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Under fire from House GOP, Wray defends the ‘real FBI’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:35 GMT

By Farnoush Amiri, Eric Tucker and Lisa Mascaro | Associated PressWASHINGTON — FBI Director Chris Wray defended the “real FBI” during a contentious congressional hearing Wednesday, dismissing a litany of grievances from Republicans who are harshly critical of the bureau, threatening to defund some operations and claiming the Justice Department is unfair to political conservatives.Wray refused to engage in specific questions about ongoing federal investigations, including those involving former President Donald Trump and Hunter Biden. The son of President Joe Biden recently reached an agreement to plead guilty to misdemeanor federal tax charges; Republicans have derided that as a sweetheart deal.In testy exchanges with Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee, Wray rejected the GOP assertion that the bureau was favoring the Biden family and said the notion that the bureau was involved the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol was “ludicrous.”“The work ...

New Berkeley Shakespeare troupe debuts a new ‘Midsummer’ musical

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:35 GMT

Older theatergoers might do a double-take when they see that Berkeley Shakespeare Company is performing a musical version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”This is, of course, not the venerable Berkeley Shakespeare Festival that held court in the 1970s and ’80s before moving to Orinda and changing its name to the California Shakespeare Festival and then to California Shakespeare Theater. It’s an all new company with a slightly different name, founded not quite two years ago.“Considering that nobody had actually taken the name Berkeley Shakespeare Company as a whole, it just felt simple, memorable and something that would bring people out to see the show,” says company cofounder Phillip Leyva.It’s a new “Midsummer,” too. It’s the world premiere of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Musical!,” adapted and directed by writer Sonya Baehr and composer Thomas W. Jones.“There’s such a range of music in this show,” says fellow co-founder Jennifer Gallagher, who plays Titania and Hippolyta a...

San Francisco home prices no longer highest in the nation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:35 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- While still astronomically high, typical home values in San Francisco are no longer the highest in the nation, according to a new report from Zillow. At $1,128,205, home prices in SF are actually down significantly from last year, when they were 7.7% higher.Zillow's report cites a combination of low inventory and higher mortgage rates for increasing market competition in SF. More Bay Area tech layoffs on the way With home values down from last year, some potential sellers have also decided to hold off on making any moves for now. This is further exasperating the low inventory conditions in SF, Zillow said.Compared to last year, there are 37% fewer new listings and total inventory is down 32% from last year. Looking further back, total inventory is 33% below what it was in 2019, before the pandemic.Newly pending sales are also down, falling 5.7% month-over-month and 4%, compared to this time last year.SF prices still remain far and away higher than the typic...

A cemetery for forgotten toys: Montgomery Co. now accepting more electronic disposals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:35 GMT

VHS video cassette isolated on white background.(Getty Images/iStockphoto/amnachphoto) VHS video cassette isolated on white background.(Getty Images/iStockphoto/amnachphoto) Broken drones, wonky handheld vacuum cleaners and VHS tapes that have been sitting on bookshelves for ages now have a place to go — and it’s not the trash.Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection has more options for county residents who don’t want to add to the landfill but who have been at a loss as to what do with things like empty printer ink and toner cartridges.Those items and more are now accepted at the county’s Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station in Derwood.The expansion is possible in part due to th...

Vatican weighs in on latest ‘Vatican Girl’ tempest after investigations are reopened

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:35 GMT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican on Wednesday sought to tamp down the latest tempest over the 1983 disappearance of a Vatican employee’s teenage daughter, after an Italian broadcaster claimed a new scoop in the investigation that the family immediately dismissed.The mystery of 15-year-old Emanuela Orlandi’s disappearance has horrified and intrigued Italians for four decades and received renewed interest following the airing last year of the Netflix documentary “Vatican Girl.” Orlandi vanished June 22, 1983 after leaving her family’s Vatican City apartment to go to a music lesson in Rome. Theories over the years have linked her disappearance to everything from the plot to kill St. John Paul II to a financial scandal involving the Vatican bank and Rome’s criminal underworldThis year, both the Vatican and the Rome prosecutors’ office reopened their investigations into the cold case. The Italian Parliament also is poised to open a bicameral commission of inquiry in hopes of finally solvi...

