“There’s no indication of any near-term impacts from the overseas gas disruptions,” SoCal Edison spokesman David Eisenhauer told City News Service Friday. “From an electricity supply and pricing standpoint, we don’t see impacts.”

In Riverside, the municipally owned Riverside Public Utilities also was not forecasting any dramatic changes, noting that natural gas inputs to the power grid are “fairly moderate and limited.”

“Riverside’s internal natural gas generation … is typically used to meet just about 5% of the city’s total load-serving needs,” RPU told CNS. “And the expected amount of natural gas we anticipate using this summer has already been pre-purchased at competitive prices.”

Earlier this week, joint U.S.-Israel military attacks on Iran resulted in significant damage to the country’s South Pars natural gas field, one of the largest in the world and generally described as a “lifeline” to meet the Islamic republic’s needs.

The nation’s forces responded in kind, hurling missiles and drones at Qatar, which hosts the largest American military installation in the Middle East, inflicting major damage to liquified natural gas repositories. According to published reports, the LNG facilities could require three or more years to repair.

The tit-for-tat strikes come following Iran’s announced closure of the Strait of Hormuz to oil and LNG ship tanker traffic navigating the Persian Gulf, with the exception of a few select countries, and then only after payments in Chinese Yuan for passage, according to reports based on statements by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Spot market contracts on natural gas priced per million British thermal units spiked to nearly $3.30 BTUs on Thursday but receded 2% in U.S.- based commodities trading Friday, according to TradingEconomics.com and OilPrice.com. The softening was similar to minor downward adjustments in per- barrel spot prices for West Texas Intermediate Crude. Despite touching $100 a week ago, late futures trading Friday saw WTIC oil prices holding at $98 per barrel, which is still causing prices at the gasoline pump to steadily rise everywhere.

Domestic oil prices have been mildly restrained by the White House’s decision to release 172 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. In overseas oil futures trading, per-barrel prices on some crude products have already jumped to nearly $150.

While diesel or other fuel isn’t vital to run power plants, natural gas often is, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

“Natural gas is the single-largest source of energy used to generate electricity in the United States, making up 43% of electricity generation,” the EIA said.

The Imperial Irrigation District, which supplies electricity to a large swath of the eastern Coachella Valley, told CNS there’s an “action plan” in place to contend with any price surges stemming from greater pressure on U.S. natural gas producers to sell more product overseas due to Middle East supply breakdowns.

“Of 1,340 megawatts, 40% of this power generation would come from natural gas,” IID said. “To protect against market volatility, we have a risk management policy and procurement plan … that supports a strategic natural gas and energy hedging program, giving us flexibility to changing conditions.”

The utility said that as of now, “we have secured up to 90% of our forecasted natural gas requirements for this summer.”

IID said its power purchasing team keeps a close eye on market fluctuations and can “make resource decisions daily, hourly and even minute by minute … to protect customers from volatility.”

SoCal Edison’s power portfolio is sufficiently diverse to “help shield customers” from market shocks, according to Eisenhauer.

“Unlike gasoline, which can re-price quickly, electricity rates don’t move in real time,” he said.

SCE is the largest energy provider in Riverside County.

Eisenhauer said less than 10% of SCE’s power plants operate exclusively on natural gas, and he emphasized that pricing adjustments are subject to hearings at the state level.

According to RPU, because of advance contracts on natural gas purchases, “even if natural gas prices start to rise significantly, Riverside will be protected by fixed cost forward gas purchases.”

The utility further noted that most of its acquisitions originate from Delta, Utah, “where natural gas is much less expensive.”

“RPU staff do not anticipate experiencing any material deviations to our budgeted energy costs this year, regardless of how domestic natural gas prices might change,” the agency stated.

The U.S.-Israel operations, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” started with the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader and most of his family, as well as the bombing of a girls school, where more than 150 children died, according to Amnesty International and multiple other sources. The Trump administration did not obtain a formal declaration of war from Congress, and no exit strategy has been announced by the White House.

Iran’s IRGC and military have made it clear the U.S. needs to vacate the entire region to restore peace.

