force compliance with his sexual demands, the indictment said. It added that he sometimes paid the women and girls amounts ranging from hundreds of dollars to several thousand dollars.
He also directed and pressured “girlfriends” to have sex with other men at sex and “swingers” clubs in New York City, Miami, Los Angeles and Winnipeg and utilized sexual “swaps” in which male friends and business associates would bring Nygard a “date” for sex in exchange for sexual access to one of Nygard’s “girlfriends,” the indictment said.
Meanwhile, 57 women, including 18 Canadians, have joined the lawsuit, which alleges that Nygard used his company, bribery of Bahamian officials and “considerable influence in the fashion industry” to recruit victims in the Bahamas, United States and Canada.
“The fact it is finally being acknowledged that he is a predator, and that he has done so much damage to so many for so long, and now he’s going to have to be accountable, it’s amazing,” said April Telek, a 47-year-old Canadian actress who says she was raped by Nygard at the age of 20 in Winnipeg.
The Associated Press does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault unless they have given permission to be named publicly, as Telek has done.
Telek said Nygard used money and intimidation to keep women from coming forward.
The lawsuit alleges Nygard kept a database on a corporate server containing the names of thousands of potential victims.
Nygard’s accusers had their passports taken from them when they were flown into the Bahamas, the lawsuit alleges, adding the designer “expected a sex act before he was willing to consider releasing any person” from his estate.
A spokesman for Nygard said earlier this year he was stepping down as chairman of Nygard companies and would divest his ownership interest.
Nygard International began in Winnipeg as a sportswear manufacturer. Its website says its retail division has more than 170 stores in North America.
“We are encouraged that a small measure of justice for Peter Nygard is finally developing,” Greg G. Gutzler, a lawyer for the women, said in a statement Tuesday. “We are relieved that some measure of accountability is hopefully forthcoming, but we would be remiss if we did not state that this is something that should have been done decades ago.”
___
Associated Press Writer Rob Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press Writer Jim Mustian contributed to this report.


mercurynews--2020-12-16--Pete Buttigieg choice as secretary of transportation appears to slim down LA Mayor Eric Garcetti cab

Pete Buttigieg choice as secretary of transportation appears to slim down LA Mayor Eric Garcetti cabinet possibility

President-elect Joe Biden said Tuesday that he is nominating his former rival Pete Buttigieg as secretary of transportation .
He also intends to choose former Michigan Gov .
Jennifer Granholm as his energy secretary , according to four people familiar with the plans .
Buttigieg would be the first openly gay person confirmed by the Senate to a Cabinet post .
At 38 , the former mayor of South Bend , Indiana , would also add a youthful dynamic to an incoming administration that is so far dominated in large part by leaders with decades of Washington experience .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Mayor Eric Garcetti to be part of Biden ’ s cabinet may have well have slimmed .
Secretary of transportation was a position for which the Los Angeles mayor was widely speculated to be a contender .
Media outlets had reported that if Garcetti was to be offered a cabinet position , he mostly likely would have been selected to be either the secretary of transportation or housing and urban development , the latter of which is to be filled by Rep. Marcia Fudge , D-Ohio .
Garcetti has consistently eluded questions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his sole focus is on his job as mayor.Garcetti ’ s spokesperson declined to comment , deferring to Garcetii campaign representatives , who also did not offer a response .
Speculation over a possible cabinet role resulted in demonstrations for the past 22 days outside Getty House , Garcetti ’ s official residence , by activists who are critical of his handling of such issues as reducing homelessness , police reform and public transportation in his current role .
Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles , which organized the protests with support from Ground Game @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every day until Biden commits to not appointing Garcetti to his cabinet .
Protesters were swift to take credit Tuesday for blocking the potential appointment , and celebrated the news of Buttigieg ’ s choice .
“ Eric Garcetti is not going to be Secretary of Transportation in @ JoeBiden ’ s cabinet , ” BLM-LA posted Tuesday on Twitter .
“ That means the work that @ BLMLA and allies is doing is working !
Eric Garcetti will not fall upwards .
# BlockGarcetti.
” Garcetti previously served as a national co-chair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and he is part of a team that is putting together the president-elect ’ s inauguration .
Biden , meanwhile , called Buttigieg , his new transportation czar “ a patriot and a problem-solver who speaks to the best of who we are as a nation.
” “ I am nominating him for Secretary of Transportation because this position stands at the nexus of so many of the interlocking challenges and opportunities ahead of us , ” Biden said , “ Jobs , infrastructure , equity , and climate all come together at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our most ambitious plans to build back better.
” Granholm , 61 , served as Michigan ’ s attorney general from 1999 to 2003 and two terms as Michigan ’ s first female governor , from 2003 to 2010 .
She was a supporter of Biden ’ s presidential bid and has spoken out against President Donald Trump ’ s attempts to overturn the election results , accusing him of “ poisoning democracy.
” Her intended nomination was confirmed by two people who were familiar with her selection .
They spoke to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because they were not authorized to speak publicly before the president-elect ’ s announcement .
Biden is steadily rolling out his choices for Cabinet secretaries , having already selected former Obama adviser Tony Blinken as his secretary of state , retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin as his secretary of defense and former Fed Chair Janet Yellen as his treasury secretary .
He ’ s also picked former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to reprise that role in the Biden administration , and Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge to serve as housing secretary .
Buttigieg became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was among those who challenged Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination this year .
Initially written off as the leader of a relatively small town competing against far more established figures , Buttigieg zeroed in on a message of generational change to finish the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses in a virtual tie with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders .
His campaign stumbled , however , in appealing to Black voters who play a critical role in Democratic politics .
As the primary moved into more diverse states such as South Carolina , Buttigieg faltered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His backing of Biden ushered in a remarkably swift unification of the party around its ultimate nominee .
As for Granholm , as energy secretary she will have a role in executing Biden ’ s promised $ 2 trillion climate plan , billed as the nation ’ s broadest and most ambitious effort to cut fossil fuel emissions that are dangerously warming Earth ’ s atmosphere .
Biden ’ s plan includes overhauling the nation ’ s transportation and power sectors and buildings to eliminate fossil fuel emissions by 2050 .
Biden says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Paris climate accord as a first step after President Donald Trump yanked the country out of the global climate effort .
Staff writer Elizabeth Chou , City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report .

President-elect Joe Biden said Tuesday that he is nominating his former rival Pete Buttigieg as secretary of transportation. He also intends to choose former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm as his energy secretary, according to four people familiar with the plans.
Buttigieg would be the first openly gay person confirmed by the Senate to a Cabinet post. At 38, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, would also add a youthful dynamic to an incoming administration that is so far dominated in large part by leaders with decades of Washington experience.
The announcement, however, means the chances for Mayor Eric Garcetti to be part of Biden’s cabinet may have well have slimmed. Secretary of transportation was a position for which the Los Angeles mayor was widely speculated to be a contender.
Media outlets had reported that if Garcetti was to be offered a cabinet position, he mostly likely would have been selected to be either the secretary of transportation or housing and urban development, the latter of which is to be filled by Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio.
Garcetti has consistently eluded questions about a possible cabinet role, saying his sole focus is on his job as mayor.Garcetti’s spokesperson declined to comment, deferring to Garcetii campaign representatives, who also did not offer a response.
Speculation over a possible cabinet role resulted in demonstrations for the past 22 days outside Getty House, Garcetti’s official residence, by activists who are critical of his handling of such issues as reducing homelessness, police reform and public transportation in his current role.
Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles, which organized the protests with support from Ground Game LA, vowed to conduct a demonstration every day until Biden commits to not appointing Garcetti to his cabinet.
Protesters were swift to take credit Tuesday for blocking the potential appointment, and celebrated the news of Buttigieg’s choice.
“Eric Garcetti is not going to be Secretary of Transportation in @JoeBiden’s cabinet,” BLM-LA posted Tuesday on Twitter. “That means the work that @BLMLA and allies is doing is working! Eric Garcetti will not fall upwards. #BlockGarcetti.”
Garcetti previously served as a national co-chair of Biden’s presidential campaign committee and he is part of a team that is putting together the president-elect’s inauguration.
Biden, meanwhile, called Buttigieg, his new transportation czar “a patriot and a problem-solver who speaks to the best of who we are as a nation.”
“I am nominating him for Secretary of Transportation because this position stands at the nexus of so many of the interlocking challenges and opportunities ahead of us,” Biden said, “Jobs, infrastructure, equity, and climate all come together at the DOT, the site of some of our most ambitious plans to build back better.”
Granholm, 61, served as Michigan’s attorney general from 1999 to 2003 and two terms as Michigan’s first female governor, from 2003 to 2010. She was a supporter of Biden’s presidential bid and has spoken out against President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the election results, accusing him of “poisoning democracy.”
Her intended nomination was confirmed by two people who were familiar with her selection. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly before the president-elect’s announcement.
Biden is steadily rolling out his choices for Cabinet secretaries, having already selected former Obama adviser Tony Blinken as his secretary of state, retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin as his secretary of defense and former Fed Chair Janet Yellen as his treasury secretary. He’s also picked former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to reprise that role in the Biden administration, and Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge to serve as housing secretary.
Buttigieg became a leading figure in national politics when he was among those who challenged Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination this year. Initially written off as the leader of a relatively small town competing against far more established figures, Buttigieg zeroed in on a message of generational change to finish the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses in a virtual tie with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
His campaign stumbled, however, in appealing to Black voters who play a critical role in Democratic politics. As the primary moved into more diverse states such as South Carolina, Buttigieg faltered and quickly withdrew from the race. His backing of Biden ushered in a remarkably swift unification of the party around its ultimate nominee.
As for Granholm, as energy secretary she will have a role in executing Biden’s promised $2 trillion climate plan, billed as the nation’s broadest and most ambitious effort to cut fossil fuel emissions that are dangerously warming Earth’s atmosphere.
Biden’s plan includes overhauling the nation’s transportation and power sectors and buildings to eliminate fossil fuel emissions by 2050. Biden says he will return the United States to the Paris climate accord as a first step after President Donald Trump yanked the country out of the global climate effort.
Staff writer Elizabeth Chou, City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.


