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How the California Legislature addressed homelessness this year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:15 GMT

Although much of the work to address California’s homelessness crisis takes place at the local level, legislators in Sacramento sought to address the crisis this past year as well.According to local 2023 Point in Time Counts, homelessness grew 9% in 2022 in Los Angeles County, 12% in Riverside County, and 26% in San Bernardino County. Orange County counts its unhoused homeless residents every other year, but the number of homeless people in Orange County shelters rose 12% in 2023.This year, lawmakers in Sacramento introduced bills to make it easier to build shelters, study what’s killing homeless Californians and improve mental health services in the state.Gov. Gavin Newsom had until Oct. 14 to decide the fate of bills passed by the Legislature. Here’s how some of those targeting the homelessness crisis fared:Assembly Bill 42Status: Signed by Newsom on Oct. 10.About the bill: AB 42, sponsored by Assemblymember James Ramos, D-Highland, temporarily stops — until January 2027 — local g...

Proposed tax credit could help California landscapers transition to electric leaf blowers, lawn mowers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:15 GMT

When Sana Sirodan and her team launched Greenplace landscaping services out of Costa Mesa earlier this year after immigrating from Ukraine due to the war, she said they opted for all-electric equipment from the start.They knew their new home state of California was pivoting away from polluting leaf blowers, lawn mowers and other gear with engines powered by pricey gasoline or diesel, Sirodan said. Electric tools also are quieter, a bit easier to operate and less expensive over time. And Greenplace now pitches their all-electric fleet of tools as an “eco-friendly” selling point for customers throughout Orange and Los Angeles counties.But for established landscape businesses, such as Marques Blackman’s Simple Lawns Services in San Bernardino, which have already invested hundreds or thousands of dollars in more powerful gas-fueled tools, coming up with the capital to switch to electric equipment is no small feat.Commercial-grade electric-powered gear can cost anywhere from 15% to 300% ...

23,000 people attend In-N-Out’s 75th anniversary festival in Southern California

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:15 GMT

Fast food and racing car fans descended on Pomona on Sunday, Oct. 22, for a 12-hour festival marking the 75th anniversary of In-N-Out Burger.It took place at the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, which is on the grounds of the Fairplex. About 23,000 tickets sold out in advance, according to Denny Warnick, chief operating officer of the company.Cars are on show at the In-N-Out Burger 75th anniversary festival in Pomona on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023. (Photo by Fielding Buck, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)A giant Double-Double stands by the entrance of the In-N-Out Burger Museum, an attraction at the fast food chain’s 75th anniversary festival in Pomona on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023. (Photo by Fielding Buck, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)Jennifer Soriano and Jonathan Mariano pose with a giant Double-Double and prop french fries at In-N-Out Burger’s 75th anniversary celebration, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023 in Pomona. (Photo by Fielding Buck, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)In-N-Out Burger associates staf...

There’s more to M&M’s than meets the mouth

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:15 GMT

Need I even mention the name of this month’s major holiday? Not hardly, when 70% of Americans are expected to spend an estimated $12 billion this year on Halloween costumes, decorations and candy – big business for the U.S. economy.Yet this spooky-fun event had its beginnings 2,000 years ago when the Celtic New Year was celebrated at summer’s end with bonfires and people wore costumes to ward off evil spirits.M&M’s are one of the most popular candy treats given out for Halloween. The sugar-coated goodies even have their own special recognition – Oct. 13 was National M&M Day. Introduced in 1941, M&M’s are sold in over 100 countries. The original colors were red, brown and yellow with the logo lettering in black, which was changed to white in 1954.Over the years, colors have come and gone and returned again by popular demand. Orange, for instance, debuted in 1976, was discontinued in 2006 and returned in 2010. A special blue M&M was introduced to promote “The Blues Bro...

Diez países se reunieron en México y acordaron un plan para hacer frente al aumento de la migración en la región

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:15 GMT

(CNN) — Los Gobiernos de 10 países se reunieron en México y emitieron una declaración conjunta este domingo en la que esbozan un plan de múltiples puntos que aborda las causas profundas del aumento de la migración irregular en la región a través de la responsabilidad compartida y la cooperación entre los países de origen, tránsito y destino.La reunión, de un día de duración, tuvo lugar en el sureño estado mexicano de Chiapas e incluyó delegaciones de Belice, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Haití, Honduras, México, Panamá y Venezuela, según la declaración conjunta.“Las principales causas estructurales de la migración son políticas, económicas, sociales y los efectos negativos del cambio climático”, señala la declaración conjunta.Algunos de los compromisos conjuntos incluían abordar las causas estructurales de la migración en la región fomentando el empleo, la educación, la seguridad energética, la recuperación del sector agrícola, la soberanía alimentaria y...

