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‘The buck stops with me’: Oakland mayor acknowledges struggles, crime problem in State of the City address

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:37 GMT

OAKLAND — Looking back at a calendar year that so far has presented a new challenge at every turn, Mayor Sheng Thao on Tuesday focused on the issue that seems to define the city’s struggles in the public eye: crime.“I can honestly tell you that it is the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning, and it’s the only thing on my mind when I fall asleep at night — the safety of the constituency here in the city of Oakland,” the mayor said.It was Thao’s first “State of the City” address, with the annual event arriving on the heels of a powder-keg level of tension around public safety.The city has seen a slew of other hot-button issues, including a crippling ransomware attack and a historically large budget deficit, plus the mayor’s firing of the ex-police chief over an internal scandal and her increasingly rancorous falling out with the likely departing Oakland A’s.However, Thao praised the strength and resil...

X, formerly Twitter, will charge new users in two countries $1 per year to post

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:37 GMT

(NEXSTAR) -- X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, announced it will begin charging certain users a $1 annual fee to access basic features as part of a test to crack down on bots and spammers.The test, coined "Not A Bot," rolled out Tuesday in two countries: New Zealand and the Phillippines. New users in these regions must subscribe to the plan to post, like, reply to, quote, or bookmark content on the web version of the platform. Those who opt out of paying will only be able to view posts, watch videos, and follow accounts. The company said in a blog post that it developed the program "to defend against bots and spammers who attempt to manipulate the platform and disrupt the experience of other X users." Musk: X, formerly Twitter, ‘moving toward’ monthly fee It also noted that the test does not apply to existing accounts. New Zealand and the Phillippines are the only countries where X is conducting the test now. It's unclear how long the test will last.X owner E...

China’s economy grows 4.9% in Q3, beating expectations but slowing from previous quarter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:37 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — China’s economy slowed in the third quarter, amid muted global demand, deflationary pressures and an ailing property sector.The world’s second-largest economy grew 4.9% year-over-year in the July-September quarter, beating the 4.5% forecast by analysts but slowing from the 6.3% growth in the previous quarter, according to official data released Wednesday.On a quarterly basis, the economy grew by 1.3% in the third quarter, compared to 0.8% growth in the April-to-June quarter.For the first nine months of the year, China’s economy grew 5.2% compared to the same period last year, suggesting it is on track with Beijing’s target of about 5% growth for 2023.Officials from the National Bureau of Statistics cautioned that the external environment was becoming “more complex and grave” and warned that domestic demand remained insufficient.Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management, said that although the numbers beat expectations China’s economy ...

Medicare open enrollment season is a target for scammers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:37 GMT

You may have seen ads by mail, email, phone and on TV for the Medicare enrollment period which starts on Oct. 15 and ends on Dec. 7. That means it’s open season for Medicare and for Medicare scammers.So how can you know if what you’re hearing is legit?“If somebody [calls saying] they’re from the government, that they need your information, hang up the phone pretty quickly. Nobody from the government is ever going to be calling you up and asking you for your Social Security, or your medical number or your personal information,” said Ira Rheingold, a consumer attorney with the National Association of Consumer Advocates.He said the scammer will contact you out of the blue, pretending to be official offering big health discounts. Medicare won’t do that.“It’s a time when people are relatively vulnerable. Medicare is complicated. Signing up for it can be complicated and scammers know that as well,” Rheingold said.According to the Natio...

Australian cricketers create “fighting fund” for national netball players in pay dispute

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:37 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia’s cricketers have created a “fighting fund” to help the country’s netball players amid a bitter pay dispute with Netball Australia.Officials are still confirming the finer details of the deal, but the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) on Wednesday said the fund would be created for their counterparts in netball, a basketball-style professional sport played predominately by women.The netball players have been off contract since Sept. 30. Part of the dispute involves the players’ push for a revenue-sharing model, rather than a profit-share deal proposed by the eight Super Netball clubs and Netball Australia.Netball Australia has been criticized over the past year for its choice of sponsorship dollars. It has the highest women’s participation rate for any sport in Australia, with Netball Australia estimating 1 million players nationwide.The most recent pay issue came to a head last week with both the Australian Netball Players Association (ANP...

