WASHINGTON — LeBron James figures there's at least one obvious explanation for the surging popularity of the NCAA women's basketball tournament. Recognizable stars. “I don't think there's much difference between the men's and women's game when it comes to college basketball. I think the popularity comes in is the icons...
CA Democrats Forge a Plan to Reduce Budget Deficit by $17.3 Billion
SACRAMENTO — California Democratic leaders announced Thursday that they've agreed on a plan to reduce the state's staggering multibillion-dollar shortfall by $17.3 billion via spending cuts, delays, and deferrals. Gov. Gavin Newsom had enjoyed unprecedented surplus budgets of more than $100 billion throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. But the past two years...
Biden Tells Netanyahu: Protect Civilians or Lose US Support
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden issued a stark warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that future U.S. support for Israel's Gaza war depends on the swift implementation of new steps to protect civilians and aid workers. Biden and Netanyahu 's roughly 30-minute call just days after Israeli...
A’s Will Play Next 3 Seasons in Sacramento’s Triple-A Park
OAKLAND — The Athletics will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park near Sacramento until their planned new stadium in Las Vegas is built. The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option...
Rights Group Says Israeli Strike on Gaza Building Killed 106 in Apparent War Crime
JERUSALEM — A Human Rights Watch investigation published Thursday said an Israeli attack on a Gaza building in October had no apparent militant target, but killed 106 civilians, including 54 children, making it an “apparent war crime.” International law prohibits attacks on military targets that will likely cause disproportionate harm...
Scenic Highway 1 Closed Again as More Storms Approach California
BIG SUR— As more storms approach California, officials have closed a scenic stretch of iconic Highway 1 where a giant section collapsed into the ocean following heavy weekend rains. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office had warned residents of parts of the coastal community of Big Sur to evacuate Wednesday before...
Ohtani’s First HR for Dodgers Leads to 3-Game Sweep Over Giants
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani hit his first home run for the Los Angeles Dodgers, a solo drive in the seventh inning in a 5-4 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night that finished a three-game sweep. Playing his ninth game for his new team, Ohtani pulled a...
What a Heist! Burglars Steal $30 Million in Cash From LA Facility, Police Say
LOS ANGELES — Thieves stole as much as $30 million in an Easter Sunday burglary at a Los Angeles money storage facility in one of the largest cash heists in city history, police said Wednesday. The burglary occurred Sunday night at an unnamed facility in the Sylmar area of the...
Futures of Chiefs & Royals Uncertain in KC After Tax Measure Rejection
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Royals owner John Sherman and Chiefs president Mark Donovan stood on a small stage in the second-floor lounge of the historic J. Rieger & Co. distillery in Kansas City on Tuesday night, acknowledging the will of voters who had rejected a sales tax initiative that would...
Rashee Rice’s Leased Lamborghini Involved in Dallas Crash
DALLAS — Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice was leasing a Lamborghini sport utility vehicle that authorities say was one of two speeding sports cars that caused a chain-reaction crash on a Dallas highway, an attorney for the company that owns the vehicle said Tuesday. Dallas police have not...