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PG&E bills will go up by more than $32 per month next year in part to pay for wildfire protections

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — About 16 million people in California will see their electric and gas bills go up by an average of more than $32 per month over next year in part so that one of the nation’s largest utility companies can bury more of its power line s to reduce the chances of starting wildfires.Pacific Gas & Electric had initially asked state regulators for permission to raise rates by more than $38 per month so it could bury 2,100 miles (3,380 kilometers) of power lines in areas that are at high risk for wildfires. But consumer advocacy groups complained, arguing PG&E could save ratepayers money and still reduce wildfire risk by putting a protective covering over the power lines instead of burying them.Thursday’s decision by the California Public Utilities Commission sought to find a middle ground. Commissioners decided to let PG&E bury 1,230 miles (1,979 kilometers) of power lines, which would be $1.7 billion cheaper than PG&E’s proposal.T...

Ex-girlfriend drops lawsuits against Tiger Woods, says she never claimed sexual harassment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods ‘ ex-girlfriend has dropped her lawsuits against the golf superstar and the trust that owns his Florida mansion, saying she never accused him of sexual harassment even though her attorney has made that claim. The attorney for Erica Herman filed a one-paragraph notice in state court last week saying she was voluntarily dismissing her $30 million lawsuit against the trust “with prejudice,” meaning the claim cannot be reasserted later. She had claimed that Woods promised she could live at the 30,000-square-foot (2,800-square meter) beachfront mansion until 2026 but kicked her out unexpectedly last year. “In dismissing this action, Erica Herman states that she was never a victim of sexual harassment or sexual abuse at the hands of Tiger Woods or any of his agents and it is her position that she has never asserted such a claim,” wrote attorney Benjamin Hodas, who claimed on multiple occasions that Woods had sexually harassed his client...

Shohei Ohtani, baseball’s 2-way star, becomes first 2-time unanimous MVP

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani, who has captivated baseball with his unprecedented combination of high-level hitting and premium pitching, became the first two-time unanimous Most Valuable Player when he won the American League honor on Thursday.Ohtani, a free agent after finishing his contract with the Los Angeles Angels, received all 30 first-place votes and 420 points in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. He was a unanimous MVP in 2021 and finished second to the Yankees’ Aaron Judge in voting last year.This was just the 20th unanimous MVP vote since the award was established in 1931.Corey Seager was second with 24 second–place votes and 264 points, and Texas teammate Marcus Semien was third with five second-place votes and 216 points. Balloting took place before the postseason, when the Rangers won their first World Series title.Ohtani led the AL with 44 homers and hit .304 with 96 RBIs, eight triples and 20 stolen bases in a season at the plate th...

National Park Service delivers roadmap for protecting Georgia’s Ocmulgee River corridor

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — The National Park Service announced Thursday that it has delivered to Congress its long-awaited study on whether the Ocmulgee River corridor in central Georgia meets the criteria to be managed as a national park and preserve. The answer: Not quite, not yet.But supporters aren’t dismayed — they say the study was based on initial, since-abandoned plans that raised concerns that have already been addressed, and they now have what’s needed to show Congress that the Muscogee Creek Nation’s historic homeland in central Georgia deserves federal protection. The Special Resource Study says 120,000 acres (48,560 hectares) along more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) of river between Macon and Hawkinsville are nationally significant and suitable for a park, but it’s not feasible because the corridor includes too many private property owners and state-managed lands. Acquiring and managing all that land — which faces expanding threats from development, mining a...

A health official in Michigan is taking her county to court over $4 million resignation offer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The top health official in one of Michigan’s largest counties is asking a judge to uphold a $4 million settlement in exchange for her resignation, coming after months of conflict with local conservative leaders who were elected in response to COVID-19 restrictions.Ottawa County leaders had attempted to fire Adeline Hambley in January after they took majority control of the county’s board of commissioners. Finding themselves unable to, the board opted to offer her $4 million — equivalent to a quarter of the health department’s 2024 budget — in return for her resignation. She also would have had to drop her lawsuit against the county. The board backed off the offer, saying it was only a “tentative settlement agreement.” David Kallman, the county’s legal counsel, told The Associated Press that “there has never been an agreement by the board to accept the $4 million. There were discussions.”But Hambley’s lawyer filed a motion Thursday to enforce the set...

