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Letters: Cost of inaction | Freeway fire | Administration’s failure

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Freeway fire willforce changes in L.A.The I-10 fire and shutdown in Los Angeles reminds me of the I-80/880/580 maze fire on April 29, 2007, when a gas tanker fire collapsed two bridges. Emeryville Fire was first-in at 3:46 a.m. All fires look larger at night; from the Peninsula, the maze looked to have been nuked. Gov. Schwarzenegger declared an emergency and repairs were completed in under three weeks. Shows what happens when the government gets moving and opens the checkbook — wide.Now about the I-10 fire. No one wants to be politically incorrect to call it plainly: arson started in the homeless camp below the freeway. If the fire hasn’t already moved the campers, the repair contractor surely will. With all deliberate speed.I get the feeling the advocates for the “unhoused” won’t be standing in the way this time. Nor will any judge. That, too, would be most politically incorrect.Stephen CutrightEmeryvi...

Alameda County D.A. Pamela Price delivers fiery rebuke to critics as she launches anti-recall campaign

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

OAKLAND — In an evening marked by supporters’ well wishes and largely jovial vibes, there were certain moments during Pamela Price’s anti-recall campaign launch when the embattled district attorney channeled frustration that has built up over the past year.“Those who are trying to overturn the results of the election — they’re trying to destroy public trust,” Price, the first Black woman and progressive reformer to serve as Alameda County’s top prosecutor, told the assembled crowd. “Which means they are a threat to public safety.”Her speech, delivered privately to supporters at Thursday’s campaign launch, marked the beginning of what promises to be a broader public push to keep her job.Opponents are actively gathering petition signatures to force a recall election of Price, having raised $212,000 since July from donors that include prominent tech executives, retirees and former prosecutors.The first-time D.A.’s ...

OpenAI CEO fired, company president quits

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has been fired from his position, the AI company announced Friday. Altman will depart as CEO and leave the company's board of directors.Altman's ouster follows a review by the board, which concluded that he "was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities." Tesla crashes into kitchen of San Mateo home Friday morning "The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI," the company announced in a statement.Altman's removal comes one day after he spoke at an APEC forum on artificial intelligence."I loved my time at OpenAI," Altman wrote Friday in a post to his X, formerly Twitter, account. "It was transformative for me personally, and hopefully the world a little bit. Most of all I loved working with such talented people.""Will have more to say about what's next later," he added.OpenAI Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati will replace Altma...

How APEC affected BART ridership numbers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- BART ridership numbers remained relatively low this week, despite the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which was expected to draw 20,000 visitors to San Francisco. In statistics published by Bay Area Rapid Transit, ridership throughout most of the week remained at less than 50% of pre-pandemic numbers.Monday had the lowest ridership with just over 150,000 exits recorded in the system -- just 37% of pre-pandemic levels. Ridership Tuesday saw a bit of an increase at 44% of pre-pandemic ridership before dipping back down on Wednesday to 43% of pre-pandemic ridership. Bay Bridge protest: Dramatic photos capture hours-long shutdown Even Thursday, when pro-Palestinian protesters shut down the Bay Bridge for several hours during the morning commute, ridership remained relatively low at 180,654 exits, or 44% of pre-pandemic numbers.With widespread reporting on street closures, transit disruptions and even two lanes of the Bay Bridge being shut down, it app...

F1 tries to recover from embarrassing first day of Las Vegas Grand Prix

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Formula One is hoping to turn its luck around on the Strip, like so many other Vegas visitors who blow a big bankroll soon after they arrive.The elite global motorsports series placed a $500 million gamble on a new event in Sin City promoted for the first time by F1 and owner Liberty Media. But it now must recover after an opening-night debacle in which the first practice was ruined just nine minutes in when Carlos Sainz Jr. ran over a water valve cover on the temporary street course.It caused extensive damage to his Ferrari — Sainz said it even damaged his seat — and caused F1 to close the course to inspect the entire 3.85-mile (6.2 kilometer) temporary street circuit. Nine minutes. Those who spent who-knows-how-much got exactly nine minutes of practice Thursday night.By the time the next practice started, 2 1/2 hours late at 2:30 a.m., those in attendance had been ordered to leave fan viewing areas. F1 ran a 90-minute session until 4 a.m. — when the streets had to...