Cam Talbot, Trevor Moore carry Kings to 1st win of season, 5-1 over Jets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:37 GMT

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Cam Talbot made 26 saves and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-1 on Tuesday night for their first victory of the season.Trevor Moore had two goals and an assist, Phillip Danault had a goal and two assists and Arthur Kaliyev had a goal and an assist. Pierre-Luc Dubois also scored. The Kings opened with a two-game homestand, falling 5-2 to Colorado and 6-5 to Carolina in a shootout.Mark Scheifele ended Talbot’s shutout bid with 1:16 left.Connor Hellebuyck stopped 24 shots for Winnipeg.UP NEXTKings: At Minnesota on Thursday night.Jets: Host Vegas on Thursday night.___AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhlSource

Gio Reyna scores twice in 4-0 rout of Ghana, his first US goals since family feud with Berhalter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:37 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Gio Reyna scored his first two internationals goals since a family feud with coach Gregg Berhalter erupted at last year’s World Cup, leading the United States to a 4-0 rout of Ghana in an exhibition on Tuesday night.Reyna put the U.S. ahead in the 10th minute, Christian Pulisic doubled the lead with a penalty kick in the 19th, and Folarin Balogun scored in the 22nd to give the Americans three goals in a 12-minute span. Reyna scored again in the 39th for sixth international goal and first two-goal game for the U.S.Reyna has been regaining fitness since fracturing a leg last June and played the first half for the second straight match. The 20-year-old midfielder’s first game under Berhalter since the controversy was in Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Germany.A son of former U.S. captain Claudio Reyna and American midfielder Danielle Egan, Gio Reyna was limited to a pair of substitute appearances in Qatar. Berhalter said during a management conference a...

Cozens scores game-winning goal in OT, lifts Buffalo Sabres to 3-2 win over Tampa Bay Lightning

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:37 GMT

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Dylan Cozens scored 1:46 into overtime, and the Buffalo Sabres overcame blowing a two-goal lead to secure their first win of the season by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Tuesday night.Zemgus Girgensons and Jeff Skinner also scored for Buffalo, and rookie goalie Devon Levi stopped 21 shots in rebounding after opening the season with two losses.Brandon Hagel scored twice for the Lightning, including the overtime-forcing goal with seven seconds left. Jonas Johansson finished with 28 saves as Tampa Bay battled back to avoid being swept on its three-game road trip following losses at Detroit and Ottawa.The Sabres controlled much of the play in overtime, with Cozens accepting a pass in the high slot. He then skated to the edge of the right circle, where he snapped a hard shot to beat Johansson.Hagel saved the Lightning a point in the standings with his team-leading fourth goal of the season.After the Sabres twice failed to clear the zone, Tampa Bay’s Brayden P...

Neymar injured in Brazil’s 2-0 loss at Uruguay in World Cup qualifying

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:37 GMT

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Brazil striker Neymar suffered a serious-looking left knee injury during his national team’s 2-0 loss at Uruguay in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night.Uruguay’s goals came on a header by Darwin Núnez in the 42nd minute and a close-range finish by Nicolás de la Cruz in the 77th. It was Brazil’s first defeat in 37 matches of World Cup qualifying.Neymar, a 31-year-old making his 128th appearance for Brazil, left the field in tears after being surrounded by players from both teams. With and without Neymar, Brazil had its worst performance under new coach Fernando Diniz, who will remain in the job at least until next year’s Copa America. “In the short run we need to be realistic, we need to improve,” Brazil captain Casemiro said. “For Neymar to leave the match it is surely something serious. But I hope it isn’t at the end. He has had those injuries whenever he starts picking up his pace again, it is hard.”Later Tuesday, World Cup winner Ar...

What causes broken rails? Train expert explains after Colorado derailment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:37 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Federal investigators have released preliminary information showing a broken rail likely caused the Colorado train derailment near Pueblo on Sunday.That derailment killed a truck driver on Interstate 25 and has led to an indefinite closure of the interstate. The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary findings on Tuesday. What is Prop HH? Voters to decide on property taxes and TABOR dollars Train derailment investigator Gary Wolf told FOX31 that broken rails are a common cause of derailments.“The rails are made of high-quality steel, but occasionally, there can be an imperfection in the rail," Wolf said. "These can develop quickly or sometimes they develop slowly, and when they do, they start cracking out the railroad. And eventually, it results in the rail breaking part, and obviously, you lose continuity in the rail surface and the wheels go down and hit the ground.”Train cars moved off the highway after a derailment on a bridge across ...