MARTINEZ, Calif. (KGO) — Four Martinez Police officers have been placed on administrative leave following the fatal shooting of a burglary suspect at a dispensary who was unarmed, according to the California Department of Justice.

Velvet Cannabis Dispensary in Martinez is responding to its followers online saying, “Our team is okay.”

By midday on Friday, a large police presence remained around the business, which is located on Sunrise Drive near Pacheco Boulevard. Officers were on scene since 3:30 a.m.

With the sun up on Sunrise Drive in Martinez, dozens of evidence markers were seen scattered across the entrance to the lot outside the dispensary.

Overnight police activity shut down a portion of the street and the large scene prevented access to neighboring businesses.

Martin Soper works at a construction site nearby, impacted by the morning’s incident.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in this area,” he said. “It’s very shocking.”

For much of the morning, Martinez Police and Contra Costa County Sheriff’s deputies focused their efforts on the dispensary and a damaged car. The car appeared to have taken out a fire hydrant.

Online, Velvet Cannabis alerted customers its Martinez location would be closed.

A longtime neighboring business owner said the dispensary is certainly popular.

“Traffic here has increased tenfold, people going down there, getting their marijuana,” Fred Ousey shared.

Ousey said there haven’t been any issues and he considers the area to be pretty safe.

“This street has always been sort of a low criminal area,” he told ABC7 News. “We don’t get too many problems here. Everybody’s got their cameras up, everybody’s pretty neighborly, so we’re reporting things that go on.”

Dispensary owners aren’t commenting on the situation, only telling ABC7 News in a brief phone call that they’re dealing with an active investigation at the location.

Throughout the morning, multiple agencies arrived to provide mutual aid. A sheriff’s deputy said Martinez PD needed the assistance, without enough officers to respond.

“That worries me,” Soper shared. “I mean, they had people coming down from Pleasant Hill.”

At one point, Pleasant Hill PD, the CHP and the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office were on-scene to assist Martinez PD.

Our media partners at the Bay Area News Group also report two adults were taken by ambulance to a hospital. However, details surrounding who they are and their involvement were not immediately made available.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that the California Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating and will independently review the incident.

If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

Returning contestant Amelia Robinson-Burmester, 15, of Woodland, took home the first place prize at the Yolo County Fair Vocal Showcase after wowing judges with her unique sound and songwriting skills.

On Thursday evening, fourteen contestants braved the stage and the triple-digit heat to showcase their vocal chops and compete for a cash prize. With sounds of the fair and scents of corn dogs lingering in the background, singers ranging in ages from 32 to as young as seven belted out songs from multiple different genres in front of a sizable audience filled with cheering family members and friends.

“This [event] gives inspiration and people the opportunity to see how it feels to sing with a band or on stage,” said Entertainment Director Ericka Davis. “There’s just nothing like it and you get addicted really easily.”

In the first round, participants chose country pop power ballads like Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” and “Blown Away” by Carrie Underwood, R&B hits like “Love” by Keyshia Cole, and classics like Tony Bennett’s “I left my Heart in San Francisco” and Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.”

Contestants were judged on a variety of criteria, including vocal quality, difficulty of performance, stage presence, song selection and appearance. Shane “Q,” top 10 finalist on Season 17 of NBC’s “The Voice,” and Bobby Rogers, longtime director of music at the Woodland Joint Unified School District and professor of music at Woodland Community College both made their return to judging panel along with new judge Marlene Dolores Rodriguez, Mexican singer-songwriter and lead of her band “Banda La Nueva Villa.”

Davis said she was very excited to welcome Rodriguez, who has been on international television like Telemundo and Univision, to the judging panel.

“We have a lot of Hispanic kids every year, and they need that representation,” Davis said. “I also really wanted to represent females at the fair as much as I could this year too.”

While the judges broke for deliberation following everyone’s performance, last year’s winner Jimena Izquierdo returned to the stage to perform two songs for the audience. Since claiming the top spot last year, Izquierdo has performed the national anthem for the Sacramento River Cats and is currently in the process of recording her first album.

The judges then returned, announcing 14-year-old Katherine Berdovskiy, 16-year-old Laylani Pacheco and Robinson-Burmester as the top three finalists. Last year, Robinson-Burmester also made the top three, just missing out on the top prize and ultimately coming in second. The trio then took the stage one last time to sing a new set of songs.

Following her stunning performance of “Time to Say Goodbye” by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, Berdovskiy exhibited her incredible versatility and range with an upbeat rendition of “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. Despite a technical mistake that caused her track to skip during her first performance, Berdovskiy powered through, determined to not let it shake her. Shane “Q” praised her power, tone and control, telling Berdovskiy that she had “everything.”

