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States are trying to prop up the child care industry. It isn’t enough

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:12 GMT

Robbie Sequeira | Stateline.org (TNS)State efforts to prop up child care might spare some providers from the worst effects of last month’s expiration of pandemic-related aid — at least temporarily. But the unraveling of a system plagued by a lack of affordability and access, low wages, staffing turnover and burnout will continue, experts say.“The basic business model of child care, where it costs more to produce than parents can afford, is further complicated when there is a gap in the workforce where very few receive a reasonable pay for a demanding job,” said Linda Smith, director of the Early Childhood Initiative at the Bipartisan Policy Center think tank.“Child care has widely been seen as a classic example of market failure,” Smith said. “It’s worth understanding because it was bad before COVID, and it has gotten worse since then.”The 2021 American Rescue Plan Act included $24 billion to stabilize child care centers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Child care providers used the mo...

Gas prices keep falling, but California now stands alone

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:12 GMT

Californians are enjoying a little more relief at the gas pump these days.Statewide, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded fell 3 cents on Wednesday to $5.73, according to the American Automobile Association. That's 24 cents lower than one week ago, when California drivers were paying nearly $6 per gallon on average.In the Los Angeles area, regular unleaded fell from $5.95 per gallon to $5.92 per gallon Wednesday, down 28 cents from last week. Why do Californians pay so much for gas? AAA says prices are falling nationwide due to “slack demand” and the falling cost of crude oil, which is now hovering near $82 per barrel.“Drivers are finally seeing some relief at the pump as the seasonal swoon picks up momentum,” said AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross.California Gas Prices (10/11/23)RegularMid-GradePremiumDieselCurrent Average$5.735$5.987$6.130$6.386Yesterday Avg.$5.765$6.018$6.158$6.401Week Ago Avg.$5.975$6.229$6.370$6.454Month Ago Avg.$5.439$5.635$5.798$6.097Year Ago Avg....

Jada Pinkett reveals Chris Rock asked her out years before Oscars slap

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:12 GMT

Before he was cracking jokes about her appearance and getting slapped, Chris Rock wanted to date Jada Pinkett Smith.The actress claimed he had asked her out amid rumors she and Will Smith were divorcing.She told PEOPLE this happened around the summer of 2016, about six years before Smith slapped him onstage at the 94th Academy Awards."I think every summer all the reports would come out that me and Will were getting a divorce. And this particular summer, Chris, he thought that we were getting a divorce," she explained. "So he called me and basically he was like, 'I'd love to take you out.' And I was like, 'What do you mean?' He was like, 'Well, aren't you and Will getting a divorce?' I was like, 'No. Chris, those are just rumors.' He was appalled. And he profusely apologized and that was that."Pinkett Smith said she hasn't spoken to Rock since that infamous slap on Oscar night, but told the outlet she hopes those involved can move on. “[Do I have] any desire to talk to Chris? Here's ...

2 Dead after Fiery Car Accident on Charleston Boulevard [Las Vegas, NV]

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:12 GMT

Two Fatally Struck in Fiery Auto Accident on Westwind RoadLAS VEGAS, NV (October 11, 2023) – Late Saturday evening, a car accident on Charleston Boulevard resulted in the loss of two lives.Around 11:20 p.m. on September 30th, police responded to the incident near Westwind Road after receiving multiple dispatch calls.Police say a 2006 Chrysler 300 was racing eastward, attempting to overtake another vehicle when the driver lost control, careening off the road and colliding with a streetlamp post. Continuing east, the vehicle eventually collided with two parked cars near Tap House Bar, erupting into a fiery inferno.The impact trapped both the 18-year-old driver and the 60-year-old passenger inside the vehicle. Medical personnel arrived on the scene and extricated the occupants.Due to the severity of their injuries, they were pronounced dead by emergency crews. Currently, an active investigation is underway to gather additional information surrounding this devastating incident.In ...

Enrique Carrillo Arrested after Police-Vehicle Crash on Merle Haggard Drive [Oildale, CA]

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:12 GMT

Officer Injured in Pursuit Collision near Airport DriveOILDALE, CA (October 11, 2023) – Early Sunday, Enrique Carrillo was apprehended following a collision involving a police vehicle on Merle Haggard Drive.The incident transpired at approximately 1:10 a.m. in the vicinity of Airport Drive and Perkins Avenue. Law enforcement made an effort to initiate a traffic stop on a speeding vehicle, but the driver evaded the scene, eventually colliding with a KCSO deputy’s vehicle.The deputy reported that the suspect deliberately rammed his patrol car, resulting in significant damage to both vehicles. Ultimately, the 21-year-old driver, identified as Enrique Carrillo, surrendered to the officers. The deputy who was in the patrol car sustained minor injuries due to the collision. Currently, the California Highway Patrol is conducting an investigation into the crash.Thinking, reasoning, and muscle coordination are essential in operating a vehicle safely. However, these are impaired w...

