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Southern California hotel workers strike again as 'hot labor summer' grows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:44:51 GMT

Writers and actors aren't the only ones on strike in Los Angeles.On Thursday morning, thousands of hotel workers in Southern California walked out on strike and picketed their employers in "the largest multi-hotel strike in California history," according to Unite Here Local 11, the union representing the workers. The workers also walked off the job for the Fourth of July weekend.The workers are seeking better pay and benefits, including raises that will allow them to live closer to the hotels where they work instead of commuting multiple hours a day, the union said."Only the Westin Bonaventure has reached an agreement with UNITE HERE Local 11 that includes a living wage that will allow workers to afford to live in the city where they work," Unite Here said in a press release. Thousands of hotel workers in Southern California are on strike, demanding better pay and benefits That leaves 59 other hotels who have not reached a deal after the contract with the union expired at the end...

Tommy and Atticus Opens in Redondo Beach and Supper At Wrensmoor Castle – Here’s What’s Popping Up

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:44:51 GMT

The beloved Tommy and Atticus bakery, which has been a fixture at the Hermosa, Pacific Palisades and Larchmont farmers markets, opened a sleek new bakery and coffee shop in Redondo Beach last week. Within four hours of opening, they sold out of their popular brownies, breads, almond croissants and chocolate chip cookies within four hours in the first two days of operation.  “After working eight years as a CPA, I left my career in public accounting to pursue my passion for baking,” owner and Gjusta alum Garrett McPerry tells L.A. Weekly. “After getting furloughed at the beginning of the pandemic, my wife Lauren and I expanded our sourdough bread business from baking everything in our small Brentwood apartment and selling our baked goods door to door, to expanding into farmers markets across Los Angeles, and now we’re so excited to open our first brick-and-mortar shop in North Redondo Beach.”In addition to their selection of breads that include super seed and nut, rosemary garli...

Morgan Baker Killed in Hit-and-Run Crash on Interstate 5 [Fife, WA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:44:51 GMT

48-Year-Old Motorcyclist Killed in Traffic Accident near 54th Avenue EastFIFE, WA (July 20, 2023) – Early Wednesday morning, police responded to a hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of Morgan Baker.The crash happened on July 19th, just after 3:15 a.m., in the northbound lanes of Interstate 5, near 54th Avenue East.According to reports, motorcyclist Morgan Baker, was struck by a speeding BMW in the southbound lanes. The impact of the collision ejected Baker off her bike, over the barrier, and into the southbound HOV lanes of the 5 Freeway.As a result of the collision, the BMW rolled over and landed upside down. The 20-year-old driver fled the scene on foot.Emergency crews at the scene pronounced 48-year-old Morgan Baker dead, due to the extent of her injuries.Eventually, the police found and arrested the involved driver Wednesday night. The suspect was taken into Pierce County Jail with felony hit-and-run and vehicular homicide charges.No additional information was added b...

Man Killed in Pedestrian Crash on West Wapato Road [Yakima County, WA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:44:51 GMT

Vehicle Accident near Lateral A Road Left One DeadYAKIMA COUNTY, WA (July 20, 2023) – Late Tuesday night, a man was killed in a deadly pedestrian crash on West Wapato Road.The incident occurred at around 11:15 p.m., on July 18th, on the 2300 block of West Wapato Road, involving a pedestrian and a vehicle, the Yakima County Sheriff’s Deputies said.Furthermore, witnesses told the authorities that the pedestrian was already on the road before he was struck by the vehicle.Responding authorities pronounced the man dead at the scene due to the extent of his injuries.After the crash, the driver who hit the pedestrian remained at the scene and was questioned by the authorities.At this time, the identity of the victim has not yet been released. Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying him.Further investigation is still underway and anyone with information is urged to call the YCSO at 509-574-2500.The team at Sweet James sends their warm and sincerest sympathies o...

The Journey is the Exhibition: Metro Art Builds Regional Connections

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:44:51 GMT

The addition of more public transportation infrastructure is worth celebrating in itself, but when it comes to the three stations of the newly opened downtown Regional Connector system, the journey is not just the destination—it’s an exhibition. Across the street levels, entrances, passageways, and platforms of the shiny new depots, eight artists were commissioned by Metro Art to create permanent, site-specific installations, along with a further pair of artists whose work inaugurates two of those stations’ rotating lightbox exhibition panels.The artists were chosen through an open competition in which some 1,200 people applied to a panel of institutional and independent arts professionals. In a gentle twist, the process did not call for over-specific proposals, but rather for a more general presentation of each artist’s aesthetic and core practice principles. Essentially, artists were chosen first, and only then were the projects developed with them—over a period of seven years—rat...

