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With ouster vote ahead, McCarthy says he won’t deal with Dems

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

By Lisa Mascaro and Farnoush Amiri | Associated PressWASHINGTON — Speaker Kevin McCarthy is confronting his hard-right critics head-on Tuesday as he faces a historic challenge to oust him from leadership, insisting he will not cut a deal with Democrats to remain in power and setting the stage for an extraordinary and unpredictable showdown on the House floor.The Republican McCarthy’s fate is deeply uncertain as he faces what’s known as a “motion to vacate” from Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a strident critic allied with Donald Trump. It would take the support of only a handful of Republicans from his slim majority to remove McCarthy as speaker if Democrats vote in favor alongside the conservative rebels.Behind closed doors early Tuesday, McCarthy told fellow Republicans: Let’s get on with it.“If I counted how many times someone wanted to knock me out, I would have been gone a long time ago,” McCarthy said at the Capitol after a private morning...

Why enclosed outdoor cat areas, or catios, might be what you and your pet need

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

Meow. It’s Whiskers, your cat. Yes, I can talk. It’s just that I usually don’t bother.However, I want to tell you about this thing I need you to do: Build me a catio on the back of your house; a catio, as you may have guessed, is a patio for cats. That’s right, it will be my domain, an outdoor space that’s screened in, to keep me safe from cars and coyotes while also protecting the unfortunate critters I might hunt.This would be a good compromise to our never-ending skirmishes where I try to escape – unfortunately, I can’t work the doorknob, no opposable thumbs, so I typically just attempt to dart out the door – and you try to keep me locked inside, don’t you?Here’s what you need to know: Catios can range from a simple windowbox cut-out to a full enclosure across one side of the house. They need to be attached to the house in some fashion and have a cat door, so I can come and go as I please. I am a cat, after all.Dana Stangel, who organized this year’s Los Angeles Catio Tour to be ...

20 loudest Disneyland rides and 20 noisiest shows — with decibel readings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

Disneyland’s monorail horn is as loud as a piledriver, its railroad trains as ear-splitting as a jackhammer and the nightly fireworks more deafening than a bulldozer, according to a noise analysis conducted on behalf of the Anaheim theme park.The decibel readings for attractions, shows and parades at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are buried deep in the 17,000-page Environmental Impact Report released in mid-September by the city of Anaheim for Disney’s expansion initiative known as DisneylandForward.SEE ALSO: Disneyland theme park expansion envisions 16 rides and an outdoor showThe Disneyland resort noise analysis was conducted by Veneklasen Associates over eight days in April 2022 with a follow-up study in June 2022. The readings taken at dozens of locations throughout Disneyland and DCA near rides, shows and parades were collected to inform planning of any theme park expansion.Disney would limit noise by building sound-buffering barriers during construction and 12-foo...

No reason to go to downtown San Jose? A few thousand people beg to differ

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

You may have read the story over the weekend about struggling downtowns, based on a poll conducted by the Bay Area News Group and Joint Venture Silicon Valley. Seventy-nine percent of the poll respondents said they rarely or never visit downtown San Jose, with 76 percent saying the primary reason was they didn’t “have a reason to visit.”Let me offer a few suggestions. This past weekend, for example, more than 11,000 people ventured downtown to participate in the Rock N Roll Half-Marathon and its related races, a few thousand were taking in the Little Italy Festival and 49ers fans were at San Pedro Square to watch Sunday’s big victory. That’s not to mention the people who went to San Jose Symphony’s season-opening weekend performance, saw “Bald Sisters” at San Jose Stage or “Toxic” at City Lights or caught the last couple of Broadway San Jose performances of “Hadestown” at the Center for the Performing Arts.A cas...

Sale closed in Fremont: $2.4 million for a detached house

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

1986 Mandan Court – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the 1900 block of Mandan Court in Fremont was sold on Aug. 23, 2023 for $2,375,000, or $854 per square foot. The house, built in 1978, has an interior space of 2,781 square feet. The home’s exterior showcases roofing materials crafted from wood shake roofing / shingles. Inside, a fireplace enhances the ambiance of the living area. Additionally, the home is equipped with an attached garage. The property’s backyard also boasts a pool.Additional houses that have recently been purchased close by include:A 1,728-square-foot home on the 1800 block of Mandan Place in Fremont sold in March 2023, for $2,000,000, a price per square foot of $1,157. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In May 2023, a 2,580-square-foot home on Winding Lane in Fremont sold for $2,050,000, a price per square foot of $795. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Winding Lane, Fremont, in May 2023, a 1,703-square-foot home was sold for $1,9...

California residents hoping for second billion dollar lottery win of 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

(FOX40.COM) -- The US lottery has seen some staggering grand prizes in 2023, including a record-setting prize of $1.602 billion which went to a Florida resident in August, but could the Golden State claim another billion-dollar lottery prize? According to the California Lottery, this is the first time in Powerball history that two consecutive jackpot runs have produced billion-dollar jackpots. The current Powerball soared to $1.2 billion following Monday's roll that saw two people in the eastern United States match five numbers and the power play for the $2 million prize, but no grand prize winner. These Californians became millionaires in 2023 after winning the lottery If a lottery ticket isn’t claimed, what happens to the money? This current Powerball has been building since July 20, after a Los Angeles resident won the $1.08 billion grand prize that began rolling on April 22.The winning numbers for the July drawing were 7, 10, 11, 13, 24 and the Powerball was 24.According t...

FBI warns public against 'The Phantom Hacker' scam

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

The FBI's San Francisco office warned the public on Tuesday against a new scam called "The Phantom Hacker" that targets older adults. In the new scam, swindlers pretend to be tech support staff, bank employees and government officials and contact older adults to deceive them into thinking that foreign hackers have infiltrated their financial account, the FBI said in an advisory.Federal agents said the scam works in three steps. First, a scammer posing as a customer support representative from a legitimate tech company reaches out to a victim through a phone call, text, email, or a popup window on their computer and gives instructions to call a number for "assistance." SF Fleet Week 2023: schedule, events, what you need to know Once the victim calls the phone number, scammers tell the victim to download a software program, which gives them remote access to the victim's computer. Scammers pretend to run a virus scan on the victim's computer and falsely claim the computer either was ...

What does it take to be in the 1% in DC?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

What’s it take to be a 1-percenter in D.C.? It’s more than $1 million.When compared to states, the District now tops Connecticut for the household income required to join the 1% club.Using Bureau of Labor Statistics, financial website Smart Asset ranked states on the minimum household income required to be in the top 1% of earners as of 2023. In the District, it is now $1.014 million a year.The analysis looked at states only but included D.C. It did not rank metropolitan areas.Connecticut ranked No. 1 among states and No. 2 behind D.C., with the minimum entry-level for 1-percenters of $952,902.This year, Connecticut was followed by Massachusetts ($903,401), California ($844,266), New Jersey ($817,346) and Washington state ($804,853).Virginia ranked No. 12 at $643,848, and Maryland ranked No. 13 at $633,333.Nationwide, the threshold for top 1% of household incomes in 2023 was $652,657, eight times as much as the average U.S. household income of $75,000.Connecticut may be top among st...

Kraken now face expectations of trying to repeat playoff run in loaded Western Conference

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

SEATTLE KRAKENCOACH: Dave Hakstol (207-178-56 over seven seasons).SEASON OPENER: Oct. 10 at Vegas.DEPARTURES: F Morgan Geekie, F Ryan Donato, F Daniel Sprong, D Carson Soucy, G Martin Jones.ADDITIONS: F Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, F Kailer Yamamoto, D Brian Dumoulin, D Ryker Evans.GOALIES: Philipp Grubauer (17-14-4, 2.85 GAA, 0.895 save percentage) and Joey Daccord (4-2-1, 3.14 GAA, 0.900).FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK STANLEY CUP ODDS: 50-1.LAST SEASON: In just their second season, the Kraken stayed near the top of the Pacific Division standings for most of the season. Seattle relied on the depth of its scoring and career years from forward Jared McCann and defenseman Vince Dunn to earn one of the wild card spots in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, Seattle received exceptional goaltending from Philipp Grubauer to upset defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado before losing to Dallas in the conference semifinals in Game 7.STRENGTHS: While Seattle may lack a superstar, its top nine forward...

NASCAR bringing its top Cup Series to Iowa for the first time in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — NASCAR announced Tuesday that it will finally bring its top Cup Series to Iowa for the first time.Cup Series drivers will race at Iowa Speedway in Newton in June 2024, a weekend that will also include the second-tier Xfinity Series at the track about a forty-minute drive east of Des Moines.“Today’s announcement is an exciting one for NASCAR and for race fans in the state of Iowa,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR senior vice president for racing development and strategy. “They have long sought a NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway, and we’re happy to deliver that for them.”NASCAR has held Xfinity and Truck series races at the 0.875-mile oval track but none since 2019. Iowa Speedway has hosted IndyCar Series races for years, since it first opened in 2006. The NASCAR-owned track lists a 30,000 capacity.Rusty Wallace, a former Cup series champion who designed the speedway, and former Cup champion Brad Keselowski were in attendance at the announcement outside of the Iowa...