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US homelessness up 12% in highest reported level

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:57:58 GMT

By Kevin Freking | Associated PressWASHINGTON — The United States experienced a dramatic 12% increase in homelessness as soaring rents and a decline in coronavirus pandemic assistance combined to put housing out of reach for more Americans, federal officials said Friday.About 653,000 people were experiencing homelessness during the January snapshot. That’s the highest number since the country began using the yearly point-in-time survey in 2007 to count the homeless population. The total represents an increase of about 70,650 homeless people compared to January 2022.The latest estimate also indicated that people becoming homeless for the first time were behind much of the increase, and it ended a downward trend in family homelessness that began in 2012.“This data underscores the urgent need for support for proven solutions and strategies that help people quickly exit homelessness and that prevent homelessness in the first place,” House and Urban Development Secretar...

49ers’ Hargrave, Armstead are likely to miss Arizona game

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:57:58 GMT

SANTA CLARA — It appears the 49ers will be without both starting defensive tackles Sunday when they visit the Arizona Cardinals.Official designations will come later Friday from coach Kyle Shanahan, but general manager John Lynch made it sound as if both Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead will be spectators.Hargrave has a hamstring strain, while Armstead has foot and knee issues. The 49ers (10-3) have already clinched a playoff spot and have an extra day of preparation following the Cardinals game as they host Baltimore in a Monday night game on Christmas.In a 28-16 win over Seattle, Hargrave played a season-low 28 snaps and reported hamstring tightness. In his eighth season, Hargrave missed just three games with Pittsburgh (2016-19)  and Philadelphia (2020-22) and he has played in 13 games with six sacks for the 49ers after signing a four-year contract worth a maximum of $84 million.“I think it would be a reach for him to play this week but we’ll see,” Lynch s...

People with disabilities hope autonomous vehicles deliver independence

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:57:58 GMT

Tony Leys | KFF Health News (TNS)GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. ― Myrna Peterson predicts self-driving vehicles will be a ticket out of isolation and loneliness for people like her, who live outside big cities and have disabilities that prevent them from driving.Peterson, who has quadriplegia, is an enthusiastic participant in an unusual test of autonomous vehicles in this corner of northern Minnesota. She helped attract government funding to bring five self-driving vans to Grand Rapids, a city of 11,000 people in a region of pine and birch forests along the Mississippi River.The project’s self-driving vans always have a human operator in the driver’s seat, poised to take over in complicated situations. But the computers are in control about 90% of the time, and they’ve given 5,000 rides since 2022 without any accidents, organizers say.“It’s been fun. I’m really sold on it,” said Peterson, who used to rely on her power wheelchair to travel around town, even in winter.Autonomous vehicles, which...

Young hockey player dies after being hit in the throat with puck

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:57:58 GMT

By Rachel Lau | CTV NetworkMONTREAL – An 11-year-old boy has died days after being hit by a puck in the throat during a minor hockey league practice session on Tuesday in Saint-Eustache, about 40 minutes away from Montreal.Saint-Eustache police confirmed the news of the boy’s death on Friday.“This morning, we were saddened to learn of the child’s death. We offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends and loved ones,” a press release from the force reads.Following the incident at the Walter-Buswell complex, the child was rushed to a Montreal hospital to be treated for his injuries.“The Saint-Eustache minor hockey association and all its members are saddened by the accident that injured our young player,” the association told Noovo Info at the time. “We are working with the town to offer the necessary support to members who witnessed the accident. We are aware that the emotional impact is immense.”Related ArticlesWorld News...

New Year’s Eve 2023: 14 cool shows worth checking out on last night of the year

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:57:58 GMT

Our New Year’s Eve plans usually consist of a movie, Chinese food and then trying to get back to our pad before things get too wild out there.Others, understandably, prefer a more rockin’ way to bring one year to a close and kick-start another. That’s why going to a concert continues to be such a popular NYE tradition for so many.And Bay Area fans definitely have a lot of tuneful options for Dec. 31, 2023. The offerings range from cool R&B and real-deal blues to electronic rock and Latin jazz.Then, of course, there are a variety of comedy gigs taking place around these parts as well.Many of these events will sell out, so now’s the time to make your plans.To help with that pursuit, here is our guide to the top NYE concerts and comedy shows taking place in the Bay Area.LCD SoundsystemThe incredibly popular electronic rock act — which headlined the huge Outside Lands festival at Golden Gate Park in 2016 — is set to thrill their many Bay Area fans with two year-ending sh...

