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Iowa auditor says new law will restrict his office’s access to information

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s auditor may face new challenges in his quest to track taxpayer dollars after a new law takes effect Saturday that allows state agencies to deny his office access to information and bars him from making an appeal in court.State Auditor Rob Sand, the only Democrat in statewide office, said the law advanced by Republican lawmakers is a politically motivated attack on accountability. The law could stifle Sand, who described his office as “assertive.”“Bottom line on that is, we uncovered a record amount of waste, fraud and abuse in my first term. That’s where it came from,” Sand said in an interview with The Associated Press. “They don’t want accountability.”But supporters of the Iowa law emphasize the changes are meant to protect Iowans’ privacy and that the risk to the auditor’s work is low. Going forward, a state agency is not allowed to provide the state auditor’s office access to confidential information, such as medical or school records, unless...

Residents concerned over illegal RV park behind home in Los Angeles County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

Residents are concerned over an illegal, makeshift RV park behind a Sylmar home, with some saying the unsanitary conditions are posing major safety concerns. The residence is zoned as a single-family home which neighbors said is not meant to accommodate such a large number of people. Located on the 14000 block of Hubbard Street, the home in question appears regular out front, but just around the back of the residence are dozens of parked recreational vehicles, stacked side-by-side.Long-time neighbors said over the last few years, the number of RVs has grown significantly."It started with one, two, and then all of a sudden, she just kept adding more and more to her yard,” said neighbor Pablo Aguilar."There's one motor home, two motor homes,” said a neighbor named Cyndi. “Three years later there's, 20.""My concern with the RVs is where are they throwing all their feces?” asked neighbor Carmen Morales Cisneroz. Residents are concerned over a makeshift RV park behind a Sylmar home,...

Video: Retail worker stops would-be thieves in Livermore

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

LIVERMORE, Calif. (KRON) – In a brazen East Bay robbery attempt, two thieves tried to run off with an entire rack of clothing, but an employee managed to stop them with the help of other people. It happened at a store at the San Francisco Premium Outlets in Livermore.It’s this type of situation that’s become a debate – should an employee intervene if they encounter a shoplifter or a robber? The employee in this case tells KRON4 she stepped in because it was the right thing to do, and her employer is supporting her.The retail worker was caught on camera springing to action to stop two people from taking off with a rack of expensive clothes. In the struggle, the employee falls to the ground but gets right back up and chases after the thieves.  San Jose men arrested for storage building fireworks explosion And with some help from others, she eventually got everything back in the store. “Not on my watch. If I could do it again, I’d probably still do it,” said Alexandra Garcia, th...

4 Fun Things to do in the Bay Area this weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

(KRON) -- Looking for something fun to do in the Bay Area this weekend? We've got you covered.KRON4 Chief Meteorologist Lawrence Karnow has 4 Fun Things going on around the Bay Area. Foodieland -- 1 p.m. Saturday in San MateoFillmore Jazz Festival -- 10 a.m. Saturday in San Francisco Free Outdoor Movie Night -- 8:30 p.m. Saturday in OaklandFree Outdoor Movie Night -- 7:15 p.m. Saturday in San Jose

Rays score 15 unanswered runs to rally for 15-4 win over sinking Mariners

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Luke Raley doubled and later scored on Isaac Parades’ infield grounder at the start of an eight-run eighth inning for Tampa Bay, and the Rays rallied from a 4-0 deficit to beat the Seattle Mariners 15-4 on Friday night.Tampa Bay sent 13 batters to the plate in the eighth and sent a smattering of Mariners fans who didn’t want to wait out the postgame fireworks to the exits. Those that remained cascaded boos on the home team as the Rays kept hitting and scoring.Randy Arozarena and Josh Lowe homered earlier in the game for Tampa Bay and Jose Siri homered in the ninth inning with infielder Mike Ford on the mound.But the eighth inning was nearly perfect for the Rays.Raley opened the inning with a double off Seattle’s Andrés Muñoz and advanced to third on Arozarena’s single. Parades chopped a 100 mph fastball from Muñoz (0-1) toward third baseman Eugenio Suárez, but he wasn’t able to make a clean transfer and throw trying to get Raley at the plate.That opened the floo...