Denver police officer who was hit by firetruck during Nuggets parade had leg amputated

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:35 GMT

DENVER (AP) — A Denver police officer received a below-the-knee amputation after a firetruck rolled over his leg during the celebratory parade for the Denver Nuggets’ NBA championship win last month, according to the Denver Police Department.Sgt. Justin Dodge was walking along the front passenger side of the truck, which was carrying Nuggets players, when fans made their way onto the street during the June 15 parade route, Denver police Chief Ron Thomas said at a new conference that same day. Dodge was trying to protect the fans when he was struck, said Thomas. The procedure included a skin graft and Dodge was released from the hospital Monday night to recover at home, according to the DPD spokesperson. Source

Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka both make their way back into the Wimbledon semifinals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:35 GMT

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — From where Ons Jabeur was sitting on Centre Court, a spot in the Wimbledon semifinals was as good as guaranteed.The sixth-seeded Tunisian walked into the main stadium at the All England Club on Wednesday to play Elena Rybakina in a rematch of last year’s final. Jabeur lost that time, but not this time — later joking that it was possibly thanks to the seating arrangements.“When we entered the court, felt like a similar feeling of playing (the) same match against her. But I made sure I changed seats this time. I went for the other seat that she won (from) last year,” Jabeur said. “Maybe it’s the seat that made me win today.”Jabeur, who last year became the first woman from North Africa and first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam final, beat the defending champion 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-1.She won eight of the final nine games, mixing her drop shots and slices throughout with some hard-hitting forehands and backhands.“Last year maybe I wasn’t ready to play this k...

Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus nominated for NASCAR Hall of Fame

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:35 GMT

Seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and his former crew chief of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Chad Knaus headline a list of 15 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2024.There are 10 nominees on the modern era ballot and five on the pioneer ballot, which is designed to honor those whose careers began more than 60 years ago. Two modern era candidates and one pioneer candidate will be selected for the Hall of Fame when the 61-person committee meets on Aug. 2.Together, Johnson and Knaus won Cup titles in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2016. Johnson’s seven titles as a driver tie him with Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty for the most in NASCAR history.Joining Johnson and Knaus on the modern era ballot are former drivers Carl Edwards, Neil Bonnett, Jeff Burton, Ricky Rudd, Harry Gant, Tim Brewer, Harry Hyde and Larry Phillips.Donnie Allison, an original member of the fan-favorite Alabama Gang, will be on the pioneer ballot for the first time, along ...

Kobe’s legacy in the NBA lives on in a new way. Two players bear his name

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:35 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — There’s Kobe, wearing the uniform of a team from Los Angeles. There’s Kobe, the last one on the court at practice and getting yelled at because the buses are waiting for him.How fitting. Just like old times.There will never be another Kobe Bryant, of course. And make no mistake — Kobe Brown and Kobe Bufkin would be the first two players at NBA Summer League to insist that there will never be another Bryant. They would never pretend otherwise. But for the first time since the Hall of Famer retired in 2016, the NBA is about to have fans watching guys named Kobe again.Brown is in Summer League with the Los Angeles Clippers. Bufkin is entering his rookie year with the Atlanta Hawks. Both were named for Bryant, who — for now — is the only player named Kobe to make it to the NBA. In a couple of months, that seems likely to change.“It means a lot,” Brown said. “There’s definitely a target on my back, I feel like. A lot of guys, when they hear the name Kobe, they think of K...

Mayor Michael Hancock to deliver farewell address Wednesday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:35 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver's longtime mayor will deliver his farewell address to the city as he prepares to pass the torch to new leadership.Mayor Michael Hancock has served as Denver's mayor for three terms. That's 12 years of leading Colorado's capital city through a period of major population growth in the metro area and the change that comes with it, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. Denver-area inflation among nation’s highest Voters last month traded one Michael for another, with former state senator Mike Johnston voted into office as the city's 46th mayor. He will be sworn in next Monday, on July 17.Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announces that bars and restaurants have been ordered to close for the next two months to fend off the spread of coronavirus, Monday, March 16, 2020, in Denver. The announcement marked the earliest stages of the years-long response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)How to watch Hancock's farewell addressHancock's address wi...