MEXICANS ARE NO THIEVES OR RAPISTS OR KILLERS (YEAH, SURE):
Tom Brady's stolen Super Bowl jerseys found in possession of international media member, Martin Mauricio Ortega
Tom Brady's stolen jersey from this year's Super Bowl has been recovered after being found in the possession of a member of the international media, according to the NFL.
The league announced Monday that the New England Patriots quarterback's game-worn jersey from Super Bowl LI and another jersey, missing from Super Bowl XLIX, were retrieved after an investigation led by the FBI.
The jerseys were found in Mexico and currently are being authenticated by authorities, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said.![]()
Authorities recovered two Tom Brady jerseys, including this one, which appears to be the one he wore in Super Bowl XLIX, which was played on grass in Glendale, Arizona. Photos of Brady after that game indicate the same pattern of grass stains. Mexican Attorney General’s Office
The Mexican Editorial Organization (OEM), a major newspaper publishing company, has identified the man allegedly involved in the case as Martin Mauricio Ortega, who was a director of one of its newspapers, Diario La Prensa, until he resigned last Tuesday.
OEM announced in a statement Monday that it accepted Ortega's resignation, citing his previous mentions of family health issues, and said it had no previous knowledge of his alleged involvement in the case.
A Denver Broncos helmet, believed to belong to star pass-rusher Von Miller, from Super Bowl 50, also was recovered with the two Brady jerseys, sources confirmed to ESPN's Jeff Legwold. Officials currently are trying to authenticate the helmet.
"I am happy my jerseys from SB 49 and SB 51 have been recovered, and I want to thank all of the law enforcement agencies involved. I know they worked hard on this case -- and it is very much appreciated. Hopefully when I get the jerseys back I can make something very positive come from this experience."
A law enforcement source told ESPN that authorities used footage from Fox, which showed Ortega entering the locker room and, with his back to the camera, reaching into Brady's bag and putting the jersey into a black plastic bag and leaving.
Authorities went over approximately 20,000 credentials, and eventually settled on Ortega as a person of interest, leading to Monday's announcement. A source also told ESPN that authorities found stickers inside the helmet -- one each for the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps -- which led them to believe it belonged to Miller.
"I am happy my jerseys from SB 49 and SB 51 have been recovered, and I want to thank all of the law enforcement agencies involved. I know they worked hard on this case -- and it is very much appreciated. Hopefully when I get the jerseys back I can make something very positive come from this experience," Brady said in a statement released via his agent, Don Yee.
Acevedo noted during a news conference Monday that the jerseys are in the possession of the FBI in Boston, and law enforcement was working to authenticate them.
Acevedo mentioned a "suspect" in the case but did not say whether anyone was in police custody. He also tweeted about the recovery of the jerseys.
"Through the cooperation of the NFL and New England Patriots' security teams, the FBI and other law enforcement authorities, the Super Bowl LI jersey worn last month by MVP Tom Brady has been recovered," the NFL said in its statement. "Also retrieved during the ongoing investigation was the jersey Brady wore in the Patriots' victory in Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks in 2015.
"The items were found in the possession of a credentialed member of the international media. Due to the ongoing investigation, we would refer any additional questions to the FBI."
Following the Patriots' 34-28 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, Brady immediately realized his jersey had been taken from a bag he had put it in in the locker room.
"It's unfortunate, because that's a nice piece of memorabilia," Brady told the media a day later. "If it shows up on eBay or something, somebody let me know. I'll try to track that down. ... Those are pretty special ones to keep. But what can you do? I'll take the ring. That's good enough for me."
A week later, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, on the Fox Business Network, compared taking the Brady jersey to "taking a great Chagall or Picasso."
In its report, the Houston Police assigned a value of $500,000 to the jersey, the same number that sports auctioneer Ken Goldin, who has sold game-used Brady jerseys before, said he believed it was worth if it were to hit the open market. Game-used Brady jerseys from regular-season games have been sold in the $50,000 range.
The Houston police classified the alleged theft of Brady's Super Bowl LI jersey as a first-degree felony.
Garcetti calls for state of emergency amid concerns that flooding could damage DWP facilities
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A winter scene from January near Bishop, Calif. Los Angeles officials are concerned that melting snow along the eastern Sierra Nevada could harm Department of Water and Power facilities. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
LA Mayor Eric Garcetti proclaimed a state of emergency Monday, citing concerns that melting snowpack in the eastern Sierra Nevada could flood homes and highways in the Owens Valley and damage the Los Angeles Aqueduct.
The proclamation, which takes effect immediately and lasts seven days, is designed to help the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power protect its pumps, pipes and reservoirs in the Owens Valley and surrounding areas.
Although the head of the DWP downplayed the immediate threat level, Garcetti called the potential for infrastructure damage “very, very high,” adding that he doesn’t “want lives to be upended, families hurt, jobs lost because we waited too long and didn’t take action.”
Recent storms have dumped record levels of snow in the Sierra Nevada, helping ease the drought and swelling reservoirs. But melting snowpack and heavy rains have also sparked alarm about flooding.
Few details about the proclamation were available before Garcetti’s news conference, prompting criticism from City Councilwoman Nury Martinez.
Martinez, who chairs the council’s Energy and Environment committee, said her office had been seeking information about the emergency proclamation since Thursday, but hadn’t received any information from the DWP.
She said she learned about it after a media advisory and in the news.
