U.S. Coast Guard teams were tirelessly scouring the brisk, turbulent waters near San Francisco Bay on Wednesday, in search of three individuals who went missing nearly a day prior. Their boat had overturned during a heartfelt family gathering intended to honor a deceased loved one.

Ralph Boisa recounted how his family, along with close companions, had boarded his younger brother’s vessel on Tuesday afternoon. The occasion was a poignant tribute to his daughter, who passed away at 33 in 2016 and had a deep passion for surfing.

The family tragedy deepened as Ralph’s older brother, Clifford, succumbed shortly after rescuers pulled him from the water. The cabin cruiser had begun to take on water, eventually tipping and capsizing before disappearing beneath the surface. Clifford’s beloved dog also perished in the incident.

The search continued for Ralph’s sister Carol, Clifford’s wife Jackie, and a friend of Ralph’s daughter, contributing to the family’s growing sense of loss.

Boisa reflected on the string of heartbreaks that his family has endured over the years. He shared that another daughter was lost to them in 1995. Currently residing in Washington, Boisa was unable to join the family gathering.

Search will end at sundown Wednesday

U.S. Coast Guard Captain Jared S. Toczko said rescuers have cumulatively scoured 950 square nautical miles (3,260 square kilometers) and will continue searching until sundown Wednesday before ending rescue efforts.

Toczko would not dismiss the possibility that those missing could still be alive, though he also said some could have been trapped inside the three-deck, 49-foot (15-meter) cabin cruiser.

“We do know individuals were in the main deck and potentially below deck,” he said. Witnesses described seeing people pounding on glass windows, trapped as the boat sank.

Crews have identified the location the boat sank but have yet to determine how deep it sank, Toczko said.

Once the boat is located, officials will send either divers or an underwater drone to determine if it’s feasible to salvage it, said San Francisco Police Commander Brien Hoo. If the boat is under 120 feet (37 meters) of water, it would be difficult for divers to get to it, he said.

Witnesses reported “rough seas,” San Francisco Fire Department Chief Dean Crispen said, and rescuers said swells reached up to 5 feet (1.5 meters). Marine weather conditions, however, didn’t warrant a small craft advisory from the National Weather Service.

Fire department spokesperson Lt. Mariano Elias said the vessel, named Volare, was registered out of Stockton, California, which sits at the eastern edge of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

According to the ship-tracking website VesselFinder, the boat departed a San Francisco marina, passed under the Golden Gate Bridge twice and visited Angel Island State Park, the largest natural island in the bay. It was on its way back to San Francisco when it sank near Alcatraz, the famous maximum-security federal prison which closed more than 60 years ago.

Kirk Miller, an experienced local sailor with a master mariner license, said an uneven distribution of passengers could have caused the Volare to tip.

“As it rocks in the waves, it leans over a little bit,” Miller said. “And as it leans over, the stability would decrease. If you had weight down below it acts as ballast. There was nothing in the conditions that were extreme in any regard. There was no massive gust of wind, no huge wave.”

Like a ‘Titanic’ scene, rescuer says

Two men who jumped into action while fishing for halibut said the boat that sank was more than capable of being out in the bay. Justin Marceline and Michael Montoya said they saw what they thought was smoke and arrived to find the vessel halfway submerged.

Marceline could see people trapped inside the rapidly sinking boat through its windows. He threw lead fishing weights to survivors in the water, hoping they could smash the glass, but they were too weak.

“It was like Titanic in real life,” he said. “There was stuff everywhere. People were banging on the glass.”

Montoya estimated they pulled eight or nine people aboard, including the captain, before first responders arrived.

Initial callers reported what appeared to be smoke coming from the boat, but San Francisco police officers who first reached the vessel said it was steam.

Toczko said there were life jackets onboard the boat and that some people were rescued wearing them.

Sudden immersion in water under 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius) can lead to cold water shock, a condition where people lose dexterity in minutes. That can be dangerous or deadly when trying to escape a sinking watercraft.

