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Bay Area COVID-19 whistleblower wins $1.3 million judgment against former employer

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

A Marin County jury has awarded a nearly $1.3 million judgment to a Fairfax resident who claimed he was fired in 2020 after objecting to his employer’s alleged violation of COVID-19 restrictions.“I lost my job for doing what was right,” said James Caldwell, who had worked as a salesperson at the Home Consignment Center in San Rafael for 11 years.The judgment was awarded July 7. Brad Weintraub, an attorney for the business, declined to comment.Caldwell, 59, earned about $40,000 to $45,000 a year while working at the San Rafael store. He said he is now making more in his new job reading meters for the Marin Municipal Water District.“I didn’t mind struggling because I was doing what I loved,” he said. “It was my passion.”Home Consignment Center is a furniture and jewelry consignment store with shops throughout California and in Texas. Its headquarters is in Danville, Contra Costa County.Caldwell said that over the years he became very knowledgeable about mid-century art, pianos, “the t...

Why California legislators want to spend more time on an effort to make Big Tech pay for news

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

When it comes to an effort to have big technology companies pay news organizations for their content, the legislature is pushing its deadline.Legislators last week said this isn’t the year for the bipartisan California Journalism Preservation Act, instead punting it to 2024. The idea, said Sen. Tom Umberg, is to give stakeholders more time to hash out some of the more complicated details in the interim.“I’m supportive of credible media being made available to the public,” said Umberg, D-Santa Ana. “The bill is fairly complicated in how you’re going to enforce it and who it benefits. We want to structure it in the interim and come back to work on it next year.”The bill, from Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, is meant to help news organizations that have struggled financially in the age of social media, where content helps bring in ad revenue for those platforms.The bill would require large online platforms, like Google and Meta, that host news content from certain publishers to ...

Motorcyclist killed when he’s ejected, then run over by big rig on California freeway

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

A 76-year-old motorcyclist died Thursday, July 13 after he got thrown off his motorcycle, then run over by a tractor-trailer on the northbound 15 Freeway in Temecula.The big rig did not stop, and while the California Highway Patrol is calling the case a hit-and-run, they also say the driver might not have realized his wheels ran over the man.“We don’t know the mindset of the driver,” CHP Sgt. Nathan Baer said.However, the CHP is calling it a hit-and-run because both the motorcycle and the semi were involved, he said. “Right now, it is until we can prove otherwise,” Baer said.The coroner has not yet identified the victim; the CHP described him as a Sun City resident.Related ArticlesCalifornia News | One dead, one arrested in suspected fatal DUI wreck on East Bay higheay California News | Santa Clara County sheriff’s correctional deputy dead in Highway 87 collision California News | Speed — and not using a seat belt — kills on one of Ea...

Grateful Dead comes back to life for final show of their final tour

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

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 16: (L-R) John Mayer, Jay Lane, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Oteil Burbridge of Dead & Company perform at Oracle Park on July 16, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Miikka Skaffari/Getty Images)(Getty Images/Miikka Skaffari) SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 16: (L-R) John Mayer, Jay Lane, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Oteil Burbridge of Dead & Company perform at Oracle Park on July 16, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Miikka Skaffari/Getty Images)(Getty Images/Miikka Skaffari) The band that resurrected the Grateful Dead played their final show of their final tour Sunday night in San Francisco, California. Deadheads both young and old danced to the final jam b...

Ford slashes prices for F-150 Lightning electric vehicles due to cheaper raw materials, efficiencies

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

The sticker price on Ford’s F-150 Lightning electric pickup is being lowered by thousands of dollars due to increased plant capacity, falling costs for battery raw materials and internal efforts to scale production by the Detroit automaker. Ford Motor Co. said Monday that final upgrades at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Michigan being completed now will lead to greater availability of a built-to-order truck as early as October at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price closer to initial Lightning pricing.The updated MSRP for the Pro model, it’s lowest priced electric pickup, will be $49,995, down from $59,974. The Lariat 510A’s MSRP will decline to $69,995 from $76,974.“Shortly after launching the F-150 Lightning, rapidly rising material costs, supply constraints and other factors drove up the cost of the EV truck for Ford and our customers,” said Marin Gjaja, chief customer officer, Ford Model e. “We’ve continued to work in the background to improve ac...