mercurynews--2020-12-16--Map: California reported a high of 41,419 new coronavirus cases in a day, surpassed 15,000 hospitali

Map: California reported a high of 41,419 new coronavirus cases in a day, surpassed 15,000 hospitalizations as of Dec. 15

New cases and hospitalizations across the state continue to climb to all-time highs .
According to California public heath websites @ @ @ @ @ cases reported in the last day , bringing the total number of people infected with @ @ @ @ @ Monday , Dec.14 .
There were 618 more patients hospitalized , bringing the total number @ @ @ @ @ to 14,578 .
There were also 150 additional deaths reported in the state , bringing @ @ @ @ @ to 21,194 .
Three of the five California regions are under stay-at-home orders .
Stay-at-home @ @ @ @ @ 24 hours for a region that has an ICU hospital capacity below 15 % .
@ @ @ @ @ for at least three weeks .
Sources : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , @ @ @ @ @ World Health Organization , the California Department of Public Health , The Associated Press , @ @ @ @ @

New cases and hospitalizations across the state continue to climb to all-time highs.
According to California public heath websites, there were 41,419 new cases reported in the last day, bringing the total number of people infected with coronavirus to 1,614,174 as of Monday, Dec.14.
There were 618 more patients hospitalized, bringing the total number of patients infected with coronavirus to 14,578.
There were also 150 additional deaths reported in the state, bringing the total number of deaths to 21,194.
Three of the five California regions are under stay-at-home orders. Stay-at-home orders will be imposed within 24 hours for a region that has an ICU hospital capacity below 15%. They then stay in effect for at least three weeks.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Johns Hopkins University, the World Health Organization, the California Department of Public Health, The Associated Press, reporting counties and news sources


mercurynews--2020-12-17--Where the Giants’ rotation (and offseason vision) stands after adding Anthony DeSclafani

Two days after the 2020 regular season ended , San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi announced that fortifying the team ’ s starting rotation would be the front office ’ s top priority this offseason .
Nearly three months after the Giants last played , Zaidi is making progress .
The Giants ’ search for pitching help continued Wednesday with the addition of right-hander Anthony DeSclafani , who signed a one-year , $ 6 million deal with the club .
“ He was really enthusiastic about the opportunity to become a Giant and we certainly are looking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looking to join what we ’ re trying to build here , ” Zaidi said on a videoconference with reporters .
DeSclafani ’ s acquisition won ’ t bring an end to the Giants ’ offseason quest to build out a rotation that lacked depth this season , but it does provide the team with a veteran starter who boasts an intriguing track record over a six-year major league career .
The 30-year-old New Jersey native debuted with the Marlins in 2014 , but spent the last five seasons with the Cincinnati Reds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DeSclafani ’ s 7.22 ERA in 2020 as the righty was hampered by a back injury at the beginning of the year in hopes he ’ ll regain the form he showed during an above-average 2019 season when he threw 166 2/3 innings , struck out 167 batters and posted a 3.89 ERA .
There ’ s also a belief from the Giants that DeSclafani will benefit from leaving the hitter-friendly confines of Great American Ballpark , where his career 4.62 ERA is a full point higher than the 3.61 mark he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I don ’ t think a lot of this is rocket science , ” Zaidi said .
“ He ’ s a guy with pedigree , a sixth round pick out of college , was a really well-regarded prospect .
Has had a couple of injuries , but also had a couple of really nice seasons with the Reds .
That ’ s a known tough ballpark , especially with right-handed pitchers with the ballpark dimensions and how the ball flies there , especially with a flyball pitcher like Anthony.
” • Giants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s comeback : He ’ ll make ‘ lion ’ s share ’ of starts at catcher • SF Giants notes : Why Zaidi can shift focus on bigger moves , Yastrzemski better than an All-Star ?
At the outset of the offseason , Zaidi indicated the free agent market would be filled with pitchers who could benefit from the tweaks and adjustments an innovative Giants coaching staff would suggest to help them reach their full potential .
The Giants ’ front office believes the industry has taken notice of how Drew Pomeranz @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gausman transformed their careers in San Francisco and feel others , such as DeSclafani , could improve their performances .
It appears the key for the former Reds pitcher in 2021 will be finding a way to ensure his slider and curveball are both effective pitches .
DeSclafani threw his slider on more than 30 % of his pitches last season , which outpaced his fastball , and his career numbers indicate his slider can be the most difficult pitch for opponents to hit .
DeSclafani ’ s curveball has also shown promise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whiffs on 38 % of his curves , but he ’ s rarely paired it effectively with his primary breaking ball .
The pitch mix DeSclafani brings to San Francisco is far different from what Gausman and the team ’ s other top returning veteran , Johnny Cueto , rely on for success .
The Giants ’ newest acquisition needs his breaking pitches to record outs while Gausman uses a high-90s fastball and splitter combination to stymie hitters .
Cueto , the highest-paid member of the rotation , rarely tops 90 miles per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be effective when his best secondary offering , his changeup , plays off of the four-seamer .
With DeSclafani likely to pitch behind Gausman and Cueto in the Giants ’ 2020 rotation , other candidates for jobs include Logan Webb , who battled command issues during a tough rookie year , and Tyler Beede , who is returning from Tommy John surgery .
“ Logan Webb has a lot of development left to occur , but he ’ s a good candidate to be in our rotation , ” manager Gabe Kapler said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tyler Beede will be coming back for us and we expect him to be at least off the mound when spring training begins.
” Starting pitching prospects Sean Hjelle and Tristan Beck could enter the rotation equation later on in the year , but the Giants will continue their search for depth on the free agent market and through discussing trade possibilities .
It ’ s unlike Zaidi to enter a season without at least one solid left-handed option for the starting staff , but he said handedness won ’ t dictate future @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re going to continue to look for starting pitching , it could come in the form of a versatile swing man who could go back and forth , but I actually think we have room to add another guy who we could rely on every fifth day , ” Zaidi said .
“ Just knowing that we need seven to eight to nine to 10 pitchers to get through a full season.
” The Giants may not be the front-runners to sign DeSclafani ’ s former teammate , 2020 NL Cy Young winner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t rule out the possibility of signing a pitcher to a multi-year contract .
Keeping tabs on Bauer ’ s market seems as if it will be on the Giants ’ agenda , but the organization is also focused on adding another left-handed hitter who can play multiple positions and supplementing the rotation and bullpen with players who will challenge for roster spots in spring training .