Here’s how California’s electric cars can feed the grid and help avoid brownouts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:44:51 GMT

BY ALEJANDRO LAZO | CalMattersAs a historic 10-day heat wave threatened brownouts across California last summer, a small San Diego County school district did its part to help: It captured excess power from its electric school buses and sent it back to the state’s overwhelmed grid.The eight school buses provided enough power for 452 homes each day of the heat wave, and the buses were recharged only during off hours when the grid was not strained.California energy officials have high hopes that this new power source, called bidirectional charging, will boost California’s power supply as it ramps up its ambitious agenda of electrifying its cars, trucks and buses while switching to 100% clean energy.Gov. Gavin Newsom called two-way charging technology a “game changer,” saying “this is the future” during a speech last September, about a week after the heat wave ended.This year, a bill already approved by the state Senate in a 29-9 vote would require all new electric cars sold in Californ...

Larry Magid: Inexpensive speakers for outdoor listening

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:44:51 GMT

My wife, Patti, likes to listen to music while she gardens in the backyard. She can listen through her phone’s speakers, but even though modern smartphone speakers have gotten better, they’re still not that great, especially at loud volumes. So, to allow Patti to listen to music or audio books while picking blueberries and watering her tomatoes, I decided it was time to get a portable Bluetooth speaker.Related ArticlesBusiness | I joined Threads on Day 1. Here is my experience. Business | Magid: Looking back on 40 years of writing tech columns Business | Magid: Buying a large appliance online vs. local store Business | Magid: Could a smartwatch or fitness device save your life? There are many to chose from, including several high-end products costing $200 or more. Some of these might be the right choice for use in the home, but background music while gardening isn’t exactly critical listening, so I opted to try out some...

Heat Advisory for Bay Area begins Friday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:44:51 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- If you thought you'd beat the heat for the time being, guess again. Coming hot on the heels of an earlier heat wave this month, another warm-up is on its way to the Bay Area."Inland heat makes a return tomorrow as we start to see high pressure over the desert southwest expand," KRON4 Meteorologist Kyla Grogan explained. "As this happens, our inland temperatures will start to rise."  Graphic: Kyla Grogan What will happen to Santa Cruz’s surfing sea otter? A Heat Advisory for parts of the Bay Area will go into effect Friday morning and last through Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service. Most areas away from the coast are likely to experience temperatures in the 90s.According to Grogan, the warm-up will begin Thursday.Where will it get the hottest?"On Thursday, we will likely see upper 90s to 100 degrees in the inner East Bay but that is just the beginning of the heat headed our way," she said. "I expect the heat to peak Friday and Sat...

Injured Sam Kerr misses Australia’s Women’s World Cup opener and faces longer out

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:44:51 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — Captain Sam Kerr missed Australia’s opening Women’s World Cup game against Ireland on Thursday because of a calf injury that wasn’t revealed publicly until about an hour before kickoff.Kerr will also miss the Matildas’ game against Nigeria in Brisbane next week. The striker will be assessed before the last Group B match against Canada.Australia won 1-0 in Sydney thanks to a second-half penalty from Steph Catley, but Kerr’s absence was a massive setback for the tournament co-hosts.Kerr is Australia’s leading scorer and has been the face of a heavy marketing campaign for the World Cup, which is also being co-hosted by New Zealand.The star striker injured a calf muscle during practice on Wednesday but it wasn’t confirmed until Stadium Australia was almost full with expectant fans.“I wanted to share this with everyone so there is no distraction from us doing what we came here to achieve,” Kerr wrote in an Instagram post distributed...

As temperatures rise, mosquitos are also on the move. Scientists worry that could mean more malaria

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:44:51 GMT

As the planet warms, mosquitoes are slowly migrating upward. The temperature range where malaria-carrying mosquitoes thrive is rising in elevation. Researchers have found evidence of the phenomenon from the tropical highlands of South America to the mountainous, populous regions of eastern Africa. Scientists now worry people living in areas once inhospitable to the insects, including the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro and the mountains of eastern Ethiopia, could be newly exposed to the disease. “As it gets warmer at higher altitudes with climate change and all of these other environmental changes, then mosquitoes can survive higher up the mountain,” said Manisha Kulkarni, a professor and researcher studying malaria in sub-Saharan Africa at the University of Ottawa.  ___EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part of a collaboration between The Associated Press and Grist exploring the intersection of climate change and infectious diseases.___Kulkarni led a study published in 2016 that found the habi...