Hasta La Gadget!

Authorities in California were searching Friday for Janet Mejia, a 28-year-old department store worker whose car was found abandoned a day after she was reported missing.

“We want Janet to come home … we love you [and] we miss you,” Mejia’s sister, Daisy Mejia, told Sacramento’s CBS 13 News. “I’m praying to God that you’re OK.”

Janet Mejia was reported missing Tuesday night, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department. Her roommate told police she was last seen that morning leaving their Sacramento apartment for a doctor’s appointment. Mejia missed the appointment and failed to show up for work at the Nordstrom department store in Roseville.

According to the Sacramento Bee, Mejia grew up in Stockton and graduated from California State University, Sacramento, last year with a degree in American Sign Language and deaf studies.

“Her disappearance is out of the ordinary,” the sheriff’s department said in a press release on Wednesday. “She is usually in constant contact with her family.”

Authorities located Mejia’s blue 2011, four-door Honda on Wednesday afternoon in the Arden-Arcade area, reportedly a 15-minute drive from her apartment. Mejia has no known connection to the area, the sheriff’s department said. 

In an interview with Sacramento’s Fox 40 News, Daisy Mejia said police found her sister’s credit card in the Nordstrom parking lot.

“That is what they are telling us,” she said. “We don’t know if it’s related” to Janet Mejia’s disappearance.

Authorities haven’t confirmed the find.

Mejia is described as Hispanic, approximately 5 feet tall, 120 to 125 pounds, with long black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt with the word “PINK” on the front. She is fluent in English, Spanish and American Sign Language.

“We hope for the best and pray she is OK,” Daisy Mejia told Fox 40 News. “Her dream is to become an interpreter for the deaf, and I just want to ask help from anyone and everyone to help her achieve that dream.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s department at 916-874-5115.

David Lohr covers crime and missing persons. Tips? Feedback? Send an email or follow him on Twitter.

type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related… + articlesList=58d8871ce4b0f633072b3941,57c71d9ce4b0e60d31dcd052

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Hollywood icon Samuel L. Jackson stars in a new radio ad encouraging residents of Georgia’s 6th Congressional District to vote Democratic in Tuesday’s special election.

The narrater of the ad, released Friday by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, introduces Jackson as an award-winning actor and civil rights activist, as well as a graduate of Morehouse, a historically black college in Atlanta. Then Jackson makes his pitch.

“Stop Donald Trump, the man who encourages racial and religious discrimination and sexism,” Jackson says. “Remember what happened the last time people stayed home: We got stuck with Trump.”

The ad does not mention any Democratic candidates by name. But it clearly aims to help Jon Ossoff, the 30-year-old documentary filmmaker who has mounted a competitive challenge in the normally Republican district.

The minute-long audio spot will air Saturday through Tuesday on urban radio stations in the Atlanta area with the goal of turning out black voters. It is part of a larger six-figure radio ad buy aimed at turning out African-American voters, according to the DCCC.

”We have to channel the great vengeance and furious anger we have for this administration into votes at the ballot box,” Jackson says in the ad. “Do your friends and family a favor ― hell, do yourself a favor, and vote on April 18th!”

Georgia uses a nonpartisan “jungle primary” system to elect members of Congress. That means Ossoff will compete alongside several Democrats and Republicans in Tuesday’s contest. He will win outright if he obtains a majority of votes. If no candidate obtains a majority, the top two candidates will proceed to a runoff election on June 20.

Ossoff’s candidacy has attracted millions of dollars in grassroots and party fundraising as Democrats try to translate the backlash to President Donald Trump, and the enthusiasm of the liberal base, into concrete electoral gains. In addition to Jackson, television star Alyssa Milano has pitched in for Ossoff by offering residents free rides to early voting.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, whose appointment opened up the seat, won re-election in the affluent district by 23 points in November. But Trump captured the district by a mere 1.5 points.

Preliminary data suggests that Democratic voters have disproportionately participated in early voting in the district, which could be a positive sign for Ossoff.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

“Star Wars” has launched a career or two in its time. This year, the franchise will introduce us to Kelly Marie Tran, who plays a Resistance mechanic named Rose. 

Tran joined the cast panel at Friday’s “Star Wars” Celebration event in Orlando, where director Rian Johnson said she will join Rey and Finn as characters with only one name. 

“This possibility that any of us could step up and become a hero, that’s where Rose comes from,” Johnson told the crowd, comparing her to Luke Skywalker and Rey. “She’s not a soldier, she’s not looking to be a hero. But she gets pulled into a very big adventure with Finn.” (Watch Tran join the panel around the 40:00 mark in the video below.)

Tran is a San Diego native whose IMDb page is peppered with sketch-comedy work. She’s a CollegeHumor regular and a co-star of the web series “Ladies Like Us.” Tran also appeared on a couple of “About a Boy” episodes and, according to Entertainment Weekly, trained with improv groups like Second City and Upright Citizens Brigade. 

Showing off her comedic roots, Tran said during the panel that she told her family she was shooting an indie movie in Canada because “The Last Jedi” was so top-secret. “At one point, I actually got some maple syrup so I could bring it back to them so they actually thought I was in Canada,” she quipped. 

Disney hasn’t revealed any images of Rose yet. “I can’t wait for you to meet her,” Tran said.

type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related… + articlesList=58f0bcebe4b0b9e9848b14c1,58e8fac2e4b00de14103d93e,57d1658fe4b06a74c9f2db0c

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

The Candy Crush craze continues to reach new heights. Just when you thought a TV show based on the popular game was more than you could handle, well, that’s not the only thing happening in time for summer. King, the app’s developer, has teamed up wit…

Selfie sticks are still a thing, much to my personal dismay, so if you really have to have one, here’s an $8 deal on Anker’s. This one relies on a headphone jack connection for shutter control, rather than Bluetooth, which I think is actually preferable (assuming your phone has a headphone jack). It’s one less thing…

Read more…