Inflation predictions vary, but energy price impacts from the war will likely weigh on most sectors of the economy, according to the Federal Reserve Bank and other sources.

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Anthony Silvas Miera, 51, of Spring Valley was arrested in December following an investigation by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department’s Cold Case Unit.

Miera is slated for arraignment Friday before Superior Court Judge Jay Kiel at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

The defendant is being held on $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail.

According to sheriff’s Sgt. Jarred Bishop, he allegedly gunned down 21- year-old Raymond Cardenas in the predawn hours of June 18, 2006, on Citrus Street, near Northgate Street, less than a half-mile south of Interstate 215.

Bishop alleged there was an unspecified confrontation between the men on the street during which Miera pulled a handgun and opened fire, then fled.

The victim managed to run to a nearby residence and wake the occupants, who called 911.

“Deputies arrived on scene and located … Cardenas, suffering from gunshot wounds,” the sergeant said.

The young man was pronounced dead minutes later by paramedics.

“Although Miera was identified as a suspect (at the time), there was insufficient evidence to charge him, and the case went cold,” Bishop said.

He said the investigation was shelved until Cold Case Unit detectives reopened it in August.

“After conducting additional investigation, the unit developed sufficient evidence to charge Miera,” Bishop said, without providing specifics.

An arrest warrant was served at Miera’s residence, where he was taken into custody without incident on Dec. 26.

He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.

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RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A 57-year-old Riverside County man accused of fatally shooting his wife over the weekend pleaded not guilty Wednesday to murder and another charge.

William Thomas Dunlap of Good Hope entered his pleas during an arraignment before Superior Court Judge Walter Kubelun, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for June 24 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. Along with the murder count, Dunlap also faces a sentence-enhancing charge of using a gun to cause great bodily injury.

He’s being held at Murrieta’s Cois Byrd Detention Center in lieu of $2 million bail.

Dunlap is accused in the shooting death of Kimberly Dunlap, 56. She was found by deputies at approximately 10:04 p.m. Saturday in the 25000 block of Highway 74 in the Good Hope community, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Despite efforts to save her, Dunlap was pronounced dead at the scene. The sheriff’s department reported that she suffered from a single gunshot wound.

The sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit assumed the investigation, and on Sunday morning William Dunlap was arrested in the case. A possible motive in the slaying was not released.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Investigator Manjarrez with the Central Homicide Unit at 951-955-2777 or Investigator Barbee with the Perris Station at 951-210-1000.

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Melvin Mario James Landry, 42, of San Jacinto allegedly killed Gilbert Wah in 2020.

A Banning jury deliberated two days in January before deadlocking, after which Riverside County Superior Court Judge Rene Navarro declared a mistrial.

The case was transferred a week ago from the Banning Justice Center to the Riverside Hall of Justice, where Superior Court Judge Bernard Schwartz began summoning panels of prospective jurors for screening as to their availability and qualifications.

The judge is expected to swear in a panel Monday afternoon, with opening statements possible Tuesday morning.

Landry, who is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail, is charged with murder and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

According to a trial brief filed by the prosecution, on the night of July 23, 2020, Wah, his wife, Octavia Wah, and Landry got together at the victim’s house at 801 S. Camino Los Banos to “drink alcohol and smoke marijuana.”

The defense said in its brief Landry was in the midst of a divorce from his wife, Sylvia Joshua, because “he was caught cheating” on her. He was also suffering depression from the recent death of his mother and was upset that his sister had moved out of the area.

As he, the victim and Octavia Wah drank and smoked long into the night, tensions escalated due to Gilbert Wah’s references to Landry as a “pussy” and “bitch” — demeaning terms used to describe the defendant’s relationship with his wife, according to the prosecution’s brief.

Shortly after 3 a.m. on July 24, Wah became aggressive, slapping Landry across the face, the brief stated.

The defendant did not hit back, but instead went to his Dodge Durango pickup parked in front of the house, grabbed a semiautomatic handgun, then returned to the house and confronted Wah, firing a single shot into his heart, prosecutors allege.

The victim died on the spot.

His wife struck Landry and attempted to stop him from leaving, but he got away from her in his pickup. She called 911, and patrol deputies converged on the location.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Ken Thurm said as personnel were gearing up to begin a search, Landry “returned to the scene and surrendered.”

Court records show the defendant has a prior misdemeanor conviction in Riverside County for driving under the influence. He has a felony conviction in another jurisdiction, but the offense wasn’t listed.

Court papers indicated Wah, too, had a record, including battery on a peace officer in another state, as well as a fraud conviction locally.

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Nigel Duara | Contributed

A Central Valley district attorney is defying the attorney general with his plan to pursue a new murder charge against a woman who used methamphetamine and delivered a stillbirth.

A Central Valley district attorney has vowed to refile a murder charge against a woman whose case drew national attention for its possible implications for abortion rights, but the woman’s advocates believe the charges will never actually materialize.

Adora Perez was freed in March after nearly four years in prison on a guilty plea to manslaughter after she delivered a stillbirth while testing positive for methamphetamine.

On Monday, Kings County District Attorney Keith Fagundes dropped the remaining charges against her. Abortion rights proponents – including Attorney General Rob Bonta – celebrated the decision.

But Tuesday morning, Fagundes told CalMatters in a text message that he intends to refile charges against Perez – standard language for a prosecutor after dismissing charges without prejudice, meaning the charges can be refiled again later.

“The matter was dismissed without prejudice as we intend to refile,” Fagundes said. “Ms. Perez was put on notice today to maintain any exculpatory evidence she believes exists.”

Fagundes believes he has a right to file the murder charges under existing California law. Perez’s attorneys and Bonta disagree, contending that current law forbids such prosecutions.

But Fagundes has said in debates this year during his third run for office that a proposed law, AB 2223, would be the mechanism to prevent prosecutions of this kind.

“If a mother can’t be prosecuted for the death of her fetus, then why pass AB 2223?” Fagundes said in an April 8 debate, according to the Valley Voice.

AB 2223, by Oakland Democrat Buffy Wicks , would abolish the requirement that coroners investigate stillbirths. Proponents of the law say this would lead more people to seek prenatal care without fear of prosecution.

Under current law, all fetal deaths at or after 20 weeks, with the exception of abortions, are treated as “unattended deaths” in California, requiring a coroner to investigate. In 48 of 58 California counties, the sheriff is also the coroner, which means that law enforcement becomes involved and the person who is pregnant could face potential prosecution.

Perez’s story drew national attention for her rare plea in 2018 to manslaughter of a fetus – a charge that doesn’t exist in California law. Abortion rights advocates believe her case has broad implications for abortion access in California, potentially opening the door to criminal prosecutions of people seeking to terminate pregnancies.

A draft U.S. Supreme Court majority opinion recently published by Politico suggests justices are poised to strike down Roe vs. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that guaranteed the federal constitutional right to an abortion.

Fagundes’ statement that he plans to refile charges flies in the face of a directive from Bonta in January. The attorney general advised prosecutors, defense attorneys and police not to participate in criminal cases against mothers who miscarry or deliver a stillbirth.

“The loss of a pregnancy at any stage is a physically and emotionally traumatic experience that should not be exacerbated by the threat of being charged with murder,” Bonta said at the time.

Bonta’s office said Tuesday that they will contest future charges if they’re filed.

“As we’ve previously made clear in our legal alert , California law does not criminalize people for the loss of a pregnancy,” the attorney general’s office said in a statement. “The DA moved to dismiss the charge and the court dismissed.

“Should further action be necessary in the Perez case, we’re prepared to continue to weigh in where appropriate.”

Perez’s attorney, Mary McNamara, said on Tuesday that she doesn’t believe Fagundes will actually refile charges, and said the passage of AB 2223 would convince him that he cannot file murder charges against women who deliver stillbirths.

“I don’t think he’s going to refile, and his view is he’s not going to refile,” McNamara said. “We all agree AB 2223 would prevent this prosecution. The difference is, Bonta’s office and our (legal) team believe current law also prevents this kind of prosecution.”

Across the entire state in the last three decades, Fagundes is the only prosecutor who has charged women who miscarry with murder.

