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PetSmart to pay nearly $1.5M in California lawsuit

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:49 GMT

(KRON) -- PetSmart has agreed to pay $1.46 million to settle a lawsuit that accused the company of overcharging customers, false advertising and unfair competition. SFMTA awarded $30M for zero-emission vehicles The lawsuit, originally filed by Santa Cruz County, includes other Bay Area counties such as Contra Costa, Sonoma, Alameda and Marin counties. San Diego, Los Angeles and Ventura counties are also a part of the lawsuit.“The law in California is clear: businesses must be accurate in charging for goods and services," said Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton. "For customers, it’s important to monitor items scanned at a register and scrutinize your receipts to make sure you are not being overcharged.”PetSmart will pay $1,250,000 in civil penalties, $100,000 in restitution to support consumer protection enforcement efforts and $110,000 for investigative costs accumulated by the counties, according to the DA. PetSmart must implement additional audit and price accura...

Stock market today: Wall Street pulls back from its rally a day before

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:49 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are pulling back Wednesday from Wall Street’s rally a day before.The S&P 500 was 0.3% lower in early trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 111 points, or 0.3%, at 33,815, as of 9:45 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.3% lower.General Mills fell to one of the market’s largest drops after the maker of Cheerios and Haagen-Dazs reported weaker revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It sank 4.7% despite reporting stronger profit than expected and giving a forecast for upcoming results that was close to Wall Street’s.Stocks of several chipmakers were heavy weights on the market, including a 2.4% drop for Nvidia and a 2.3% fall for Advanced Micro Devices. They have been at the center of a frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology, with hopes that it could lead to monumental profits.But a report from the Wall Street Journal said the U.S. government is considering restrictions on exports of AI chips to Chin...

5 takeaways from AP’s reporting on Pell Grants for prisoners getting college degrees

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:49 GMT

The Associated Press visited a California prison for a graduation ceremony last month, as dozens of prisoners received college degrees, high school diplomas and vocational certificates earned while they served time.Thousands of prisoners throughout the United States get their college degrees behind bars, most of them paid for by the federal Pell Grant program, which offers the neediest undergraduates tuition aid that they don’t have to repay. That program is about to expand exponentially next month, giving tens of thousands more students behind bars financial aid per year.Here are the key takeaways from the AP’s reporting:HOW DO COLLEGE PROGRAMS BEHIND BARS HELP PRISONS OVERALL?Studies have shown that taking any kind of courses while behind bars results in a 43% less likelihood that a former prisoner will commit more crime and return to prison. Advocates also say college and other rehabilitative programming improve safety in the prisons for staff and the incarcerated populatio...

Today in Sports – Brazil becomes the 1st team to win the World Cup outside its continent

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:49 GMT

June 291906 — Alex Smith shoots a record 295 to beat brother Willie in the U.S. Open. Alex shoots a 295 at Onwentsia Club Ill.1933 — Primo Carnera knocks out Jack Sharkey in the sixth round at the Long Island City Bowl to win the world heavyweight title.1947 — Betty Jameson wins the U.S. Women’s Open by six strokes over amateurs Sally Sessions and Rolly Riley.1952 — Louise Suggs beats Betty Jameson and Marlene Bauer by seven strokes to win the U.S. Women’s Open.1956 — Charles Dumas becomes the first high jumper to clear 7 feet, jumping 7 feet, 5-8 inches in the U.S. Olympic trials at Los Angeles.1957 — Jackie Pung loses the U.S. Women’s Open when she turns in an incorrect scorecard. Betsy Rawls is declared the winner.1958 — Brazil, led by Pele, beats Sweden 5-2 in Stockholm to become the first team to win the World Cup outside its continent. The 17-year-old, coming off a hat-trick in Brazil’s 5-2 semifinal victory over France, scores twice in the final. Pele’s first and memorable go...

Sports on TV for July 3 – 9

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:49 GMT

Adv01(All times Eastern)Schedule subject to change and/or blackoutsMonday, July 3CYCLING8 a.m.USA — UCI: The Tour de France, Stage 3, 115 miles, Amorebieta-Etxano, Spain to Bayonne, France2 a.m. (Tuesday)USA — UCI: The Tour de France, Stage 3, 115 miles, Amorebieta-Etxano, Spain to Bayonne, France (Taped)MLB BASEBALL6 p.m.FS1 — Washington at Cincinnati9:30 p.m.FS1 — LA Angels at San DiegoNBA BASKETBALL6 p.m.ESPN2 — Summer League: TBA8 p.m.ESPN — Summer League: TBA10 p.m.ESPN — Summer League: TBATENNIS6 a.m.ESPN — ATP/WTA: Wimbledon, First Round, London1 p.m.ESPN — ATP/WTA: Wimbledon, First Round, London6 a.m. (Tuesday)ESPN — ATP/WTA: Wimbledon, First Round, London _____Tuesday, July 4CYCLING8 a.m.USA — UCI: The Tour de France, Stage 4, 113 miles, Dax to Nogaro, France2 a.m. (Wednesday)USA — UCI: The Tour de France, Stage 4, 113 miles, Dax to Nogaro, France (Taped)MLB BASEBALL6:30 p.m.TBS — LA Angels at San DiegoSOCCER (MEN’S)6:30 p.m.FS1 — CONCACAF Gold Cup Group Stage: Canada vs. C...