“There’s a sweetness to you that invites,” Rodriguez said. “It was so beautiful.”

Pacheco wowed judges with her version of “Costumbres” by Pepe Aguilar before serenading the crowd with “Stay” by Rihanna. All of the judges complimented her vibrato and the sweetness of her voice.

“You have a really nice sound and really sweet voice,” Rogers said. “I really think you can sing any style.”

For her first song, Robinson-Burmester captivated the audience with an emotional performance of the popular song “In the Stars” by Benson Boone. Rodriguez praised Robinson-Burmester’s ability to allow her emotion to shine through while Rogers told her she was “doing everything right.”

“That was so cool,” Shane emphasized. “You’ve grown tremendously vocally. That was crazy.”

For her second song, Robinson-Burmester brought out her guitar to sing an original song called “This Time,” which chronicled the process of a breakup.

After a brief discussion, Robinson-Burmester was named the winner, receiving a $300 cash prize and an invitation to sing the national anthem at next year’s demolition derby and the city of Woodland’s Fourth of July fireworks show. Pacheco was runner-up, receiving $150, while Berdovskiy took home $100 for her third-place finish.

“I’m hoping this will inspire them to not just sing in their room and actually try to pursue a career in music because we need kids to get out there and learn instruments and be in music,” Davis said.

Brazilian schoolgirl Fernanda Pacheco is killed after pole struck her head as she leaned out of her bus window to wave to her friends

A 13-year-old was killed in a terrifying bus accident after she stuck her head out of the window and struck a pole.

Fernanda Pacheco was on her way home from school on a public transportation bus when the tragic accident took place last Wednesday in the Rio de Janeiro city of Nova Friburgo.

Witnesses said Pacheco was sitting on the last row of bus no. 491 when she peeped her head through the window on the left side as the vehicle was moving, according to Brazilian news outlet G1.

The bus was traveling along a narrow, two-way street on Luis Catarcione Road and attempted to swerve away from cars that were parked on the right side as the schoolgirl attempted to wave at her classmates on a sidewalk.

Fernanda Pacheco died in a tragic accident last Wednesday after her stuck her head out of a moving bus’ window and struck a street pole in the Rio de Janeiro city of Nova Friburgo

Witnesses said the 13-year-old student sat on the last row of the public transportation bus when she peered her head out of the vehicle to greet her school friends and hit a street pole in Brazil last Wednesday. The teenager was declared dead on the scene by the fire department

Passengers on the bus immediately shouted at the driver, who stopped the bus and alerted authorities.

The fire department responded to an emergency call and declared Pacheco dead on the scene.

Pacheco was laid to rest following a private funeral service Thursday.

The Rio de Janeiro Ministry of Education lamented Pacheco’s death.

Fernanda Pacheco was a student at the Professor Carlos Côrtes State School

Rio de Janeiro authorities gather near the bus 13-year-old student Fernanda Pacheco was traveling on when she stuck her head out of the moving vehicle and hit a pole on a street

‘The Secretary of State for Education deeply regrets the accident that occurred with a student from the Professor Carlos Côrtes State School, in the Catarcione neighborhood, in Nova Friburgo, on Wednesday, during her trip back home,’ it said in a statement.

Classes at the Professor Carlos Côrtes State School were suspended for two days and resumed Monday. 

‘We deeply regret the unexpected and tragic situation, reiterating that all the company’s support teams are mobilized and committed to minimizing the inevitable inconvenience,” the bus operator, Nova Faol, said in a statement.

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Brazilian schoolgirl Fernanda Pacheco is killed after pole struck her head as she leaned out of her bus window to wave to her friends

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Source

Just How To Download Free and also Legal MP3

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Download And Install Free as well as Legal MP3s at Amazon.com

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There are numerous doubtful websites that use cost-free songs, you do not have to do anything prohibited to discover great songs on the Web.

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Tucked away on school grounds south of Brisbane, food is being grown in vegetable patches for not only the students, but needy families in surrounding suburbs. 

Rows and rows of fruit and vegetables at Loganlea State High School are waiting to be picked by volunteers and delivered to charities in the community.

The gardens share the grounds with 16 chooks, eight ducks, a couple of cheeky geese, and 30 head of cattle which roam over 28 hectares.

The school is one of a handful of locations that are linking up with the Mini-Farm Project, which aims to “grow your own, feed your own” to help families in need.

Project founder Nick Steiner came up with the idea after watching farming and cooking shows such as River Cottage and Gardening Australia.

“I wanted to do something gardening-wise, and something different from my hospitality job, and I knew I wanted to create a charity that actually grew vegetables and got it straight to the community,” Mr Steiner said.

