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More dogs could show up in outdoor dining spaces. Not everyone is happy about it

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:00 GMT

By DEE-ANN DURBIN (AP Business Writer)Just in time for the summer dining season, the U.S. government has given its blessing to restaurants that want to allow pet dogs in their outdoor spaces.But even though nearly half of states already allow canine dining outdoors, the issue is far from settled, with many diners and restaurants pushing back against the increasing presence of pooches.“I’d like to be able to enjoy my meal without having to worry about fleas, pet hair, barking and entitled dogs and their owners,” said Tracy Chiu Parisi, a food blogger in New York, who was once startled by a dog that stuck its head in her lap while she was reading a menu.Restaurants have been required to allow service dogs for decades. But it wasn’t until the mid-2000’s that a handful of states — including Florida and Illinois — began passing laws allowing dogs in outdoor dining spaces, according to the Animal Legal and Historical Center at Michigan State University. Twenty-three states now have such l...

Opinion: DPS has focused on politics not students

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:00 GMT

When I was running for mayor of Denver, I started out with a commitment to transform city government to ensure our amazing neighborhoods were at the center of the conversation. At event after event, I found this idea of ensuring our neighborhoods were on track resonated with families across the city. Yet I was genuinely startled by how many of the people I met said education was their top issue.Denverites told me over and over that the challenges of Denver Public Schools were spilling into every aspect of our civic life here in Denver.  Whether it was safety, crime, economic mobility, or housing, Denverites told me they saw schools as the key driver to get our city on track. And why wouldn’t they? We all know a world-class education is critical to our future as a city and for every student.Every neighborhood deserves great schools.In all of these conversations, there was wide agreement that Denver Public Schools (DPS) has lost its way. Sadly, there’s not yet agreement on the right w...

Water main break floods streets in Van Nuys

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:00 GMT

A water main burst in Van Nuys early Monday, flooding several streets.Sky5 reporter Rich Prickett said the pipe burst at the intersection of Lamona Avenue and Califa Street, just east of the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area, around 6 a.m.The Los Angeles Fire Department closed the intersection to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.Water was flowing south onto Hatteras Street and east to Kester Avenue, partially submerging the sidewalks and driveways.It did not appear any homes or businesses had flooded.

Nonprofit hopes to crack down on speeding, takeovers with camera systems

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:00 GMT

Authorities responded to at least three street takeovers in South Los Angeles on Sunday.The nonprofit Streets Are For Everyone is hoping to change the recent uptick in takeovers (also known as sideshows) through the state Legislature with Assembly Bill 645, which would create a pilot program for installing speed safety systems.The systems, which use cameras to photograph speeding and other unsafe driving behavior, would be limited in the program. For instance, cities with populations over 3 million could also install up to 125 systems, while cities between 800,000 and 3 million in population can only install 33 systems.The proposal comes days after Los Angeles city and school officials moved forward with plans to install speed humps around schools after a pair of instances where pedestrians were struck by vehicles near schools.

Travel Troubleshooter: My Allstate Rewards gift card didn’t work on my Princess cruise

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:00 GMT

DEAR TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: We had $1,800 in prepaid gift cards on our Princess cruise through Allstate Rewards. On the second day of our Princess cruise, my wife and I attempted to pay a portion of the bill with the gift cards, but the cruise line would only accept $800.Christopher Elliott, the Travel Troubleshooter A Princess representative tried multiple times over most of the remainder of the 14-day cruise to identify and correct the problem. He determined that the vendor had not funded the cards, and that my wife and I needed to contact Allstate Rewards directly.I called Allstate Rewards from the ship. An Allstate Rewards representative told me we needed to contact Princess guest services because “Princess Cruise Line is responsible for Princess gift cards.” Princess had told me the opposite — that Allstate was responsible.Later on in the cruise, I received an email from Allstate Rewards stating, “Due to the amount of time since your order was place...