Voto en blanco, nulo e impugnado en las elecciones de Argentina: ¿qué diferencias hay?

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

(CNN Español) – – El 13 de agosto se celebran en Argentina las elecciones Primarias, Abiertas, Simultáneas y Obligatorias (PASO). Aquí te contamos la diferencia entre voto en blanco, nulo o impugnado.En el sistema electoral argentino se consideran válidos el voto afirmativo y el voto en blanco.El sitio oficial del Gobierno de Argentina indica que el voto afirmativo se da cuando:“Se emite mediante boleta oficializada de una misma agrupación (o lista) para todas las categorías de cargos”.“Para cada categoría de cargos a elegir se emiten boletas oficializadas de diferentes agrupaciones (o listas)”.“La boleta oficializada tiene tachaduras, agregados, roturas o sustituciones (borratina), siempre que el encabezado se encuentre intacto”.“En el sobre hay más boletas oficializadas de la misma lista y categorías de cargo”. En este caso, solo se computará una y se destruirán las restantes.¿Qué es el voto en blanco?El voto en blanco es también un voto considerado válido. Se da cuand...

What to know about Mike Johnston's mayoral inauguration Monday

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

DENVER (KDVR) — On Monday, Denver is set to inaugurate its first new mayor in 12 years, marking a new political era for the Mile High City. The ceremony inaugurating the city’s 46th mayor will happen Monday morning at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Mayor-elect Mike Johnston will take the reins from Mayor Michael Hancock. Last month, voters picked Johnston, a former state senator, in a runoff election. He defeated Kelly Brough, the president and CEO of the Denver Chamber of Commerce. Denver to inaugurate new mayor on Monday: How to watch Colorado state Rep. Leslie Herod is Johnston’s inauguration chair.His transition committee includes Ami Desai, the chief operating officer at Gary Community Ventures and an executive director. Co-chairs include former Denver Mayor Federico Peña; state Sen. Julie Gonzales; former Denver Post editor Greg Moore; Downtown Denver Partnership CEO Kourtny Garrett; and organizational and diversity strategist Makis...

Fuzzy invasion of domestic rabbits has a South Florida suburb hopping into a hunt for new owners

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

WILTON MANORS, Fla. (AP) — When Alicia Griggs steps outside her suburban Fort Lauderdale home, Florida’s latest invasive species comes a-hoppin’ down the street: lionhead rabbits.The bunnies, which sport an impressive flowing mane around their heads, want the food Griggs carries. But she also represents their best chance of survival and moving where this domesticated breed belongs: inside homes, away from cars, cats, hawks, Florida heat and possibly government-hired exterminators.Griggs is spearheading efforts to raise the $20,000 to $40,000 it would cost for a rescue group to capture, neuter, vaccinate, shelter and then give away the estimated 60 to 100 lionheads now populating Jenada Isles, an 81-home community in Wilton Manors.They are descendants of a group a backyard breeder illegally let loose when she moved away two years ago.“They really need to be rescued. So we’ve tried to get the city to do it, but they’re just dragging their feet,” Griggs said. “They think th...

More Heat & Storms

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

*Heat Advisory in effect through Tuesday evening for Broward and Miami-Dade. *Heat Advisory for the Florida Keys from 10am to 6pm today. A more active weather pattern remains over the region due to deep tropical moisture keeping the air ripe for rain. By midweek, a tropical wave will track to our South to leave us with a chance of seeing showers and storms, especially in the afternoon. As a result, the rain chance will be fairly high through Friday. Models are continuing to insist on a large plume of Saharan dust moving in from the South and East. This could limit rain after what should be a hot and rainy week (at least at times). Have a wonderful day South Florida and make it a safe one! Vivian GonzalezMeteorologist, AMS Certified WSVN Channel 7

$1.5B in unclaimed tax refunds as deadline approaches

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

Taxpayers across the country are urged to act quickly as the deadline for claiming their 2019 tax refunds closes Monday. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) revealed that there is a staggering amount of almost $1.5 billion unclaimed.According to the IRS, individuals who are owed a refund face no penalties for filing their taxes late. However, failing to file their claims in a timely manner will result in the IRS retaining the unclaimed funds. The IRS has made it convenient for taxpayers to access the necessary forms for claiming their tax refunds. These forms can be easily found on the official IRS website.