Two days after the 2020 regular season ended, San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi announced that fortifying the team’s starting rotation would be the front office’s top priority this offseason.
Nearly three months after the Giants last played, Zaidi is making progress. The Giants’ search for pitching help continued Wednesday with the addition of right-hander Anthony DeSclafani, who signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the club.
“He was really enthusiastic about the opportunity to become a Giant and we certainly are looking for players in free agency that are looking to join what we’re trying to build here,” Zaidi said on a videoconference with reporters.
DeSclafani’s acquisition won’t bring an end to the Giants’ offseason quest to build out a rotation that lacked depth this season, but it does provide the team with a veteran starter who boasts an intriguing track record over a six-year major league career.
The 30-year-old New Jersey native debuted with the Marlins in 2014, but spent the last five seasons with the Cincinnati Reds. The Giants were willing to overlook DeSclafani’s 7.22 ERA in 2020 as the righty was hampered by a back injury at the beginning of the year in hopes he’ll regain the form he showed during an above-average 2019 season when he threw 166 2/3 innings, struck out 167 batters and posted a 3.89 ERA.
There’s also a belief from the Giants that DeSclafani will benefit from leaving the hitter-friendly confines of Great American Ballpark, where his career 4.62 ERA is a full point higher than the 3.61 mark he’s enjoyed on the road.
“I don’t think a lot of this is rocket science,” Zaidi said. “He’s a guy with pedigree, a sixth round pick out of college, was a really well-regarded prospect. Has had a couple of injuries, but also had a couple of really nice seasons with the Reds. That’s a known tough ballpark, especially with right-handed pitchers with the ballpark dimensions and how the ball flies there, especially with a flyball pitcher like Anthony.”
At the outset of the offseason, Zaidi indicated the free agent market would be filled with pitchers who could benefit from the tweaks and adjustments an innovative Giants coaching staff would suggest to help them reach their full potential. The Giants’ front office believes the industry has taken notice of how Drew Pomeranz, Drew Smyly and top returnee Kevin Gausman transformed their careers in San Francisco and feel others, such as DeSclafani, could improve their performances.
It appears the key for the former Reds pitcher in 2021 will be finding a way to ensure his slider and curveball are both effective pitches. DeSclafani threw his slider on more than 30% of his pitches last season, which outpaced his fastball, and his career numbers indicate his slider can be the most difficult pitch for opponents to hit.
DeSclafani’s curveball has also shown promise, particularly in 2019 when he generated whiffs on 38% of his curves, but he’s rarely paired it effectively with his primary breaking ball.
The pitch mix DeSclafani brings to San Francisco is far different from what Gausman and the team’s other top returning veteran, Johnny Cueto, rely on for success. The Giants’ newest acquisition needs his breaking pitches to record outs while Gausman uses a high-90s fastball and splitter combination to stymie hitters. Cueto, the highest-paid member of the rotation, rarely tops 90 miles per hour with his fastball, but can be effective when his best secondary offering, his changeup, plays off of the four-seamer.
With DeSclafani likely to pitch behind Gausman and Cueto in the Giants’ 2020 rotation, other candidates for jobs include Logan Webb, who battled command issues during a tough rookie year, and Tyler Beede, who is returning from Tommy John surgery.
“Logan Webb has a lot of development left to occur, but he’s a good candidate to be in our rotation,” manager Gabe Kapler said Tuesday. “I think everybody knows Tyler Beede will be coming back for us and we expect him to be at least off the mound when spring training begins.”
Starting pitching prospects Sean Hjelle and Tristan Beck could enter the rotation equation later on in the year, but the Giants will continue their search for depth on the free agent market and through discussing trade possibilities. It’s unlike Zaidi to enter a season without at least one solid left-handed option for the starting staff, but he said handedness won’t dictate future moves.
“I think we’re going to continue to look for starting pitching, it could come in the form of a versatile swing man who could go back and forth, but I actually think we have room to add another guy who we could rely on every fifth day,” Zaidi said. “Just knowing that we need seven to eight to nine to 10 pitchers to get through a full season.”
The Giants may not be the front-runners to sign DeSclafani’s former teammate, 2020 NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer, but Zaidi didn’t rule out the possibility of signing a pitcher to a multi-year contract. Keeping tabs on Bauer’s market seems as if it will be on the Giants’ agenda, but the organization is also focused on adding another left-handed hitter who can play multiple positions and supplementing the rotation and bullpen with players who will challenge for roster spots in spring training.


mercurynews--2020-12-17--Explainer: How bad is the hack that hit US institutions?

By Matt O ’ Brien and Frank Bajak | Associated Press Governments and major corporations worldwide are scrambling to see if they , too , were victims of a global cyberespionage campaign that penetrated multiple U.S. government agencies and involved a common software product used by thousands of organizations .
Russia , the prime suspect , denies involvement .
Cybersecurity investigators said the hack ’ s impact extends far beyond the affected U.S. agencies , which include the Treasury and Commerce departments , though they haven ’ t disclosed which companies or what other governments were targeted .
The hack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ code was snuck into updates to popular software that monitors computer networks of businesses and governments .
The malware , affecting a product made by U.S. company SolarWinds , gave elite hackers remote access into an organization ’ s networks so they could steal information .
It wasn ’ t discovered until the prominent cybersecurity company FireEye determined it had been hacked .
Whoever broke into FireEye was seeking data on its government clients , the company said — and made off with hacking tools it uses to probe its customers ’ defenses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this was meant to be destructive , ” said Ben Buchanan , Georgetown University cyberespionage expert and author of “ The Hacker and The State.
” He called the campaign ’ s scope , “ impressive , surprising and alarming.
” Its apparent monthslong timeline gave the hackers ample time to extract information from a lot of different targets .
Buchanan compared its magnitude to the 2015 Chinese hack of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management , in which the records of 22 million federal employees and government job applicants were stolen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company was aware of “ dozens of incredibly high-value targets ” compromised ” by the hackers and was helping “ a number of organizations respond to their intrusions.
” He would not name any , and said he expected many more to learn in coming days that they , too , were infiltrated .
SolarWinds , of Austin , Texas , provides network-monitoring and other technical services to hundreds of thousands of organizations around the world , including most Fortune 500 companies and government agencies in North America , Europe , Asia and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , called Orion , accounts for nearly half SolarWinds ’ annual revenue .
The company ’ s revenue totaled $ 753.9 million over the first nine months of this year .
Its centralized monitoring looks for problems in an organization ’ s computer networks , which means that breaking in gave the attackers a “ God-view ” of those networks .
SolarWinds , whose stock fell 17 % on Monday , said in a financial filing that it sent an advisory to about 33,000 of its Orion customers that might have been affected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of customers — fewer than 18,000 — had actually installed the compromised product update earlier this year .
FireEye described the malware ’ s dizzying capabilities — from initially lying dormant up to two weeks , to hiding in plain sight by masquerading its reconnaissance forays as Orion activity .
Neither SolarWinds nor U.S. cybersecurity authorities have publicly identified which organizations were breached .
Just because a company or agency uses SolarWinds as a vendor doesn ’ t necessarily mean they were vulnerable to the hacking .
The malware that opened remote-access backdoors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ updates released between March and June , but not every customer installed them .
The hackers would have also had to want to target the organization .
Hacking on their level is expensive and the disciplined intruders only they chose targets with highly coveted information because the risk of being detected rose any time they activated the malware , said FireEye ’ s Carmakal .
The so-called supply-chain method used to distribute the malware via SolarWinds ’ software recalled the technique Russian military hackers used in 2016 to infect companies that do business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus — the most damaging cyberattack to date .
In that case , the hackers inserted a self-propagating worm into a tax preparation software company ’ s updates to infect its customers .
In this case , any actual infiltration of an infected organization required “ meticulous planning and manual interaction , ” according to FireEye .
SolarWinds said it was advised that an “ outside nation state ” infiltrated its systems with malware .
Neither the U.S. government nor the affected companies have publicly said which nation state they think is responsible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ condition of anonymity because of an ongoing investigation , told The Associated Press on Monday that Russian hackers are suspected .
Russia said Monday it had “ nothing to do with ” the hacking .
“ Once again , I can reject these accusations , ” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters .
“ If for many months the Americans couldn ’ t do anything about it , then , probably , one shouldn ’ t unfoundedly blame the Russians for everything.
” Buchanan , the Georgetown expert , said the hackers were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and then exploiting it quietly for months.
” Supporting the consensus in the cyberthreat analysis community that Russians are responsible are the tactics , techniques and procedures used , which bear their digital fingerprints , said Brandon Valeriano , a Marine Corps University technology scholar .
What can be done to prevent and counteract such hacks ?
Espionage does not its violate international law — and cyber defense is hard .
But retaliation against governments responsible for egregious hacks happens .
Diplomats can be expelled .
Sanctions can be imposed .
The Obama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the meddling of Kremlin military hackers in Donald Trump ’ s favor in the 2016 election .
Cybersecurity “ has not been a presidential priority ” during the Trump administration and the outgoing president has been unable or unwilling to hold Russia to account for aggressive action in cyberspace , said Chris Painter , who coordinated cyberpolicy in the State Department during the Obama administration .
“ I think that contributes to Russia ’ s bravado , ” he said .
The incoming Biden national security team has indicated it will be less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the position of the White House cybersecurity coordinator eliminated by Trump .
The greater White House cybersecurity focus will be crucial , industry experts say .
• Feds accuse East Bay family of selling fentanyl by the ounce An advisory issued by Microsoft , which assisted FireEye in the hack response , said it had “ delivered more than 13,000 notifications to customers attacked by nation states over the past two years and observed a rapid increase in ( their ) sophistication and operational security capabilities.
” Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker contributed @ @ @ @

