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Tentative deal reached between health care workers' unions and Kaiser Permanente

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:16 GMT

(KRON) -- Health care workers reached a tentative agreement with Kaiser Permanente early Friday morning after seven months of contract negotiations, according to statements from the unions and Kaiser.Kaiser and unions representing 85,000 workers had been back at the bargaining table with the possibility of another strike looming on the horizon.The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions and Kaiser released details of the tentative agreement. It includes:Raising wages by 21 percent over four yearsRaising health care worker minimum wage to $25 hourly in California and $23 hourly in other states Kaiser operatesProtective terms around subcontracting and outsourcingInitiatives to invest in the workforce and address staffing needsHealth care workers represented by the unions will now need to approve the tentative agreement. The ratification process will begin Oct. 18, according to the parties' statements.President Joe Biden applauded the groups for "coming together in good faith" and reachi...

UC Berkeley professors speak out on Hamas and Israel conflict

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:16 GMT

(KRON) -- Fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East has stirred up heated rhetoric and fears on the University of California Berkeley campus. On Thursday, the university's chancellor and two professors urged all campus community members to maintain "respect and dignity.""We decry any calls for violence in any form or support for terrorism as we continue to mourn the loss of innocent life. We understand this rhetoric is creating deep fear and concern among many members of our campus community," Chancellor Carol Christ wrote in a message to the Berkeley campus community."We are increasingly concerned by the growing prevalence of online threats, doxxing and harassment connected to the conflict between Israel and Hamas," the chancellor wrote.UC Berkeley has some faculty members who are Palestinian, and others who are Israeli. Dr. Hatem Bazian is Palestinian and a lecturer of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures. Dr. Ron Hassner is Israeli and a professor of Israel Studies.Ba...

2 arrested in SF Dior store smash-and-grab

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:16 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Two people were arrested after the Christian Dior store in downtown San Francisco was broken into Thursday morning, according to the San Francisco Police Department. The thieves used a vehicle to smash into the store, located in Union Square.Police said $150,000 was recovered from the suspects and that they intended to target other stores.A representative from the Dior store confirmed to KRON4 that the store will be closed until Sunday. The break-in happened around 6:45 a.m., according to the San Francisco Police Department. Thieves ran away from the store in multiple vehicles. A short time later, officers found one vehicle on the Bay Bridge loaded with stolen goods.Two suspects were later arrested. Dior is known for its high-end merchandise that includes handbags, shoes and apparel priced at thousands of dollars each.Dior is located in Union Square at 185 Post St."Thank you to the SFPD officers who immediately made an arrest in this robbery when it occurred,...

Israeli shelling along Lebanon border kills 1 journalist, wounds 6

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:16 GMT

ALMA Al-SHAAB, Lebanon (AP) — An Israeli shell landed in a gathering of international journalists covering clashes on the border in south Lebanon, killing a Reuters videographer and leaving six other journalists injured. An Associated Press photographer at the scene saw the body of Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah and the six who were wounded, some of whom were rushed to hospitals in ambulances. Images from the scene showed a charred car.“We are deeply saddened to tell you that our videographer, Issam Abdallah, has been killed,” the Reuters news agency said in a statement. The agency added that Abdallah was part of a Reuters crew in southern Lebanon that was providing a live signal.Reuters said that two of its journalists, Thaer Al-Sudani and Maher Nazeh, were wounded in the shelling in the border area.Qatar’s Al-Jazeera TV, said two of its employees, Elie Brakhya and reporter Carmen Joukhadar, also were among the wounded. The Associated Press is not naming other outlets whose jo...

US says North Korea delivered 1,000 containers of equipment and munitions to Russia for Ukraine war

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:16 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said on Friday that North Korea has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia for its ongoing war in Ukraine.Speculation about a possible North Korean plan to refill Russia’s munition stores drained in its protracted war with Ukraine flared last month, when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin and visit key military sites. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the U.S. believes Kim is seeking sophisticated Russian weapons technologies in return for the munitions to boost North Korea’s nuclear program.Source

Scotland’s Humza Yousaf says UK doesn’t value Palestinian lives like Israeli ones

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:16 GMT

EDINBURGH — Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf — whose own family is trapped in Gaza — accused the British government Friday of failing to value Palestinian lives as highly as Israeli ones.In a round of emotional broadcast interviews ahead of his Scottish National Party’s (SNP) annual conference this weekend, the leader of Scotland’s devolved government spoke of his distress at the situation in Israel and Gaza, and took aim at the government in Westminster.“No, I don’t,” Yousaf told ITV News when asked if he thinks the U.K. government is valuing Palestinian lives the same way it values those of Israelis. “That is the exact point, that the life of a Palestinian is equal to the life of an Israeli.”Yousaf revealed earlier this week that his mother-in-law and father-in-law have been trapped in Gaza since Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel last weekend. The couple, who are from Dundee, travelled to Gaza last week to see a sick relative and ...

Police investigating after victim suffers gunshot wound to the head in Dorchester

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:16 GMT

Boston police are investigating after a person was found with a gunshot wound to the head in Dorchester, authorities said.According to the Boston Police Department, officers responding to Corona Street located the victim just after 2 p.m. while responding to a ShotSpotter activation.Police said the victim had life-threatening injuries, but released no other details.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Goodbye to more DVDs? Best Buy plans to phase out sales of physical movies in the coming months

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:16 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Best Buy is saying goodbye to movie-watching with physical discs.The consumer electronics retailer plans to phase out its DVD and Blu-ray sales by early 2024 — with physical movies set to be sold in-stores and online as they are today through the holidays, Best Buy confirmed to The Associated Press Friday. Video games will not be impacted.“To state the obvious, the way we watch movies and TV shows is much different today than it was decades ago,” the company said in an emailed statement. “Making this change gives us more space and opportunity to bring customers new and innovative tech for them to explore, discover and enjoy.”Best Buy isn’t the only company to start moving away from physical media in recent months. Last month, Netflix’s DVD-by-mail service, for example, officially came to a close as the company’s iconic red-and-white envelopes made their final trip.Speculation about the fate of Best Buy’s physical movies b...

Narcan, now available without a prescription, can still be hard to get

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:16 GMT

Jackie Fortiér, LAist and Nicole Leonard, WHYY | (TNS) KFF Health NewsLast month, drugstores and pharmacies nationwide began stocking and selling the country’s first over-the-counter version of naloxone, a medication that can stop a potentially fatal overdose from opioids. It’s sold as a nasal spray under the brand name Narcan.Coming off a year with a record number of opioid-related overdose deaths in the United States — nearly 83,000 in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics — community health workers and addiction medicine experts were hopeful that the arrival of Narcan on retail shelves might make it easier for people to get the medication.And, ultimately, prevent more fatal overdoses.But it’s unclear whether the move will actually expand access to Narcan. Experts worry that its unpredictable retail price, sporadic availability on store shelves, or general consumer confusion about potentially having to ask a pharm...

Massachusetts, federal law enforcement ‘vigilant’ in wake of call for global action in support of Hamas

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:16 GMT

Police agencies in Massachusetts are responding to headlines that a Hamas leader had called for a “global day of jihad” today but say they have no intelligence pointing toward a threat in the Bay State.“At this time we are aware of no specific or credible threats in Massachusetts related to the attack on Israel or the call for jihad by terrorists, but as ever, we remain vigilant and will advise our citizens if that changes,” the Massachusetts State Police reported in a statement.Other departments around the state, including the Boston and Newton police departments, have issued similar statements.The threat appears to have been issued by Khaled Mashaal, a former leader of Hamas now heading its diaspora in Qatar, in a Thursday YouTube video that has since been removed, according to multiple news outlets.The direct quote “global day of jihad” does not appear in any direct quotes from his statement, though multiple outlets quote him as calling for protests in support of Palestinians thr...