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Cruise layoffs announced Thursday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:21 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Driverless ride hailing service Cruise announced Thursday it will be laying off an unspecified number of workers, KRON4 has confirmed. The layoffs are set to impact contract workers employed through third-party vendors and staffing agencies, a Cruise representative told KRON.Contingent workers who will be let go assisted with work that included cleaning, charging and maintaining the AV fleet, and customer support.It was first reported on Wednesday that Cruise layoffs were on the way. According to Forbes, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt told company executives that layoffs were necessary during an hour-long meeting Monday. Dorsey’s Block, formerly Square, to slash 1,000 jobs That meeting, Forbes reported, was to discuss damage control measures following a series of damaging headlines about the General Motors backed autonomous vehicle service. In San Francisco, there has been a steady stream of incidents involving Cruise vehicles.In October, a Cruise vehicle ran over a ...

Fremont mother charged in death of her young boy who died from fentanyl exposure

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:21 GMT

(KRON) -- The mother of a 23-month-old boy who died on Oct. 18 after being exposed to fentanyl has now been charged by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office with involuntary manslaughter and willful cruelty to a child, the Fremont Police Department confirmed to KRON4 Thursday.Sophia Gastelum-Vera, the 26-year-old mother from Fremont, was arrested in connection to the death on Nov. 7 and booked into the Santa Rita Jail.Gastelum-Vera faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, willful cruelty to a child, possession of a controlled substance and possession of injection/ingestion device/controlled substance paraphernalia, Fremont PD said. Man with ‘lengthy criminal history’ arrested for Fremont homicide On Oct. 18, Gastelum-Vera drove her boy to a local emergency room. He was unresponsive and not breathing. The boy would later be pronounced dead.Police served a search warrant at the mother’s home on the 4300 block of Gina Street and uncovered “items associated with illicit drug...

No. 23 Arizona rolls into Colorado on 3-game win streak and bowl eligible for first time since 2017

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:21 GMT

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Arizona pass rusher Taylor Upshaw sent out a save-the-date sort of notice on social media last May just so no one would forget. The former Colorado player even added a few emojis for good measure on his post with a pair of observing eyes, popcorn box and a face with the hand over the mouth.At long last, that day — “11/11/23,” he wrote — is here as the bowl-eligible and 23rd-ranked Wildcats (6-3, 4-2 Pac-12, No. 21 CFP ) try to keep rolling against Colorado (4-5, 1-5) at sold-out Folsom Field.This Saturday appears to have long been circled on the calendar for Upshaw after spending last spring with coach Deion Sanders and Colorado before hopping into the transfer portal and joining Arizona. Receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig also left Colorado — after a big spring game in Boulder — to join the Wildcats.Arizona coach Jedd Fisch understands that emotions may run high.His advice? Don’t make it personal.“Don’t worry that you came from there,” Fisch explaine...

Biden celebrates a labor deal saving an Illinois auto plant as he promotes a worker-centered economy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:21 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden went to Chicago on June 28 to give a landmark speech on “Bidenomics,” only to learn in private during the trip about a soon-to-close auto factory, news that was a challenge to his vision for the country.The prospect of a shuttered Stellantis plant in the small city of Belvidere became an immediate priority for Biden. He ordered up an economic analysis and spoke to company officials about the plant, according to White House officials. The Democratic president wanted to show that his policies could deliver for workers, rather than repeat the decades of factory closures that had gutted parts of the Midwest and fed into a deep political divide.On Thursday, Biden will visit Belvidere to showcase that auto plant, which has reopened as part of the settlement of a targeted strike by the United Auto Workers union. The reopening “goes to the heart of who he is, the heart of his vision for the country and how he’s led,” said Jen O’Malley Dillon...

No. 6 Oregon hosts the USC Trojans for first time since 2015

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:21 GMT

USC (7-3, 5-2 Pac-12. No. 20 CFP) at No. 6 Oregon (8-1, 5-1, No. 6 CFP), Sat. 10:30 p.m. ET (FOX).Line: Oregon by 14 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.Series record: USC leads 33-22-2.WHAT’S AT STAKE?The No. 6 Oregon Ducks look to keep alive their hopes for a Pac-12 title and possibly a shot at a College Football Playoff berth when they host USC on Saturday night at Autzen Stadium. Oregon is the highest ranked one-loss team in the CFP rankings. The Trojans haven’t visited Eugene since 2015. USC is coming off a 52-42 loss at home to No. 5 Washington, which sits atop the Pac-12 standings. The Huskies and Oregon are the top two teams in the league. The Ducks defeated California 63-19 last weekend. KEY MATCHUPAll eyes will be on USC’s defense after the dismissal of defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, head coach Lincoln Riley’s longtime top assistant. The Trojans gave up 572 yards and 52 points to the Huskies. It was USC’s third loss in four games and dropped th...

