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France's Constitutional Council rejects bid for pension referendum

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

The Constitutional Council of France rejected a second attempt by political opponents to have a referendum held on the cap on retirement age.Macron overcame weeks of violent protests and fierce union opposition to his plan to increase the retirement age to 64 years by raising it two years. He rammed the legislation through the parliament and signed it into law without a final voting.In a press release, the council stated that the referendum proposal did not meet legal criteria defined by the constitution.Since Macron bypassed the parliament, opposition legislators have twice turned to the Constitutional Council in an effort to derail this reform. They sought its approval each time for a referendum regarding the retirement age.The role of the council was to determine whether the opposition's demand met the legal requirements for a referendum.The first attempt was already rejected, in part because the pension law had not yet been enacted. Also, the referendum proposal would have had n...

Declaring it a public nuisance, officials revoke Marin nightclub’ permit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

George’s Nightclub in downtown San Rafael has been shut down, for now.The City Council has rejected an appeal by Esly Figueroa, owner of the venue at 842 Fourth St. In April, Figueroa contested the city’s decision to revoke a conditional use permit that allowed it to operate as a nightclub.In her appeal, Figueroa said the city has been targeting her business since a double homicide near the venue two years ago. Figueroa, who is a Spanish speaker, said there was inadequate interpretation provided to her at the Planning Commission meeting. She also alleged inadequate review and discrepancies in information presented.The 4-0 vote on May 1 reaffirms the Planning Commission’s decision to take away the permit, finding the business out of compliance and declaring it a public nuisance. Councilmember Rachel Kertz was absent from the council vote.The revocation prohibits Figueroa or anyone else from running a nightclub at the venue for at least one year. Figueroa or another business operator ...

What’s in those melatonin gummies? Some intended for children have a lot more than what it says on the label

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

Emily Willingham Melatonin is a hormone associated with our sleep-wake cycles, with levels increasing as the sun goes down. For this reason, it’s a popular sleep supplement for adults and children alike, perceived as being fairly harmless and supported by plenty of testimonials praising its positive effects.If your child takes melatonin as a supplement, though, you’ll want to attend to some news about the melatonin content in over-the-counter gummies. According to a recent study published in the medical journal JAMA, the content of these gummies often exceeds what the label claims.With almost a million children in the United States taking melatonin supplements as an aid for sleep or stress relief, these findings are relevant for many families. One reason they matter, the study authors write, is the striking number of calls to poison control centers, which increased from 8,337 in 2012 to 52,563 in 2021. Along with 27,705 urgent or emergent care visits during this time, there wer...

Marijuana, mushrooms valued at over $1 million seized from California dispensary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

Marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms valued at over $1 million were seized from an unlicensed dispensary in Jurupa Valley on May 4, authorities said Sunday.Deputies confiscated 115 pounds of processed marijuana, 100 pounds of concentrated marijuana, 1,200 marijuana edibles and 2,400 marijuana vapes, as well as an estimated 10 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.Investigators from the Jurupa Valley station served a search warrant after responding to a disturbance on the property on the 1700 block of Production Circle. Numerous people had tried to flee but several were detained, authorities said. No arrests have been made, according to Sgt. Deirdre Vickers.Anyone with information on the case can contact Deputy Butler at the Jurupa Valley Sheriff’s station at 951-955–2600. Related ArticlesMarijuana | Theories on how 4/20 became weed enthusiast day Marijuana | Uneasy West Coast marijuana industry ...

Four-bedroom home sells in Dublin for $1.5 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

2776 Alliston Loop – Google Street ViewA 2,144-square-foot house built in 2016 has changed hands. The spacious, recently built property located in the 2700 block of Alliston Loop in Dublin was sold on March 24, 2023, for $1,500,000, or $700 per square foot. The property features four bedrooms, three baths, a garage, and two parking spaces. The unit sits on a 2,872-square-foot lot.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:On Alliston Loop, Dublin, in January 2023, a 1,764-square-foot home was sold for $1,350,000, a price per square foot of $765. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,251-square-foot home on the 4200 block of Sunset View Drive in Dublin sold in October 2022, for $1,650,000, a price per square foot of $733. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In February 2023, a 2,620-square-foot home on Vittoria Loop in Dublin sold for $1,515,000, a price per square foot of $578. The home has 6 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. 

