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Feds, 17 states sue Amazon over antitrust allegations

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:50 GMT

By Haleluya Hadero | Associated PressU.S. regulators and 17 states are suing Amazon over allegations the e-commerce behemoth abuses its position in the marketplace to inflate prices — on and off Amazon — overcharge sellers and stifle competition.The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Amazon’s home state of Washington, is the result of a yearslong investigation into the company’s businesses and one of the most significant legal challenges brought against it in its nearly 30-year history.The Federal Trade Commission and states that joined the lawsuit allege Amazon is violating federal and state antitrust laws. They are asking the court to issue a permanent injunction that they say would prohibit Amazon from engaging in its unlawful conduct and loosen its “monopolistic control to restore competition.”The complaint accuses the company of engaging in anti-competitive practices through measures that deter sellers from offering lower prices for products on n...

Review: Epomaker TH80 is a great mechanical keyboard for newcomers to the hobby

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:50 GMT

Newcomers to the mechanical keyboard hobby need a place to start. One doesn’t just jump in and assemble a $400 keyboard with full-blown modifications. It’s better to pick a budget keyboard, one that lets the novices experiment with switches, keycaps and features while coming in at an affordable price.When it comes to a beginner-level device, newbies can’t go wrong with the Epomaker TH80 Pro. It’s a 75% mechanical gaming keyboard that has three ways to connect to a PC or Mac. Users have Bluetooth, a USB dongle and a wired option. Because it caters to gamers, users will find a healthy dose of RGB lighting, but it also boasts other bells and whistles that will improve the work-from-home experience.The Epomaker TH80 Pro comes with either a Monet MDA profile or Theory MDA keycaps, which sturdy but aren’t the best. (Gieson Cacho/Bay Area News Group) KEYCAP AND SWITCH COMBOIt’s a great all-around keyboard for the office or a gaming battle station. E...

Gov. Newsom signs law raising taxes on guns and ammunition to pay for school safety

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:50 GMT

By ADAM BEAM | Associated PressSACRAMENTO — California will double the taxes on guns and ammunition and use the money to pay for more security at public schools and various violence prevention programs under a new law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Tuesday.The federal government already taxes the sale of guns and ammunition at either 10% or 11%, depending on the type of gun. The law Newsom signed adds another 11% tax on top of that — making it the only state with its own tax on guns and ammunition, according to the gun control advocacy group Brady.Newsom — a potential Democratic candidate for president beyond 2024 — has a reputation as one of the country’s most liberal governors. But he has often refused to raise taxes, even for causes he supports like combating climate change.But it would have been difficult for Newsom to veto this tax increase, given his outspoken support for gun restrictions at the state and national level. Newsom is in the middle of a national campaign to amend the U....

Judge tosses charges in Philadelphia officer-involved shooting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:50 GMT

By Maryclaire Dale | Associated PressPHILADELPHIA — A judge dismissed murder and other charges Tuesday against a Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed a driver through a rolled-up driver’s side window, agreeing with defense attorneys who said the officer could have feared for his life because he thought the driver had a gun.Police body camera footage showed the driver, 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry, holding a knife near his right leg as police approached his stopped vehicle on a residential street after a short pursuit prompted by erratic driving.The ruling came after a courtroom, packed with police and relatives of Irizarry attending now-fired Officer Mark Dial’s preliminary hearing, watched about 20 minutes of the harrowing video footage. The defense argued that Dial acted in self-defense when he fired his weapon at close range shortly after noon Aug. 14.Irizarry’s relatives appeared stunned and distraught by Municipal Judge Wendy Pew’s ruling. They ...

Game-changing Manhattan Transfer brings final tour to SF

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:50 GMT

The Manhattan Transfer is taking one last spin around the globe, and we will not see their likes again.Since launching in 1972 helmed by the late Tim Hauser, the vocal quartet has succeeded again and again while restlessly exploring a broad spectrum of styles, from Brazilian jazz, R&B, and pop music to a cappella and vocalese, the intricate art of setting lyrics to solos from instrumental jazz recordings.Along the way, the Transfer has picked up 11 Grammy Awards, sold millions of albums, and scored several hits, becoming part of the pop cultural landscape in a way that paved the path for a cappella stars like Pentatonix (who featured the Manhattan Transfer on a 2016 Christmas album).Following last year’s Grammy-nominated album “Fifty” featuring Cologne’s WDR Funkhausorchester, the group set out on what it’s calling a “final world tour,” which includes three concerts at the SFJAZZ Center Sept. 29-30. The ensemble’s final incarnation features two original members, alto Janis Siege...