By Matt O’Brien and Frank Bajak | Associated Press
Governments and major corporations worldwide are scrambling to see if they, too, were victims of a global cyberespionage campaign that penetrated multiple U.S. government agencies and involved a common software product used by thousands of organizations. Russia, the prime suspect, denies involvement. Cybersecurity investigators said the hack’s impact extends far beyond the affected U.S. agencies, which include the Treasury and Commerce departments, though they haven’t disclosed which companies or what other governments were targeted.
What happened?
The hack began as early as March when malicious code was snuck into updates to popular software that monitors computer networks of businesses and governments. The malware, affecting a product made by U.S. company SolarWinds, gave elite hackers remote access into an organization’s networks so they could steal information. It wasn’t discovered until the prominent cybersecurity company FireEye determined it had been hacked. Whoever broke into FireEye was seeking data on its government clients, the company said — and made off with hacking tools it uses to probe its customers’ defenses.
“There’s no evidence that this was meant to be destructive,” said Ben Buchanan, Georgetown University cyberespionage expert and author of “The Hacker and The State.” He called the campaign’s scope, “impressive, surprising and alarming.”
Its apparent monthslong timeline gave the hackers ample time to extract information from a lot of different targets. Buchanan compared its magnitude to the 2015 Chinese hack of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, in which the records of 22 million federal employees and government job applicants were stolen.
FireEye executive Charles Carmakal said the company was aware of “dozens of incredibly high-value targets” compromised” by the hackers and was helping “a number of organizations respond to their intrusions.” He would not name any, and said he expected many more to learn in coming days that they, too, were infiltrated.
What is Solarwinds?
SolarWinds, of Austin, Texas, provides network-monitoring and other technical services to hundreds of thousands of organizations around the world, including most Fortune 500 companies and government agencies in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Its compromised product, called Orion, accounts for nearly half SolarWinds’ annual revenue. The company’s revenue totaled $753.9 million over the first nine months of this year. Its centralized monitoring looks for problems in an organization’s computer networks, which means that breaking in gave the attackers a “God-view” of those networks.
SolarWinds, whose stock fell 17% on Monday, said in a financial filing that it sent an advisory to about 33,000 of its Orion customers that might have been affected, though it estimated a smaller number of customers — fewer than 18,000 — had actually installed the compromised product update earlier this year.
FireEye described the malware’s dizzying capabilities — from initially lying dormant up to two weeks, to hiding in plain sight by masquerading its reconnaissance forays as Orion activity.
Was my workplace affected?
Neither SolarWinds nor U.S. cybersecurity authorities have publicly identified which organizations were breached. Just because a company or agency uses SolarWinds as a vendor doesn’t necessarily mean they were vulnerable to the hacking. The malware that opened remote-access backdoors was injected into SolarWinds’ Orion product updates released between March and June, but not every customer installed them.
The hackers would have also had to want to target the organization. Hacking on their level is expensive and the disciplined intruders only they chose targets with highly coveted information because the risk of being detected rose any time they activated the malware, said FireEye’s Carmakal.
The so-called supply-chain method used to distribute the malware via SolarWinds’ software recalled the technique Russian military hackers used in 2016 to infect companies that do business in Ukraine with the hard drive-wiping NotPetya virus — the most damaging cyberattack to date. In that case, the hackers inserted a self-propagating worm into a tax preparation software company’s updates to infect its customers. In this case, any actual infiltration of an infected organization required “meticulous planning and manual interaction,” according to FireEye.
Who is responsible?
SolarWinds said it was advised that an “outside nation state” infiltrated its systems with malware. Neither the U.S. government nor the affected companies have publicly said which nation state they think is responsible.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of an ongoing investigation, told The Associated Press on Monday that Russian hackers are suspected. Russia said Monday it had “nothing to do with” the hacking.
“Once again, I can reject these accusations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “If for many months the Americans couldn’t do anything about it, then, probably, one shouldn’t unfoundedly blame the Russians for everything.”
Buchanan, the Georgetown expert, said the hackers were “adept at finding a systemic weakness and then exploiting it quietly for months.” Supporting the consensus in the cyberthreat analysis community that Russians are responsible are the tactics, techniques and procedures used, which bear their digital fingerprints, said Brandon Valeriano, a Marine Corps University technology scholar.
What can be done to prevent and counteract such hacks?
Espionage does not its violate international law — and cyber defense is hard. But retaliation against governments responsible for egregious hacks happens. Diplomats can be expelled. Sanctions can be imposed. The Obama administration expelled Russian diplomats in retaliation for the meddling of Kremlin military hackers in Donald Trump’s favor in the 2016 election. Cybersecurity “has not been a presidential priority” during the Trump administration and the outgoing president has been unable or unwilling to hold Russia to account for aggressive action in cyberspace, said Chris Painter, who coordinated cyberpolicy in the State Department during the Obama administration.
“I think that contributes to Russia’s bravado,” he said. The incoming Biden national security team has indicated it will be less tolerant, and is expected to restore the position of the White House cybersecurity coordinator eliminated by Trump.
The greater White House cybersecurity focus will be crucial, industry experts say.
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Two rival robotaxi services win approval to operate throughout San Francisco despite safety concerns National News | Google loses bid to toss lawsuit over ‘potentially embarrassing’ Incognito mode data grabbing An advisory issued by Microsoft, which assisted FireEye in the hack response, said it had “delivered more than 13,000 notifications to customers attacked by nation states over the past two years and observed a rapid increase in (their) sophistication and operational security capabilities.”
Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker contributed to this report.


mercurynews--2020-12-17--Trump cuts healthcare funds to CA over abortion

SAN FRANCISCO — The Trump administration said Wednesday it was cutting $ 200 million in federal healthcare funding to California because the state requires insurance providers to cover abortions .
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it will withhold the funding from Medicaid in the new fiscal quarter starting in January and “ if the state does not come into compliance ” the department will cut an additional $ 200 million per fiscal quarter .
The administration warned California earlier this year that it could lose federal funding over a 2014 regulation mandating that employers and private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department of Health and Human Services determined that the state was violating a federal antidiscrimination law , known as the Weldon Amendment , that protects insurers from being forced to provide abortion coverage , the department said in a statement .
HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in the statement that California had violated federal conscience laws and refused to take corrective action .
“ So we are now taking action to hold them to account , ” he said .
The Office of Civil Rights , a division of the Health and Human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on complaints filed by a Catholic order of religious sisters and a nonprofit Christian church that objected to “ paying for elective abortion insurance for themselves and their colleagues , ” the statement said .
“ Whatever one thinks of the legality of abortion , no one should be punished for declining to pay for or assist in the taking of human life , ” Roger Severino , director of the Office of Civil Rights , said in the statement .
The incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden could reverse the decision .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ general , Xavier Becerra , a supporter of abortion rights , to head the Health and Human Services agency .
The office of Gov .
Gavin Newsom criticized the move as an attempt “ to score cheap political points , ” saying in an emailed comment Wednesday it “ will continue to stand up for reproductive health and push back against this extreme presidential overreach .
”

