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ArroyoFest is set to close the 110 Freeway for walkers, bikers to enjoy

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:48 GMT

The idea blew the minds of Caltrans officials.In 2003, two professors from Occidental College and folks from environmental and cycling groups organized the closure of a section of the 110 Freeway — also known as the Pasadena Freeway — for several hours on Father’s Day so people could walk, push strollers with babies, and ride bikes, skateboards and scooters on the emptied freeway.” ‘Are you serious?’ they said. ‘Do you really want to shut down the freeway for people to bike ride and walk on it?’ ” said Robert Gottlieb, professor emeritus of Occidental College and one of the organizers of the original ArroyoFest, remembering Caltrans’ initial reaction to the idea.“They came around,” he said with a chuckle, during an interview on Oct. 10.Caltrans allowed what was the first-ever closure of a Southern California freeway to make way for pedestrians, skaters and bicyclers. On June 15, 2003, the first ArroyoFest attracted 8,000 participants of all ages who biked, walked and even somersault...

How much are Magic Key annual passholders worth to Disneyland?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:48 GMT

The $9.5 million Magic Key class action settlement offers a glimpse behind the curtain that Disneyland rarely shares with the public and provides a rough estimate of what annual passholders are worth to the Anaheim theme park.Disney agreed in September to settle a federal lawsuit alleging that annual passholders who purchased the $1,399 Dream Key in 2021 were unable to make theme park reservations at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure despite the promise of “no blockout dates.”SEE ALSO: Disneyland fight breaks out in Fantasyland with kids and strollers stuck in the middleAs a result of the class action suit, each of the 103,435 Dream Key annual passholders will get $67.41.With a little back-of-the-napkin math, those few numbers offer surprising insight into the billions Disneyland takes in annually from Magic Key passholders and daily visitors.While $67 won’t even pay for a ticket to Disneyland on the cheapest day of the year, the $9.5 million Magic Key class action settleme...

Real estate brokers pocketing up to 6% in fees draw antitrust scrutiny

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:48 GMT

By Jordan Yadoo and Leah Nylen | BloombergThe lucrative broker commission system at the heart of the US residential housing market is facing unprecedented antitrust scrutiny from the Justice Department and two private class-action lawsuits that risk weakening the National Association of Realtors, the industry’s powerful lobbying group.Federal antitrust enforcers are poised to decide whether to pursue their own case after a years-long investigation, according to a person familiar with the issue. The Justice Department is focused on the real estate commission-sharing system that typically puts homesellers on the hook for a 5% to 6% cut of the sale, split between their agent and the buyer’s agent.It’s a structure largely unique to the US, preserved by the association’s control of many of the country’s multiple listing services — an essential tool that aggregates properties available for sale in a given region. To use the system, NAR requires sellers to offer compensation to the buyer’s...

US work-from-home rates drop to lowest since pandemic

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:48 GMT

By Zachary Fleming, Redd Brown and Ignacio Gonzalez | BloombergThe push by employers to get American workers back into the office appears to be working.Fewer than 26% of US households still have someone working remotely at least one day a week, a sharp decline from the early 2021 peak of 37%, according to the two latest Census Bureau Household Pulse Surveys. Only seven states plus Washington, DC, have a remote-work rate above 33%, the data shows, down from 31 states and DC mid-pandemic.The reversal reflects the continued push by many employers to get staff to return to offices. Remote employees have been blamed for dwindling profits and costing cities billions, and fears of a recession have eroded their ability to demand the telework perks they won early in the pandemic when the labor market sat squarely in their favor.Some companies, like Goldman Sachs Group Inc., now expect a return to five days in the office, though boardroom disagreement abounds — nearly three of out four organi...

31 stores in California on Rite Aid closure list

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:48 GMT

Rite Aid has marked 31 stores in California for closure in its restructuring plan, which was filed Monday, Oct. 16 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey.The chain, which previously said it might close 500 stores, wrote that at least 154 stores would close.The troubled retail pharmacy chain is facing slumping sales and several opioid-related lawsuits. To make ends meet, the company is looking to reduce its debt while resolving “litigation claims in an equitable manner,” Rite Aid reps said Sunday.Related ArticlesBusiness | Rite Aid files for bankruptcy, will close more stores Business | Head into shopping season ready to manage spending and debt Business | Crime isn’t the full story: What else is affecting retailers in urban areas, in 4 charts Business | Why you should start your holiday shopping early Business | Amazon’s October Prime Day Deals rival Black Friday, Cyber Monday “Many ...