San Jose hotel development site is seized in real estate foreclosure

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:50 GMT

SAN JOSE — Lenders have seized through a real estate foreclosure a San Jose site where a hotel was proposed but never built, an unsettling sign that coronavirus-spawned economic ailments still afflict the Bay Area lodging sector.The real estate group that lost ownership of the site in the foreclosure proceeding had proposed the development of a 132-room hotel but never managed to launch the construction.LBC Capital Income Fund and family members who head the Fogel Family Trust took ownership of the property by foreclosing on a $4.6 million loan the lenders had provided to the development group in 2021, documents filed on Sept. 22 with the Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office show.North Star Hotel Development had proposed the hotel project on land it bought in 2019, paying $6.5 million at that time, according to county real estate records.The unpaid debt on the site had risen to about $5 million at the time the foreclosure proceeding was completed, according to the truste...

Immigration scams are rampant. Here’s how to avoid getting taken

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:50 GMT

Jon Healey | (TNS) Los Angeles TimesLOS ANGELES — For several years, Oswaldo Rafael Cabrera touted his services as an immigration attorney in advertisements, social media posts and interviews with Spanish-language news outlets.Unfortunately for his many clients, Cabrera was not a lawyer. He wasn’t legally qualified to offer any kind of help on immigration matters despite the large fees he charged. Accused of grand theft and other violations, he pleaded guilty in 2017 and was sentenced to 62 months in state prison.Cabrera is just one example of the many people who prey on immigrants as they try to navigate the labyrinth of U.S. immigration law. Some pretend to be attorneys. Others offer supposedly expert guidance for a fee, even though they are not permitted to do so.Widespread lack of knowledge about U.S. immigration law and its many requirements makes immigrants vulnerable to being taken. Nearly half of immigrants in California, and 45% nationwide, feel they don’t have enough infor...

San Carlos: Fiddlers Green spins off an Irish fusion restaurant, Molly O’s

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:50 GMT

In San Carlos, the must-have condiments — HP Sauce, Colman’s Mustard and Heinz Malt Vinegar — are lined up and the Guinness and Smithwicks are flowing.There’s a new Irish pub and restaurant in town, courtesy of Millbrae’s venerable Fiddlers Green restaurant family.Molly O’s — named after 90-year-old matriarch Molly Mitchell — is now serving traditional Irish fare plus Cal-Mex and American favorites daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The bar is open nightly, until 2 a.m. on Friday-Saturday.For this venture, Mitchell’s daughter and son-in-law, Rose and Oliver McElhone, who own Fiddlers Green, are joined by two other partners, their son Ollie McElhone and Juan Angulo, previously the head chef at Fiddlers Green.Molly O’s is a new San Carlos restaurant from the owners of the longtime Millbrae favorite, Fiddlers Green. (Photo by Carly Hackbarth/Molly O’s) The massive brunch menu ranges from the traditional (Irish Breakfa...

Symphony San Jose concert heads for fanciful terrain

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:50 GMT

Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya believes in exploring music from a full spectrum — beloved classics of the repertoire, as well as ink-still-wet new works.“Absolutely,” she says, “I think we look back and define eras based on the art that they produced — and what will define today for the people of tomorrow. It’s very important to keep the art form not just alive, but relevant.”With a strong commitment to innovation, Yankovskaya has become one of classical music’s essential artists. This week, the Russian-born, Chicago-based conductor comes to the Bay Area to lead Symphony San Jose’s new program. Titled “Myths, Fairy Tales and Legends,” it features Lera Auerbach’s “Icarus,” Wagner’s Prelude and Liebestod from “Tristan und Isolde,” and a Suite from Prokofiev’s “Cinderella.”In a call from her home in Chicago, where she is music director of Chicago Opera Theater, Yankovskaya said she was looking forward to the sure breadth of this weekend’s performances.“It’s a range of the kin...

Antioch nanny charged with production of child pornography

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:50 GMT

(KRON) -- An Antioch nanny was charged for the production and distribution of child pornography, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.Michelle Nicole Hidalgo, 28, of Antioch, was arrested at her home on Sept. 22 by the Contra Costa County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force after a social media company notified authorities of child sexual abuse materials being shared on the platform. Hidalgo was working as a nanny for the victim’s family at the time of the arrest, according to the DA’s office.A search warrant served to Hidalgo at her home uncovered equipment used in the production and distribution of the pornographic images of minors, officials said. Young mother slain at Bay Area Toyota service center identified Hidalgo was charged in a seven-count complaint Tuesday and her bail was set at $700,000. The case is being prosecuted by the Sexual Assault Unit of the Contra Costa DA’s Office.Anyone with relevant information in the case is asked t...