Northwestern president says Braun’s support for players prompted school to lift ‘interim’ label

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — The way coach David Braun supports his players prompted Northwestern to remove the “interim” label from his job title, school President Michael Schill said Thursday.“I have been very clear that at Northwestern the well-being of our students comes first,” Schill said. “It is only by prioritizing our students’ health, safety and well-being that we can enable excellence on the field, excellence in the classroom, that we can encourage the personal and intellectual growth that is fundamental to our mission as one of the greatest universities in the world. Anyone who has heard or talked with Coach Braun knows that he embodies these principles in just a short time since arriving at Northwestern.”Schill spoke at a news conference a day after the school announced it is sticking with Braun beyond this season. Braun, Northwestern’s 30th head football coach, was hired as defensive coordinator in January. He took over as interim coach on July 10, three days after longtime c...

‘My heart sunk’: Brampton mayor speaks out after man dies in tent outside former Peel shelter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

There is a growing wave of concern over the housing crisis in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in the wake of an asylum seeker’s death as a result of being forced to sleep at an encampment outside of a former shelter in Mississauga.Peel Regional Police responded to reports of a sudden death at an encampment outside of the shelter on Dundas Street East near Dixie Road on Wednesday morning. Investigators say a man in his 40s was found inside one of the tents without vital signs.Police said there is no evidence to indicate that the death was criminal, with investigators adding that a heating source in the tent could have caused the man’s death.Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown says one fatality is too many and is calling on government levels to act and support municipalities.“We’ve been warning senior levels of government since July that this was going to happen, and right now, we have anywhere from 46 to 100 asylum claimants sleeping outside every night,” Brown ...

Families of 5 Minnesota men killed by police sue agency to force release of investigation files

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The families of five Minnesota men who were killed by police officers announced a lawsuit Thursday to force the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to release its investigative files on their deaths, saying the state agency has failed to comply with Minnesota’s open records law.The lawsuit, filed Monday in Ramsey County District Court in St. Paul, says once the investigation into a deadly force incident is completed and a prosecutor decides not to charge the officers, the data legally should be turned over to the families of the deceased within 10 days of them requesting it. Prosecutors in all five cases cleared the officers of wrongdoing. But the lawsuit says the BCA still hasn’t met its legal obligations to the families. The agency did’t respond to emailed requests for comment.Not only would getting the files help provide some closure, but the long delays make it hard for families to file wrongful death lawsuits within the state’s three-year ...

Ex-sergeant pleads guilty to failing to stop fatal standoff with man in mental health crisis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

DENVER (AP) — One of two Colorado law enforcement officers accused of needlessly escalating a standoff that led to the death of a 22-year-old man suffering a mental health crisis pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor on Thursday and was sentenced to two years of probation.Kyle Gould pleaded guilty to failing to intervene to stop the the unlawful use of force against Christian Glass, who was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy, Andrew Buen, under Gould’s command in 2022 after Glass called for help when his SUV got stuck. Gould was not at the scene but was the shift supervisor and watched what was happening using live body camera footage, according to his indictment. Prosecutors alleged Gould gave permission for Buen to remove Glass from his vehicle even though he was not suspected of having committed any crimes.Gould, who worked as a sergeant for the Clear Creek Sheriff’s Office, was indicted last year on charges of criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangermen...

B.C. replaces Surrey Police Board with administrator over troubled transition

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:05 GMT

VICTORIA — The British Columbia government has appointed an administrator to act in place of the Surrey Police Board and assist the city’s troubled transition from the RCMP to a municipal force.Mike Farnworth, minister of public safety and solicitor general, says all members of the Surrey Police Board have been suspended and he’s appointed former Abbotsford chief constable Mike Serr to take over all their duties.Farnworth says he acted because of a “lack of progress” from the City of Surrey in the transition to the Surrey Police Service. Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, who chairs the board, has opposed the transition and has previously accused Farnworth of bullying and misogyny against her.Farnworth says the decision is not a reflection on the board members who would eventually resume their duties, and he thanked them for their “incredible” work.The minister says he informed Locke of his decision and they had a “good, cordial conversation.”“I think thi...