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Can Alameda County recover from botched elections?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

When Alameda County made the worst kind of election error—declaring the wrong winner—in November’s election, it set off a series of very public missteps that took months to straighten out.Coming in the midst of a tense moment when concerns about election integrity had gained a foothold nationally, it was a black eye for the county, the region and democratic elections more broadly.In response, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted this month to establish an election oversight commission that they say will provide much-needed transparency and accountability to the election process.RELATED: After election debacle in Oakland, what’s next for ranked choice voting?But can it repair the perception that the county’s electoral system is broken? Helen Hutchison, chair of the Alameda County Council of the League of Women Voters, says it may be too late.“The damage is definitely already done in terms of the public trust,” Hutchison said. “I used to be able to say that the registrar̵...

How many of California’s homeless residents are from out of state?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

Contrary to the oft-spouted belief that California’s temperate climate and supposedly generous social services make it a magnet for the country’s homeless people, a comprehensive new study finds the vast majority of the state’s unhoused residents lived here before losing their housing.Why, then, is California home to almost a third of the nation’s homeless population? The main answer is simple, the University of California San Francisco study authors say: a severe shortage of affordable housing.According to the study, which surveyed nearly 3,200 homeless people statewide, nine in 10 respondents lost their housing in California. Three-quarters still lived in the same county as their last home.And while the majority reported having used illicit drugs or experiencing serious mental health issues, the study found homelessness was inextricably linked to the challenge many residents face in finding and affording stable housing.RELATED: These Bay Area cities and cou...

Truck traffic is on the rise, and not only on Highway 17: Roadshow

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

Q: Why are there suddenly so many semis and other large vehicles on Highway 17 through the Los Gatos mountains? Weren’t they restricted, other than the local bus designated for that route?David Haskin, Los Gatos MountainsA: There are only a few restrictions on truck traffic here. Trucks are limited to 35 to 50 mph and must stay in the right lane, except to pass. Truck traffic is increasing, overall, and also in this area.Q: Is there a way I can get to Modesto from San Jose on Amtrak?Loretta Du Bois, San JoseA: Take a Capitol Corridor train from San Jose Diridon to Oakland Jack London Square, then transfer to a San Joaquin train from Oakland to Modesto. There may be Amtrak train/bus combinations, as well. Check for details on Amtrak’s website.Q: Interstate 680 is still a bumpy ride in the Sunol area. When will the pavement be smoother?Many readersA: Caltrans has begun closing the right-most lane of southbound Interstate 680 at various locations and times between Alcosta B...

San Francisco's hiring practices to blame for vacant job crisis, jury finds

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

(BCN) -- San Francisco is in the throes of a hiring crisis, according to a report released by the San Francisco Civil Grand Jury on Wednesday. Vacant permanent city jobs -- from bus drivers to hospital workers and 911 call center operators -- have more than doubled in size from pre-pandemic levels, according to the report. The city's hiring practices are to blame. The city's hiring process takes too much time. The median time it takes the city to fill a job is 255 days -- about eight and a half months -- according to the report. The city's hiring process consists of three phases -- the request to fill a vacant position, recruitment and referral. In some cases, according to the jury, hiring city workers requires more than 50 steps. Search for missing Titanic submersible nears the critical mark for oxygen supply The city's hiring practices are also "notoriously opaque," as information on aspects of the hiring process like budgeting and quitting rates is not readily ava...

San Francisco business owners fed up with repeated break-ins

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – San Francisco small business owners were shaken up after repeated break-ins and vandalism at their two restaurants.The latest crime was caught on camera early Tuesday morning in the Castro. The struggle of running a small business is a shared experience in the city, but with six break-ins and cases of vandalism over eight months, the restaurant owners say the crime is beginning to feel targeted.Gai Chicken and Rice is a queer-owned business and Tuesday's burglary is a discouraging hit ahead of Pride weekend. Burglars and vandals keep hitting their two San Francisco locations. CHP investigating 5 highway shootings in 7 days in East Bay “At this point we're a little shook and in fear. We don't know what's going on. It's becoming way too regular,” said Gai Chicken and Rice business owner.A part-owner in the family business, who asked for his name and image to not be used, said since last October, the windows have been smashed at their downtown and Castro restau...

