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Editorial: California’s Brown Act open-meeting law under assault

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:59:15 GMT

Residents in local communities across California could soon walk into the meeting room of their city council, school board, planning commission or county supervisors only to find no one at the dais and the policymakers on a monitor on the wall.The elected or appointed representatives might be participating from home or out of state. Lobbyists could be at their sides telling them what to say or how to vote, and the public would never know. Residents won’t be able to discern if their officials are paying attention or talking to others on the phone if their cameras are turned off.That’s the world of local government that would be made possible if Assemblymember Diane Papan, D-San Mateo, gets her way. Her pending legislation, Assembly Bill 1379, would undermine 70 years of progress that today enables Californians to watch — in person — their local officials’ policymaking process.The bill would gut some of the key provisions of the Ralph M. Brown Act, the California ope...

Analysis: Fox News’ sudden firing of Tucker Carlson may have come down to one simple calculation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:59:15 GMT

Analysis by Oliver Darcy | CNNWhy? That is the question I have been asked — and expect to continue to be asked — more than any other after the seismic news that Fox News had fired its highest-rated host, Tucker Carlson. The news, which rocked both the media and political worlds, begs for an answer to that fundamental question.But answering it is anything but easy. In the hours following Carlson’s abrupt dismissal from the right-wing channel, a number of explanations have emerged — all with plausibility. It goes without saying that it was no coincidence that the dismissal came just days after Fox’s historic settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. But what specifically about that case prompted Carlson’s undoing remains murky.Perhaps it was related to ex-producer Abby Grossberg’s lawsuit against the network, which alleged rampant sexism and anti-Semitic behavior behind the scenes at Carlson’s show? Or perhaps it was profanity-laced remarks, some of which ...

Accused killer of Bob Lee, Nima Momeni, due in court Tuesday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:59:15 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- The man accused of stabbing Cash App founder Bob Lee to death in the overnight hours of April 4 is due in court at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Nima Momeni will get a second chance this morning to enter his plea.The 38-year-old man is accused of fatally stabbing Lee with a kitchen knife just off the Embarcadero in San Francisco. Momeni was arrested in his Emeryville home on April 13 and charged with one count of murder. Prosecutors are seeking no bail. Elon Musk calls violent crime in SF ‘horrific.’ Is it? Prosecutors said Momeni drove Lee to a dark area, stabbed him and sped off, leaving Lee to die. The motive is still unclear, but officials said that Lee was friends with Momeni's sister. Prosecutors said hours before the fatal attack, Momeni confronted Lee about whether his sister was doing drugs or anything inappropriate. Disturbing video of Lee's final moments show him calling 911 for help.Lee was a star in the tech world including starting Cash App in 2013. His dea...

Simmons First National: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:59:15 GMT

PINE BLUFF, Ark. (AP) — PINE BLUFF, Ark. (AP) — Simmons First National Corp. (SFNC) on Tuesday reported first-quarter earnings of $45.6 million.The Pine Bluff, Arkansas-based bank said it had earnings of 36 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were 37 cents per share.The results fell short of Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 49 cents per share.The bank holding company posted revenue of $325 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $223.7 million, also missing Street forecasts._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on SFNC at https://www.zacks.com/ap/SFNCSource

Old National Bancorp: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:59:15 GMT

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Old National Bancorp (ONB) on Tuesday reported first-quarter net income of $146.6 million.The Evansville, Indiana-based bank said it had earnings of 49 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to 54 cents per share.The results beat Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 52 cents per share.The holding company for Old National Bank posted revenue of $566.3 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $457.8 million, which did not meet Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $457.9 million._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on ONB at https://www.zacks.com/ap/ONBSource

Paccar: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:59:15 GMT

BELLEVUE, Wash. (AP) — BELLEVUE, Wash. (AP) — Paccar Inc. (PCAR) on Tuesday reported first-quarter earnings of $733.9 million.On a per-share basis, the Bellevue, Washington-based company said it had profit of $1.40. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to $2.25 per share.The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of eight analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.82 per share.The truck maker posted revenue of $8.47 billion in the period. Its adjusted revenue was $8.05 billion, also surpassing Street forecasts. Five analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $7.62 billion._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on PCAR at https://www.zacks.com/ap/PCARSource

Kimberly-Clark: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:59:15 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — DALLAS (AP) — Kimberly-Clark Corp. (KMB) on Tuesday reported first-quarter earnings of $566 million.The Dallas-based company said it had profit of $1.67 per share.The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.34 per share.The maker of consumer products such as Huggies diapers and Kleenex tissue posted revenue of $5.2 billion in the period, which also topped Street forecasts. Five analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $5.08 billion._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on KMB at https://www.zacks.com/ap/KMBSource

German authorities detain Syrian man on suspicion of planning an explosives attack motivated by Islamic extremism

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:59:15 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — German authorities detain Syrian man on suspicion of planning an explosives attack motivated by Islamic extremism.Source

Wimbledon to house Ukraine’s players, fund relief efforts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:59:15 GMT

The All England Club will pay for two rooms for Ukrainian tennis players and their teams during the grass-court season and will donate 1 British pound (about $1.25) for each ticket sold at Wimbledon to relief efforts in Ukraine — which could top 500,000 pounds ($620,000) — after deciding to allow players from Russia and Belarus back into the tournament despite the ongoing war.Club chairman Ian Hewitt said at Tuesday’s annual spring news conference for the oldest Grand Slam tournament that letting Russians and Belarusians compete at Wimbledon after banning them a year ago because of the invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022 was “probably the most difficult decision during my chairmanship.”Hewitt and club chief executive Sally Bolton said Wimbledon will not be broadcast in Russia or Belarus, and their media will not be allowed at the tournament this year. They also said flags or sign of support for either of those countries and the war will be barred from the grounds and tha...

For Arbor Day, plant a tree resilient to climate change

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:59:15 GMT

Trees are long-term investments that often outlive the people who plant them. And with the world’s climate changing fast, we now need to consider whether the trees we plant today will be able to withstand the changing conditions in our gardens over the next 30, 50 or even 100 years.“Things are changing faster than the lifespan of trees,” said Daniel Herms, an entomologist specializing in the resiliency of trees at the research branch of the Davey Tree Expert Co., a landscaping firm based in Kent, Ohio.Over the next few decades, some trees will thrive and others won’t, “depending on traits that make them adapt to the changing climate,” he said. Those changes include rising temperatures, and rain and drought patterns.Even some iconic state trees are not considered resilient in their own states, Herms said. For example, California’s coastal redwoods “are very dependent on the moisture that comes from fog, and that fog is being reduced.”Other state trees that are vulnerable to climate c...