California is losing population and building new houses. When will home prices come down?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:00 GMT

This month Californians worried about the cost of housing were offered the rarest of gifts: a glimmer of hope.New numbers released by the Newsom administration show that California added homes to its housing stock at a faster clip than any time since the Great Recession — 123,350 additional units, or an increase of 0.85%.Over that same period, the state’s population declined, marking the third year in a row that it’s fallen from one new year to the next.Put those two numbers together and a surprising statistic emerges: There are now more homes per person — 3,770 units for every 10,000 Californians — than there have been since at least 1991.For a state that has long suffered from too many people trying to cram themselves into too few homes, that’s an encouraging number at first glance.It’s also the kind of news that might lead a person to wonder: Does this California exodus mean the state’s perennial housing shortage is finally coming to an end?The long answer is “it’s complicated.”T...

CHP search for suspect in fatal hit-and-run on Hwy 101

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:00 GMT

(KRON) -- The California Highway Patrol is searching for the suspect who they said hit a pedestrian on Highway 101 late Saturday night and fled the scene. Around 11:47 p.m., officers responded to reports of a big rig versus pedestrian accident.Police said when they got to the scene, they found a man lying in the road on northbound Highway 101 north of Tully Road in San Jose. And investigation uncovered that the victim, a driver for the Alongi Brothers Towing Company, was driving his tow truck when he pulled over to the right shoulder. The driver then got out of his truck and walked into traffic lanes in an apparent effort to retrieve something, according to officials. Good Samaritan killed in hit-and-run in Fremont on Mother’s Day Police said a white Toyota Rav4 then hit the man, who sustained fatal injuries. Officers said another vehicle ran over the body before a big rig stopped in front of the body and called police. The big rig driver remained on the scene until CHP personnel ...

Nigerian Afrobeat star Kuti arrested over alleged police assault

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:00 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A Nigerian Afrobeat star was arrested Monday after being accused of assaulting a police officer in the commercial hub of Lagos.Seun Kuti was detained at the Lagos State police headquarters after turning himself in, according to police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin, who tweeted photos of the celebrity in handcuffs.The son of Nigerian musical icon and political agitator Fela, who himself was serially detained by Nigerian military regimes, Kuti was “captured on video assaulting a police officer in uniform,” the police said.Videos posted online appeared to show an agitated Kuti pushing a police officer as the officer stood beside a police vehicle along a major road in Lagos on Saturday.It was unclear what led to the confrontation, though Kuti tweeted that the officer in question “tried to kill me and my family.” He suggested the officer tried to ram their car.Inspector General of Police Usman Alkali Baba ordered an investigation into the incident. The inspector ge...

76ers have questions to solve on Harden, Rivers after another 2nd-round exit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:00 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Trust the Process?Joel Embiid doesn’t even trust his teammates. At least the ones not named James Harden, just the players — ones like Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey that he’s won a lot of games with over the years — that he deemed didn’t rise to the occasion for the Philadelphia 76ers.Yet, when the 76ers truly needed Embiid to play like an MVP, where was he?Embiid scored just 15 points in Game 7 against Boston in a landmark defeat that thrust the franchise into its most pivotal offseason since 2013 when it launched the decade-long program toward a championship.Doc Rivers might not come back. Harden, too.Embiid will return, though, saying all the right things about how much he cares and wants to win all while the stench of a third Game 7 loss in the Eastern Conference semifinals since 2019 lingers over Philly.Jalen Hurts led the Eagles to the Super Bowl. Bryce Harper took the Phillies to the World Series. Embiid’s legacy in Philly is quickly getting stamped as a ...

Don’t miss this week: Jack Harlow on screen, Kesha, Anna Nicole Smith doc and Scott brothers on HGTV

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:00 GMT

This week’s new streaming options include rapper Jack Harlow’s acting debut, the return of Kesha and new projects for an heart-warming HGTV show. Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music and video game platforms this week.NEW MOVIES TO STREAM— Three decades after Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson mixed it up on the black top, a new “White Men Can’t Jump” has next. A remake of that 1992 film teams Sinqua Walls and rapper Jack Harlow as a pair of basketball players who hustle hoops for money and compete in a lucrative three-on-three tournament. The film, which debuts Friday on Hulu, is directed by Calmatic and co-written by Kenya Barris (“black-ish”). In it, Harlow makes his acting debut.— Anna Nicole Smith gets the Netflix documentary treatment in “Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me.” The film, debuting Tuesday, chronicles Smith’s life as a model, Playboy playmate and reality st...