German rail union threatens open-ended strikes over pay dispute

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A German rail workers’ union said Thursday that it will ask its members to vote on all-out strike action after long-running salary talks with the main national railway operator broke down.The EVG union has already staged hours-long or one-day “warning strikes,” a common tactic in German wage negotiations. But it’s now threatening to move to longer walkouts as its negotiations with state-owned Deutsche Bahn have reached an impasse.Union leader Martin Burkert said authorization for open-ended strikes will require three quarters of all votes cast in the ballot that will take four to five weeks to be completed. He said “warning strikes” would not be ruled out while voting is taking place. The announcement comes just as school summer vacations are starting in Germany.Union leaders on Wednesday said the latest round of talks had failed. EVG has called for a pay increase of 12% and for the agreement to remain valid for 12 months rather than Deutsche Bahn’s propose...

Britain eyes boost for baseball with return of MLB, new youth programs

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

LONDON (AP) — In a country full of soccer, rugby and cricket stars, young Alex Lintern went in a different direction on dress-up day at school.“I was two people: a baseball player and Spider-Man,” the 6-year-old Londoner said.That was shortly after the World Baseball Classic, where Britain’s first-ever win at the tournament sparked some interest back home. Harry Ford, the 20-year-old American catcher with British parents, became a mini-celebrity.Baseball enthusiasts in the U.K. — there’s more than you’d think, they say — hope to build on that momentum with the return of Major League Baseball to London this weekend when the St. Louis Cardinals face the Chicago Cubs at London Stadium.“America’s pastime” likely won’t be challenging anytime soon as a first-choice sport in Britain, but baseball officials are optimistic they’re making gains. In a country that has just 60 baseball clubs and a limited Little League system, five new youth programs popped u...

Crown Crafts: Fiscal Q4 Earnings Snapshot

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

GONZALES, La. (AP) — GONZALES, La. (AP) — Crown Crafts Inc. (CRWS) on Thursday reported profit of $828,000 in its fiscal fourth quarter.The Gonzales, Louisiana-based company said it had net income of 8 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for costs related to mergers and acquisitions, were 11 cents per share.The maker of children’s products posted revenue of $21.6 million in the period.For the year, the company reported profit of $5.7 million, or 56 cents per share. Revenue was reported as $75.1 million._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CRWS at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CRWSSource

El tráiler de ‘Priscilla’ repasa la historia de amor de la icónica pareja de Elvis

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

(CNN) — La famosa directora Sofia Coppola presenta una nueva visión cinematográfica de la relación entre Elvis y Priscilla Presley en “Priscilla”, un año después de la película biográfica de Baz Luhrmann, “Elvis”.“Priscilla” está protagonizada por el actor de “Euphoria” Jacob Elordi como Elvis y Cailee Spaeny como Priscilla. La película está basada en las memorias de 1986 “Elvis and Me: The True Story of the Love Between Priscilla Presley and the King of Rock N’ Roll”, que Priscilla Presley escribió junto con la escritora Sandra Harmon.El primer tráiler de la película, publicado este miércoles, ofrece una mirada al origen de la pareja.Jacob Elordi y Cailee Spaeny en ‘Priscilla’. (Crédito: A24)El tráiler muestra cortes rápidos del enamoramiento de Elvis y Priscilla, junto con lo que parece ser su primera cita y visitas a la mansión Graceland de Elvis en Memphis.“Priscilla” es la más recien...

Weekly US applications for unemployment aid remain relatively elevated

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits remained relatively elevated last week, potentially another signal that Federal Reserve rate hikes are beginning to cool a surprisingly resilient labor market.U.S. applications for jobless claims were 264,000 for the week ending June 17, the same as the previous week’s revised number, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s slightly more than analysts were expecting. The claims numbers for the past two weeks are the highest since October of 2021.The four-week moving average of claims, which smooths out some of the week-to-week volatility, rose by 8,500 to 255,750. That’s the highest level since November of 2021.Jobless claims in the past three weeks have pushed closer to 300,000 after mostly being in the high 100,000 to low 200,000 range for since the fall of 2021. But that’s likely not enough for Fed officials, who have said in the past that the unemployment rate needs to rise well past 4% to bring ...