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Lawsuit accuses Denver Chili’s manager of racially discriminating against Black woman, her family

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:37 GMT

A Denver Chili’s allegedly refused a Black family dine-in service unless they provided payment upfront, according to a federal lawsuit filed in late November.Markesha Futrell-Smith alleges in the suit filed in the U.S. District of Colorado against Chili’s parent company Brinker International that the restaurant discriminated against her because she is Black. None of the other customers who were not Black had to provide upfront payment during the April 2022 incident, and the restaurant manager accused her, without proof, of skipping out on meals in the past.The lawsuit, filed Nov. 28, wants the court to declare the restaurant’s actions described in the complaint are in violation of federal and state law and seeks “compensatory damages to the maximum extent permitted by law.” It also seeks nominal damages and punitive, economic and consequential damages as determined at trial and attorney’s fees and costs.Futrell-Smith filed a discrimination charge ...

Deputy pumping gas in Hemet shoots man with handgun: RSO

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:37 GMT

An investigation is underway Wednesday after a Riverside County sheriff's deputy was involved in a shooting near a gas station in Hemet Tuesday night. The incident occurred shortly after 10:30 p.m. as the deputy was pumping gas in the area of Meridian Street and Florida Avenue.The deputy was alerted to a person standing on the sidewalk holding a handgun, the Riverside County Sheriff's Office stated in a news release. Commands were given to the suspect, but they were ignored, according to the news release. "The suspect continued to manipulate the weapon, and a deputy-involved shooting occurred," the Sheriff's Office stated.The suspect was provided medical aid at the scene and then transported to a local hospital. There was no immediate word on the condition of the suspect. Hit-and-run driver sought after leaving pedestrian to die in Carson The deputy, who was placed on paid administrative leave per department policy, was not injured in the incident. Anyone with information about t...

Five Below has $5 holiday-themed pajamas, and they’re going fast

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:37 GMT

BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details.You don’t have to break the bank on your yearly traditionOne Christmas tradition that we love is getting everyone in the family a set of matching (or nonmatching) holiday-themed pajamas as a gift to open on Christmas Eve and wear that night. And while it’s a cute and cozy tradition, it can also be expensive — especially if you have a large family. But not anymore, thanks to Five Below, where you can currently get holiday pajamas for just $5 a piece. You’ll have to hurry, though — they are, understandably, flying off the shelves.The Christmas pajamas at Five Below are all mix and match, so you can certainly get both the gingerbread shirt and pants — or you can go with a snowman shirt and penguin pants, if that’s more your speed. They’re all $5, so there’s no breaking the bank this year.Shop this article: Young Mens Flannel Lounge Pants, Juniors Holiday Fair ...

Global Labor Market Conference to Assemble Complete Coalition of Leaders

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:37 GMT

The first Global Labor Market Conference (GLMC) is set to happen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 13th and 14th. This conference aims to gather professionals from the labor market industry, providing a platform for discussing the challenges that the global labor market faces while seeking input from a network of experts.The GLMC is a unique gathering of labor market leaders.In a statement, the GLMC said, “The GLMC is unique in that it will assemble a truly comprehensive global cross-section of all labor market stakeholders, including government officials, policymakers, representatives of multinational organizations, labor leaders, academics, artificial intelligence experts, business leaders, and more.”The conference’s focus will be global in scope, providing opportunities to discuss and seek solutions for future uncertainty in the worldwide labor market. Conversations across disciplines, industries, and professions will drive problem-solving and provide clarity ...

Community Leader Outraged by Rapper’s Dropout of School Campaign

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:37 GMT

The allure of New York City during the holidays is something quite special, but my recent family trip there exposed us to a bewildering scene. Grand Central Station was abuzz with groups of teens, known as the “Z-gang,” disturbing the peace with chants of “f%k school” and  “Zmoneeey for President.”With hundreds of gang members out promoting the movement, selling merchandise and urging each passerby to join the Z-list, their presence was impossible to ignore. Outraged by what I witnessed that day, I made a video about the Z-gang and posted it to my social media that same evening. As a community leader based in Philadelphia, a city plagued with poverty and crime like many urban cities across America, the last thing we need is a ‘drop out of school trend’ becoming popular. Alarmed and intrigued, I decided to probe into the origins of Zmoneeey and the Z-gang.Curiosity led me to interact with the most unusual member of the crew, a wheelchair bound, self-proclaimed ‘masked Z-ganger’ ...

Poll: Submit your vote for San Jose’s BART tunneling machine name contest

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:37 GMT

We asked. You gave us over 400 name ideas.The polls to pick the winner are now open!Until Dec. 13, Mercury News readers can vote on the top 10 most popular names submitted for San Jose BART’s tunnel boring machine — a device that will dig a nearly 5-mile pathway underneath the city and create a ring of transit around the Bay Area. Known as a TBM, these machines have traditionally been named after women of local significance, like Seattle’s “Bertha,” which carried the namesake of Seattle’s first female mayor.In nominating the name “Janet Gray Hayes,” reader Jane Horvath suggests San Jose should do the same.“Just as the TBM is breaking new ground in large diameter excavation, Janet Gray Hayes was the first elected female mayor of a large American city when she took office in San Jose in 1975,” Horvath explained as to why she nominated the former city leader who passed away in 2014 at the age of 87. “She championed contr...

More rain headed to Bay Area on Wednesday

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:37 GMT

While the dense fog that blanketed the Bay Area earlier in the week was limited to the North Bay and Peninsula coastlines on Wednesday, most of the region won’t avoid a rainy day according to the National Weather Service.The initial round of rain was expected to arrive by the late morning, forecasts said. As with the fog, predictions claimed that the North Bay would see the brunt of the rainfall Wednesday. Santa Rosa was expected to receive between one-half and one full inch of rain.Other predictions throughout the Bay Area included up to .5 inches in Concord, .5 in San Francisco, .25 in Oakland, .25 in Livermore and just .1 in San Jose. Parts of the Santa Clara Valley were expected to be spared from heavier rainfall by the rain shadow effect, according to the NWS.Rain expected today and Thursday throughout the region. North Bay expected to see .25-.75" of rain with higher elevations up to one inch. Rest of the Bay Area and Central Coast should expect .1-.5" of rain,...

Norman Lear, producer of TV’s ‘All in the Family’ and influential liberal advocate, has died at 101

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:37 GMT

By LYNN ELBER (AP Television Writer)LOS ANGELES (AP) — Norman Lear, the writer, director and producer who revolutionized prime time television with such topical hits as “All in the Family” and “Maude” and propelled political and social turmoil into the once-insulated world of sitcoms, has died. He was 101.Lear died Tuesday night in his sleep, surrounded by family at his home in Los Angeles, said Lara Bergthold, a spokesperson for his family. A liberal activist with an eye for mainstream entertainment, Lear fashioned bold and controversial comedies that were embraced by TV sitcom viewers who long had to watch the evening news to find out what was going on in the world. His shows helped define prime time comedy in the 1970s and after, launched the careers of such young performers as Rob Reiner and Valerie Bertinelli and made Carroll O’Connor, Bea Arthur and Redd Foxx among others into middle-aged superstars.His signature production was “All in...

Caltrans working to smooth ride on a stretch of I-880: Roadshow

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:37 GMT

Q: You had inquiries a few weeks ago about plans to pave Interstate 880 north through Fremont. This stretch of road is a crumbling mess that has cost me two cracked windshields. Who is paying for this latest work?This stretch was paved little more than three years ago and almost immediately started falling apart, opening up ruts and potholes, and leaving pebbles and chunks of roadway. It was clearly a shoddy job. So, who pays?Let me guess: The original contractor recognizes the poor job done and is paying for it out of their own pocket, at no cost to the public, right?  Uh … yeah … probably not.— Tim Riener, FremontA: Janis-the-Alameda-County-Caltrans-spokesperson said they have fixed potholes on an emergency basis here. As you noted, the project to fix this part of I-880 will be done next year.Caltrans is fixing potholes now at spot locations on I-880 from Nov. 29 through Dec. 15. The work requires overnight closures on both northbound and southbound lanes between...

Warriors through 20 games: The good, the bad and the ugly

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:37 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — The NBA season is a quarter of the way through, which is around the time coach Steve Kerr feels comfortable enough to hand down some judgments and declarations for where his Warriors team is at.Through 20 games, the Warriors had a 6-2 start, a six-game losing streak, a five-game suspension and two 20-plus-point blown leads. Kerr can draw a simple conclusion through this 9-11 start: Right now, they’re pretty mediocre.“We are what our record says, as Bill Parcells used to say,” Kerr said on Tuesday. “We need to get better and we know that. We have 62 games left.”Those 20 games boil down to mediocrity, but there have been some highs, lows and downright ugly truths that may arise over the course of the next 62 games. Here’s a breakdown of the Warriors at a quarter-way through.THE GOODThe depthA combination of strong drafting, player evolution and sacrifice makes this bench unit as strong as it has been over the last three seasons...