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Colorado health insurers ask for 10% increase on individual market place next year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:07 GMT

People on Colorado’s individual health insurance market could see an average premium increase of 10% next year, though less for people on Colorado Option plans, if requested rate changes are approved.The state Division of Insurance and Gov. Jared Polis’ office announced the requested rate changes Thursday. The division will consider and decide on the requests in the fall, with a possibility they decline during regulators’ review process. Open enrollment begins in November.About 200,000 Coloradans are covered on the individual market, and about 28,000 of marketplace enrollees are on Colorado Option plans (though another 12,000 people are on those plans through other means). Most Coloradans are covered through employer-offered plans, Medicaid and Medicare.Health insurance companies are asking to increase premiums by an average of 11.1% for non-Colorado Option plans and 7.7% for Colorado Option plans. The exact increase varies from plan to plan. Officials did not have...

Man arrested for sexual assault of minor in Ventura County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:07 GMT

A 37-year-old man from Port Hueneme has been arrested and charged with sexual assault of a minor and possession of child pornography, as well as felony weapons violations and possession of illegal narcotics for sale, authorities announced earlier this week.  The investigation into the suspect, identified as Matthew Gomez, began in June after a 14-year-old girl filed a report with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, claiming that the 37-year-old had “sexually assaulted her continuously over an approximate two-year period,” a VCSO news release stated.  During their investigation, detectives discovered evidence that linked Gomez to the crimes and arrested him in Port Hueneme on July 12 for aggravated sexual assault of a minor and possession of child pornography.   Burglar caught on camera inside L.A. home At the time of his arrest, the suspect was also in possession of a concealed firearm, a high-capacity magazine and a controlled substance for sale, authorities said. &nbs...

Authorities search for inmate who escaped Los Angeles County facility

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:07 GMT

Authorities are searching for an inmate who escaped from a Los Angeles County facility on Thursday.Evan Chezick, 41, escaped from the Julius Klein Conservation Camp in Azusa and was discovered missing around 7:30 a.m., according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.When authorities couldn’t find Chezick during a morning head count, staff members immediately searched the buildings and grounds but he was nowhere to be found.Chezick is described as a man standing 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 187 pounds.He has blonde/strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes and was last seen wearing a white t-shirt and gray sweat shorts.Chezick is currently serving a five-year and four-month sentence for second-strike charges of possessing/owning a firearm by a felon or addict and resisting/deterring an officer with threat/violence.Evan Chezick, 41, in a 2022 booking photo from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.He was admitted to the correctional facilit...

One Killed in Motorcycle Accident on Estrella Parkway [Goodyear, AZ]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:07 GMT

Motorcycle-Auto Collision near Goodyear Boulevard Left One DeadGOODYEAR, AZ (July 20, 2023) – Late Wednesday night, a motorcycle accident on Estrella Parkway claimed the life of one unidentified person.On July 19th, at around 9:30 p.m., the Department of Public Safety went to the scene that involved a motorcyclist and a car.Investigation showed that the rider was traveling near the intersection of Estrella Parkway and Goodyear when the collision occurred. First responders pronounced the motorcyclist dead upon arrival.Furthermore, the driver of the car remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigators.Following the crash, the authorities have yet to determine what caused the incident. A portion of the roadway was temporarily shut down to allow for cleanup and preliminary duties.At this time, the identity of the rider was not yet released and the crash is still under thorough investigation.Sweet James sends out their heartfelt sympathies to the friends and family of th...

Nashville families form nonprofits to address school safety

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:07 GMT

By Kimberlee Kruesi | Associated PressNASHVILLE, Tenn. — Pausing at the microphone, 6-year-old Noah took a breath and softly stated, “I don’t want any guns today or any day in my school.”His mom, Sarah Shoop Neumann, wiped away tears as she held the young boy. It had been more than four months since a shooter indiscriminately opened fire while Noah was at a private elementary school in Nashville, killing three of his schoolmates and three adults. And Neumann wanted action.Joining a group of families from The Covenant School, Neumann and others on Thursday announced that they had created two nonprofits to not only promote school safety and mental health resources, but also form an action fund to push legislative policy changes that would place certain limits on firearms inside the politically ruby red state of Tennessee.“We can create brighter tomorrows for our state so no other community has to endure the suffering,” Neumann told reporters at a news con...

