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Company leasing site of 10 Freeway fire hadn’t paid rent in more than a year, illegally subleased spaces

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:25 GMT

The company leasing the site where the fire started beneath the 10 Freeway hadn’t paid rent for a year, was illegally subletting the property to a dozen businesses and appears to have been in violation of safety standards designed to prevent such calamities.Apex Development of Calabasas last paid rent in September 2022 and owed more than $600,000 to Caltrans, according to court records.Apex and owner Ahmad Anthony Nowaid rented the property — and three others along the 10 — through California’s “airspace” leasing program, which rents out state land under and alongside freeways to fund mass transportation projects.The 10 Freeway fire and the long-standing conditions that fueled the inferno have now raised concerns about the Department of Transportation’s ability to oversee such leases statewide.“There needs to be an investigation,” Assemblymember Miguel Santiago said. “Caltrans should move at lightning speed to inspect all of these facilities and all our airspaces to ensure that they...

Lozada: A Trump-Biden rematch is the election we need

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:25 GMT

Joe Biden versus Donald Trump is not the choice America wants. But it is the choice we need to face.Yes, both men are unpopular, remarkably so. Only one-third of Americans view President Joe Biden favorably, and two-thirds of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters want to nominate someone else for the presidency (no one in particular, just someone else, please). Trump is the overwhelming favorite to become the Republican nominee for the third consecutive time, but his overall approval rating is lower than Biden’s. And while 60% of voters don’t want to put Trump back in the White House, 65% don’t want to hand Biden a second term, either. The one thing on which Americans seem to agree is that we find a Biden-Trump 2024 rematch entirely disagreeable.This disdain may reflect the standard gripes about the candidates. (One is too old, the other too Trump.) But it also may signal an underlying reluctance to acknowledge the meaning of their standoff and the inescapability of our decision. ...

Alibaba: Fiscal Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:25 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — HONG KONG (AP) — Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (BABA) on Thursday reported fiscal second-quarter net income of $3.8 billion, after reporting a loss in the same period a year earlier.On a per-share basis, the Hong Kong-based company said it had profit of $1.48. Earnings, adjusted for stock option expense and non-recurring costs, were $2.14 per share.The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $2.11 per share.The online retailer posted revenue of $30.81 billion in the period, which did not meet Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $31.01 billion.Alibaba shares have dropped 1% since the beginning of the year. The stock has increased almost 10% in the last 12 months._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on BABA at https://www.zacks.com...

Hearing will take place in religious leaders’ lawsuit challenging Missouri abortion ban

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:25 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A St. Louis judge on Thursday will hear arguments in a lawsuit challenging Missouri’s abortion ban on the grounds that lawmakers who passed the measure imposed their own religious beliefs on others who don’t share them.The lawsuit was filed in January on behalf of 13 Christian, Jewish and Unitarian Universalist leaders who support abortion rights. It seeks a permanent injunction barring the state from enforcing its abortion law, and a declaration that provisions of the law violate the Missouri Constitution.It is among 38 lawsuits filed in 23 states challenging restrictive abortion laws enacted by conservative states after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. The landmark ruling left abortion rights up to each state to decide.The lawsuit states the Missouri Constitution “does not tolerate this establishment into law of one particular religious view at the expense of others’ religious freedom a...

‘A hometown with its own funky beat’: DC leaders, artists, fans celebrate Go-Go Museum ribbon-cutting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:25 GMT

“To most of us probably assembled here, go-go is not just great music but the soundtrack to parties that we went to … where we met each other, lifelong friends and lovers at the go-go,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told a crowd Wednesday afternoon.She was flanked by Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee, who popularized EU’s “Da Butt” in “School Daze,” (1988) and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, who stood on a red carpet and held a giant pair of scissors to cut the ribbon on the new Go-Go Museum in Anacostia.“It is a pleasure and my honor to be with you as we officially break ground for the Go-Go Museum and experience the Mobile Go-Go Museum,” Norton said. “Americans knew the nation’s capital, but could not tell the difference between official Washington and hometown D.C. — then came go-go music. Go-go music rescued hometown D.C. from the image of a government town that couldn’t keep a beat to a hometown with its ow...

