Good morning! ABC 10News brings you the latest headlines and local microclimate forecasts to help you start your day right.
Here's what you need to know in the Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, edition of the 10News Wake Up Call newsletter.
TODAY'S TOP STORY:
Authorities are continuing to search Yolanda Marodi, the woman suspected of stabbing her wife -- Cal Fire Capt. Rebecca “Becky” Marodi -- and leaving her to die in her Ramona home earlier this week.
Sheriff’s deputies responding to a reported assault Monday night at a home on Rancho Villa Road arrived to find 49-year-old Rebecca Marodi with multiple stab wounds.
The Cal Fire captain, a 30-year veteran of the state firefighting agency, was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Thursday, San Diego County Sheriff’s Office investigators announced they identified the victim’s wife, 53-year-old Yolanda Marodi, as the primary suspect in the Cal Fire captain’s death.
The suspect, who also goes by the last name Olejniczak, had been married to the victim for about two years, according to family members. Marodi worked for Cal Fire primarily in Riverside County, but also served stints in the San Diego and San Bernardino areas, officials with the agency said.
A spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office confirmed the suspect in Marodi's slaying was previously charged with an October 2000 murder in San Bernardino County.
The criminal complaint in that case states the victim was James Joseph Olejniczak and that the killing was committed with a knife. The relationship between the defendant and victim was not disclosed in the document.
Olejniczak later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter.
CDCR spokesperson Emily Humpal said she was sentenced to 13 years and eight months in prison for manslaughter, plus possession of drugs or alcohol in jail as a second striker. Olejniczak, who had more than 1,300 days credit for custodial time served prior to sentencing, was imprisoned from February 2004 until November 2013.
City News Service contributed to this report.
MICROCLIMATE FORECASTS:
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Deserts
BREAKING OVERNIGHT:
Israeli authorities are taking action after empty buses exploded in a suspected terror attack near Tel Aviv on Thursday.
The buses where the bombs exploded were empty and in separate parking lots about 500 meters apart from each other, authorities said.
No injuries were reported in the explosions, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered military troops to investigate and monitor the immediate West Bank area.
CONSUMER:
Layoffs at the Internal Revenue Service began Thursday, with more than 6,000 employees across the country losing their jobs as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the federal workforce.
ABC News, citing sources, said at least 6% of the IRS’ 100,000 workers were let go.
The layoffs could affect how the agency provides services for Americans, particularly during the ongoing tax filing season.
With the IRS already stretched thin during the busy tax season, many financial experts believe there is also a possibility the reduction in agency staffing could result in delays to tax refunds.
WE FOLLOW THROUGH:
Faith has been restored in North Park after a resident helped fix a religious display that had been vandalized multiple times.
ABC 10News reporter Michael Chen follows through on the neighbor’s generous actions to bring back the display.
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