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IRS warns of deadline to claim $1.5B in 2019 tax refunds: These states are owed the most

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – The Internal Revenue Service estimates that there is almost $1.5 billion in unclaimed refunds from tax year 2019, but the deadline to secure that money is nearing. Taxpayers have until July 17 to submit a tax return and get the money they are owed. The IRS said in a news release that the average median refund for that year is $893.“The 2019 tax returns came due during the pandemic, and many people may have overlooked or forgotten about these refunds,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. “We want taxpayers to claim these refunds, but time is running out. People face a July 17 deadline to file their returns. We recommend taxpayers start soon to make sure they don’t miss out.” Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The three years allotted for filing a tax return and collecting a refund were extended past the April tax deadline because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Any funds that aren't claimed by the deadline will belong to ...

Kendrick Castillo’s parents ask judge to release information about STEM School shooting — including alleged warning signs

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

Kendrick Castillo before his senior prom in April 2019. (Photo courtesy of Tim Thompson)A judge will decide whether to make public information about the 2019 shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch that the parents of Kendrick Castillo have learned through their lawsuit against the school — including what their attorney says are details of missed warnings about the shooters. John and Maria Castillo said in court Wednesday that they have learned more about the May 7, 2019, shooting that took their son’s life, and want that information — collected through the discovery process during litigation — released so it can be used to improve school safety. “We wanted to hear things that weren’t being told to us,” John Castillo said when asked why he listened to the depositions given as a result of the family’s lawsuit.The Castillos have refused the $387,000 settlement offered in their lawsuit against STEM and want their case to go before a jury,...

2 killed along with dog in San Bernardino County crash

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

Police are investigating after a head-on collision killed two people and a dog, and left a second dog hospitalized in San Bernardino County on Tuesday night.Police responded to a crash on the 25500 block of San Timoteo Canyon Road in Redlands around 8 p.m. involving and sedan and an SUV.When authorities arrived, they found the SUV driver performing CPR on the sedan driver. Paramedics arrived shortly and took over lifesaving measures on the woman, but she was pronounced dead at the scene, said Redlands police.A male passenger from the sedan was also pronounced dead while he was being transported to the hospital.Two dogs were found inside the sedan — one was pronounced dead at the scene, while the second dog was transported to an animal hospital with minor injuries.The SUV driver told police he was “heading west on San Timoteo Canyon Road when the eastbound sedan veered over the double-yellow line and collided with his vehicle.”The SUV driver was treated for injuries at the scene, but...

KTLA 5 celebrates Armenian History Month

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

April is Armenian History Month in Los Angeles County, which is home to the greatest number of Armenians outside of Armenia itself. This month, KTLA is introducing viewers to the individuals and organizations that contribute to the rich Armenian culture in Southern California, and how they are making a broader impact across the nation and around the world. ‘Aurora’s Sunrise’ shines light on Armenian Genocide survivor’s journey to Hollywood KTLA 5’s Ellina Abovian will be sharing stories of Armenian-American entrepreneurs, filmmakers, athletes and educators who are inspiring and elevating others in our community.

'Aurora's Sunrise' shines light on Armenian Genocide survivor's journey to Hollywood

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

"Aurora's Sunrise" is an internationally animated documentary about Aurora Mardiganian.It's a true story about how a 14-year-old girl escaped death during the Armenian Genocide, fled to New York and became a silent film star. "Aurora's story is one of the rare ones," said Inna Sahakyan, the film's director. The story becomes vivid again through the dynamic combination of mediums, animation, archival interviews with Aurora herself, and digitally restored footage.Back in 2014, Sahakyan was doing research for a different project at the Zoryan Institute in Canada when she stumbled upon Aurora's testimony recorded in 1984 when she was 84 years old. In the footage, Aurora is holding a poster for "Auction of the Souls" from 1919, a silent 20-minute film that depicted the tragic events of the genocide. Aurora played herself, an orphan teenager, kidnapped, raped, and then sold into slavery. Through a series of miraculous events, she escaped and moved to New York when she was 17. She told her...