The Vikings have won 4 in a row for the NFC’s longest streak. They host the Saints this week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:21 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (5-4) at MINNESOTA (5-4)1 p.m. EST, Fox.OPENING LINE: Vikings by 2½, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.AGAINST THE SPREAD: Saints 3-5-1, Vikings 5-4.SERIES RECORD: Vikings lead 24-13.LAST MEETING: Vikings beat Saints 28-25 on Oct. 2, 2022, in London.LAST WEEK: Saints beat Bears 24-17; Vikings beat Falcons 31-28.SAINTS OFFENSE: OVERALL (14), RUSH (19), PASS (11), SCORING (15).SAINTS DEFENSE: OVERALL (7), RUSH (17), PASS (7), SCORING (7).VIKINGS OFFENSE: OVERALL (8), RUSH (29), PASS (2), SCORING (13).VIKINGS DEFENSE: OVERALL (14), RUSH (12), PASS (18), SCORING (17).TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Saints plus-8; Vikings minus-5.SAINTS PLAYER TO WATCH: CB Paulson Adebo has three interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in his past two games. His career-high four interceptions this season has him tied for second most in the NFL. His career-high 11 passes defensed ranks third in the league.VIKINGS PLAYER TO WATCH: OLB Danielle Hunter. The NFL’s leader with 10 sacks, Hun...

College football’s top defenses to square off when No. 2 Michigan visits No. 9 Penn State

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:21 GMT

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — As their teammates filed out of practice earlier this week, Penn State defensive ends Adisa Isaac, Chop Robinson and Dani Dennis-Sutton lingered at the far end of the facility.The ninth-ranked Nittany Lions’ most disruptive defenders stutter-stepped and bull-rushed their way around and through assistant coaches, putting in extra work before their biggest game of the season.Penn State, boasting the country’s second-ranked defense, seeks to upstage Michigan’s top-ranked defense when the No. 2 Wolverines (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten, No. 3 CFP) visit Beaver Stadium on Saturday.“This is a statement game from our defense because you know a lot of people around the country believe that Penn State is unable to take the next step,” cornerback Kalen King said. “And I feel like this game is the perfect opportunity for us to go out and prove ourselves against a powerhouse team like Michigan.”The Nittany Lions (8-1, 5-1, No. 10 CFP) also want to keep their conference title ...

Stanford visits No. 12 Oregon State hoping to string together a pair of wins

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:21 GMT

Stanford (3-6, 2-5 Pac-12) at No. 12 Oregon State (7-2, 4-2 , No. 12 CFP), Sat. 5:30 p.m. ET (Pac-12 Network).Line: Oregon by 21, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.Series record: Stanford leads 59-27-3. WHAT’S AT STAKEOregon State must win out — and get help — to keep hopes for a berth in the Pac-12 championship alive. After Stanford, the Beavers host No. 5 Washington and then visit No. 6 Oregon. Stanford is leaving the Pac-12 next season for the ACC so it will likely be the final game between the two teams for the foreseeable future. The Beavers and Washington State are the lone remaining teams in the conference. Oregon State is coming off a 26-19 victory at Colorado. The Cardinal, coming off a victory over the Cougars will need to defeat the Beavers and win their final games at home against rival California and Notre Dame to be bowl eligible. KEY MATCHUPStanford’s maligned defense showed spark last weekend on the road at Washington State, limiting the Cougars to just 57 ...

French President Macron hosts Gaza aid conference and appeals to Israel to protect civilians

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:21 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Western and Arab nations, international agencies and nongovernmental groups stressed the urgent need for aid for Gaza civilians at a Paris conference Thursday, held as the humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory worsens amid Israel’s massive air and ground campaign against Hamas. The gathering ended a few hours before the White House said Israel has agreed to put in place four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in Gaza, starting on Thursday.The French presidency said the participants’ pledges reached over 1 billion euros ($1.07 billion) in additional funding, stressing that the global amount still remained to be finalized.French President Emmanuel Macron opened the conference with an appeal for Israel to protect civilians, saying that “all lives have equal worth” and urging for pauses in the fighting to allow deliveries of desperately needed aid.“In the immediate term, we need to work on protecting civilians,” he said. “To do that, we need a hu...

Los pandas del Zoológico Nacional llegan a salvo a China

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:21 GMT

Después de un viaje intercontinental, los queridos pandas de DC llegaron a su destino final en China el jueves por la mañana, informó el Zoológico Nacional.Tian Tian, 26 años; Mei Xiang, de 25 años, y su hijo menor, Xiao Qi Ji, de 3 años, partieron de la capital del país el miércoles hacia sus nuevos hogares en la Asociación China para la Conservación de la Vida Silvestre.Un avión “Panda Express” de FedEx llevó a los pandas en un viaje de 19 horas desde el Aeropuerto Internacional Dulles hasta Chengdu, China.“Es un momento de alegría porque este es un paso más en 50 años de un exitoso programa de conservación del panda gigante y, con suerte, el comienzo de 50 años más”, indicó la directora del Zoológico Nacional, Brandie Smith. “Por favor, sepan que el futuro es brillante para los pandas gigantes. Seguimos comprometidos con nuestro programa y esperamos celebrar con todos ustedes cuando los pandas puedan regresar a DC”, agregó.UNA NUEVA VIDA EN CHINAEl nuevo h...