Congressional leaders react to national study ranking Kern County top for fatal hit-and-run crashes
Thursday, Congressman David Valadao joined Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen to reintroduce the They're Fast, We're Furious Act where this bipartisan bill would establish a Street Racing Prevention and Intervention Task Force under the FBI to coordinate responses to street racing and unlawful organized street shows.
This bill will ultimately create safer communities and potentially save lives.
'Kern County's fatal hit-and-run accident rate is over 151% higher than the national average, and deadly crashes are a direct result of reckless driving at high speeds. Illegal street racing in our neighborhoods puts the lives of other drivers, first responders, and innocent bystanders at risk…', said Congressman Valadao.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speeding has an enormous contribution to roughly one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities over the past two decades.
Illegal street racing and streets shows are becoming increasingly common across the Central Valley. This bill takes a step towards tackling down life-threatening activities.
Establishing task force would coordinate efforts nationwide and ensure law enforcement and agencies have the best information and resources available.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
As manhunt intensifies for suspect, officials ID 4 victims in Montana bar shooting
As a manhunt continued on Sunday for a former U.S. Army soldier who allegedly gunned down a bartender and three patrons at a tavern in southwestern Montana, authorities released the names of the victims. The suspect, 45-year-old Michael Paul Brown, allegedly opened fire with a rifle around 10:30 a.m. local time Friday at The Owl Bar in Anaconda, a city of about 9,000 people in southwestern Montana, according to the Montana Department of Justice. "This is a dangerous individual who has committed an absolutely heinous crime against this community and these victims," Montana State Attorney General Austin Knudsen said at a news conference on Sunday, announcing an initial $7,500 reward for information leading to the capture of the suspect. Knudsen urged anyone with information on Brown's whereabouts to call a hotline that has also been established through the U.S. Marshals Service (877) WANTED2. Knudsen identified the shooting victims as 64-year-old Nancy Lauretta Kelly, who was the bartender at the time of the shooting; 59-year-old Daniel Edwin Bailey; 70-year-old David Allen Leach; and 74-year-old Tony Wayne Palm. He said Baillie, Leach and Palm were all patrons of The Owl Bar. The attorney general said local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are searching for Brown. "We've got air assets, ground assets. We're going to catch this guy. This is absolutely still priority No. 1," Knudsen said. On Saturday, investigators released a surveillance photo of Brown that Knudsen said was taken shortly after the shooting, in which the suspect appeared to have stripped off most of his clothes and was just in his underwear and his socks. "We have very good reason to believe that he is clothed. He does have shoes and he's probably able to get around," said Knudsen, adding that investigators suspect Brown stole a vehicle after the shooting that contained camping equipment and clothes. MORE: Man at large after allegedly killing 4 family members, leaving baby alive in Tennessee: Officials Brown lived next door to the bar and was not a stranger to the area and establishment, authorities said. Knudsen said investigators believe that Brown was familiar with most of the victims, including the bartender. "From what I gather, it sounds like he was a regular at this establishment. He literally lives next door," Knudsen said. "I think it's likely that he knew the bartender and these patrons, which even makes it more heinous." Knudsen said investigators believe Brown used a rifle in the shooting. A motive remains under investigation. "We do know the individual had access to firearms. We believe he is still probably armed and dangerous," said Brown, adding that authorities believe Brown is still in the area. Brown was in the Army from 2001 to 2005 and the National Guard from 2006 to 2009, an Army spokesperson said. He spent one year deployed in Iraq and left the service in the rank of sergeant, the Army said. Police said they found the 2007 white Ford F-150 pickup that Brown was last seen driving on Friday, but Brown remains at large. Numerous local, state and federal agencies are searching the area via ground and air, authorities said. "Residents of the area have been notified and are encouraged to stay inside their homes and on high alert," Johnson said. The shooting sparked a large law enforcement presence, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which sent agents to the scene. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte said on social media on Friday that he was "closely monitoring the situation involving an active shooter in Anaconda" and asked for prayers for the victims.
