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Crocs vs. ex-CEO’s son: Shoe firm accused of monopoly as it claims stolen secrets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

On June 14, 2018, a middle manager at Crocs nudged a thumb drive into his laptop and filled it with 2,900 of his employer’s most sensitive documents, according to the company.That employee, the son of its former CEO, resigned from Crocs the next day.Within two months, he was working for a competitor in Denver and within five months he was its CEO. That company, which came to be known as Joybees, makes clogs that are similar to those of Crocs, the unabashedly unfashionable Broomfield-based business.As a result, Crocs and Joybees have been locked in a legal tussle for 20 months. It escalated last week, when both sides made fresh accusations in a Denver court.“Joybees now uses Crocs’s trade secrets and proprietary information in the production of every single footwear article it produces for sale,” the latter shoemaker alleged.‘Snuffed out’In October 2021, Crocs sued Joybees and its CEO, Kellen McCarvel, for theft of trade secrets and misappropriation of proprietary information, among ...

Santa Monica police apologize for waking neighbors with classical music

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

Santa Monica Police are apologizing after a program meant to deter crime and improve public safety instead angered neighbors near the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Broadway.Last week, police installed traffic signals that play classical music as part of a broader city-wide initiative, the police department said.Residents complained, including one caller who contacted KTLA to say the music was too loud and made sleeping difficult.On Facebook Wednesday, police blamed a glitch."The cameras were installed on Thursday and the volume was set at an acceptable level and unfortunately the software glitched on Tuesday and reset the volume to the highest level possible," the department explained. "We truly do apologize to all those impacted."The music has now been turned off, police said.A music-playing traffic sign is seen in Santa Monica on July 12, 2023. (KTLA)Public response to the Facebook post has been mixed."I don’t know about you but, as long as it was safe, I would freaking love to...

Sorry, Weird Al and Madonna didn't hook up

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

By now, anyone who has seen “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” knows … well … very little about Weird Al’s real story.Sure, there are bits and pieces of truth.For example, Weird Al’s inspiration and mentoring from the legendary radio host Dr. Demento (played by Rainn Wilson) really happened. And yes, a door-to-door salesman really did spark his interest in the accordion.But what about that steamy, toxic love affair with Madonna that dominated the latter half of the film?As much fun as it is (or was) to imagine Weird Al and Madonna, two of the biggest hitmakers of the 80s hooking up, sadly, it didn’t happen.“I never really had a torrid love affair with Madonna, but I did meet her once for about half a minute,” Weird Al confessed to KTLA’s Sam Rubin on Wednesday. “I hate to admit it, but there might be a couple of things we took creative liberty with.”Weird Al Yankovic admits he and Madonna were not an item. (Associated Press) Yankovic, 63, joined KTLA 5 Morning News to discuss “Weird” re...

Dodgers, Padres to open 2024 season in Seoul

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will play Major League Baseball's first regular-season games in South Korea, opening next season in Seoul on March 20-21.The Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies will play in Mexico City on April 27-28, MLB said Wednesday. The Padres and San Francisco Giants played the first regular-season games there this April 29-30.MLB will have three sets of international games next year. A two-game series in London on June 8-9 between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies was announced last month.MLB also said the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays will play spring training games at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on March 9-10.The international opener will be MLB's ninth, following 1999 in Monterrey, Mexico; 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2019 in Tokyo; 2001 in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and 2014 in Sydney.

Disney extends Bob Iger's contract through 2026

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

Walt Disney Co. announced Wednesday that CEO Bob Iger’s contract has been extended until 2026, keeping Iger at the helm of the entertainment giant for the foreseeable future.“In voting unanimously to extend Iger’s contract by two years, the independent members of the Board of Directors noted that Iger’s extension provides continuity of leadership during the company’s ongoing transformation and allows more time to execute a transition plan for CEO succession, which remains a priority for the Board,” the company said in a statement. Iger back on top in a Disney plot twist that few saw coming Iger commented on the contract extension in a statement of his own.“I believe Disney’s long-term future is incredibly bright, but there is more to accomplish before this transformative work is complete, and because I want to ensure Disney is strongly positioned when my successor takes the helm, I have agreed to the Board’s request to remain CEO for an additional two years,” Iger said.The extensi...

