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Politicians urge Taylor Swift to postpone Los Angeles concerts in solidarity with striking hotel workers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:44 GMT

LOS ANGELES — California’s lieutenant governor and other elected officials on Tuesday urged Taylor Swift to postpone her Los Angeles concerts as a way to stand in solidarity with striking hotel workers.Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and dozens of state and local politicians signed an open letter telling Swift that her tour makes the region’s hotels money, with some properties “doubling and tripling what they charge because you are coming.”Meanwhile, the letter said, many housekeepers and other hotel workers can’t afford to live close to their jobs and some sleep in their cars and risk losing their homes.“Hotel workers are fighting for their lives. They are fighting for a living wage. They have gone on strike. Now, they are asking for your support,” they wrote. “Stand with hotel workers and postpone your concerts.”FILE – California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis speaks during a debate in Sacramento, Calif., on April 17, 2018, back when she was a candidate for the office. California’s lieutenan...

Student found unresponsive in pool at San Jose elementary school

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:44 GMT

(KRON) -- A student is in the hospital after being found unresponsive Monday in a pool on a San Jose elementary school campus. The student was in the summer program at Harker School, a K-12 college prep school, Harker's Head of School Brian Yager told KRON4.The student was floating in the pool on the school's lower school campus, which serves students from kindergarten through grade 5. Lifeguard and the school nurse performed CPR until paramedics arrives, Yager said. Police seek public’s help in locating missing Saratoga teen The student was taken to the hospital where they currently remain. No other information about their condition was available at this time."We continue to send our thoughts and prayers to the family and are focusing on their needs and respecting their privacy," Yager said. The school will be providing counseling services for campers, students and staff. Summer camp has been canceled for the rest of the week."As educators and parents, we share a deep love for ou...

New Oakland school burglarized weeks before first day of classes

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:44 GMT

(KRON) -- A brand new Oakland high school designed to help gang-impacted youth was burglarized just weeks before welcoming its first class of students. The Freedom School is an independent no-cost school on MacArthur Boulevard in East Oakland run by the group Homies Empowerment. But the school was burglarized by thieves who stole high-value electronics before the academic school year could even begin. Thieves swiped laptops, projectors, microphones and multiple other items. "Our students in Oakland, especially those who have experienced the most systemic harm, deserve a school like the Freedom School," said Cal State East Bay Professor of Educational Leadership G.T. Reyes. "We are devastated by this loss, but we also remain resolute in our commitment to contribute to a better Oakland for our children."One of Freedom School's goals is to help at-risk and gang-impacted teenagers find their purpose in life and get on a path toward graduating high school. Founders of the school said the...

Taylor Swift reportedly gives 'Eras Tour' truckers $100,000 bonuses before Levi's shows

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:44 GMT

(KTLA) -- As pop superstar Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” continues, the singer has reportedly given the truckers on her tour a $100,000 bonus, according to TMZ.Around 50 truckers received the six-figure bonuses, which were reportedly given ahead of the 33-year-old singer’s concert in Santa Clara, California, on July 29.The truck drivers are responsible for hauling Swift's concert equipment across the U.S. leg of her global tour. The truckers' bonuses totaled about $5 million, TMZ reports. News outlets duped by ‘Eco-Barbie’ hoax Besides the truckers, Swift also gifted hefty bonuses to just about everyone working on her tour, including dancers, riggers, sound technicians, catering and more.The bonuses total over $55 million, according to PEOPLE.Swift’s sold-out “Eras” tour kicked off in Glendale, Arizona, on March 18 and is projected to earn over $1 billion in revenue by the time it concludes on Aug. 17, 2024, at London's Wembley Stadium.Economists predict Swift could have the h...

Senate Democrats Blocked Watchdog for Ukraine Aid — Ignoring Lessons From Afghanistan

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:44 GMT

Hours after Senate Democrats blocked an effort to install greater oversight over the billions of dollars the United States is sending to Ukraine, the watchdog who oversaw U.S. spending in Afghanistan issued a warning.Spending too much too fast, with little oversight, would lead to “unanticipated consequences,” John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, said at an event sponsored by the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft last week. The U.S. has sent more money to Ukraine in one year than it spent in Afghanistan over 12 years, Sopko pointed out. “I’m not opposed to spending that. I just want to make sure it’s done correctly and there’s oversight,” he said.Sopko especially warned about the risk of fueling corruption, perhaps the most damaging legacy of the billions the U.S. spent in Afghanistan and a major factor in the collapse of its effort in the country. “If that much money is coming in, you know some of it is going to be stolen,” h...

