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Oilman Jack Grynberg “suffered from insane delusions” but his contract valid, judge rules

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:56:07 GMT

The late Denver wildcatter Jack Grynberg “suffered from insane delusions” in the waning years of his life, a Centennial judge says, but that doesn’t nullify a contract he signed.“A party can be insane for some purposes and still have the capacity to contract,” Arapahoe County District Court Judge Peter Michaelson determined this month.Grynberg, a self-described Holocaust survivor, built a fortune digging for oil and gas in far-flung places after graduating from the Colorado School of Mines in the early 1950s. He died at age 89 in 2021 after several years of cognitive decline, family feuds and constant litigation.In March 2022, Grynberg’s family sued several of his former lawyers, accusing them of making millions of dollars by hiding Grynberg’s deterioration and allowing him to file frivolous lawsuits against his wife and children, among others. The lawyers deny wrongdoing.For nearly one year after it was filed, that case was bogged down by a procedural matter — whether former Grynbe...

‘I’m not sorry’: Business lawyer suspended for forging letter to ex-wife

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:56:07 GMT

A former corporate lawyer in Denver who will soon be suspended from practicing law for 34 months said that he doesn’t regret forging a letter from federal immigration officials to prevent his estranged wife from leaving the country with their young son.Andrew Newell, who passed the bar in 1999 after graduating from law school at the University of Colorado, will lose his license April 24. He doesn’t expect to practice law again.“I’m guilty in the strictest legal sense but I certainly don’t feel guilty, let’s put it that way,” Newell said during a lengthy phone interview last week from Wyoming, where he now lives.“As a father, I did the right thing. As an attorney, there’s no excuse for breaking the rules and I knew that,” said Newell. He later added, “I did what I had to do.”Newell spent 20 years representing corporations as an in-house lawyer and later at Whitcomb Selinsky, a business law firm in south Denver. He lobbied governments and represented clients before the state’s Public ...

7 CHP officers, nurse charged in 2020 in-custody death of suspected DUI driver

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:56:07 GMT

Seven California Highway Patrol officers and a registered nurse are being charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of an alleged DUI driver in Altadena nearly three years ago, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.Officers Dionisio Fiorella, 39, Michael Little, 57, Dustin Osmanson, 41, Darren Parsons, 48, Diego Romero, 35, Justin Silva, 30, and Marciel Terry, 32, as well as RN Arbi Baghalian, 42, were also charged with one count of assault in the death of Edward Bronstein.On March 31, 2020, Osmanson and Terry pulled over Bronstein along the 5 Freeway in Burbank on suspicion of driving under the influence, prosecutors said.The officers took Bronstein, 38, to a CHP maintenance yard in Altadena and obtained a warrant to draw his blood.Bronstein at first refused to get his blood drawn, but eventually agreed to comply as officers “pushed him to the ground,” the DA’s Office alleges. Six officers then allegedly forced a handcuffed Bronstein and pin...

'Mushroom Mobile' touring L.A. streets, offering taste of fungus sweets

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:56:07 GMT

A confectionery company founded in Los Angeles wants you to give fungus a chance.Alice, a purveyor of "mushroom chocolate," will be touring the streets of L.A. next month in a vintage ice cream truck to give people a taste of its "decadent treats with functional mushroom chocolates" which it says encourages focus and calm.Alice is based in Venice and sells a variety of mushroom-infused chocolates that it says can provide long-term benefits and instant effects. The chocolates are combined with organic "fruiting body mushrooms" and herbal supplements that the company claims are both healthy and a good daily routine that "only gets better with time."The company will be taking its product on the road in April and is inviting skeptics and curious people to experience the treats and learn about fungi of all types. California hoping to designate fungus as state’s official mushroom "Visiting friends can select indulgent treats like Brainstorm-dipped bananas for improved focus, ice cr...

Egg producer reports 718% increase in profit

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:56:07 GMT

You already know that egg prices are at crazy-high levels because of bird flu, which caused millions of hens to be put down.But that won't leave you feeling over easy when I share that the country's top egg producer, Cal-Maine Foods, just reported a massive increase in quarterly profit.How massive? Try 718% higher.What does that mean in dollar terms? A year ago, Cal-Maine pocketed $39.5 million in quarterly profit. This time around, $323 million.Sherman Miller, the company's president and CEO, called the latest returns "a solid performance," which deserves some sort of prize for understatement."Our results are reflective of a dynamic market environment with higher average selling prices and favorable demand," he said in a statement.If you're feeling like this is a rerun of the record profits oil companies reported amid high gas prices, you're right.And this is why some call for windfall profits taxes during such unusual external forces.These are examples of companies riding market t...

