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Now you can live inside a whale with this unique Southern California home

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:11:00 GMT

A truly bizarre and unique piece of Southern California real estate is turning heads online for its luxury amenities and animal-inspired design.The home, located at 999 Andante Rd. along Santa Barbara's Mission Creek, is currently listed by Daniel Carpenter of Sotheby's International Realty with an asking price of $3.25 million. But its price tag isn't what the internet is buzzing about, rather it's the fairytale-esque design that has both charmed and confused the world.The three-bedroom, four-bathroom house, surrounded by mature oak and sycamore trees, is modeled after a whale. Yes, a whale.This unique home in Santa Barbara is styled after a whale, with the whale's mouth serving as its entrance. (Sotheby's International Realty)You enter the home through the mouth of a whale, its cedar shingles aligning the exterior, giving it the appearance of the marine mammal's skin."Three floors of creative genius encompass the head of the whale," the property's listing reads. The head of the wh...

Man arrested after making thousands of prank phones calls to San Bernardino County Sheriff

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:11:00 GMT

A man from Rialto was arrested last week, accused of making thousands of non-emergency prank phone calls to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.Luke Edward Dumas, 48, of Rialto, was arrested on July 22, after he was identified as the alleged source of the spam calls.According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, Dumas made as many as 7,000 spam calls to the Sheriff's Department beginning in April using a blocked number. The calls were "annoying and harassing" staff, and preventing them from taking other calls, officials added.An investigation was launched and Dumas was eventually identified as the suspected caller. On Saturday, he was taken into custody and booked at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.He awaits several charges related to the calls, as well as additional charges for resisting an officer and reckless driving. The Sheriff's Department also believes he may be responsible for other spam calls placed throughout the Inland Empire....

Dodgers bring back Joe Kelly as trade deadline nears

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:11:00 GMT

The Los Angeles Dodgers, who have made pitching a priority in advance of the trade deadline, announced Friday that they've acquired Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly in a trade with the Chicago White Sox.The NL West-leading Dodgers will send outfielder Trayce Thompson, pitcher Nick Nastrini and reliever Jordan Leasure to the White Sox.Lynn has been mostly underwhelming this season. The 36-year-old right-hander is 6-9 with a 6.18 ERA and leads the American League in earned runs (79) and home runs allowed (28).But Lynn has 139 strikeouts in 115 innings and 10.9 per nine innings. In June, Lynn struck out 16 in a game against Seattle, setting a major-league mark for most strikeouts in a game by a pitcher with an ERA above 6.00. Dodgers acquire shortstop from Cleveland He was an All-Star for the White Sox in 2021 and shortly after signed a $38 million, two-year contract extension that included a club option.Lynn began the 2022 season on the injured list with a meniscus tear suffered in spring t...

Walmart wants to turn a greenhouse gas into clothing

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:11:00 GMT

How's this for wearing of the green?Walmart is partnering with a California startup to capture carbon dioxide -- a greenhouse gas -- from factories and convert it into clothing.San Leandro's Rubi Laboratories has come up with technology to capture CO2 and turn it into yarn.Many businesses now capture CO2 emissions and bury it underground. Rubi, by contrast, strives to put the gas to good use."At Rubi, our goal is to ensure a thriving future by restoring Earth’s ecological balance with reimagined supply chains," Rubi CEO Neeka Mashouf said in a statement."Walmart’s ability to mobilize positive impact across its supply chain of diverse U.S. partners could be massively impactful in scaling our production and delivering on our commitments."This is still in the test stage. Rubi says its technology can capture 90% of CO2 emissions, but it has yet to produce yarn at an economically sustainable scale.That's what Walmart brings to the equation. Nobody does scale like the country's biggest re...

Drake now owns Tupac Shakur's $1M ring

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:11:00 GMT

Drake didn't lie when he said he had a really big team and they had some really big rings. It appears the "Hotline Bling" rapper has gotten his hands on Tupac Shakur's gold, ruby and diamond-encrusted crown ring, which sold at auction just days ago. Drake showed off the piece on his Instagram story on Thursday night while promoting Travis Scott's new album "Utopia," on which Drake is featured on two tracks.Instagram: Drake (Instagram/@champagnepapi)The ring was expected to sell for between $200,000 to $300,000 but sold for $1,016,000.When the auction closed, Sotheby's didn't reveal who the buyer was but said this: “This one-of-a-kind, custom ring was meticulously designed by Tupac and is among the final products of his boundless creative energy—a unique artifact from a period of time that is a testament to his enduring influence on both Hip Hop and global contemporary culture,” Sotheby’s global head of science and popular culture, Cassandra Hatton, said in a press statement obtained...

2 Hospitalized after Semi-Truck Rolls Down Embankment on Interstate 40 [Flagstaff, AZ]

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:11:00 GMT

Two Injured in Semi-Truck Collision near Naval Observatory RoadFLAGSTAFF, AZ (July 28, 2023) – Friday morning, two victims were hospitalized after a semi-truck rolled down an embankment on Interstate 40.Authorities responded to the scene around 5:30 a.m., near Naval Observatory Road.For reasons under investigation, the driver of a semi-truck veered off the westbound lanes of Interstate 40 and down a 30-foot embankment. Paramedics arrived and transported the driver and one passenger to a hospital for further treatment.Crews say one of the occupants was suffering from serious injuries, while the other was suffering from minor injuries. Although, authorities have not yet released their identities.Emergency personnel closed off the surrounding area for a brief time during cleanup and preliminary duties. Once available, further details will be provided about the semi-truck collision near Naval Observatory Road.Operating a vehicle is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly...

Walnut Creek man gets life in psychiatric facility for murdering his mom

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:11:00 GMT

MARTINEZ — A Walnut Creek man was sentenced to life confinement in a psychiatric facility, unless his sanity is deemed restored, after being found criminally insane at the moment he murdered his mother, court records show.Nicholas Roth, 41, was sentenced in May by Judge Julia Campins, following a ruling by Judge Laurel Brady that found Roth not guilty by reason of insanity in the murder of his mom, 74-year-old Darlene Roth. The two were heard arguing in their Walnut Creek home before Nicholas Roth allegedly stabbed her to death in the early morning of Nov. 8, 2021, police said at the time.Nicholas Roth pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but prosecutors argued to Brady that he should be sentenced to prison. Brady, who has since retired, issued her ruling in January. The finding essentially means that Brady determined Roth’s mental illness prevented him from understanding the gravity of what he was doing.Court papers say Roth has agreed to take antipsychotic medicat...

George Clooney enjoys Italian date nights as rank-and-file actors strike

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:11:00 GMT

As actors and writers continue to strike, demanding a fair share of the billions that film and TV studios rake in every year, George Clooney is among the A-list “megastars” who have thus far stayed away from the picket lines for a possible mix of reasons that are being discussed and debated in Hollywood.Clooney voiced early support for the strike by SAG-AFTRA, issuing a strongly worded statement the day after the 160,000-member actors union voted on July 13 to stop work on film and TV productions. “This is an inflection point in our industry,” Clooney said. “For our industry to survive that has to change. For actors, that journey starts now.”But over the past week, Clooney hasn’t looked like a worker whose union is on strike. Clooney, who is worth an estimated $500 million, has been seen in Italy, enjoying elegant dinner dates with his attorney wife Amal Clooney at restaurants in Lake Como, where he owns an 18th-century vacation villa, Page Six re...

Contra Costa man handed 6-year prison sentence for crash that killed two teenagers

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:11:00 GMT

A Knightsen man received a six-year prison sentence on Friday for a crash that killed two East Contra Costa County teenagers who had been walking alongside the road where he was driving drunk.A Contra Costa judge sentenced Colby Sharver, 20, after he plead guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, as well as driving under the influence and causing bodily injury, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. Sharver is expected to be released from prison in slightly more than a year and half, when factoring in credit for time served and good behavior.The case stemmed from a late-night crash on Sept. 4, 2021 along Byron Highway near Clifton Court Road. Sharver was driving a Subaru Impreza when he hit two teenagers who had been walking on the roadway’s narrow shoulder, according to the California Highway Patrol. Killed in the wreck were Luis Esparza, 16, and Kassandra Sepulveda, 18.On Friday, the families of both slain teenagers voiced fru...

The top 10 most expensive home sales in Palo Alto, reported the week of July 17

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:11:00 GMT

A house in Palo Alto that sold for $8.6 million tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Palo Alto in the past week.In total, 15 residential real estate sales were recorded in the area during the past week, with an average price of $3.2 million. The average price per square foot was $1,560.The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of July 17 even if the property may have been sold earlier.10. $2.3 million, condominium in the 300 block of Homer AvenueThe sale of the condominium in the 300 block of Homer Avenue, Palo Alto, has been finalized. The price was $2,341,000, and the condominium changed hands in July. The condominium was built in 2004 and has a living area of 1,522 square feet. The price per square foot was $1,538. The condominium features two bedrooms and two bathrooms.Homer Avenue9. $2.5 million, condominium in the 4200 block of Rickeys WayThe 2,215 square-foot condominium in the 4200 bloc...