He said nearly one in five Australian homes were going hungry due to food shortages.

“Our proposition is to grow all the food from fruit, vegetables, eggs, bush food and honey then give it every week to a charity partner for free,” he said.

Feeding families

Each acre of the farm can produce up to about 40,000 meals for the community each year.

The group works with charities that turn fresh farm produce into meals.

It aims to keep produce fresh and high quality, with everything harvested on the day that the charity needs it.

“We have our weekly harvest day and the students and volunteers pick and pack the produce and the charity arrives by 11:30 and picks everything up and distributes it,” Mr Steiner said.

The community spirit on the mini farm extends further than the volunteers too, with locals also sponsoring their very own garden bed.

“We put a plaque on the garden bed and share updates on the patch on social media so they can share the progress and show others that they’re actually growing food for people in their own community that need it,” Mr Steiner said.

“We have 40 beds at the moment and 38 of them are sponsored by the Logan community.”

From little things, big things grow

Being able to use grounds at Loganlea State High School has taught the students how to feed their own community and give back.

“Having this link with the school enables us to create strong ties with the community and provide learning programs as part of their curriculum as well — it’s a win, win,” Mr Steiner said.

Loganlea State High School agricultural manager James Lye said students were flocking to help.

“The kids realise how lucky they are to have what they have here,” Mr Lye said.

“This land … allows us to have such a variety of produce and animals that many other schools don’t, and the kids definitely enjoy it.”

The former industrial designer and electrician said he hadn’t looked back since making a career change to run the farm.

“I guess the world works in strange ways and I’m so happy to be here,” he said.

“It’s a lovely place to spend my time and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t learn something new.”

Listen to the latest episode of Make Me Feel Good to hear more about the mini farm and discover other feel good stories.

Find more local news

Downey hosted their Annual Havana Nights event on Oct. 6 between 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

In previous years, the event was hosted on top of a parking lot structure on 2nd street.

However, this year the event was hosted in Downtown Downey Ave., between 2nd and 4th street.

Havana Nights consisted of live performances such as “La Charanga Cubana” and “DJ Warapo.” Before the performances, there was a special appearance by the Mayor of Downey, Blanca Pacheco.

There were tons of activities at the event like card games, an arts and crafts center, a section of “Connect 4” and a bean bag toss for children to play with.

For people wanting to take photos, a photo booth where people can take pictures with a selfie stick was included. In addition, there were also other places to take your photos such as the old cars on display, the big letters spelling Downey, etc.

There were 40+ vendors that sold different items like toys, jewelry and clothing, which were curated by Angel City Market Inc.

The vendors weren’t exclusive to normal items but included drinks and desserts such as Frescas, Cuban food, juice packs and so on.

One of the vendors even had reptiles, lizards and snakes on display for people to take pictures of.

A section of the event where alcoholic drinks and beef were sold was curated by the Soroptimist of Downey where people 21 and over can drink and have a good time.

Cuban food was sold from Porto’s Bakery and Cafe while Tropicana Bakery sold cookies, beer and drinks.

A vendor and artist, Michelle Taylor, spoke about why Havana Nights was a special event to her.

Taylor talked about how she was invited by Downey Art Coalition to show off her artwork.

“It’s still nice to have an event that’s just hosted for Cuban culture,” the artist said, “That’s what Havana Nights is about.”

Nancy Calas, a vendor who sold vegan Cuban food and owns the catering business, “Malecón,” spoke about what inspired her to make Cuban food.

“When I came out to California from Flordia, I felt like I wanted to share Cuban food with people,” the vendor said.

“I thought there were a lot of vegans so I found a way to make all of my favorite Cuban (food) plant-based,” Calas said.

She said that she wanted vegans and non-vegans to eat Cuban food that was traditional or plant-based versions of her favorite Cuban meals.

Biography of Francisco Felipe Pacheco: A Culinary Innovator

Francisco Felipe Pacheco, a pioneering chef, was born in the year 1865. He would go on to become one of the most influential figures in the culinary world, revolutionizing gastronomy and setting new standards for cooking techniques and flavor profiles.

Early Life:
Born into a modest family in a small village in Andalusia, Spain, Pacheco exhibited an extraordinary passion for food from a young age. Growing up amidst rich culinary traditions and his mother’s expertise in the kitchen, he honed his skills by observing her carefully artful preparations.

Journey to Culinary Mastery:
To pursue his culinary ambitions further, at the age of 16, Pacheco left home to work as an apprentice under esteemed master chefs across various regions of Spain. During this formative period of his life, he absorbed diverse regional flavors and techniques that would later shape his own innovative style. This extensive apprenticeship provided him with invaluable knowledge about local ingredients while forging lasting relationships with renowned chefs.

