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A Northern California lottery player scored $500 on a scratchers ticket. He tried his luck again – and won $1 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:44 GMT

By Ashley R. Williams | CNNA Northern California man who says he rarely plays scratch-off lottery games turned his luck from a previous win into a million-dollar payday.Vang Cha told California Lottery officials he usually prefers playing games with bigger jackpots – like the Powerball and Mega Millions prizes that have recently soared to over $1 billion.Out of curiosity, Cha said he browsed the odds online of winning the $30 California 200X Scratchers game and the $10 million prize, according to a lottery news release.“I looked at the odds of winning and found it’s better odds than (the) SuperLotto Plus (game), so I figured I might as well give it a shot,” he said.He spent $30 on a ticket and took home a $500 prize – but dared to try his luck once more.Related ArticlesBusiness | $1.55 billion — and possibly higher: Mega Millions jackpot soars after no winner Friday Business | Friday night’s Mega Millions jackpot will be $1.35 billion Busi...

CHP investigating July fatal shooting on Highway 24

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:44 GMT

ORINDA — The California Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal highway shooting that killed a 22-year-old Oakley man late last month, authorities said.The Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Brandon Valencia and said he died at a hospital July 29, a day after the reported shooting on westbound Highway 24. California Highway Patrol Officer Andrew Barclay said the gunfire happened July 28, just east of the St. Stephens Drive exit.Barclay, the CHP’s Golden Gate Division spokesperson, said technical difficulties within the CHP’s communication system prevented the agency from releasing the news via their email and social media systems. The agency was caught unaware Monday when asked why they had not released a statement on the fatal shooting.In the statement, Barclay said CHP officers in the Contra Costa division were notified about 9:30 p.m. on July 28 that somebody had been taken to a hospital after being shot while on Highway 24.The C...

Asylum-seekers start populating barge off southern England

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:44 GMT

By Danica Kirka | Associated PressLONDON — A small group of asylum-seekers has been moved onto a barge moored in southern England as the U.K. government tries to cut the cost of sheltering people seeking protection in the country, British news media reported Monday.The asylum-seekers were transferred to the Bibby Stockholm, a floating hostel that will ultimately house up to 500 men, from other sites around the country. More were expected to arrive later Monday as authorities seek to reduce the number of asylum-seekers housed in expensive hotel rooms that were requisitioned on an emergency basis as the number of arrivals has surged in recent years.The barge, which is owned by UK-based Bibby Marine, is normally used to provide temporary housing for workers when local accommodation isn’t available. With three stories of closely packed bedrooms, the barge resembles a college dormitory, though the rooms are utilitarian. It also includes a kitchen, dining area, common rooms and laun...

San Jose office building tied to WeWork exec falls behind on payments

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:44 GMT

SAN JOSE — A downtown San Jose office building whose principal owners include a firm headed by the WeWork co-founder has fallen behind on its mortgage payments, sources say.The group that owns the San Jose office building near St. James Park has missed at least one monthly loan payment, according to information provided by financial services and research firm Morningstar and a source from the ownership group.The building is at 152 North Third Street, totaling 130,700 square feet, according to a real estate brochure. The property’s owner is a group controlled by Nazare Capital Management, whose principal executive and founder is Adam Neumann, the co-founder of WeWork, a firm that pioneered the concept of shared office spaces.The financial difficulties that face the building are a reminder of the struggles that now confront downtown San Jose.At the end of June, downtown San Jose’s office vacancy rate was 29.9%, which was an all-time high, according to Cushman & W...

Even San Jose-based Zoom is making its staff return to the office

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:44 GMT

New York  — Zoom, the San Jose company that powered the remote work revolution during the pandemic, is telling its employees to come back to the office.In a statement, Zoom said it’s now enforcing a “structured hybrid approach,” meaning that employees who live near an office “need to be onsite two days a week” because it’s “most effective” for the video-conferencing service.“As a company, we are in a better position to use our own technologies, continue to innovate, and support our global customers. We’ll continue to leverage the entire Zoom platform to keep our employees and dispersed teams connected and working efficiently,” the company said.Putting aside the irony, Zoom isn’t excluded from the return to office trend that’s sweeping tech companies. In recent months, Google, Amazon and Salesforce have enacted similar policies, ending a Covid-era approach that gave employees more freedom to work from home. However, businesses have faced some pushback from employees after workers gre...

