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Passport backlog creating headaches for travelers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:15 GMT

Passport delays are causing road bumps for travelers this summer, and the backlog is so bad, one lawmaker is calling it a crisis.Even expensive expedited processing could take months.Many travelers are having to renew their passports by mail since the State Department’s online renewal system is not working; it stopped months ago after a technical issue, officials said.Now, for mail-in applications, the average renewal time is between 10 to 13 weeks, or seven to nine weeks for expedited service.State Department officials issued a record number of passports last year — more than 20 million — and are on track to break that record this year.Some congressional leaders say they want this problem fixed, and soon.“What we need to get back to is the approach that was taken pre-COVID, where you didn’t even need to get an appointment, you can just do a walk in,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia) said recently.

1 Hospitalized after Motorcycle Accident on Mission Bay Drive [San Diego, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:15 GMT

One Injured in Motorcycle Collision near Ingraham StreetSAN DIEGO, CA (July 14, 2023) – Saturday afternoon, a motorcycle accident on West Mission Bay Drive left one rider with serious injuries.The incident occurred around 4:15 p.m., at the 1000 block of West Mission Boulevard near Ingraham Street.Per reports, the 54-year-old driver of a 2011 Toyota Camry made a U-turn while heading west. There, the driver turned directly into the path of a 2008 Triumph motorcycle, resulting in a collision.Emergency responders arrived and transported the 32-year-old motorcyclist to a local hospital. Reports said the rider sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries.Meanwhile, the Camry driver did not receive any injuries from the crash. Officers also determined that intoxication did not play a factor in the incident.At around 6:00 p.m., the San Diego Officials reopened the eastbound lanes of Mission Bay Drive. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the motorcy...

Closing the Divide: The Clear Umbrella’s Impact on the EDI Landscape

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:15 GMT

The Clear Umbrella (TCU) is an organization that stands out for its gentle and innovative approach to diversity and inclusion in a world where these issues have been brought to the forefront of public and corporate consciousness. Having been founded by Warren Dean Flandez, a staunch supporter of EDI, TCU is reshaping our collective consciousness in regards to EDI.Flandez’s strong desire to make the world more equitable stemmed in part from his own experiences as a member of a historically underrepresented group. “The tipping point occurred several years ago, when I was taking my cell phone out of my car on a sunny Saturday afternoon.” Flandez says, “A neighbor accused me of being a thief because I didn’t look like I belonged in the community. This experience strengthened his resolve to combat prejudice and stereotyping, which became central to the founding of TCU.”TCU’s method is characterized by its mildness in comparison to more confrontational ...

Report: Biden raised $72M in first quarter since re-election bid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:15 GMT

By Jeremy Diamond | CNNPresident Joe Biden raised $72 million for his reelection effort and for the Democratic Party in his first quarter of fundraising since launching his reelection bid in April, his campaign announced Friday.The showing could help quell some concerns about the president’s ability to fundraise as he seeks a second term. His campaign boasted an average contribution of $39 from nearly 400,000 donors and said 97% of all donations were less than $200.Biden’s campaign, which has yet to open a headquarters and maintains a skeletal staff several months in, also boasted a sizable war chest, with $77 million in cash on hand at June 30, the end of the quarter.While the president’s fundraising haul is stronger than any other 2024 presidential contender, it falls short of the record-breaking $86 million raised in 2011 by President Barack Obama for his reelection campaign and the Democratic National Committee in his first quarter of fundraising after launching his second-term ...

GOP hopefuls face mounting pressure to derail Trump in Iowa

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:15 GMT

By Thomas Beaumont and Steve Peoples | Associated PressDES MOINES, Iowa — As the six-month sprint to the Iowa caucuses begins, the sprawling field of Republican presidential candidates is facing growing pressure to prove they can become serious challengers to former President Donald Trump.The urgency is particularly acute for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who entered the race in May with expectations that he would quickly become Trump’s top rival. For now, however, he has struggled to generate the enthusiasm that Trump commands from the GOP base, leaving it uncertain he will become the threat to the former president that he was once billed to be.“That’s what DeSantis wanted to be. It’s possible he may be that still,” said Gentry Collins, a seasoned Iowa and national Republican strategist who ran Mitt Romney’s 2008 caucus campaign. “But it sure doesn’t look like that to me — it’s become clear that there isn’t room for another a...