Career Highlights:
In 1893, having garnered valuable experience from working alongside accomplished master chefs throughout Spain, Francisco Felipe Pacheco set sail for France. There he joined one of Paris’ most prestigious restaurants – Le Grand Élysée – ultimately catapulting himself into the realm of culinary excellence.

Pacheco rapidly gained recognition for pushing boundaries within traditional French cuisine. His unique approach blended classical cooking methods with contemporary innovations from both Spanish and other international cuisines. His inventive fusion brought about an elevation in dining experiences that captured the attention and admiration of critics and gourmands alike.

With time spent meticulously refining each dish’s balance between flavors and textures while incorporating unexpected ingredients harmoniously; Pacheco quickly earned a reputation as an audacious trailblazer among fellow chefs.

Culinary Philosophy:
Pacheco’s philosophy was rooted in sourcing only the highest quality ingredients. He believed in respecting the integrity of each component and showcasing its finest attributes without overwhelming or manipulating them beyond recognition. His commitment to seasonal produce and locally-sourced ingredients further solidified his standing as a culinary visionary.

Legacy:
Pacheco’s legacy extends far beyond his innovative recipes. He was not only a chef but also an educator, imparting his knowledge through mentorship programs, guest lectures at prestigious cooking schools, and writing extensively about his techniques and philosophies.

In 1907, Pacheco published his magnum opus, “The Art of Modern Gastronomy,” which encapsulated his life’s work and marked a pivotal moment in culinary literature. This seminal work explored the profound impact of cultural exchange on gastronomy, emphasizing the importance of diversity in cuisine. It continues to be revered by modern chefs as an influential text that revolutionized culinary thinking.

Until his passing in 1930, Francisco Felipe Pacheco continued to innovate while remaining steadfastly rooted in traditional values. His uncompromising dedication to excellence set new benchmarks for future generations of chefs worldwide.

Conclusion:
Francisco Felipe Pacheco’s indomitable spirit transformed him from a young apprentice into a master chef whose contributions continue to shape contemporary gastronomy. Throughout his career, he pushed boundaries, blended culinary traditions harmoniously, and inspired countless aspiring chefs with both his technical expertise and creative genius. Today, we remember him as a pioneering figure who forever changed the way we perceive food—an emblematic icon whose delicious creations continue to tantalize palates around the globe.

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Halfway through the cross country season Palisades High runners are hitting their stride. The boys finished second and the girls fifth across all divisions Saturday in the Bell Gardens Invitational at El Dorado East Regional Park in Long Beach, a meet which featured over 1,200 runners from schools across Southern California.

Max Fields won the three-mile junior boys race in 14:58.3 and 11th-grade teammate Axel Mammen was fourth in a personal-best 15:59.9. Fields beat City rival Alexander Mendoza of Granada Hills by nearly 40 seconds in the second-fastest time all day behind Walnut senior Joshua Razo (14:49.0). 

Ava Baak clocked a personal-best  18:36.3 for third in the senior girls race, just edging Luciana Valencia (18:37.6) of league rival Hamilton, as Palisades tied for second place in team scoring with Granada Hills, which had the top two finishers in Jocelyn Pacheco (18:15.8) and Naima Salazar (18:29.5). Palisades’ No. 2 runner was Mollie Wittenberg in 21st place at 20:14.7. Sydney Suh  (20:51.7) and Layla Adeli (20:57.5)  were 32nd and 33rd, respectively, and Julia Musumeci ran a personal-best 21:08.7 to place 36th.

Omar Juarez Toby Scaduto were Palisades’ only representatives in the senior boys race and both PR’d.

The freshman boys won their race with 25 points as Zachary Cohen (15:47.0), Andrew Razo (15:57.6) and Blake Sigworth (16:31.2) all ran personal-bests to sweep the top three spots. Brian Welsh was 11th in 17:19.8, Odina Spadavecchia was 14th in 17:27.3 and Roland Becking was 15th in 17:33.7, both PRs.   

Owen Lewicky (15:55.8) won the sophomore boys race and teammate Ben Barnett was seventh in 16:57.8.    

Virginia O’Neill was ninth in the girls junior race in a personal-best 20:13.7 and Leena Adeli was 12th in a personal-best 20:24.9. In 33rd place was Palisades’ third runner, Eva Herndon, in 22:28.9.

Lulu Mammen took sixth in the freshman girls race in a PR 21:01;

Maribel Henderson-Maclennan was seventh in a PR of 21:05; and Maya Bhasin was eighth in a PR of 21:22.

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