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Targeting glut of political campaign signs, Livermore bans all temporary signs

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:56 GMT

Call it a sign of the times.Starting Saturday, temporary signs directing people to open houses or garage sales will be outlawed in much of Livermore, along with political signs. The city has banned the signs on public property such as sidewalks and medians, beginning July 1.The City Council passed the ban last year to try to rein in the glut of political signs that pop up every election season. But intentional or not, the new law prohibits any temporary sign in the public right-of-way.The ban – which is billed as “content-neutral” to reduce exposure to litigation alleging violations of the First Amendment – captures in its web all types of signs, including those directing people to businesses, events, yard sales and open houses. The move frustrates local real estate professionals who say it throws the baby out with the bathwater by restricting signs that haven’t been causing problems to target the problematic political ones.David Stark, a spokesperson for Bay East Associ...

2 dead in collision on Highway 4 in Pittsburg

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:56 GMT

(BCN) -- Two people were killed in a collision between two vehicles on eastbound state Highway 4 west of Pittsburg on Friday night, the California Highway Patrol said. No injuries reported in shooting on Market Street The two were ejected from one of the vehicles that overturned in the crash reported at 8:19 p.m. at the Bailey Lane off-ramp, according to the CHP. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Work from yurt? Co-working spaces are getting weird

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:56 GMT

New York (CNN) — At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, nobody wanted to work full time in the office. Three years later, many of those same people have soured on working full time at home.Enter the co-working space, which allows for a bit of everything. But it’s not the glass-walled, craft beer-serving WeWork spaces you may remember from pre-pandemic times.From shopping malls to private mansions to hotels and gyms, co-working spaces are becoming more creative in the remote work era — with a boost from startups building platforms to connect companies with spaces for rent.The shift is being driven by the rise in hybrid work, shifts in where people live and employers seeking to lower their office costs. These changes are remaking the economy and real estate, boosting the fortunes of some urban areas in the Sun Belt while hurting other business districts in San Francisco, Chicago and New York.“We’re in the world of hybrid. The team does not need meet to meet in the downtown office anym...

The Dutch king apologizes for his country’s role in slavery on anniversary of abolition

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:56 GMT

AMSTERDAM (AP) — The Dutch king apologizes for his country’s role in slavery on anniversary of abolition.Source

In letter sent to Md. State Board of Education, superintendent seeks another term

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:56 GMT

This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury submitted a letter of intent to seek another term, the state Board of Education confirmed.Saturday marked the deadline for Choudhury to inform the board whether he wanted to remain as the public schools leader.Choudhury, who’s been superintendent since July 2021 after replacing Karen Salmon, has publicly stated he would like to continue his work on major education initiatives such as the multi-billion-dollar Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.During a discussion on school performance at Tuesday’s board meeting, Choudhury had a succinct and future message for employees. Choudhury, whose contract expires in June 2024, said certain employees haven’t visited a school in Baltimore that’s about five minutes away from the state Department of E...

Iniesta says farewell to Japanese soccer with rare start for Kobe

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:56 GMT

KOBE, Japan (AP) — Andres Iniesta said goodbye to Japanese soccer on Saturday with his first league start of the season as title-chasing Vissel Kobe had to settle for a 1-1 draw at home to Consadole Sapporo.The 39-year-old midfielder joined Kobe from Barcelona in 2018 but has found playing time increasingly hard to come by with the latest appearance taking his total minutes on the field after 18 games this season to just 94.A sell-out crowd of 30,000 at Noevir Stadium gave Iniesta an affectionate send-off, organizing a tifo display which showed the player wearing Kobe’s No. 8 shirt and holding banners that read “Gracias Andres.”Iniesta was a peripheral figure in the first half as Sapporo took control and the lead after 22 minutes of the J-League game. Thailand’s Supachok Sarachat reacted quickly to score from close range after goalkeeper Daiya Maekawa failed to deal with a cross from the right. By the time Matheus Thuler headed home a late goal to earn Kobe a point, Iniesta was watc...

Digging into the past for present and future generations

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:56 GMT

LADYSMITH, Va. (AP) — Anna Porter sat on a stump in the middle of a historic African American cemetery in Caroline County, wishing she knew more about those whose remains surrounded her.Since childhood, she’s been a regular visitor to graveyards, intrigued by the lives and times of the people in her midst. The cemetery in the woods behind St. Mary of the Annunciation Catholic Church in Ladysmith holds even more fascination for Porter because it contains more questions than answers.As many as 300 souls, including enslaved people and their descendants, are buried there, according to community lore. Porter, along with other members of a St. Mary’s committee, would like to find out as much as they can about those who lie in unmarked graves.“This is a very sacred space and it should be memorialized for the people who lived here and toiled here and their descendants who are buried here,” she said. “We as a church family feel it is important.”So do members of the Brown, Wright and Rock fam...

Lauderdale Lakes home of 7 people catches on fire overnight

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:56 GMT

A multi-family home in Lauderdale Lakes is left without a garage door after catching fire overnight. The home near Northwest 33rd Terrace and 35th Street caught on fire late Friday night.Authorities reported that the blaze began in the garage. A burned-out hole is now visible where the garage door used to be.American Red Cross volunteers from the Broward County Chapter responded to the incident with emergency aid for seven people affected by the fire, including one child. No injuries were reported but officials are still investigating.

Kyiv not in NATO after Russia war would be ‘suicidal,’ Ukraine foreign minister says

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:56 GMT

Paul Ronzheimer is the deputy editor-in-chief of BILD and a senior journalist reporting for Axel Springer, the parent company of POLITICO.Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba warned European allies that it would be “suicidal” not to accept Ukraine into NATO after the war with Russia is over.Kuleba’s comments come ahead of a NATO summit in mid-July when Kyiv’s membership bid is set to be the most politically sensitive point of discussion. Ukraine is looking to get a commitment from the defense alliance on its NATO aspirations, but a number of allies say a serious discussion on Ukraine in NATO can happen only after Russian forces are no longer on its territory.German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on June 22 that the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 11-12 should focus on strengthening Ukraine’s military power instead of opening a process for Kyiv to join the transatlantic alliance.“After the war ends, it will be suicidal for Europe not to accept Ukraine into NATO because it will mean t...

Macron postpones state visit to Germany to deal with violent riots across France

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:00:56 GMT

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday postponed a long-planned state visit to Germany to deal with the worsening turmoil in France, in a clear sign of the gravity of the violent protests gripping the country.The killing of a 17-year-old of North African descent by a police officer on Tuesday has thrown France into chaos, sparking violent demonstrations in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where the teen was shot. The violence has spread to other big cities.According to the latest estimates by France’s Interior Ministry, up to 1,300 rioters were arrested in the night between Friday and Saturday.The Élysée confirmed that Macron and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke on the phone on Saturday, agreeing to postpone the high-level visit. “Given the internal situation, the president has indicated that he wishes to be able to stay in France for the next few days,” according to a statement. “The two presidents therefore agreed to postpone the visit to Germany to a later date,”...