SAN FRANCISCO — The Trump administration said Wednesday it was cutting $200 million in federal healthcare funding to California because the state requires insurance providers to cover abortions.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it will withhold the funding from Medicaid in the new fiscal quarter starting in January and “if the state does not come into compliance” the department will cut an additional $200 million per fiscal quarter.
The administration warned California earlier this year that it could lose federal funding over a 2014 regulation mandating that employers and private insurance plans pay for abortions.
The Department of Health and Human Services determined that the state was violating a federal antidiscrimination law, known as the Weldon Amendment, that protects insurers from being forced to provide abortion coverage, the department said in a statement.
HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in the statement that California had violated federal conscience laws and refused to take corrective action. “So we are now taking action to hold them to account,” he said.
The Office of Civil Rights, a division of the Health and Human Services department, initially investigated California based on complaints filed by a Catholic order of religious sisters and a nonprofit Christian church that objected to “paying for elective abortion insurance for themselves and their colleagues,” the statement said.
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‘Conscience’ bills let medical providers opt out of providing a wide range of care California News | Voters in Ohio reject GOP-backed proposal that would have made it tougher to protect abortion rights “Whatever one thinks of the legality of abortion, no one should be punished for declining to pay for or assist in the taking of human life,” Roger Severino, director of the Office of Civil Rights, said in the statement.
The incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden could reverse the decision. Biden has nominated California’s attorney general, Xavier Becerra, a supporter of abortion rights, to head the Health and Human Services agency.
The office of Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized the move as an attempt “to score cheap political points,” saying in an emailed comment Wednesday it “will continue to stand up for reproductive health and push back against this extreme presidential overreach.”


mercurynews--2020-12-17--Biden, Pence set to receive coronavirus vaccine shots

WILMINGTON , Del./WASHINGTON – P resident-elect Joe Biden will get the coronavirus vaccine as soon as next week , transition officials said on Wednesday , as U.S. authorities try to build public confidence in a measure that promises to stanch the deadly pandemic .
Vice President Mike Pence will get the vaccine on Friday , the White House said .
Both men will receive the shot publicly in an effort to boost confidence in the safety of the vaccine , which will become widely available to the public next year .
President Donald Trump will get the vaccine himself as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is best , White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Tuesday .
Initial doses of the vaccine , which became available this week , have been set aside for doctors , nurses and other frontline medical workers , along with residents and staff of nursing homes and some U.S. government officials .
U.S. officials aim to get 2.9 million doses of the vaccine , developed by Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech SE , by week ’ s end .
At least 304,187 Americans have died of the disease , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been infected – roughly 5 % of the population .
Pence ’ s wife , Karen , and Surgeon General Jerome Adams also will get the vaccine on Friday , the White House said .
The news comes as Biden is building his incoming administration before he takes office on Jan. 20 .
On Wednesday , he introduced former presidential rival Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday as his choice for U.S. transportation secretary to take the lead in upgrading America ’ s aging infrastructure .
Buttigieg , the former mayor of South Bend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ openly gay Cabinet secretary confirmed by the Senate if he is approved .
“ The Biden-Harris Cabinet will be a historic Cabinet – a Cabinet that looks like America , a Cabinet that taps into the best of America , a Cabinet that is opening doors and breaking down barriers and accessing the full range of talent … in this nation , ” Biden said as he puts forth what is shaping up to be the most diverse Cabinet in U.S. history .
Appearing with Buttigieg in Wilmington , Delaware , Biden said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restoring what he called “ our crumbling roads , bridges and ports.
” Biden has proposed a massive boost in infrastructure spending .
Buttigieg emerged from relative obscurity to mount a surprisingly robust campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination eventually won by Biden .
A military veteran who served in Afghanistan , Buttigieg is in the vanguard of the next generation of Democratic politicians and is widely seen as a future presidential contender .
“ I ’ m also mindful that the eyes of history are on this appointment , knowing that this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has ever sent an openly LGBTQ Cabinet member to the Senate for confirmation , ” Buttigieg said .

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Steve Holland | Reuters
WILMINGTON, Del./WASHINGTON – P resident-elect Joe Biden will get the coronavirus vaccine as soon as next week, transition officials said on Wednesday, as U.S. authorities try to build public confidence in a measure that promises to stanch the deadly pandemic.
Vice President Mike Pence will get the vaccine on Friday, the White House said.
Both men will receive the shot publicly in an effort to boost confidence in the safety of the vaccine, which will become widely available to the public next year.
President Donald Trump will get the vaccine himself as soon as his medical team determines it is best, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Tuesday.
Initial doses of the vaccine, which became available this week, have been set aside for doctors, nurses and other frontline medical workers, along with residents and staff of nursing homes and some U.S. government officials.
U.S. officials aim to get 2.9 million doses of the vaccine, developed by Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech SE, by week’s end.
At least 304,187 Americans have died of the disease, according to a Reuters tally, and 16.7 million have been infected – roughly 5% of the population.
Pence’s wife, Karen, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams also will get the vaccine on Friday, the White House said.
The news comes as Biden is building his incoming administration before he takes office on Jan. 20.
On Wednesday, he introduced former presidential rival Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday as his choice for U.S. transportation secretary to take the lead in upgrading America’s aging infrastructure.
Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, would be the first openly gay Cabinet secretary confirmed by the Senate if he is approved.
“The Biden-Harris Cabinet will be a historic Cabinet – a Cabinet that looks like America, a Cabinet that taps into the best of America, a Cabinet that is opening doors and breaking down barriers and accessing the full range of talent … in this nation,” Biden said as he puts forth what is shaping up to be the most diverse Cabinet in U.S. history.
Appearing with Buttigieg in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden said the 38-year-old would confront the task of restoring what he called “our crumbling roads, bridges and ports.” Biden has proposed a massive boost in infrastructure spending.
Buttigieg emerged from relative obscurity to mount a surprisingly robust campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination eventually won by Biden. A military veteran who served in Afghanistan, Buttigieg is in the vanguard of the next generation of Democratic politicians and is widely seen as a future presidential contender.
“I’m also mindful that the eyes of history are on this appointment, knowing that this is the first time an American president has ever sent an openly LGBTQ Cabinet member to the Senate for confirmation,” Buttigieg said.


mercurynews--2020-12-17--Another coyote attack occurs in Lamorinda

The second coyote attack in the Lamorinda area in less than two weeks sent a person to the hospital with bite wounds Tuesday night , authorities said .
The person was expected to recover from the attack , which happened in a small shopping center in the 3600 block of Mt .
Diablo Boulevard shortly after 7 p.m. , according to both the Contra Costa County Animal Services and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife .
“ His bite wounds were not nearly as bad as the wounds suffered by the previous victim , ” Fish and Wildlife spokesman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bitten Dec. 4 while running at Campolindo High School in Moraga .
A subsequent forensic DNA analysis from swabs taken by Fish and Wildlife personnel from that victim ’ s pants showed that the coyote who bit him was the same one that bit a boy about 1½ miles south of Moraga Commons Park on July 9 , Foy said .
Fish and Wildlife personnel took a Q-tip swab of the bite wounds from Tuesday ’ s victim , and Foy said they will try to extract traces of DNA from the saliva @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Burdo said personnel from that agency also took a rabies swab .
Check back for updates .
Staff writer George Kelly contributed to this story .

The second coyote attack in the Lamorinda area in less than two weeks sent a person to the hospital with bite wounds Tuesday night, authorities said.
The person was expected to recover from the attack, which happened in a small shopping center in the 3600 block of Mt. Diablo Boulevard shortly after 7 p.m., according to both the Contra Costa County Animal Services and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“His bite wounds were not nearly as bad as the wounds suffered by the previous victim,” Fish and Wildlife spokesman Patrick Foy said.
That victim was bitten Dec. 4 while running at Campolindo High School in Moraga. A subsequent forensic DNA analysis from swabs taken by Fish and Wildlife personnel from that victim’s pants showed that the coyote who bit him was the same one that bit a boy about 1½ miles south of Moraga Commons Park on July 9, Foy said.
Fish and Wildlife personnel took a Q-tip swab of the bite wounds from Tuesday’s victim, and Foy said they will try to extract traces of DNA from the saliva.
Contra Costa Animal Services spokesman Steve Burdo said personnel from that agency also took a rabies swab.
Check back for updates. Staff writer George Kelly contributed to this story.


mercurynews--2020-12-17--Ex-Hells Angels chapter president denied release from jail in heated court hearing