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife announced their separation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:44 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, announced Wednesday that they are separating after 18 years of marriage.The two said in statements posted on Instagram that they made the decision after “many meaningful and difficult conversations.” A statement from the prime minister’s office said they both have signed a legal separation agreement. Trudeau, the 51-year-old scion of one of Canada’s most famous politicians, was sworn into office in 2015. Sophie Trudeau is a former model and TV host. The couple were married in 2005. Together, they brought star power to the prime minister’s office and appeared in the pages of Vogue magazine. They have three children, 15-year-old Xavier, 14-year-old Ella-Grace and 9-year-old Hadrien.The first lady has played a less visible role in recent years, rarely traveling with the prime minister on official trips. The two were seen together publicly at Canada Day events in Ottawa last month.“T...

Hawaii man dies after being mauled by 4 large dogs, police investigate owners under negligence law

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:44 GMT

HILO, Hawaii (AP) — A man believed to be in his 70s has died after being mauled by four dogs on Hawaii’s Big Island, police said.The man was treated by medical personnel at the scene and died while being transported Tuesday to Kona Community Hospital, police said in a statement.Police were alerted by a witness, who saw the victim being attacked in the Hawaiian Ocean View Estates neighborhood by four large dogs. The witness chased the dogs off and called authorities.“There is currently no evidence that the victim provoked this horrific attack. This incident is a senseless tragedy that could have been avoided,” Hawaii County Police Chief Ben Moszkowicz said.The dogs’ owners were not home when the attack occurred, but police have contacted them.Police are also checking claims the dogs had previously been reported as stray animals. The owners have surrendered all four dogs and a litter of 10 puppies to county animal control.Police are investigating it as a negligent failure to con...

McCowan leads Dallas against Seattle after 25-point showing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:44 GMT

Dallas Wings (14-11, 8-6 Western Conference) at Seattle Storm (6-19, 4-7 Western Conference)Seattle; Wednesday, 10:30 p.m. EDTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK WNBA LINE: Wings -5.5; over/under is 167.5BOTTOM LINE: Dallas visits the Seattle Storm after Teaira McCowan scored 25 points in the Wings’ 104-91 loss to the Las Vegas Aces.The Storm have gone 4-7 against Western Conference teams. Seattle ranks sixth in the WNBA with 26.0 defensive rebounds per game led by Ezi Magbegor averaging 6.5.The Wings are 8-6 in Western Conference play. Dallas is 12th in the WNBA averaging 6.6 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 29.9% from downtown. Arike Ogunbowale leads the team averaging 2.8 makes while shooting 32.2% from 3-point range.The two teams square off for the third time this season. The Storm defeated the Wings 109-103 in their last meeting on June 17. Jewell Loyd led the Storm with 39 points, and Ogunbowale led the Wings with 41 points.TOP PERFORMERS: Loyd is scoring 24.3 points per game with...

Armed men in Central African Republic fatally shoot 13 and wound 2 in northern village

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:44 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Armed men killed 13 people and wounded two in a northern village in the mineral-rich but impoverished Central African Republic, local officials said Wednesday.Ousmane Youssef, a tribal chief in the village of Diki near the country’s border with Chad, said a group of armed men entered the community Tuesday and called a meeting with local residents and leaders, before shooting them point-blank.No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but in March, the U.N. condemned an attack on another northern town by a rebel group called the Coalition of Patriots for Change.“We don’t know the real motives of the rebels who perpetrated this act of rare intensity. This is the moment when the government must help us put an end to the rebels who are undermining security in the area,” said Babikir Hallasan, deputy mayor of the nearest major town.The Central African Republic has faced intercommunal fighting since 2013, when predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels sei...

Kateryna Baindl advances to set up quarterfinal against Jaqueline Cristian at the Prague Open

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:44 GMT

PRAGUE (AP) — Eighth-seeded Kateryna Baindl of Ukraine reached the quarterfinals of the Prague Open on Wednesday after Germany’s Jule Niemeier retired when trailing 5-0 in the first set of their second-round match.Baindl will face next Jaqueline Cristian of Romania, who eliminated Emiliana Arango of Colombia 6-4, 6-3. Cristian knocked out top-seeded Marie Bouzková in the first round of the hard-court tournament in the Czech capital.In first-round play Wednesday, Ankita Raina of India eliminated Czech veteran Barbora Strýcová 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.The remaining scheduled matches had to be suspended or postponed until Thursday because of rain.___AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource