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Oakland kidnapping suspect takes plea deal, will serve two years for assault with a firearm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:59:23 GMT

OAKLAND — A Bay Area man accused of dragging a woman out of a business and into his car at gunpoint has agreed to serve two years in prison as part of a plea deal with Alameda County prosecutors, court records show.Ramon Lupian, 43, pleaded no contest to assault with a firearm and in exchange prosecutors dismissed kidnapping and evading police charges against him. Lupian, who accepted the plea deal on March 22, will be able to serve most of the sentence in county jail, instead of state prison. His sentencing date has been formally set for September 2024.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Woman arrested after man found fatally stabbed in East Bay apartment Crime and Public Safety | Trial-setting scheduled for East Bay woman accused of fatal 2021 shooting of 19-year-old Crime and Public Safety | 6 cars destroyed in BART parking lot by fire ignited during attempted gas theft Crime and Public Safety | K-9 ‘Bla...

McDonald’s found liable for hot Chicken McNugget that burned 4-year-old girl

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:59:23 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.  — McDonald’s and a franchise holder are at fault after a hot Chicken McNugget from a Happy Meal fell on a little girl’s leg and caused second-degree burns, a jury in South Florida found in a case reminiscent of the famous hot coffee lawsuit of the 1990s.A second jury will determine how much McDonald’s USA and its franchise owner, Upchurch Foods, will pay the child and her mother, the South Florida SunSentinel reported.Thursday’s decision was split, with jurors finding the franchise holder liable for negligence and failure to warn customers about the risk of hot food, and McDonald’s USA liable for failing to provide instructions for safe handling of the food. McDonald’s USA was not found to be negligent, and the jury dismissed the argument that the product was defective.“Our sympathies go out to this family for what occurred in this unfortunate incident, as we hold customer safety as one of our highest priorities,” McDonald’s owner-operator Brent Upchurch said ...

In-N-Out french fries catch some rays on a new beach towel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:59:23 GMT

In time for warm weather, In-N-Out Burger has added a french fry beach towel to its merchandise collection.It features a beach scene with cartoon french fries basking in the sun and riding the waves in an In-N-Out french fry boat.The towel measures 35-by-60 inches and is made of cotton-polyester blend. It costs $34.95 at shop.in-n-out.com.In-N-Out merchandise is available online and in a company store, 13800 Francisquito Ave, Baldwin Park, near where the chain was founded in 1948.Related ArticlesRestaurants, Food and Drink | Would you sign a waiver to eat spicy chicken at new Angry Chickz restaurants? Restaurants, Food and Drink | What makes the perfect cup of coffee? Restaurants, Food and Drink | Why Mother’s Day is the most hated day in the restaurant industry Restaurants, Food and Drink | Legendary Raider Nation East Bay sports bar Ricky’s is making a comeback Restaurants, Food and Drink | Brew...

Monterey County agriculture: survey finds $600 million in total damages, future losses from winter storms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:59:23 GMT

SALINAS – Between January and March, the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office is estimating that torrential weather generated $600 million in damages, losses and future impacts to the local agricultural industry.After repeatedly heavy rain again doused local farmland with floodwaters in March – some just starting to recover from storms two months prior – the Ag Commissioner’s Office conducted a survey to gauge the extent of second-round impacts.Survey results, released on Friday, show damages, current losses estimated and projected future losses totaling $264 million from flooding in March. According to the Ag Commissioner’s Office, approximately 8,736 acres of crops were destroyed or unable to be planted due to the flooding, half of which were newly impacted from storms at the outset of the year.Strawberries were especially affected, primarily in the Pajaro Valley, where a breached levee along the Pajaro River forced thousands to evacuate and drowned nearby ag fields ...

Police activity at Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:59:23 GMT

(KRON) -- Police are on the scene at Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa, a parent reported to KRON4. The reason for the police activity is unclear.This is the same high school where two students were stabbed, one of whom was killed, in an art class in March.This story is developing and will be updated.

