FBI Raid Home Of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao

Here are the morning’s top stories on Friday, June 21, 2024:

• FBI agents raided Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao‘s home on Thursday morning. The raid of Thao’s home was just one of a number conducted in Oakland by the FBI. The agency wouldn’t release details of the searches, just saying that agents conducted a court-authorized law enforcement action.
• The California Public Utilities Commission has unanimously voted against a proposal by AT&T to end landline service in much of California. Critics of the proposal argued the move might have left many older people and residents in remote rural areas vulnerable in the event of a natural disaster. 
• School districts in California are under pressure to reduce chronic absenteeism. But getting kids back to the classroom can be a challenge for districts with limited resources.
• Baseball fans are saying bye to the “Say Hey Kid” Willie Mays. Thursday night’s San Francisco Giants game was held at the historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham Alabama. It’s the former home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, the team which Mays made his professional debut with in 1948. And fans were also able to take in the game back in San Francisco at Oracle Park.

FBI Agents Raid Home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao

Federal agents raided Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s home on Thursday morning, throwing the embattled leader into further turmoil as she faces an upcoming recall election.

The FBI conducted “court-authorized law enforcement activity” in an area of Maiden Lane where the mayor lives, a representative for the agency said in a statement, but would not provide more details.

Neighbors heard FBI agents arrive around 6 a.m. and knock loudly on the door of the home, they told a KQED reporter at the scene.

Shortly after 10 a.m., about two dozen agents carried multiple boxes out of the home, put the boxes in cars and left. They did not comment to reporters other than to say they had cleared the scene and no agents remained.

Still Need Your Landline? California Regulators Stop AT&T From Pulling The Plug

California’s Public Utilities Commission rejected AT&T’s application to stop providing landlines and other services in areas where there is no other option.

Its 4-0 vote Thursday came after a judge determined the application by AT&T California was “fatally flawed.”

AT&T is the “carrier of last resort” for California, an official designation that means it covers most major cities, rural communities, and the land of more than 100 tribal governments. The commission first labeled AT&T a carrier of last resort nearly three decades ago. Many residents, especially in rural areas, complained about the proposal saying they were concerned about how reliable cellphone service would be in an emergency.

California School District Finds A Way To Bring Absent Kids Back To Class

The number of California kids missing too many school days tripled — from 12% to 30% — during the pandemic, and school districts have been searching for ways to bring them back.

The staff at Alvord Unified School District, which serves roughly 16,000 students in Riverside County, turned to technology to help engage with families after staff got overwhelmed tracking attendance and mailing truancy letters to those with three or more unexcused absences.

At the beginning of the 2022–23 school year, the district hired an outside firm called SchoolStatus to track attendance data and communicate with parents via texts, emails and postcards in multiple languages. Officials say it has freed up staff to make phone calls or home visits to better understand the reasons behind the absences and offer help such as counseling or connecting families to social services.

Giants’ Fans Remember Willie Mays

Baseball fans, particularly in San Francisco, are saying bye to the “Say Hey Kid” Willie Mays.

The San Francisco Giants took on the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday at the historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham Alabama. The stadium was home to the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues for decades. Mays made his professional debut with the Black Barons in 1948.

While the game in Alabama was taking place, the Giants opened up Oracle Park to the fans, allowing them to watch the historic game, and also remember the legendary Hall-of-Famer.