California’s Governor Gavin Newsom says that the recent earthquakes in his state should serve as a wakeup call for Americans to be prepared for natural disasters.
Newsom urged other governments Saturday to strengthen their emergency alert systems and building codes.
The governor also asked U.S. residents to learn how to prepare themselves for an earthquake. Friday’s 7.1 magnitude earthquake was the biggest quake in southern California in twenty years. Damage estimates to the state have exceeded $100 million so far.
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Wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein is scheduled to make his first court appearance Monday in New York City on sex-trafficking charges involving allegations dating to the early 2000s.
Prosecutors are likely to argue that Epstein is a flight risk and should remain in jail instead of being released on bail pending trial.
The court case comes eleven years after Epstein was let off lightly with a once-secret plea deal in an underage prostitution case.
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Starbucks Apologizes to Officers Who Were Asked To Leave Store
Starbucks has apologized to six officers who were asked by a Tempe, Arizona store employee to either leave or get out of a customer’s line of sight on July 4th. The employee told the officers that a customer didn’t feel safe with the police presence.
The Tempe Officers Association Twitter post about the alleged incident sparked backlash on social media with those in support of the officers using #boycottstarbucks.
Starbucks vice president said in an apology “What occurred in our store on July 4th is never the experience your officers or any customer should have” with a promise that the necessary steps will be taken to ensure a similar incident won’t occur again.”
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Amid mounting criticism of the recent loosening of homeless ordinances, Austin Mayor Steve Adler is not backing down.
As more and more people share photos online of growing homeless camps, trash, and other filth, Adler is taking the council’s decision one step further by traveling to LA this week for advice from that city’s leaders on what Austin should do next.
Adler says people who disagree with the city’s handling of homelessness have been misled and don’t understand the real issue at hand.
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A pair of powerful earthquakes jolted the area around the city of Ridgecrest, California last week…a magnitude six-point-four earthquake hit on Thursday and a magnitude seven-point-one quake hit in the same area on Friday.
Seismologists are urging residents to stay alert as future aftershocks could happen.
Officials say they’re spending about 16 million dollars to install special earthquake detecting sensors that could shut down utilities and trains, should another large earthquake hit.