BrightView: Fiscal Q4 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:25 GMT

BLUE BELL, Pa. (AP) — BLUE BELL, Pa. (AP) — BrightView Holdings Inc. (BV) on Thursday reported fiscal fourth-quarter net income of $16.4 million.The Blue Bell, Pennsylvania-based company said it had net income of 12 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs and stock option expense, were 19 cents per share.The results missed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 30 cents per share.The investment company posted revenue of $743.7 million in the period, also falling short of Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $748.7 million.For the year, the company reported a loss of $7.7 million, or 12 cents per share, swinging to a loss in the period. Revenue was reported as $2.82 billion.BrightView expects full-year revenue in the range of $2.83 billion to $2.98 billion.BrightView shares have risen 12% since the beginning of the year. The stock has declined 15% in the last...

Fire at a coal mining company building in northern China kills 26 and injures dozens

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:25 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — A fire erupted in a coal company building in a northern Chinese city on Thursday, killing 26 people and injuring dozens of others, state media said.Rescue personnel evacuated 70 people and took 63 others to a hospital, according to state media.The dead were almost all workers, according to local media outlet Fengmian News.The fire was under control and rescue work was continuing on Thursday afternoon, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The building belongs to Yongju Coal Company and is in Lvliang city in northern Shanxi province, a major coal-producing region, CCTV said. The fire appeared to have started in the shower area of a building with offices and dormitories, local news outlet Hongxing News said.Coal mine accidents have been relatively common in China, though the government has been working on improving safety.Shanxi is China’s top coal-producing province and is at the center of government efforts to reduce the economy’s reliance on coal. ___AP resear...

Caught on camera: Mountain lion strolls through Genesee yard

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:25 GMT

Mountain lion on Blink camera (Photo credit: Sherri Teter)DENVER (KDVR) — Nothing says Colorado like a mountain lion walking down the patio of a residential home.Wildlife at front doorsteps isn't unheard of near this resident's home in the Riva Chase community. The house sits on two acres in the Genesee area and has seen a lot of wildlife, but it's usually bunnies and squirrels. This is how much your Thanksgiving meal will cost this year Occasionally, there will be elk, deer and turkeys on the property as well.This time, the home's Blink camera caught a different creature, and this one was a bit more dangerous than a squirrel or bunny.On the Blink camera, a mountain lion treks across the yard like it's his home. Do you need to cook a turkey longer in Colorado? While mountain lions can be dangerous, they're more of a threat to deer than to people. Spotting a mountain lion is rare in itself, and attacks on people are even less likely, according to the Mountain Lion Foundation.If y...

City to sweep camp at 24th and Arapahoe Street

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:25 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — On Thursday, Denver city officials plan to clean up a homeless camp at 24th and Arapahoe Street. City officials said the cleanup is part of Mayor Mike Johnston’s House1000 initiative to move 1,000 people into housing by the end of 2023.According to the city dashboard, the goal is 27% completed with just 46 days left in the year. This is up 9% from late October. So far, 274 people have been moved into homes. After harrowing journey to Denver, Venezuelan family helps others City officials said people living at the camp off of 24th and Arapahoe will be offered housing, assistance by outreach teams and trash services to clear out waste and debris. The city will also remove “all items encumbering or obstructing” the area, which will include both sides of Arapahoe Street, along with 24th Street to the northeast and Broadway to the southwest.This will be the third cleanup under the House1000 initiative. The Common Sense Institute reported earlier in November th...

Denver homes are 120% more expensive than 10 years ago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:25 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Home values in three Colorado metro areas have more than doubled in 10 years, according to data from online real estate marketplace Zillow.FOX31 looked at data from the Zillow Home Value Index, which measures the typical home value in a given region, to see how home values have grown in Denver, Boulder and Colorado Springs over the past five, 10 and 20 years.These values include condos and co-ops, in addition to single-family homes. What are the most expensive neighborhoods in Denver? Because of this, the values are lower than they would be if only single-family homes were included.The difference is the most pronounced in Boulder, where the value, including condos and co-ops, in October 2023 was $728,174, while the home value including only single-family homes was $781,763.The values were calculated from the metro areas of each city, for example, Denver's values include surrounding cities like Aurora, Lakewood and Broomfield.How have home values changed in Denver?T...