Home

Letters: Oil companies | Self-driving cars | Dyslexia skills | Lottery owes | Spending here | Pride flag bans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:29 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Oil companies mustreveal what they knewRe: “State sues oil giants over shifts in climate” (Page A1, Sept. 17).Permission to file the lawsuit holding oil companies financially accountable for knowingly contributing to climate change is good news indeed.What would be truly remarkable is a public statement from the oil companies acknowledging their long-term campaign of misinformation and lies along with requiring them to share the data on what they knew.A hefty fine is the only legal recourse available. Nonetheless, educating the public about the oil company’s duplicity would help build public support and involvement in addressing climate change.Eleanor LevineOaklandSelf-driving carsare a bad investmentI have lived in San Francisco on and off throughout my life. I still love this beautiful city, despite the current problems.Over the past two Saturdays, I enjoyed North Beach and the Inner ...

Drew Barrymore praised for showing human capacity to reverse course after a very bad decision

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:29 GMT

For a week, the lovably quirky and phenomenally resilient Hollywood star Drew Barrymore became one of the most mocked and disparaged women in America.As the strike by Hollywood writers entered its fourth month, Barrymore insisted that her eponymous day-time talk show would resume production. In her response to the backlash last week, the former child actor-turned “Charlie’s Angels” power player doubled down on her decision by delivering an emotional, rambling statement that was not the convincing explanation she intended but a display of “Hollywood royalty” at its most privileged and clueless, Puck’s Mathew Belloni said, further exposing her to more vitriol, derisive memes and accusations of being a scab.But Barrymore became admired again on Sunday after she announced that she was pausing her show’s return until the Writers Guild of America strike is over. “I have listened to everyone,” she said in a statement post on Instagram. ...

Santa Clara Councilmembers file ethics complaint against group they say has ties to Mayor Lisa Gillmor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:29 GMT

Three Santa Clara councilmembers have filed several ethics complaints against Stand Up For Santa Clara — a self-proclaimed “grass-roots watchdog organization” that they claim is connected to Mayor Lisa Gillmor.Vice Mayor Kevin Park and Councilmembers Anthony Becker and Suds Jain recently filed complaints with the city and the California Fair Political Practices Commission — the state ethics body — claiming the group is a “political operation” and has failed to be transparent with its political spending or advertisements. The trio also filed a complaint with the IRS, questioning its non-profit status.The mayor told the Mercury News that the complaint is “completely frivolous” and that she’s never had a role with Stand Up For Santa Clara — a group that she called a “grassroots organization that sincerely cares about Santa Clara.”“These accusations are made by councilmembers who are trying to deflect wh...

Debris field from lost F-35 fighter jet is found in South Carolina

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:29 GMT

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — Authorities found a debris field Monday from a Marine Corps F-35 stealth fighter jet that crashed in South Carolina after the pilot ejected and parachuted to safety.The debris field was located in rural Williamsburg County, according to the Marine Corps’ Joint Base Charleston. The field is about two hours northeast of the base, and residents were being asked to avoid the area while the recovery team worked to secure it.Authorities had been searching for the jet since the pilot, whose name hasn’t been released, parachuted to safety into a North Charleston neighborhood about 2 p.m. Sunday. He was taken to a hospital, where he was in stable condition, Marines Maj. Melanie Salinas said.The Marine Corps announced Monday it was pausing operations for two days after the fighter jet’s crash — the third costly accident in recent weeks.Gen. Eric Smith, the acting commandant of the Marine Corps, ordered the stand-down while authorities searched near t...

Missing boy, 13, found safe in San Francisco

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:29 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A 13-year-old boy who went missing in San Francisco for three days has been found, police said Monday afternoon. The San Francisco Police Department did not say where Knowledge Shepard was located, but confirmed that he was safe. Shepard was last seen entering the Embarcadero BART station at 7 p.m. on September 15. "Shepard has a fascination with buses and trains, and usually rides Muni or BART," SFPD wrote. He was reported missing that night.

Man struck by car, killed while crossing San Jose street Saturday evening

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:29 GMT

(BCN) -- A man was killed Saturday evening after being hit by a car while he was walking across the street in East San Jose, according to police. At about 7:50 p.m., the victim was crossing South White Road just north of Quimby Road when he was hit by a woman driving a 2015 BMW sedan, according to police. The man, whose name has not yet been released, was outside of a marked crosswalk, police said. He was taken to a hospital where he later died. The woman remained at the scene of the collision and cooperated with investigators. Anyone with information is asked to contact San Jose police Detective O'Brien at [email protected] or (408) 277-4654.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Instacart sets IPO price at $30 a share, valuing the company at about $10 billion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:29 GMT

Instacart on Monday priced its initial public offering of stock at $30 a share, raising $660 million for the grocery delivery company.San Francisco-based Instacart sold 22 million shares in the IPO. Trading of the company’s stock is set to begin Tuesday on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the stock symbol “CART.”The price was at the high end of an earlier range estimated by Instacart, reflecting a renewed confidence in tech stocks after last week’s successful IPO of Arm Holdings, a U.K. chip designer.The price gives Instacart a market value of around $10 billion. That’s far lower than the $39 billion valuation the company announced in early 2021.Instacart is the market leader among third-party grocery delivery companies, according to YipitData, a market research firm. But it faces growing competition from others, including DoorDash and Uber Eats. It also competes with big grocers like Walmart, which offer their own delivery.Instacart provides delivery and pickup fro...

Staley, Chargers feeling the pressure with an 0-2 start and a pair of close losses

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:29 GMT

Brandon Staley is feeling the pressure with the Los Angeles Chargers off to their first 0-2 start in six years.After Sunday’s 27-24 overtime loss at Tennessee, the third-year coach bristled at suggestions that a hangover remains from last season’s playoff loss in Jacksonville when the Chargers blew a 27-point, first-half lead and were eliminated 31-30.“It’s a convenient story line, but it’s not the truth,” Staley said. “We’ve lost two tough games, but the men in that locker room are finishers, and they have what it takes, and we’re excited to prove ourselves.”Staley is correct if one wants to only look as far back as the playoff game. The painful truth is that what has caused the Chargers to drop their first two games this season has existed for the past two-plus seasons.And as much as Staley says he has guys that are finishers, they’ve often come up short in clutch situations. They lost 36-34 to Miami in the opener after Tyreek Hill scored on a 4-yard pass from Tua Tagovailoa with ...

3 Vegas-area men to appeal lengthy US prison terms in $10M prize-notification fraud case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:29 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Attorneys say three Nevada men intend to appeal lengthy federal prison terms they received after being found guilty of conducting a prize-notification scheme that prosecutors say biked elderly and vulnerable victims out of more than $10 million over the course of eight years.Mario Castro, 55, of Las Vegas was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court to 20 years in prison, Miguel Castro, 58, of Las Vegas, was sentenced to more than 19 years, and Jose Luis Mendez, 49, of Henderson, was sentenced to 14 years, U.S. Attorney Jason Frierson said.A jury found the three men were found guilty in April of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and multiple counts of mail fraud, Frierson said in a Monday statement about the case.Attorneys Willliam Brown for Mendez, Joshua Tomsheck for Mario Castro and Lucas Gaffney for Miguel Castro said Monday that their clients maintain their innocence and will appeal their convictions and sentences.Several other Las Vegas-area residents previously ...

Colorado State coach says safety Henry Blackburn received death threats for hit on Travis Hunter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:29 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Colorado State coach Jay Norvell said Monday that senior safety Henry Blackburn has been receiving death threats since his late hit that hospitalized Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter.Blackburn drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty Saturday night for the blow he delivered to Hunter’s midsection on a deep pass in the first quarter of the Rocky Mountain Showdown. It was one of 17 penalties the Rams committed in their 43-35 loss in double overtime to Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes in front of a capacity crowd.Norvell said Blackburn, who’s from Boulder, and his family had their address posted on social media. He added that police have been involved due to the serious nature of the threats.“It’s sad that that’s the state of the world we live in. It’s a football game. Let’s not make it more than that,” Norvell said at his news conference. “We don’t want anyone to get hurt. We don’t coach that kind of football. I’ve been talking to Henry about tha...