Strike Day 7: $1 billion estimate is 'ridiculous' fiction, Oakland teachers union says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:59:23 GMT

OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) -- On Day 7 of the Oakland teachers strike, their union blasted school district officials for tallying up a "ridiculous" price tag for the union's contract demands. The Oakland Education Association union wrote, "The district told the news media that OEA’s Common Good agenda would cost in excess of 'a billion dollars.' Typical of OUSD’s bargaining – or lack of it, this is a number and statement not backed by any facts." "We have no idea how OUSD came up with that ridiculous number," said Kampala Taiz-Rancifer, OEA vice president. "Our Common Good goals are largely about ensuring educators, parents, students and other stakeholders have a voice in the decision-making process. We also have proposed the addition of a small number of additional staff to support our most impacted community schools," Taiz-Rancifer said. A standoff between the Oakland Unified School District and Oakland Education Association union has left 34,000 students wondering if their ...

What to know about Twitter’s new CEO Linda Yaccarino

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:59:23 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Elon Musk is welcoming a veteran ad executive to the helm of Twitter, the social media site the billionaire Tesla CEO had been running since he bought it last fall.Musk announced Friday that he’s hiring Linda Yaccarino to be the new CEO of San Francisco-based Twitter, which is now called X Corp. He said Yaccarino’s role will be focused mainly on running the company’s business operations, leaving him to focus on product design and new technology.Here’s what to know about Yaccarino.VETERAN AD EXECYaccarino, 60, has worked as an advertising executive for decades. She came to NBCUniversal in 2011, just as Comcast was completing its merger with NBC, and oversaw integrating the companies’ ad sales platforms. There, her most recent title was chairman, advertising and client partnerships. She oversaw all market strategy and advertising revenue, which totaled nearly $10 billion, for NBCUniversal’s entire portfolio of broadcast, cable and digital ...

Nigerian court asked to stop president-elect’s inauguration, extend incumbent’s tenure

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:59:23 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A court in Nigeria has been asked to stop the planned inauguration of the country’s next president and to extend the incumbent’s tenure, court documents obtained Friday show.Five Nigerians made the request to the Federal High Court in Abuja, arguing that President-elect Bola Tinubu was illegally declared the winner of the Feb. 25 presidential election and therefore should not be sworn into office on May 29.The petition is among several challenges to the ruling party’s victory and raised concerns in the West African nation about a possible constitutional crisis should President Muhammadu Buhari remain in office until the case is decided.Chuks Nwachuku, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, said Tinubu’s being declared president-elect was unconstitutional because he failed to win at least 25% of the votes cast in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.To be elected president, the Nigerian Constitution requires a candidate to win both the highest number of votes ...

Axel Witsel quits international soccer, ends 15-year career with Belgium

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:59:23 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Veteran midfielder Axel Witsel is the latest member of Belgium’s so-called Golden Generation to end his international career.The 34-year-old Witsel made 130 appearances in a 15-year career with Belgium, scoring 12 goals. He said on Friday he wants to dedicate more time to his family and focus on his career with Spanish club Atletico Madrid.“Good luck to the new generation who I am sure will make us live again incredible moments,” Witsel said on social media.In March, new Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco dropped Witsel in his first squad since being appointed with a mission to rebuild. Tedesco insisted at the time that the door remained open for Witsel to return.Tedesco replaced Roberto Martinez, who led Belgium to a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup and was in charge for six years. Martinez stepped down after the Red Devils failed to progress to the knockout stage last year in Qatar.Belgium was ranked No. 1 by FIFA for four years during Martinez’s tenure b...

Astros star Jose Altuve to begin injury rehab assignment at Triple-A

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:59:23 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Houston Astros star Jose Altuve is moving a step closer to returning from a broken right thumb.Altuve was set to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday.The eight-time All-Star and 2017 AL MVP broke his thumb when he was hit by a pitch playing for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. He had surgery March 22, and general manager Dana Brown said after the operation he’d be out at least eight weeks. This is the longest Altuve has been sidelined. He batted .300 with 103 runs, 28 homers and 18 steals for the World Series champion Astros last season.Mauricio Dubón has played well in his absence, with a .287 average entering Friday’s game against the Chicago White Sox.Sugar Land was scheduled to play El Paso, San Diego’s Triple-A club.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource