Latest news with #DamianDovarganes
Toronto Sun
22-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
Ex-Los Angeles deputy mayor will plead guilty in fake bomb threat to city hall
Published May 22, 2025 • 1 minute read The Los Angeles City Hall building is seen in downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 8, 2020. Photo by Damian Dovarganes / AP LOS ANGELES — A former Los Angeles deputy mayor will plead guilty to reporting a bomb had been placed in city hall last year to law enforcement, federal prosecutors said Thursday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Brian K. Williams, 31, who was employed as the deputy mayor of public safety in October 2024, was charged with one felony count of making an explosives threat. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. William's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Williams sent a text message to LA Mayor Karen Bass and other high-ranking city officials on Oct. 3, 2024 that he just received a call from someone who threatened to bomb city hall, prosecutors said. 'The male caller stated that 'he was tired of the city support of Israel, and he has decided to place a bomb in City Hall. It might be in the rotunda.',' Williams wrote in the text, according to prosecutors. He said he contacted the Los Angeles Police Department, who sent officers to search the building. Police did not locate any suspicious packages or devices, prosecutors said. Williams showed officers a call he received from a blocked number on his city-issued cellphone that he said was from the person who made the bomb threat. The call was made by Williams himself through the Google Voice application on his personal phone, according to prosecutors. The Federal Bureau of Investigation searched Williams' home in December 2024 in connection to the incident, and Williams was placed on administrative leave. Williams will appear in federal court in downtown Los Angeles in the coming weeks. Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Editorial Cartoons World Tennis
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
After NFL approval, LA28's Wasserman is optimistic MLB players will also find a path to the Olympics
Chloe Kim, a two-time U.S. Olympic snowboard gold medalist, arrives at an NBCUniversal and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee press preview event to promote the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, in Los Angeles, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Oksana Masters, a Paralympic nordic skiing athlete, speaks at an NBCUniversal and U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee press preview event to promote the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Mikaela Shiffrin, U.S. World Cup alpine skier left, and Mike Tirico, NBC Olympics primetime host meet at a NBCUniversal and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee press preview event to promote the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, in Los Angeles Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Casey Wasserman, chairman of LA 2028, the organizing committee for the 2028 Summer Olympics, is interviewed at an NBCUniversal and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee press preview event to promote the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Casey Wasserman, chairman of LA 2028, the organizing committee for the 2028 Summer Olympics, is interviewed at an NBCUniversal and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee press preview event to promote the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Chloe Kim, a two-time U.S. Olympic snowboard gold medalist, arrives at an NBCUniversal and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee press preview event to promote the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, in Los Angeles, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Oksana Masters, a Paralympic nordic skiing athlete, speaks at an NBCUniversal and U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee press preview event to promote the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Mikaela Shiffrin, U.S. World Cup alpine skier left, and Mike Tirico, NBC Olympics primetime host meet at a NBCUniversal and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee press preview event to promote the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, in Los Angeles Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Casey Wasserman, chairman of LA 2028, the organizing committee for the 2028 Summer Olympics, is interviewed at an NBCUniversal and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee press preview event to promote the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) LOS ANGELES (AP) — The organizers of the Los Angeles Olympics remain optimistic that Major League Baseball will find a way to join the NFL in sending the world's best athletes in their respective sports to the 2028 Games. LA28 president and chairman Casey Wasserman said he has been in close contact with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred about the decision that must be made by both the league and the players' union on whether to send players to the Olympics in the middle of the 2028 baseball season. There's no current timetable for the decision. Advertisement 'I'm optimistic because it's the right thing for the sport of baseball, it's the right thing for the players and it's certainly the right thing for the Olympics,' Wasserman told The Associated Press on Wednesday. 'I think when things make sense for everybody, you can usually find a way to get things done.' LA28 was buoyed last week by the NFL owners' unanimous decision to approve the players' participation in the inaugural Olympic flag football event, with Wasserman calling it 'an awesome day." The Los Angeles organizing committee is hoping for similar news on baseball, whenever the decision is made. 'We're very engaged with the commissioner,' Wasserman said. 