Home

So far, so good as Bay Area airports brace for record holiday travel a year after meltdown

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:58:21 GMT

Jose Herrera and Eloisa Zuniga were among millions of travelers caught up in a holiday air travel meltdown a year ago, but that wasn’t enough to intimidate them from flying to the Bay Area to spend the holidays with family in what is forecast to be a record season.“We just traveled a few days earlier this year, to just make sure we were here,” Zuniga, 28, said Wednesday after their Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago landed at Oakland International Airport.Jose Herrera, center, and Eloisa Zunija, right, prepare to exit Terminal 2 of the Oakland International Airport on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, in Oakland, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) Across the U.S., more than 115.2 million people are expected to travel by air, road, rail or ship for the December holiday season between Dec. 23 and Jan. 1, a figure that’s 2.2% higher than last year and marks the second-highest number since 2000, AAA reported. That includes more than 15.4 million traveling C...

Stockton Kings NBA G League player allegedly admitted fatally strangling woman in Las Vegas

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:58:21 GMT

LAS VEGAS — A former NBA G League player allegedly admitted to fatally strangling a woman whose remains were found earlier this month near Las Vegas, according to court records obtained Wednesday.Chance Comanche, 27, was taken into custody last week in Sacramento, where he described for Las Vegas detectives the alleged murder of Marayna Rodgers, 23, according to a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department affidavit.“I cannot comment on the substance of any statements made to law enforcement, Comanche attorney Michael Goldstein said Wednesday. “We made our initial appearance yesterday, and the allegations will be addressed in court.”The basketball player, who is being held without bond, appeared in a Sacramento County court Tuesday and agreed not to fight his transfer in custody to Nevada, where authorities said he’ll face murder and conspiracy to commit murder charges.“We’re going to let the courts deal with it,” Goldstein told reporters outside the court. “We’re going to deal with i...

Barabak: Colorado decision is a boon, not setback, for Trump’s campaign

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:58:21 GMT

Donald Trump received an early Christmas present Tuesday, courtesy of the Colorado Supreme Court.In a move without precedent, the justices ruled 4-3 Trump was ineligible for the state’s 2024 presidential ballot, owing to his role in the attempted Jan. 6 overthrow of the federal government.However, the decision was stayed until Jan. 4, or until the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to take up the matter — a move that seems all but certain.The immediate impact was predictable: a headlong rush by Republicans to rally behind the party’s serially indicted presidential front-runner.“Removing Trump from the ballot in Colorado under this theory is spurious, likely unconstitutional & a sadly predictable but outrageous form of lawfare. SCOTUS should end this,” Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy wrote on the social media platform X.Before issuing his fulminating statement, Roy was last seen campaigning in Iowa on behalf of Trump’s fading rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.Democrat...

Biden Administration seeks accountability, solutions to rising transit worker assaults

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:58:21 GMT

In response to exponential increases in assaults on public transit workers, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a directive on Wednesday, Dec. 20, requiring urban transportation agencies to monitor the dangers faced by workers interacting with passengers and to list safety strategies.The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) together with DOT are taking extraordinary steps to understand the scope of escalating attacks on bus and rail operators, requiring additional reporting accountability and concrete solutions from transit agencies nationwide, including Southern California. The goal is to keep workers on the job without fearing attacks from angry or frustrated passengers.“Everyone deserves a safe workplace, including and especially the frontline transit workers who keep our nation moving,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement released Wednesday. “Assaults on transit workers are unacceptable.”From 2008 to 2021, there were, on average, 241 assault...

Where in Maryland are customers buying the most cannabis?

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:58:21 GMT

Marylanders have been buying cannabis since it became legal on July 1, 2023, with a sales tax rate of 9%. Following a new report from Comptroller Brooke Lierman, WTOP knows where people are buying it the most.Central Maryland has the largest number of dispensaries and that’s where the most money from the sales tax on cannabis is coming in, according to a report by the Baltimore Banner.The region has 50 of the state’s 96 licensed dispensaries and includes Anne Arundel, Howard, Carroll, Harford and Baltimore counties, as well as Baltimore City.“Maryland interestingly set a pretty low tax rate. And one of the reasons why they did that was to make sure people would buy legally at dispensaries,” Pamela Wood, Maryland politics and government reporter for the Baltimore Banner, told WTOP.The tax does not apply to Marylanders who hold medical marijuana cards.According to the new report from Lierman, the state has collected $5.49 million from those areas out of the more than...

Paychex: Fiscal Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:58:21 GMT

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Paychex Inc. (PAYX) on Thursday reported fiscal second-quarter net income of $392.7 million.The Rochester, New York-based company said it had profit of $1.08 per share.The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 10 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.07 per share.The payroll processor and human-resources services provider posted revenue of $1.26 billion in the period, missing Street forecasts. Eight analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.27 billion._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on PAYX at https://www.zacks.com/ap/PAYXSource

Cintas: Fiscal Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:58:21 GMT

CINCINNATI (AP) — CINCINNATI (AP) — Cintas Corp. (CTAS) on Thursday reported fiscal second-quarter net income of $374.6 million.On a per-share basis, the Cincinnati-based company said it had profit of $3.61.The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 10 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $3.48 per share.The uniform rental company posted revenue of $2.38 billion in the period, which also beat Street forecasts. Eight analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $2.34 billion.Cintas expects full-year earnings to be $14.35 to $14.65 per share, with revenue in the range of $9.48 billion to $9.56 billion._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CTAS at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CTASSource

CarMax: Fiscal Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:58:21 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — CarMax Inc. (KMX) on Thursday reported fiscal third-quarter profit of $82 million.On a per-share basis, the Richmond, Virginia-based company said it had profit of 52 cents.The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of nine analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 42 cents per share.The used car dealership chain posted revenue of $6.15 billion in the period, missing Street forecasts. Eight analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $6.28 billion._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on KMX at https://www.zacks.com/ap/KMXSource

Apogee Enterprises: Fiscal Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:58:21 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Apogee Enterprises Inc. (APOG) on Thursday reported fiscal third-quarter earnings of $27 million.The Minneapolis-based company said it had net income of $1.23 per share.The glass products company posted revenue of $339.7 million in the period.Apogee Enterprises expects full-year earnings in the range of $4.55 to $4.70 per share.Apogee Enterprises shares have increased 16% since the beginning of the year. The stock has increased 19% in the last 12 months._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on APOG at https://www.zacks.com/ap/APOGSource

PSG defender Presnel Kimpembe signs 2-year contract extension

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:58:21 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Central defender Presnel Kimpembe has signed a two-year contract extension with Paris Saint-Germain to 2026.The 28-year-old Kimpembe came through the club academy and signed his first professional contract in 2015. He has made 237 appearances for PSG and won the French league seven times and the French Cup six times. His current contract was to expire in June.Kimpembe has made 28 appearances for France and was part of the World Cup-winning squad in 2018, but missed last year’s World Cup in Qatar due to an Achilles tendon injury. He will undergo surgery in the next few days to resolve the ongoing injury.“I’m delighted to be continuing my story with the club I love,” Kimpembe said. “I would like to thank Paris Saint-Germain, the president, and the fans for their renewed faith. I hope to wear these colours again as soon as possible.”___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerSource