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BART launches array of transit changes as “fiscal cliff” looms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

OAKLAND — BART’s quest to increase ridership with a plan to ditch half-hour waits between trains on nights and weekends is slated to launch next week.The Bay Area transit agency will begin the new effort on Sept. 11.“No BART rider will wait more than 20 minutes for a scheduled train no matter what hour of the day or day of the week,” BART said.One result of the upcoming change is that evening service will increase by 50% seven nights a week, the transit system estimated.BART is also undertaking two other significant changes in connection with its schedule alterations.Here are the details of these BART shifts:— BART will shorten the size of the transit agency’s least-crowded trains.— The transit system will use only its “fleet of the future” trains for its base schedule.The legacy cars will be used only for event trains or special contingencies.“Our new cars are cleaner, require less maintenance, have better quality surveill...

No jail time for California man caught on video repeatedly kicking Labradoodle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

A 34-year-old man seen on a Ring doorbell camera swinging at and kicking a Labradoodle in an Anaheim apartment complex last year has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty and was placed on one year of probation, authorities said Wednesday, Sept. 6.Albert Frank Abad Jr., 34, agreed to a court offer from Orange County Superior Court Judge Justin Glenn-Leistikow that reduced the charge from a felony, allowing  Abad Jr. to avoid jail time, said Kimberly Edds, spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.Prosecutors had sought a 30-day jail sentence, she said.Though judges have the ability to reduce crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer disagreed with Glenn-Leistikow’s decision to lower the crime, calling it “shocking” that the judge would “exercise that discretion to give a break to someone who clearly has no issue engaging in cruelty to a vulnerable animal.“The love of a dog is unconditional and to betray t...

More than 800 rescued as widespread flooding swamps Greece

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

By Chris Liakos and Christian Edwardsa | CNNMore than 800 people have been rescued over the past two days from severe floods in Greece, local officials said, after extreme rainfall turned streets into deadly rivers, tore down buildings and bridges and left whole villages submerged.The rainstorms also hit neighboring Bulgaria and Turkey, killing at least 14 people across the three countries, including four in Greece.The Greek region of Thessaly, the country’s agricultural hub, has been hit hardest by what government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis called “the biggest flood phenomenon that our country has ever experienced.”The port city of Volos, the surrounding mountainous Pelion area and the cities of Karditsa and Trikala were among the worst affected areas.The downpour has lasted days, but is expected to weaken from Thursday afternoon, according to Greece’s meteorological service. Rescue operations are now underway to try to reach those left stranded by the floodwaters, which have ex...

Single-family house sells in Oakland for $1.5 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

3923 Whittle Avenue – Google Street ViewA 1,712-square-foot house built in 1958 has changed hands. The property located in the 3900 block of Whittle Avenue in Oakland was sold on July 19, 2023. The $1,500,000 purchase price works out to $876 per square foot. The layout of this two-story home consists of two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The home’s outer structure has composition shingles on the roof.Additional houses have recently changed hands nearby:A 1,956-square-foot home on the 3900 block of Fruitvale Avenue in Oakland sold in May 2023, for $1,600,000, a price per square foot of $818. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In May 2023, a 1,140-square-foot home on Fruitvale Avenue in Oakland sold for $1,230,000, a price per square foot of $1,079. The home has 2 bedrooms 1 bathroom.On Lyman Road, Oakland, in December 2022, a 1,840-square-foot home was sold for $1,520,000, a price per square foot of $826. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. 

Mexico on track to elect first woman president

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

By Krupskaia Alis and Michael Rios | CNNMexico seems set to elect its first female president in next year’s election after the country’s leading parties both unveiled women candidates.Ruling party Morena said Wednesday that Claudia Sheinbaum will be its nominee for the 2024 general election. She is set to take on Senator Xóchitl Gálvez, who was nominated by the opposition coalition on Sunday.They will be vying to replace current leader Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who is required to step down next year as Mexican law prohibits presidents from seeking a second six-year term.Sheinbaum is a former mayor of Mexico City who has long been considered a favorite to get the nomination. She was officially named Morena’s pick after winning an internal survey on the party’s candidate.Born in Mexico City in 1962, Sheinbaum has a degree in physics and a PhD in energy engineering.She served as Mexico City’s secretary of the environment in the year 2000, when Obrador was the city’s mayor. Since the...

East Bay construction workers robbed in broad daylight

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

PIEDMONT — Two people, one of them armed with a gun, robbed a construction crew in broad daylight early Tuesday, police said.None of the construction workers were injured in the robbery, which police said happened in the 200 block of Estates Drive about 11:40 a.m.According to a police statement, the suspects drove a white Lexus IS 350 with tinted windows and backed into the driveway where the construction crew was working.Both suspects got out of the vehicle — one holding a handgun, police said. They demanded tools from the workers, who handed them over without a fight.Police said the suspects then hopped back into the Lexus and drove away.Police are looking for help finding the two suspects and asked anyone with information to contact Det. John Lagios at 510-420-3015.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Person dead after being shot by Hayward police Crime and Public Safety | Oakland man gets 55 months for selling meth by the pound Crime an...

Presidential libraries warn of fragile state of US democracy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

By Gary Fields | Associated PressWASHINGTON — Concern for U.S. democracy amid deep national polarization has prompted the entities supporting 13 presidential libraries dating back to Herbert Hoover to call for a recommitment to the country’s bedrock principles, including the rule of law and respecting a diversity of beliefs.The statement released Thursday, the first time the libraries have joined to make such a public declaration, said Americans have a strong interest in supporting democratic movements and human rights around the world because “free societies elsewhere contribute to our own security and prosperity here at home.”“But that interest,” it said, “is undermined when others see our own house in disarray.”The joint message from presidential centers, foundations and institutes emphasized the need for compassion, tolerance and pluralism while urging Americans to respect democratic institutions and uphold secure and accessible election...

There’s a better way to fight wildfires, indigenous groups say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

Amy Bainbridge and Angus Whitley | Bloomberg NewsMore frequent fires. Smaller, cooler blazes. Nighttime and early morning burns.Those are three important principles of what’s known as cultural burning, a firefighting practice honed by Indigenous people in Australia over the past 60,000 years. The techniques stand in marked contrast to the “hazard-reduction” burns employed in the US, Canada and other places prone to wildfires, including most of Australia. Indigenous advocates say their own methods are more effective, safer and kinder to native flora and fauna.In the wake of Black Summer three years ago, Australian politicians said they’d prioritize Indigenous techniques. It’s since funded a range of grants and says it is continuing to make investments. But Indigenous organizations say far more is needed, especially now, with El Niño conditions bringing warmer temperatures that portend a more severe fire season.Bloomberg Green spoke with two leaders of Australian organizations that pr...

Waymo: Our cars are 'significantly safer' than cars driven by humans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Waymo, an autonomous vehicle company that operates a fleet of driverless cars in San Francisco, is touting its technology with a new study released on Wednesday.The tech company said its study examined collision causation, and found that driverless Waymo cars are "significantly safer" than regular cars driven by humans. "We’re sharing new research led by Swiss Re which shows Waymo’s autonomous vehicles are significantly safer than those driven by humans. In the over 3.8 million miles that Waymo drove without a human behind the steering wheel across San Francisco, CA and Phoenix, AZ, there were zero bodily injury claims," the company's spokesperson told KRON4.Waymo autonomous vehicles are parked in a staging area on June 8, 2023 in San Francisco. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)On average, Waymo has about 100 vehicles driving around San Francisco at any given moment, a company representative told the California Public Utilities Commission. The CPUC rece...

Steph & Ayesha Curry to raise $50M for Oakland school district

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) -- Stephen and Ayesha Curry are giving back to Oakland in a big way. For years, their “Eat, Learn, Play” foundation has worked with Oakland and the greater Bay Area community to address issues including childhood hunger and education.The Currys call Oakland their "adoptive home" not just from the Warriors fanbase but because they started their own family there and made connections with the community as a whole.Students at the Lockwood Steam Academy in Oakland unveiled the remodeled schoolyard, alongside Steph and Ayesha Curry on Wednesday. The upgraded playground is part of the Currys’ foundation, and there are more lofty goals. Raging Waters in San Jose will not reopen in 2024 "We're committing over $50 million dollars to the Oakland Unified School District and continue to amplify the systems and services that already exist,” Steph said. One of Curry’s foundation efforts is to improve the school district’s central kitchen – the hub of the food program ...