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Hotel workers union asks Taylor Swift to postpone Los Angeles-area shows

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:52 GMT

A labor union representing thousands of hotel housekeepers in Southern California is asking Taylor Swift to postpone her upcoming concerts at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood until they are paid "a living wage."UNITE HERE Local 11 published an open letter to the pop star in The Los Angeles Times on Thursday.“We make beds, clean bathrooms, and take care of every guest need. Your shows make our hotels a lot of money,” the letter reads. “In Los Angeles, hotels are doubling and tripling what they charge because you are coming. They also add junk fees on rooms, just like Ticketmaster does. But we see none of it.” Taylor Swift fan’s attempt to sell concert tickets for charity takes an unexpected twist Experts predict Swift's 52-night, 20-city tour will become the highest-grossing of all time. It is also having a notable economic impact on each city she visits with the surge of Swifties snatching up hotel rooms at jacked-up rates.She is slated to perform six straight nights at SoFi Stadium begi...

The world’s largest Costco may be built in California

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:52 GMT

The world’s largest Costco could be coming to the Golden State.The City of Fresno has released a report of its findings for a 241,000-square-foot complex that would include a member-exclusive store, gas station and car wash, KTLA's sister station KGPE/KSEE reports.It would be constructed on Riverside Drive at West Herndon Avenue.The proposal would need to first be presented to the Fresno City Council to vote on a zoning change for the massive empty lot on the northwest side of the city. Plans for the world's largest Costco in Fresno, California. July 2023 (KGPE/KSEE)The city says the new store will replace the existing Costco on Shaw and Blythe avenues that has been open since 1985.Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi, who represents the district where it would be built, would not comment on the matter since it is in the “pipeline” for city council action, he said.Public comment must be submitted before August 25th by emailing Fresno's supervising planner, Jose Valenzuela, at jos...

Ryan Martin and Daniel Curtis Hospitalized Following Motorcycle Crash near Steptoe Butte State Park [Colfax, WA]

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:52 GMT

Riding-in-Tandem Motorcyclists Seriously Injured after Collision near Washington ParkCOLFAX, WA (July 27, 2023) – On Sunday afternoon, July 23rd, Ryan Martin and Daniel Curtis were hospitalized following a motorcycle accident.It happened near the entrance of Steptoe Butte State Park where the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office stated that two motorcyclists traveling together crashed.Investigation showed that the riders were traveling near the park when the outside motorcyclist turned inside and caused a collision.Furthermore, the two riders were identified as 48-year-old Ryan Martin and 56-year-old Daniel Curtis.As a result, one of them suffered a broken arm and minor abrasions, and the other obtained head, back, and neck injuries, possibly broken ribs, and minor abrasions.Consequently, both Martin and Curtis were transported to the hospital for treatment of their injuries.Additionally, the officers stated that both riders were wearing their helmets at that time.No other in...

Lisa Esparza, Cerra Corner, Javan Runnels, Felix Begay, Erick Tsosie, Calsie Sockyma Killed in Two-Vehicle Crash on Highway 509 [Tacoma, WA]

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:52 GMT

Two-Car Collision near Alexander Avenue Resulted in Six FatalitiesTACOMA, WA (July 27, 2023) – Sunday morning, Lisa Esparza, Cerra Corner, Javan Runnels, Felix Begay, Erick Tsosie, and Calsie Sockyma were all killed in a car accident.The incident occurred at about 11:15 a.m., on July 16th, on Highway 509.According to reports, Esparza, Corner, Runnels, Begay, Tsosie, and a driver occupied a Kia Forte hatchback. Two people other people involved in the crash occupied a BMW SUV.Investigators state that the Kia was traveling on Alexander Avenue. There, a BMW, that was traveling northbound on Highway 509, T-boned the Kia. The collision caused the Kia to flip over and burst into flames.As a result, the crash killed six of the occupants of the Kia. Officials identified them as 19-year-old Cerra; 19-year-old Lisa Esparza; 22-year-old Javan Runnels; 25-year-old Felix Begay; 25-year-old Calsie Sockyma; 25-year-old Erick Tsosie. They were all from Arizona.Meanwhile, paramedics transported...

Pac-12 survival: Colorado bolts as commissioner George Kliavkoff works to hold the conference together

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:52 GMT

If a school participates in a conference for 12 years, wins no major championships, churns through five football coaches, then decides to leave, was it really ever there?We jest, but not entirely.Colorado’s strange journey from the Big 12 to the Pac-12 and back to the Big 12 — the move became official Thursday — reflects the school’s unique geography and dynamics.Also, CU’s departure is, at this moment, more about the psychological toll it could have on the remaining Pac-12 schools than any material damage sustained by the exit.The Buffaloes can be replaced, and easily so. They have made little competitive impact and lack the brand value and  media market to kneecap the Pac-12 as it negotiates a broadcast contract.But Colorado’s departure looks bad, especially for commissioner George Kliavkoff, and counts as yet another body blow for a conference that has taken repeated hits over the past 13 months. (Some would say 13 years, but that’s a top...

