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Letters: Covered cars | Steel facility | Affordability crisis | Recalibrate lines | Delta tunnel

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:05 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Don’t rely on coveredcar promise in coal fightRe: “City goes to trial with developer in ‘coal war’” (Page B1, July 8).Thank you for your timely coverage of the Oakland “coal war.” However, despite his quoted comment about preventing coal dust, Phil Tagami has never committed to using covered cars. For good reason — covers for coal cars are not commercially available. If they were, they would be prohibitively expensive and might lead to the spontaneous combustion of the coal.The Utah coal company behind Mr. Tagami still ships coal in uncovered cars to Richmond, where a recent scientific study documented that those coal trains increase toxic fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) more than other freight trains do.PM 2.5 disproportionately affects infants, children, the elderly, the poor and people of color. It causes cancer, heart and lung disease, dementia, adverse birth outcomes a...

Here’s something you don’t often hear from the IRS: Don’t pay your taxes (yet)

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:05 GMT

By Jon Healey, Los Angeles TimesA ball of confusion — that’s what the IRS is today, at least for many Californians.The Internal Revenue Service announced in early January that taxpayers in disaster-stricken counties would have more time to file their returns and pay their taxes. Since then, it has amended its stance multiple times, adding more counties and extending the payment deadlines — and then seemingly moving up the deadlines and canceling the relief.The latest hiccup: Taxpayers who filed their returns early but delayed paying what they owed are getting “notice and demand” letters from the IRS, telling them they face penalties and interest charges if they don’t pay within 21 days. Only if they read all the way through the four-page letter will they find a paragraph at the end telling them to disregard everything that came before it if they live in an area covered by a disaster declaration — which includes 57 of the state’s 58 counties.Say what?Acc...

Surfboard-hopping sea otter continues to give authorities the slip

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:05 GMT

Wildlife authorities in a small motorboat with an antenna, surfboard and net spent a foggy morning Wednesday drifting by the seaweed beds off the cliffs near the Santa Cruz lighthouse and its legendary Steamer Lane surf break, hoping for a break of their own.For weeks now, they’ve tried to nab Otter 841, an international sensation since images of her commandeering surfboards — and sometimes chewing on them — went viral on social media but raised fears the adorable aquatic fur-ball could pose a risk to the public. After Wednesday’s fruitless effort, the crew packed it in and motored away empty handed.“It’s pretty funny, ” surfer Dylan Reisig, 25, of Santa Cruz, said of the ongoing cat-and-mouse game. With signs posted along the stairways leading down to the ocean warning of the “aggressive sea otter,” Reisig admitted, “I was honestly worried about it a little bit.”But like many other locals and tourists who’ve fl...

Man arrested after threatening store employee, smashing car windows with golf club in Alameda: police

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:05 GMT

(KRON) -- The Alameda Police Department arrested a person who allegedly threatened a store employee and smashed car windows with a golf club on Tuesday, according to police. APD responded to calls about an in-progress theft at about 5:55 a.m. Tuesday. Police were told an "agitated person" was threatening a store clerk with a golf club. Fairfield police borrow golf cart to chase, capture burglary suspect APD said the person left the store and began smashing windows of an occupied car and windows of a business in the South Shore Shopping Center, located at 523 South Shore Center. An image provided by police shows a car with its back passenger-side window smashed out. After receiving a suspect description from a witness, APD officers located the suspect on Park Street and took him into custody. Police said the store clerk and occupant of the smashed vehicle were unharmed in the incident.

VIDEO: Brush fire in Napa County contained to 1 acre

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:05 GMT

(KRON) -- Crews responded to a one-acre brush fire that broke out Wednesday afternoon in Napa County, Cal Fire LNU announced on Twitter. Firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze on the 2300 block of Soda Canyon Road."The fire was burning upslope in grass oak woodland," Cal Fire said. Crews were able to contain the fire "quickly" before it grew in size. Cal Fire posted a video (above) at the scene where firefighters responded to the blaze.The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. Authorities will investigate. KRON On is streaming news live now.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }The fire broke out approximately 20 miles north of downtown Napa. Cal Fire first tweeted about the blaze at 3:39 p.m.

