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Who would have guessed? L.A. drivers are better, say many readers: Roadshow

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 20:12:53 GMT

Q: I agree with the reader who wrote last week that L.A. drivers are definitely better than Bay Area drivers. I have no idea why.Deborah Goldeen, Palo AltoA: You’re one of many who agree about L.A. drivers.Q: When I moved from the Bay Area to L.A. in the 1980s, I was very impressed with the skill of L.A. drivers. I drove A LOT for work and school and learned that while they drove faster, they were far superior at avoiding trouble, negotiating challenging situations and knowing the capabilities of their cars. I am back north now and driving defensively.Ann McClure, Castro ValleyA: A couple of decades ago, a Caltrans official was flying over Southern California traffic and told a radio audience that L.A. drivers were the most disciplined in the country.Q: It’s all those unprotected left turns! As a Bay Area driver, they freak me out, but maneuvering all those unprotected lefts in L.A. keeps me alert and engaged.Sandy McMasterQ: Arian Sarris, who detailed an experience with a slo...

Fremont driver killed in three-vehicle collision

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 20:12:53 GMT

FREMONT — The cause of a multi-vehicle crash Monday that claimed a resident’s life is under investigation, authorities said.According to a social-media post Tuesday afternoon, officers responded shortly after 1:15 p.m. Monday to a report of a three-vehicle collision at the intersection of Paseo Padre Parkway and Mowry Avenue.When officers arrived, they found one vehicle’s driver unresponsive behind the wheel. After Fremont Fire Department firefighters joined officers in providing emergency life-saving measures, the driver was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.It is the city’s fifth traffic fatality of the year, following an apparent hit-and-run collision last Friday.An Alameda County Sheriff’s Office coroner’s bureau deputy identified the driver Tuesday afternoon as Steven Barnes, 69, of Fremont.Drivers of the other two vehicles remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, who were still working to determine the c...

Richmond’s vice mayor violated term limits for elected officials, lawsuit alleges

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 20:12:53 GMT

Can a termed-out former Richmond mayor temporarily serve as a city’s mayor if the current one can’t fulfill their duties?This hypothetical civics conundrum has boiled into a real-life lawsuit, with council mainstay Gayle McLaughlin at the center of the controversy.McLaughlin won back-to-back elections to become Richmond’s mayor, ultimately serving a full eight years from January 2007 to January 2015. McLaughlin was elected again as a councilmember six years later, sworn in Jan. 2021 to represent Richmond’s newly formed District 5.But the issue at hand emerged in January, when she was also appointed by her peers to serve a one-year term as vice mayor, who is assigned to fill in whenever the elected mayor is absent, sick or dies.Consequently, McLaughlin once again took over responsibilities of the city’s top elected official when current Mayor Eduardo Martinez was too ill to attend the March 7 Richmond City Council meeting — the council’s first in-person gathering since the start of t...

Family offers $10K reward for information on missing person

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 20:12:53 GMT

(KRON) -- The family of a man reported missing four years ago is still searching and hoping for answers. They are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Jonathan Bandabaila's whereabouts.Bandabaila was last seen on May 3, 2019 in Oakland. He was reportedly wearing gray soccer warm-up gear.He is described as a Black man, about 5 feet, 7 inches, with black hair and brown eyes. He was around 175 pounds at the time of his disappearance.Bandabaila's car was found on the San Mateo Bridge on May 4, 2019. It was a 1998 silver Honda Accord parked and unoccupied in the westbound lanes of the San Mateo Bridge.If you have information on his whereabouts, call the Oakland Police Department Missing Persons Unit at 510-238-3641.

San Ramon police arrest 3 for allegedly having drugs in stolen car

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 20:12:53 GMT

(BCN) -- San Ramon police arrested three people allegedly possessing more than 60 grams of suspected narcotics in a stolen vehicle Monday night. Officers pulled over the vehicle, reported stolen in Southern California, at 11:52 p.m. near the intersection of San Ramon Valley Boulevard and Bollinger Canyon Road. During a vehicle search, officers allegedly discovered over 60 grams of suspected narcotics, including what they suspect is fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine. All three occupants of the vehicle were arrested and booked into the county jail in Martinez on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of narcotics for sales and outstanding felony warrants. The occupants are from Sacramento, Oroville and Oxnard, police said Tuesday. The car was towed and will be returned to its owner. Anyone with additional information can contact San Ramon police at (925) 973-2700. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Nurses strike at John Muir Behavioral Health Center demanding fair contract