Angus Cloud memorial grows in Oakland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:44 GMT

(KRON) -- A memorial dedicated to Oakland native and actor Angus Cloud has grown significantly in the week following his death. Angus Cloud's death not a suicide, mother says The mural is on a building off the corner of East 19th Street and Park Avenue in Oakland. It features a large image of Cloud with a wide grin. His name is also painted in bold letters near the top. (Photo courtesy of Kaitlyn Bradley)Angus Cloud attends the Ralph Lauren Fall/Winter 2022 fashion show on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, in New York(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)Darin Balaban painted the mural with Cloud's friends Kalani, Maggie, Grame, Sacred Lands, m27 and a number of others. Videos shared to social media showed the painting as it was completed. Days later, more posts showed large amounts of flowers and candles laid beside the mural honoring Cloud."I just wanted to share so everyone could appreciate this beautiful mural for a beautiful soul," Connor Steinbeck said. "He was so loved." Steinb...

DeSantis Still Can’t Find Enough Employees for His Voter Fraud Crackdown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:44 GMT

When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis first announced a new unit to investigate alleged voter fraud in the state, he painted a picture of a sweeping police agency with more than 50 positions and unprecedented authority. Over one year later, the Office of Election Crimes and Security has struggled to staff up — even as the legislature recently increased its budget. Seven of the office’s 18 positions remain vacant according to a July organizational chart provided to The Intercept through a public records request.DeSantis created the unit in April 2022 amid a broader Republican push to sow distrust in the electoral system by spreading false claims of voter fraud. But since its inception, the office has consistently fallen short of its staffing goals. An ABC affiliate reported that only three of 15 positions had been filled by January.  Join Our Newsletter Original reporting. Fearless journalism. Delivered to you. ...

DC region leads for women in IT jobs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:44 GMT

The D.C. region ranks No. 4 among the 75 North American markets covered in CBRE’s annual Scoring Tech Talent report.According to the report, the D.C. region added 17,100 tech talent workers between 2017 and 2022, bringing the total number in the industry to 265,240 as of the end of last year. That’s a 7% five-year increase and higher than overall national employment growth. Technology-related jobs now account for 8.8% of all jobs in the D.C. region.The report examined education, compensation, diversity and opportunity among other factors for those working in technology, and for companies with technology jobs to fill. Tech talent is defined by CBRE as those working in 20 key tech professions across all industries from software engineers to systems and data managers.CBRE also notes the D.C. region’s tech talent pool is sought after.“D.C. has the third-largest number of tech degree graduates — 63,000 of them — which creates an incredible opportunity for employer...

Chris Buescher wins 2nd straight NASCAR Cup race at Michigan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:44 GMT

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — Chris Buescher won his second straight NASCAR Cup Series race by holding off Martin Truex late in the FireKeepers 400 on Monday.Buescher, who won last week at Richmond, took the lead on lap 133 in the No. 17 Ford and didn’t give it up. With 12 laps to go in the 200-lap race, Truex challenged him with door-to-door driving before sparks were seen under his No. 19 Toyota and he faded.Truex made a savvy move to win Stage 2 shortly after pitting, going high before dropping low to surge past Daniel Suarez, and finished second. Denny Hamlin was third followed by Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson.Buescher, driving for RFK Racing, gave Ford its ninth straight victory at Michigan to extend the longest winning streak by a manufacturer at a track that has hosted Cup races since 1969.The race was suspended Sunday due to rain, which delayed the start and later led to a red-flag stoppage that lasted 19-plus hours before the race resumed under cloudy skies the next day.Tw...

Browns defensive ends Alex Wright, Isaiah Thomas could miss significant time with knee injuries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:44 GMT

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Cleveland’s defensive line depth is suddenly a concern as second-year ends Alex Wright and Isaiah Thomas could miss significant time for the Browns with knee injuries.Before Monday’s practice, coach Kevin Stefanski revealed both injuries while providing few other details or a timetable for recovery.Stefanski did say the injuries could stretch into the regular season, which begins Sept. 10 against Cincinnati.Stefanski said one of the ends was injured in Thursday night’s Hall of Fame game against the New York Jets and the other was hurt “before” that.Wright and Thomas are listed as Cleveland’s respective Nos. 4 and 5 ends behind All-Pro Myles Garrett, Za’Darius Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo.The Browns revamped their defensive front this offseason — Smith came via trade and Okoronkwo as a free agent — after the unit underperformed in 2022.Wright and Thomas both missed Sunday’s workout along with defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, who got poked i...