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Former Congresswoman Jackie Speier announces run for San Mateo Co. board

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:59:12 GMT

(BCN) -- Jackie Speier, who spent more than three decades as a state legislator and member of Congress, announced this week she is running for a position on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, where she started her career as an elected official in 1980.Speier spent six years on the county board before serving in both houses of the state Legislature, then was elected to Congress in 2008. She announced she would not run for re-election in 2022, expressing a desire to spend more time with her family.On Tuesday, she announced her bid to represent District 1 on the Board of Supervisors in the March 2024 election. District 1, currently represented by board president Dave Pine, includes Burlingame, Hillsborough, Millbrae, parts of San Bruno and South San Francisco and other areas, including San Francisco International Airport. Bay Area air quality worse than officials predicted "I will use the skills I've honed, the relationships I've built, and the experiences I've earned to fix ...

How much of Xcel Energy's power is renewable?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:59:12 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Xcel Energy has requested to increase its rates multiple times in recent years, claiming that the extra money to go toward repairs and replacing infrastructure is vital for its Colorado Clean Energy Plan.The plan aims to reduce carbon emissions by at least 85% from 2005 levels by 2030, as well as end the use of coal by 2030. Watch: Xcel says your natural gas bill should be lower this winter Xcel said it plans to shift to renewable energy resources like solar and wind for a carbon-free future.So, where does the power come from now?Less than half of Xcel Energy's power in Colorado comes from carbon-free resources at 42%, according to the Xcel website. In Colorado, Xcel gets power from coal, natural gas, wind, solar, and other unspecified resources. Natural gas and coal are used to produce 58% of Xcel's power in Colorado. The other 42% is renewable resources, including 35% wind power and 5% solar power. Xcel does not specify what accounts for the remaining 2% of car...

Photos: Local zoos play matchmaker with kangaroos

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:59:12 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Distance is not a barrier for these two kangaroos. On Wednesday, a male Matschie’s tree kangaroo named Tristan traveled almost 80 miles from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo with a mission to woo Pearl, the endangered Matschie’s tree kangaroo new to the Denver Zoo. Photos: Angelfish at the Denver Zoo gets a CT scan The two have one goal: to help save their endangered species. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo male tree kangaroo named Tristan. (Courtesy of CMZoo)Cheyenne Mountain Zoo male tree kangaroo named Tristan. (Courtesy of CMZoo)Cheyenne Mountain Zoo male tree kangaroo named Tristan. (Courtesy of CMZoo)Cheyenne Mountain Zoo male tree kangaroo named Tristan. (Courtesy of CMZoo)Denver Zoo female tree kangaroo named Pearl. (Courtesy of CMZoo)Denver Zoo male female kangaroo named Pearl. (Courtesy of CMZoo)Denver Zoo female tree kangaroo named Pearl. (Courtesy of CMZoo)There are only about 2,500 Matschie’s tree kangaroos remaining in the wild in northeastern Papua New Guinea. With loggi...

South Florida nurse practitioner convicted in $200 million Medicare fraud scheme

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:59:12 GMT

A federal jury in Miami convicted a 45-year-old nurse practitioner from Homestead for her pivotal role in a scheme aimed at defrauding Medicare of over $200 million. Elizabeth Hernandez was found guilty on multiple charges related to submitting false and fraudulent claims for costly genetic testing and medical equipment that Medicare beneficiaries did not require, the United States Department of Justice said in a news release. Court documents and trial evidence revealed that Hernandez had signed thousands of orders for medically unnecessary orthotic braces and genetic tests, leading to fraudulent Medicare billings exceeding $200 million. Telemarketing companies played a crucial part in the scheme by persuading Medicare beneficiaries to request orthotic braces and genetic tests, and then sending pre-filled orders for these items to Hernandez. She endorsed these orders, falsely stating that she had examined or treated the patients, even though she had never interacted with many of the...

Florida woman escapes ceiling collapse after home struck by lightning

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:59:12 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WSVN) — A dramatic ordeal unfolded for Marlene Grenier as she rushed to safety when her Tampa home was struck by lightning during a fierce storm. The incident left her in the dark, but her quick thinking saved her from a potentially disastrous situation.As the storm raged outside, Grenier stood at her front window with her dog, watching the tempest. Suddenly, a deafening crash shook the house, prompting fears of a collapse.“I was standing in my front window over there, my dog was standing next to me, we were watching the storm out the window, and it sounded like a bomb hit our house, the house shook, I thought the house was coming down,” Grenier recounted.The lightning strike triggered her smoke detectors and plunged her home into darkness. Grenier, guided by the smell of smoke, ventured upstairs to investigate. To her shock, she discovered parts of her ceiling had crashed onto her bedroom floor.“Started walking upstairs and smelled smoke and the...