Pac-12 survival: Colorado’s exit becomes official as conference takes another hit

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:52 GMT

The Pac-12’s existential crisis grew more dire Thursday when Colorado’s board of regents unanimously approved a return to ancestral ground. The Buffaloes will enter the Big 12 Conference, their home for more than six decades, for the start of the 2024-25 college sports season.Colorado, which joined the Pac-12 (along with Utah) a dozen years ago, becomes the third member to depart the conference in the past 13 months after last summer’s announced exit of the Los Angeles schools, which are bound for the Big Ten.The totality of the departures — 25 percent of the membership — heaps additional pressure on commissioner George Kliavkoff, whose two years at the helm have been arguably the rockiest in conference history. His year-long, unsuccessful (so far) pursuit of a media rights contract created the circumstances for Colorado to accept an offer from the Big 12.Pac-12 survival depends on what happens next.As a singular entity, Colorado’s departure will have little impact. The ...

Single-family home in Los Gatos sells for $3.5 million

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:52 GMT

15901 Matilija Drive – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the 15900 block of Matilija Drive in Los Gatos was sold on July 14, 2023. The $3,500,000 purchase price works out to $1,451 per square foot. The house, built in 1954, has an interior space of 2,412 square feet. The layout of this single-story house consists of three bedrooms and three baths. Additionally, the house includes a three-car garage, ensuring ample room for parking and storage. The property encompasses a generous 1.1-acre of land, featuring abundant outdoor space and a pool.Additional houses that have recently been sold close by include:On Matilija Drive, Los Gatos, in July 2023, a 4,574-square-foot home was sold for $5,500,000, a price per square foot of $1,202. The home has 4 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms.In November 2022, a 3,025-square-foot home on Montalvo Oaks Circle in Los Gatos sold for $3,598,000, a price per square foot of $1,189. The home has 4 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms.A 3,076-square-foot home ...

49ers’ Brock Purdy talks about his ‘swift’ but rusty return to practice

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:52 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” anthem blared from the practice-field speakers as the 49ers stretched for their second practice of training camp.Yes, Ms. Swift is coming to Levi’s Stadium for Friday and Saturday night shows. But there was no doubt who Thursday’s headliner was: Brock Purdy.Shake it off? Purdy had more to do than that in the past 179 days. Come Thursday, he reprised his role as the first-string quarterback in practice, and, when that happened, a more appropriate song serenaded the 2022 rookie sensation: “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC.“We slowly got to where we’re at and we still have a plan to carry out,” Purdy said. “It’s not, ‘We made it, I threw in practice, and it’s over.’ We still have work to do.”“Obviously we’re all happy to see him back, happy to see the surgical was successful and he’s 100 percent,” left tackle Trent Williams said.San Francisco 49er quarterback Brock Pur...

10 hostess hacks to make your food look better than it is

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:52 GMT

I’m not a cook. I do, however, love to entertain. Because having guests to my home typically involves feeding them, I try to compensate for my lack of culinary skills with stylish presentation. A little sleight of hand never hurt anyone.With a few hostess hacks, I can elevate the most humdrum potato salad from the grocery store deli, chicken wings and a plastic tub of watermelon chunks into a sublime picnic. More on that in a minute.Chef David Tiner, director of the Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge, is not surprised. “We eat with our eyes first,” he said. “Then we eat with our nose. I’m a big believer that if looks good and smells good, I’m going to like it.”Presentation may not be everything, but it’s at least two thirds.“As long as the food is out of the box and on your serving pieces, guests won’t care where it came from,” said Sharon Brenner, a caterer in Winter Park, Fla. “Everything tastes better in a pretty bowl.”Whether you are a culinary institute graduate,...

Google Searches for “Gerontocracy” Skyrocket After McConnell Episode

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:52 GMT

After Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell froze mid-sentence during a press conference Tuesday, Google searches for the term “gerontocracy” — oligarchical rule by the elderly — spiked, according to Google Trends. In the days before the episode, virtually no one was searching for the term. In the afternoon hours, as news of McConnell’s episode spread, Google searches for the term began to rise then quickly quadrupled, peaking around 7 p.m.  Most Read As Actors Strike for AI Protections, Netflix Lists $900,000 AI Job Ken Klippenstein Wagner Group Disappeared and Executed Civilians in Mali Nick Turse ...