SAN FRANCISCO — In a court hearing that included a tense back-and-forth between the prosecution and defense attorneys , a federal judge denied a former Hells Angels chapter president ’ s latest bid for release .
Raymond “ Ray Ray ” Foakes , 57 , argued through his attorney that his due process rights were being violated as he ’ s spent 27 months in jail while still legally presumed innocent , with , his attorney argued , as many as three more years to go before his cases even goes to trial .
Federal prosecutors countered that courts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found two years to be an acceptable amount of pretrial detention when the defendant is facing serious charges .
U.S. District Judge Edward Chen said at a Wednesday court hearing that Foakes demonstrated a “ continuing pattern ” of law violations throughout his life , so he wasn ’ t confident Foakes would comply with pretrial release conditions if he was freed from jail .
“ Mr .
Foakes has not conformed , on numerous occasions , time after time , with orders from the courts .
That simply can not be ignored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though , it was “ not inconceivable ” a similar motion could succeed at a future date if Foakes ends up spending a lengthier time in jail .
Foakes ’ attorney , George Boisseau , said that Foakes ’ jail stay has been so long that it has “ become punitive ” and amounted to a due process violation .
He said Foakes has a job offer in Oakley and is willing to stay on house arrest with “ stringent conditions.
” Boisseau also argued that witnesses in the case haven ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nor his co-defendants , even though their names and locations are commonly known .
When it was his turn to speak , assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Barry called that remark “ a form of intimidation.
” “ Mr .
Boisseau ’ s argument that , ‘ we know who the witnesses are and we know where they live ’ is a form of a threat , ” Barry said .
Later in the hearing , Boisseau shot back at Barry and sharply denied he ’ d threatened anyone .
“ I take offense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ ve been an attorney for a long time with an unblemished record , probably longer than Mr. Barry has been an attorney.
” “ I didn ’ t read ( Barry ’ s ) comment as saying you were a risk , ” Chen said to Boisseau .
Foakes , who was once president of the Hells Angels Sonoma Chapter , is accused of an “ hours-long ” beating of a victim that occurred in November 2016 , and that prosecutors say culminated with someone forcibly tattooing the victim ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would shoot the victim until fellow members of the biker gang dissuaded him .
The charge is part of a racketeering case aimed at 11 alleged Hells Angels members .
Both pretrial services and the U.S .
Probation department opposed Foakes being released .
Chen said the “ yardstick mark ” for Foakes ’ motion is how much time he ’ s actually spent in jail , not how much time he could potentially spend awaiting trial , and agreed that 27 months was acceptable .
• Feds accuse East Bay family of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cop charged for accepting $ 128,000 in bribes from illegal business operators ; agrees to plead guilty The basis for Boisseau ’ s motion was that Foakes is set to go on trial after a number of his co-defendants — who , unlike Foakes , are accused of participating in a murder and illegal cremation of a fellow Hells Angels member in Fresno — are tried in October 2021 .
But Barry said that federal prosecutors are working to get Foakes into the earlier trial .
“ We want him in the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A similar motion by Foakes failed last year as well .

SAN FRANCISCO — In a court hearing that included a tense back-and-forth between the prosecution and defense attorneys, a federal judge denied a former Hells Angels chapter president’s latest bid for release.
Raymond “Ray Ray” Foakes, 57, argued through his attorney that his due process rights were being violated as he’s spent 27 months in jail while still legally presumed innocent, with, his attorney argued, as many as three more years to go before his cases even goes to trial. Federal prosecutors countered that courts, including the Ninth Circuit, have routinely found two years to be an acceptable amount of pretrial detention when the defendant is facing serious charges.
U.S. District Judge Edward Chen said at a Wednesday court hearing that Foakes demonstrated a “continuing pattern” of law violations throughout his life, so he wasn’t confident Foakes would comply with pretrial release conditions if he was freed from jail.
“Mr. Foakes has not conformed, on numerous occasions, time after time, with orders from the courts. That simply cannot be ignored,” Chen said. He added, though, it was “not inconceivable” a similar motion could succeed at a future date if Foakes ends up spending a lengthier time in jail.
Foakes’ attorney, George Boisseau, said that Foakes’ jail stay has been so long that it has “become punitive” and amounted to a due process violation. He said Foakes has a job offer in Oakley and is willing to stay on house arrest with “stringent conditions.”
Boisseau also argued that witnesses in the case haven’t been threatened or intimidated by Foakes nor his co-defendants, even though their names and locations are commonly known. When it was his turn to speak, assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Barry called that remark “a form of intimidation.”
“Mr. Boisseau’s argument that, ‘we know who the witnesses are and we know where they live’ is a form of a threat,” Barry said.
Later in the hearing, Boisseau shot back at Barry and sharply denied he’d threatened anyone.
“I take offense to that,” Boisseau said. “I’ve been an attorney for a long time with an unblemished record, probably longer than Mr. Barry has been an attorney.”
“I didn’t read (Barry’s) comment as saying you were a risk,” Chen said to Boisseau.
Foakes, who was once president of the Hells Angels Sonoma Chapter, is accused of an “hours-long” beating of a victim that occurred in November 2016, and that prosecutors say culminated with someone forcibly tattooing the victim’s face, and Foakes declaring he would shoot the victim until fellow members of the biker gang dissuaded him. The charge is part of a racketeering case aimed at 11 alleged Hells Angels members.
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Hells Angels murder plot revealed: Feds allege victim was lured to clubhouse, shot, and illegally cremated Crime and Public Safety | Former Hells Angels chapter president denied release from jail to the East Bay Both pretrial services and the U.S. Probation department opposed Foakes being released. Chen said the “yardstick mark” for Foakes’ motion is how much time he’s actually spent in jail, not how much time he could potentially spend awaiting trial, and agreed that 27 months was acceptable.
The basis for Boisseau’s motion was that Foakes is set to go on trial after a number of his co-defendants — who, unlike Foakes, are accused of participating in a murder and illegal cremation of a fellow Hells Angels member in Fresno — are tried in October 2021. But Barry said that federal prosecutors are working to get Foakes into the earlier trial.
“We want him in the first trial group,” Barry said.
A similar motion by Foakes failed last year as well.


mercurynews--2020-12-17--Gary Bettman hints at what may be in store for San Jose Sharks

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Wednesday hinted at what may be in store in the coming weeks for the San Jose Sharks — and it involves spending a lot of time away from the South Bay .
“ We have a couple of clubs that can ’ t hold training camp or conduct games even without fans in their current buildings and facilities , and we ’ re going to have to move them somewhere else to play , ” said Bettman , who was appearing via video at a panel discussion held at the World Hockey Forum in Moscow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ starting the regular season in mid-January , Bettman said .
The 24 teams that were part of the NHL ’ s postseason earlier this year would reportedly each have a 10-day training camp .
The seven teams that did not practice or play , like the Sharks , would be able to start their training camp a few days beforehand , although nothing has been finalized by the NHL or the Players ’ Association .
Right now , though , if Santa Clara County ’ s ban on contact sports and the mandatory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 150 miles away remained in effect into January , the Sharks would not be able to hold training camp in San Jose or even start the season at SAP Center .
The county ’ s restrictions are now in effect until at least Dec. 21 .
If enough teams can ’ t play at home in front of spectators , Bettman said the league and the union are also discussing whether to group teams within their realigned divisions in hub cities around North America .
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported that Las @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hub city for a division that would include the three California teams , Arizona , Colorado and two other still-to-be-determined teams .
Like our Sharks Facebook page for more San Jose Sharks news , commentary and conversation .
“ If enough teams can ’ t play , again , without fans , in their own facilities , then we may have to move more and more towards a hub , ” Bettman said .
“ It may be that some teams are playing in other buildings .
It may be that a whole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other buildings .
“ One of the things that we ’ re doing for the regular season , as we ’ re planning it , is we ’ re going to just play within our divisions , so we ’ re not going to play every team against everybody else in the course of a season.
” The Sharks are waiting to see what the NHL ’ s official schedule looks like before they announce their plans for training camp .
It is believed , though , that the Sharks would relocate to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hold camp in San Jose , following in the footsteps of the 49ers , who relocated to Glendale , Arizona after the county made its announcement late last month .
If the Sharks were not moved to a hub , and they could still not play games in San Jose , it would then make sense for them to remain in Arizona and share Gila River Arena with the Coyotes .
As of earlier this week , a handful of Sharks players were still out of the Bay Area , awaiting clarification from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Meier , Marcus Sorensen and Antti Suomela , for instance , are still in Europe and Matt Nieto is in Southern California .
• San Jose Sharks might be placed in same division as NHL heavyweights • Why the San Jose Sharks could be hurt by NHL ’ s new reported start date Due to rising COVID-19 cases in American cities , the NHL ’ s postseason earlier this year was conducted solely in Toronto and Edmonton with players staying in bubble environments .
“ We don ’ t think we can conduct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Bettman said .
“ But circumstances , depending on where COVID is spiking and where the medical system is being taxed at any given time , may require us to adjust .
”

