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N.J. Sen. Booker joins calls for Sen. Menendez to step down

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:29 GMT

By Mary Clare Jalonick and Jake Offenhartz | Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Bob Menendez came under heavy pressure to resign Tuesday as a surging number of his Democratic colleagues in the Senate, including fellow New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker, urged him to step aside over the federal bribery allegations against him.More than 20 Senate Democrats have now said that Menendez should resign, including several Democrats running for reelection next year. Calls for his resignation came in quick succession after Booker’s statement, including from the head of the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, Michigan Sen. Gary Peters. Menendez has refused to leave office but has not yet said whether he will run for reelection next year.Menendez, the longtime chairman and top Democrat on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and his wife Nadine are accused in an indictment released Friday of using his position to aid the authoritarian government of Egypt and to pressure fed...

How to watch the second GOP presidential debate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:29 GMT

By Meg Kinnard | Associated PressThe second Republican presidential debate is drawing near with a smaller onstage lineup than the first event last month.Here’s all of the information on how to watch:TUNING INThe two-hour debate will start at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday. It’s being moderated by Fox Business Network host Stuart Varney and Fox News Channel host Dana Perino, as well as Univision anchor Ilia Calderón.The event will air on Fox News Channel and Fox Business, as well as on the network’s website and other streaming and digital platforms. There’s also a Spanish-language feed airing on Univision.As with last month’s debate, the Republican National Committee has partnered with Rumble — a video-sharing platform popular with some conservatives — to livestream this one, in lieu of the network’s YouTube channel. RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel said earlier this year this was a decision aimed toward “getting away from Big Tech.”WHERE IS IT?The set...

Silicon Valley tech giants HP and Hewlett Packard Enterprise agree to pay $18 million over age-bias claims

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:29 GMT

After a seven-year legal battle, technology industry icon HP and its spinoff Hewlett Packard Enterprises have agreed to pay $18 million to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing them of purging older workers, according to a court filing.The lawsuit went on so long that lead plaintiff Donna Forsyth, a manager laid off at age 62 after 17 years with the companies, did not survive to see its resolution, a court motion for the plaintiffs said.Claims in the case date back to 2012, before the legendary Palo Alto electronics firm Hewlett-Packard in 2015 divided into HP for hardware, such as computers and printers, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise for business software and services.Three years before the split, the company “began implementing a company-wide initiative to replace thousands of existing, older workers with new, younger employees,” the lawsuit claimed. Then-CEO Meg Whitman, the lawsuit alleged, “repeatedly admitted that her goal was to make the entire organizatio...

Residents skeptical after toxicology report finds no ill effects from Martinez refinery incident

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:29 GMT

Nearly a year after the nearby refinery showered the city of Martinez with 20 tons of metal-contaminated dust, residents are still asking what went wrong, and how so many failures could occur in succession.On Monday evening, Contra Costa County Health department officials tried to address some of their concerns when they offered the first opportunity for public comment on a toxicology report studying whether the spent catalyst release had made the city’s soil unsafe.Community members, however, say they’re not satisfied.Although the results of the report were first made public in June, the meeting felt like an effort to extend an olive branch to a community that believes the refinery and the health department need to re-earn their trust.“We value your opinion and want you to feel empowered,” said Matt Hoffman, the deputy director of the Contra Costa County health department. “We really want to have the community involved in this process.”The report stems from an incident in Nov...

Enchanted evening for San Jose Museum of Art’s gala auction

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:29 GMT

The San Jose Museum of Art Gala Auction was a glittering affair Saturday night, filling the outdoor Circle of Palms with more than 300 guests and using the museum itself as the venue for an energy-filled after-party.The evening’s honorees — Bay Area artist Enrique Chagoya and patrons Evelyn and Rick Neely — have longtime connections to the museum that emphasize its role as a place that opens its doors to Bay Area artists, and art lovers, of all sorts.“My relationship with the San Jose Museum of Art has been very rich over time,” said Chagoya, whose work was first shown there in 1997 as part of the Eureka Fellow Awards Exhibition. “Of all the museums, I think the San Jose museum is one of the ones that cares the most about local artists and the community.”Bay Area-based artist Enrique Chagoya was honored at the San Jose Museum of Art’s 2023 Gala Auction at the Circle of Palms in downtown San Jose on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. (Sal Pizarr...

