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Las Vegas’ newest resort is a $3.7 billion palace, 23 years in the making

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

By Christopher Palmeri, Bloomberg NewsReal estate mogul Jeffrey Soffer has waited 23 years for this moment.On Dec. 13, the Florida-based developer will open Las Vegas’ newest resort, a $3.7 billion palace with seven pools, 36 restaurants and bars, as well as a private club on the top floor with spectacular views of the skyline.What really stands out about the Fontainebleau Las Vegas isn’t the height — at 67 stories it’s the tallest hotel in Nevada — or the 46-foot sculpture by Swiss artist Urs Fischer in the south lobby. It’s how long it took to get built. Soffer acquired the land in 2000, but lost control of the mostly done project during the 2008-2009 financial crisis. Two more owners came and went, including billionaire Carl Icahn, before Soffer reacquired the still unfinished building in 2021 for a fraction of its original construction cost.“It’s one of the great, crazy stories in real estate,” the 55-year old said as he walked the property on a recent afternoon. “There’s always...

Apple exec defends tech giant’s decision to make Google default search engine on Apple iPhones, Macs

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

By PAUL WISEMAN | AP Business WriterWASHINGTON — A top Apple executive defended the tech giant’s decision to make Google the default search engine on Apple iPhones and Macs, saying there was no “valid alternative.’Testifying in the biggest antitrust trial in a quarter century, Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, said Tuesday that there wasn’t “anybody as good’ as Google at helping phone and computer users search the internet.The U.S. Department of Justice has accused Google – its very name is synonymous with scouring the web — of smothering competition by paying Apple, Verizon and other tech companies to make its search engine the first that users see when they open their devices.Related ArticlesTechnology | Apple’s $59 fake-suede ‘FineWoven’ iPhone case is its biggest dud of 2023 Technology | Woman rescued from outhouse toilet after climbing in to retrieve Apple Watch, police say Technology | Magid: Apple’...

President Biden joins UAW picket line in Michigan

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

By Seung Min Kim, Tom Krisher and Chris Megerian | Associated PressVAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich. — President Joe Biden joined the United Auto Workers on Tuesday on the 12th day of their strike against major carmakers, a demonstration of support for organized labor appoarently unparalleled in presidential history.Biden’s embrace of the union began as soon as he arrived in Michigan on Air Force One. UAW President Shawn Fain was the first to greet Biden on the tarmac, and he joined him in the presidential limousine for a ride to the picket line.They soon arrived at a General Motors parts distribution warehouse located in the suburbs west of Detroit, one of the facilities that has been targeted in the strike.“No deal, no wheels!” workers chanted. “No pay, no parts!”Labor historians say they cannot recall an instance when a sitting president has joined an ongoing strike, even during the tenures of the more ardent pro-union presidents such as Franklin Delano Roos...

Five-bedroom home sells for $3.4 million in San Jose

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

6584 Stonehill Drive – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the 6500 block of Stonehill Drive in San Jose was sold on Aug. 21, 2023. The $3,400,000 purchase price works out to $813 per square foot. The house, built in 1993, has an interior space of 4,184 square feet. This two-story home presents a roomy floor plan, featuring five bedrooms and five baths. Additionally, the house is equipped with a two-car garage, accommodating vehicles and storage needs efficiently.These nearby houses have also recently changed hands:On Deer Hollow Drive, San Jose, in September 2022, a 3,157-square-foot home was sold for $3,025,000, a price per square foot of $958. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.In June 2023, a 2,113-square-foot home on Mount Carmel Drive in San Jose sold for $2,050,000, a price per square foot of $970. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,113-square-foot home on the 1000 block of Mount Carmel Drive in San Jose sold in July 2022, for $2,361,000, a price ...

Plague killed Colorado resident, health officials confirm

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

An Archuleta County resident died from the plague, health officials announced Monday.The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, alongside San Juan Basin Public Health, is investigating after laboratory testing confirmed the unidentified resident died from plague.“While this disease is very rare, it is important to be aware of how you can be exposed and the symptoms it can cause,” said Tiffany Switzer, interim executive director of SJBPH. “If you think you have symptoms consistent with plague, seek health care immediately and let them know you may have been exposed.”Plague is caused by bacteria that can be transmitted to humans through the bites of infected fleas or by direct contact with infected animals, according to a Monday news release from San Juan Basin Public Health.According to the release, plague is frequently detected in rock squirrels, prairie dogs, wood rats and other species of ground squirrels and chipmunks. Residents should not eradicate or kill prairie...

