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Is California facing a home insurance crisis like hurricane-ravaged Florida?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:09 GMT

Farmers Insurance had covered Don Baker’s light-gray house with powder-blue trim since he and his family moved to Boulder Creek 13 years ago. A few weeks ago, he got notice his policy won’t be renewed after it expires in August.Baker looked around and got an offer from State Farm to cover his home nestled among redwood trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains. But the agent withdrew it the next day, just before the nation’s largest insurer issued its stunning May 26 announcement that it won’t write new home policies anywhere in California.“It was just out of the blue,” the 56-year-old roofer said. “I’m definitely in a pinch. Now I’m just kind of scrambling to get quotes.”Baker is among millions of Californians seeing their home insurance rates rise sharply — if they can keep their policies at all. And it isn’t just affecting people who live in areas scorched by fires or inundated by floods.Sharon Reeves said State Farm...

‘I screamed ‘orca!’: At least 20 killer whales spotted off San Francisco coast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:09 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — An uncommonly large grouping of orcas for Northern California — roughly two dozen killer whales — were spotted by a whale watching tour off the coast of San Francisco last month, likely gathered together to celebrate a successful hunt for sea lions or seals.“I screamed ‘orca!’” recalled Michael Pierson, a Oceanic Society naturalist leading the tour, after noticing “those distinct dorsal finds poking out of the water.”“It was really, really special,” Pearson said in an interview Wednesday.The big group of whales was seen on May 7 near the Farallon Islands, about 28 miles (45 kilometers) west of San Francisco. Killer whales are more commonly found around the deep ocean canyon beneath Monterey Bay — about 75 miles south of the city — and can be spotted anywhere from the coastline to just 5 miles off shore, according to Nancy Black, a marine biologist and owner of Monterey Bay Whale Watch.It’s easier for whale-watching tours to see them in Monterey Bay because the canyon...

Editorial: Migrant flights reveal DeSantis’ lack of compassion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:09 GMT

We already knew Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ social skills leave something to be desired.Now we can confirm that he lacks compassion, as well.How else to categorize his administration’s decision to charter two flights that dropped 36 Latin American asylum-seekers in Sacramento and left them to fend for themselves? It’s shameful.DeSantis has expressed outrage over the influx of migrants from South America and Central America into Florida. It creates a major challenge for every state along the southern U.S. border, including California. But if this is a sample of how DeSantis would tackle the complex immigration issue on a national level, it would be better for all if he continues toiling in Tallahassee.The Florida governor has remained personally quiet about the two charter flights, but DeSantis administration officials on Tuesday admitted responsibility, insisting that the migrants’ trip to Sacramento was “voluntary” and “through written and v...

Opinion: Consumer convenience is key to making bottle bills work

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:09 GMT

Since the 1970s, when the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” campaign was born, we’ve all been taught that if we put our food and beverage containers and cardboard in a special bin, these materials will receive new life.Unfortunately, as single-use containers have become more popular, this just hasn’t been the case. But the good news is that policymakers in California (and beyond) are exploring additional ways to increase recycling and decrease the need to manufacture packaging out of virgin materials.Consumers want to do the right thing, but recycling the right way can be difficult for even the most astute environmentalists. This is especially true when consuming products such as bottled and canned drinks on the go.Enter recycling refunds or bottle bills.The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, implemented in 1987, has generally proven to be a success story. According to CalRecycle, in 2021 consumers recycled 68% of eligible beverage conta...

GameStop slumps after it fires former Amazon executive brought in to modernize the gaming retailer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:09 GMT

Shares of GameStop are plunging before the opening bell after the company fired CEO Matthew Furlong, the former Amazon executive that was brought in two years ago to turn the struggling video game retailer around. The company gave no reason for the dismissal and named Ryan Cohen, the company’s biggest investor, as executive chairman. Cohen sent a cryptic tweet that read “Not for long” around the time the company announced Furlong’s firing. GameStop said Cohen will oversee investment and management for the company. GameStop briefly addressed the changes in a regulatory filing for its quarterly earnings.“We believe the combination of these efforts to stabilize and optimize our core business and achieve sustained profitability while also focusing on capital allocation under Mr. Cohen’s leadership will further unlock long-term value creation for our stockholders,” the company said. Shares tumbled more than 22% in premarket trading Thursday. In another regulatory filing, Game...