The owners of the boat are John Boisa and Miriam Boisa of Stockton, Coast Guard records show. They did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

“All of us are grieving during this time,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Ralph Boisa said John is a “very capable and experienced boatsman” who served in the U.S. Navy. He frequently took family members out on the boat to the San Francisco Bay, Boisa said.

His older brother who died, Clifford Boisa, lived on a small prune orchard in Sutter County in the Sacramento Valley and was a volunteer sheriff’s deputy for more than a decade. Ralph Boisa had planned to visit him for his 80th birthday party next month.

“He was a happy guy, jovial,” Boisa said. “We’re pretty broken up here.”

___

An Independence Day celebration took a surprising turn for two school principals in Florida, as their evening concluded unexpectedly in police custody. The dramatic arrests, captured on bodycam footage, unfolded as both women faced DUI charges stemming from separate incidents involving the same vehicle.

The released footage depicts the arrests of Jennifer Jimenez, aged 41, and Christina Alcalde, aged 45, during distinct traffic stops in a shared white Jeep SUV—each instance leading to their individual apprehensions.

Captured by officers from the Clermont, Florida Police Department, the bodycam video reveals the moments authorities halted the duo’s night out, marking an unexpected twist to their holiday.

An officer, upon approaching Jimenez, is heard questioning, “Ms. Jennifer, have you been drinking today? I can detect the smell of alcohol.”

Jimenez candidly responded, “Yes, I have.”

According to a Clermont Police Department probable-cause affidavit obtained by Fox News affiliate WOFL-TV, Jimenez was behind the wheel with Alcalde in the passenger seat when an officer pulled them over around 2 a.m. on July 5 after seeing the Jeep drift in and out of its lane.

The vehicle crossed into oncoming lanes multiple times and drove over a curb before the stop, authorities said. The officer reported smelling alcohol and said Jimenez “would blink really slow and had very slow and delayed reactions.”

Jimenez was arrested on charges of DUI and refusal to submit to DUI testing.

Alcalde, who police said also appeared impaired during the first stop, was sent home in a rideshare while the Jeep was moved to a nearby parking lot instead of being towed.

But around 5 a.m., less than three hours later, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office was notified that Alcalde may have been behind the wheel again.

According to the arrest report, the vehicle drifted in its lane and braked repeatedly before an intersection.

Bodycam video shows Alcalde telling the officer she was “way better” and was worried about Jimenez, who had been arrested earlier.

“I’m not meaning to do anything wrong. I’m way better,” Alcalde told the deputy.

“Well, look. I just talked to you,” he replied. “You were really drunk when I talked to you.”

“I know. I know. But I’m not now,” she said.

“It’s a couple hours later,” the deputy said.

“I understand. I’m really not,” Alcalde said. “I promise you I’m not.”

Alcalde was also arrested on DUI-related charges after field sobriety exercises, police said.

Both principals were booked into the Lake County Jail on DUI and refusal-to-submit charges, with bonds set at $2,000 each.

Alcalde reportedly identified her place of work as Pinecrest Lakes Academy, where she is listed as its principal, WESH 2 reports. Jimenez is principal at Pinecrest Academy Tavares, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

News Media has reached out to Pinecrest Lakes Academy and Pinecrest Academy Tavares for comment.

Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia remains skeptical of Bunnie Xo’s seemingly heartfelt sentiments regarding her estranged partner, Jelly Roll.

In a revealing discussion on her June 18 podcast episode, the “Dumb Blonde” star candidly spoke about her breakup and impending divorce. Bunnie mentioned how she urged her ex to explore new romantic avenues, noting that it’s “great” his “DMs are open.”

However, during the latest episode of LaPaglia’s “Plan Bri Uncut” podcast, the “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” alum expressed her disbelief over these comments.

“She doesn’t mean that. She’s still under the mind control of [Jelly Roll],” LaPaglia asserted. “The proof is in how her closest friends are behaving. They’re sharing outrageous, offensive videos criticizing Jelly Roll, claiming people only appreciate him because of Bunnie.”

LaPaglia added, “Bunnie’s protecting Jelly Roll still. I understand, as I had my share of experiences in not fully detaching from a situation either.”

