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Pride becomes minefield for big companies, but many continue their support

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:24 GMT

Many big companies, including Target and Bud Light's parent, are still backing Pride events in June despite the minefield that the monthlong celebration has become for some of them.Target and Bud Light recently came under fire for their efforts to appeal to the LGBTQ+ community, only to come under more fire when they tried to backpedal.But even as they battle the negative publicity, Target and Bud Light haven’t pulled away from this year’s Pride celebrations. Target is a platinum sponsor of NYC Pride, which requires a $175,000 donation. And Bud Light’s parent Anheuser-Busch is a sponsor of Pride celebrations in Chicago, San Francisco, Charlotte and elsewhere.Many other big companies are sticking to their sponsorships as well, including PepsiCo, Starbucks, General Motors and Jeep parent Stellantis — all of which said they have been supporting Pride events for decades and aren’t hesitating to back them again this year.Jeff Gennette, CEO of Macy’s, another major Pride sp...

FLOW: Architecture Designer Wenya Liu Localizes a Modern Way of Living

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:24 GMT

While modernism is now the most commonly practiced style in architecture designs, a modern structure should not be the only standard to define contemporary living. As explained by architectural designer Wenya Liu, instead of outright rejection of past forms or literal translation of traditional elements, reimaging and giving them fresh meaning through a contemporary perspective can effectively localize a modern way of living.Situated in Quanzhou China, Studio Zhu is a private-owned house that’s surrounded by picturesque mountains and watery farmlands. The client approached Liu with a renovation request to modernize the existing mixed-style building with a traditional touch while preserving its current structure as much as possible.“To ensure that we deliver the ideal conceptual model to the client, I collaborated with two other outstanding architecture designers Zi Meng and Yangyang Liu,” Liu demonstrated, “After a brief discussion, we agreed to insert a modernized micro courtyards ...

Migrants’ flight to Sacramento reportedly arranged by Florida

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:24 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s attorney general said the state of Florida appears to have arranged for a group of South American migrants to be dropped off outside a Sacramento church.“While this is still under investigation, we can confirm these individuals were in possession of documentation purporting to be from the government of the State of Florida,” Bonta said in a statement late Saturday.The documents said the migrants were transported through a program run by Florida’s Division of Emergency Management and carried out by contractor Vertol Systems Co., said Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson for Bonta. Florida paid the same contractor $1.56 million last year to fly migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and for a possible second flight to Delaware that never took place.The 16 migrants who arrived in Sacramento on Friday are from Colombia and Venezuela. They entered the U.S. through Texas. They were transported to New Mexico then flown by ...

San Jose: One dies after vehicle strikes tree, becomes ‘engulfed’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:24 GMT

SAN JOSE — A vehicle struck a tree and became “fully engulfed” in South San Jose early Monday, leaving one occupant dead, according to authorities.A tweet from San Jose police indicated the crash took place near the intersection of Meridian Avenue and Woodruff Drive. Police were alerted of the incident at 1:26 a.m. Monday morning.One occupant of the vehicle died at the scene. It’s currently unknown whether the occupant was the driver, or if there were multiple people inside.Units are currently at the scene of a solo vehicle traffic fatality near the intersection of Meridian Ave and Woodruff Dr. A vehicle struck a tree and became fully engulfed. One occupant declared deceased at the scene. TOC: 1:26 AM pic.twitter.com/y4pxidTtaT— San José Police Media Relations (@SJPD_PIO) June 5, 2023Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | San Jose motorcyclist dies after collision with truck Crashes and Disasters | Pedestrian killed on Concord high...

Sobrato firm will deploy real estate prowess to tackle affordable housing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:24 GMT

SANTA CLARA — The Sobrato Organization aims to use its real estate expertise to help tackle one of Silicon Valley’s most daunting challenges: the region’s affordable housing woes.The recent purchase by Sobrato of an older apartment complex in Santa Clara is poised to be the springboard for the affordable housing strategy being crafted by the legendary real estate firm.In May, Sobrato Family Foundation paid $26.1 million for Santa Clara’s 68-unit Vista Pointe Apartments, located at 3455 Homestead Road.The Sobrato firm is one of Silicon Valley’s iconic real estate companies and the foundation is the charitable and giving arm of the Sobrato Organization.Now, the apartment building purchase has become the foundation of a pilot project to determine whether the Sobrato firm can craft a fresh solution to the housing dilemma in Silicon Valley, according to John M. Sobrato, chairman of The Sobrato Organization.“We call it the housing security initiative,” Sobrat...

High school softball rankings: Bay Area News Group season-ending Top 20

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:24 GMT

NEW: PREP SPORTS MAILBAGThe Bay Area News Group is introducing a high school sports mailbag in May. Get your questions in as soon as possible. Our debut edition is an open forum. Got questions about spring sports playoffs, coaching changes, an early peek at football season, etc.? Send questions to [email protected]. Please include “mailbag” in the subject line.Bay Area News Group season-ending softball Top 20(Mercury News & East Bay Times)No. 1 ST. FRANCIS (28-4)Regular-season-ending ranking: 1Final word: Lost to Hollister in the Central Coast Section Open Division final as the No. 1 seed, and lost to the Balers again in the NorCal Division I final as the No. 2 team. No. 2 WILLOW GLEN (23-7) Regular-season-ending ranking: 12Final word: Lost to St. Francis in the second round of the CCS Open Division playoffs, and then won the NorCal Division II championship on a walk-off over Notre Dame-Salinas. No. 3 CALIFORNIA (21-9) Regular-season-ending ranking: 14Final word: ...

Tech cluster emerges at huge revamped industrial complex in Oakland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:24 GMT

OAKLAND — A long-time industrial center and former artists’ colony in West Oakland is being reimagined as a bustling hub for tech, advanced manufacturing, biotech and clean energy firms.The vast American Steel building and nearby industrial sites in Oakland have been reborn with a new mission as a cradle for an array of cutting-edge companies.Now, a marketing team consisting of JLL commercial real estate brokers Kristi Childers, Eddie Shuai and Charlie Sweeney is scouting for tenants for numerous spaces in the complex, which totals about 440,000 square feet.“This project is creating new energy in West Oakland,” said Childers, who is an executive vice president with JLL. “It’s creating jobs in the city. This center is helping emerging companies grow in Oakland.”Several tenants have flocked to the site so they can set up shop in the repurposed industrial sites, at least one of which dates back to the 1920s as the former Pacific Pipe building.A...

No survivors found after crash of plane that flew over D.C. and led to fighter jet scramble

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:24 GMT

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and ASHLEY THOMAS (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — A wayward and unresponsive business plane that flew over the nation’s capital Sunday afternoon caused the military to scramble a fighter jet before the plane crashed in Virginia, officials said. The fighter jet caused a loud sonic boom that was heard across the capital region.Hours later, police said rescuers had reached the site of the plane crash in a rural part of the Shenandoah Valley and that no survivors were found. The Federal Aviation Administration says the Cessna Citation took off from Elizabethton, Tennessee, on Sunday and was headed for Long Island’s MacArthur Airport. Inexplicably, the plane turned around over New York’s Long Island and flew a straight path down over D.C. before it crashed over mountainous terrain near Montebello, Virginia, around 3:30 p.m.It was not immediately clear why the plane was nonresponsive, why it crashed or how many people were on board. The plane...

Two dead in double homicide reported in Oakland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:24 GMT

(KRON) -- Two people died on Sunday after being shot in what police are calling a double homicide in Oakland, the Oakland Police Department confirmed to KRON4. Police activity causes delays in Tenderloin OPD first received a call reporting a shooting just after 5:30 a.m. in the 800 block of 66th Avenue. Officers at the scene found one person suffering from a gunshot wound. When the Oakland Fire Department arrived, crews declared that the victim died. Police then learned of another person with a gunshot wound had been dropped off at a local hospital. That person later died. At first, police were unsure if the victims were connected. KRON On is streaming now.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }Now, OPD is referring to the incident as a double homicide. Police did not rele...

EU top court says that Poland’s justice reform infringes EU law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:24 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union stepped up its rule-of-law fight with member state Poland on Monday when the bloc’s highest court confirmed that Warsaw had refused to comply with EU rules on judicial independence for which it has already lost over half a billion euros in fines.The European Court of Justice ruled on Monday that Poland’s 2019 justice reform infringed EU law after the European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch, claimed that the Polish Supreme Court lacked the necessary independence and impartiality. “By today’s judgment, the Court upholds the Commission’s action,” a court statement said. Source