The debate over AB 2223 drew hundreds of anti-abortion activists to the Capitol in April when the bill cleared the Assembly Health Committee.

Fagundes has previously told CalMatters that he will continue to file murder charges against people who miscarry or deliver stillbirths and test positive for drugs if he feels the cases warrant prosecution.

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NewsLA | Contributed

A 55-year-old motorist who allegedly struck and killed a woman trying to help an injured wild burro just north of Moreno Valley is due to be arraigned Tuesday on a second-degree murder charge.

Martin Joel Ramirez Hernandez of Mecca was arrested Jan. 5 following a three-week investigation by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Hernandez was slated to make his initial court appearance over a week ago but was not transported to the Riverside Hall of Justice for unexplained reasons. Riverside County Superior Court Judge O.G. Magno scheduled his arraignment for Tuesday.

The defendant is being held on $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.

He had been hospitalized for several weeks following the wreck, and during that time, sheriff’s investigators gathered sufficient evidence to obtain an arrest warrant for him.

According to sheriff’s Sgt. Robert Grmusha, the deadly crash happened along Redlands Boulevard, just north of Ironwood Avenue, in an area known as Big Horn Canyon about 11:20 p.m. on Dec. 15.

Grmusha said the chain wreck began when a 2013 Toyota Corolla hit a donkey crossing the two-lane corridor, fatally injuring the animal, which was left lying in lanes.

“The driver of the Toyota moved his vehicle from the roadway and was in the process of calling for assistance when the driver a 2007 Chevy Trail Blazer (stopped and) angled her vehicle in front of the burro in an apparent attempt to prevent a secondary collision,” the sergeant said.

The concerned motorist, 52-year-old Jacqueline Morgan of Moreno Valley, exited her SUV “and was standing near the driver’s side door when she was struck” by a 2007 Nissan Altima driven by Hernandez, according to Grmusha.

“Upon impact, the Nissan pushed the Chevy into the parked Toyota, then careened across the roadway, where it overturned in a nearby drainage ditch,” he said.

Morgan was found severely injured on the road and taken to Riverside University Medical Center. She died four days later.

Hernandez suffered extensive injuries, none of which were life-threatening. He also received treatment at the county hospital, Grmusha said.

The Toyota driver, whose identity was not released, escaped injury, the sergeant said.

According to court records, Hernandez has three driving under the influence cases, all originating in the Coachella Valley, going back a decade. None have been resolved, records show.

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jury selection in the trial of a former Minneapolis officer accused in the death of George Floyd was put on hold Monday while an appeals court considers whether to reinstate a third-degree murder charge against him.

Derek Chauvin is already facing a second-degree unintentional murder charge and a manslaughter charge. He has pleaded not guilty.

Floyd, who was Black, died May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck while he was handcuffed on the ground, pleading that he couldn’t breathe. Floyd’s death sparked months of mass protests nationwide over police brutality and race. In Minneapolis and some other areas, the civil unrest spiraled into violence. Other former officers who were present when Floyd died will face trial later this year.

Here’s a look at why the charge plays such a large role in the trial.

WHAT DO THE DIFFERENT DEGREES MEAN?

The degrees denote the seriousness of a crime. The more serious the crime, the higher the benchmarks that prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt to convict. First-degree murder is the most serious and results in life in prison if convicted. To convict, prosecutors must prove either that the act was pre-planned or that other major crimes were committed with it, among other things. Second-degree murder in Minnesota can be “intentional” or “unintentional,” which is the charge Chauvin faces, and is punishable by up to 40 years in prison if convicted.

Third-degree murder would require a lower standard of proof than second-degree. To win a conviction, prosecutors would have to show only that Floyd’s death was caused by an act that was obviusly dangerous, though not necessarily a felony. That would result in a maximum sentence of 25 years.

But there are caveats. Chauvin has no criminal history, which means he will probably end up serving about 12 1/2 years whether he is convicted of second or third-degree murder. Manslaughter, the least serious charge but also the one with the lowest burden of proof, means a maximum of just 10 years behind bars if convicted. For those seeking justice in Floyd’s death, anything less than murder is likely to feel like injustice.

