As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge, a smaller number of Californians are expected to travel for Christmas this year. Yet data shows residents are still making trips to the store or work even after regional stay-at-home orders were issued throughout the state earlier this month. The travel allows COVID to spread, according to medical authorities.
The California Highway Patrol has asked drivers to stay sober, slow down, avoid distractions and buckle up regardless of where they’re headed. The CHP’s Maximum Enforcement Period began Thursday evening as drivers hit the road for the holiday weekend.
Through Sunday night, the CHP said all available officers will be on the road looking for speeders and intoxicated drivers. The officers also will be on the lookout for drivers who may need their help.
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The California Supreme Court will not stop the murder prosecution of a woman who had used methamphetamine and whose fetus was then stillborn.
In taking the action, California’s High Court rejected a rare challenge by the state's attorney general whose office normally represents county prosecutors when their cases are appealed.
But AG Xavier Becerra, tapped by President-elect Joe Biden to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is also a supporter of reproductive rights and in a letter to justices said that fear of prosecution may prevent pregnant women from seeking addiction services. He said the case could also prompt extra scrutiny by law enforcement on miscarriages and stillbirths.
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Chelsea Becker of Hanford has been in jail on $2 billion bail since the September 2019 stillbirth. Police say methamphetamine was found in the fetus and that Becker, who was 8½ months pregnant at the time of the stillbirth, had admitted recently using the drug.
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Many people who live in the Santa Cruz Mountains are closely watching the latest weather. That’s because with rain in the forecast, coastal mountain areas are concerned about the potential for debris flow and whether evacuations will be ordered.
According to weather experts, the incoming rain is not expected to trigger a debris flow, but the weather can be unpredictable and they'll monitor it.
Fire officials say the threat of potential debris flow in the Santa Cruz Mountains could continue for the next two years.
Santa Cruz County officials have posted an evacuation map on their website and they urge people to know their evacuation zones.
They also have set-up an alert system called, Code Red. The free software is available for iPhones and Androids on the app store. You can also go to SCR911.org to register your cellphone.
Registering a cellphone will get you a call wherever you are while downloading the app will light up your phone only if you're in the evac zone.
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Both President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom say they believe COVID-19 relief checks should be increased from $600 to $2,000.
The Democratic governor made the statement during a press conference earlier today (Wednesday). This came a day after Trump said Congress should amend the COVID-19 relief bill to reflect larger checks for Americans.
Congress has sent Trump a stimulus relief bill that would give most Americans a $600 check, but the president said Tuesday he’s unhappy with the amount.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California responded that congressional Democrats would be happy to reconvene to raise the number, a move aimed at pressuring Republicans, who had pushed for a smaller stimulus package, to raise the amount.
Newsom said a change in the size of the payments would make a big difference in California – putting “upwards of $60 billion” into the state’s economy instead of $18 billion.
Trump has yet to say whether he will veto the measure that includes the $600 stimulus, which also would extend federal unemployment benefits that are set to expire next week.
An estimated 1 million Californians are likely to lose their unemployment benefits next week, as federal unemployment programs created in March to help people affected by the COVID crisis expire.
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