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Ask Amy: Retired officer should rejoin the family unit

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

Dear Amy: I’m a retired Army officer and since 2008 have deferred all decisions about my finances to my wife, who has an MBA.For the past five years, she did our taxes and I never even had the chance to review them.One year we owed $40k, and this year, $16k.I asked to see our return tonight and suggested that we may want a professional to review the return.The response was “We don’t need a [expletive] accountant!”I earn $215k and she earns $150k annually, and I really don’t know where the money goes.I hope to retire in five years, but feel I need a neutral third-party professional to advise.Thoughts?— Not InformedDear Not Informed: You say you are retired from the military, but you are obviously working in another field, now, and looking toward your second retirement. You and your wife are high-earners.This ignorance is on you. You are sharing your life with someone who has expertise in finance, and yet you have surrendered all of your personal fiscal responsibility to her, wh...

Poles march to defend Pope John Paul II against abuse cover-up allegations

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

Thousands of Poles marched through Warsaw and other cities on Sunday to show their support for the late Pope John Paul II in the face of what they said were false allegations that he concealed child abuse in the Catholic Church.The ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, which faces a tough election later this year, and other religious conservatives have said any calls to re-examine his legacy amount to a plot to discredit the nation's biggest moral authority.That argument resonates strongly with many older Poles who were inspired by John Paul to stand up to Communism in the 1970s and '80s, although church attendance has been falling in the decades since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989."I felt the need to show my connection with (the pope's) teaching," said Donata Pronczuk, a retired teacher, who came to Warsaw from the northern city of Koszalin for the march, which marked the 18th anniversary of the pope's death."John Paul II did nothing wrong. Any charges against him are false and...

Luxurious Alhambra Valley Ranch property with stunning panoramic views

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

This extraordinary Alhambra Valley Ranch property, custom designed and built with attention to every detail, showcases walls of windows maximizing spectacular panoramic views.The almost 16-acre property at the top and end of the cul-de-sac in the exclusive gated enclave of homes is an ultra-private sanctuary bordering the John Muir Land Trust open space yet is only about 10 minutes from downtown Lafayette, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, and Martinez, BART, freeways, and many shopping and restaurant options.About 7,034 square feet of living space on two levels is grand yet comfortable. Beautifully and functionally designed, its open floor plan and expansive rooms include stunning formal settings, a chef’s kitchen, and a casual dining area open to the family room. There are four bedrooms, including a main-level primary suite, four updated full and one-half bathrooms, an executive office/study, a bonus room, and a game room or possible studio apartment with a separate entry. A spacious f...

Puppy found stuffed in trash bag on side of road, Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office investigating

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

WATSONVILLE — The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in investigating how a 4-month-old puppy was left stuffed in a trash bag on the side of the road late last month.The collar Cheddar the puppy was found wearing on March 26. (Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office — Contributed) A driver passing beneath the Buena Vista/Highway 1 overpass on March 26 located the “severely injured and underweight golden retriever-mix puppy.” The dog, according to a post on a Sheriff’s Office’s social media page, showed signs of having been abused.A California Highway Patrol sergeant transported the puppy, now nicknamed Cheddar, to the Santa Cruz Veterinary Hospital. He is recovering from “significant injuries and other indications of aggravated animal neglect and abuse,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Woman ID’d in fatal Seacliff State Beach crash Crime and Public Safety | Amid disastrous Pajaro flo...

Woman ID’d in fatal Seacliff State Beach crash

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

APTOS — Authorities have identified the 68-year-old Watsonville woman who died Saturday morning when her vehicle went off the bluff above Seacliff State Beach.Michele Rimando was fatally injured during the crash, which was reported shortly before 8:30 a.m., as identified by the Santa Cruz County Coroner’s Office.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Body recovered near Hwy. 24 in North Oakland Crashes and Disasters | Man killed in East Bay crash Sunday was outside stopped van, authorities say Crashes and Disasters | Infant killed, parents hurt after suspected DUI driver hits them on California neighborhood sidewalk Crashes and Disasters | Fatal crash in East Bay near Interstate 680 investigated Crashes and Disasters | Woman dies after car goes down embankment at Seacliff State Beach According to the California Highway Patrol, Rimando was traveling into the main beach parking lot on State Park Drive in ...