WHY WAS THAT CHARGE DISMISSED TO BEGIN WITH?

Chauvin’s lawyer sought to dismiss the charge, arguing there was not probable cause to charge him with third-degree murder. A Minnesota judge ruled last October that third-degree murder under Minnesota law requires proof that someone’s conduct was “eminently dangerous to others,” plural, not just to Floyd. The judge said there was no evidence that Chauvin endangered anyone else and threw out the charge. Prosecutors appealed.

WHY PUSH TO HAVE IT ADDED AGAIN?

Very simply, reinstating the count could i ncrease the prosecution’s odds of getting a murder conviction in what will be one of the highest-profile police trials in the U.S.

CAN HE BE CONVICTED WITHOUT IT?

Yes. But it’s not going to be as easy as some might think. Even with the bystander video that showed Chauvin pressing his knee into George Floyd’s neck and ignoring the man’s pleas, legal experts say the case isn’t a slam dunk.

“It’s hard not to watch the video and conclude that the prosecutors will not have any trouble with this case,” said Susan Gaertner, the former head prosecutor in neighboring Ramsey County. “But it’s not that simple.”

The trial will come down to two key questions: Did Chauvin’s actions cause Floyd’s death, and were his actions reasonable?

The second-degree murder charge requires prosecutors to prove Chauvin caused Floyd’s death while committing or trying to commit a felony — in this case, third-degree assault. Prosecutors don’t have to prove that Chauvin was the sole cause of Floyd’s death — only that his conduct was a “substantial causal factor.” The manslaughter charge has a lower bar, requiring proof that Chauvin caused Floyd’s death through negligence that created an unreasonable risk, and consciously took the chance of causing severe injury or death.

Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, argues in court documents that Floyd likely died from fentanyl he consumed, or a combination of fentanyl, methamphetamine and underlying health conditions — not as a result of Chauvin’s knee on his neck.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

Prosecutors filed a request with the state’s Court of Appeals to put the trial on hold until the issue is resolved. They worry, in part, that they could lose the chance to try Chauvin later on the third-degree murder charge if the current trial goes forward while the appeal is ongoing.

The judge overseeing the case, Peter Cahill, sent potential jurors home for the day, while prosecutors tried to contact the appellate court. Cahill took a recess to give the Court of Appeals time to respond, but planned to bring attorneys back into the courtroom Monday afternoon to deal with other matters.

Cahill said he would proceed with the trial unless the higher courts told him to stop.

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One of two men accused of fatally assaulting a 31-year-old man in a racially motivated attack outside a Hemet bar has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges.

Ernesto Gonzales, 29, of Hemet allegedly joined 32-year-old Angel Melesio Sanchez, also of Hemet, in killing Andre Dyshawn Childress of San Jacinto in December.

Along with murder, Gonzales is charged with sentence-enhancing allegations of committing a hate crime and using a knife in the commission of a violent felony.

He was arraigned Thursday before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Hollenhorst, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for April 19 at the Banning Justice Center.

Gonzales is being held on $1 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.

Sanchez, who was arraigned last month on identical charges, is being held on $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.

According to Hemet police Lt. Nathan Miller, shortly after midnight on Dec. 28, Sanchez and Gonzales were involved in an unspecified dispute with Childress and another man, identified in court documents only as “R.M.,” all of whom were inside the bar, located near the intersection of Carmalita Street and Florida Avenue.

The defendants and victims soon exited the pub and carried their argument into the street, culminating in the fatal assault, Miller alleged.

He said patrol officers were flagged down by a passerby and found Childress mortally wounded. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene moments later. The other victim, R.M., suffered undisclosed injuries from which he has since recovered.

Relying on security surveillance video from surrounding businesses and eyewitness accounts, Sanchez and Gonzales were ultimately identified as the alleged perpetrators, according to the lieutenant.

Sanchez was arrested without incident on the night of Dec. 28, and Gonzales was taken into custody three days later.

Court documents show Sanchez has prior convictions for illegally manufacturing a weapon and driving under the influence.

Gonzales has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.

City News Service • Contributed

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