Fox News
18 hours ago
- Fox News
Patel fires back at media critics after uncovering secret FBI 'burn bags' with classified documents
FBI Director Kash Patel called out the left-wing media Saturday for labeling him a liar over his discovery of a trove of sensitive documents related to the origins of the Trump-Russia probe buried in multiple "burn bags" in a secret room inside the bureau. Sources previously told Fox News Digital the "burn bag" system is used to destroy documents designated as classified or higher. Sources also said multiple burn bags were found and filled with thousands of documents. One document FBI officials found in a burn bag, sources said, was the classified annex to former special counsel John Durham's final report, which includes the underlying intelligence he reviewed. Patel addressed the burn bags on X, reminding people of what he proved in 2017 and 2018. "In 2017/18, I proved the Steele Dossier was fictitious intelligence, weaponized by corrupt FBI officials to deceive a federal judge and unlawfully spy on then presidential candidate Trump's campaign – all paid for by his opponent," the FBI director said. "The media called me a liar. "Now I'm the FBI Director: We just uncovered burn bags/room filled with Russia Gate files, including the Durham annex, and declassified them," Patel continued. "Once again, I released the prior FBI's own documents and exposed the truth. The same media is calling me a liar again. Maybe this FBI will release more docs directly, from FBI HQ…so we can see who is lying – wouldn't want to deprive the fake news of more bogus Pulitzers." The declassification of the classified annex is being done in close coordination between CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Patel, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi and acting National Security Agency Director William Hartman. The declassified annex will be transmitted to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, who ultimately will release the document to the public. Patel, in a June interview with podcast host Joe Rogan, revealed that he found a room full of documents and computer hard drives "that no one had ever seen or heard of." "Just think about this," Patel told Rogan. "Me, as director of the FBI, the former 'Russiagate guy,' when I first got to the bureau, found a room that Comey and others hid from the world in the Hoover Building, full of documents and computer hard drives that no one had ever seen or heard of. Locked the key and hid access and just said, 'No one's ever gonna find this place.'" Patel and his staff have been working through the documents, some of which are related to sensitive investigations, including the FBI's original Trump–Russia probe, known inside the bureau as Crossfire Hurricane. It is unclear what the latest documents cover specifically, but sources told Fox News Digital that the most recent discovery was pursuant to an investigative request from Grassley. Patel has turned the documents over to Grassley. Grassley has been requesting information related to Durham's probe. Durham was appointed after then-special counsel Robert Mueller completed his yearslong investigation into the origins of the Trump–Russia probe — including intelligence community malfeasance during and in the aftermath of the 2016 election. Sources told Fox News Digital that Grassley's team is now reviewing the underlying information as part of its investigative work. As for the other records, Patel's staff is working to turn them over to Congress pursuant to investigative requests by committees of jurisdiction.
CBS News
19 hours ago
- CBS News
Michigan man sentenced for traveling with explosive devices to Massachusetts
A 31-year-old man has been sentenced for traveling with several explosive devices from Michigan to Massachusetts, federal officials said on Friday. A judge sentenced Luke Isaac Terpstra to three years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan. He pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered destructive device in April. Between late summer and early fall of 2023, Terpestra built several improvised explosive devices, also known as IEDs, the attorney's office said. In September of that same year, he traveled from Grant, Michigan, to Salem, Massachusetts, with the devices, multiple firearms and ammunition. One IED had coins attached to its side, while another had rifle ammunition attached. Both devices had a piece of cannon fuse on them, according to the attorney's office. Terpstra said he built the IEDs because he wanted to destroy a Satanic Temple by setting it on fire, officials said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation worked with the Grant Police Department, Kent County Sheriff's Office and Michigan State Police on the case. "The sentence in this case is significant and it reinforces that individuals who build bombs with the intent to injure innocent civilians and destroy property will be held accountable," U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey said in a news release on Friday.
