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Parking tickets aren’t enforceable at this Bay Area mall. Confused shoppers are still paying

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

David Mourra rushed his kids to their seats at Bay Street Emeryville’s AMC Theatre earlier this spring, not wanting to miss the opening scenes of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” on the big screen.But running late to one of the East Bay’s most prominent shopping, restaurant, and entertainment hubs meant that Mourra, who was elected to the Emeryville City Council last year, didn’t have time to figure out the mall’s new, app-based pre-paid parking ticket system for the few thousand spaces onsite.That brief oversight turned into a $36 ticket he couldn’t dispute, because no one answered the ticket company’s phone line.“Out of curiosity, I called again to explain what I thought was a rather sympathetic situation — I don’t aspire to be any sort of scofflaw — but I got a voicemail box when I called at 11 a.m.,” Mourra said during an Emeryville City Council meeting in June. “I’m concerned that maybe (the parking app) Park Smart is not set up to provide the l...

At San Jose’s animal shelter, fewer and fewer cats are leaving alive. Why?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

At first glance, nothing appears out of the ordinary at San Jose’s animal shelter.A steady stream of kittens comes through its doors, as they do every day. Dogs bark ferociously in their kennels. Rabbits sit peacefully next to leafy greens beneath the brightly lit atrium of the nearly 20-year-old city shelter.But a deeper look at the city-run San Jose Animal Care Center reveals a simmering crisis.Amid an explosion of needy animals, a culture of neglect and inadequate medical care for cats is rapidly enveloping the facility, a group of volunteers, veterinarians and rescue organizations told The Mercury News.The situation is complicated by a confluence of challenges exacerbated by the COVID pandemic, including staffing and funding issues, the reduction of spay and neuter services and a jump in veterinarian costs.Dogs look out from their cages at San Jose Animal Care Center on Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)A kitten is spoon-fed at San...

Shelter expansion is a ‘defining moment’ for domestic violence survivors in the East Bay

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

LIVERMORE — For Christine Dillman, executive director of Tri-Valley Haven, there’s nothing worse than telling someone who is trying to escape an abusive partner that the nonprofit’s shelter is full.During the coronavirus pandemic — which reduced capacity — and amid the survivor-led #MeToo movement, Dillman said the organization’s shelter for those fleeing domestic violence has often been full.“It’s so hard when somebody is calling — they’re a family in Pleasanton, and they’re fleeing and we have no space,” Dillman said in an interview. “Of course, we do everything we can. We work with other shelters, but that family doesn’t necessarily want to go to San Jose or Oakland or somewhere out of the area.”Now, Tri-Valley Haven, which is based in Livermore, is moving toward what Dillman described as a “defining moment” for domestic violence survivors in the East Bay. It plans by early next year to break ground on ...

They said it: GOP House Speaker vents on stalled spending talks

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

“It’s frustrating in the sense that I don’t understand why anybody votes against bringing the idea and having the debate. This is a whole new concept of individuals that just want to burn the whole place down. That doesn’t work.”— House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Bakersfield Republican, on GOP infighting over passing bills to keep the government funded and avert a partial shutdown next month, led by spending hardliners in his party. Talks are expected to resume Monday.

Inter stay perfect with 1-0 win at Empoli, which is still without a point or a goal

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan’s perfect start to the Serie A season continued with a 1-0 win at Empoli on Sunday but the Nerazzurri found it harder than they perhaps expected against a side that has yet to register a point or score a goal after five matches.It needed a special strike from Federico Dimarco in the second half to break down Empoli’s resolute defense, which had conceded 12 goals in its previous four matches.More than half of those came in last weekend’s 7-0 defeat at Roma, which led to the dismissal of coach Paolo Zanetti and the hiring of Aurelio Andreazzoli for his third spell at the club.Inter has now won all five of its Serie A matches, conceding just one goal, and moved three points ahead of second-place AC Milan.Defending champion Napoli can move to within five points of Inter with a win at Bologna later. Roma, Atalanta and Fiorentina were also playing later.Inter travelled to Empoli full of confidence after last weekend’s 5-1 thrashing of Milan in the city derby...

