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Hanukkah menorah near Lake Merritt destroyed by vandals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:56 GMT

OAKLAND — Vandals on Tuesday night destroyed a large Hanukkah menorah set out for the public at Lake Merritt.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Oakland man gets no additional jail time for biting off cousin’s earlobe during drive Crime and Public Safety | One person killed in East Oakland shooting Crime and Public Safety | Police arrest suspect in Berkeley double stabbing Crime and Public Safety | East Bay hit-and-run victim from January dies; police seeking harsher charge against suspect Crime and Public Safety | Investigation underway into Castro Valley road-rage shooting Police confirmed Wednesday afternoon that they were called to Lake Merritt in the late morning, and that they are investigating the vandalism as a hate crime.The vandalism comes during a time that concern about anti-Semitism locally and nationally is rising, with the FBI director earlier this year lamenting the R...

‘Criticizing a judge is not illegal’: Charges dropped against San Mateo County man accused of threatening jurist

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:56 GMT

SAN MATEO COUNTY — Prosecutors on Tuesday dropped two felony charges against a man that was accused of threatening a San Mateo County judge, citing a lack of evidence.The accusations were levied against Edward Day, a 67-year-old Belmont resident, after he sent a series of emails to a judge who he had appeared before on firearm-related charges in 2019. He was stripped of his 12 guns as a result of the outcome of the case.Day allegedly sent two emails to the same judge on May 30 of this year that were then reported to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. These emails were given to the Bay Area News Group by Day’s lawyers in a memo on Tuesday evening.The attorneys said the missives contained crude language but didn’t explicitly threaten the judge. They include statements such as “I will be requesting the death penalty be handed to you guys. You … ruined my life with the goal of making sure I was murdered … I assure you I am committed to getting you guys for what you...

Hunter Biden defies subpoena, still offering public testimony

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:56 GMT

By Farnoush Amiri and Colleen Long | Associated PressWASHINGTON — Hunter Biden on Wednesday defied a congressional subpoena to appear privately for a deposition before Republican investigators who have been digging into his business dealings. He insisted he would only testify in public.The Democratic president’s son slammed the GOP-issued subpoena for the closed-door testimony, arguing that information from those interviews can be selectively leaked and manipulated.“Republicans do not want an open process where Americans can see their tactics, expose their baseless inquiry, or hear what I have to say,” Biden said outside the Capitol in a rare public statement. “What are they afraid of? I am here.”GOP Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, has said Republicans expect “full cooperation” with the private deposition. Comer and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who leads the House Judiciary Committee, t...

Ex-San Francisco tech CEO Christian Lanng denies sex 'slave contract' allegations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:56 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A former CEO of a San Francisco technology company is speaking out after one of his ex-employees accused him of forcing her into signing a sex "slave contract."Christian Lanng said salacious allegations detailed in a new lawsuit are false. His accuser, identified in court documents as "Jane Doe," was hired by Lanng to be his executive assistant at Tradeshift. The business software tech company was co-founded by Lanng before reaching "unicorn company" status with $1 billion market capitalization.Jane Doe said Lanng used his wealth, power, and status to coerce her into being his sex slave for years. The bombshell lawsuit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court last week, claims Lanng tortured his assistant with sadomasochistic-style rapes and bondage as her "Master."Lanng told KRON4 on Wednesday that he was in a sexual relationship with Jane Doe. He asserts that the relationship was consensual and ended before he hired her at Tradeshift.San Francisco courthouse ...

Judge pauses Trump’s 2020 election interference case while he appeals his immunity claim

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:56 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s election interference case in Washington will be put on hold while the former president further pursues his claims that he is immune from prosecution, a judge ruled Wednesday.The decision from U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan raises the likelihood that Trump’s trial on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election, currently scheduled for March 4, will be postponed as the appeal of a legally untested argument winds through the courts. The issue is of paramount significance to both sides given that a court ruling in Trump’s favor would presumably derail the case and because a protracted appeal could result in a significant postponement of the proceedings, including until potentially after next year’s election, that would benefit the ex-president as he seeks to reclaim the White House.The three-page order is the latest volley in a simmering dispute over the scope of presidential power that has the potential to be decided by the U.S. Su...

