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Can California’s economy avoid a recession?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:55 GMT

There’s little doubt California’s economy is cooling – but will it tumble into recession?It’s no secret that much of the ongoing business malaise can be tied to the Federal Reserve’s efforts to cool an overheated U.S. economy and tame an ugly bout of inflation. The Fed’s rate hikes are an especially powerful economic depressant to California’s high-cost economy.Don’t forget, this kind of economic management often ends with a recession. California’s economic downturns of the early 1980s and 1990s, the dot-com crash of 2000, and the Great Recession were all preceded by sharp increases in interest rates.So can California avoid what might seem like the inevitability of yet another Fed-induced downturn?How slow?Look at some signals of the cooldown.California’s gross domestic product grew just 0.4% last year. Only coronavirus-chilled 2020 was a more lethargic year for state businesses since the 2008-09 Great Recession.California home s...

Los Gatos ranked 26th most expensive city in California: Here’s why

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:55 GMT

It’s no surprise that the Bay Area is expensive, but a new study shows just how much residents are spending each month on their bills.Los Gatos’ household expenses are 88.4% higher than the national average, a study out of Doxoinsights reported.The city is ranked as the 26th most expensive city in California, but residents only spend around a quarter of their rent on aBay Area cities took up half of the top 10 most expensive cities in the report, including San Ramon, Danville, Mill Valley, Dublin and Menlo Park.Neighboring city Saratoga was ranked the 48th most expensive city in California, with residents spending an average of $3,713 per month on bills.The report tracks household financial health and spending activity through doxo’s aggregate bill pay data set, pulling from more than 8 million paying consumers across more than 97% of the country.Bills account for 27% of Los Gatos residents’ income, the report said. The average household in Los Gatos pays $3,856 a month ...

Pornhub blocks all Utah traffic in response to new age verification law

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:55 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) -- Pornhub.com has denied Utah residents access to their site as a response to the state's new age verification laws which go into effect today, May 2.Utahns who attempt to go to the site today will instead be driven to a black page with a statement from the site's management and a short video featuring adult actress Cherie DeVille explaining why the site cannot be accessed.Earlier this year, the Utah legislature and Gov. Spencer Cox passed and signed Senate Bill 287, which requires adult sites to use some sort of age-verification system to keep underage viewers from seeing pornographic content. The bill passed unanimously.The bill was based, in part, on a similar piece of legislation passed in Louisiana. The main difference, however, is that unlike Louisiana, Utah's digital ID system does not currently allow for online verifications. Pornhub's argumentsPornhub, for its part, argues in its statement that "giving your ID card every time you want to visit an adul...

Woman injured in late night shooting in Oakland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:55 GMT

(KRON) -- The Oakland Police Department are investigating a shooting that happened on Monday night. Police responded to the 1900 block of 108th Avenue around 10:30 p.m.At the scene, police said they found a woman suffering from gunshot wounds. She was transported to the hospital for treatment and is in stable condition, officials said.This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact OPD Felony Assault at (510) 238-3426.

Woman says 4 of 7 Oklahoma bodies as daughter, grandchildren

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:55 GMT

A woman said Tuesday that her daughter and three grandchildren were among the seven people found dead at a rural Oklahoma property during a search for two missing teens and a convicted sex offender. Janette Mayo, 59, of Westville, Oklahoma, said the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office notified her late Monday that the other four victims were her daughter, Holly Guess, 35, and her grandchildren, Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13. Okmulgee County Sheriff Eddy Rice said Monday that the state medical examiner would have to confirm the identities of the victims, but “we believe that we have found the persons.” He said Monday that the bodies were believed to include those of 14-year-old Ivy Webster and 16-year-old Brittany Brewer, along with Jesse McFadden, the felon authorities had said the teens were traveling with. “We are no longer looking,” Rice said. “We believe to have found everything that we were seeking this morning. Our hearts go out to ...

13 high school graduation gift ideas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:55 GMT

Gifts for graduatesWith the school year winding down, many families are preparing to celebrate the graduation of their high school seniors. Whether the student is college-bound, taking a gap year or entering the workforce, mark this milestone with a thoughtful or practical graduation gift. Here are examples of 13 graduation gift ideas to consider beyond gift cards.Something personalThe best gifts are often those that are personalized, like an engraved necklace, photobook, a family cookbook or custom wall art. Consider fun memories you’ve made with the graduate, as well as their hobbies, passions and even future career field. Custom gifts can be designed and found on websites such as Etsy and Shutterfly.College apparel Many students show off their school spirit by wearing their college-branded tank tops, t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, shorts and hats at sports games, at tailgates, in class or even running errands. Apparel, as well as themed bumper stickers, stuffed animals ...

Russian defense chief wants wartime missile output doubled

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:55 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s defense chief on Tuesday urged a state company to double its missile output, as a possible Ukrainian counteroffensive looms and both sides in the 14-month war reportedly feel an ammunition crunch.Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, speaking at a meeting with top military brass, said the state-owned Tactical Missiles Corporation had been fulfilling its contracts in a timely manner.But, Shoigu added, “right now it is necessary to double the production of high-precision weapons in the shortest possible time.”Analysts have been trying to figure out whether Russia is running low on high-precision ammunition, as its missile barrages against Ukraine have become less frequent and smaller in scale.The U.K. defense ministry noted in an assessment Tuesday that “logistics problems remain at the heart of Russia’s struggling campaign in Ukraine.”“Russia does not have enough munitions to achieve success on the offensive,” it said.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on...

Woman identifies 4 of 7 bodies found by authorities in rural Oklahoma as her daughter and grandchildren

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:55 GMT

HENRYETTA, Okla. (AP) — Woman identifies 4 of 7 bodies found by authorities in rural Oklahoma as her daughter and grandchildren.Source

Comcast, NFL Network reach new carriage agreement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:55 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Comcast subscribers will be able to view the NFL Network after all. The cable company said Tuesday morning in a statement that there is a new carriage agreement. The old one expired Monday. The NFL is expected to announce its regular-season schedule on May 11.NBCUniversal, which airs “Sunday Night Football,” is owned by Comcast. Comcast has 16.1 million subscribers according to a company filing in March.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFLSource

NBA Playoffs: 76ers win without their MVP, Chris Paul hurt

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:55 GMT

The Philadelphia 76ers pulled off a Game 1 stunner in Boston without their MVP — and maybe the MVP of the whole league.And the Phoenix Suns watched Chris Paul walk off with an injury, making a bad start to their series with the Denver Nuggets seem even worse.Philadelphia — without Joel Embiid — remained the only unbeaten team left in these NBA playoffs by topping Boston 119-115 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, behind a 45-point masterpiece from James Harden.Nikola Jokic scored 39 points and Denver topped Phoenix 97-87, a game where the Nuggets trailed by eight points in the third quarter when Paul got hurt. The Nuggets then went on a 46-26 run over the next 16 minutes to take control.WHAT’S NEXT?Tuesday’s schedule has Game 2 of the Miami-New York series, and Game 1 of the Western Conference series between Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers.Philadelphia will play Game 2 at Boston on Wednesday.HOW TO WATCH— The Heat-Knicks and Lakers-Warriors matchups...