“She just still wants to protect him,” the personality added. “She’s going to step out of this a year from now and be like, ‘Holy f–king s–t, Jelly Belly f–king lost weight, and the second he drops weight, take it for what it actually is.’”

LaPaglia tore into the country music star, speculating that “his ego” and personality “clearly changed” after he managed to slim down to his now-trimmer figure due to his 200-lb weight loss journey,

“He thought that he can do better. He can date someone younger. He’s going to go for a ‘trad wife.’ One hundred percent gonna go for a ‘trad wife,’” she said.

The “BFFs” podcast host then touched on ongoing speculation that Jelly Roll’s newfound religious beliefs might be playing a role in his split as he no longer wants to be associated with his wife’s racy past as a former sex worker.

“Hey buddy, you were the one that got with an escort. She was an escort. She’s talked about it. You were a drug addict and you were going to prison and in and out of jail. Now your morals don’t align with it because you’re f–king skinny?” she said.

“You dropped the weight on your belly and now you dropped the weight of Bunnie, who, I think was the only like redeeming and beautiful quality about Jelly Roll.”

Reps for Bunnie Xo and Jelly Roll did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.

Jelly Roll quietly filed for divorce from Bunnie after nearly a decade of marriage on May 18, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split, Page Six confirmed.

The country singer, 41, filed for divorce in Williamson County, Tennessee, where he and Bunnie lived together.

The exes agreed to divide their assets and debts.

In a heart-wrenching account, the father of a teenager killed in a tragic horse carriage accident in New York City recounted his final moments with his son. He implored others to imagine the anguish of witnessing such a crucial loss, saying: “I want you to imagine what it is like watching your son die in front of you.”

Deepak Mahajan, the grieving father of 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan, spoke passionately at a City Council hearing held on Wednesday. He, along with other affected families, urged legislative action to permanently shutter the horse carriage industry that has operated in Manhattan for 67 years.

He vividly described the horror of seeing events spiral out of control, leading to his son’s fatal head injury. The incident began when their horse became frightened and suddenly took off through Central Park, leaving chaos in its wake.

“I cannot properly describe to you the real true fear inside that carriage,” Deepak expressed via a Zoom call, visibly emotional as he sat beside his heartbroken wife, Priya Mahajan.

He further recounted the terrifying ordeal: “It was shaking, it was speeding, there was no one holding the reins, and we could do nothing but hold onto each other and scream,” he said, reflecting on the helplessness they felt in those frantic moments.

Romanch had jumped out of the carriage in an attempt to save his mother, who had fallen out during the ride. 

‘Our whole family is shattered,’ Mahajan said. ‘We came to New York as a family of four. We are learning to cope with life as a family of three.’ 

Ahead of the landmark Council hearing Wednesday, Mahajan stated: ‘No one expects for this to happen to their child, but it happened to us,’ according to The New York Post.

‘I would not wish this on any family in the world.’

The victim’s aunt also spoke, struggling as she cried in front of the council. She asked that her nephew’s name not be forgotten and described the darkness that has been left over their family since the teen’s death. 

Romanch died during a ride on June 16 after their carriage driver had stopped to take a photo of the family, who were visiting from India, when the horse suddenly bolted with them inside. He hit his head on the ground and was later pronounced dead.   

‘If the prior legislation had passed, the carriages would have stopped on June 1, 2026 – Romanch died on June 17,’ the teenager’s father said.

‘This was not an unpredictable accident. Let his death not be in vain.’

Heartbroken family members are now hoping Romanch’s Law will pass to prevent others from suffering a similar tragedy. 

Their push for legislation ultimately brought them to the City Council hearing focused on ending horse carriage rides within two years, particularly in Central Park, where they have operated since its opening. 

Council Member Christopher Marte will introduce the bill as its lead sponsor, which, if passed, would phase out the rides by June 1, 2028, according to records cited by NBC4.

The bill’s future now rests with the Health Committee, which will decide whether to advance it to the full Council, according to The New York Times.