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 20:12:53 GMT

CONCORD, Calif. (KRON) -- Nurses at John Muir Behavioral Health Center have been in negotiations with hospital officials for almost two years over a contract that they say will ensure better recruitment and overall retention. Now they say they’ve had enough.Over 70 Concord nurses plan to strike for 24 hours Wednesday to bring changes they say will benefit workers and patients.They say that many nurses are leaving due to pay, benefits and safety concerns. They also want officials to improve patient safety and offer stronger staffing measures and better the training for nurses in the specialty units.One nurse from the health centers chemical dependency unit put out a statement saying:"Their understaffing is resulting in unsafe assignments, new nurses working without proper support or training, and experienced nurses regularly leaving for better benefits and conditions elsewhere."Currently, there are 78 nurses from John Muir Behavior Health Center who are part of the California Nurse's...

NBA Playoffs: Embiid is MVP, Knicks and Lakers get wins

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 20:12:53 GMT

Joel Embiid is the runner-up no more. After finishing second in each of the last two years, Philadelphia’s MVP is the NBA’s MVP.Embiid won the league’s top individual award on Tuesday night, topping Denver’s Nikola Jokic — who had won the two previous MVP trophies — and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee.Embiid got 73 of 100 first-place votes. That’s an overwhelming margin, but the NBA has seen lots of those. There are 24 other instances of someone winning MVP with a higher percentage of first-place votes, obviously topped by Stephen Curry’s unanimous selection in 2016.He wasn’t the only one celebrating a win in the NBA on Tuesday. New York evened its Eastern Conference semifinal series at a game apiece with Miami by beating the Heat 111-105, and the Los Angeles Lakers opened their Western Conference semifinal by beating defending champion Golden State 117-112.WHAT’S NEXT?Philadelphia will play Game 2 at Boston on Wednesda...

Darden buys Ruth’s Chris Steak House for about $715 million

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 20:12:53 GMT

The Ruth’s Chris Steak House chain is being acquired by Darden Restaurants for about $715 million. The original Chris Steak House was opened on New Orlean’s Broad Street in 1927, and it was acquired by Ruth Fertel in 1965. The company has 154 locations worldwide, including 80 company-owned or -operated restaurants and 74 franchised restaurants.The company, now based in Winter Park, Florida, suffered as most restaurants did during the pandemic, closing 23 restaurants in early 2020, furloughing workers and announcing that executives were taking less pay. Shares of Ruth’s Hospitality Group Inc., which owns the restaurants, recovered within a year of the outbreak. Shares were halted before the market opened and jumped more than 30% at the opening bell. Darden, also based in Florida, is acquiring all outstanding shares of Ruth’s for $21.50 per share, a 34% premium. “Ruth’s Chris is a strong and distinctive brand in the fine dining segment with an impressive history of deliver...

Fortis: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 20:12:53 GMT

ST. JOHN`S, Newfoundland (AP) — ST. JOHN`S, Newfoundland (AP) — Fortis Inc. (FTS) on Wednesday reported first-quarter earnings of $335 million.On a per-share basis, the St. john`S, Newfoundland-based company said it had net income of 67 cents.The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 61 cents per share.The electric and gas utility posted revenue of $2.45 billion in the period._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on FTS at https://www.zacks.com/ap/FTSSource

Stock market today: Wall Street drifts higher ahead of Fed

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 20:12:53 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting higher in early trading ahead of what Wall Street hopes will be the last hike to interest rates for a long time. The S&P 500 was 0.2% higher in the early going Wednesday after slumping the prior day. The Dow was barely lower and the Nasdaq was up 0.2%. The spotlight is squarely on the Federal Reserve, which will announce its latest move to combat high inflation in the afternoon. The Fed is expected to raise its overnight rate again, to the highest level since 2007. More important is what clues the Fed gives about upcoming moves.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street pointed slightly higher Wednesday as markets digest more corporate earnings while waiting for a decision on interest rates by the Federal Reserve. Futures for the Dow Jones industrials ticked up 0.1% and the S&P 500 gained 0.3% before the bell. Shares in Europe rose while markets in Japan and China were closed Wednesday for holidays. As wor...