Very young children among 3 people critically wounded in French Alps knife attack; suspect detained

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:09 GMT

PARIS (AP) — As bystanders screamed for help, a man with a knife stabbed several very young children, including at least one in a stroller, and also assaulted adults in a lakeside park in the French Alps on Thursday. The savagery left at least two children and one adult with life-threatening injuries, authorities said. A suspect, identified by police as a 31-year-old Syrian asylum-seeker, was detained.Video appearing to show the attack in a children’s play park in the Alpine and lakeside town of Annecy was posted on social media. The horrific scenes showed a man in dark glasses and with a blue scarf covering his head brandishing a knife, as people screamed for help. He first circled the playground, slashing at a bystander, and then clambered over its barriers to attack people and children inside. He appeared to stab one child in a stroller repeatedly. French President Emmanuel Macron described the assault as an “attack of absolute cowardice.” Of the victims, he said “children ...

OPINIÓN | La crisis de la deuda pública de Estados Unidos se ha zanjado, por ahora

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:09 GMT

Nota del editor: Jorge Dávila Miguel es licenciado en Periodismo desde 1973 y ha mantenido una carrera continua en su profesión hasta la fecha. Tiene posgrados en Ciencias de la Información Social y Medios de Comunicación Social, así como estudios posuniversitarios en Relaciones Internacionales, Economía Política e Historia Latinoamericana. Dávila Miguel es columnista de El Nuevo Herald en la cadena McClatchy, y analista político y columnista en CNN en Español. Los comentarios expresados en esta columna pertenecen exclusivamente al autor. Mira más en cnne.com/opinion(CNN Español) — Se ha resuelto, con el drama usual, el tema de la deuda pública de Estados Unidos. La Cámara de Representantes aprobó el acuerdo entre el Gobierno del presidente Joe Biden y los negociadores republicanos por 314 votos a favor y 117 en contra. El acuerdo fue bipartidista y su oposición también. Setenta y un republicanos se opusieron, así como cuarenta y seis demócratas. En la Cámara Alta 36 senadores...

Este país tiene los mejores vinos del mundo para 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:09 GMT

(CNN) — Cuando la luz dorada del sol del atardecer se desliza por las hileras verdes y uniformes de un viñedo y baila sobre su copa mientras saborea un vino en la terraza, es fácil comprender la importancia del terroir.Es el carácter especial que adquiere un vino por sus condiciones ambientales, en particular el suelo y el clima. Desde la región portuguesa del Duero hasta el valle californiano de Napa, son muchos los destinos del mundo famosos por sus impresionantes paisajes, sus climas templados y sus deliciosos vinos.Pero un país acaba de triunfar sobre todos los demás en los Decanter World Wine Awards 2023, el concurso de vinos más importante y consolidado del mundo, que celebra su vigésima edición.Ha sido una victoria para el Nuevo Mundo, ya que 10 vinos australianos han sido nombrados Best in Show, más que ningún otro país. Las conocidas marcas Penfolds y Jacob’s Creek estuvieron representadas, mientras que la región de Margaret River, en Australia Occidental, obtuvo dos ...

Defaulted in doubles, Miyu Kato of Japan strikes back with mixed doubles title at French Open

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:09 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Miyu Kato left behind the disappointment of her controversial disqualification in doubles by claiming the mixed doubles title at the French Open on Thursday.Kato, a 28-year-old player from Japan, and her women’s doubles partner were defaulted during their third-round match last week after Kato accidentally hit a ball girl in the neck after a point.Kato also forfeited all of her 21,500 euros (about $23,000) in prize money and rankings points from women’s doubles but was allowed to keep participating in mixed doubles.Playing with Tim Puetz of Germany, they won the tournament by defeating 2019 U.S. Open singles champion Bianca Andreescu of Canada and Michael Venus of New Zealand 4-6, 6-4, 10-6 after a super tiebreak decided the outcome of the match.___AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Finland’s popular foreign minister announces bid to run in 2024 presidential election

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:09 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Finland’s popular outgoing foreign minister, who was one of the key negotiators of his country’s recent membership in NATO, said Thursday he will run as a candidate in the presidential election early next year.Veteran politician Pekka Haavisto, Finland’s top diplomat since 2019 and a former leader of the Greens party, told reporters in a news conference that he would run as an independent candidate through a constituency association in the January 2024 election. The Finnish head of state is elected by a popular vote every six years. Haavisto, 65, has topped recent presidential polls by several media outlets. He is currently the caretaker foreign minister as Finland in the process of getting a new government following April’s general election.Haavisto is one of Finland’s most popular politicians. He was the runnerup in the 2012 and 2018 presidential elections but was beaten on both occasions by current President Sauli Niinistö.Following decades of military nonalignmen...