Israel forms unity government as strikes hammer Gaza

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:12 GMT

By Joseph Krauss and Wafaa Shurafa | Associated PressJERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a leading opposition figure on Wednesday created a war-time Cabinet overseeing the fight to avenge a stunning weekend attack by Hamas militants. In the sealed-off Gaza Strip ruled by Hamas, Palestinian suffering mounted as Israeli bombardment demolished neighborhoods and the territory’s only power plant ran out of fuel.The new war-time Cabinet establishes a degree of unity after years of bitterly divisive politics, and as the Israeli military appears increasingly likely to launch a ground offensive into Gaza.The Cabinet, which will focus only on issues of war, will consist of Netanyahu, Benny Gantz — a senior opposition figure and former defense minister — and current Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a statement released by Gantz said.The government is under intense public pressure to topple Hamas after its militants stormed through a border fence Saturday and massacred...

GOP nominates Scalise to be the new House speaker

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:12 GMT

By Lisa Mascaro and Kevin Freking | Associated PressWASHINGTON — Republicans nominated Rep. Steve Scalise on Wednesday to be the next House speaker and will now try to unite to elect the conservative in a floor vote after ousting Rep. Kevin McCarthy from the job.In private balloting at the Capitol, House Republicans pushed aside Rep. Jim Jordan, the Judiciary Committee chairman, in favor of Scalise, the current majority leader, lawmakers said. The Louisiana lawmaker is seen as a hero to some after surviving a mass shooting on lawmakers at a congressional baseball game practice in 2017. He is now battling blood cancer.Republicans who have been stalemated after McCarthy’s historic removal last week will seek to assemble their narrow House majority around Scalise in what is certain to be a close vote of the full House. Democrats are set to oppose the Republican nominee.A floor vote of the whole House could come as soon as Wednesday afternoon.“I don’t know how the hell...

Stranger is missing after pulling child from river after crash near Tracy

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:12 GMT

A stranger who pulled a child to safety from the San Joaquin River then disappeared, and it’s not known if he drowned or walked away, the California Highway Patrol said.At 1:29 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10, an emergency call reported that an SUV had gone into the river from Airport Way, near the San Joaquin River Club, southeast of Tracy.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | These Bay Area cities ranked the worst for drivers in the U.S. Crashes and Disasters | Cable-car accident in San Francisco sends 6 to hospital Crashes and Disasters | Another leak at Martinez refinery brings hazardous materials team Crashes and Disasters | At least 16 migrants killed in bus crash in Mexico Crashes and Disasters | Collision at major Brentwood intersection injures 12-year-old on bike The two occupants — the driver and a 5-year-old girl — climbed out and were standing on top of the vehicle as it began to si...

Which way does beach sand flow? Studies challenge established views on sand migration along San Diego County coast

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:12 GMT

Phil Diehl | The San Diego Union-TribuneA renowned oceanographer who has studied the California coast for decades says new research challenges a well-established notion about how sand flows within the surf and long-shore currents that constantly shape the state’s beaches.Studies show sand doesn’t always flow south and in some cases is carried north between the coastal communities, said Reinhard Flick, a member of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s Coastal Processes Group.“That’s a new finding, and it’s important,” Flick said. “This strongly suggests that little, if any, sand flows south from Oceanside to Carlsbad.”Carlsbad and Oceanside, like many coastal cities, are losing sand at alarming rates.The accumulating data could change how local officials approach efforts to preserve their eroding coastlines, particularly sand replenishment projects that cost tens of millions of dollars and can be wiped out by the storms of a single El Niño winter.Past studies by researchers at th...

49ers’ Fred Warner explains his gratitude before player-of-week honors

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:12 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Fred Warner came away from Sunday night’s clobbering of the Cowboys with a forced fumble, a sack, an interception, a 42-10 victory, and, three days later, the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week award.“You did your job, Warner,” his wife, Sydney, said on the “The Warner House” podcast the couple is posting weekly this season after 49ers’ games.Her husband did not take his job, nor the spotlight, for granted.Warner revealed that he carried around a football all week ahead of the game — a tactic borrowed from former teammate Kwon Alexander — in hopes of creating a takeaway for the unbeaten 49ers (5-0). Sure enough, Warner forced a fumble at the end of the first quarter, and, early in the fourth quarter, he intercepted a Dak Prescott pass that cornerback Deommodore Lenoir deflected.“When you talk about just a perfect little basket of love, that ball couldn’t have floated at a softer, perfect spiral rig...