After gaining five more sponsors between Tuesday and Wednesday, the measure reached 26 supporters – enough to secure passage in the 51-member Council.

Romanch’s death is the first fatality linked to the carriage rides since they were introduced more than a century ago, according to the labor union that represents the industry and the Central Park Conservancy. 

The incident reignited the debate over the industry, with opponents arguing that the rides are both inhumane to horses and dangerous to city residents. 

Dozens gathered from both sides with signs protesting or supporting the proposal. Carriage industry leaders said that the incident emphasizes the need for better protections, such as hitching posts.

Christina Hansen, a spokesperson for TWU Local 100, previously said at a press conference that they have taken steps to make sure that the carriages remain ‘the safest form of transportation in Midtown, Manhattan.’

If the bill passes, it would move to Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has backed a ban and said he wants to ‘deliver a just transition that protects workers.’

He said that while he supported the intent of the proposal, he had concerns about its impact on workers in the industry, according to NBC4 News. 

Gaurav Mahajan, Romanch’s grieving uncle, previously criticized Mamdani in remarks about the incident. 

‘I just want to ask one thing to Mayor Mamdani and to the Speaker: What does it take? What’s the cost? What’s the price to make sure this never happens again?’ he said.

‘We’ve already paid the price with the loss of our child. He’s gone. We’re never going to be able to bring him back. What happens now? Do we just move on and call it a day?’

City officials reopened the rides just one week after the incident. During the shutdown, carriage drivers attended meetings and discussions with union representatives, according to a Transport Workers Union statement. 

Romanch’s death was followed by several other horse-related incidents in Central Park, including the fatal collapse of a carriage horse that died after ingesting a toxic plant. 

The horse had eaten foliage from a Japanese yew, according to a report from Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine that was circulated by TWU Local 100. 

The horse, named Deniz, was under the care of carriage driver Nurettin Kirbiyik on the park’s East Drive on June 9 when it suddenly collapsed and died. 

In a swift response to a major fire emergency, Seattle firefighters were called to battle a significant 3-alarm blaze that engulfed a commercial warehouse in the city’s bustling Industrial District early Wednesday morning. This incident occurred almost a full day following another fire outbreak in the nearby Central District.

This latest fire, which erupted just before the clock struck 1 a.m., targeted the 4500 block of 7th Avenue S. According to Seattle Fire spokesman David Cuerpo, the inferno originated from two tractor trailers ablaze, leading to the flames spreading to the warehouse. Cuerpo shared these details during a press briefing held near the firefighting operations.

Fire officials encountered numerous large metal and plastic barrels both inside one of the trailers and scattered around the structure. This discovery necessitated a strategic approach, prompting crews to combat the fire from a secured distance. Upon closer examination, Cuerpo confirmed that these barrels were, fortunately, empty.

During their determined firefighting efforts, personnel reported that the warehouse’s roof gave way, partially collapsing at approximately 1:15 a.m. This structural failure restricted crews from entering what remained of the building. However, by 3:22 a.m., teams had successfully extinguished the blaze. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Cuerpo stated that investigations to determine the cause of the fire are currently ongoing.

This comes after another fire broke out in another commercial building on Tuesday morning, approximately 20 minutes away on the 2700 block of E Madison St. in the Central District. The fire broke out at approximately 3:22 a.m. and crews were able to extinguish the fire at approximately 5:30 a.m.

No injuries were reported, and Cuerpo confirmed that the cause of the fire was accidental in the same press conference on Wednesday morning.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is placing a significant wager on her affordable housing strategy, spotlighting a landmark housing effort that City Hall touts as the most extensive development sanctioned under her expedited building scheme.

Planned as Viva L.A. at Warner Center in Woodland Hills, this ambitious project aims to introduce close to 3,200 affordable assisted living apartments for seniors, marking it the largest endeavor to navigate Bass’ streamlined approval pathway.

Spanning about 2 million square feet, this development is set to reinvent a portion of Warner Center into a high-density haven for senior citizens. City officials underscore the necessity of this initiative, highlighting Los Angeles’ pressing shortage of affordable housing coupled with a swiftly aging population.