SF Giants hope renewed mental health can help reignite Darin Ruf

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — In between hugs and hellos and how’ve you beens, Darin Ruf arrived at his locker in the Giants clubhouse Wednesday afternoon. Almost a year to date since he was on the move in their season-opening win in 2022, some seven months since he was surprisingly sent on the move to New York, and two weeks since his brief tenure there came to an unceremonious end, Ruf was back where he wanted to be all along, with the Giants in San Francisco.“The hugs I got to give today,” Ruf said, “were a lot better than the hugs I got to give back in August. It was great to see everybody.”Designated for assignment by the Mets after spring training, Ruf had to wait a week as he went unclaimed through the waiver process. He didn’t initially see a reunion with the Giants in the cards, but a string of left-handed pitching and injuries to right-handed hitting outfielders Mitch Haniger and Austin Slater opened a door. The Giants wasted no time getting Ruf in th...

Antioch leaders express outrage, dismay over racist police officer texting group

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

ANTIOCH — Emotions boiled over across this city following the release of a report detailing years of racist and homophobic text messages by more than a dozen police officers as the mayor angrily decried “dog-whistle racism” and defense attorneys moved to challenge criminal cases involving the officers.Residents and some city leaders expressed outrage at the police department during a tense City Council meeting Tuesday evening, hours after this news organization published material from a 21-page report quoting by name officers who shared the deeply racist and homophobic messages, boasted about falsifying arrest reports and made light of violence against residents.Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe called for an audit of the department and the firing of anyone involved in the sending of racist or homophobic texts. One of the texts sent among officers targeted the mayor, who is Black, offering a “prime rib” dinner to anyone who would shoot Thorpe with a rubber bul...

Steph Curry is 16 wins away from a fifth title, but stays grounded heading into Kings series

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry will start his ninth career playoff appearance when the Warriors take on the Kings Saturday in Sacramento. It starts his quest for a fifth championship — something only a handful of players in NBA history have achieved — with Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.The 35-year-old superstar is 16 wins away from rarified air. But over his 14-season career, he’s learned the only way to get there is to stay grounded.“Can’t fast forward to the end of the race,” Curry said on Wednesday. “That’s part of human nature when you have experiences of getting to the mountaintop and finishing the job. You understand how hard it is to do that and the amount of effort it takes to go through 82 games and four rounds of a playoff, the only way you can repeat that is to stay right here.“Pretty comfortable just locking in on Game 1. Sounds boring and cliche but it is how we accomplish greatness. It’ll cheapen the j...

Arkansas gov. signs bill imposing minumum social media age

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

By Brian Fung | CNNArkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has signed a sweeping bill imposing a minimum age limit for social media usage, in the latest example of states taking more aggressive steps intended to protect teens online.But even as Sanders signed the bill into law on Wednesday afternoon, the legislation appeared to contain vast loopholes and exemptions benefiting companies that lobbied on the bill and raising questions about how much of the industry it truly covers.The legislation, known as the Social Media Safety Act and taking effect in September, is aimed at giving parents more control over their kids’ social media usage, according to lawmakers. It defines social media companies as any online forum that lets users create public profiles and interact with each other through digital content.It requires companies that operate those services to verify the ages of all new users and, if the users are under 18 years old, to obtain a parent’s consent before allowing...

Sonoma traffic stop leads to massive gun bust

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

(KRON) -- A traffic stop in Sonoma led to the seizure of a large cache of guns, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook. The suspect, 61-year-old Kris Manning Peterson, was also found with drugs in his car.Police stopped Peterson just after 2:30 a.m. Sunday on the 2600 block of Fremont Drive because his car had no front license plate. As the deputy talked with Peterson, police said they noticed Peterson showing signs of being intoxicated. 22 arrested in San Jose sex crimes sweep operation Peterson agreed to be searched, and deputies found a "Whip-It!" canister in his pocket. Police said these items are nitrous oxide containers and illegal to possess for recreational drug use. SCSO said Peterson told them he had forgotten about the "Whip-It!" and admitted there were other drugs in the car. A search of the car yielded the following:31.66 grams of suspected methamphetamine4.5 grams of suspected crack cocaine12-15 more "Whip-It!" containers and a device used to inhale nit...