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More SAG-AFTRA members to vote on possible strike, this time against video game makers

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:19 GMT

A new branch of the actors' union SAG-AFTRA may be joining the strike lines during what's become known as "hot labor summer."Video game actors — known in union parlance as interactive media — are voting on a potential strike authorization against some of the biggest businesses in the industry, the union said in a Friday statement.Affected video game companies include Activision, Disney, Electronic Arts (commonly known as EA), Epic, Insomniac and WB Games.The union's contract with those businesses expired almost a year ago, though it was temporarily extended for negotiations. Workers’ holiday brings more action for ‘hot labor summer’ Those talks have not produced a new deal, prompting SAG-AFTRA to "have a member-approved strike authorization in hand when bargaining resumes on Sept. 26," the statement said.Similar to the requests of other SAG-AFTRA members and writers, video game workers want better pay and protections against the "unrestrained" use of artificial intelligence."Once ...

Man, woman killed while sitting in car in Harbor City neighborhood of Los Angeles

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:19 GMT

A man and woman sitting in a car in the Harbor City neighborhood of Los Angeles were killed when a gunman walked up to their vehicle and opened fire Monday night.The shooting was reported shortly after 6:30 p.m. in the 1000 block of 253rd Street, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson confirmed. Arriving officers found a male Hispanic dead at the scene and a female Hispanic suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, the spokesperson said. Police investigate a fatal shooting in Harbor City on Sept. 4, 2023. (OnScene.TV)The unidentified woman was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died from her injuries.Neither of the victims have been identified. Investigators believe both victims were sitting in their vehicle when a suspect, or suspects, walked up and fired multiple rounds before fleeing the area. 2 killed in apparent street race crash into firetruck in South Los Angeles Video shows a child's car seat that was taken out of the victims' vehicle but police have not confirmed ...

Diana Ross sings 'Happy Birthday' to Beyonce at SoFi Stadium

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:19 GMT

Beyonce had a star-studded birthday bash in Inglewood on Monday night. The "Crazy in Love" singer celebrated her 42nd birthday in front of thousands of fans at a packed house at SoFi Stadium. Monday marked her third night at the venue. Meghan Markle, Katy Perry, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Timothée Chalamet, Adele, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Quinta Brunson, Justin Bieber and more attended Queen Bey's birthday show. To add to the magic, the legendary Diana Ross surprised fans by singing "Happy Birthday" to the superstar. Numerous videos of the moment were immediately posted to social media. Decked out in a black sequin gown and feather sleeves, the iconic diva serenaded the "Cuff It" songstress with all of her fans. Beyonce held Ross' hand and kept mouthing "Oh my God."When the song ended, the Birthday girl thanked the former frontwoman of The Supremes and gave her a huge hug. "Thank you so much, you are so amazing,” Beyonce explained. “This is the legendary Diana Ross! There would be ...

2023’s Best Progressive Slots – Top 10 Progressive Jackpot Slot Games to Play with Huge Payouts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:19 GMT

 Sponsored ContentThe thrill of knocking down a huge jackpot with one spin has long captured the imagination of players – and with the best progressive slots featuring 7-figure prizes, it gets even better!But where can you exactly find and play these progressive jackpot slots? Luckily for you, we’ve dedicated this entire article to answering this question.Ignition is our number one choice for playing progressive slots, and Caesar’s Victory is its most stand-out game in terms of payout potential, graphics, big jackpots, and RTP.However, there are tons of other jackpot games out there – great ones, in fact, that you should definitely consider playing.Ready to spin for gold?Best Progressive SlotsIgnition (Caesar’s Victory): Best overallSuper Slots (Slam Dunk Spins): Highest-RTP slotsSlots.lv (Gold Rush Gus): Daily and weekly must-drop jackpotsCasino Extreme (Fortunate Buddha): Most generous bonusesSlots of Vegas (Big Cat Links): RTG’s biggest jackpot slotsLucky Creek (...

Traveling Black History Museum tackles football and much, much more, and may finally be getting a permanent Bay Area home

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:19 GMT

Carolyn Hoskins has been educating – and entertaining – Bay Area residents for decades with a traveling museum dedicated to all sorts of Black history.Hoskins’ home, however, is something right out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.“Our family room is a shrine to football; signed jerseys on the walls and memorabilia everywhere,” the longtime Bay Area resident said. “I’ve just kind of run out of space.”But the impressive array of football relics barely scratches the surface of a massive treasure trove of history that Hoskins has accumulated for a far greater purpose than just being a collector.What became Hoskins’ life work started with a question over 20 years ago.Carolyn Hoskins shows off a basketball signed by the Harlem Globetrotters, one of the items from the Domini Hoskins Black History Museum and Learning Center at her home on Friday, July 21, 2023, in Belmont, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) One February day, Hoskins’ grandson, Domini, came ...