'I talked to him in anticipation of the NFL announcement so they knew what was coming. They have a different challenge because it's in the middle of their season, but we are very engaged in ongoing discussions with the hope to get to a good result.' Players' union head Tony Clark has said his players want to vie for Olympic gold — particularly those who got a taste of international competition in previous World Baseball Classics. Several superstars have expressed public interest in playing in the Los Angeles Olympic tournament, including reigning league MVPs Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. Advertisement But the decision is much tougher for baseball because the Olympics fall in the heart of the regular season, necessitating major scheduling changes similar to the quadrennial disruption of the NHL season when the league participates in the Winter Olympics. Baseball also isn't a pillar of the Olympic program like ice hockey, being only intermittently included in the Summer Games for decades. The NFL players who make their nations' 10-man flag football teams are unlikely to miss more than a few days of training camp in July 2028, but MLB would have to make a dramatic adjustment to its normal competition schedule. Manfred spoke about the decision last month in New York at a meeting of the Associated Press Sports Editors. Wasserman has been pitching Manfred for over a year on the benefits of putting his sport under the Olympic spotlight. 'It's a complicated issue for us,' Manfred said at the APSE event. "Lots of major league players would be involved because of the different countries that would likely be involved, massively disruptive to our season given the timing, and we're trying to sort through all that. ... We do see LA28 as a real opportunity from a marketing perspective.' Advertisement The sport long known as America's Pastime was played only as one-game Olympic exhibitions until 1984, when it joined the Los Angeles program as a demonstration sport. Baseball became an official Olympic sport in Barcelona in 1992, but U.S. professionals weren't allowed to compete until 2000, when minor leaguers were allowed to play. The absence of the world's players was one reason cited when baseball was subsequently dropped from the London and Rio de Janeiro Games. The sport returned in baseball-mad Tokyo in 2021 — but only for MLB players not on a 40-man roster. Japan's top league shut down its season, and Japan won gold. Baseball was dropped once again in Paris, but restored for LA28. The tournament will be played at historic Dodger Stadium, the same venue that hosted the 1984 Olympic tournament. Advertisement Wasserman spoke about his baseball aspirations after an event that should remind MLB of the Olympics' unmatched marketing power. NBCUniversal has taken over a large soundstage complex in suburban Sun Valley to create extensive multimedia content to be used in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics broadcasts in nine months, feeding the broadcast machine that boosts winter stars including Chloe Kim, Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn to international celebrity. ___ AP sports:
Asahi Shimbun
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- Asahi Shimbun
Toyota reports booming sales but stays cautious on profit because of various costs
FILE - New Toyota vehicles are stored at the Toyota Logistics Service Inc., their most significant vehicle imports processing facility in North America, at the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach, Calif., Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Japan's top automaker Toyota reported record sales for the fiscal year through March on Thursday, but its profit for the latest quarter faltered partly because of a certification scandal. Toyota Motor Corp.'s January-March net profit totaled 664.6 billion yen ($4.6 billion), down from 997.6 billion yen the same period a year ago. Quarterly sales totaled 12.36 trillion yen ($85.9 billion), up from 11 trillion yen. Toyota has been strengthening the testing system of its vehicles after acknowledging wide-ranging fraudulent testing, including the use of inadequate or outdated data in crash tests, incorrect testing of airbag inflation and engine power checks. Akio Toyoda, Toyota's chairman and the grandson of the automaker's founder, has apologized. The wrongdoing did not affect the safety of vehicles already on roads, which include the popular Corolla subcompact and Lexus luxury vehicles. But the scandal has been a major embarrassment for a manufacturer whose brand has been synonymous for decades with quality and attention to detail. For the fiscal year through March, Toyota reported a 4.77 trillion yen ($33 billion) profit, down from 4.94 trillion yen the previous fiscal year. Annual sales reached a record 48 trillion yen ($333.6 billion), up from 45 trillion yen. Toyota is forecasting sales of 48.5 trillion yen ($337 billion) for the fiscal year through March 2026. Its profit forecast was less bullish, citing costs to meet carbon neutrality demands, as well as the impact of President Donald Trump's U.S. tariffs on operating income, which was factored in tentatively at 180 billion yen ($1.3 billion), according to Toyota. That estimate covers April and May, meaning it could grow in coming months. Consolidated vehicle sales for the fiscal year through March totaled 9.36 million vehicles, down slightly from 9.44 million vehicles the previous fiscal year. Cost reduction and marketing efforts worked as pluses countering the negatives, including the production shutdown spanning several months in the U.S. due to quality issues, Toyota officials said. Toyota also said the portion of electric vehicles it was selling was steadily growing. Sometimes Toyota has been criticized as falling behind in the global move toward EVs, partly because it has an extensive lineup of other kinds of green cars, including hybrids.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion: Why I love tariffs — and why Utah should, too
Shipping containers are stacked at the Port of Los Angeles Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Los Angeles. | Damian Dovarganes People are always surprised when I say it. 'Tariffs hurting your business?' they ask. Actually, I don't mind them at all. Here's why. Racing to the bottom isn't a business plan As CEO of Murphy Door, a custom door company based in Ogden, I've followed the national conversation on tariffs with growing frustration. What many see as a burden, I see as a lifeline — for companies like ours and for the future of American manufacturing. For years, we've competed against low-cost imports from countries like China, where labor is cheap not because of efficiency, but because of low wages and minimal benefits. In Utah, we do things differently. We invest in our people, offering good wages, full benefits and real opportunities for growth. That commitment builds stronger communities — but it comes at a cost and is hard to sustain when the market expects luxury craftsmanship at rock-bottom prices. When I founded my company in 2012, I chose to manufacture domestically. Controlling our supply chain saved us during the pandemic, when disruptions crippled companies reliant on imports. That firsthand experience taught me the value of resilience and control, especially when outside forces can shift markets overnight. Tariffs tip the scales toward fairness Tariffs help level the playing field by exposing the true cost of 'cheap' goods and rewarding companies that commit to quality and care. At Murphy Door, we've been ready. Our growth speaks for itself—growing from $30,000 in first-year sales to a nationwide manufacturer. We're expanding from Utah to automated facilities across the U.S., aiming for 20 sites within the next seven years, all within 300 miles of major customer bases to cut shipping costs. And we're not alone. More companies are reshoring production, and more customers are actively seeking U.S.-based manufacturers. Millennials and Gen Z are helping drive this demand, pushing for greater transparency and a renewed commitment to American-made goods. The momentum is real. The Reshoring Initiative reports that more than 350,000 U.S. jobs were reshored or created through foreign direct investment in 2023 — a record high. We're not just seeing this shift locally — the world is taking notice. Recently, the EU ambassador visited Utah as part of ongoing trade negotiations between President Trump and Europe. And it's no wonder Utah is drawing this international attention. Manufacturing employment here is growing faster than the national average. In January 2025, Utah's manufacturing sector employed 155,900 people. This is a recent increase of 3,500 jobs compared to February 2024. Utah leads the U.S. in manufacturing job growth, with a nearly 12% increase between 2019 and 2023, the largest jump in the nation.
Toronto Sun
01-05-2025
- Business
- Toronto Sun
California's population grew in 2024 after COVID-era dip
Published May 01, 2025 • 2 minute read The Los Angeles skyline is seen from a Baldwin Hills overlook, Feb. 9, 2024. Photo by Damian Dovarganes / AP SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California 's population climbed above 39.5 million in 2024, marking the second year of growth following a string of declines in the nation's most populous state during the coronavirus pandemic. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The population rose an estimated 1%, adding 108,000 people compared to 2023, according to a report released Thursday by the Department of Finance. The increase is due in part to the number of births outpacing deaths and a boost in the number of adults 65 and older. The state said it also had better data to account for increases in legal immigration into the state from other countries. About one in nine people living in the United States reside in California. The Democratic governor touted the population gains as a sign of the state's growing economy, which is one of the largest in the world. The size of the state's economy has now surpassed that of Japan, which puts it only behind the U.S. as a whole, China and Germany, Newsom's office announced last week. 'People from across the nation and the globe are coming to the Golden State to pursue the California Dream, where rights are protected and people are respected,' Newsom said in a statement. 'Regions throughout California are growing, strengthening local communities and boosting our state's future.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But Republicans in the Democrat-dominated state and beyond have taken aim at California's population declines in the past and the loss of its residents to Texas, which previously made up the largest state-to-state movement in the U.S., according to U.S. Census data. Critics have tied past population decreases in the Golden State to the relentless homelessness crisis and rising cost of living. California has some of the highest housing, gas and utility prices in the country. The state also revised its estimate for legal immigration into California from other countries from 2021 to 2024 by roughly 277,000 people, citing better data. The estimated total number of legal immigrants during that period now stands at about 655,000, the Department of Finance said. Seven of the 10 largest cities saw an increase in population in 2024, including Bakersfield and San Diego, which both grew by more than 1% to roughly 419,000 and 1.4 million, respectively. San Francisco, San Jose and Anaheim saw decreases in population by less than 0.5%. The population rose in nine of the 10 largest counties, with Los Angeles County increasing by 28,000 compared to 2023. In Contra Costa, the state's ninth most populous county that is part of the San Francisco Bay Area, the number of residents fell by just two dozen. In Mono, a small county on the California-Nevada border around Yosemite National Park, the population growth rate fell by about 1.6%. Editorial Cartoons Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA
