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Kool & the Gang drummer George “Funky” Brown dies

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:15:42 GMT

Associated PressNEW YORK — George “Funky” Brown, the co-founder and longtime drummer of Kool & The Gang who helped write such hits as “Too Hot,” “Ladies Night,” “Joanna” and the party favorite “Celebration,” died Thursday in Los Angeles at age 74.Related ArticlesObituaries | A.S. Byatt dies at 87; award-winning author wrote best-seller ‘Possession’ Obituaries | Comedian Dex Carvey, son of Dana Carvey, dies at 32 Obituaries | San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler dies at 63 Obituaries | Maryanne Trump Barry dies at 86; former federal judge was ex-President Donald Trump’s sister Obituaries | Astronaut Frank Borman dies at 95; Apollo 8 commander helped pave way for 1969 moon landing Brown died after a battle with cancer, according to a statement released by Universal Music. He had retired earlier in the year, nearly 60 years after the band began, and revealed that he was diagnosed with ...

Tesla crashes into kitchen of San Mateo home Friday morning

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:15:42 GMT

(KRON) -- A Tesla jumped a swimming pool and went barreling into the kitchen of a home in San Mateo on Friday morning. The owner of the house was not home at the time and the driver was not injured in the crash.The driver was taken to the hospital as a precaution, officials said. Video of the scene showed that the Tesla suffered significant front-end damage. Bay Bridge protest: Dramatic photos capture hours-long shutdown It is not known if the Tesla was in self-driving mode at the time of the crash.San Mateo police issued an alert at 7:44 a.m. about the crash in the area of Murphy and Ashwood drives.Police said people should expect delays while driving through the area.Bay City News contributed to this report.

Bay Bridge protest: Dramatic photos capture hours-long shutdown

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:15:42 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Thursday morning's commute may go down in some Bay Area commuters' personal record books as the worst drive to work ever. United States President Joe Biden was in San Francisco for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, and protesters took over the city's most heavily traveled bridge to get his attention. "They made for a very hectic day in the Bay Area," one California Highway Patrol officer said. "I would not call this a peaceful protest, when you stop tens of thousands of people."Demonstrators shut down the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge in conjunction with the APEC Summit taking place Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)Hundreds of protesters brought traffic to a complete halt "within seconds," the CHP said. Ruben Pineda and his roofing crew wait for police to clear protesters blocking the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. Pineda, who was stuck for several hours, said the crew would most lik...

Widespread rainfall, possible thunderstorms pushing into Bay Area Friday

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:15:42 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- More rain is headed to the Bay Area, according to the National Weather Service. Widespread rainfall is expected to begin Friday afternoon and continue overnight.The wet weather will be accompanied by windy and cold conditions, according to the KRON4 Weather Anchor Gayle Ong. "Expect breezy conditions as this cold front moves through," Ong advised. "Highs during the day will range from the upper 60s to low 70s." San Francisco Bay Area weather radar This latest wet weather system will bring a chance for thunderstorms beginning Friday afternoon and lasting through Saturday afternoon. The NWS advises drivers to plan for wet roads and allow for more time to travel.Isolated showers across the Bay Area Friday morning will give way to heavier rainfall before a break in the evening hours. More rain is expected overnight.Chances for rain will diminish into Saturday night.How much rain will we get?The National Weather Service Bay Area is anticipating the following rai...

Apple pulling X ads as backlash grows for Elon Musk's antisemitic tweet: report

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:15:42 GMT

(KRON) -- Apple is pausing all advertising on X, formerly know as Twitter, in the wake of the platform's owner, Elon Musk, endorsing an antisemitic tweet, according to a report in Axios. Apple pulling its ads follows a similar move from IBM, which announced Thursday that it would also stop advertising on X.IBM pulled its ads following a report that said its ads were appearing alongside material praising Nazis. There is growing concern among advertisers about their ads appearing alongside pro-Nazi content and hate speech. Bay Bridge protest: Dramatic photos capture hours long shutdown Musk, the billionaire owner of X, Tesla, and SpaceX, has further inflamed tensions by endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy tweet on the platform. According to Axios, 164 Jewish rabbis and activists amped up pressure on Apple, Google, Amazon and Disney to stop advertising on X following Musk's tweet.That same group is also calling on Google and Apple to remove the social network from their platforms, Ax...

City of Oakland announces new Director of Housing and Community Development

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:15:42 GMT

(KRON) –  Emily Weinstein is the new permanent Director of Housing and Community Development, the city of Oakland announced Friday. Weinstein was the interim Director of Housing and Community Development for eight months. Weinstein has spearheaded housing and community development initiatives in some of the most economically challenged and under-resourced neighborhoods in California for 25 years. Car crashes into San Mateo home Friday morning “Our approach to the homelessness and affordable housing crisis aggressively invests in affordable housing and protections for renters to help prevent homelessness,” Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said. “Director Weinstein is a proven leader in this field who brings a track record of success leveraging funding sources and delivering results, making great strides toward the housing outcomes Oakland needs. Of course, this issue is bigger than Oakland alone, and as we pursue regional solutions she is also a team-builder who will strengthen our partner...

Biden and López Obrador pledge solidarity in curbing Mexico-US fentanyl trafficking

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:15:42 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador pledged Friday to work side-by-side to confront illicit fentanyl trafficking into the U.S. and to manage the growing number of migrants traveling north to the border between their nation."Nothing is beyond our reach in my view if Mexico and the United States stand together and work together,” Biden said. Bay Bridge protest: Dramatic photos capture hours long shutdown Biden's relationship with López Obrador has at times been tense, in part because of Biden's willingness to criticize Mexico on topics such as fentanyl production and the killing of journalists. And López Obrador isn't afraid to snub the U.S. leader. He skipped a Los Angeles summit last year where leaders tackled the issue of migration because the U.S. didn't invite Cuba, Nicaragua or Venezuela. He also initially said he would skip this year's APEC conference, but changed his mind.The two men were all smiles and co...

IBM, EU and Lionsgate pull ads from Elon Musk’s X as concerns about antisemitism fuel backlash

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:15:42 GMT

FILE - A view of a laptop shows the Twitter sign-in page with their the new logo, in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, July 24, 2023. IBM has stopped advertising on social media platform X, Thursday, Nov. 16, after a report that its ads were appearing alongside material praising Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, in a fresh setback for the company's plans to win back big brands and their ad dollars. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)(AP/Darko Vojinovic) FILE - A view of a laptop shows the Twitter sign-in page with their the new logo, in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, July 24, 2023. IBM has stopped advertising on social media platform X, Thursday, Nov. 16, after a report that its ads were appearing alongside material praising Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, in a fresh setback for the compan...

Snopp Dogg says he’s giving up ‘smoke.’ It caught some of his fans off guard

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:15:42 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Asking for privacy, hip-hop legend and longtime marijuana enthusiast Snoop Dogg says he’s going to stop smoking — though he didn’t specify exactly what that might mean.“After much consideration and conversation with my family, I’ve decided to give up smoke,” Snoop wrote in a message shared on Instagram and X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday. “Please respect my privacy at this time.”The rapper and entrepreneur, who has become known for his own weed-related ventures over the years, provided no additional details in his brief announcement, which came the week after a new marijuana-adjacent product was introduced bearing his name. Representatives for the 52-year-old Snoop, born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ requests for comment Friday.That didn’t stop ample speculation from fans, many of whom filled the comments of Snoop’s post after being caught off gu...

A Texas woman convicted of killing pro cyclist ‘Mo’ Wilson is sentenced to 90 years in prison

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:15:42 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas jury on Friday sentenced a woman to 90 years in prison for the May 2022 shooting death of rising professional cyclist Anna “Mo” Wilson in a case that sent investigators on a 43-day international search for the killer.Jurors deliberated for just over three hours before delivering the verdict for Kaitlin Armstrong, who investigators say tracked Wilson to the apartment where she was staying and shot her three times. They took only two hours on Thursday to convict her. Prosecutors said Armstrong, 35, gunned down the 25-year-old Wilson in a jealous rage. Wilson had briefly dated Armstrong’s boyfriend several months earlier. Wilson went swimming and to a meal with him the day she was killed.Armstrong’s defense attorneys had urged the jury to consider something less than life that could offer the chance for parole.A Vermont native and former alpine skier at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, Wilson was an emerging star in pro gravel and mountain bike racing. S...