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Wednesday hinted at what may be in store in the coming weeks for the San Jose Sharks — and it involves spending a lot of time away from the South Bay.
“We have a couple of clubs that can’t hold training camp or conduct games even without fans in their current buildings and facilities, and we’re going to have to move them somewhere else to play,” said Bettman, who was appearing via video at a panel discussion held at the World Hockey Forum in Moscow.
The NHL is still looking at starting the regular season in mid-January, Bettman said. The 24 teams that were part of the NHL’s postseason earlier this year would reportedly each have a 10-day training camp. The seven teams that did not practice or play, like the Sharks, would be able to start their training camp a few days beforehand, although nothing has been finalized by the NHL or the Players’ Association.
Right now, though, if Santa Clara County’s ban on contact sports and the mandatory 10-day quarantine for returning travelers from more than 150 miles away remained in effect into January, the Sharks would not be able to hold training camp in San Jose or even start the season at SAP Center. The county’s restrictions are now in effect until at least Dec. 21.
If enough teams can’t play at home in front of spectators, Bettman said the league and the union are also discussing whether to group teams within their realigned divisions in hub cities around North America. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported that Las Vegas could be an option as a hub city for a division that would include the three California teams, Arizona, Colorado and two other still-to-be-determined teams.
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“If enough teams can’t play, again, without fans, in their own facilities, then we may have to move more and more towards a hub,” Bettman said. “It may be that some teams are playing in other buildings. It may be that a whole group of teams have to play in other buildings.
“One of the things that we’re doing for the regular season, as we’re planning it, is we’re going to just play within our divisions, so we’re not going to play every team against everybody else in the course of a season.”
The Sharks are waiting to see what the NHL’s official schedule looks like before they announce their plans for training camp. It is believed, though, that the Sharks would relocate to Scottsdale, Arizona if they could not hold camp in San Jose, following in the footsteps of the 49ers, who relocated to Glendale, Arizona after the county made its announcement late last month.
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If the Sharks were not moved to a hub, and they could still not play games in San Jose, it would then make sense for them to remain in Arizona and share Gila River Arena with the Coyotes.
As of earlier this week, a handful of Sharks players were still out of the Bay Area, awaiting clarification from the league and the team. Timo Meier, Marcus Sorensen and Antti Suomela, for instance, are still in Europe and Matt Nieto is in Southern California.
Due to rising COVID-19 cases in American cities, the NHL’s postseason earlier this year was conducted solely in Toronto and Edmonton with players staying in bubble environments.
“We don’t think we can conduct an entire regular season that way,” Bettman said. “But circumstances, depending on where COVID is spiking and where the medical system is being taxed at any given time, may require us to adjust.”


mercurynews--2020-12-17--COVID relief checks: Will they be enough for the Bay Area’s unemployed workers?

With another federal stimulus package within reach , some Bay Area workers — many who have been unemployed and struggling for months — are breathing a cautious sigh of relief .
But they worry the package , which may include stimulus checks of between $ 600 and $ 700 , won ’ t be enough .
“ You can give me an extra $ 600 once , but who ’ s going to help me over the next months ?
” Alma Cardenas , a single mother of two living in East San Jose , asked in Spanish .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ card even with unemployment.
” After a series of stalled negotiations , Congress appears to be making progress on a relief package that could also include an extra $ 300 per week in federal unemployment .
But while the latest round of aid will help , many people worry about the massive debts they ’ ve racked up as the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on their lives and income .
When shelter-in-place orders shut down major swaths of the U.S. economy and put millions of Californians out of work , many in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one-time stimulus checks of $ 1,200 , plus an extra $ 600 per week in federal unemployment .
But the one-time checks were spent quickly , and the $ 600 a week shrank to $ 300 a week , and then ended altogether in the fall .
Without that extra aid , 38-year-old Beth Hommell receives $ 310 a week in unemployment .
“ No one can pay for their bills with that amount of money , ” she said .
Before the pandemic , Hommell worked part-time at Jessica Lasky Catering in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called Coast Caravans , which rented vintage trailers for use as mobile bars , photo booths and more .
The catering company has been closed for months , and the events that powered Coast Caravans have dried up .
Now , she ’ s working occasional odd jobs , mostly painting and repairing trailers , to make ends meet .
And she ’ s been pursuing her woodworking hobby , and trying to sell her art online .
Hommell has no idea when the event industry will bounce back , but she ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come through .
“ It would be great , ” she said .
“ It ’ s been pretty hard.
” Hommell would use the extra money to pay off her debt — she owes money to credit card companies , her parents , her friends and her former landlord .
She had to move in October when a fire damaged the cottage she rented in Oakland .
Now , she pays $ 750 a month to rent space from a friend living on the Santa Rosa/ Calistoga border .
But Eduardo Torres @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tenant rights group Tenants Together , scoffed when asked about the potential $ 600 stimulus checks .
Many Bay Area renters owe their landlords thousands of dollars , he said .
And that could come due as early as Jan. 31 , if the current state eviction moratorium is not extended .
“ For a tenant who ’ s on back rent — and we ’ ve talked to a lot of tenants who have not been able to pay their full rent during the pandemic — $ 600 is not going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ $ 600 is a slap in the face.
” Cardenas , who has been unemployed since she was laid off from her job as a barista in Sunnyvale three months ago , shares those concerns .
Her church has offered to pay part of her January rent , and the federal relief will help some , but she ’ ll still struggle .
“ It will help at least a little , ” she said .
“ But for me , what they ’ re doing is still not enough.
” When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was out of a job .
She worked as a teacher at a daycare and preschool in Oakland .
The school tried online classes for two months , but stopped when it ran out of funding .
In September , the school opened at half-capacity and Bulnes could return — but only part-time .
Bulnes is collecting unemployment , and her husband , who was left disabled by a stroke , collects $ 900 a month in government benefits .
Their 26-year-old daughter has been out of work since quitting her job at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the virus .
“ We haven ’ t been able to pay rent , ” Bulnes said .
“ And I was already paying like 70 % of my income before the pandemic towards rent.
” By February , she estimates she ’ ll owe about $ 25,000 in back rent for her family ’ s Oakland house .
Bulnes , who is a member of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment , is trying to do something about that .
On Wednesday , she joined a car caravan demonstration in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and AB 16 — two bills that would expand protections for California renters .
If she gets any money from the new federal stimulus package , Bulnes will try to set some aside to pay off her rent .
• Congress nears agreement on next round of COVID-19 aid • Streaming movies : ‘ Greenland ’ & Chadwick Boseman ’ s last movie are best bets When 41-year-old Stephanie Koepnick , an English professor at Merced College , received the first $ 1,200 stimulus check , it made a world of difference , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay her utility bills .
“ I would use it for that again , ” she said .
“ I ’ m late on both PG & E and my water.
” Koepnick makes about $ 80,000 a year , but had to take a leave of absence after her son died in 2018 .
She ’ s been fighting off debt ever since .
Now , she said , a decline in hiring at colleges has her worried for her job .
But more than that , Koepnick worries about those less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ What ’ s coming on the horizon is just going to desperately affect people , ” she said .
“ If I need stimulus money to pay my electricity , how are other people surviving ?
”

