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Auto workers strike: 7,000 more workers join picket lines

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

By Tom Krisher and David Koenig | Associated PressDETROIT — The United Auto Workers union expanded its strikes against Detroit automakers Friday, ordering 7,000 more workers to walk off the job in Illinois and Michigan to put more pressure on the companies to improve their offers.It was the second time the union has widened the walkout, which started two weeks ago at three assembly plants before the most recent addition of a Ford plant in Chicago and a General Motors assembly factory near Lansing.Union President Shawn Fain told workers in a video appearance that the strikes were escalated because Ford and GM refused “to make meaningful progress” in ongoing contract talks. Jeep maker Stellantis was spared from the third round of strikes.Ford and GM shot back as a war of words with the union also intensified. Ford accused the UAW of holding up a deal mainly over union representation at electric vehicle battery plants, most of which are joint ventures with a Korean manufact...

Kaiser strike looming if deal with union not reached Saturday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- The union and Kaiser Permanente officials have until Sept. 30 to come to an agreement. If one isn’t met, and a strike does happen, it would be the largest healthcare strike in U.S. history.Almost 75,000 healthcare workers would walk out nationwide.Kaiser Permanente workers authorized a strike weeks ago. The union represents workers in Washington, Colorado, Oregon and almost 60,000 here in California. Around 20,000 workers are located in the Bay Area.The workers’ biggest demands are better pay and a solution to the staffing shortage they’ve been facing.Kaiser’s last statement received said: “The Coalition unions are positioned to strike in October. However, for the last 26 years of our historic labor-management partnership, we have reached agreements with the Coalition every time, with no strikes.” The statement also adds that caring for its members and patients is a top priority, and plans are in place to ensure high-quality care should a strike actually o...

Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones arrested in protective order violation, authorities say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones has been arrested on accusations of violating a domestic violence temporary protection order, authorities said. Vegas-area police arrested the 33-year-old edge rusher early Friday. He’s being held at the Clark County Detention Center with bail set at $15,000, according to online records. He’s scheduled to appear in court Dec. 4. Attorney Peter Christiansen in Las Vegas said he represents Jones. He declined to comment about Jones’ arrest. There has been growing concern for Jones’ mental health due to peculiar behavior on social media. In one video, he spent about 25 minutes talking about a variety of topics before breaking down in tears when discussing Aaron Hernandez’s death, whom he referred to as “Chico.”Monday, in a since-deleted post of a handwritten journal entry, he said he was taken to a hospital “against my will” by the Las Vegas Fire Department a week prior. He wrote that Las Vegas police were on hand whe...

Metro train with 43 on board derails outside Reagan National Airport, no reported injuries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

A Blue Line Metro train carrying 43 passengers derailed Friday morning outside Reagan National Airport after apparently hitting debris left behind on the track by another Metro train, according to the transit agency.No injuries have been reported as a result of the derailment, which happened just before 11 a.m. The Blue Line train was heading southbound toward Franconia-Springfield.A Metro spokesperson said a rescue train was sent to the derailed train in order to get riders back to the platform at National Airport. All passengers made it aboard the rescue train within 30 minutes after the derailment, according to Metro General Manager Randy Clarke.According to Metro’s preliminary review of onboard video from the derailed 7000-series train, Clarke said there was an object on the tracks that appears to have caused the derailment. Clarke said that video will be released Friday.“Indications show that the object was a component of a 3000-series train that preceded the incide...

MLB has its most productive class of rookie hitters ever. Managers and players believe they know why

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Royce Lewis has played in 70 games for the Minnesota Twins. He has five grand slams.The AL Central champion Twins haven’t had a rookie so ready for major league stardom since Joe Mauer nearly two decades ago. Despite a decided lack of live games over the last three seasons due to injuries and the pandemic, Lewis entered the lineup after finishing his ACL rehab and immediately hit like he’d been there for years.“An impact on our team that we can’t really measure, except to say we’re a significantly better team when he’s out there,” manager Rocco Baldelli said.Lewis is just one of dozens of first-year position players crushing it at the plate for contending teams, many of them with a postseason place clinched. By at least one key measure, this is the best class of rookie hitters the major leagues have ever seen.Call this the year of the instant hit.According to FanGraphs data, the advanced metric Wins Above Replacement total for all rookie hitters in 202...

Man who faked Native American heritage to sell his art in Seattle sentenced to probation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — A Washington state man who falsely claimed Native American heritage to sell his artwork at downtown Seattle galleries was sentenced Wednesday to federal probation and community service. The U.S. attorney’s office said Lewis Rath, of Maple Falls, was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court to two years probation and 200 hours of community service. He was charged in 2021 with multiple crimes including violating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, which prohibits misrepresentation in marketing American Indian or Alaska Native arts and crafts.An investigation started in 2018, when the Indian Arts and Crafts Board received a complaint about Rath, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.Rath falsely claimed to be a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe in Arizona and sold carved wooden totem poles, transformation masks and pendants to Seattle retail stores, the attorney’s office said.Agents searching Rath’s residence also recovered feathers from birds protected u...

Colorado officer killed while conducting welfare check, serving warrant

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KDVR) -- Investigators in Colorado Springs say parole officer Christine Guerin Sandoval was killed Thursday while serving a warrant and conducting a welfare check.During a news conference Friday afternoon, leaders of the Colorado Springs Police Department, 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office and Department of Corrections spoke about what happened and the steps moving forward. What is a Blue Alert and how often is it used? According to investigators, Guerin Sandoval was one of three officers at the scene around 3:45 p.m. They approached a vehicle with the suspect in it and when this happened he drove off, hitting Guerin Sandoval and a second female officer.Both officers were taken to the hospital where Guerin Sandoval died. "Christine took an oath to protect the citizens of Colorado and she lost her life doing just that," Director of the Department of Corrections Andre Stancil said.The second officer, who is not being identified for privacy reasons, has...

How successful are Blue Alerts in Colorado?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

LAKEWOOD, Colo (KDVR) -- A suspect is in custody after reportedly hitting and killing a Colorado parole officer on Thursday.The incident launched a Blue Alert manhunt that ended with the suspect’s arrest hours later. Justin Andrew Kula, 41, was taken into custody in the crash, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department.That alert was sent out by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, which Investigative Analyst Audrey Simkins says made the decision after establishing the incident met the criteria for a Blue Alert.“We know it needs to happen immediately," says Simkins. "So we drop everything and work to get that alert ready to push out.” No more warnings: Drive over the line, pay the fine But unlike Amber Alerts, Simkins says Blue Alerts are sent out quite infrequently. Since the Colorado state legislature passed the Blue Alert law back in 2011, only four alerts have been sent out, including Thursday's. Other alerts were sent out in 2014, 2015, and 2019, when...

Afternoon storms cause flooding in parts of Fort Lauderdale; flood advisory issued for Broward

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

Afternoon storms have led to extensive flooding in some pockets of Fort Lauderdale and triggered a flood advisory in Broward County.7News cameras captured a roadway resembling a river along the 2100 block of Southwest 10th Court, between Davie and Broward boulevards, in an industrial neighborhood just west of Interstate 95, at around 4:10 p.m., Friday.Floodwaters were also seen on Friday in the Edgewood neighborhood, just north of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. This is the same neighborhood that saw some of the most extreme precipitation in the historic flood that affected the region back in April.Authorities advise drivers to turn around if possible when coming across standing water.The flood advisory remains in effect in Broward County until 4:45 p.m.Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

Caught on camera: Thieves steal air conditioning unit from Miami church serving low-income community

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

NARANJA, Fla. (WSVN) – The Archdiocese of Miami is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying two individuals who stole an air conditioning unit from Saint Ann Mission in Naranja. The theft, captured on surveillance video, occurred at 4 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 4.Saint Ann Mission, located at 13875 S.W. 264th Street in Naranja, is currently undergoing renovations, including the construction of a new church, to serve the predominantly low-income community of farm and nursery workers in the area, situated approximately five miles northwest of Homestead Air Reserve Base.David Prada, the archdiocesan director of Building and Property, noted the irony of “thieves stealing from the poor church that serves the local migrant community.” The stolen air conditioning unit was crucial for the mission’s food and clothes bank, which assists those in need.If you have any information on this crime, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can alwa...