Homestead man arrested for stealing construction tools valued at over $1,800

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:49 GMT

A 24-year-old Homestead resident was taken into custody following allegations of stealing construction tools with a total worth exceeding $1,800.Joseph Shaun Cepeda was apprehended Wednesday and subsequently charged with larceny, according to a press release from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.The investigation was initiated in May by detectives following the reported theft of several valuable items from a construction site in Ocean Reef. The stolen goods included a measuring laser, two flood lights, and a multi-tool.Detectives discovered that Cepeda had allegedly pawned the stolen items at a local shop located in Florida City.Arrest warrants were obtained for Cepeda and on Wednesday, officials successfully apprehended him, and he was subsequently booked into jail.

Starbucks introduces new frozen refreshers for a cool summer treat

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:49 GMT

As summer heats up, Starbucks is bringing a chilly twist to its popular refreshing beverages with the introduction of the new Frozen Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers. These refreshing drinks, now available in stores across the United States and Canada, promise to be a vibrant addition to Starbucks’ range of cold beverages.The Frozen Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers line combines the beloved flavors of Starbucks Refreshers with a tantalizing swirl of strawberry puree and real fruit pieces, offering customers a delightful way to savor the essence of summer.Matt Thornton, senior beverage developer at Starbucks, expressed his enthusiasm for the new addition in a press release. “Since Starbucks Refreshers Beverages joined the menu in 2012, our customers and partners (baristas) have creatively customized their beverages, such as adding coconut milk, lemonade, or blending with ice,” he said. “Inspired by these customer and partner creations, we’re excited to bring t...

9 deaths in 8 days attributed to unprecedented heat in Texas county, medical examiner says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:49 GMT

(CNN) — Nine people have died in the last eight days due to heat-related illnesses in Webb County, Texas, the county medical examiner said.“I come to you with a heavy heart this morning. In the last eight days in our county, we’ve lost nine residents to this heat,” Webb County Medical Examiner Dr. Corinne Stern said at a commissioners court meeting Tuesday.Power use in Texas hit an all-time high Tuesday, the state’s power authority said, and the blistering temperatures that prompted the usage surge will continue to scorch parts of the US Wednesday – putting nearly 90 million people under heat alerts.As customers grappled with triple-digit heat, the Texas Electric Reliability Council said power usage reached 80,828 megawatts at 6 p.m. Tuesday. That surpassed the grid’s previous record of 80,148 megawatts, set on July 20, 2022. The authority expects another record to be set Wednesday afternoon.The state’s power grid is largely cut off from the rest of the country and has seen frequent...

Biden says Putin is losing the war in … Iraq

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:49 GMT

U.S. President Joe Biden slipped up Tuesday, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin is losing the war in Iraq. Putin, of course, is actually carrying out a full-scale invasion in Ukraine — not the Middle Eastern country which the U.S. and its allies invaded in 2003. Answering questions from reporters on Putin, Biden said: “It’s hard to tell but he’s clearly losing the war in Iraq.”“He’s losing the war at home, and he has become a bit of a pariah around the world,” Biden added. “And it’s not just NATO. It’s not just the European Union. It’s Japan. It’s, you know, 40 nations,” referring to the opposition against Putin. Biden’s comments come less than a week after Putin saw Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin lead an aborted rebellion against the Russian military establishment. He approached Moscow with a column of tanks before he stood down and was exiled to Belarus. Biden has a long track record of gaffes and misspeaking. In recent months, he referred to the famous N...

AI will ‘change everything,’ Tony Blair warns world’s politicians

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:49 GMT

LONDON — Artificial intelligence will spark “revolutionary change,” former British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Wednesday, as he urged politicians around the world not to get caught short by the rapidly-advancing tech.“How you understand, master and harness this technology revolution will define the place of this country and the shape of the world,” said Blair, who was speaking at a Chatham House event in London.Blair — who led the U.K. from 1997 to 2007 and remains influential on the current opposition Labour Party — said he was sometimes asked by people on the center-left, “how can we be ambitious? What’s our mission in this world of turmoil?”“This is your mission,” Blair replied. “This is going to change everything.” The future of politics will not, Blair argued, be about “a little bit more on tax, a little bit less on tax, a little bit more on spending, a little bit less on spending.” Instead, he said: “It’s going to...