Word Game: May 8, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — SQUIRMING (SQUIRMING: SKWURM-ing: Twisting about in a wriggling motion; writhing.)Average mark 18 wordsTime limit 30 minutesCan you find 23 or more words in SQUIRMING? The list will be published tomorrow.SATURDAY’S WORD — ACCESSIBLE able access aisle alee cable case cease celiac class classic ease easel else sable sail sale scab scabies scale seal sisal slab slice iceless isle bail bailee bale base basic basil basis bass belie bias bile blase bless bliss lace laic lase lass lease less liceTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang word...

Can the Pentagon Use ChatGPT? OpenAI Won’t Answer.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

As automated text generators have rapidly, dazzlingly advanced from fantasy to novelty to genuine tool, they are starting to reach the inevitable next phase: weapon. The Pentagon and intelligence agencies are openly planning to use tools like ChatGPT to advance their mission — but the company behind the mega-popular chatbot is silent.OpenAI, the nearly $30 billion R&D titan behind ChatGPT, provides a public list of ethical lines it will not cross, business it will not pursue no matter how lucrative, on the grounds that it could harm humanity. Among many forbidden use cases, OpenAI says it has preemptively ruled out military and other “high risk” government applications. Like its rivals, Google and Microsoft, OpenAI is eager to declare its lofty values but unwilling to earnestly discuss what these purported values mean in practice, or how — or even if — they’d be enforced.“If there’s one thing to take away from what you’re looking at here, it’s the weaknes...

Today in History: May 18, Mount St. Helens erupts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

Today in History Today is Thursday, May 18, the 138th day of 2023. There are 227 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On May 18, 1980, the Mount St. Helens volcano in Washington state exploded, leaving 57 people dead or missing. On this date: In 1652, Rhode Island became the first American colony to pass a law abolishing African slavery; however, the law was apparently never enforced.In 1863, the Siege of Vicksburg began during the Civil War, ending July 4 with a Union victory. In 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Plessy v. Ferguson, endorsed “separate but equal” racial segregation, a concept renounced 58 years later by Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. In 1910, Halley’s Comet passed by earth, brushing it with its tail. In 1927, in America’s deadliest school attack, part of a schoolhouse in Bath Township, Michigan, was blown up with explosives planted by local farmer Andrew Kehoe, who then set off a bomb in his truck; the attacks killed 38 children and six adults...

Freshpet: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) — SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) — Freshpet Inc. (FRPT) on Monday reported a loss of $24.8 million in its first quarter.On a per-share basis, the Secaucus, New Jersey-based company said it had a loss of 52 cents.The results fell short of Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for a loss of 40 cents per share.The seller of refrigerated fresh pet food posted revenue of $167.5 million in the period, topping Street forecasts. Eight analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $166.6 million.Freshpet expects full-year revenue of $750 million._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on FRPT at https://www.zacks.com/ap/FRPTSource

‘Everything is at stake’: Abbott Elementary star calls for higher teacher wages at Md. town hall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

Abbott Elementary star and Emmy Award-winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph (center) moderates an education town hall at Walt Whitman High School to kick off Teacher Appreciation Week. (WTOP/Luke Garrett)The hit TV show “Abbott Elementary” chronicles the lives of teachers at an underfunded and mismanaged public school in Philadelphia. The show is a mockumentary, where the actors are filmed as if they’re subjects in an actual documentary.While the show itself is fiction, “Abbott Elementary” star Sheryl Lee Ralph, who plays veteran teacher Barbara Howard, said the show accurately depicts how little teachers get paid for doing so much. For Ralph, that’s a problem.“How do you expect people to make an actual living?” she said. “How do you expect people to do their best with our greatest natural resource, our children? They truly deserve more. They truly deserve better.”On Sunday, the Emmy Award-winning actress hosted a town hall at W...