Letters: ‘Oppenheimer’ parallels | Height of elitism | Unlikely effects | Creeping authoritarianism

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:07 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.‘Oppenheimer’ offersparallels with AI threatHere’s an interesting exercise as you watch the new movie “Oppenheimer.” The looming AI crisis has a lot in common with the rush to weaponize atomic energy during WW II. The latter quickly and profoundly altered history, while the former promises to do the same.Think about the cast of characters: Robert Oppenheimer, Louis Strauss, Leslie Groves, Albert Einstein, Hans Bethe, Niels Bohr, Ernest O. Lawrence, Werner Heisenberg, Klaus Fuchs, Vannevar Bush, Edward Teller, Enrico Fermi, Harry Truman and Henry Stimson, the roles they played, their conflicts and tensions, their hopes and fears. Has history proven them right or wrong? Tragic or foolish?One wonders if the same will be true of our new Masters of the Universe.Jim WolpmanWalnut CreekColumn attacking courtis the height of elitism“Affirmative action decision is height of judicial activi...

Homes become ‘air fryers’ in brutal Phoenix heat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:07 GMT

By Isabella O’Malley | Associated PressTemperatures have peaked at or above 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius) the entire month of July in Phoenix. Air conditioning, which made modern Phoenix even possible, is a lifeline.When a cloudless sky combines with outdoor temperatures over 100 F, your house turns into an “air fryer” or “broiler,” as the roof absorbs powerful heat and radiates it downward, said Jonathan Bean, co-director of the Institute for Energy Solutions at the University of Arizona. Bean knows this not only from his research, he also experienced it firsthand this weekend when his air conditioner broke.“This level of heat that we are having in Phoenix right now is enormously dangerous, particularly for people who either don’t have air conditioning or cannot afford to operate their air conditioner,” said Evan Mallen, a senior analyst for Georgia Institute of Technology’s Urban Climate Lab.Yet some are cutting...

Netflix’s Los Gatos headquarters swarmed with protesters amid film and TV strikes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:07 GMT

Hollywood’s strike came to Los Gatos Thursday afternoon as a group of more than a hundred actors, writers and allies picketed in front of Netflix headquarters.The Northern California chapter of SAG-AFTRA, which organized the strike, is protesting the streaming model’s impact on actors’ income and uncertainty around artificial intelligence’s role in TV and films.“More people are watching more programming for longer today than ever before, and we’re making less on residuals. It’s not fair,” said Michael X. Sommers, an Oakland-based actor known for roles in the film “Sorry to Bother You,” and the TV show “Sense8.”Actor Michael X. Sommers, from Oakland, strikes with SAG-AFTRA supporters outside of the Netflix headquarters in Los Gatos, Calif., on Thursday, July 20, 2023. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) This is the first time the organization has picketed in front of Netflix’s Los Gatos headquarters on 101 Albright Way, and comes a...

Are self-driving cars a menace to San Francisco streets?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:07 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Driving around San Francisco can feel a little spooky these days, especially when the car next to you is driving without a human behind the wheel. Driverless cars, also known as Autonomous Vehicles or AVs, are becoming more common in the tech-centric city. Two local tech companies, Cruise and Waymo, received a green light from the California Public Utilities Commission to deploy AVs on the streets for testing and training. San Francisco became a test city for California's driverless pilot program.Troubling traffic incidents, however, have ensued. San Francisco drivers encountered and recorded many bizarre scenes in recent months when Cruise and Waymo cars stalled out.There were 91 AV-related traffic incidents in April alone, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency reported.SFMTA spokesperson Stephen Chun wrote to KRON4 Thursday, "This technology is still in development and is simply not ready to operate 24/7 in the city.  AVs are creating hazards in...

Suspect exits car on freeway, hit by vehicle on I-80 near Berkeley: sheriff

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:07 GMT

(KRON) -- Heavy traffic was reported Wednesday night on I-80 near Berkeley, KRON4 reported. There were closures in both the eastbound and westbound lanes. Traffic ensued after a deputy sheriff spotted a stolen vehicle around 7:48 p.m. in San Pablo, the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office said. Two individuals were inside the car when the deputy initiated a car chase. Officers make discovery in trunk of suspect vehicle after car chase on Pleasanton freeway The deputy ended the chase early once the car began to drive recklessly, authorities said. Another deputy then began to chase the suspect vehicle after seeing it on I-80 westbound. The car stopped on the freeway near the Powell Street exit due to mechanical problems.The driver and passenger got out of the suspect vehicle and began to run away. However, the driver ran across the I-80 eastbound lanes and was hit by a separate vehicle. The driver of the suspect vehicle was taken to the hospital. Their condition is unknown at this t...