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Jury says health clinic in Montana Superfund town submitted 337 false asbestos claims

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:39:50 GMT

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A federal jury ruled Wednesday that a health clinic in a Montana town where hundreds of people have died from asbestos exposure submitted 337 false asbestos claims that made patients eligible for Medicare and other benefits they shouldn’t have received.The seven-person jury said that the fraudulent claims caused more than $1 million in damage to the government.The case focused on the Center for Asbestos Related Disease in Libby, Montana. BNSF Railway filed a lawsuit against the clinic under the federal False Claims Act in 2019.The railroad company owned by billionaire Warren Buffett is also a defendant in numerous lawsuits over its own role in the town’s contamination. In 2020, Montana’s Supreme Court found BNSF liable for shipping asbestos-tainted vermiculite from a nearby mine through Libby.The clinic and its high-profile doctor, Brad Black, have been at the forefront of efforts to help residents of the town, which came to national prominence when it w...

California Black reparations task force concludes historic 2-year work

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:39:50 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s first-in-the-nation slavery reparations task force wraps up its historic work Thursday with the official submission of a report two years in the making, one that documents the state’s role in perpetuating discrimination against Black residents and suggests dozens of ways to atone.The report heads to lawmakers who will be responsible for turning policy recommendations into legislation. Reparations will not happen until lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom agree. The recommendations include a formal apology to descendants of people enslaved in the U.S. and financial compensation for harms descendants have suffered, such as overpolicing and housing discrimination. The panel also recommended the state create a new agency to oversee reparations efforts. “It’s been a whirlwind, it’s been very work intensive, but also very cathartic and very emotional,” said Kamilah Moore, 31, task force chair and a Los Angeles-based attorney. “We’re standing i...

Stock market today: Asian shares are lower after central bankers say interest rates must stay high

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:39:50 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets were mixed Thursday after leaders of major central banks said they need to keep interest rates high to fight persistent inflation despite fears that might tip the global economy into recession.Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul retreated while Tokyo and Sydney advanced. Oil prices declined.U.S., European and Japanese central bankers meeting in Portugal said Wednesday that with hiring still strong in major economies, they have yet to extinguish upward pressure on prices. “Policy hasn’t been restrictive enough for long enough,” said Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.“The end of hiking interest rates is not in sight yet,” said Carl B. Weinberg of High-Frequency Economics in a report.The Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.1% to 3,185.56 while the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo gained 0.4% to 33,340.66. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong sank 0.9% to 18,995.31. The Kospi in Seoul gave up 0.1% to 2,560.67 while Sydney’s S&P-ASX 200 advanced less than 0.1% to 7,203.30. ...

Safety concerns dominate Norfolk Southern railroad CEO’s job since Ohio derailment

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:39:50 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Norfolk Southern’s CEO has spoken often of safety and better service since he took the job over a year ago, but it’s safety that has dominated discussions after one of his trains derailed and caught fire in February in Ohio, creating towering black smoke, forcing evacuations and raising environmental worries.Alan Shaw has said his plans include adding more trackside detectors to help spot mechanical problems. He also has hailed work with unions to improve safety — something labor leaders say Norfolk Southern hasn’t done much of since it began overhauling operations in 2019.“That interaction and that engagement with our craft colleagues is really important to me,” Shaw said in an interview with The Associated Press at the railroad’s Atlanta headquarters last week, a day before federal hearings on the East Palestine derailment began. “I need all 20,000 voices at Norfolk Southern pushing for safety. And that’s what you’re going to see.”In the interview,...

Recapping the revolt in Russia, through the words of 4 presidents and a mutinous warlord

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:39:50 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Civil war. An evil that must be stopped. Fratricide. A bug about to be squashed.The dramatic weekend rebellion by a mercenary warlord in Russia that challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin was punctuated by dramatic language from the key protagonists — and some long silences — as the world held its collective breath at the biggest challenge to Putin’s rule of more than two decades.Mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin incited a rebellion against Russia’s military leaders and sent his troops toward Moscow but aborted his mutiny when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko brokered an agreement that included exile for the warlord in Belarus. Though short-lived, the revolt rattled Russian power circles, tarnished Putin’s aura of complete control and gave Ukrainians hope that Russian infighting could help them.Many questions remain unanswered about how Prigozhin managed to get 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Moscow with little resistance. But a lot o...

Here’s why you better get used to a smoky stubborn summer in much of America

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:39:50 GMT

The only break much of America can hope for anytime soon from eye-watering dangerous smok e from fire-struck Canada is brief bouts of shirt-soaking sweltering heat and humidity from a southern heat wave that has already proven deadly, forecasters say.And then the smoke will likely come back to the Midwest and East.That’s because neither the 235 out-of-control Canadian wildfires nor the stuck weather pattern that’s responsible for this mess of meteorological maladies are showing signs of relenting for the next week or longer, according to meteorologists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Prediction Center. First, the stuck weather pattern made abnormally hot and dry conditions for Canada to burn at off-the-chart record levels. Then it created a setup where the only relief comes when low pressure systems roll through, which means areas on one side get smoky air from the north and the other gets sweltering air from the south. Smoke or heat. “Pick you...

Trump’s GOP support dips slightly after his indictment over classified documents, AP-NORC poll finds

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:39:50 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s criminal indictment on charges of mishandling government secrets appears to have dented his popularity among Republicans — but only slightly —- according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.Sixty percent of Republicans now have a favorable view of Trump, down slightly from April, when 68% of Republicans said they had a favorable view of the 2024 GOP presidential front-runner. The poll found 38% of Republicans have an unfavorable view of Trump, an uptick from 30% in April.The dip suggests some Republicans could be growing weary of Trump’s never-ending legal drama after he became the first former president in U.S. history to be indicted on federal criminal charges. Trump, who was also indicted on separate charges in New York this spring, pleaded not guilty this month to 37 felony counts accusing him of improperly storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Flo...

Yankees’ Domingo Germán throws perfect game against A’s, the 24th in MLB history

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:39:50 GMT

By MICHAEL WAGAMANThe Associated PressOAKLAND — Domingo Germán of the New York Yankees pitched the 24th perfect game in major league history Wednesday night, retiring every Oakland batter in an 11-0 victory over the Athletics.It was the first perfect game since Seattle Mariners ace Félix Hernández threw one against the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 15, 2012. There were three that season — but none since until Germán finished the first no-hitter in the big leagues this year.He joined Don Larsen (1956), David Wells (1998) and David Cone (1999) as Yankees pitchers to throw perfect games. Larsen’s gem came in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.“So exciting,” Germán said through a translator. “When you think about something very unique in baseball, not many people have an opportunity to pitch a perfect game. To accomplish something like this in my career is something that I’m going to remember forever.”Coming off a pair of terrible starts, Germán (5-5) struck out nine ...

Vacaville police search for hit-and-run driver

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:39:50 GMT

(KRON) -- The Vacaville Police Department is asking for the community's help with finding a hit-and-run driver. VPD said an elderly woman was found in the street in the area of Yosemite Circle and Plumas Court at about 6:00 a.m. Tuesday. Blood was pooling around the victim when she was found by her neighbor. The woman was hospitalized and has serious injuries. KRON ON is streaming news live now.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }Police determined that the incident was a hit-and-run crash. VPD is asking anyone who has video footage of the area at the time of the crash, has seen someone with vehicle damage, or has any other information to contact the department at (707) 469-4747.

Report: Nearly 1/3 of SF office space is vacant

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:39:50 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – San Francisco’s office vacancy rate just hit a new high. It’s the latest example of how the economic situation in the city keeps on crumbling.According to real estate brokerage firm CBRE, the leading firm that tracks commercial retail space, about one-third of the office space in San Francisco is not being used right now. Experts say it is going to be a long road to recovery for downtown.CRBE says the average office vacancy rate in San Francisco has climbed post-pandemic.19% in 202127% in 202229.4% in the first quarter of 202331.8% in the second quarter of 2023“The biggest factor is people are not coming to the office. People want to come in when their colleagues are there, or what is the point of coming to the office to sit on Zoom meetings all day?” said CBRE Director Colin Yasukochi.  $100K a year is low-income in the Bay Area, according to new report Yasukochi says most companies favor the hybrid work model, and enticing workers into the city five d...