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Alleged charity scam leads to Santa Cruz County rooftop chase

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:02 GMT

CAPITOLA — Police arrested a 23-year-old Memphis, Tennessee, man over the weekend after he allegedly fled from the Capitola Mall and over the roof of a nearby business.Initially, officers were called Saturday afternoon to an area outside a mall store for a report that four men were asking for donations and one had used a donor’s phone to transfer a larger-than-negotiated sum. The donor told police that one of the men “transferred WAY more money than authorized,” according to a Capitola Police Department social media post.Of the four men, police were able to track one individual as he reportedly headed off on foot for several hundred yards, crashing through a roof and crossing multiple streets and fences. Ladarius Spears ultimately was taken into custody near the 1600 block of 41st Avenue, police said. Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Alleged ‘Red Bull thief’ behind bars after 20+ Bay Area thefts Crime and Public Safety | Vigilant drivers report Hi...

Disneyland sets opening date for Pixar Place Hotel makeover

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:02 GMT

The pixie dust is about to settle on the new Pixar Place Hotel after a nearly two-year makeover of the Paradise Pier Hotel that will bring a fresh splash of Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Coco, the Incredibles and other Pixar characters to the 40-year-old hotel.The Pixar Place Hotel transformation will be complete on Jan. 30 with three new eateries opening at the refreshed hotel before the end of the year.Pixar Place Hotel guest room. (Disney) SEE ALSO: Fried chicken and doughnuts restaurant coming to Disneyland’s Pixar hotel this summerParadise Pier Hotel has remained open during the transformation into the first Pixar-themed hotel in the United States.A new Great Maple restaurant will open in November on the ground floor of the hotel with a menu that includes the restaurant’s signature maple bacon doughnuts along with fried chicken, ribs, fish and breakfast items.Concept art of the Great Maple restaurant coming to the Pixar Place Hotel at the Disneyland resort. (Disneyland) Th...

South Africa wins the toss, opts to bat first against Bangladesh at Cricket World Cup

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:02 GMT

MUMBAI, India (AP) — South Africa won the toss and opted to bat against Bangladesh at the Cricket World Cup but will again be without Temba Bavuma, who was again ruled out with an illness. Aiden Markram leads South Africa again in the absence of Bavuma, who also missed its last game against England.South Africa has three wins from its opening four games, rebounding from a shocking loss to lowly-ranked Netherlands with a comprehensive 229-run win over 2019 champion England.Bangladesh, after opening the tournament with a six-wicket win over Afghanistan, has had lopsided losses to New Zealand, England and India.Bangladesh was boosted by the return of mercurial all-rounder and skipper Shakib Al Hasan, who missed the last game against India iwth an injury. Shakib replaced batter Towhid Hridoy in the team’s only change. Reeza Hendricks, who scored a fluent 85 runs from 75 balls against England, will continue to open the batting in Bavuma’s absence. Pacer Lungi Ngidi was also ruled o...

Family identifies woman hospitalized following Brickell shooting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:02 GMT

Stefani Pinero’s identity has been revealed as the victim of an early Sunday morning shooting in Brickell, as family sources confirm she was critically injured.The incident unfolded on the 1200 block of South Miami Avenue, leaving Pinero in a critical condition. On Monday, family members said she is recovering and doing much better.Cell phone footage captured a red SUV driving erratically just moments before the gunfire erupted, shedding light on the harrowing events.Authorities urge anyone with information regarding this incident to contact the police, as the investigation unfolds. If you have any information that could help police, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.

Football Super League court ruling set for December

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:02 GMT

The EU’s top court will rule on the breakaway Super League case against European football governing body UEFA on December 21, according to an official with direct knowledge of the matter. After launching and immediately collapsing during a two-day furor in April 2021, Super League backers complained that UEFA ran an illegal monopoly in European football. Their case — supported by Super League holdouts Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, plus promoter company A22 — was referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union by a Madrid court, and was heard in Luxembourg in July 2022.  UEFA disputes the monopoly accusation, and the court’s advocate general came down firmly on the governing body’s side in an opinion published last December. In that opinion, the legal aide to the EU’s highest court said the bloc’s competition rules shouldn’t prevent UEFA from punishing rebel clubs. UEFA and world governing body FIFA have the right to use tough measures to p...

