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Home Based Business

Find handmade gifts from Mexico at Walnut Creek boutique Portal Artesanal [Video]

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (KGO) — Along bustling North Main Street in Walnut Creek is a gift shop bursting with color and culture. Nearly everything you’ll find in Portal Artesanal is handmade in Mexico.

From jewelry to clothes to home decor, everyone in the family can take a little piece of Mexico home with them when they visit.

The women-owned, family business is managed by co-owner Erika Pantoja. She and her sister founded Portal Artesanal in 2019 by selling products online and at events. Fast forward to 2023, and they were able to open their first brick and mortar location.

Pantoja said she thinks of the store as a piece of home for the Hispanic community in the East Bay. She also sees it as an opportunity to share her culture with others. “As an immigrant, it’s difficult for some of us to go back to our home country. For me, it’s really emotional that other …

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Home Based Business

Firefighter, retired judge among men charged in suspected prostitution ring [Video]

Prosecutors charged five additional men in connection to a suspected prostitution ring operating out of an apartment on Milwaukee's near west side. The new misdemeanor charges come just days after public defender Travis Schwantes faced serious charges in the same investigation. Prosecutors accused Schwantes of falsifying documents in order to defend one of the sex workers investigators say he solicited. Schwantes resigned from the Office of the Wisconsin State Public Defender in September. George Easton, 76, of Pleasant Prairie; William Green, 59, of West Allis; David Ornstein, 50, of Milwaukee; Christopher Riegg, 55, of Greenfield; and Leroy Stewart, 53, of Racine, each face a misdemeanor pandering-solicitation charge.Investigators said the men paid sex workers operating out of an apartment building near 29th and Kilbourn. According to the court documents, Easton is a retired Pleasant Prairie municipal judge. The complaint said he admitted to police he paid a woman "$200.00 per hour to engage in acts of prostitution." Investigators said Ornstein is a Milwaukee firefighter. According to court documents, he had multiple paid sexual encounters, including one "just hours prior to his arrest" in March. Milwaukee fire Chief Aaron Lipski said the department launched an open internal investigation. "We take these matters extremely seriously," Lipski said. According to the complaint, Stewart runs Sunset Options Funerals and Cremation in Oak Creek. A sex worker told investigators he paid for sex encounters at the near west side apartment and at the funeral home. Stewart told police he "didn't recall having sex with her there."Online records show Riegg works in investment banking. Court documents said he paid for sex acts "once a week during 2021 through 2023."Investigators said a sex worker provided Green's first and last name and occupation as a lawyer. He told police he is affiliated with the Salvation Army and that he would see the sex worker for companionship and "to take a break from his wife."WISN 12 News made attempts to get ahold of each of the men, none of which had a comment Monday night. The court documents said a sex worker provided information to police. That woman has since been charged and convicted for keeping a place of prostitution. At her sentencing, her attorney said she was a victim of sex trafficking. The five men charged Monday each face a misdemeanor charge. If convicted, they could each face a maximum fine of $10,000 and prison time up to nine months. They're due to face a judge next month.