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Conservative groups plan to take ‘wrecking ball’ to government

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

By Lisa Mascaro | Associated PressWASHINGTON — With more than a year to go before the 2024 election, a constellation of conservative organizations is preparing for a possible second White House term for Donald Trump, recruiting thousands of Americans to come to Washington on a mission to dismantle the federal government and replace it with a vision closer to his own.Led by the long-established Heritage Foundation think tank and fueled by former Trump administration officials, the far-reaching effort is essentially a government-in-waiting for the former president’s return — or any candidate who aligns with their ideals and can defeat President Joe Biden in 2024.With a nearly 1,000-page “Project 2025” handbook and an “army” of Americans, the idea is to have the civic infrastructure in place on Day One to commandeer, reshape and do away with what Republicans deride as the “deep state” bureaucracy, in part by firing as many as 50,000 federal wor...

Letters: BART mismanagement | Rein in robotaxis | Won’t save us | Pull tax dollars | Not cheap | Constitutional Convention

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Bridge users needvoice in toll hike talksIncreasing tolls to pay BART is simply taxation without representation. BART has only one crossing while there are three toll bridges. Even if BART ran at capacity across the Bay, we would still have traffic jams on the bridges during commutesThe horribly mismanaged BART cannot justify rate increases, increased sales tax or a bail-out from either the state or federal government. In this scenario, the only way to raise funds is to tax a small unprotected group like bridge commuters.I say take a vote of FasTrak users only and see what they say.Phil ArnoldRedwood CityLegislature mustrein in robotaxis“Increase in robotaxis is driving some people nuts” (Page A1, Aug. 21).Robotaxis are now out of control and dangerous. If I drove like they already have — stopping abruptly for no reason, blocking emergency vehicles, going through stop signs — I would be punis...

Ancient NYC water main fails, flooding subway, streets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

Associated PressNEW YORK — A 127-year-old water main under New York’s Times Square gave way early Tuesday, flooding midtown streets and the city’s busiest subway station.The 20-inch pipe gave way under 40th Street and Seventh Avenue at 3 a.m., and quickly delivered a wet reminder of the perils of aging infrastructure beneath the city’s crowded streets.The rushing water was only a few inches deep on the street, but videos posted on social media showed the flood cascading into the Times Square subway station down stairwells and through ventilation grates. The water turned the trenches that carry the subway tracks into mini rivers and soaked train platforms.It took DEP crews about an hour to find the source of the leak and shut the water off, said Rohit Aggarwala, commissioner of New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection.The excavation left a big hole and a muddy mess in one city intersection where workers dug with heavy equipment to get to the brok...

Current, former San Francisco city employees accused of using public funds for own gains

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — One current and one former San Francisco city employee have each been charged with multiple felonies in a scheme that authorities said includes bribery, misappropriation of public money and a financial conflict of interest.San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced the charges Tuesday against 53-year-old Lanita Henriquez, of Oakland, and Rudolph Dwayne Jones, 56, of Oakland. Henriquez is the director of San Francisco’s Community College Grant Program. Jones is a former city employee who is the founder and president for RDJ Enterprises, which according to its web site, offers “multifaceted professional services for Bay Area communities.”It was not clear immediately who was representing the two. A message left with Henriquez’s city phone number was not returned. Calls to RDJ Enterprises were greeted with an answer and automated transfer to a sales pitch offering a special offer on a variety of products but no way of reaching ...

SF store owner killed after robbery, assault with bat

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

(KRON) -- A store owner in San Francisco's Richmond District has died after he was assaulted with a baseball bat during a robbery Thursday night, according to organizers of a GoFundMe set up for him. Around 9:31 p.m., officers responded to the report of a robbery and aggravated assault in the 3900 block of Balboa Street. An unconscious 60-year-old man, Yohannes Tewolde, also referred to as John, was found laying on the ground, according to police.(Photo: GoFundMe)Tewolde was taken to a local hospital with significant injuries. He died on Tuesday. An investigation into this incident and eyewitness accounts revealed an unknown suspect attempted to steal merchandise from the business. Tewolde confronted the suspect with a bat, police said. Major police activity at Chabot Elementary School in Oakland The suspect began assaulting Tewolde and was able to gain control of the bat with which he began hitting Tewolde. Before fleeing the scene, in an unknown sedan, the suspect threw the bat...

