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Travel Troubleshooter: I was billed twice for my Booking.com room. How do I fix this?

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:20:54 GMT

DEAR TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: A few months ago, I stayed at The Rigdon House, a boutique inn in Cambria, which we reserved through Booking.com. I indicated I would pay for our accommodations at the time of arrival. I paid the hotel when I checked in. Then I got a second charge on our bank statement that was generated by Booking.com.Christopher Elliott, the Travel Troubleshooter I’ve spent five weeks trying to get Booking.com to refund the $1,057 that they billed me. I’ve communicated via emails, chats and phone calls, all with different sales reps who requested we send the same documentation. I’ve sent the documentation three times now.Booking.com assured me a manager or supervisor would get back to me, but no one did. I’ve talked with someone at the hotel numerous times as well, and they even contacted Booking.com on my behalf. Booking.com told the hotel that my refund had been processed, but it hasn’t.I want to be refunded for the $1,057 that Booki...

Wish You Were Here: Exploring Jerusalem

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:20:54 GMT

Wildfires? Heat waves? Crowds? Pfft! Our adventurous readers have been traveling the world despite all that, exploring ancient wonders in Cappadocia, Turkey  strolling the streets of Old Quebec and sightseeing in the Azores. And they’ve been sharing their adventures with us along the way.Wish You Were HereISRAEL: Los Gatos residents Marlene and Marshall Burak recently spent 30 days in Jerusalem with their family, including two of their grandchildren, Jack Burak of Reno and Sidney Davis, who hails from Provo, Utah, pictured here just outside the Old City.Los Gatos residents Marlene and Marshall Burak recently traveled to Jerusalem with their family, including two of their grandchildren, Jack Burak and Sidney Davis. (Courtesy of the Burak Family) “Since Jerusalem is 2,500 feet in elevation, the days are dry and the nights pleasantly cool,” Marshall says. “One of the highlights of our trip was a food tour of the restaurants and food.stalls around the huge c...

Alameda offered a $75,000 bonus to new cops. Other California departments are scrambling to keep up

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:20:54 GMT

By Anabel Sosa | CalMattersJust five months ago, Alameda Police Chief Nishant Joshi faced a dire staffing crisis. Almost one third of the 88 sworn positions in his department were vacant, giving him 24 jobs to fill as quickly as possible.He wasn’t alone in that predicament. Many California police departments have reported serious hiring challenges in a persistently tight labor market over the past several years.But Joshi’s city council in April gave him something exceptional to lure candidates to Alameda: a $75,000 enlistment bonus in addition to regular pay that starts at $110,000 a year.It’s working.After receiving 170 applications from all over the country, the Alameda Police Department now has enough officers enrolled in academies to bring its projected total vacancies down to 10 by early next year. Joshi credits the bonuses, in part, for attracting applicants to a city with an expensive cost of living.“There are million dollar homes here. The average rent here is also $3,000,” ...

Big changes to BART service schedule start today

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:20:54 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Starting on September 11, Bay Area Rapid Transit will have a new service plan streamlining with riders' post-pandemic commute patterns. BART's goal is to make public transit more attractive and efficient after ridership numbers plummeted in recent years.One of the biggest changes includes more service on nights and weekends without 30-minute wait times. "No BART rider will wait more than 20 minutes for a scheduled train, no matter what hour of the day, or day of the week," BART officials wrote.Service on the busiest weekday line, the Yellow Line, is increasing so that trains arrive every 10 minutes from Pittsburg/Bay Point.Only the newest trains, dubbed "Fleet of the Future," will run for the base schedule. Old trains, known as "Legacy Trains," will retire. BART Chief Communications Officer Alicia Trost said "Fleet of the Future" trains are cleaner, have better surveillance cameras, and are more efficient than the old trains. BART provided examples of w...

Sailboat stuck at Stinson Beach must be removed today

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:20:54 GMT

STINSON BEACH, Calif. (KRON) -- The owner of a sailboat that has been stuck on the shores of Stinson Beach for more than six weeks has until noon on Monday to get his boat back into the water. Several people spent Sunday trying to dig the boat out of the sand in hopes of towing it to the water during high tide. Captain Logan Walker and his boat, the Chandalar, drifted onto shore on July 31. According to the captain, the boat was on autopilot when it got stuck.Since then, community members have been coming out to help get the boat back into the water.They have tried to tug the boat five times. "More confident now than we have been in the past because we really just wanted to get it to turn in the beginning and now we've gotten to turn twice," said one community member. Group of juveniles involved in fight at Westfield mall: SFPD PVC pipes were added between two planks of wood underneath the boat with the hope of allowing it to slide more easily. Marin County says they will remove t...

21-year-old driver arrested on DUI suspicion after crashing in Petaluma

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:20:54 GMT

(KRON) -- A driver was arrested on DUI suspicion after crashing in front of a residence overnight Sunday, the Petaluma Police Department said. Police said the suspect car crashed into an unoccupied parked car in the driveway of a house on 900 block of S McDowell Boulevard. Police look for suspect linked to 2 attempted home burglaries in Milpitas The crash happened around 3:52 a.m. when a silver BMW sedan crashed in front of the home, according to SRPD. The BMW also had a female passenger inside at the time of the crash.The driver, identified as 21-year-old Petaluma man Daniel Niles Jr., displayed signs of intoxication, police said. A DUI investigation determined Niles was driving under the influence of alcohol. The suspect was driving southbound on S McDowell Boulevard and tried to make a left turn onto eastbound Covey Way. According to SRPD, Niles was unable to safely execute the turn and crashed into the parked vehicle. Neither Niles nor the passenger were injured in the collis...

Rugby World Cup takeaways: France and Ireland live up to the hype. High tackles are already an issue

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:20:54 GMT

The two biggest takeaways from the first block of games at the Rugby World Cup reinforced a couple of pre-tournament predictions.France and Ireland both appear to be the real deal and ready to challenge the southern hemisphere’s vise-like grip on the trophy.Rugby’s newish rules on head contact and player safety that have been brought in since the last World Cup also threaten to be an overriding theme, with some players still getting used to the big changes in the way they are allowed to tackle. Officials are already under scrutiny for apparent inconsistency.There was one red card for a head clash in the opening set of eight games and there might easily have been at least two more. Scotland felt especially aggrieved that South Africa center Jesse Kriel’s seemingly illegal tackle was missed completely by the ref and TV officials in the opening minutes of their game.FAST STARTFrance quite simply lived up to all the hype with an opening-game victory over three-time cha...

2 shot and killed near Oxon Hill apartments

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:20:54 GMT

Two people are dead after a shooting near an Oxon Hill, Maryland, apartment complex on Sunday night, police say.Officers responded to the shooting in the 5500 block of Livingston Terrace at around 11:10 p.m., according to social media post from Prince George’s County police.A man who had been shot was found inside a vehicle. He later died at the hospital, police said.Another person who had been fatally shot was found in the parking lot of the apartment complex. His age wasn’t shared publicly by police.Police didn’t offer further details including information on any suspects.Police are asking anyone with information to contact Prince George’s County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS or submit a tip using the P3 Tips app.Here’s a map of where police said the shooting happened. This is a developing story. Check back with WTOP for the latest.Source

Sweden: Norwegian man guilty of storing dead partner’s body in a freezer to cash in her pension

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:20:54 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A Swedish court on Monday sentenced a 57-year-old Norwegian man for fraud and falsifying records for putting his dead partner in a freezer and cashing in her pension. He was given a 3.5-year prison term.The Warmland District Court said the man, who was not named, was convicted of gross breach of civil liberties, gross fraud and falsification of documents, among other things.The man told investigators that he had put the Norwegian woman in a freezer after finding her dead in their home. The two lived in Arjang, which is about 340 kilometers (211 miles) west of Stockholm.The court said the man had stored the body in the freezer which he also used to store food. Investigators found the woman’s body in the freezer in March following a tip.The man had told family and friends that the woman was still alive.In a statement, the court said the man kept quiet about the death in order to get her pension from neighboring Norway and a tax refund relating to the deceased partner,...

14er hiking season may be coming to a close

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:20:54 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Longs Peak recorded its first snow of the season on Monday and other 14ers are turning white as well. For now, snow is light above 13,500 feet, but it won't be for long. As for summer hikers who prefer snow-free conditions, the 14er season may be coming to a close. It's often referred to as "termination dust" where the snow signifies the end of the hiking season for some, said Pinpoint Weather Meteorologist Chris Tomer. Photos: 1st snowfall spotted on Colorado peaks Longs Peak, which is a tricky climb even in the best conditions, becomes more technical with snow and requires more safety gear, according to the National Park Service. Snow on Pikes Peak (Photo credits: Colorado Springs Pike Peaks summit web cam)The first snow of the season has fallen on Longs Peak on Sept. 11, 2023. (National Park Service)Longs Peak wasn't the only place to see flakes. As of Monday morning, Pikes Peak was also covered in snow and the road to the Alpine Visitor Center in Rocky Mountai...