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California county paid $1.1 million ransom to hacker of Sheriff’s Department computers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:10 GMT

San Bernardino County acknowledged this week that it has paid a $1.1 million ransom to a hacker who uploaded malware to the Sheriff’s Department’s computer system.In a ransomware attack, a criminal enters a system and encrypts the data, leaving the owner unable to access it. If a ransom is paid, usually in cryptocurrency, the criminal will provide a decryption key to unlock the data.For weeks, the county said little publicly about the hack, other than to call it a “network disruption.”David Wert, a county spokesman, said the county had anticipated such a computer invasion and had taken out insurance. He said that of the $1.1 million payout, the county’s share was $511,852 and that the insurance company paid the rest.Sheriff Shannon Dicus said Wednesday that the cyberattack did not compromise public safety but workarounds were required for certain tasks. For instance, he said, deputies could not access the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, which can tell deputies ...

Family of slain California police officer sues DA for not following ‘three-strikes’ law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:10 GMT

The family of slain El Monte police Officer Joseph Santana has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, alleging his disregard for California’s “three-strikes” law enabled a convicted felon to commit the 2022 double homicide that also claimed the life of another officer.The suit, filed Wednesday, May 3, in Los Angeles Superior Court by the officer’s wife, Sasha Santana, along with his three children and parents, also names the county Probation Department and Siesta Inn in East Los Angeles as defendants. It seeks unspecified monetary damages.“Gascón and the probation department need to be held accountable for their failures that resulted in Joseph’s death,” Santana’s family said in a statement. “No family should ever have to endure the pain we’ve been through since the tragic passing of our loving son, father and husband.”On June 14, 2022, Santana, 31, and El Monte police Cpl. Michael Paredes, 42, responded to a report of a stabbing a...

Single-family home in Palo Alto sells for $2.4 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:10 GMT

1026 Amarillo Avenue – Google Street ViewA 1,069-square-foot house built in 1951 has changed hands. The property located in the 1000 block of Amarillo Avenue in Palo Alto was sold on April 5, 2023, for $2,363,000, or $2,210 per square foot. The property features three bedrooms, one bath, a garage, and two parking spaces. It sits on a 6,050-square-foot lot, which also has a pool.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:In September 2022, a 1,702-square-foot home on Metro Circle in Palo Alto sold for $3,280,000, a price per square foot of $1,927. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 1,368-square-foot home on the 1000 block of Moffett Circle in Palo Alto sold in January 2023, for $2,201,000, a price per square foot of $1,609. The home has 3 bedrooms and 1 bathrooms.On Moffett Circle, Palo Alto, in January 2023, a 1,676-square-foot home was sold for $2,580,000, a price per square foot of $1,539. The home has 4 bedrooms and 1 bathrooms. 

Word Game: May 5, 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:10 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — PREDATE (PREDATE: pree-DATE: To designate with a date earlier than the actual one.)Average mark 30 wordsTime limit 45 minutesCan you find 40 or more words in PREDATE? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — EMBARRASS mare maser mass mesa mess bare barer barre base baser bass beam bear berm brass bream abase abeam amass amber ameba area rare ream rear rearm rebar saber sabra samba same seam sear smearTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.Contact Word Game cr...

Bridge: May 5, 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:10 GMT

Unlucky Louie has raised nine children. He says 80 percent of parenting involves moving your kid’s glass away from the edge of the table.You would think Louie knew about playing safe as declarer. When he was today’s South, West led a heart against 6NT, and in the blink of an eye, Louie captured East’s queen and took the A-K of diamonds. Unlucky! East discarded, and Louie had to lose two diamonds.Careful play succeeds. A safety play is available in diamonds, but Louie needs entries to his hand. On the first heart, he should play dummy’s jack: queen, king.PLAYS LOWLouie then leads a diamond to dummy’s ace, returns a heart to his ten and leads the eight of diamonds. If West plays low — playing the ten won’t help him — Louie lets the eight ride.If East won, Louie would be sure of four diamonds and 12 tricks in all. When the eight wins, Louie takes the king, returns a club to his king and concedes a diamond. He has four diamonds, four clubs...

The Government Created a New Disinformation Office to Oversee All the Other Ones

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:10 GMT

Within the federal government, offices dedicated to fighting foreign disinformation are springing up like daisies, from the Pentagon’s new Influence and Perception Management Office to at least four organizations inside the Department of Homeland Security alone, as well as ones inside the FBI and State Department.To oversee the growing efforts — which arose in response to concerns about the impact of Russian meddling in the 2016 election but have now expanded — the director of national intelligence has created a new office.In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee today, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines for the first time mentioned the creation of the Foreign Malign Influence Center, or FMIC. “Congress put into law that we should establish a Foreign Malign Influence Center in the intelligence community; we have stood that up,” Haines said, referring to legislation passed last year. “It encompasses our election threat work, essentially looking at foreign i...

International Seaways: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:10 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — NEW YORK (AP) — International Seaways, Inc. (INSW) on Friday reported first-quarter earnings of $172.6 million.On a per-share basis, the New York-based company said it had profit of $3.47. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring gains, were $3.30 per share.The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $2.96 per share.The company posted revenue of $287.1 million in the period, also surpassing Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $277.3 million._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on INSW at https://www.zacks.com/ap/INSWSource

AdvanSix: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:10 GMT

PARSIPPANY, N.J. (AP) — PARSIPPANY, N.J. (AP) — AdvanSix Inc. (ASIX) on Friday reported first-quarter profit of $35 million.On a per-share basis, the Parsippany, New Jersey-based company said it had net income of $1.22. Earnings, adjusted for stock option expense and amortization costs, came to $1.30 per share.The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.02 per share.The polymer resins producer posted revenue of $400.5 million in the period, which missed Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $411.2 million.AdvanSix shares have dropped nearly 8% since the beginning of the year. The stock has decreased 27% in the last 12 months._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on ASIX at https://www.zacks.com/ap/ASIXSource

AG Mortgage Investment Trust: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:10 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — NEW YORK (AP) — AG Mortgage Investment Trust Inc. (MITT) on Friday reported earnings of $12.5 million in its first quarter.On a per-share basis, the New York-based company said it had net income of 38 cents. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring gains, came to 3 cents per share.The real estate investment trust posted revenue of $57.8 million in the period. Its adjusted revenue was $11.6 million._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on MITT at https://www.zacks.com/ap/MITTSource

Essent Group: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:10 GMT

HAMILTON, Bermuda (AP) — HAMILTON, Bermuda (AP) — Essent Group Ltd. (ESNT) on Friday reported first-quarter earnings of $170.8 million.On a per-share basis, the Hamilton, Bermuda-based company said it had net income of $1.59.The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.43 per share.The mortgage insurance and reinsurance holding company posted revenue of $256.2 million in the period._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on ESNT at https://www.zacks.com/ap/ESNTSource