Fleas infest Santa Rosa City Hall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

(KRON) -- The City of Santa Rosa is reporting a flea infestation within the City Hall campus at 100 Santa Rosa Avenue. "We are taking proactive steps to eradicate the issue promptly. The city is working with a local pest control consultant to treat the interior and exterior of the City Hall campus," city officials wrote Tuesday. City Hall is expected to reopen on Wednesday once the fleas are eliminated. The following city departments can be reached over the phone by calling: Building and Permits: 707-543-3200Community Development: 707-543-3180Code Enforcement: 707-543-3198City Attorney’s Office: 707-543-3040City Clerk’s Office: 707-543-3015City Manager’s Office: 707-543-3010Finance: 707-543-3140Housing and Community Services:  707-543-3300Human Resources: 707-543-3060Parking: 707-543-3325Planning and Economic Development: 707-543-3200Utility Billing: 707-543-3150

Biden Administration Adds Insulin to Drug Price Negotiation List in Major Blow to Big Pharma

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

The Biden administration pleasantly stunned health care reform advocates Tuesday by including short-acting insulin in its list of 10 drugs for which Medicare will negotiate lower prices, power vested in the White House by the Inflation Reduction Act. The IRA was passed in the face of one of the heftiest barrages of lobbying in congressional history, with the pharmaceutical industry spending more than $700 million over 2021 and 2022 — several times more than the second- and third-ranking industries — much of it aimed at stopping the legislation, watering it down, or undermining its implementation.  Most Read Georgia GOP Gears Up to Remove Atlanta Prosecutor Who Indicted Donald Trump Akela Lacy ...

Broncos acquire kicker Lutz from Saints, reuniting him with Payton, and trade Okwuegbunam to Eagles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos acquired kicker Wil Lutz from the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a seventh-round pick next year, reuniting the veteran kicker with coach Sean Payton.The Broncos also traded veteran tight end Albert Okwuegbunam and a 2025 seventh-round selection to the Philadelphia Eagles for a ’25 sixth-rounder.Okwuegbunam is coming off a monster exhibition finale in which he caught seven passes for 109 yards and a touchdown against the Rams, after which his teammates serenaded him with chants of “Albert O! Albert O!”“I’ve always been capable of doing this,” he said afterward. “Tonight, I just got the opportunities to show it.”In 26 games over his first three NFL seasons, Okwuegbunam had 54 catches for 546 yards and four touchdowns.The Lutz deal means New Orleans will go with undrafted rookie Blake Grupe from Notre Dame. He was 5-for-6 in the preseason with his only miss from 60 yards. The Broncos released veteran Brandon McManus in the spri...

Droughts have scientists concerned about a key drinking water source: the Potomac River

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

Part of the D.C. skyline is seen in this stock photo. (Getty Images/iStockphoto/Sean Pavone) Part of the D.C. skyline is seen in this stock photo. (Getty Images/iStockphoto/Sean Pavone) The rain the D.C. region has seen this year, which includes severe storms with flash flooding, has not solved drought conditions in the Potomac River. In fact, levels detected last week are the lowest seen since 2010 and have scientists beginning talks about whether steps should be taken to bring more water into the region.“The river has gotten worse,” said Michael Nardolilli, executive director of the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin.The commission has scientists who monitor the water flow levels in the river and i...

Youngkin calls lawmakers back to Richmond for special session on long-delayed budget

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia lawmakers will reconvene in Richmond next week to consider a compromise General Assembly negotiators recently reached on the long-delayed state budget. Gov. Glenn Youngkin has called the part-time Legislature into session Sept. 6 to consider the deal, his office said in a news release Tuesday. “To make Virginia more affordable for families and local businesses, we must deliver on our shared goals for more jobs, safer and healthier communities, greater workforce and educational opportunities and much needed tax relief for Virginians. Together, we can get the job done,” Youngkin said. Last week, negotiators representing the Republican-controlled House of Delegates and Democratic-controlled Senate announced the bare-bones outlines of a compromise budget that would boost education spending and offer some tax relief, mostly in the form of one-time rebates. The full details of the plan, hashed out privately by the negotiators, haven’t been released.This...