Target says organized retail theft too much, will shutter stores in Oakland, San Francisco, Pittsburg

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:29 GMT

Officials at Target Corp. — citing organized retail thefts and the ongoing threat such thefts often bring to their staff and customers — announced Tuesday that the company will cease operations at high-profile Target stores in Oakland, Pittsburg and San Francisco.The last day those stores will be open is Oct. 20.Target officials specifically mentioned the ongoing problem of organized retail theft and the threat that thefts large and small have presented to their guests as the reason for the closures.The company also announced the closure of stores in New York City, Seattle and Portland. Nine stores were closed in total, while Target officials pointed out that they maintained dozens of other stores in each of those major markets.“We take the decision to close stores very seriously, and only do so after taking meaningful steps to invest in the guest experience and improve business performance,” the company said in a statement announcing the closures. They added that they &...

Kurtenbach: Logan Webb called out the SF Giants’ culture. It showed true leadership

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:29 GMT

Whether it was in-the-moment frustration or the symptom of a much larger problem, Giants pitcher Logan Webb’s comments following Monday’s game were a great service to the fan base and the organization.Webb spoke the truth. The Giants aren’t a winning team, and it will take changes — “big changes” — to rectify that problem.And he, the only player on the team signed to a long-term, big-money contract, is sick of it.The fanbase has been sick of it for a long time. The fluke that was the 2021 campaign no longer carries weight. The steady stream of mediocrity, brought about by a roster full of underdeveloped youngsters, waiver pickups, and uninspiring free-agent signings has taken its toll. Watch enough games where the Nos. 3 and 4 hitters are pinch-hit for in critical late-inning spots, and you’d be restless, too.But the fans’ cries for better have fallen upon deaf ears with the front office.Webb has amplified their message so it can no longer b...

Target announces it's closing stores in San Francisco, Oakland due to theft

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:29 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Target announced it will permanently close three stores in the San Francisco Bay Area before Halloween. The retail giant said organized retail crime rings have become so rampant that store employees and shoppers are no longer safe."We cannot continue operating these stores because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests, and contributing to unsustainable business performance. We know that our stores serve an important role in their communities, but we can only be successful if the working and shopping environment is safe for all," the company wrote in a statement Tuesday. The following Target stores will close effective October 21:SF Folsom and 13th St: 1690 Folsom StOakland Broadway & 27th: 2650 BroadwayPittsburg: 4301 Century BlvdThirty-two Target stores remain open in the San Francisco and Oakland region.Target said it did not take its decision lightly, and the company made unsuccessful efforts to st...

President Biden arrives in Bay Area for campaign events

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:29 GMT

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (KRON) -- President Joe Biden is set to arrive in the San Francisco Bay Area on Tuesday for a two-day stay.The president will be going to several campaign events after arriving in the Bay Area on Tuesday. This is Biden’s third visit in six months. Six months ago, he was touring storm damage, and three months ago, he was meeting with tech leaders to learn more about artificial intelligence as well as campaigning.This visit is expected to work out much the same, mixing business with pleasure. Biden plans to meet with scientists, but there will be a lot of private fundraisers during the stay as he seeks reelection in 2024. Two events Tuesday night will be private fundraisers to add more money to his campaign.Recent polling showed President Biden either tied with former President Donald Trump or drastically behind him, despite Trump’s numerous indictments. According to experts, the indictments have energized Trump’s base. Some of the worries about Biden among those...

Kaepernick pens letter to Jets asking to be signed to practice squad

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:29 GMT

(KRON) -- Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick wrote a letter to the New York Jets making his case that the team sign him to its practice squad. Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since 2016. The Jets lost their starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a torn Achilles tendon in the first game of the NFL season. Kaepernick's letter was posted on Instagram by rapper J. Cole on Tuesday. Kaepernick wrote the letter on Thursday of last week. Cole said that Kaepernick was initially reluctant to have the letter posted publicly, but Cole said he wanted it out there because "the people and all organizations should know the truth about how hard he works and how much he still wants to play." Since Rodgers went down, the Jets turned to backup Zach Wilson to be the team's starting quarterback. Kaepernick acknowledged Wilson in the letter and said that he is only asking to join the Jets' practice squad to practice against the Jets' defense and help them prepare for their next o...