4 family members celebrating a birthday are among the 8 dead from a boat capsize on Lake Tahoe
Four members of a family from Northern California who were celebrating a birthday were among eight people killed when a boat capsized on Lake Tahoe in California over the weekend during a sudden and fierce thunderstorm.
Josh Pickles, 37, of San Francisco, his parents, 73-year-old Terry Pickles and 71-year-old Paula Bozinovich of Redwood City, and his uncle, 72-year-old Peter Bayes, of Lincoln, died Saturday, according to a family statement.
'No words can express the pain and anguish we feel knowing their lives were lost during what was meant to be a joyful time on the lake,' Josh Pickles' wife, Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard, said in the statement Tuesday. 'Our hearts go out to those who tragically lost their lives and the two survivors of this unexpected and deadly storm on Lake Tahoe.'
Two people were rescued immediately after the boat flipped over. Their identities and conditions were not known Tuesday.
The group was celebrating Paula Bozinovich's birthday on her son's boat, which he bought about a year ago, said Sam Singer, a family spokesperson.
Josh Pickles' wife had stayed at home taking care of their 7-month-old daughter, Singer said.
The couple, who married in 2023, both worked at tech companies in San Francisco. Josh worked at DoorDash and Jordan at AirBNB, Singer said.
They split their time between homes in the Bay Area and Lake Tahoe, where they had used their boat only twice before.
Ravi Inukonda, Chief Financial Officer at DoorDash, said the death of Josh, who had worked at the company for nearly seven years, left them heartbroken.
'Josh loved his team and was an inspiration to everyone who had the privilege of knowing him,' Inukonda said in a statement. 'Our thoughts and love are with his wife, his daughter, his family, and all who were close to him.'
Ten people were on board the 27-foot (8-meter) gold Chris-Craft vessel when it capsized Saturday afternoon near D.L. Bliss State Park on the lake's southwest edge as the storm whipped up high waves, U.S. Coast Guard officials said.
'The waves were so big that the water came onboard and started to fill the boat up and stalled the engine,' Singer said.
Also killed were Timothy O'Leary, 71, of Auburn, California; Theresa Giullari, 66, and James Guck, 69, of Honeyoye, New York; and Stephen Lindsay, 63, of Springwater, New York, the coroner's office said Tuesday.
The intensity of the thunderstorm surprised even forecasters, who had predicted rain but nothing like the squall that lashed the southern part of the lake around 3 p.m., said meteorologist Matthew Chyba with the National Weather Service office in Reno, Nevada. Winds topped 35 mph (56 kph) and waves swelled up more than 8 feet (2.5 meters).
'We weren't expecting it to be so strong,' Chyba said Monday. He said temperatures in the area were far below normal for this time of year, which could have contributed to the unstable air mass.
Drowning and other accidental deaths occur each year on the lake but boating accidents with numerous fatalities are rare, said South Lake Tahoe Police Lt. Scott Crivelli.
There are an average of six deaths on the lake each summer, though there were a record 15 fatalities in 2021, he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
15 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Ergen Seeks Reprieve on EchoStar Debt as FCC Fight Comes to Head
Charlie Ergen has asked creditors to EchoStar Corp. and its pay-TV unit Dish Network Corp. for a reprieve on the company's debt, just days before a grace period on unpaid interest payments is set to expire, according to people with knowledge of the matter. EchoStar elected to stop paying $326 million of bond coupon payments last month after the Federal Communications Commission launched an investigation into whether the company was meeting its obligations for its wireless and satellite spectrum rights. EchoStar has said the FCC's threats have 'effectively frozen our ability to make decisions' and was forcing it to conserve cash.
Associated Press
15 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Senate struggle over Medicaid cuts threatens progress on Trump's big bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — One key unsettled issue stalling progress on President Donald Trump's big bill in Congress is particularly daunting: How to cut billions from health care without harming Americans or the hospitals and others who provide care? Republicans are struggling to devise a solution to the health care problem their package has created. Already, estimates say 10.9 million more people would be without health coverage under the House-passed version of the bill. GOP senators have proposed steeper reductions, which some say go too far. 'The Senate cuts in Medicaid are far deeper than the House cuts, and I think that's problematic,' said GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. Senators have been meeting behind closed doors and with Trump administration officials as they rush to finish up the big bill ahead of the president's Fourth of July deadline. Much of the package, with its tax breaks and bolstered border security spending, is essentially drafted. But the size and scope of healthcare cuts are among the toughest remaining issues. It's reminiscent of the summer during Trump's first term, in 2017, when Republicans struggled to keep their campaign promise to 'repeal and replace' the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, only to see the GOP splinter over the prospect of Americans losing health coverage. That legislation collapsed when then-Sen. John McCain famously cast a thumbs-down vote. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is determined to avoid that outcome, sticking to the schedule and pressing ahead with voting expected by the end of the week. 'This is a good bill and it's going to be great for our country,' Thune said, championing its potential to unleash economic growth and put money in people's pockets. The changes to the federal health care programs, particularly Medicaid, were always expected to become a centerpiece of the GOP package, a way to offset the costs of providing tax breaks for millions of Americans. Without action from Congress, taxes would go up next year when current tax law expires. The House-passed bill achieved some $1.5 trillion in savings overall, a large part of it coming from changes to health care. The Medicaid program has dramatically expanded in the 15 years since Obamacare became law and now serves some 80 million Americans. Republicans say that's far too high, and they want to shrink the program back to a smaller size covering mainly poorer women and children. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Republicans are 'trying to take away healthcare from tens of millions of Americans.' Democrats are uniformly opposed to what they call the 'big, ugly bill.' Much of the health care cost savings would come from new 80-hour-a-month work requirements on those who receive Medicaid benefits, even as most recipients already work. But another provision, the so-called provider tax that almost all the states impose to some degree on hospitals and others that serve Medicaid patients, is drawing particular concern for potential cuts to rural hospitals. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said several senators spoke up Wednesday during a private meeting indicating they were not yet ready to start voting. 'That'll depend if we land the plane on rural hospitals,' he said. States impose the taxes as a way to help fund Medicaid, largely by boosting the reimbursements they receive from the federal government. Critics decry the system as type of 'laundering' but almost every state except Alaska uses it to help provide the health care coverage. The House-passed bill would freeze the provider taxes at current levels, while the Senate proposal goes deeper by reducing the tax that some states are able to impose. 'I know the states are addicted to it,' said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan. But he added, 'Obviously the provider tax needs to go away.' But a number of GOP senators, and the hospitals and other medical providers in their states, are raising steep concerns the provider tax changes would decimate rural hospitals. In a plea to lawmakers, the American Hospital Association said the cuts won't just affect those who get health coverage through Medicaid, but would further strain emergency rooms 'as they become the family doctor to millions of newly uninsured people.' 'And worse, some hospitals, especially those in rural communities, may be forced to close altogether,' said Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the hospital group. The Catholic Health Association of the United States noted in its own letter that Medicaid provides health insurance coverage for one in five people and nearly half of all children. 'The proposed changes to Medicaid would have devastating consequences, particularly for those in small towns and rural communities, where Medicaid is often the primary source of health care coverage,' said Sister Mary Haddad, the group's president and CEO. Trying to engineer a fix to the problem, senators are considering creating a rural hospital fund to help offset the lost Medicaid money. GOP senators circulated a proposal to pour $15 billion to establish a new rural hospital fund. But several senators said that's too high, while others said it's insufficient. Collins has proposed the fund be set at $100 billion. 'It won't be that big, but there will be a fund,' Thune said. Hawley, who has been among those most outspoken about the health care cuts, said he's interested in the rural hospital fund but needs to hear more about how it would work. 'Getting the fund is good. That's important, a step forward,' Hawley said. But he asked: 'How does the fund actually distribute the money? Who will get it to hospitals? ... Or is this just going to be something that exists on paper?' He has also raised concerns about a new $35 per service co-pay that could be charged to those with Medicaid that is in both the House and Senate versions of the bill. __ Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Mary Clare Jalonick and Joey Cappelletti contributed to this story.
Fox News
25 minutes ago
- Fox News
Mediator in Trump's lawsuit against Paramount, CBS News proposes $20 million settlement
Print Close By Joseph Wulfsohn Published June 25, 2025 The mediator involved in President Donald Trump's lawsuit against Paramount and CBS News reportedly proposed a $20 million settlement to end the high-stakes legal battle. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Trump and Paramount's legal teams were presented with a proposal to end the president's $20 billion lawsuit with a $20 million settlement, according to sources familiar with the matter. The proposal, per the WSJ, would have Paramount making a $17 million donation to a Trump presidential foundation or museum and paying millions more in legal fees and public service announcements on Paramount-owned networks to combat antisemitism. CBS BLASTS TRUMP'S LAWSUIT AS 'MERITLESS' DESPITE RECENT $15 MILLION SETTLEMENT OFFER Last month, Trump rejected Paramount's $15 million settlement offer as he sought at least a $25 million payout as well as an apology. According to the Wall Street Journal, Paramount "isn't prepared" to give one. "President Trump is committed to holding those who traffic in fake news, hoaxes, and lies to account," Trump attorney Ed Paltzik told Fox News Digital in a statement. "CBS and Paramount targeted the President in an attempt to harm his reputation while committing the worst kind of election interference and fraud in the closing days of the most important presidential election in history. President Trump will pursue this vital matter to its just and rightful conclusion." Paramount did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. '60 MINUTES' PRODUCERS RAIL AGAINST TRUMP'S 'BULLS---' LAWSUIT, DREAD PROPSECTS OF PARAMOUNT MAKING SETTLEMENT Last October, Trump sued CBS News and Paramount for $10 billion over allegations of election interference involving the "60 Minutes" interview of then-Vice President Kamala Harris that aired weeks before the presidential election (the amount has since jumped to $20 billion). The lawsuit alleges CBS News deceitfully edited an exchange Harris had with "60 Minutes" correspondent Bill Whitaker, who asked her why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn't "listening" to the Biden administration. Harris was widely mocked for the "word salad" answer that aired in a preview clip of the interview on "Face the Nation." However, when the same question aired during a primetime special on the network, Harris had a different, more concise response. Critics at the time accused CBS News of deceitfully editing Harris' "word salad" answer to shield the Democratic nominee from further backlash leading up to Election Day. '60 MINUTES' KAMALA HARRIS INTERVIEW AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP'S CBS LAWSUIT RECEIVES EMMY NOMINATION The raw transcript and footage released earlier this year by the FCC showed that both sets of Harris' comments came from the same response, but CBS News had aired only the first half of her response in the "Face the Nation" preview clip and aired the second half during the primetime special. CBS News has denied any wrongdoing and stands by the broadcast and its reporting. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Shari Redstone, Paramount's controlling shareholder who recused herself from settlement discussions in February, made clear that she wanted to settle Trump's lawsuit in hopes of clearing the pathway for Paramount's multibillion-dollar planned merger with Skydance Media, which needs approval from the Trump administration's FCC. However, there has been newsroom drama in recent months involving Redstone's efforts to "keep tabs" on the network's reporting of Trump, at least until the merger closes. That led to the abrupt resignations of "60 Minutes" executive producer Bill Owens, who claimed he could no longer maintain editorial independence, in April, and CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon in May. Print Close URL
