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Oakland airport passenger traffic jumps as post-COVID upswing continues

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:49:22 GMT

OAKLAND — Oakland International Airport passenger traffic jumped in March, a sign that the East Bay aviation hub continues to recuperate from its coronavirus-triggered economic and travel ailments.The airport handled slightly more than 912,900 passengers in March, the highest monthly level since November 2022, according to airport officials. That’s 9.9% higher than the number of passengers that passed through the facility during the same month in 2022, the airport reported.“Travel over the spring break period was strong this year, building significantly from February to March,” said Craig Simon, the Port of Oakland’s acting aviation director.Over the most recent one-year period that ended in March, Oakland handled 11.58 million passengers. That was a vast improvement over the total for the 2022 calendar year when 11.5 million passengers traveled through Oakland Airport.Despite the improvement, Oakland Airport remains far below its pre-coronavirus levels...

These are the latest retail stores leaving downtown SF

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:49:22 GMT

(KRON) -- Thursday, Elon Musk tweeted that San Francisco "feels post-apocalyptic" in response to the number of retail stores that have recently announced closures. Many stores have cited the rising crime — which Musk hasn't been shy about commenting on either — and lack of foot traffic as many workers pivot to working from home.City supervisor Matt Dorsey and Senator Scott Weiner also weighed in on San Francisco's changing retail landscape, saying they were "disappointing" and "tragic" but not unexpected with stores citing rising crime. Even though, statistically, San Francisco's violent crime is lower than many large cities in the U.S. Security guard accused of killing man at SF Walgreens will not be charged with murder, DA says Regardless, several big brands have announced closures set for 2023. Here are some of the retailers that are pulling out of San Francisco:NordstromNordstrom officials announced the closure of their Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack locations at San Francisco C...

SF man facing 8 years in prison, lifetime registration as sex offender for raping intoxicated woman

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:49:22 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- After being convicted of rape following a trial by jury, a San Francisco man is facing up to eight years in prison and lifetime registration as a sex offender. Nitish Sharma, 32, was convicted for the rape of a woman he was acquainted with, the San Francisco District Attorney's Office said. The woman was intoxicated at the time of the assault. Attorney apologizes after calling Bob Lee ‘the Walgreens of recreational drugs’ Sharma was out with the woman and several friends at a club in San Francisco when the woman became sick, unable to walk and talk, and began throwing up, according to the DA. Sharma took her home, where she continued to throw up.Sharma then helped her undress and get into bed. He then got into bed with her and engaged in sexual intercourse when, according to the DA, "he knew, or should have known, she was too intoxicated to resist." Sharm then left and rejoined his friends at the club.“The jury’s verdict delivers justice to the survivor and...

Tennis player Crepatte banned 3 years in match-fixing case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:49:22 GMT

LONDON (AP) — French tennis player Baptiste Crepatte was banned for three years because of match-fixing, the International Tennis Integrity Agency said on Friday.The 28-year-old Crepatte was “involved in the fixing of three matches,” the ITIA said in a statement, noting the player contested the charges. He was also fined $15,000.Crepatte’s career-high ATP ranking was 276 reached in August 2019.“This case is the latest in a series of investigations pursued by the ITIA in conjunction with law enforcement investigations in Belgium, which has seen a number of tennis players implicated in match-fixing incidents,” the agency said.In 2019, European police agency Europol said it identified links between match-fixing gambling syndicates in Spain and Belgium that were thought to have paid off dozens of players and corrupted lower-level tennis tournaments.___AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Alcaraz celebrates 20th birthday with return to Madrid final

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:49:22 GMT

MADRID (AP) — In control during his semifinal victory at the Madrid Open on Friday, Carlos Alcaraz suddenly looked at a loss when he completed his two sets against Borna Coric.After finishing off Coric 6-4, 6-3, Alcaraz was presented by tournament organizers with a massive birthday cake which was crowned by a huge tennis ball with the number 20.Hands on hips, Alcaraz appeared stunned.But, as usual, the Spanish star rose to the challenge. He deftly sliced off a thin piece of what looked to be mainly icing to try his cake before taking a swig from his water bottle.After the crowd sung “Happy Birthday” in Spanish, Alcaraz told the packed Manolo Santana Stadium, “It truly is incredible to celebrate my birthday with all of you. Each year I celebrate my birthday here. When I turned 18, I played Rafael Nadal (in a loss), when I turned 19 I played (Cameron) Norrie (in a win), and now at 20 I advance to the final.”The second-ranked Alcaraz will play Jan-Lennard Struff or Aslan Karatsev...