Rupert Murdoch, whose creation of Fox News made him a force in American politics, is stepping down

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:59:12 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old Australian media magnate whose creation of Fox News made him a force in American politics, is stepping down as leader of both Fox’s parent company and his News Corp. media holdings.Fox said Thursday that Murdoch would become chairman emeritus of both companies, effective at board meetings in November. His son, Lachlan, will become News Corp. chairman and continue as chief executive officer of Fox Corp.Lachlan Murdoch said that “we are grateful that he will serve as chairman emeritus and know he will continue to provide valued counsel to both companies.”Besides Fox News, Murdoch started the Fox broadcast network, the first to successfully challenge the Big Three of ABC, CBS and NBC, with shows like “The Simpsons.” He is owner of The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.He slimmed down his corporate holdings with the 2019 sale of many entertainment assets to the Walt Disney Co. These included film production, rights to the Mar...

Tropical storm conditions possible for mid-Atlantic from coastal storm

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:59:12 GMT

(CNN) — Tropical storm alerts could be issued for parts of the East Coast soon for a developing coastal storm which will bring gusty winds, heavy rain, dangerous rip currents and coastal flooding from Florida to New England as it tracks along the coast into this weekend.An area of low pressure is likely to develop off the east coast of Florida by early Friday. If conditions are just right, this low pressure could even develop enough to be named by the National Hurricane Center.The next two Atlantic storm names are Ophelia and Philippe.There is a 50 percent chance this area of low pressure organizes into a subtropical storm into the weekend, according to the hurricane center. A subtropical storm is a cyclone that is not fully tropical, but still has some characteristics found in a tropical storm.But the difference in overall impacts between the two are minimal, as subtropical storms still produce strong winds and can spread heavy rain well away from...

Budweiser won’t cut off the tails of its famous Clydesdale horses

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:59:12 GMT

New York (CNN) — PETA said it’s “cracking open some cold ones” after Anheuser-Busch said it’s ending the practice of cutting the tails of Budweiser’s iconic Clydesdale horses.Budweiser has featured the horses, with their ubiquitous white feathered legs, in its ad campaigns for decades, from the holidays to the Super Bowl. But the practice of “docking,” which is when the tail’s hair is cut short and which can result in parts of the tailbone being shaved off, has long been under fire from animal rights groups.In a statement, Anheuser-Busch said “the practice of equine tail docking was discontinued earlier this year.”“The safety and well-being of our beloved Clydesdales is our top priority,” a company spokesperson said.Earlier this month, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and other animal rights groups sent a letter to the company requesting it “immediately prohibit the amputation” of the horses’ tailbones.The American Veterinary Medical Association said the pr...

McDonald’s once again sued after customer burns herself on hot coffee

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:59:12 GMT

New York (CNN) — McDonald’s is being sued over a hot coffee spill, again.This time, a San Francisco location is being accused of serving a “scalding” cup of coffee with an improperly attached lid, which allegedly resulted in the coffee pouring out on plaintiff Mable Childress’ body and causing “severe burns” after she tried drinking it.The lawsuit, filed last week, alleged that the elderly woman is suffering from “physical pains, emotional distress and other damages.” The restaurant’s negligence was a “substantial factor” for her injuries, it alleged.Childress also said in the lawsuit that the restaurant employees “refused” to help her, a point that the McDonald’s denied.“We take every customer complaint seriously and when Childress reported her experience to us later that day, our employees and management team spoke to her within a few minutes and offered assistance,” the McDonald’s franchisee owner, Peter Ou, said in a statement to CNN.“My restaurants have strict food safety ...

Massachusetts lawmakers call on Congress to pass immigration reforms

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:59:12 GMT

A lengthy list of Democrat and Republican lawmakers in Massachusetts called on top Congressional officials in Washington and the Biden administration to pass immigration reform as the state deals with a surge of migrants and a shortage of emergency shelter.The letter, signed by more than 60 representatives and senators, comes as Democratic pressure mounts on the Biden administration and Congress from multiple states as they grapple with how to handle thousands of new arrivals entering already overburdened shelter systems.Sen. Marc Pacheco, Taunton Democrat, led the letter, which argues that comprehensive immigration reform is urgently needed to address a dysfunctional entry system and a “rapidly-devolving” workforce shortage.“Our outdated federal immigration system is in desperate need of reform,” the lawmakers wrote. “Our country needs a functional gateway at the border that safeguards our national security from illegal entrants while providing noncitizens seeking lawful entry a pr...