Ohio Senate clears ban on gender-affirming care for minors, transgender athletes in girls sports

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:56 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A Republican-backed proposal that would drastically affect how LGBTQ youth in Ohio live their everyday lives cleared the state Senate on Wednesday, despite adamant opposition from parents, medical providers and education professionals who call it cruel and potentially life threatening.State senators, by a vote of 24-8 approved a multifaceted bill that would ban gender-affirming care for minors and block transgender student athletes from participating in girls and women’s sports. A lone Republican, Sen. Nathan Manning of Northeast Ohio, joined Democrats in a “no” vote.The bill now returns to the GOP-majority state House for amendment agreements before heading to Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk for final approval. DeWine has not said whether he will sign it. He previously had expressed doubts about the sports restrictions, saying such decisions were best made by individual sports organizations. Under the legislation, minors in Ohio would be prohibited fr...

Nordson: Fiscal Q4 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:56 GMT

WESTLAKE, Ohio (AP) — WESTLAKE, Ohio (AP) — Nordson Corp. (NDSN) on Wednesday reported fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $127.8 million.The Westlake, Ohio-based company said it had profit of $2.22 per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to $2.46 per share.The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $2.40 per share.The maker of adhesives and industrial coatings posted revenue of $719.3 million in the period, also beating Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $707.4 million.For the year, the company reported profit of $487.5 million, or $8.46 per share. Revenue was reported as $2.63 billion.For the current quarter ending in January, Nordson expects its per-share earnings to range from $2 to $2.10.The company said it expects revenue in the range of $615 million to $640 million for the fiscal first quarter._____This story was generated by Automated Ins...

New concert venues to accompany Caps and Wizards move to Alexandria, Va.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:56 GMT

A photo rendering of the Entertainment District at Potomac Yard includes a new Capitals and Wizards arena, a performing arts venue and an expanded esports facility. (Courtesy JBG Smith) A photo rendering of the Entertainment District at Potomac Yard includes a new Capitals and Wizards arena, a performing arts venue and an expanded esports facility. (Courtesy JBG Smith) The D.C. sports and entertainment landscape forever changed Wednesday when Monumental Sports & Entertainment announced plans for the Capitals and Wizards to leave D.C. and relocate to a brand new, 70-acre location in Alexandria, Virginia.The new sports arena will provide a new venue for headliner music acts similar to Capital One Arena, where I ...

Stock market today: Dow hits a record as Wall Street rallies after the Fed signals rate cuts in 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:56 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A powerful rally across Wall Street sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a record on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve indicated that the cuts to interest rates investors crave so much may be coming next year.The Dow jumped 512 points, or 1.4%, to top 37,000 and surpass its prior peak of 36,799.65 set at the start of last year. Other, more widely followed indexes of U.S. stocks also leaped. The S&P 500 rose 1.4% and is within 2% of its own record. The Nasdaq composite gained 1.4%. Wall Street loves lower interest rates because they can relax the pressure on the economy and goose prices for all kinds of investments. Markets have been rallying since October amid rising hopes that cuts may be on the way.Rate cuts particularly help investments seen as expensive, lower quality or forcing their investors to wait the longest for big growth. Some of Wednesday’s bigger winners were bitcoin, which rose nearly 4%, and the Russell 2000 index of small U.S. stocks, which...

Mueller Water Products: Fiscal Q4 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:56 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — ATLANTA (AP) — Mueller Water Products Inc. (MWA) on Wednesday reported fiscal fourth-quarter net income of $17.2 million.The Atlanta-based company said it had net income of 11 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to 19 cents per share.The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 11 cents per share.The maker of fire hydrants, pipes and water valves posted revenue of $301.4 million in the period.For the year, the company reported profit of $85.5 million, or 55 cents per share. Revenue was reported as $1.28 billion.For the current quarter ending in December, Mueller Water Products said it expects revenue in the range of $245 million to $255 million._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on MWA at https://www.zacks.com/ap/MWA...