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Uber strikes deal to partner with SoCal taxi operators

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:00 GMT

A multi-year partnership between Uber and Los Angeles Yellow Cab was announced early Tuesday morning. Under the deal, Uber will combine its operations with Los Angeles Yellow Cab's five partner taxi fleets in Southern California, including, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.Taxi drivers will gain access to Uber trip referrals, which should provide drivers with better earnings opportunities, a news release stated. “We are thrilled to announce this partnership with Uber because it’s a clear win-win for drivers and riders,” said William Rouse, CEO of the taxi operations.The deal provides drivers with more earnings opportunities and riders with faster pickups, officials said. “Uber’s ride referrals are going to help fill in our slower times and keep the drivers busy making money. Drivers are going to benefit from this partnership for a long time to come,” Yellow Cab of Los Angeles board member and long-time owner-operator Aydin Kavak said.The six Southern California taxi compan...

L.A. model fears for her safety after deaths of 2 other models

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:00 GMT

As authorities investigate the mysterious deaths of two models in downtown Los Angeles, a third model living in the area is frightened and worried about her own safety. Brittany Mason, 26, a successful model working in the fashion and beauty industries, lives at Skye at Bunker Hill luxury apartments on Figueroa street, the same complex where model and real estate agent Maleesa Mooney was brutally killed. She wants to move as soon as possible, but says the landlord is refusing to cooperate. Mason says she doesn’t feel safe after the murder of Mooney in her apartment on September 12. She says she’s seen people sleeping in the stairwells and other activity in the complex that makes her uncomfortable.26-year-old L.A. model Brittany Mason fears for her safety after mysterious deaths of two L.A. models"Initially, the unit across from me, people were subleasing it so I was seeing different people coming in and out every day and the other thing was, at one point, people were havin...

Hunter Biden sues Giuliani for allegedly 'hacking' and disseminating his data

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:00 GMT

Hunter Biden is suing Rudy Giuliani for “total annihilation” of his digital privacy and data, filing a civil suit over the former mayor's involvement in disseminating information he purported to be from Biden’s laptop.“Defendants are among those who have been primarily responsible for what has been described as the ‘total annihilation’ of Plaintiff’s digital privacy,” Biden’s attorneys wrote in the suit.“For the past many months and even years, Defendants have dedicated an extraordinary amount of time and energy toward looking for, hacking into, tampering with, manipulating, copying, disseminating, and generally obsessing over data that they were given that was taken or stolen from Plaintiff’s devices or storage platforms, including what Defendants claim to have obtained from Plaintiff’s alleged ‘laptop’ computer,” they wrote, noting the data actually came from an external hard drive.The suit, filed in California, alleged that Giulilani violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, as ...

High school football rankings Week 6, 2023: Bay Area News Group Top 25

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:00 GMT

There wasn’t much movement in the upper half of this week’s Bay Area News Group football rankings, but there were a few notable leaps in the bottom half.California and Campolindo made the biggest jumps.Both moved up six spots after impressive victories in Week 5. Campolindo rolled on the road over Monte Vista 38-14. California, coming off a three-point loss at Pittsburg in Week 4, routed previously undefeated Milpitas 48-6.California is now 12th, Campo 16th.St. Francis moved from 13th to 10th after winning its West Catholic Athletic League opener over Archbishop Mitty 42-20. The Mountain View school visits No. 1 Serra on Saturday.Liberty, which gave up 42 points in the first quarter and lost at San Ramon Valley 66-12 on Friday, fell 10 spots to No. 21.If you have not already, please subscribe here for digital access all season. Your contributions keep us going.On to the rankings …Bay Area News Group Top 25(Mercury News & East Bay Times)No. 1 SERRA (4-0)Previous ranki...

Stanford scandals stain Silicon Valley’s favorite university

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:00 GMT

By Janet Lorin, Biz Carson and Sarah McBride | BloombergAs a new crop of undergraduates starts classes at Stanford University this week — having beaten out tens of thousands of other applicants — they’ll encounter reminders at every turn of the school’s wealth, prestige and deep ties to Silicon Valley.Buildings emblazoned with the names of tech luminaries such as Hewlett and Gates. A new climate school funded by a $1.1 billion donation last year from venture capitalist John Doerr. Twenty living Nobel laureates connected to the university, including four since 2020.But behind the scenes, there are some less-impressive occurrences. A search is underway for a new president after the resignation of neuroscientist Marc Tessier-Lavigne following questions over his research. The Stanford name has been dragged into the scandal surrounding FTX, founded by the son of two law professors, leading the school to pledge to return millions of dollars from the bankrupt crypto exchange.And in the Sil...