Social Security in danger in 2033? America’s aging population a significant factor

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:19 GMT

America is getting older, rapidly, and that simple but powerful fact is prompting us to rethink everything from retirement housing and consumer technology to our collective ideas about who is or isn’t sexy.But the biggest age-related change – one that figures to touch most Americans’ pocketbooks – is currently projected to reach an inflection point in exactly 10 years.By 2033, according to a recent report from trustees who oversee Social Security, the number of Americans who are old enough to collect from the program will be so big, and the pool of working-age people paying for it will be so stagnant, that the program’s biggest trust fund will run dry.Social Security won’t be flat broke (it’ll still be getting revenue from active workers) but unless big changes are enacted – either as benefit cuts or higher payroll taxes or some combination of the two – the pay-as-you-go program won’t be able to make full payments to retirees who have earned checks.In their open letter to the U.S. S...

Serious charges may be refiled against former California women in death of foster child

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:19 GMT

Diane Ramirez and Jeff Miller at the Spectacular Prom in 2018. (Courtesy Jeff Miller) The judge blinked hard, brow furrowed, for what seemed like a very long time. He rubbed his chin, looked at the prosecutor, and said she had dropped a “little hydrogen bomb.”The prosecutor stunned the Riverside County courtroom on Friday, Sept. 1 by asking the judge to dismiss involuntary manslaughter and child cruelty charges against Michelle Morris-Kerin, the former foster mother to the severely disabled.Morris-Kerin faces nearly a dozen felonies, including “willfully, unlawfully, and lewdly” committing lascivious acts upon adult dependents “with the intent of arousing, appealing to, and gratifying … lust, passions, and sexual desires,” according to the indictment.Deputy District Attorney Maureen DuMouchel requested the dismissal of two counts because prosecutors are gathering more evidence against Morris-Kerin and expect to refile charges. The judge asked if they intended to refile charges ...

These hummingbirds are losing their battle to survive. Here’s what we can do to save them

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:19 GMT

By Amy Chillag | CNNThe Rufous Hummingbird is magical. The male’s iridescent throat glows brighter than a shiny copper penny and like most hummingbirds, whizzes through the air curiously hovering right in front of humans who ponder them. The first time Mike Parr, president of the American Bird Conservancy, saw one, it was feeding on blossoms of a lemon tree in California.“It was just one of those other-worldly sites. It was almost like a religious experience,” says Parr with awe and reverence.“When they just turn their head and suddenly their throat catches the light – it lights up with this amazing color. It’s just magical, really. It just lights up like a beacon.”They are one of the smallest hummingbirds at just over 3 inches long- but one of the feistiest.They fly an astonishing 3,900 miles (one-way) from Alaska where they live in the summer to Mexico– one of the longest migratory journeys of any bird in the world compared to its body size, according to the Cornell Lab of O...

‘Hippie-colored’ van reported casing Los Gatos neighborhood

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:19 GMT

Aug. 29PETTY THEFT: 3:16 p.m. on Montgomery Street. Numerous items of jewelry were stolen from a residence during a move with a moving company. The resident said other items were damaged and/or lost.Aug. 30AUTO BURGLARY: 4:07 p.m. at Forbes Mill Steakhouse on North Santa Cruz Avenue. Two vehicles in the employee parking lot were broken into via window smash.Aug. 31AUTO BURGLARY: 6:06 a.m. at Best Western Inn on Los Gatos-Saratoga Road. Someone pried open the doors to a work truck and stole several tools.STOLEN VEHICLE: 8:23 a.m. on New York Avenue. A 2022 white Ford Mustang was reported missing from the roadway in front of the owner’s house. The resident had received alert messages advising of a possible collision.VANDALISM: 10:54 a.m. at Safeway on Union Avenue. Someone spray-painted the back loading dock area with “Slaveway.”SUSPICIOUS PERSON: 5:03 p.m. at Balzer Field on Miles Avenue. A man was standing near the entrance to the creek trail. The reporting party thought he was deal...

High school football rankings Week 3, 2023: Bay Area News Group Top 25

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:08:19 GMT

Two weeks into the new high school football season, this much we know:Serra is No. 1. Period.The Padres cemented their spot atop the Bay Area News Group rankings, winning at home on Saturday over No. 2 De La Salle 28-0.Serra scored 20 points in the final quarter to pull away.So … what happens to De La Salle?Given that the Spartans’ two losses, albeit by multiple scores, were to teams that MaxPreps ranks 20th (Orange Lutheran) and 25th (Serra) nationally, DLS stays at No. 2.But the Concord school is going to have to start scoring — it hasn’t done that since the first quarter of the Orange Lutheran game — and winning starting Friday at No. 12 St. Francis.It will be the Spartans’ first visit to Mountain View since St. Francis beat them there in 2021, ending DLS’s 30-year unbeaten streak against regional opponents.The big leapers this week were Amador Valley and California.Amador Valley went from unranked to No. 17 after winning Friday at then-N...