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Q&A: Steve Levy sees bright spots and challenges for Bay Area economy

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:59 GMT

Veteran economist Stephen Levy has his finger on the pulse of the Bay Area’s dynamic — and often befuddling — economy.The Bay Area has unleashed numerous boom and bust and boom cycles that have given birth to and killed off countless cutting-edge companies and Levy is keeping track of all that.This news organization spoke with the director of the Palo Alto-based Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy about the Bay Area’s restless economy.Q: What is your assessment of the Bay Area economy right now?A: 2023 is coming in a little better in the Bay Area than I had expected. But it’s still going to be a slow year in the Bay Area. Interest rates are very high and they are a problem.Q: How do things look farther down the road for the Bay Area?A: Long-term, I’m very optimistic about the future of the Bay Area economy. Things look particularly good if we can address the region’s housing and transportation challenges.Q: What are some of...

Tom Brady is Irina Shayk’s second choice after Bradley Cooper in this A-list love triangle, report says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:59 GMT

Right now, Tom Brady is single and available, and supermodel Irina Shayk is having some fun, but she’s only biding her time with the retired NFL star until she can get Bradley Cooper to commit to marriage.That’s the scenario offered up by an insider to Page Six, and it almost sounds like the plot for a bad 1960s sex comedy or a 2000s rom-com that Cooper himself could have starred in.The source spoke out about “the world’s best-looking love triangle” after the Russian-born model, 37, was photographed rushing into Brady’s New York City apartment earlier this week. Shayk’s visit came two weeks weeks after she reconnected with Cooper, 48, in Italy, where they were photographed on vacation with their 6-year-old daughter.Tom Brady (VALERIE MACON, AFP via Getty Images) When it comes to Brady versus Cooper, the source told Page Six that Shayk is still hoping to tie the knot and settle down with the “Maestro” star. She and the actor/director dat...

Google reaches $93 million settlement in tracking location case

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:59 GMT

By Ramishah Maruf | CNNNew York — Google has reached a $93 million settlement with the state of California to resolve allegations that it was collecting consumers’ data without their consent, the state’s attorney general said in a statement Thursday.The California Department of Justice found that, after a multi-year investigation, the tech giant was “deceiving users by collecting, storing, and using their location data for consumer profiling and advertising purposes without informed consent.”California Attorney General Rob Bonta also said Google accepted taking future actions to prevent those practices. These actions would apply beyond California to other states, according to the proposed order.“Consistent with improvements we’ve made in recent years, we have settled this matter, which was based on outdated product policies that we changed years ago,” a Google spokesperson said.The company pointed to a 2022 blog post which introduced transparency tools, such as auto-delete controls ...

Pac-12 recruiting: Assessing the impact of realignment on Cal, Oregon State and Washington State (so far, so good)

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:59 GMT

The Hotline is delighted to provide Pac-12 fans with a regular dive into the recruiting process through the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the Seattle-based national recruiting editor for 247Sports. He submitted the following report on Sept. 14 …By the time Cal took the field for its season opener at North Texas, the Bears knew they had a future in a Power Five conference. The day before, the ACC had officially invited Cal, along with Stanford and SMU, to join in 2024.So there was plenty of anticipation when the Bears returned to Berkeley and began preparations for their home opener against Auburn. There were also plenty of recruits who were excited to see the Bears coming off their win over North Texas, to watch them play an SEC program and to know Cal had a future in the power conferences.While the Bears lost a late lead and fell to Auburn, the fourth-quarter collapse didn’t ruin their mojo.Linebacker Marco Jones, who attends San Ramon Valley High School in San Ramon, is ...

Girls flag football explodes onto Bay Area high school sports scene

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:59 GMT

Hundreds of high school girls across the Bay Area are living out a dream.From the far reaches of the East Bay to the Peninsula, teenagers in shorts, jerseys and in some cases intimidating eye-black are celebrating touchdowns and victories with smiles and high-fives during a groundbreaking flag football season.“This has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl,” Dublin High senior Sydney Costello said.Seven months after the California Interscholastic Federation unanimously gave its 10 sections approval to play flag football, the sport’s popularity has exceeded even optimistic expectations.Some schools, including Pittsburg and Freedom in East Contra Costa County, cut dozens of players during tryouts because there were not enough spots.At Menlo School in Atherton, Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young is an assistant coach on a team that includes his two daughters.“When this came up, I didn’t know if we would have any interest at all,” said Central Coast Section ...

Kaiser Permanente employees vote to strike if bargaining fails

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:59 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente employees have authorized a strike to begin if an agreement with the hospital chain fails. There are 58,000 Kaiser workers in California and 19,000 of them are in the Bay Area. Union leaders say it could be considered the biggest strike by healthcare workers in U.S. history. Three other states, Washington, Colorado and Oregon, have also authorized a strike.Those three states joining could potentially bring in around 15,000 more workers going on strike. The union says no strike will occur before October until the contracts of more than 85,000 workers have expired.Kaiser Permanente and the union have not been able to come to an agreement over wages, staffing issues and how the negotiations have been going so far. The union says Kaiser is not willing to listen to concerns.Kaiser released the following statement that read in part:"Kaiser Permanente is fully committed to reaching an agreement with the unions affiliated with t...

Officer stops moving stolen car after suspects flee in San Jose

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:59 GMT

(KRON) -- Three people were recently arrested after fleeing from officers in a stolen car, according to San Jose Police Department Assistant Chief Paul Joseph.Automated license plate readers alerted SJPD of a stolen car. The suspects were followed by Air 3, a San Jose police helicopter, during their attempt to flee from officers. Photo: SJPDPhoto: SJPDThe car thieves exited the moving car, which was driving towards an intersection at the time. In fear of a possible collision, an officer jumped into the moving stolen car and stopped it, Joseph said.All three suspects are now in custody.

Meronk using pain of Ryder Cup omission to fuel title run at BMW PGA Championship

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:59 GMT

VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) — Adrian Meronk is using the pain of his Ryder Cup omission to underpin a run for the most prestigious title on the European tour.The Polish player was in a three-way share of the lead midway through the second round of the BMW PGA Championship after shooting 4-under 68 on Friday.Europe’s entire Ryder Cup team is in the field at Wentworth and all 12 of the players heading for Italy are behind Meronk, who feels aggrieved at not being one of Luke Donald’s captain’s picks after winning three European tour events since last July.“I am very motivated,” he said. “I am trying to turn that disappointment and anger into fuel. I have a great team around me. We just keep going.”Meronk was tied for the lead at 9-under par with Thomas Detry of Belgium (68) and Masahiro Kawamura of Japan (65) at the tour’s flagship event.The closest challenger from the Ryder Cup dozen is Tyrrell Hatton, who was two strokes back after shooting 69.A shot further ...

“Siri, tengo que hacer CPR”: Asisten a motociclista que fue impactado por un rayo en la I-66

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:59 GMT

Un hombre de Virginia regresó a su casa el jueves luego de haber sido hospitalizado tras sobrevivir a la caída de un rayo en la Interestatal 66 el sábado.Noah Fowler, de 20 años, sabe que tiene suerte de estar vivo luego de que un rayo lo impactara mientras conducía su motocicleta Harley-Davidson durante una tormenta el sábado por la tarde. Había estado tomando fotografías con su novia en Skyline Drive cuando llegó la tormenta.Mientras regresaba a casa, empezó a llover y la visibilidad era escasa.“Estaba como a 2 millas de mi casa, así que pensé: ‘Ah, puedo llegar a casa; Sé adónde voy’”, dijo Fowler. “Y lo siguiente que sé es que me despierto en el suelo con unas 20 personas a mi alrededor”.El rayo atravesó su casco y bajó por su cuerpo, quemando su cadena de plata en su piel, prendiendo fuego a su bicicleta y enviándolo a volar.La buena samaritana Erica Sutherland y su prometido, que trabaja en el campo médico, iban en dirección contraria por la I-66 y pasaron por la d...

Spanish judge hears allegations of Franco-era police torture in a case rights groups say is a 1st

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:05:59 GMT

MADRID (AP) — A Spanish judge heard evidence Friday of alleged torture during the rule of the country’s late dictator Francisco Franco, in what rights groups said was the first case of its kind to be accepted for legal review.The hearing at a Madrid courthouse involved allegations against five former police officers. The lead witness, Julio Pacheco, told reporters outside that he had recounted to a judge how he was tortured by police in 1975, when he was a 19-year-old student. Pacheco said he hoped his testimony was a step toward “starting to break down the wall of silence and impunity” regarding abuses during Franco’s rule. His wife also testified.Previously, judges have refused to hear such cases because of a 1977 amnesty law that blocked the prosecution of Franco-era crimes. The law was part of Spain’s effort to put that period behind it and strengthen its fledgling democracy following Franco’s death two years earlier.With victims and human rights groups arguing that ...