Car fire spreads into vegetation, burns 20 acres near Pittsburg

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:57:58 GMT

BAY POINT — A car fire on a bypass road connecting eastern and central Contra Costa County spread into vegetation early Friday, burning 20 acres and threatening homes, fire officials said.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Letters: Ghost Ship | Vote Democrat | Who Musk is | Grand juries Crime and Public Safety | Flaring reported Wednesday at Martinez refinery Crime and Public Safety | Martinez residents sue refinery after a year of accidents shakes community Crime and Public Safety | Fire in backyard tree spreads to nearby house in Concord Crime and Public Safety | ‘I’m committed to Oakland,’ Matt Horn says; post-fire GoFundMe effort launched Investigators were working to determine if the two-alarm blaze was set intentionally, spokesperson Capt. Chris Toler said. The car appeared to be abandoned when crews arrived about 1:50 a.m. to the Pittsburg side of Bailey Road, sugges...

Concord man charged with murdering his grandmother

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:57:58 GMT

CONCORD — A Concord man has been charged with stabbing his grandmother to death in an attack earlier this month, court records show.Fabian Gonzalez Cruz, 23, was charged Dec. 8 with murder and an enhancement alleging use of a sharp weapon in the death of 69-year-old Josefina Gonzalez, of Concord. He is being held in the West County Detention Facility in lieu of $1 million bail, records show.Josefina Gonzalez was stabbed to death in the morning of Dec. 5. Concord police arrested Fabian Gonzalez Cruz and booked him into jail around 7:30 a.m. that day, according to arrest records.Authorities haven’t publicly disclosed the suspected motive for the attack. Gonzalez Cruz has pleaded not guilty and is next due in court on Jan. 10, court records show.

Martinez Refinery Company addresses flaring issues

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:57:58 GMT

(KRON) – The Martinez Refinery Company announced Friday that flaring is occurring at the refinery. According to the company, the flaring “may be visible and audible offsite due to an operational incident.” A strong odor has also been reported on top of the flaring. The company wrote, "We are aware of odor complaints and are conducting community monitoring to investigate the source." 3 Bay Area cities named among CA towns with most holiday spirit We apologize for any inconvenience to our neighbors. Flares are an essential part of a refinery’s integrated, engineered safety systems designed to safely manage excess combustible gases by burning them off efficiently and effectivelyMartinez Refinery CompanyThe company says all appropriate agencies have been notified of the flaring and working to address these issues. 

Man accused of mayhem after deputy injured in Redwood City

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:57:58 GMT

(KRON) -- A 35-year-old man is accused of committing mayhem when he allegedly went on a crime spree along El Camino Real in Redwood City on Thursday afternoon, according to deputies. Nicholas Ibarra, of East Palo Alto, robbed a victim and tried to kidnap a local coffee shop's employee, San Mateo County Sheriff's Sgt. Alfredo Gudino wrote.After the coffee shop incident, deputies saw Ibarra on El Camino Real "deliberately cause traffic hazards by targeting moving vehicles. Upon approaching the suspect, he violently attacked the deputy, causing him facial injuries," Gudino wrote. Ibarra suffered facial injuries as well. The Sheriff's Office did not say how Ibarra was injured.The deputy and Ibarra were transported to a hospital for treatment.Ibarra was later booked into jail in Redwood City on charges including mayhem, attempted kidnapping, aggravated assault on a deputy, resisting arrest, committing a felony while on bail. The Sheriff's Office wrote, "This incident underscores the brav...

Samantha Power Calls on Samantha Power to Resign Over Gaza

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:57:58 GMT

Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development Samantha Power gives an interview in Kyiv on Oct. 6, 2022.Photo: Yevhen Kotenko / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty ImagesA State Department official resigned on October 14, writing in a letter that the U.S. support for Israel’s assault on Gaza “will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the Israeli and Palestinian people.” The director of the New York office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights resigned on October 31, stating that “once again we are seeing a genocide unfolding before our eyes and the organization we serve appears powerless to stop it.”With over 20,000 now dead in Gaza, there’s one government official who you’d assume — at least if you take her own words seriously — would join them. That is Samantha Power, current head of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Before that, she was the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. during the Obama administration.But Power...