Juan Arias Killed in Hit-and-Run Crash on Fries Avenue [Wilmington, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

Auto-Pedestrian Collision near West G Street Leaves Man DeadWILMINGTON, CA (July 12, 2023) – Monday evening, Juan Arias lost his life after a pedestrian hit-and-run crash on Fries Avenue.The accident took place on July 3rd, at around 9:10 p.m., near 710 North Fries Avenue.According to reports, Arias was in the street igniting fireworks when he was struck by an SUV. The SUV dragged him about 85 feet before he became dislodged. While he was on the road, he was struck by a second vehicle that was exiting a shopping center.Following the collision, the driver of the SUV did not stop to render aid to the victim; instead, they fled the scene. However, the driver of the second involved vehicle stayed at the scene and waited for authorities to arrive.First responders at the site of the collision declared 36-year-old Juan Arias dead at the scene.Police are still looking for the driver of the SUV, she is described as a Hispanic female.Moreover, police only described the SUV driver as a f...

Wanted: Authorities on the lookout for adorable surfboard-hijacking sea otter menacing Santa Cruz surfers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

Surfers, y’otter watch out.A sea otter with a mean streak has been aggressively hijacking surfboards in the Santa Cruz area, authorities warn, and they’re scrambling to capture it before things get ugly.That’s right, a sea otter — the impossibly cute, playful, beagle-sized fur-balls once hunted to near extinction for their luxuriously thick pelts that frolic in the water to the delight of millions of aquarium visitors a year.It turns out these wild animals can be, well, wild. They also have sharp teeth and a bite force said to equal that of a 600-pound black bear, all to gnaw through the tough shells of the crabs and sea urchins they eat.“While there have been no confirmed reports of injury, due to the highly unusual behavior of this otter, kayakers, surfers, and others recreating in the area should not approach the otter or encourage the otter’s interactions,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a straight-faced statement Wednesday.K...

Just six months into Alameda District Attorney’s tenure, group launches effort to recall Pamela Price

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

OAKLAND — Just six months after Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price was sworn into office, becoming the first Black woman and justice reformist to hold that role, an effort has been launched to oust her.On Tuesday, a recall committee called “Save Alameda for Everyone (Safe): Recall Pamela Price” filed paperwork with the county’s elections office, signaling its intent to fundraise and collect signatures to recall Price. A principal officer for the committee declined to comment for this story but said the group plans to issue a statement in coming days.Neither Price nor a spokesperson for the Alameda County DA’s Office immediately responded to requests for comment. But Price had to have known the recall effort would come, eventually, given the 2022 successful recall of former San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin, 18 months after he won election on a justice reform platform similar to Price.Price won her election handily in November 2022, beating longti...

Bay Area teenager to be honored at ESPYs for delivering sports equipment to schools

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

Serra track and field athlete Rishan Patel will receive the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award at the annual ESPY’s award show on Wednesday night.But it won’t be because of a blazing time in the 100-meter sprint or hurdles.Patel, a 16-year-old from Atherton, created a nonprofit organization named Alley-Oop Kids that installs lockers with sporting equipment at “under-resourced schools to use for PE and school sports.”From as close as Aspire College Prep in Richmond and Summit Prep in Redwood City, to schools in India, Patel’s organization has helped over 100 schools. “I don’t even know how to put it into words,” Patel told the Bay Area News Group on Wednesday morning. “I think I was shocked and ecstatic, really. That feeling was just crazy, and it’s still lingering today while I wait to go to the show.” Patel said the individual glory is not why he is so thrilled to receive the honor. Patel is one of 13 honorees, whose accomplishments include donating thousands of socks to homel...

Opinion: Hands off AI — let innovators develop tech’s last frontier

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

Editor’s note: This story is part of the annual Mosaic Journalism Workshop for Bay Area high school students, a two-week intensive course in journalism. Students in the program report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.Artificial intelligence, or AI, has taken an increasing role in society, with chatbots in particular emerging as one of the more popular and feared forms. In this crucial juncture, it is vital to let innovation proceed without premature, excessive regulation.The ChatGPT model, developed by the OpenAI company, already has more than 100 million users. It is commonly used for research, writing and solving math problems. Other software like Microsoft’s Bing Chat, and Google’s Bard have also become popular.AI chatbots have demonstrated numerous advantages as research tools and idea generators, from recipes to jokes to writing essays on Newtonian physics.Through development they can become an essential tool in increasing efficiency for a v...