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California economy falls to 5th best in US on this scorecard

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:08 GMT

”Survey says” looks at various rankings and scorecards judging geographic locations while noting these grades are best seen as a mix of artful interpretation and data.Buzz: California has the nation’s fifth-best economy on one scorecard, but that lofty grade dropped by two spots in a year.Source: My trusty spreadsheet reviewed WalletHub’s annual look at state-by-state economic achievement. The financial advice website assembled 28 economic and demographic metrics into three equally weighted slices of business performance: economic activity (stats on output and business formation), economic health (a mesh of jobs, income and affordability), and innovation potential (technology-related trends).ToplineFinishing ahead of California on this 2023 scorecard was No. 1 Washington, then Utah, Massachusetts and Colorado. The worst economy was in West Virginia, then Louisiana, Alaska, Mississippi and Hawaii.And California’s big rivals? Texas was No. 9 and Florida was 13th.Deta...

Man fatally shot in East Oakland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:08 GMT

OAKLAND — A 56-year-old man was fatally shot in East Oakland on Monday night, authorities said.His name was not immediately released by police.The man was shot about 8:30 p.m. Monday outside in the 1700 block of 13th Avenue, an area with a mixture of commercial and residential buildings. He was pronounced dead at the scene.A motive for the killing has not been determined. No arrests have been made and investigators have not released any suspect information.The killing is the 46th homicide investigated by Oakland police this year. Last year at this time police had investigated 48 homicides in the city.Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering up to $10,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest of the killer. Anyone with information may call police at 510-238-3821 or 510-238-7950 or Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572.

Public funding bill for Oakland A’s ballpark plan in Las Vegas stalls without a vote

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:08 GMT

The Oakland A’s decades-long pursuit of a stadium deal took another turn late Monday night when the Nevada Legislature adjourned without considering a bill proposing public financing of up to $380 million to help pay for the construction of a new baseball stadium along the Las Vegas Strip.The future of the contentious bill is now uncertain after the Democratic-controlled Legislature did not advance it before the midnight deadline as Monday turned to Tuesday. The proposal could potentially be considered in a special legislative session at a date to be determined later, where lawmakers would later vote on it.Lawmakers also failed to pass one of the five major budget bills that included over $1 billion to fund capital improvement projects that fund state public works and construction, which would also likely be considered for a special session. The measure faltered in the Senate as they ran out of time for a second vote after party disagreements lasted until the midnight deadline...

Milpitas Family Campout is a sold out event

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:08 GMT

Families pitched their tents under the stars June 3 at the second annual Family Campout at Jose Higuera Adobe Park in Milpitas.The event, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and sponsored in part by the Boy Scouts of America, was sold out, and the number of attendees was almost triple that of the inaugural year.Along with a rainbow assortment of tents, games and crafts areas started to form while some families enjoyed a story time circle presented by the Milpitas Library. Presentations were made by the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department, environmental volunteers, Milpitas Sanitation and Milpitas Historical Society throughout the event.The Milpitas Police Department sponsored a barbecue dinner with hamburgers, hotdogs and veggie dogs. The Boy Scouts’ flag folding ceremony kicked off the evening. When darkness fell, the park’s firepits were used to roast marshmallows for S’mores.The Solid Gold Stranger band played harmony-rich bluegrass music, old-time fiddle tunes ...

California psychic targeted in lawsuits claims rival clairvoyants tried to drive her out of business

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:08 GMT

Sophia Adams, a clairvoyant to the stars for more than 40 years, didn’t need a crystal ball to see that her Palos Verdes Estates business had been dealt the proverbial Five of Pentacles, a tarot card that foreshadows impending financial doom.That much seemed clear when a Los Angeles attorney phoned her husband, George Adams, on Sept. 19, 2021, to relay a threat from a rival who purportedly wanted to push her out of the area so he could expand his psychic reading clientele throughout the South Bay.“He wants you to get out of the town … or he is going to do something,” the attorney said during the call, a recording of which was obtained by the Southern California News Group.George Adams, who declined to publicly identify the attorney or the business rival because he fears retaliation, was shaken by the demand to immediately shutter Psychic Love Specialist By Sophia, which has operated in Palos Verdes Estates since 2020 and has counted Joan Rivers, Cher, and actress Delta Burke among i...

Suspect nabbed in string of business burglaries in Campbell

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:08 GMT

May 290920 600 block of East Campbell Avenue: A man, 30,  brandished a knife at the victim, who hit the knife out of his hands and went to the police station to report it. A dirk or dagger was located on the suspect, and the victim identified him.11:12 p.m. in the 500 block of East Campbell Avenue: Officers responded to an alarm and found the door to a business forced open. Money was taken. Doors to three other businesses in the complex were forced open, and money was missing. Officers heard a noise nearby and contacted a man, 39, who was in possession of a pry bar, methamphetamine, a glass pipe, credit cards not belonging to him, brass knuckles and money in different denominations. He also lied about his name due to being on probation for seven counts of burglary.May 30Overnight in the 600 block of East Campbell Avenue: Someone spray-painted the bathrooms.Overnight in the 1000 block of Abbott Avenue: Someone spray-painted the inside of the bathrooms.4:55 p.m. at South Winchester Bo...

Climate, business groups clash over Gov. Newsom’s proposed environmental law reforms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:08 GMT

The debate over reforming California’s trademark environmental review law has raged for decades. But if legislators approve a sweeping set of reforms Gov. Gavin Newsom is pitching as part of the upcoming fiscal year’s budget, that law and related policies could be streamlined by the end of the month.Business groups say reforming the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, will allow infrastructure and housing projects to advance more quickly, which in turn could help California move closer to its goals for more clean energy and affordable housing.“We strongly support this plan that will speed up construction, expedite court review, smooth permitting and address the abuse of the CEQA process that has halted key projects,” a coalition of 88 business organizations — including the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, Inland Empire Economic Partnership and Orange County Business Council — wrote in a letter Monday, June 5, urging state legislators to approve Newsom’s plan.But while env...

Merck sues federal government, calling plan to negotiate Medicare drug prices ‘extortion’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:08 GMT

Merck is suing the federal government over a plan to negotiate Medicare drug prices, calling the program a sham equivalent to extortion.The drugmaker is seeking to halt the program, which was laid out in the Inflation Reduction Act and is expected to save taxpayers billions of dollars in the coming years.Merck said in a complaint filed Tuesday that the program does not involve genuine negotiation. Instead, it said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services selects drugs to be included and then dictates the price, threatening drugmakers with “a ruinous daily excise tax” if they decline to agree.“It is tantamount to extortion,” the drugmaker said in the complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.The drugmaker added that it expects its diabetes treatment Januvia to be part of “the IRA’s scheme” starting later this year.Representatives of the federal agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.The fed...

‘Jerry Maguire’ star Cuba Gooding Jr. settles civil sex abuse case, averting trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:08 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Just as a trial was to begin, it was revealed Tuesday that Cuba Gooding Jr. has settled accusations that he raped a woman in a New York City hotel a decade ago, according to court records. The actor had insisted through lawyers that his encounter with the woman was consensual after the two met at a nearby restaurant.The trial was to start with jury selection in New York federal court as the Oscar-winning “Jerry Maguire” star faced allegations that he met the woman in Manhattan, persuaded her to join him at a hotel, and convinced her to stop at his room so he could change clothing.The woman had proceeded anonymously until last week, when Judge Paul A. Crotty ruled that she would have to reveal her name at trial. She said in her lawsuit that Gooding raped her in his room. His lawyers, though, insisted that it was consensual sex and that she bragged afterward to others that she had sex with a celebrity.The lawsuit sought $6 million in damages. Attorney Gloria Allred, on...

Ex-Leverkusen coach Gerardo Seoane moves to Borussia Moenchengladbach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:08 GMT

MOENCHENGLADBACH, Germany (AP) — Borussia Moenchengladbach appointed Swiss coach Gerardo Seoane on Tuesday in his first new job since a troubled end to his time with fellow Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.Seoane joined Gladbach on a three-year contract as the replacement for Daniel Farke, who left last week after a 10th-place finish following a season of inconsistent results. Gladbach beat title contenders Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund but failed to win back-to-back Bundesliga games all season.“Gerardo Seoane has been successful for several clubs over the past few years. He’s a young coach, but one with lots of experience. He plays the style of football we want to see here,” said Roland Virkus, Gladbach’s managing director for sport.Seoane won three Swiss titles with Young Boys before moving to Germany with Leverkusen, where he qualified for the Champions League in his first season with a third-place finish, the club’s best since 2016. However, Seoane was fired in...