Your winter holiday travels may finally cost less this year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:00 GMT

By Daryl Austin | BloombergIf last year’s holiday vacation sticker shock was too much for you, you might find winter travel in 2023 more appealing—though an unusual Christmas break schedule could upend your plans.“Room rates have rebounded a bit from the 2022 holiday season—when they rose 50% from pre-pandemic levels—but they are still up considerably from 2019 in many places,” explains Patrick Scholes, managing director for lodging and leisure equity research at Truist Securities, an investment firm based in Atlanta.Also affecting holiday travel this year is the fact that Christmas and New Years Day will both fall on a Monday, something that happens roughly every seven years. “When this happens, it pushes the holiday into a very short window because it’s not clear when the second week of Christmas vacation should be,” says Paul Tumpowsky, chief executive officer of Skylark, a travel agency based in New York. As a result, booking consolidates into the obvious week, sending prices hi...

Hollywood writers strike is not over yet with key votes remaining on deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:00 GMT

By ANDREW DALTON | Associated PressLOS ANGELES  — The deal is made, the pickets have been suspended, and Hollywood’s writers are on the verge of getting back to work after months on strike. Actors, meanwhile, wait in the wings for their own resolution.Crucial steps remain for the writers, who technically remain on strike, and for other workers awaiting a return to production of new shows. The next phase comes Tuesday, when the governing boards of the two branches of the Writers Guild of America are expected to vote on the tentative agreement reached by union negotiators with Hollywood studios.Following the approval from the boards — which is likely — comes a vote from the writers themselves, whose timing is uncertain. The guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios, streaming services and production companies in the negotiations, were still finalizing language Monday on their agreement.That could prompt a delay of Tuesday’s voting and ...

Tens of thousands of Costco-exclusive mattresses recalled for mold risk

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:00 GMT

By Ramishah Maruf | CNNNew York — Costco customers are going to the mattresses over mold.The US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of 48,000 mattresses sold exclusively at Costco due to risk of mold exposure.Manufacturer FXI is recalling the Novaform ComfortGrande 14-inch and Novaform DreamAway 8-inch mattresses, which were sold exclusively at Costco stores in the Northwest United States and in the San Francisco Bay area from January 2023 through June 2023. The mattresses were also sold online at Costco.Customers reported 541 instances of mold, the CPSC said. The agency warned mattresses could have been exposed to water during the manufacturing process. Mold could have developed, leading to health risks for consumers with compromised immune systems, damaged lungs or a mold allergy.The CPSC said only mattresses with the model and item numbers listed on its website are included in the recall. These mattresses were also manufactured at FXI’s San Bernardino, Califor...

3 ‘Top Chef’ stars are designing coffee drinks at this Oakland cafe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:00 GMT

Want to try a coffee creation that a “Top Chef” star calls a “true masterpiece that’s the result of my passion for flavors”? Then head to Oakland’s The Caffè by Mr. Espresso, which is featuring not one but three specialty drinks designed by “Top Chef” alums beginning now.Related ArticlesRestaurants, Food and Drink | Indian Rasoi takes over Cafe Colucci space in Oakland Restaurants, Food and Drink | Photos: Bay Area’s Oktoberfest season now in full swing Restaurants, Food and Drink | Some older customers are staying away from Olive Garden and Cracker Barrel Restaurants, Food and Drink | With roots in Silicon Valley, this century-old fruit business has ties to your cereal bowl Restaurants, Food and Drink | Asian-themed mall in East Bay lands veteran buyer Mr. Espresso is an Italian immigrant-founded coffee enterprise that has been part of the East Bay s...

Taste-Off: The best Oreo flavors and the ones they really shouldn’t make

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:00 GMT

First came the Oreo, the classic dark chocolate rounds sandwiched with sugary white frosting. A cookie so beloved, they’re sold all over the world.The first Oreos were launched in 1912 and eight years later, the company introduced Lemon Creme Oreos. In the decades that followed, the company began introducing more new flavors — many, many more. To date, the company has served up 198 variations on the Oreo, including such unexpected flavors as apple cider doughnut, matcha and hot chicken wing (not kidding, but only available in China). Nabisco, the parent company of Oreo, confirms that while many Oreo flavors have come and gone, new ones will continue to appear.Curious to find out what the flavor fuss is all about, we rounded up 13 fun, interesting Oreo flavors and tasted. The take-away? Some are much better than the original, and others are perfectly awful.A great flavored Oreo is a welcome treat. It’s crispy and sweet and infused with pleasant, complementary flavors that mesh ...