Chilly Start, Warm-Up Ahead

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:02 GMT

Brrr…. A little bit of chill in the air to say the least this morning. In all honestly, we’re late to the frost/freeze party for many inland locations, so to see temps in the mid 30s across MetroWest is pretty typical for the time of year. None-the-less, it is cool, and one of the cooler starts we’ve had since last Spring. Winds are light and will be light all day as highs head back into the lower 60s this afternoon. The big warm-up begins tomorrow with highs recovering in the lower 70s in the afternoon. We’ll do it again Thursday, Friday and into Saturday. Saturday, we peak the warmth as highs push into the upper 70s, near records for the time of year. It’ll stay mainly dry into the weekend, although some showers are possible late Sunday.

Patriots look to build on offensive performance with some of NFL’s most generous defenses up next

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:02 GMT

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The seat under Bill Belichick isn’t as warm as it seemed just a week ago. How long that remains the case is to be determined.No, the Patriots’ 29-25 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday didn’t save their season. At 2-5, New England is still at the bottom of the AFC East and would need to improve significantly over its final 10 games to move into playoff contention.But for a team that entered the week mired in injuries, inconsistency and ineptitude on offense, Sunday’s victory offered the first real signs that the Patriots possess the potential — and personnel — to compete with the AFC’s better teams.Quarterback Mac Jones built on the strides he showed in Week 6 against Las Vegas and completed a season-high 83% of his passes (25 of 30) for 272 yards and two touchdowns. His 126.7 quarterback rating was his best of the season.“It’s just a crumb. That’s what I always say. And you’ve got to build off that,” Jones said. “I want to continue to do th...

Chatbots might disrupt math and computer science classes. Some teachers see upsides

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:02 GMT

For as long as Jake Price has been a teacher, Wolfram Alpha — a website that solves algebraic problems online — has threatened to make algebra homework obsolete. Teachers learned to work around and with it, said Price, assistant professor of mathematics and computer science at the University of Puget Sound. But now, they have a new homework helper to contend with: generative artificial intelligence tools, such as ChatGPT.Price doesn’t see ChatGPT as a threat, and he’s not alone. Some math professors believe artificial intelligence, when used correctly, could help strengthen math instruction. And it’s arriving at a time when math scores are at a historic low and educators are questioning if math should be taught differently.___The Education Reporting Collaborative, a coalition of eight newsrooms, is documenting the math crisis facing schools and highlighting progress. Members of the Collaborative are AL.com, The Associated Press, The Christian Science Monitor, The Dallas Morning News...

Police command post to set up at Canada’s Wonderland amid security concerns due to Israel-Hamas war

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:02 GMT

Police services in the GTA are continuing to take measures to ensure people feel safe amid violence in the Middle East.York Regional Police (YRP) say they are setting up a second mobile command post to address security concerns expressed by residents’ as a result of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.“YRP continues to coordinate with our federal and provincial partners and no credible threat has been identified within the region at this time,” reads a release from the service. “However, we are actively monitoring the situation and will continue to deploy police resources strategically.”The York police RIDE truck will be deployed at a parking lot Canada’s Wonderland on Tuesday and Wednesday before moving to the Armadale Community Centre in Markham for Thursday and Friday. The RIDE truck will then spend this weekend at Hillcrest Mall in Richmond Hill.An existing York police command post at the Promenade Mall in Thornhill will remain in place.Both command...

The 2023 Soros Arts Fellows plan to fight climate change and other global issues with public art

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:02 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Palestinian artist Nida Sinnokrot, one of 18 artists receiving the 2023 Soros Arts Fellowships from the Open Society Foundations on Tuesday, says that art provides hope and resilience, even in the midst of war.“It’s our duty to find the strength to keep the despair at bay in the face of the unimaginable,” said Sinnokrot, who is the co-founder of Sakiya, a Palestinian academy of agrarian traditions and contemporary art, and a faculty member in Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Art, Culture, and Technology Program. “We have to, as artists, find the courage to disrupt convention, practice the spreading of hope and cultivate new stories and imaginaries that challenge divisive binaries.”Members of this year’s class of Soros Arts Fellows, including Sinnokrot, will receive $100,000 in unrestricted funding from Open Society Foundations to develop a public art project that confronts climate change with community-based solutions in the next 18 months, said Tatiana Mouarb...