Home

Taylor Swift boosted Silicon Valley economy by $33M

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

Swiftie or not, pop star Taylor Swift is undeniably a money magnet -- and new financial figures show a massive boost for Silicon Valley's economy from the artist's two-day stop at Levi's Stadium. Dan Rascher, president of Sports Economics, LLC, who analyzes the business of sporting events and concerts, told San Jose Spotlight that 60,000 swifties packed the stadium July 28 and 29 for Swift's Eras Tour. Rascher said 70 percent of attendees were out-of-towners, higher than the average 50-65 percent visitors Levi's Stadium typically sees. Traveling swifties spent $19 million on lodging, food and entertainment in Santa Clara County through the pop star's tour stop, he said, who'd already coughed up sometimes thousands of dollars for tickets. Large fight breaks out near Golden Gate Park Sunday "That leads to a total economic impact of around $33.5 million," Rascher told San Jose Spotlight. "That money gets respent in town over time, and that usually takes a few months." Swift...

Federal workers in SF told to work from home due to safety concerns: reports

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Federal workers at the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building in San Francisco have reportedly been told for work from home for the foreseeable future due to safety concerns, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The federal building, located on the corner of Seventh and Mission streets, is home to agencies that include the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the office of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi.According to the newspaper, an official with the Department of Health and Human Services issued the work-from-home advisory in a memo to regional leaders earlier this month. Woman’s body found at Golden Gate Park "In light of the conditions at the (Federal Building) we recommend employees ... maximize the use of telework for the foreseeable future," read a portion of the memo cited by the Chronicle. "This recommendation should be extended to all Region IX employees, including those ...

Mountain lion spotted in Menlo Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

(BCN) -- Menlo Park residents are being advised to keep an eye out for a mountain lion that was spotted in the Sharon Heights area Monday morning, according to police. At about 8:45 a.m., Menlo Park police issued an advisory saying a lion was seen along the back fence line at the Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club. Wildlife officials said that since the big cat didn't appear to be aggressive, it didn't represent an immediate danger to the community, according to police. This endangered species was sought in Tulare County There have been several mountain lions sightings in and around populated Bay Area communities since the start of the year, including in Petaluma, San Jose, Cotati, Yountville and Stockton. In January, a child was attacked by a lion in unincorporated San Mateo County. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Doris Burke and Doc Rivers named to ESPN and ABC’s top NBA crew

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

Doris Burke will become the first woman to serve as a game analyst on television for a championship final in one of the four major professional U.S. sports leagues.ESPN announced Monday that Burke and Doc Rivers will join Mike Breen on ESPN and ABC’s top NBA broadcast crew.“People will say, ‘Well, this is a trailblazing move.’ You’re absolutely right. But the only way that any trailblazer is successful, whether it’s an African American or a woman or anyone it’s based on the results and their performance. Doris Burke’s performance and results are unprecedented and unmatched in this industry,” said David Roberts, ESPN’s head of studio and event production.Burke, who joined ESPN in 1990, has been an analyst on the network’s NBA games since 2017. She called the past four finals on ESPN Radio after being a sideline reporter for ABC’s coverage of the finals from 2009-19.Rivers, who was fired as coach of the Philadelphia 76ers in May, called games on ESPN during the...

Kraft Heinz CEO Patricio to become non-executive chair; Abrams-Rivera to become next CEO

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

Kraft Heinz says CEO Miguel Patricio will become non-executive chair of its board at the start of the new year, with Carlos Abrams-Rivera stepping into the top spot at the food products company at that time.Abrams-Rivera currently serves as executive vice president and president of the North America zone. He will take on the role of president of Kraft Heinz Co., effective immediately. Patricio has served as CEO since 2019 and chair since last year.“The transition from Miguel to Carlos reflects the board’s thoughtful succession planning and we are confident that the company will continue to accelerate growth with Carlos assuming the role of CEO,” Jack Pope, lead director of the board, said in a statement on Monday. Source

¿Quién es y qué propone Sandra Torres, la candidata a presidenta de Guatemala?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

(CNN Español) — Sandra Torres Casanova, de 67 años, buscará hacer historia este 20 de agosto y convertirse en la primera mujer en llegar a la presidencia de Guatemala. Torres es fundadora y actual candidata presidencial del partido Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza, UNE.Este es su tercer intento, tras dos derrotas en balotaje: en 2015 perdió la segunda vuelta ante Jimmy Morales, y en 2019 (cuando fue la más votada en la elección general) ante el actual mandatario, Alejandro Giammattei.OEA preocupada por Guatemala: Almagro viajará para supervisar el proceso electoralEsta vez busca derrotar a Bernardo Arévalo, del partido Movimiento Semilla. Para lograrlo ha lanzado una campaña con propuestas conservadoras. Sus actos políticos comienzan con una oración y expresa abiertamente su oposición a temas como el aborto y el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo.Además, ha prometido que impulsará programas de ayuda económica y entrega de alimentos a las familias menos favorecidas, que tr...

Title favorites Aces and Liberty set to meet in WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

The New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces are living up to the preseason WNBA hype and will meet for the first time with a championship on the line when they play for the Commissioner’s Cup title on Tuesday night.The budding rivals were predicted to win the WNBA title before the season tipped off and have loftier aspirations of taking home that trophy. The first-place Aces won both the Commissioner’s Cup and the WNBA title last season and wouldn’t mind double-dipping again this year.Each member of the winning team will receive around $30,000. Players on the losing squad each gets about $10,000. “It’s an opportunity to build chemistry, but also win money. It’s a big game, but we couldn’t focus on it ’til now,” New York’s Breanna Stewart said after Sunday’s win over Indiana.Liberty guard Courtney Vandersloot agreed.“The money is big,” said Vandersloot, who lost in the Cup final last season to Las Vegas. “It definitely adds an extra incentive to the game.”An extra $30,0...

New Nebraska coach Matt Rhule wants to win now, but he promises to take no shortcuts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Make no mistake, Matt Rhule wants to win and win often in his first season at Nebraska.The Cornhuskers’ new coach also understands where the team sits in 2023, and he’s taken the program down to the studs with the hope of building it back into the respected national brand it was a generation ago.“When I think about Nebraska, I just think about that helmet,” Rhule said of the Huskers’ classic white and red headgear. “It’s iconic to me, and it is across college football.”Rhule said Nebraska — winners of five national championships but none since 1997 — should be in the national discussion year in and year out, and for the right reasons. Talk about Nebraska in recent years has centered on coach Scott Frost’s spectacular failure over four-plus seasons. The Huskers are coming off six straight losing seasons with no bowl appearances. There’s been no Top 25 ranking since 2019, 10 seasons without an appearance in a conference champion...

Stock market today: Wall Street drifts higher ahead of big week for retailers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting higher Monday ahead of a week of reports showing how strong U.S. shoppers remain, amid hopes their spending can keep the economy out of a recession.The S&P 500 was up 0.5% in afternoon trading after flipping an early loss. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 7 points, or less than 0.1%, at 35,290, as of 1:19 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.8% higher.U.S. Steel jumped to one of the market’s bigger gains, up 33%. It said over the weekend that it rejected a buyout offer from Cleveland-Cliffs and that it’s heard multiple offers.Cleveland-Cliffs rose 10% after it said it offered more than $7 billion in cash and stock for the steelmaker and that it’s ready to move on the offer immediately.On the losing end of Wall Street was Nikola, which sank 6.7%. The zero-emission truck company recalled more than 200 of its electric vehicles after an investigation indicated a problem with a component in the battery pack could be the caus...

Downtown Kingston pedestrian counts hit a record high at Princess Street Promenade

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

Downtown Kingston’s downtown pedestrian counts hit a record high this weekend with over 8,000 pedestrians passing the intersection of King Street and Princess Street during Princess Street Promenade.Since January 2022, foot traffic downtown has been electronically monitored via laser counter at the intersection of King Street and Princess Street and used as a data point for the Downtown Kingston Business Improvement Area (BIA). This past weekend, with the street closed to traffic for the Princess Street Promenade, the count was a record high in nearly two years.This second 2023 edition of Princess Street Promenade overtaking Princess Street had over 100 businesses and community groups set up along the street. A long section of Princess Street was converted into a walkway and visitors were able to explore what Kingston has to offer in music, restaurants, and retail.“Although it’s not an accurate reflection of how many attended the event in total, it gives us a good idea of what...