Disney y Warner Bros. Discovery suspenden su publicidad en X, antes Twitter, mientras aumenta la crisis por antisemitismo en la empresa de Elon Musk

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

(CNN) –– Una lista cada vez más larga de empresas ha suspendido su publicidad en X, plataforma anteriormente conocida como Twitter.Este viernes, Disney y Warner Bros. Discovery, propietaria de CNN, confirmaron que detuvieron la inversión publicitaria en la plataforma.La decisión de dos de las compañías de cine y televisión más importantes del mundo sugiere un rechazo cada vez más intenso de parte de los anunciantes hacia X, después de que el propietario de la plataforma, Elon Musk, respaldara una teoría de conspiración antisemita popular entre los supremacistas blancos.ANÁLISIS | Con un mensaje antisemita en X, Elon Musk revela su “auténtica verdad”La medida de Disney y Warner Bros. sigue acciones similares tomadas por Lionsgate e IBM recientemente.Un portavoz de Lionsgate, quien confirmó la decisión de la compañía a CNN, no reveló una razón específica para la medida y no especificó cuánto dinero planeaba gastar la compañía en publicidad en X. La decisión de Lionsgate la...

The last teams standing: India takes on Australia in the Cricket World Cup final

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

AHMEDEBAD, India (AP) — India, a country of 1.4 billion people, will come to a virtual standstill on Sunday when its cricket team led by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli takes on five-time champion Australia in the Cricket World Cup final.It will be played at Narendra Modi Stadium, the world’s largest cricket venue with a seating capacity of 132,000. It was commissioned in 2015 and built with the purpose of hosting the tournament final eight years later. In the process it will likely set a world cricket attendance record.From Chennai to Dharamsala and Mumbai to Kolkata, India has played in front of partisan crowds during the six-week tournament. The home side has channeled that weight of expectations and pressure to win nine consecutive games — the only unbeaten team.Kohli, not surprisingly, has been the focal point for this Indian performance. Now the foremost one-day international batter in history with 50 centuries, he has scored 711 runs in 10 innings at average of 101.57. It is an ...

New Marlins exec Peter Bendix makes trade with former team, acquiring Vidal Bruján from Rays

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Peter Bendix completed a trade with his former team in one of his first major moves since taking over the Miami Marlins, acquiring utilityman Vidal Bruján and right-hander Calvin Faucher from the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.Miami sent minor league prospects Erick Lara and Andrew Lindsey to Tampa Bay in the deal, along with a player to be named.Bendix was formally introduced as Miami’s new president of baseball operations on Monday. He most recently had been the Rays’ senior vice president of baseball operations and general manager.The versatile Bruján, 25, split time between Tampa Bay and Triple-A Durham last season. Faucher started four games and made 17 appearances for the Rays in 2023.In 37 appearances for the Rays last season, Bruján played 12 games at second base, four at shortstop, three in right field and one at third base. He posted a .272 average with 10 homers, 19 stolen bases and 11 doubles for Triple-A Durham.Faucher posted a 7.01 ERA with 25 strikeouts i...

Tavares scores go-ahead goal as Maple Leafs rally from 2 down to beat Red Wings in Stockholm

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — John Tavares scored the go-ahead goal and the Toronto Maple Leafs rallied from two goals down to beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 on Friday night as the NHL’s Global Series continued in the Swedish capital.William Nylander scored the tying goal and Tyler Bertuzzi also scored for the Maple Leafs, who trailed 2-0 after two periods.Nylander also had two assists and extended his franchise-record season-opening point streak to 16 games. His 11 goals and 14 assists lead the Maple Leafs, who played for the first time outside North America and won their third straight game overall. Ilya Samsonov stopped 27 shots for Toronto.“The streak for me is what it is,” Nylander said. “I’m just focusing on working hard and if there is a point that happens, it happens. But the most important thing is that we get the win.”Daniel Sprong scored on a penalty shot midway through the second period and Lucas Raymond of Sweden scored less than two minutes later for the Red Wings...

Markus Burton leads way in overtime, Notre Dame edges Oklahoma State 66-64

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:58:49 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Markus Burton scored 20 points, J.R. Konieczy had his second straight double-double, and Notre Dame held off Oklahoma State 66-64 on Friday night in the third-place game of the Legends Classic at Barclays Center.Burton, a highly touted freshman, scored six of Notre Dame’s 11 points in overtime. Konieczy, a junior guard who had scored 15 points in his career before going off for 18 points with 11 rebounds in a loss to Auburn on Thursday, got the start and finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Julian Roper II added 12 points.Javon Small had 29 points and 10 rebounds for the Cowboys (1-3). John-Michael Wright scored 11 points and Quion Williams grabbed 11 rebounds.Burton converted a three-point play and added two more free throws on the next possession to lift Notre Dame (2-2) into a one-point lead with 1:35 remaining in overtime. Konieczny made two free throws with five seconds left then Notre Dame fouled Javon Small rather than allow a potential tying-3-point...