With another federal stimulus package within reach, some Bay Area workers — many who have been unemployed and struggling for months — are breathing a cautious sigh of relief.
But they worry the package, which may include stimulus checks of between $600 and $700, won’t be enough.
“You can give me an extra $600 once, but who’s going to help me over the next months?” Alma Cardenas, a single mother of two living in East San Jose, asked in Spanish. “I owe $14,000 on my credit card even with unemployment.”
After a series of stalled negotiations, Congress appears to be making progress on a relief package that could also include an extra $300 per week in federal unemployment. But while the latest round of aid will help, many people worry about the massive debts they’ve racked up as the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on their lives and income.
When shelter-in-place orders shut down major swaths of the U.S. economy and put millions of Californians out of work, many in the Bay Area scraped by thanks to one-time stimulus checks of $1,200, plus an extra $600 per week in federal unemployment. But the one-time checks were spent quickly, and the $600 a week shrank to $300 a week, and then ended altogether in the fall.
Without that extra aid, 38-year-old Beth Hommell receives $310 a week in unemployment.
“No one can pay for their bills with that amount of money,” she said.
Before the pandemic, Hommell worked part-time at Jessica Lasky Catering in Oakland and ran a small events business called Coast Caravans, which rented vintage trailers for use as mobile bars, photo booths and more. The catering company has been closed for months, and the events that powered Coast Caravans have dried up.
Now, she’s working occasional odd jobs, mostly painting and repairing trailers, to make ends meet. And she’s been pursuing her woodworking hobby, and trying to sell her art online.
Hommell has no idea when the event industry will bounce back, but she’s optimistic the federal stimulus package will come through.
“It would be great,” she said. “It’s been pretty hard.”
Hommell would use the extra money to pay off her debt — she owes money to credit card companies, her parents, her friends and her former landlord. She had to move in October when a fire damaged the cottage she rented in Oakland. Now, she pays $750 a month to rent space from a friend living on the Santa Rosa/ Calistoga border.
But Eduardo Torres, the Northern California Regional Coordinator of tenant rights group Tenants Together, scoffed when asked about the potential $600 stimulus checks. Many Bay Area renters owe their landlords thousands of dollars, he said. And that could come due as early as Jan. 31, if the current state eviction moratorium is not extended.
“For a tenant who’s on back rent — and we’ve talked to a lot of tenants who have not been able to pay their full rent during the pandemic — $600 is not going to cut it,” Torres said. “$600 is a slap in the face.”
SAN JOSE - DECEMBER 16: A portrait of Alma Cardenas at her home in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE - DECEMBER 16: Alma Cardenas walks out of her home in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE - DECEMBER 16: A portrait of Alma Cardenas at her home in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)
ORINDA, CA - DECEMBER 16 :Signs on a vehicle are photographed during a stimulus package rally on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, in Orinda, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
ORINDA, CA - DECEMBER 16: Vanessa Bulnes speaks to the media during a rally about COVID-19 rent relief on Dec. 16, 2020, in Orinda, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
ORINDA, CA - DECEMBER 16: Vanessa Bulnes, left, elbow pumps a supporter, during a rally on Dec. 16, 2020, in Orinda, Calif. Bulnes was speaking on a COVID-19 stimulus package. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Cardenas, who has been unemployed since she was laid off from her job as a barista in Sunnyvale three months ago, shares those concerns. Her church has offered to pay part of her January rent, and the federal relief will help some, but she’ll still struggle.
“It will help at least a little,” she said. “But for me, what they’re doing is still not enough.”
When COVID-19 shut down schools, Vanessa Bulnes was out of a job. She worked as a teacher at a daycare and preschool in Oakland. The school tried online classes for two months, but stopped when it ran out of funding. In September, the school opened at half-capacity and Bulnes could return — but only part-time.
Bulnes is collecting unemployment, and her husband, who was left disabled by a stroke, collects $900 a month in government benefits. Their 26-year-old daughter has been out of work since quitting her job at FexEd over fears it would expose her to the virus.
“We haven’t been able to pay rent,” Bulnes said. “And I was already paying like 70% of my income before the pandemic towards rent.”
By February, she estimates she’ll owe about $25,000 in back rent for her family’s Oakland house. Bulnes, who is a member of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, is trying to do something about that. On Wednesday, she joined a car caravan demonstration in Orinda to rally support for AB 15 and AB 16 — two bills that would expand protections for California renters.
If she gets any money from the new federal stimulus package, Bulnes will try to set some aside to pay off her rent.
When 41-year-old Stephanie Koepnick, an English professor at Merced College, received the first $1,200 stimulus check, it made a world of difference, she said. She used it to pay her utility bills.
“I would use it for that again,” she said. “I’m late on both PG&E and my water.”
Koepnick makes about $80,000 a year, but had to take a leave of absence after her son died in 2018. She’s been fighting off debt ever since. Now, she said, a decline in hiring at colleges has her worried for her job.
But more than that, Koepnick worries about those less well-off than herself — including her students.
“What’s coming on the horizon is just going to desperately affect people,” she said. “If I need stimulus money to pay my electricity, how are other people surviving?”


mercurynews--2020-12-17--Wanna demolish a Trump casino? It’ll cost you

ATLANTIC CITY , N.J. — One of President Donald Trump ’ s former Atlantic City casinos will be blown up next month , and for the right amount of money , you could be the one to press the button that brings it down .
The demolition of the former Trump Plaza casino will become a fundraiser to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City that the mayor hopes will raise in excess of $ 1 million .
Opened in 1984 , Trump ’ s former casino was closed in 2014 and has fallen into such a state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year .
The remainder of the structure will be dynamited on Jan. 29 .
“ Some of Atlantic City ’ s iconic moments happened there , but on his way out , Donald Trump openly mocked Atlantic City , saying he made a lot of money and then got out , ” said Mayor Marty Small .
“ I wanted to use the demolition of this place to raise money for charity.
” The Boys & Girls Club has hired a professional auction company to solicit bids from Thursday through Jan. 19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revealed and a live auction will determine a winner .
The organization provides after-school and summer recreation , education and career-training programs for Atlantic City children and teens .
Trump , then a real-estate developer , opened the casino in a prime spot at the center of Atlantic City ’ s Boardwalk where the Atlantic City Expressway deposited cars entering the resort .
It was the site of many high-profile boxing matches , which Trump would regularly attend .
It closed in 2014 , one of four Atlantic City casinos to shut down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump casino , the Taj Mahal , in 2016 .
That property has since reopened as the Hard Rock casino .
The third casino Trump used to own here , Trump Marina , was sold to Texas billionaire Tilman Fertitta in 2011 and is now the Golden Nugget .
Trump cut most ties with Atlantic City in 2009 aside from a 10 % fee for the use of his name on what were then three casinos in the city .
That stake was extinguished when billionaire Carl Icahn took ownership of the company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump Plaza has sat empty for six years , and has been deteriorating .
Earlier this year , large pieces of the facade broke loose from one of the hotel towers and came crashing to the ground .
In one storm , additional debris fell from the structure onto the Boardwalk .
Icahn owns the former Trump Plaza building , and has agreed to the demolition .
Small said he is eager to discuss potential uses for the land with Icahn once the casino is gone , including some sort of family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump to live elsewhere • One of Biden ’ s many challenges : A virus-free White House • Trump campaign asks fans if he should run in 2024 “ Not often does inner-city oceanfront land open up , ” the mayor said .
“ We have one chance to get this right.
” The last casino implosion in Atlantic City was in Oct. 2007 when the former Sands casino was dynamited to make way for a new casino-hotel project that ultimately was never built .

By Wayne Parry | Associated Press
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — One of President Donald Trump’s former Atlantic City casinos will be blown up next month, and for the right amount of money, you could be the one to press the button that brings it down.
The demolition of the former Trump Plaza casino will become a fundraiser to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City that the mayor hopes will raise in excess of $1 million.
Opened in 1984, Trump’s former casino was closed in 2014 and has fallen into such a state of disrepair that demolition work began earlier this year. The remainder of the structure will be dynamited on Jan. 29.
“Some of Atlantic City’s iconic moments happened there, but on his way out, Donald Trump openly mocked Atlantic City, saying he made a lot of money and then got out,” said Mayor Marty Small. “I wanted to use the demolition of this place to raise money for charity.”
The Boys & Girls Club has hired a professional auction company to solicit bids from Thursday through Jan. 19, when the top bids will be revealed and a live auction will determine a winner. The organization provides after-school and summer recreation, education and career-training programs for Atlantic City children and teens.
Trump, then a real-estate developer, opened the casino in a prime spot at the center of Atlantic City’s Boardwalk where the Atlantic City Expressway deposited cars entering the resort. It was the site of many high-profile boxing matches, which Trump would regularly attend.
It closed in 2014, one of four Atlantic City casinos to shut down that year, followed by another former Trump casino, the Taj Mahal, in 2016. That property has since reopened as the Hard Rock casino.
The third casino Trump used to own here, Trump Marina, was sold to Texas billionaire Tilman Fertitta in 2011 and is now the Golden Nugget.
Trump cut most ties with Atlantic City in 2009 aside from a 10% fee for the use of his name on what were then three casinos in the city. That stake was extinguished when billionaire Carl Icahn took ownership of the company out of bankruptcy court in February 2016.
Trump Plaza has sat empty for six years, and has been deteriorating. Earlier this year, large pieces of the facade broke loose from one of the hotel towers and came crashing to the ground. In one storm, additional debris fell from the structure onto the Boardwalk.
Icahn owns the former Trump Plaza building, and has agreed to the demolition. Small said he is eager to discuss potential uses for the land with Icahn once the casino is gone, including some sort of family attraction.
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The last casino implosion in Atlantic City was in Oct. 2007 when the former Sands casino was dynamited to make way for a new casino-hotel project that ultimately was never built.