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Cruise wants to test self-driving vehicles across California

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:54 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors’ Cruise autonomous vehicle unit on Monday asked California for permission to test the cars across the entire state.The GM subsidiary already is running an autonomous ride-hailing service in its hometown of San Francisco after testing for more than two years. It doesn’t have specific plans yet to expand testing in California, but applying with the Department of Motor Vehicles is a step toward entering cities such as Los Angeles.“While this application doesn’t represent any immediate change to our testing or operations, we hope to continue working with the California DMV to safely and responsibly test our services in other cities in the future,” Cruise spokesman Drew Pusateri said in a statement.If granted, the test permit won’t allow Cruise to carry non-employee passengers outside of San Francisco. Testing could be done up to 55 miles per hour (88 kilometers per hour) statewide, Cruise said. Cruise also has been testing autonomous Chevr...

Review says London police racist, misogynistic, homophobic

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:54 GMT

LONDON (AP) — London police have lost the confidence of the public because of deep-seated racism, misogyny and homophobia, according to an independent review commissioned after a young woman was raped and killed by a serving officer.The Metropolitan Police Service, which has more than 34,000 officers and is Britain’s biggest police force, must “change itself” or risk being broken up, the report published Tuesday said.“It is not our job as the public to keep ourselves safe from the police. It is the police’s job to keep us safe as the public,’’ said Louise Casey, an expert on victims’ rights and social welfare who led the review. “Far too many Londoners have now lost faith in policing to do that.”The findings ratchet up the pressure for a major overhaul of the Metropolitan Police after a series of scandals involving its treatment of women and minorities. In a preliminary report released in October, Casey found that the department had failed to properly vet and train officers, a...

Top 10 historic Sierra snow seasons

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:54 GMT

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Here is a list of the Top 10 Sierra winters with the most snow in the 77 years since the UC-Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab started keeping records in 1946 northwest of Lake Tahoe near Donner Pass at Soda Springs, California:TOP TEN HISTORIC SIERRA SNOW SEASONS1951-52 — 812 inches (2,062 cm), or 67.7 feet (20.6 meters)2022-23 — 677 inches (1,719.6 cm), or 56.4 feet (17.2 meters)1982-83 — 651 inches (1,704 cm), or 56 feet (17 meters)2010-11 — 643 inches (1,635 cm), or 53.6 feet (16.35 meters)1981-82 — 624 inches (1,583 cm), or 52 feet (15.8 meters)1968-69 — 602 inches (1,529 cm), or 50.2 feet (15.3 meters)1994-95 — 598 inches (1,519 cm), or 49.8 feet (15.2 meters)1955-56 — 594 inches (1,509 cm), or 49.5 feet (15.1 meters)1957-58 — 593 inches (1,506 cm), or 49.4 feet (15 meters)2016-17 — 573 inches (1,455 cm), or 47.7 feet (14.5 meters)___Source: UC-Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab; Soda Springs, California; founded 1946. The snow season coincides with the water sea...

Kidnappers who snatched San Jose baby are sentenced

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:54 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Two people who kidnapped a 3-month-old baby from his San Francisco Bay Area home last year were sentenced Monday to prison.Yesenia Ramirez was sentenced to 13 years and four months in prison. Jose Portillo received five years.The two pleaded no contest last August to kidnapping Brandon Cuellar on April 25, 2022. Prosecutors said Ramirez met the boy’s family through church and plotted to kidnap the child after lying to her boyfriend — telling him that she had given birth to their baby and was going to bring him home from the hospital.Ramirez took the baby’s grandmother shopping and arranged for Portillo to enter the family’s San Jose apartment while they were out. This gave Portillo time to take the child while Ramirez helped the woman unload groceries from the car, prosecutors said.Video showed Portillo walking away with the baby in a carrier covered with a white blanket.The boy’s mother was at work at the time.After an intense search,...

Safety board: Alabama derailed train lacked needed couplers

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:54 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — A Norfolk Southern train that derailed in Alabama earlier this month lacked required alignment control couplers for two of its locomotives and a company inspection did not identify their absence, federal investigators said Monday.The notation comes in one of three preliminary reports issued Monday by the National Transportation Safety Board about Norfolk Southern train accidents this month as the board investigates the railroad’s safety practices after the fiery February derailment and toxic chemical burn in East Palestine, Ohio.In a report released Monday about a March 9 derailment of two locomotives and 37 rail cars in Anniston, Alabama, the safety board said two of the train’s six locomotives were “waybill locomotives,” or towed cars not used for any tractive power. The cars weren’t equipped with alignment control couplers that “resist lateral coupler movement under compressive in-train forces.” A company rule bars towing waybill locomotives without such ...