Bittersweet reunion: Fletcher brothers face each other for 1st time in majors after father’s death

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — David and Dominic Fletcher got to play against each other for the first time in a major league game. Fittingly, it came at a stadium where they had watched plenty of games while growing up.Unfortunately, the Fletcher brothers’ biggest fan was not in attendance Friday night when David’s Los Angeles Angels hosted Dominic’s Arizona Diamondbacks at Angel Stadium.Their father, Tim, died suddenly earlier this month. He was 60.“This would have been one of his proudest moments,” Dominic Fletcher said. “Every night he turned on the TV and had both of our games going on simultaneously. To be able to be here and watch would have been one of his favorite things.”The Fletcher brothers grew up in Orange, California, and played together for one year at Cypress High School, which is 10 miles (16.09 kilometers) from Angel Stadium. At 29, David Fletcher is the older brother by four years.They also played together for Italy in the World Baseball Classic. Their ...

Morning-after pill vending machines gain popularity on college campuses post-Roe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Need Plan B? Tap your credit card and enter B6. Since last November, a library at the University of Washington has featured a different kind of vending machine, one that’s become more popular on campuses around the country since the U.S. Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion last year. It’s stocked with ibuprofen, pregnancy tests and the morning-after pill.With some states enacting abortion bans and others enshrining protections and expanding access to birth control, the machines are part of a push on college campuses to ensure emergency contraceptives are cheap, discreet and widely available. There are now 39 universities in 17 states with emergency contraceptive vending machines, and at least 20 more considering them, according to the American Society for Emergency Contraception. Some, such as the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, are in states where abortion is largely banned. Over-the-counter purchase of Plan B and generic forms is...

Oladipo getting traded to Oklahoma City by Miami, source tells AP

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Heat traded Victor Oladipo back to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night in exchange for future draft compensation, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.The move will create a $9.45 million trade exception for the Heat, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not been finalized by the NBA. It also provides some financial flexibility for Miami, which is well over the tax threshold for the coming season.Oladipo exercised his option on Tuesday to be under contract for the coming season, though it is unclear when he’ll next be able to play. He tore his left patellar tendon during the first round of the playoffs against Milwaukee in April.The 31-year-old guard underwent his third major surgery in the last four years — the other two were on his right knee area — and there is no timetable for his return.Oladipo was a two-time All-Star with Indiana before getting hurt in January 2019. I...

Center for Whale Research confirms two calves spotted in B.C.’s Strait of Georgia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

The endangered southern resident killer whale population has grown by two.The Center for Whale Research based in Washington state says it has confirmed two new calves who were spotted during a survey of a group of whales in the Strait of Georgia on June 30. The centre says both calves were very active and social while being observed, and neither shows any immediate signs of illness or abnormality. The sex of the calves is still unknown, and researchers estimate that both calves are at least two months old.The centre says these are the first calves born in L pod since 2021 and the first calves born in the L12 subgroup since 2018.It says one of the babies is the first calf for mother L119, while the other is the third calf for L94.This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2023.The Canadian Press

Cambodia ruling party victory a sure bet as campaigning begins for general election

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Campaigning for Cambodia’s general election officially began Saturday, an exercise that is more an affirmation of a nominally democratic process than a prelude to a genuine contest.Eighteen parties are contesting this year’s polls, for which around 9.7 million people are eligible to vote to elect 125 members of National Assembly. The campaign period ends on July 21, and July 23 is election day.Prime Minister Hun Sen has been in power for 38 years, and his ruling Cambodian People’s Party is virtually guaranteed a landslide victory, since the Candlelight Party, the sole other contender capable of mounting a credible challenge, was barred on a technicality from contesting the polls by the National Election Committee. The situation mirrors what happened before the last general election in 2018, when the popular Cambodian National Rescue Party, which had performed strongly in local elections, was dissolved months before the polls by a controversial court rulin...