Phillies doctors recommend elbow surgery for top prospect Andrew Painter

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:05 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies medical staff has recommended right-handed pitching prospect Andrew Painter have surgery on his right elbow.The team said Wednesday that a UCL reconstruction on Painter’s elbow was advised along with ulnar nerve transposition surgery. The 20-year-old sprained the ulnar collateral ligament during spring training in March. The Phillies said Painter had continued to experience symptoms after bullpen sessions and that tests have shown “interval healing” in his elbow. The hope was that Painter could avoid surgery with a conservative throwing program and rehab process, but the discomfort persisted.“There actually has been healing, but it’s still bothering him,” David Dombroski, the Phillies’ president of baseball operations, told reporters prior to Wednesday’s game against Milwaukee.Painter is scheduled to consult with Los Angeles Dodgers head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache on July 24 in Los Angeles. If ...

Tesla’ income jumps 20%, but shares fall after hours amid profit concerns

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:05 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Elon Musk’s big bet that Tesla price cuts could boost sales and profits amid increasing competition and poor economic sentiment appears to be yielding mixed results. Sales jumped and the company beat analyst expectations for net income in the April-June quarter, although the company’s profit margins declined. Tesla shares followed suit in after-hours trading.The Austin, Texas, maker of electric vehicles, solar panels and batteries reported net income of $2.7 billion in the quarter, a 20% increase from a year ago. Earnings per share also rose 20% to 78 cents when measured via generally accepted accounting principles. Total revenue rose 47% to $24.93 billion.Analysts, however, tend to focus on Tesla’s own measurement of profit, which excludes stock-based compensation expense. By that measure, Tesla’s net income zoomed to $3.15 billion, or 91 cents a share, sharply exceeding average analyst estimates of 80 cents per share according to FactSe...

Warriors youth campers help present former Golden State players Bjelica, Chiozza championship rings

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:05 GMT

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — In a post-lunch session at Warriors youth basketball camp, 11-year-old Vanessa Lewis stood and beamed as she asked a very important question to a pair of very important guests: “Have you seen your rings yet?”Nope, answered Nemanja Bjelica and Chris Chiozza. Then, moments later Wednesday, fellow campers Amari Chiefelk and Will McCloskey appeared from around the blue Golden State Warriors partition and handed each man a box containing his sparkling 2022 championship ring.Awestruck, their eyes lit up immediately.“I didn’t realize it was going to be that big,” said an emotional Bjelica, who traveled from home in Belgrade, Serbia, via Istanbul, Turkey, to San Francisco for the special occasion. “Probably in a couple more years it will be more realistic.”Typically, the Warriors present former players with their rings in an on-court pregame ceremony when they come through town with an opposing organization, but these two were playing overseas so the first...

Zheng beats Parry at Palermo Open and will face American Navarro in quarterfinals

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:05 GMT

PALERMO, Italy (AP) — Second-seeded Zheng Qinwen beat Diane Parry on Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals of the Palermo Open.Zheng found it tougher than her 6-0, 6-0 victory over Sara Errani in the opening round but eventually prevailed 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. She will next face seventh-seeded Emma Navarro after the American had a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Camilla Rosatello.Sara Sorribes Tormo recorded a second straight victory over an Italian player on the red clay courts of the Country Time Club as she defeated Nuria Brancaccio 6-3, 6-2.Sorribes Tormo will next face Clara Brunel after the French player eliminated Cristina Bucsa 6-2, 6-4.___AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Castren, Tan shoot 64 in alternate-shot play to lead LPGA Tour team event in Michigan

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:05 GMT

MIDLAND, Mich. (AP) — Matilda Castren and Kelly Tan shot a 6-under 64 in alternate-shot play Wednesday to take the first-round lead in the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, the LPGA Tour’s lone team event.Castren, from Finland, and Tan, from Malaysia, birdied the final two holes and four of the last six at Midland Country Club.“I felt like we jelled really well today, honestly,” Tan said. “She struck the ball so good. I had the chance to make the putt. And, I mean, I think vice versa. We both played pretty good today. There’s no complaints.”They had a bogey-free round.“I think she hit the ball really well today, too,” Castren said. “So that definitely gave me a lot of comfort. I knew she was going to hit it close.”Celine Boutier and Yuka Saso were a stroke back at 65 with the teams of Celine Borge-Polly Mack and Paula Reto-Amelia Lewis.“We’re happy,” Saso said. “I feel like we did have some really good saves, and I think any time you can be bogey-free, it’s a good day.”Swedes ...