“There was no communication to the City Council or the council president in terms of this declaration,” Martinez said Monday afternoon at a hearing on the emergency proclamation.
DWP General Manager David Wright said at the hearing that the proclamation “sounds more ominous” than it is, but conceded the utility had fallen short in its communications with city leaders.
“We failed,” Wright told reporters after the event. “We should have spent more time briefing the City Council.”
With the proclamation, which the council must renew every 14 days, the DWP can fast-track its contracting process to allow the utility to dig trenches to divert water runoff, for example. The proclamation also allows the city to seek federal and state funds.
Richard Harasick, director of water operations at the DWP, said severe flooding could cause as much as $500 million in damage at Owens Lake. He described such flooding as a potential “train wreck” the city is trying to control.
The city is legally bound to suppress airborne dust from the lake after Los Angeles drained the body of water several decades ago.
Vegetation such as saltgrass that is being used as a dust control measure at the lake would be wiped out, Harasick warned. Pipes and pumps that sprinkle the lake with water could also be damaged, he said.
The DWP said Monday's order is the first emergency proclamation the city has issued for excess snowpack runoff.
Inyo County Administrator Kevin Carunchio said the county is likely to follow with a similar emergency proclamation next week. “Everyone up here is concerned about the spring runoff,” Carunchio said.
He described a worst-case scenario in which the Los Angeles Aqueduct would be damaged by floods, cutting off the water supply to the city.
Marty Adams, DWP’s chief operating officer, downplayed the possibility of such an event. He said the utility is more worried about silt getting into the aqueduct and the potential for overflow.
Swollen Columbia River Flooding Trails And Parks
By Jim Ferretti
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Mar 21, 5:11 AM
KGW
PORTLAND, Ore. (KGW) — The Columbia river is at 16 feet, about a half foot above minor flood stage, and is expected to get even higher in the next few days.
As a result, some parks, trails and even some roads are now underwater.
The swollen Columbia River has inundated Chinook Landing boat ramp and park in Fairview. What normally is a grassy park and a beach alongside the river is all underwater.
The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office River Patrol said it’s already seeing problems. That’s because the water is not just deep, it’s also moving extremely fast and is full of debris.
“The debris is the worst part of it, any time the water rises, anything that’s on the bank goes back into the water,” explained Lt. Marc Shrake. “Water is moving fast so you’re going to get from small sticks to large root balls going down the river.”
The beaches at Sauvie Island are also shrinking as the Columbia swells, as are many trails and even some roads, including the one leading to Michael Johnson’s usual fishing spot.
“I’ve never seen that much water,” explained Johnson. “I mean I’ve seen… just about a foot or so but not this deep.”
While the Columbia is above flood stage, the Willamette River, although high, still has a ways to go. Its flood stage is 18 feet. It will likely get to about 17 feet by the end of the week.
Another wood-framed apartment complex goes up in smoke, as the multimillion-dollar CityPlace development in Overland Park, Kansas turns to ashes
Firefighters are battling a massive fire at an apartment complex in Overland Park. (KCTV5)
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (WIBW) — Firefighters are mopping up after a huge fire spread from a suburban Kansas City apartment complex that was under construction to more than a dozen homes.
KCTV-TV reports that Overland Park Fire Department spokesman Jason Rhodes says crews have put out the fire at the multimillion-dollar CityPlace development in Overland Park, Kansas. He says the crews will focus Tuesday on investigating each fire and making sure all flames have been extinguished.
Firefighters battled at least 17 house fires after the fire started Monday. Rhodes says eight to ten of those homes were "significantly impacted." Three firefighters were transported to the hospital, but all are listed in fair condition. He says everyone has been accounted for and that it is "really fortunate" that there are no significant injuries.
Wood-framed apartment construction is booming in the Triangle.
By Jonah Kaplan
Monday, March 20, 2017 06:47PM
RALEIGH, North Carolina (WTVD) -- The impact from Thursday's fire in downtown Raleigh is spreading far beyond the City of Oaks.
According to market research from Real Data, there are more than 10,000 apartments under construction or proposed throughout the Triangle.
Most, if not all of those units, are built with wood frames.
"The wood is available and very affordable," David Pard, Vice President of Sales at Talbert Building Supply, told ABC11. "There is a smaller supply of concrete and steel, which would delay construction just waiting for the materials."
In Durham alone, city officials report 1,600 apartments have gone up since 2010, with at least 400 more on the way. Pard says building with concrete or steel would require a more expensive workforce, too.
"The construction and using of metal framing is not the same carpenter as the person who's building with wood," Pard said.
Indeed, wood does carry risks because of its flammable contents. Pard says some wood products also have chemicals in them to resist insects, decay and moisture. Still, Pard insists that wood is safe when fire protections are put in place - which are required by law. However, many wood-framed apartments throughout the country have gone up in smoke in the recent years, like the Avalon in Edgewater, New Jersey.
"The fire-safety industry works very closely with the building industry and our codes align themselves so a lot of protective measures are put in place."
North Carolina's building codes are governed by international standards, mandating that all wood-framed apartment complexes have tested and approved sprinkler systems, fire extinguishers at specified locations, access to exits, and-repellent doors that resists flames for at least two hours.
The doors, however, cannot be installed until the walls are finished - which is why Metropolitan did not have those protections in place.
For more information on building and fire codes, visit:
http://codes.iccsafe.org/
State building codes
Couple watches as downtown Raleigh fire engulfs building (ABC11 Photographer/Adolfo Ibarra)