Jeep SUV wanted in fatal hit-and-run in Littleton

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- A Medina Alert was issued Sunday for the vehicle involved in a fatal hit-and-run crash in Littleton.The crash happened just after 3:20 a.m. on Bowles Avenue near the intersection with Santa Fe Drive. Police said a driver was eastbound on Bowles Avenue when they hit and killed a pedestrian who was described as a Hispanic man in his 40s or 50s.The vehicle was a 2016 to 2021 white Jeep Grand Cherokee, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.The Jeep left the scene westbound. There is damage to the right front fender of the Jeep, according to CBI.CBI said that anyone who sees the Jeep should call 911 or the Littleton Police Department at 303-794-1551.

STORMY AND MUGGY SOUTH FLORIDA

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

Happy Sunday, South Florida!Hopefully, everyone had a nice start to the weekend. After rounds of rain during the morning hours Saturday, conditions began to improve throughout the day. And even though it remained mostly cloudy through the majority of Saturday, the rain held up across much of South Florida. Slightly drier air began to move fun by the end of the day with only just a few evening showers developing across our area. This morning felt very muggy as deep tropical moisture remains across our area and many areas started the day off on the stormy side.Earlier in the week we were tracking Ophelia, which made landfall in North Carolina early Saturday morning. But in its wake, Ophelia left behind tropical moisture that extended as far south as our area. The deeper moisture will begin to lift northward today, however, the occasional shower and thunderstorm will still be possible, especially as the day starts heating up.  And the day should begin to heat up faster than yesterday d...

Usher to headline the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show in Las Vegas

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Usher has a new confession: The Grammy winner will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in Las Vegas.The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Sunday that Usher would lead the halftime festivities from Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11. The music megastar, who has won eight Grammys, said he’s looking forward to performing on the NFL’s biggest stage.“It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list,” Usher said in a statement. “I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before.”Usher spring boarded into superstardom with “Confessions,” which sold more than 10 million units in the U.S. and earned him eight nominations at the 2005 Grammys, winning him three. He lost album of the year to Ray Charles’ final album “Genius Loves Company,” released two months after the legend died.“Confessions” ranks among one of the best-selling music projects of all time and lau...

Police investigating four assaults near Berklee College

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

Boston police are investigating four assaults near Berklee College of Music in Back Bay Saturday evening.Boston police said they responded to Berklee around 6 p.m., where four people were assaulted on Massachusetts Avenue, Boylston Street and Haviland Street. All attacks happened within the same block from each other.Berklee College police responded to 153 Massachusetts Avenue, and another victim was assaulted near 1130 Boylston Street. Both victims denied medical treatment.Two people were attacked near 1 Haviland Street, and both victims were treated on scene, Boston police said.Police said the investigation is ongoing.

Jailed Kremlin critic transferred to a prison in Siberia, placed in ‘punishment cell,’ lawyer says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — An imprisoned Russian opposition figure has been transferred to a maximum security prison in Siberia and placed in a tiny “punishment cell,” his lawyer said Sunday.Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr., 42, earlier this year was convicted of treason for publicly denouncing Russia’s war in Ukraine and sentenced to 25 years in prison as part of the Kremlin’s relentless crackdown on critics. On Thursday, he arrived at IK-6 — a maximum security penal colony in the Siberian city of Omsk, his lawyer Vadim Prokhorov said in a Facebook post Sunday. Prokhorov said the transfer from a detention center in Moscow, where Kara-Murza was being held pending trial and appeals, took less than three weeks. Russian prison transfers, usually done by train, are notorious for taking a long time, sometimes weeks, during which there’s no access to prisoners, and information about their whereabouts is limited. Kara-Murza, a journalist and an opposition activist, was jailed in April 2022...