Oregon man arrested for homicide of Vallejo child after cold case review

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

(KRON) -- An Oregon man was arrested last week in connection to a 1987 homicide of a 6-year-old Vallejo child, the Solano County District Attorney’s Office announced.Solano County DA investigators arrested the suspect, identified as Fred Cain III, at his Central Point, Oregon, home on Sept. 18 with the assistance of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. Solano County DA officials said advances in DNA technology linked Cain to the death of the child.In 1987, a 6-year-old child was abducted near his home in Vallejo. The child's body was recovered four days later on Sherman Island in Sacramento County, the DA’s office said. An autopsy showed signs that the child was sexually assaulted.That same year, a suspect was named in the case. Shawn Melton was charged with murder and kidnapping after investigators said he had knowledge that only the person responsible for the death would know. The case would later be dismissed due to the jury not reaching a verdict. SF daycare worker gets 25 yea...

SMART awarded $32 million grant from the Biden administration

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

(KRON) – The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District (SMART) has been awarded a $32 million grant in Federal Railroad Administration, Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement funds from the Biden Administration.  According to U.S. Representative Jared Huffman, he assisted in securing the funds from the Department of Transportation through the federal government’s annual spending legislation.“SMART is a vital artery in our communities, connecting people and commerce throughout the North Bay, said Rep. Huffman. “They have been a leader in innovative infrastructure improvements, like this project that will cut greenhouse gas emissions and provide a reliable public transportation alternative." President Biden visiting the Bay Area for campaign events This grant has two significant components: $28M for the implementation of Positive Train Control Systems for SMART's 5.5-mile passenger and freight rail line between Windsor and Healdsburg and $4M for the replacement o...

DC Water to tackle sewage flowing into Potomac River; Georgetown tunnel to begin

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

Now that DC Water has completed the Northeast Boundary Tunnel, which is expected to divert 98% of combined sewer overflow away from the Anacostia River, it’s shifting its attention to the Potomac River.“Now, we’re turning to the Potomac,” said Moussa Wone, vice president of DC Water’s Clean Rivers Project — the long-term plan to deal with the antiquated sewer system that runs through older portions of the District, including Georgetown.The Potomac River Tunnel is the next major phase of the project to mitigate the District’s combined sewer overflow system — built before 1900 — which carries both sewage and stormwater in a single pipe.During dry conditions, the sewage diverts to the Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant.However, during heavy rain, the overwhelmed pipes can’t carry all of the sewer water to Blue Plains, and a substantial amount flowed out of pipes into the Anacostia and Potomac rivers.The newly-completed Northeast Boundary Tunnel —...

Canada’s government calls on House speaker to resign over inviting a man who fought for a Nazi unit

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ‘s government urged the speaker of the House of Commons to resign Tuesday for inviting a man who fought for a Nazi military unit during World War II to attend a speech by the Ukrainian president. Just after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered an address in the House of Commons on Friday, Canadian lawmakers gave 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka a standing ovation when Speaker Anthony Rota drew attention to him. Rota introduced Hunka as a war hero who fought for the First Ukrainian Division.Rota is meeting with the House of Commons’ party leaders later Tuesday. Two opposition parties called for Rota to step down on Monday, and government House leader Karina Gould said Tuesday that she believes lawmakers have lost confidence in Rota. Gould said Rota invited and recognized Hunka without informing the government or the delegation from Ukraine. “It is time for him to do the honorable thing,” Gould said. Foreign Mini...

More money pledged from Michigan for a $3.5 billion electric vehicle battery plant after Ford pauses

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — More money is being pledged in Michigan for the development of a $3.5 billion electric vehicle battery plant after Ford Motor Co. said it would pause construction until it’s sure it can run the factory competitively.Ford announced the delay Monday and is in the midst of national contract talks with the United Auto Workers union, which wants to represent workers at battery factories and win them top wages.On Tuesday, a Michigan economic development board voted to send an additional $65 million to the megasite that will be used for “assistance for site readiness activities,” according to a board memo. “We fully expect that Ford will continue to develop the BlueOval Battery Park Michigan site and we need to allow the Ford Motor Company and UAW to continue their negotiations,” Quentin Messier, president of Michigan Economic Development Corp., said during Tuesday’s meeting.The UAW went on strike against Ford and the other two Detroit automakers, General Motors and St...