IHOP bringing back popular food item during menu revamp

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:56:07 GMT

IHOP on Wednesday announced it will roll out a revamped menu that includes more than a dozen new food and drink items, plus the return of a fan-favorite food offering on April 3. The breakfast company’s latest menu overhaul is its biggest to date, according to a news release.In 2020, IHOP simplified its menu by discontinuing multiple food items. Since then, it has brought back or introduced new dishes, like burritos and bowls, in 2021, but the menu has yet to reach its pre-pandemic size.The new menu will be available at participating restaurants nationwide and includes new food items for breakfast, lunch, dinner and more.IHOP on Wednesday introduced a revamped menu that includes more than a dozen new food and drink items, plus the return of a fan-favorite food offering. (IHOP) The new menu will include eggs benedict, Sweet and Savory crepes, an updated lineup of Ultimate Steakburgers, fish and shrimp, fresh salads and new beverages like mango iced tea and Strawberry Lemonade Splashe...

Savanna Cooper Arrested after DUI Collision on Highway 49 [Calaveras County, CA]

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:56:07 GMT

13-Year-Old Girl Pronounced Dead after DUI Accident near Deer Creek RoadCALAVERAS COUNTY, CA (March 29, 2023) – Sunday afternoon, Savanna Cooper was arrested after a fatal DUI collision on Highway 49.Authorities responded to the scene around 4:00 p.m., just south of Deer Creek Road on March 26th.Per reports, 18-year-old Cooper was driving a northbound 2006 Ford F-150 and struck a southbound 2017 Ford Escape SUV. The impact sent the SUV onto the west side of the road where it overturned.Per reports, 65-year-old Russell Webster was driving the Ford Escape. Inside the Escape was his wife, 52-year-old Rachel Webster and a 13-year-old son, a 13-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son.Paramedics took the 13-year-old girl to Mark Twain Medical Center where she later died. Meanwhile, crews took the male occupants to UC Davis Medical Center while Rachel was taken to Modesto Memorial Medical Center.Following preliminary duties, officers arrested Cooper for DUI charges causing death and...

Editorial: Alameda County supervisors should not appoint another carpet-bagger

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:56:07 GMT

We find out Thursday whether Alameda County supervisors will once again make a mockery of the process for filling a vacancy on their own board.Following the death last month of Richard Valle, the supervisors could appoint one of three current officeholders already representing residents of District 2: Hayward Councilmember Elisa Marquez, Fremont Councilmember Teresa King or Harris Majadedi, a new trustee for the Chabot-Los Positas Community College District.Of the three, Marquez is the standout and, by far, most experienced. A lifelong resident of District 2, Marquez has been a hardworking member of her city’s Planning Commission from 2008-14 and the City Council since then. She brings strong government and elected-office experience and decades of involvement in the district that should make her an excellent supervisor.Or supervisors could make a tragic mistake by choosing a fourth applicant, Ariana Casanova, who has no elected office experience, has lived in the district just over ...

Congress moves to make xylazine a controlled substance

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:56:07 GMT

By Janelle Chavez | CNNUS lawmakers are moving to classify xylazine, the animal tranquilizer that’s increasingly infiltrating illicit drugs, as a controlled substance.Bipartisan legislation introduced Tuesday in the House and Senate reflects growing concern over the highly dangerous sedative, commonly known as “tranq” or “tranq dope.”“Drug traffickers are going to great lengths to pad their profits with dangerous drugs like tranq, and we need to empower law enforcement to crack down on its spread in our communities,” Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., lead sponsor of the bill, said in a statement. “This bipartisan legislation will ensure the DEA and local law enforcement have the tools they need to get xylazine off our streets while protecting its important use as a veterinary tranquilizer.”Xylazine has not been approved for human use. It has heavy sedative effects like an opioid but isn’t one, so it doesn’t respond...

Former SF Giants star Williams, now Padres’ coach, has colon cancer

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:56:07 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — San Diego Padres third base coach Matt Williams, the former Giants All-Star, has colon cancer and will have surgery on Friday.Mike Schildt, the former St. Louis Cardinals manager who is a senior adviser with the Padres, will fill in as third base coach Thursday, when the most eagerly anticipated season in franchise history begins with a home game against the Colorado Rockies.Williams, a five-time All-Star in a 17-year career spent mostly with the Giants, said he was diagnosed about three weeks ago.“I don’t have any symptoms, I don’t have any issues, but at this point it’s important that we get it out of there,” Williams said Wednesday.Williams, 57, said initial scans show that the cancer hasn’t spread. “That’s a good thing, so we’ll so how it goes from here.”Williams played with the Giants from 1987-1996, winning three Gold Gloves and three Silver Slugger awards as the cornerstone third baseman at Candlestick Park. With the Giants...