A year after being awarded two gold medals at the California state track and field championships amid protests over her participation as a transgender girl, a high school athlete will return to the meet this week to defend her titles — and maybe claim a third, or more. AB Hernandez,...
Lap Cat London Offers Best of All Worlds for Feline Lovers
London may look like a lap cat (and she is!), but she’s also full of spunk. She loves being petted and cuddling up close, then heading off to claim the top shelf of the cat tree for a nap with her siblings. Sweet, confident, and full of personality, London is the...
US Senator Presses TikTok US Joint Venture and Oracle on User Data Safeguards
U.S. Democratic Senator Ed Markey on Friday formally asked TikTok's newly formed U.S. joint venture and cloud computing giant Oracle to explain how they are protecting the personal data of American users and preventing foreign entities from influencing which videos American users are shown on the app. The move comes...
Yum Brands in Exclusive Talks to Sell Pizza Hut to LongRange, Bloomberg News Reports
Yum Brands is in exclusive talks to sell its Pizza Hut chain to LongRange Capital, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Private equity firm LongRange entered exclusivity with Yum in recent days, beating out bidders, including Sycamore Partners, the report said. The two parties are advancing...
Russian Drone Hits Romanian Apartment Building, Officials Say
Russia’s war with Ukraine spilled into Romania, a member of NATO, on Friday when Romanian authorities said a Russian drone had hit an apartment building in a major port city, wounding two people. It was the first known time a Russian drone had caused damage and injuries in a major...
Ex-Iowa Superintendent Who Was in the US Illegally Sentenced to 2 Years
DES MOINES, Iowa — Ian Roberts began this academic year as superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools in Iowa. He was on the rise, boasting of improved academic results and asking voters to approve more funding. But on Friday, about a week before classes let out for the summer, Roberts...
Judge Orders Removal of Trump’s Name From Kennedy Center
A judge on Friday ordered the removal of President Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, ruling that the iconic Washington venue cannot be renamed without an act of Congress. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington directed the Trump administration to take down all physical...
Oil Falls on Hopes for US-Iran Ceasefire Agreement
Oil futures fell more than 2% on Friday, closing out their steepest weekly decline since early April as traders awaited word that the U.S., Israel and Iran had reached agreement on a ceasefire. Brent crude futures for July, which expired on Friday, settled at $92.05 a barrel, down $1.66, or...
With Funding Secured, Is This Project the Tipping Point for Downtown Fresno?
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer couldn't contain his enthusiasm after nearly $70 million in bond market financing was secured for long-planned The Park at South Stadium Apartments. On Thursday, escrow officially closed between the developer and the city of Fresno, signifying all funding sources have been secured or committed. “The Park...
Canadian Who Sold Lethal Chemical Online Pleads Guilty to Aiding Suicides, Avoids Murder Trial
A Canadian man accused of selling a legal but potentially deadly chemical and other items online to dozens of people who took their own lives pleaded guilty on Friday to aiding suicide, ending the prospect of a murder trial after prosecutors said a recent appellate ruling made murder charges untenable....