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Nearly $40M coming to the San Diego region to assist migrants

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Nearly M coming to the San Diego region to assist migrants


SAN DIEGO — About $39 million are heading to the San Diego region to help asylum seekers while they await the outcome of their immigration proceedings.

The County of San Diego and the Catholic Diocese will receive almost $19.6 million from the Department of Homeland Security.

In a statement on Friday, United States Representative Juan Vargas said:

“This funding will help make sure they have the resources they need to continue their important work to provide migrant communities with food, shelter, and other critical services.”

U.S. Representative Juan Vargas (CA-52)

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County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas revealed the county is working to create a sustainable migrant transition center.

The temporary Migrant Transitional Center was open from October of last year to the end of February but shut its doors due to a lack of funding.

“I think it’s very necessary,” said Catalina Torres, a volunteer who spends her days helping migrants after they are dropped off at the Iris Avenue Transit Center.

“Being out here on the street, it’s chaotic. It’s not the safest for us that are here on the ground and also for these migrants who are already pretty vulnerable,” said Torres.

After the funds were announced, Supervisor Jim Desmond quickly posted on X, voicing his concerns about how they would be spent.

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“I’d rather see that money have gone towards securing the border and making sure the border patrol stops people or we only allow enough people in that we can manage,” Supervisor Desmond told ABC 10News.

Some of the nonprofits that typically receive funding from the county for migrant services are still unsure how exactly the funds will be allocated.

In a statement to ABC 10News, a spokesperson for Jewish Family Service, which oversees the San Diego Rapid Response Network, said in part:

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These funds are a vital resource for the San Diego border region, and in particular, the local non-governmental organizations to maintain and sustain the infrastructure currently in place to assist people seeking asylum.

Jewish Family Service of San Diego





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San Diego, CA

Meet Estella, the Chula Vista girl in Disney new Christmas special

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Meet Estella, the Chula Vista girl in Disney new Christmas special


Estella Madrigal spends most days attending fourth grade with her fellow students at Eastlake Elementary in Chula Vista.

However, this Friday, millions of strangers can listen to her when the animated “An Almost Christmas Story” begins streaming on Disney+.

And that’s not even the 9-year-old’s biggest achievement.

Estella Madrigal is the voice of “Luna,” a lost girl who befriends a lost and injured owl in New York City at Christmas-time.

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“I almost cried when I got the part,” beamed Estella Madrigal before school started Wednesday.

Her classmates didn’t believe her at first.

“But then I showed them the trailer and now they believe me.”

Producers for the animated short wanted “Luna’s” voice to come from someone with a similar background.

“It definitely felt like I had a connection with my character,” Estella Madrigal explained.

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“It was written for her,” said her mother, Karen Madrigal. “[The producers] were literally looking for a Latina girl that had an amputation.”

Doctors found a tumor in Estella’s right leg a few years ago. The young girl chose to have her right leg amputated instead of risk the cancer returning. The almost 10-year-old is now cancer-free.

“I always wanted to meet somebody my age who also had an amputation,” Estella Madrigal said. “So, I finally got to meet her.”

Estella Madrigal’s character “Luna” has a prosthetic leg. Her owl companion has a hurt wing.

Karen Madrigal said her daughter has been on an amazing journey.

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“Just the fact that we were able to do that and not be at Rady [Children’s Hospital], not be locked in a hospital, it’s a blessing,” she smiled. “I just hope that story inspires others.”

It seemed to be something Estella Madrigal is good at doing.

“When you’re going through something different, you can obviously beat it,” she said before beginning another day of fourth grade.



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San Diego, CA

The Onion buys Alex Jones’ Infowars at bankruptcy auction

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The Onion buys Alex Jones’ Infowars at bankruptcy auction


The satirical news publication The Onion won the bidding for Alex Jones’ Infowars at a bankruptcy auction, backed by families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims whom Jones owes more than $1 billion in defamation judgments for calling the massacre a hoax.

“The dissolution of Alex Jones’ assets and the death of Infowars is the justice we have long awaited and fought for,” Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie was killed in the 2012 shooting in Connecticut, said in a statement provided by his lawyers.

The Onion acquired the conspiracy theory platform’s website; social media accounts; studio in Austin, Texas; trademarks; and video archive. The sale price was not immediately disclosed. The Onion said its “exclusive launch advertiser” will be the gun violence prevention organization Everytown for Gun Safety.

“Everytown will continue to raise awareness on InfoWars’ channels about gun violence prevention and present actual solutions to our nation’s gun violence crisis, including bipartisan, common-sense measures and public safety initiatives backed by Everytown,” The Onion said in a statement Thursday.

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Jones confirmed The Onion’s acquisition of Infowars in a social media video Thursday and said he planned to file legal challenges to stop it.

“Last broadcast now live from Infowars studios. They are in the building. Are ordering shutdown without court approval,” Jones said on the social platform X.

Jones was broadcasting live from the Infowars studio Thursday morning and appeared distraught, putting his head in his hand at his desk.

Sealed bids for the private auction were opened Wednesday. Both supporters and detractors of Jones had expressed interest in buying Infowars. The other bidders have not been disclosed.

The Onion, a satirical site that manages to persuade people to believe the absurd, bills itself as “the world’s leading news publication, offering highly acclaimed, universally revered coverage of breaking national, international, and local news events” and says it has 4.3 trillion daily readers.

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Jones has been saying on his show that if his detractors bought Infowars, he would move his daily broadcasts and product sales to a new studio, websites and social media accounts that he has already set up. He also said that if his supporters won the bidding, he could stay on the Infowars platforms.

Relatives of many of the 20 children and six educators killed in the shooting Jones and his company for defamation and emotional distress for repeatedly saying on his show that the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, was a hoax staged by crisis actors to spur more gun control. Parents and children of many of the victims testified that they were traumatized by Jones’ conspiracies and threats by his followers.

The lawsuits were filed in Connecticut and Texas. Lawyers for the families in the Connecticut lawsuit said they worked with The Onion to try to acquire Infowars.



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San Diego, CA

Driver sought in College Area hit-and-run that seriously hurt 2 women

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Driver sought in College Area hit-and-run that seriously hurt 2 women


Authorities reached out to the public Wednesday for help identifying a motorist responsible for a hit-and-run that seriously injured two young women in the College area.

The victims, ages 19 and 20, were struck by a car in the 5000 block of College Avenue at about 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 2, according to the San Diego Police Department.

Following the impact, the motorist continued driving and left the area.

The dark-colored car that hit the women — possibly a 2010-2017 BMW 5 Series — lost its driver’s-side mirror in the impact, according to police.

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Authorities have released no description of the driver.

Anyone with information about the case was asked to call San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 or contact the agency online here. Tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.



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