Ukraine hints it hit Russian missiles in occupied Crimea

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:54 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s military intelligence agency reported what appeared to be a brazen attack late Monday on Russian cruise missiles being transported by train in the occupied and illegally annexed Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula. The region’s Russian-appointed governor reported an incident in the area of the same Crimean town, Dzhankoi in the northern part of the peninsula, though he did not mention cruise missiles as an attack target.None of the reports could be independently verified.A vague statement by the Ukrainian military agency, posted on its website, said multiple Kalibr cruise missiles were destroyed by an explosion, without explicitly saying Ukraine was responsible or what weapon had been used. It said the missiles were being carried by rail and were destined for submarine launch. The agency implied the Kyiv government was responsible by saying the explosion destroying the missiles continues “the process of Russia’s demilitarization and prepares the Uk...

Top Chicago chefs come together to fundraise for earthquake victims in Turkey, Syria

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:54 GMT

CHICAGO — Dozens of chefs from across Chicago teamed up to fundraise through food Monday evening.Forty-five chefs from some of Chicago's best restaurants came together at Avli on the Park to help raise money for people in need in the aftermath of last month's earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, which registered as high as 7.8 on the Richter scale in Turkey and killed more than 50,000 people, while also leaving hundreds of thousands more homeless."In the news, stuff goes so fast," said Guiseppe Tentori of Boka Restaurant Group. "They're still suffering over there. They need some money, they need help." Looking to avoid the Kennedy Expressway construction? Here’s what you should know Organized by Chicago Chefs Cook, which organized its first fundraiser benefitting Ukraine after Russia invaded last year, has hosted events for several humanitarian crises before.All of the proceeds from the event will go to the World Central Kitchen, which distributes meals to survivors from the earthquak...

Vallas, Johnson notch key endorsements ahead of WGN-TV debate

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:54 GMT

CHICAGO — A little more than two weeks before Election Day, Chicago's mayoral candidates picked up some key endorsements. City and Cook County Black legislators, including the Chair of the City Council's Black Caucus, stand behind Brandon Johnson. "I think he has the energy, the exuberance, the vision to be a great leader for Chicago," said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. How to watch WGN’s Chicago Mayoral Debate Johnson also picked up endorsements from the Polish community and retired Black firefighters and paramedics. "The failures of old that have left families behind and have created this tale of two cities, we’re going to disrupt, dismantle and destroy that tale of two cities and we're going to usher in one story for one Chicago," Johnson said. On Sunday, former mayoral candidate Willie Wilson and 150 faith leaders endorsed Paul Vallas. The mayoral candidate also got the nod from the Latino Leadership Council, a group of civic, business and elected off...

Can you still go to jail for weed in Illinois?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:54 GMT

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) -- Recreational marijuana has been legal in Illinois for three years, and it has been an economical boon, soaring past $1.5 billion in 2022.While the drug might now be legal in the state, there are still limits on how much a person can possess at one time.With that being said, some residents might be wondering if they can still go to jail for marijuana in the state if they have too much. Can I buy weed off the street in Illinois? Illinois residents can own up to 30 grams of marijuana flower at a time, according to Norml. The penalties for owning more than this depends on the amount, as well as the number of offenses.Having between 30-100 grams for a first offense is considered a misdemeanor and can lead to a year of jail time. If a person is caught doing it again, it becomes a felony, which can result in up to three years of jail time. Having 100-500 grams results in the same penalty as a second offense of the amount mentioned above. Can I share weed in Ill...

Amazon's 'A League of Their Own' series gets final, abbreviated season

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:12:54 GMT

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Amazon's "A League of Their Own" series has been renewed for a second season, but it will only be four episodes and will be the series' last, according to The Hollywood Reporter.Amazon did not give details as to why the series is coming to an end and does not release viewership information.The story of the Rockford Peaches was adapted into a 1992 feature film starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, and Madonna, and directed by Penny Marshall. Pitchfork Music Festival announces 2023 full lineup and concert dates The modern updating of the story of the Rockford Peaches All-American Girls Professional Baseball League explored themes of “race and sexuality as it follows a new ensemble of women carving out their own paths in the league and outside of it,” with storylines following Black and lesbian players exploring queer romance.The new show received recognition from GLAAD, the Independent Spirit Awards, and the NAACP Image Awards.Amazon hosted a premiere event at Roc...