California AG expands state-sponsored travel ban to other states with discriminatory LGBTQ+ laws as legislators work to undo it

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:15 GMT

Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Friday that California has expanded its list of states to which it will not sponsor travel over LGBTQ+ laws it deems discriminatory, even as his own state’s lawmakers work to undo the travel ban altogether.By law, California will restrict state-funded travel to Missouri, Nebraska, and Wyoming as a result of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation recently enacted in each of those states, Bonta said, adding them to the list of 23 other states to which state-funded or sponsored travel is banned. That puts more than half the country off limits for state travel.“These new laws enacted by Missouri, Nebraska, and Wyoming aren’t just discriminatory, they constitute a clear case of government overreach — and it’s an alarming trend we’re witnessing across the country,” Bonta said in a statement. “By preventing transgender individuals from participating in sports aligned with their gender identity, or by denying them access ...

Otter in Santa Cruz stymies pursuit as experts face wily, wary agile ocean master

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:15 GMT

A rogue sea otter menacing surfers in Santa Cruz is proving elusive as marine-wildlife experts seek to apprehend it before it bites more than someone’s surfboard.“Standard methods for capturing healthy wild sea otters have been unusable or ineffective so far,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Friday.Five-year-old Otter 841 has repeatedly approached surfers and kayakers in and around world-renowned surf spot Steamer Lane, the wildlife service said. The animal has been filmed stealing and riding on surfboards.“Sea otters are naturally wary of people, but this individual has been aggressively approaching people,” the wildlife service said.While notoriously fuzzy and cute, an aggressive sea otter poses a significant danger to humans.“I would never want to be bitten by any wild animal — but an otter would be close to the top of the list,” said Kevin Connor, spokesperson for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, whose marine mammal experts are w...

Man shot in West Oakland on Thursday night

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:15 GMT

OAKLAND — A 29-year-old man was shot multiple times Thursday night in West Oakland.He was in stable condition at a hospital recovering from at least two gunshot wounds, authorities said Friday.The shooting was reported about 11:20 p.m. outside at an apartment complex at 10th and Willow streets, police said..Authorities said the man did not live there.A motive for the shooting was under investigation. No suspect information was released.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Two more FCI Dublin correctional officers charged in burgeoning sexual abuse scandal Crime and Public Safety | Photos: Oakland police host CommUNITY Tour at DeFremery Park Crime and Public Safety | Oakland man jailed for seven months released after DA’s office concedes it can’t prove woman was killed Crime and Public Safety | Murder charge filed after police trace burning body in Oakland hills to Richmond shooting Crime and Publi...

Woman injured after freeway shooting in San Francisco

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:15 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- One person is injured after a shooting on I-280 Friday afternoon, California Highway Patrol confirmed to KRON4. The shooting happened around 1 p.m. in the southbound area of Highway 101 near the I-280 split and Alemany Boulevard exit.When officers arrived at the scene, they located a female victim who suffered an injury to her leg, authorities said. She was taken to SF General Hospital for a non-life-threatening injury. CHP did not release any suspect vehicle description at this time, and no arrest(s) have been made. A portion of the southbound lanes of Highway 101 was closed for about 20 minutes but has now since reopened.KRON On is streaming news live now.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }This story will be updated.

Authorities say escaped homicide suspect may be getting desperate living in wilderness

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:15 GMT

YOUNGSVILLE, Pa (AP) — A homicide suspect who used bed sheets to escape from jail last week continues to evade capture, but authorities said Friday they believe he may be growing “desperate” as he tries to live with little support while apparently camping in the rough terrain of northwestern Pennsylvania woodlands.Lt. Col. George Bivens, the deputy commissioner of Operations for the Pennsylvania State Police, reiterated during a news conference that authorities believe Michael Burham, 34, remains in the area. Bivens showed a brief video, apparently taken by a home security camera, that showed a man walking on a residential street. Bivens said authorities believe the man was Burham but declined to provide specific details about the video, or say when or where it was taken,Authorities have said they believe someone is or may have been helping Burham evade capture, citing the discovery of “small stockpiles or campsites” in wooded areas in the general vicinity and that it was believed a...