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Editorial: User trust in Google takes another hit

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:15:17 GMT

Users’ trust in Google took yet another hit Thursday.The tech titan agreed to a $93 million settlement with the state of California resolving allegations that its location-privacy practices violated the state’s consumer protection laws. The accord follows a $391.5 million settlement with 40 states, reached last November, after an investigation into how the company tracked users’ locations since at least 2014.Specifically, the California Department of Justice and other states had determined that Google was deceiving users by collecting, storing and using their location data for consumer profiling and advertising purposes without users’ informed consent.It’s an appalling practice that further erodes the tech industry’s reputation when it can least afford it, given the rapid innovations brought about by artificial intelligence.In order to build trust in AI, it’s imperative that people believe that tech companies are heavily invested in protecting con...

Opinion: How California can improve safety of privately run bio labs

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:15:17 GMT

The discovery of an illegally operating bio lab in the Central Valley was disturbing to many — and especially frightening to the Reedley community living and working around the lab. Investigation of the samples and mice found in the facility revealed improperly stored pathogenic material, including coronavirus, malaria, dengue and HIV.Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and officials who investigated the Prestige Biotech lab do not suspect it was creating weaponized materials, if it was working with “live” or infectious pathogens such as coronaviruses, it should have been operating at biosafety level 3, or BSL-3, the second-highest tier of protection.Biosafety levels are defined by the CDC according to what pathogens are stored and used in a lab’s work and what procedures are being done with those pathogens. They also describe what protective measures are needed to keep laboratory workers, the environment and local residents safe.The levels are not legal ma...

Silver Creek dials up late-game option to turn back Piedmont Hills

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:15:17 GMT

SAN JOSE — Silver Creek’s identity is as a power-counter, power-read running team. But when the Raiders needed a wrinkle after watching Piedmont Hills rally to take the lead in the fourth quarter, they transitioned to an option play out of the veer and saw it work to perfection.Quarterback Trajan Sinatra faked to a running back plunging up the middle and circled around left end. That’s where he pitched to trailing back Dominic Lim, who took it 34 yards for the game-winning touchdown as Silver Creek registered a 24-20 victory in a Blossom Valley Athletic League Santa Teresa-Foothill Division opener for both teams.“When defenses aren’t playing us honest, that’s when we do to the veer,” Silver Creek coach Eric Luescher said.That same play was used in the first quarter with Gabe Lim gaining 33 yards to set up a 15-yard touchdown pass from Sinatra to Austin Price.Silver Creek High’s Dominic Lim (19) celebrates his game-winning touchdown wit...

Sabrina Ionescu leads Liberty past Mystics, New York’s first home playoff win since 2015

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:15:17 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Sabrina Ionescu scored 29 points, hitting seven 3-pointers, to help the New York Liberty beat the Washington Mystics 90-75 in Game 1 of their WNBA playoff matchup on Friday night.Jonquel Jones added 20 points and 12 rebounds to give New York its first home playoff victory since 2015. Game 2 of the best-of-three series is Tuesday night in New York.Ionescu scored eight points in the third quarter, including the final five of the period with a deep 3-pointer and then a floater in the lane just before the buzzer to give New York a 69-57 advantage.Myisha Hines-Allen scored a playoff career-high 21 points for the Mystics.Breanna Stewart, the Associated Press Player of the Year, had a rough night for the Liberty, finishing with 10 points on 3-of-16 shooting.WINGS 94, DREAM 82ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Satou Sabally scored 32 points, Arike Ogunbowale had 24 and Dallas rallied from an early deficit to beat Atlanta in the opener of a best-of-three series.Teaira McCowan had 17 poi...

Loudoun Co. board votes to remove unfinished hotel from Route 50

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:15:17 GMT

The half-finished hotel that has stood along Route 50 for nearly 14 years will be demolished, according to a newly adopted ordinance in Loudoun County, Virginia.The site plan for the 243-room, 161,489 square foot Sheraton Dulles South Hotel at East Gate was accepted in 2008 but has sat vacant at 25450 Lizzio Center Drive along Route 50 since then.On Tuesday, the county’s Board of Supervisors held a public hearing for residents and the current property owner to discuss the option of demolishing the structure.“The unfinished hotel site on Route 50 has been a source of frustration and concern for Dulles District residents for well over a decade,” said Matt Letourneau, Dulles Supervisor with the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors.The board then agreed to have the metal structure removed.“If the owner does not remove the structure after reasonable notice of being required to do so, the county will proceed with removal at the owner’s expense,” the county governmen...

It’s the Biden show as other top leaders skip UN

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:15:17 GMT

President Joe Biden will dominate the stage more than usual during next week’s U.N. General Assembly gathering — several other heavyweights aren’t even showing up.The leaders of four of the five countries that hold permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council are expected to skip the annual event, which draws heads of state and government from all over the world.Their absence may have a welcome side effect for Biden: It could boost his administration’s struggling effort to improve America’s image with less-powerful countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia that view the United Nations as a vital forum. It also could help woo those nations away from China and Russia.The heads of two top American rivals — China and Russia — aren’t expected to attend. The leaders of two major American allies — the United Kingdom and France — also aren’t bothering to show. All have different or unknown reasons for not trekking to New York.For many less-wealthy countries, the U.N. forum is a rare oppor...

Millions under storm watches as Lee is downgraded and passes by New England

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:15:17 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The National Hurricane Center downgraded Hurricane Lee to a post-tropical cyclone but millions of people remained under storm watches and warnings early Saturday as the storm still could produce hurricane-force winds, torrential rain and coastal flooding.Severe conditions were predicted as a possibility across portions of Massachusetts and Maine and hurricane conditions could hit the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, where the storm had been predicted to make landfall later Saturday.The storm was located about 230 miles (365 kilometers) southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and about 220 miles (355 kilometers) southeast of Eastport, Maine on Saturday morning.There were more than 11,000 power outages from Massachusetts to Maine early Saturday. The wind had picked up and rain moved into eastern Massachusetts.The hurricane center predicted hurricane-force winds extending more than 100 miles (161 kilometers) from Lee’s center with lesser but still ...

Hundreds without power as Lee sideswipes Massachusetts coastline

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:15:17 GMT

More than 1,000 customers were without power Saturday morning as Lee lashed southeastern Massachusetts with 40-50 mph winds. About 1,170 customers were without power as of 9 a.m., primarily on Cape Cod, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency’s Outage Map.Stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest on Lee.

Peak winds recorded so far in Mass.

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:15:17 GMT

Strong winds blew up and down the coast of Massachusetts, and gusts on the Cape topped 60 mph as Lee passed New England on its way to Maine.As predicted, peak winds in Dennis and Provincetown were measured at over 60 mph.Peak winds in Barnstable, Wellfleet, Chatham were all over 50 mph, the National Weather Service announced. Closer to Boston, Scituate winds clocked in at 45 mph. In coastal communities, wind is whipping around sand on beaches and bringing cooler temperatures across the region.

Chicago Cubs cling to wild-cart spot after 6-4 loss to Arizona Diamondbacks, who clinched head-to-head tiebreaker

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:15:17 GMT

Justin Steele has often single-handedly kept the Chicago Cubs in games over the last six months.That has especially been true lately. Five of his previous six starts featured games decided by two runs or fewer, all of which the Cubs won with Steele on the mound. So when the Arizona Diamondbacks tagged Steele for a pair of three-run home runs in the first and sixth innings to bookend his start Friday, the Cubs needed the offense to step up and help him out.Instead, the offense managed just five base runners through the first eight innings — four singles and a walk — and failed to have a runner advance past first base. Although the Cubs showed life in the ninth behind home runs by Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki and Christopher Morel, the Diamondbacks closed it out to hand them a 6-4 loss.The Diamondbacks clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker in the process against the Cubs, who have lost five of six games to Arizona within the last week. The Cubs (78-70) sit 1 1/2 games ahead of th...