Italian ex-leader Conte attacked by man protesting lockdowns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:49:22 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Former Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte has been physically attacked during an official appearance in Tuscany by a man protesting against Italy’s lockdowns and other measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic, Italian media reported Friday.The man struck Conte in the face, and the assailant was immediately detained by law enforcement, the news agency LaPresse reported. Conte didn’t appear to have been seriously harmed.“Dissent is legitimate, but this violent demonstration falls outside the democratic context,” Conte said in a statement.Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni expressed solidarity with Conte, whose party is in the opposition, and condemned “every form of violence.”Conte was premier when Italy became the first country in the West to confirm COVID-19 cases in February 2020, putting the country under a strict lockdown in early March, and he oversaw the start of Italy’s vaccination campaign.Source

Why is Russia’s Wagner threatening to withdraw from Bakhmut?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:49:22 GMT

A threat by the leader of private Russian military company Wagner on Friday to withdraw his fighters from the battle to seize a city in eastern Ukraine is another episode in his dispute with Russia’s regular military over credit and tactics in the war.Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has led the push to jump-start Russia’s stalemated offensive in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk province. He threatened to pull out his soldiers from the city of Bakhmut next week, citing high casualties and ammunition shortages. Russia’s nine-month campaign to take Bakhmut has made the city the focus of the war’s longest battle. Ferocious house-to house fighting there has produced some of the bloodiest encounters since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Here is a look at Wagner’s history and its role in the fighting.WHO OWNS THE WAGNER GROUP?Yevgeny Prigozhin, who received a 12-year prison term in 1981 on charges of robbery...

New this week: Jonas Brothers, Muppets, Bennifer and ‘Air’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:49:22 GMT

Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music and video game platforms this week.NEW MOVIES TO STREAM— After successfully doing the rounds in theaters, “Air” is finally making its debut on Prime Video on Friday, May 12. The film, directed by Ben Affleck and written by Alex Convery, tells the origin story of the Air Jordan sneaker and how Nike’s then-struggling basketball department defied the odds and signed rookie Michael Jordan in an unprecedented deal. It’s the first time Affleck has directed his pal Matt Damon, who plays Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro, and it’s the first film from their joint company Artists Equity. They brought in a starry cast, including Viola Davis as Michael Jordan’s mother, Deloris, as well as Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker, Chris Messina and Marlon Wayans, and it has been widely praised for its well-told story — smart, adult and solidly entertaining.— Or you can watch Afflec...

ONE Championship debuts in Broomfield

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:49:22 GMT

BROOMFIELD, Colo. (KDVR) — For the first time in its history, ONE Championship will compete on U.S. soil.On Friday, the stage is set at the First Bank Center in Broomfield. The sold-out event can be seen on Amazon Prime starting at 6 p.m. The Colorado Sports Night crew caught up with ONE Championship's founder and CEO Chatri Sityodtong on why he chose to debut in Denver. Broncos owner Lewis Hamilton protesting Florida’s anti-LGBTQ law “Colorado is known as a state of innovation, bringing fans what they want to see,” said Sityodtong. “The American birthplace of American mixed martial arts was 1993 in Denver, Colorado. We felt it would be great to honor that history as an Asian property coming in to bring authentic martial arts from around the world to America.”You can catch Colorado Sports Night every Monday through Friday at 11 p.m. on KWGN Colorado's Own Channel 2.

Counties with the lowest cost of living in Colorado

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:49:22 GMT

DENVER (Stacker) — With inflation still eating into American household budgets, middle-class Americans are paying keen attention to their finances and finding ways to reduce spending.Nearly three-quarters of Americans surveyed by financial services provider Primerica at the end of 2022 said they are not able to save for their future due to rising costs. Home prices, rent, and food inflation as well as higher prices for gas in the last couple of years are making it so that each dollar earned has even less purchasing power than before. Top 10 cities with the most expensive homes in Colorado Stacker compiled a list of counties with the lowest cost of living in Colorado using 2022 rankings from Niche.#30. Clear Creek County- Overall Grade: B+- Public School Grade: B-- Cost of living grade: C-- Population: 9,427#29. Park County- Overall Grade: C- Public School Grade: C+- Cost of living grade: C-- Population: 17,384#28. Teller County- Overall Grade: C+- Public School Grade: C- Cost of l...