On Tuesday, Mayor Bass teamed up with Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who serves the neighborhood, and project developers to commemorate this pivotal achievement. She hailed the development as a testament to her administration’s success in diminishing bureaucratic hurdles to deliver tangible outcomes.

“Since the beginning, my focus has been on eliminating red tape and fostering quicker, more reliable approvals to tackle our affordability crisis head-on,” Bass remarked. “Viva L.A. at Warner Center will offer nearly 3,200 affordable senior housing units, the largest undertaking under our Executive Directive 1.”

The mayor’s office says nearly 47,000 affordable housing units are now in the pipeline under Executive Directive 1, which allows qualifying 100% affordable housing developments to move through the city’s approval process more quickly. 

Blumenfield credited the project to a combination of Bass’ executive order and the Warner Center 2035 Specific Plan, which he helped shepherd more than a decade ago.

“Viva L.A. at Warner Center will become a transformative investment in the West San Fernando Valley,” Blumenfield said. “This project expands affordable housing options for our aging population while making meaningful progress in addressing our housing crisis.”

Developers say the project is designed to challenge the traditional model of assisted living.

George Kutnerian, co-founder and CEO of Wellpointe Inc., said affordable assisted living has long been built in sprawling suburban campuses instead of dense urban neighborhoods where seniors can access transit, shopping and healthcare.

“Viva rejects that premise,” Kutnerian said. “Affordable housing, paired with assisted living services as needed, can be delivered at the scale and density that California’s aging population actually needs.”

But not everyone welcomed the announcement.

The proposal quickly ignited debate online, with some Los Angeles Reddit users expressing concerns about the size of the development and its impact on the surrounding community.

“They call it ‘Viva.’ I call it ‘The Necropolis,’” one commenter wrote, while another pushed back saying: “3,500 units. That’s a lot of people.”

Others questioned why another affordable housing project is being targeted toward seniors instead of younger working adults struggling to afford Los Angeles’ soaring rents.

“Affordable housing? When do I get that? I’m drowning over here,” another user posted.

Many others, however, defended the project, noting that seniors are one of the fastest-growing homeless populations in Los Angeles and often survive on fixed incomes that make market-rate housing impossible.

Supporters also argued that creating thousands of senior housing units could free up single-family homes and apartments currently occupied by older residents, increasing housing supply for younger families.

“If older folks move out of single-family homes to move into this development, that’s potentially a few thousand homes coming on the market,” one commenter wrote. “In a housing supply crunch, all new housing is good housing.”

The Viva L.A. project will still need to complete additional planning and construction before welcoming residents.

President Donald Trump expressed his gratitude towards Iran for what he described as a “gesture of goodwill” following the release of an American woman who had been unjustly detained in 2024. In his remarks, he also took the opportunity to criticize former President Joe Biden.

On Wednesday, Trump conveyed his appreciation through a post on Truth Social, confirming that the woman had successfully left Iran and was in “good condition.”

“Iran has allowed an American citizen, wrongfully detained in December 2024 during the ‘presidency’ of Sleepy Joe Biden, to leave the country,” the president stated.

He further shared, “She is now safely outside of Iran and in good condition. The United States of America appreciates this gesture of goodwill by Iran!”

The woman was identified as Dena Karari, in a post to X by her attorney Jared Genser. 

Genser noted that Karari had been held in Iran on “bogus charges” since December 2024 before expressing gratitude towards Trump for her release.

‘This would not have happened but for the extraordinary and relentless efforts of [President Donald Trump]. Dena is now safe and traveling back to the United States.,’ wrote the lawyer. 

Her release comes amid Trump’s recent decision on Tuesday to reinstate his naval blockade of Iran, barring ships from entering or leaving their ports, days after Tehran attacked another commercial vessel and declared the Strait of Hormuz closed.

The President also claimed on Monday that the US would be paid a 20 percent tariff for securing safe passage for commercial vessels through the Persian Gulf. The details of Trump’s demand were not immediately clear.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that the US ‘will be, from this point forward, known as “The Guardian of the Hormuz Strait.”‘

Trump reportedly met with top military officials in a high-stakes Situation Room meeting on Tuesday to plot a massive military offensive against Iran, three well-placed sources have revealed to Axios.

The plot is expected to dwarf current strikes around the Strait of Hormuz, which has been hammered with airstrikes for four consecutive nights as the war hits its 137th day.

Among those present were Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine.

The gathering of top minds reportedly focused on the blueprint for new strikes on strategic spots inside Iran and additional strikes in the Strait.

US officials confirmed the ultimate goal of the relentless bombardment is to completely dismantle Iran’s capability to launch attacks on shipping vessels in the vital Strait of Hormuz.

In a response to the pressure, Tehran has retaliated by continuing to rain down waves of missiles and suicide drones targeting American military bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain.

The ongoing American airstrikes have primarily hammered Iran’s critical air defense networks, radar systems, anti-ship missile batteries and drone launch pads.

At least seven ‌personnel were killed in the strikes on a ‌military base in Bampur, Iran overnight, Iran’s ‌army said on ⁠Wednesday.

Trump told Fox News on Tuesday that US forces would ‘hit them very hard tonight, very hard tomorrow night’ in a brutal campaign that won’t stop until he says ‘enough.’

‘I’ll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we’ll hit energy targets,’ Trump warned.

‘We’re going to hit them very hard the night after, and then next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants.’

Trump also said the US would target bridges next week unless Iran was willing to negotiate a peace deal that included giving up their nuclear ambitions.

He vowed the attacks will continue ‘until I say it’s enough.’ 

CHICAGO (WLS) — As election season looms, federal cybersecurity experts have raised the alarm over a potentially far-reaching hacking campaign believed to be linked to Russia. This revelation has cast new doubts over the security of upcoming elections.

New intelligence suggests that Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and his counterparts are proactively strategizing to shield elections from various threats. The focus has been on countering foreign interference and battling disinformation, which could undermine democratic processes.

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This strategic meeting occurred just before a critical alert was released by federal cybersecurity officials. The alert addresses a new threat from FSB-16, an arm of Russia’s Federal Security Service, targeting vital infrastructure nationwide, from telecommunications to utilities and government systems.

“Desperate entities will take desperate measures,” noted Jake Braun, who leads the Cyber Policy Initiative at the University of Chicago. His statement captures the high stakes as international tensions escalate through cyberspace.

Braun also highlighted that recent advancements in artificial intelligence have exponentially enhanced the scope and sophistication of these cyberattacks, underscoring the urgent need for heightened vigilance and innovation in cybersecurity strategies.

“AI really puts that on overdrive … to send out hundreds of 1000s, millions, and millions of attacks all at once to millions of potential victims, whether they be small businesses, local governments, whatever,” Braun said. “And so that was possible before, but not with the level of sophistication and the level of reach that it is now.”

Braun, a former senior counselor to the secretary of Homeland Security, said the warning carries added significance because of Russia’s infiltration of the Illinois State Board of Elections in July 2016.

“So yes, absolutely, Russia is desperate right now. Ukraine has them on the ropes, and there’s no telling what they’re going to do in the midterms or any other time,” Braun said.

According to federal indictments against a dozen Russian operatives, cyber spies stole the names, addresses, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers of about half a million Illinois voters in the 2016 breach.

Illinois election officials have maintained that no votes were changed.

Election security efforts in Illinois are monitored through the Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center, or STIC, headquartered in Springfield. Among its responsibilities, the center monitors intelligence streams for evidence of foreign probes, tampering or cyberattacks targeting election systems.

Security experts said the campaign to dampen American confidence is unrelenting.

“They don’t care about our personal politics or anything,” Braun said. “They want to undermine American faith in our institutions and in our country, and the way they will go about doing that is undermining the infrastructure that underpins those institutions.”

Federal officials and cybersecurity experts continue to urge businesses, government agencies and other institutions to take steps to mitigate cyber threats as concerns over foreign interference and critical infrastructure security persist.