Fire official says two trains collided outside the Bangladeshi capital, killing a dozen people and injuring scores

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:15 GMT

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Fire official says two trains collided outside the Bangladeshi capital, killing a dozen people and injuring scores.Source

US renews warning it will defend Philippines after incidents with Chinese vessels in South China Sea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:15 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The United States renewed a warning Monday that it would defend the Philippines in case of an armed attack under a 1951 treaty, after Chinese ships blocked and collided with two Filipino vessels off a contested shoal in the South China Sea. Philippine diplomats summoned a Chinese Embassy official in Manila on Monday for a strongly worded protest following Sunday’s collisions off Second Thomas Shoal. No injuries were reported but the encounters damaged a Philippine coast guard ship and a wooden-hulled supply boat operated by navy personnel, officials said.President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called an emergency meeting with the defense secretary and other top military and security officials to discuss the latest hostilities in the disputed waters. The Philippines and other neighbors of China have resisted Beijing’s sweeping territorial claims over virtually the entire South China Sea, and some, like Manila, have sought U.S. military support as incidents mul...

England picks seamer Brydon Carse to replace injured Reece Topley at the Cricket World Cup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:15 GMT

BENGALURU, India (AP) — Defending champion England called up seamer Brydon Carse on Monday to its Cricket World Cup squad in India to replace Reece Topley.Struggling England lost its leading wicket-taker at the tournament during Saturday’s record-breaking defeat by South Africa, when Topley fractured his left index finger fielding off his own bowling.England’s poor performances have been a major surprise with the team losing three of its four matches — including against Afghanistan. England is in ninth place in the 10-team tournament. The top four advance. England head coach Matthew Mott initially suggested there was no guarantee another seamer would be brought in as Topley’s replacement, but Carse’s selection maintains the status quo.The 28-year-old Carse will link up with the group in Bengaluru, India, where England plays Sri Lanka on Thursday.___ https://apnews.com/hub/cricket Source

Los nombres escritos en los cuerpos de los niños hablan de los temores de los padres de Gaza en medio de la guerra entre Israel y Hamas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:15 GMT

Nota del editor: Este artículo contiene descripciones gráficas.Gaza (CNN) — Los cadáveres de tres niños yacen en una bandeja de acero dentro de lo que parece ser la morgue de un hospital de Gaza, con una de las piernas de sus pantalones levantada para revelar algo escrito en tinta negra sobre su piel.“Recibimos algunos casos en los que los padres escribieron los nombres de sus hijos en las piernas y el abdomen”, declaró a CNN el Dr. Abdul Rahman Al Masri, jefe del servicio de urgencias del Hospital de los Mártires de Al-Aqsa.Dijo que a los padres les preocupaba que “pudiera pasar cualquier cosa” y nadie pudiera identificar a sus hijos.“Esto significa que sienten que son un objetivo en cualquier momento y que pueden resultar heridos o martirizados”, añadió Al Masri.La tinta negra es una pequeña muestra del miedo y la desesperación que sienten los padres en el enclave densamente poblado, mientras Israel sigue machacándolo con incesantes ataque...

Stock market today: US futures fall as yield on the 10-year Treasury reaches 5%

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:15 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock market futures fell Monday morning, under pressure from higher interest rates and the risk of broader conflict in the Middle East.The yield on the 10-year Treasury was at 5% Monday, a level it hasn’t reached since 2007. Stocks have been struggling under the weight of the bond market since high yields make borrowing more expensive for everyone and slow the economy while dragging on prices for stocks and other investments. “Indeed, the trajectory of U.S. Treasurys is not merely a question; it is the only question for financial markets,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary. “U.S. government bonds are the critical benchmark reference point against which virtually all other global assets are ultimately priced off.”The Federal Reserve raised its overnight interest rate rapidly hoping to quash high inflation, which has come down from its peak last summer. The yield on the 10-year Treasury has recently has been catching up to the Fed&#...