Amid disastrous Pajaro flood, interpreters are a lifeline for Indigenous farmworkers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

WATSONVILLE — Inside an evacuation center at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, Maria Adolfo-Morales and a disaster service volunteer listened to a woman describe her concerns in the Mixteco language.The woman and her three children had been staying at the center for a week, after a broken levee flooded the farming town of Pajaro and forced residents to flee.Adolfo-Morales, a 22-year-old community health care worker, interpreted what the woman said into English, then rendered the volunteer’s responses into Mixteco, one of several Indigenous languages spoken in southern Mexico.The woman’s inquiries echoed those of other displaced residents: How do I apply for food assistance? How do I apply for financial assistance?Many of Pajaro’s agricultural workers are Mixteco speakers who are not fluent in English or Spanish. Adolfo-Morales and other interpreters have been a lifeline for them as they figure out how to survive after losing their homes and livelihoods.An estimated 170,000 Indigeno...

After viral Dodger Stadium tackle cuts marriage proposal short, couple is all smiles

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

Ricardo Juarez and Stephani Ramona Gutierrez decided to tag along with friends to the Dodgers’ Opening Day game Thursday, March 30.But Juarez, who lives in Riverside, didn’t just take his Mookie Betts jersey and Dodgers cap.RELATED: Tackle ends Dodger Stadium marriage proposalThe 35-year-old sushi chef at Oishii Sushi & Teriyaki in Moreno Valley also took an engagement ring. He planned to propose to then-girlfriend Gutierrez, 33, who uses the name Ramona Saavedra on social media.Ricardo Juarez, left, and new fiancee Stephani Ramona Gutierrez are seen in Riverside on Monday, April 3, 2023. Juarez, a Riverside resident, was tackled by a security guard at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, March 30, 2023, while proposing to Gutierrez on the field. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)Ricardo Juarez, left, and new fiancee Stephani Ramona Gutierrez are seen in Riverside on Monday, April 3, 2023. Juarez, a Riverside resident, was tackled by a security guard at Dodger Stadium on...

Police track down 3 suspects in $5,000 perfume theft from California store

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

Redlands police again used technology on Saturday, April 1, to arrest suspects in the latest theft of thousands of dollars in merchandise from a beauty supply store.At about 4:30 p.m., three people walked into the Ulta Beauty store in the Mountain Grove Shopping Center on San Bernardino Avenue and walked out with two white baskets of fragrances valued at $5,000, the department said.They fled in a black Audi. Employees provided a description and officers spotted the car on the department’s video surveillance system, said Carl Baker, a department spokesman.An officer pulled over the car near San Bernardino Avenue and the 210 Freeway and three people were arrested: two 56-year-old San Bernardino residents and a 34-year-old Victorville resident.The stolen merchandise was found in the car, Baker said.This was far from the biggest heist at that Ulta store. In December 2021, crooks made off with $12,000 in merchandise.Those suspects were caught as well. Redlands police, working with stores...

Two-bedroom home sells in Palo Alto for $5.4 million

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

776 Rosewood Drive – Google Street ViewA house located in the 700 block of Rosewood Drive in Palo Alto has new owners. The 1,016-square-foot property, built in 1946, was sold on March 10, 2023, for $5,350,000, or $5,266 per square foot. The property features two bedrooms, one bathroom, a garage, and one parking space. It sits on an 8,094-square-foot lot, which also has a pool.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:A 1,576-square-foot home on the 2500 block of Ross Road in Palo Alto sold in November 2022, for $3,160,000, a price per square foot of $2,005. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In October 2022, a 1,701-square-foot home on Marshall Drive in Palo Alto sold for $3,518,000, a price per square foot of $2,068. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Marion Avenue, Palo Alto, in September 2022, a 1,036-square-foot home was sold for $2,850,000, a price per square foot of $2,751. The home has 3 bedrooms and 1 bathrooms. 

Former California middle school teacher gets 10-year sentence for distributing child pornography

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:07 GMT

A former San Bernardino middle school teacher was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison for distributing child pornography on social media, the U.S. Justice Department said Monday in a statement.Josue Gamaliel Vidal Quintanilla, a 31-year-old Fontana resident, taught math at Shandin Hills Middle School before authorities served a search warrant at his home and arrested him in September 2020, officials said in the release.An estimated 1,500 images and 724 videos of child pornography were discovered by authorities from Quintanilla’s online accounts and digital devices.The Department of Justice stated that Snapchat and Kik social media sites notified law enforcement that a user with an internet protocol address assigned to Quintanilla’s residence had uploaded content that was suspected to be sexually explicit and involve children.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Family of Sophia Mason sues Alameda County, alleges social workers falsified records to cover up ‘...