Rare monster-looking fish with sharp teeth washes up on California coast

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:48 GMT

The deep-sea creature is an image horror films are made of: Dark black flesh, teeth sharp as glass and an antenna that glows to entice prey in the ocean’s depths.It’s quite fitting that the spooky-looking angler fish washed up on Friday the 13th, just weeks before Halloween.It is the second angler fish to washed up at Crystal Cove State Park in recent years.  Another of the deep water fish, also dubbed the Pacific Football Fish, was found on the shore by a park visitor in 2021, making international news.The fish found last week was picked up by California Department of Fish and Wildlife for further research, according to a social media post by State Parks officials.Related ArticlesEnvironment | Historic Big Sur property, once owned by William Randolph Hearst, to get new owners, including tribe Environment | Surfer injured in apparent shark attack at Pacifica beach Environment | Prominent Bay Area environmental group names new leader En...

California cracks down on ‘forever chemicals,’ or PFAS, found in food packaging

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:48 GMT

California Attorney General Rob Bonta hosted a press conference on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at Los Angeles State Historic Park, to warn companies of their responsibility to disclose the presence of dangerous PFAS under Assembly Bill 1200.He issued a letter to manufacturers, distributors, and sellers of food packaging and cookware, alerting them that they must adhere to AB 1200, a recently enacted law that restricts the presence of PFAS in food packaging and imposes labeling disclosure requirements for cookware.Bonta also issued a consumer alert with tips for reducing exposure to PFAS, referred to as “forever chemicals” which include thousands of toxic chemicals widely used in every day products including food packaging, cookware, clothing, carpets, shoes, fabrics, polishes, waxes, paints and cleaners.California Attorney General Rob Bonta hosted a press conference on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, at Los Angeles State Historic Park to warn companies of their responsibility to disclose the presence ...

Man accused in downtown Long Beach crash was working for Uber, had passenger in car, DA says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:48 GMT

A 46-year-old Los Angeles man was working as an Uber driver and had a passenger in his car when he allegedly ran a red light while speeding over the weekend, striking multiple pedestrians and vehicles and killing a woman in downtown Long Beach, prosecutors said Tuesday.Khalid Yagobbi, through a defense attorney, pleaded not guilty to one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in Long Beach Superior Court.A prosecutor provided details of the case while a judge considered whether to allow cameras during the hearing.Yagobbi was accused of speeding eastbound in the westbound lanes of Shoreline Drive and running through a red light at Aquarium Way without slowing down about 5:15 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, prosecutors said.One of the pedestrians, Cuarenta Aguilar, 60, of Long Beach, was killed in the crash and several other pedestrians were hospitalized, police said while announcing Yagobbi’s arrest on suspicion of murder and calling the crash intentional.However, the vehicula...

What rights do renters have in Colorado?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:48 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — If you are a renter in Colorado, you may or may not know that you have a few rights under state law.Many of these rights were passed recently, with some having gone into effect in 2021 and 2023. One more will go into effect in 2024. What is Prop HH? Voters to decide on property taxes and TABOR dollars You can find all of these laws in the Colorado Revised Statutes, with most of them in Title 38, Article 12.Here are some you should know about.Units must be habitableOne of the basic terms required by landlords is that the units rented out have to be habitable. There are a few things that the law specifically calls out that would deem a unit uninhabitable. This includes a unit having mold, no running water, and non-functional appliances.One thing the units must have is functioning heating. However, they are not required to have functioning air conditioning.Things not allowed in rental agreementsA few things are, by law, not allowed to be in rental agreements.Fees, pen...

WATCH LIVE: President Biden comments on the Israel-Hamas War from Israel

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:48 GMT

President Biden is expected to provide further remarks from Israel, however the timing is fluid. We will carry those remarks live in the video player above.TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — President Joe Biden opened his visit to Israel on Wednesday vowing to show the world that the U.S. stands in solidarity with the Jewish people and offering an assessment that the deadly explosion at a Gaza Strip hospital appeared to have been carried out “by the other team” and not the Israeli military.“Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you,” Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting, referring to Hamas militants. But Biden said there were “a lot of people out there” who weren't sure what caused the blast. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said an Israeli airstrike caused the destruction and hundreds of deaths. The Israeli military denied involvement and blamed a misfired rocket from the Palestinian I...