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Chinese real estate CEO admits to San Francisco bribery scheme

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:04 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A Chinese real estate development company's CEO admitted to bribing a San Francisco city official in exchange for getting a green light on development projects. Zhang Li, 70, of Guangzhou, China, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud. The investigation into Li grew out of a federal probe into San Francisco City Hall corruption.Li bribed Mohammed Nuru, the former head of the San Francisco Department of Public Works, according to investigators with the FBI, IRS, and United States Attorney's Office. Z&L Properties, Inc., a company that Li controls as Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, was also charged with honest services wire fraud. Prosecutors said the company showered Nuru with bribes and gifts in exchange for favorable city treatment of Z&L Properties’ mixed-use project at 555 Fulton Street.Investigators said Li wined and dined Nuru with expensive dinners, drinks, luxury lodging, and transportation during a tri...

Women’s World Cup brings a surge of soccer interest in co-host Australia well before kick off

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:04 GMT

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Like other 2023 Women’s World Cup teams, Canada held a public training session ahead of its opening match. Players from Melbourne-based Heidelberg United FC watched the Olympic champions practice on their field, preparing for Friday’s game against Nigeria.“These girls play on this pitch,” Helen Tyrikos, general manager of Heidelberg United FC, said of the spectators. “So to see the Canadian national women’s team play on here – ‘Oh, my God. How huge is that?’”Australia’s role as co-host of this World Cup could impact the growth of soccer in a country where Australian rules football, rugby league and cricket dominate the professional sports landscape.“We know in Australia that there’s a correlation between our national teams and participation,” said Football Australia chief executive officer James Johnson, who predicts a 20% rise in youth soccer participation after the this edition of the World Cup.Local clubs already have seen a rise in interest, generated ...

Will Benson hits 3-run homer as Cincinnati Reds cool off San Francisco Giants with 3-2 win

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:04 GMT

CINCINNATI (AP) — Will Benson hit a three-run homer, and the Cincinnati Reds snapped San Francisco’s seven-game win streak with a 3-2 victory over the Giants on Wednesday night.Graham Ashcraft pitched six effective innings as Cincinnati stopped a six-game slide that dropped the surprising Reds into second in the NL Central, trailing Milwaukee. It was a season-worst skid for Cincinnati.The Reds (51-46) had four hits. They had been 0-9 this year when they finished with four or fewer hits.Blake Sabol homered for San Francisco, and Ross Stripling pitched six innings of three-run ball. The Giants (54-42) are chasing the Dodgers in the NL West.Source

Verlander goes 8 innings and Baty homers to lead the Mets to a 5-1 victory over the White Sox

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:04 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander pitched eight vintage innings and rookie Brett Baty homered during an impressive all-around game as the New York Mets beat the Chicago White Sox 5-1 on Wednesday night.Baty contributed an RBI groundout during a four-run fourth and turned in a couple of fine defensive plays at third base. Running on a full-count pitch, he also scored from first base on Brandon Nimmo’s two-out double. Fellow rookie Francisco Álvarez grounded an RBI single in the fourth, and Luis Guillorme added a sacrifice fly. New York has won three straight following a four-game skid, and nine of 13 overall.The 40-year-old Verlander (4-5) gave up three hits on 100 pitches for his 248th win. He struck out seven and walked one.The three-time Cy Young Award winner needed only 59 pitches to get through six innings. He permitted just one baserunner — Andrew Benintendi’s leadoff single in the fourth — before All-Star slugger Luis Robert Jr. homered with one out in the seventh.I...

Man dies on hiking trail in Rocky Mountain National Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:04 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- A 51-year-old man died on a hiking trail in Rocky Mountain National Park on Monday, a park release said. The man from Carencro, Louisiana was found unresponsive by other hikers a little over one mile from the Mount Ida Trailhead.Park rangers were notified by the hikers' personal locater beacon. The hikers performed CPR until the rangers arrived and continued life-saving measures, the release said. Man dies after falling at Castle Rock park The man was pronounced dead at the location. His identity has not been released pending notification of next of kin. The Grand County Sheriff’s Office, Grand County EMS, Grand Lake Fire and Classic Air Medical, stationed in Steamboat Springs assisted RMNP rangers in the incident.  The man's death is being investigated. Mount Ida Trail is a difficult hikeThe trail where the Louisiana man died is a 9.4-mile in-and-out hike, according to AllTrails.com. It is categorized as hard and has an incline of 2,414 feet.The trail is located...

Denver metro animal shelters are overcrowded

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:04 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Many major animal shelters across the Denver metro are critically overcrowded, due to an increase in the number of owner surrenders and strays taken in.This has led the Metro Denver Animal Welfare Alliance (MDAWA) to ask people who are able, to adopt from a shelter. The MDAWA is comprised of 25 public and private shelters, rescue groups and animal welfare services across the Denver metro.Shelters are seeing more owner surrendersThe Denver Animal Shelter saw a 120% increase in the number of owners surrendering their pets between May 2022 and May 2023, and it isn't alone. According to the MDAWA, Aurora's animal shelter saw a 35% increase in owner surrenders between 2021 and 2022, and the Foothills Animal Shelter has seen a 33% increase in owner surrenders so far this year. How homelessness in Denver compares to other cities The MDAWA said the rising number of owner surrenders is mainly due to economic barriers like housing instability. Issues like rising housing cos...

1 dead, 1 injured, 1 in custody after shooting at Florida City Walmart; customers describe chaos inside store

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:04 GMT

One person was killed and another person was injured after a shooting occurred inside a Walmart in Florida City that led police to take one person into custody. Miami-Dade Police have taken over the investigation into the incident, which occurred just before 3 p.m., Wednesday at the large retailer located at 33501 S. Dixie Highway. Investigators said two people suffered gunshot wounds during the incident.According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, a third person required medical attention for a panic attack resulting from the incident.Investigators said a woman drove herself to the hospital to be treated for a head injury she suffered when she slipped and fell. Paramedics treated five other people at the scene for minor cuts and scrapes. MDPD Detective Alvaro Zabaleta provided further details about the incident at a news conference held Wednesday evening.“What we do know is that … there was an altercation amongst two groups. Three individuals on each side where these individual...

Senior residents at Sunrise apartment complex face problems after building’s only elevator is shut down

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:04 GMT

Senior residents at an apartment complex in Sunrise said they find themselves stuck in a really difficult spot after the building’s only elevator was suddenly shut down.Several residents at Sunrise Lakes Phase 4, a 55-and-over community, spoke with 7News on Thursday about their current predicament.For resident Gloria Sullivan, not having a working elevator is about strategy. She even keeps her grocery shopping to a minimum.“Every day, I take out the trash, so I don’t have a lot,” she said. “With the elevator not working, I don’t buy as much.”Resident Herb Meyer said he now has to walk his dog Pee-Chew down four flights of stairs after the elevator was shut down, Wednesday afternoon.Walking his dog is something Meyer does several times a day, and with a bad knee, it’s not easy.“Maybe three or four flights a day, and with a bad knee, it’s pretty rough,” said Meyer.Resident Enrique Perez said he uses the stairs to carry ...

Memorial held in Homestead for farm worker who died at work; excessive heat believed to be the cause

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:04 GMT

A day out in the blazing sun took a tragic turn for a farm worker, and his family says high temperatures are to blame.In an effort to spread awareness for working conditions for agricultural workers, a memorial was held after one died from excessive heat while working. The Farmworker Association of Florida held the memorial for 29-year-old Efraín López-Garcia in Homestead, Wednesday morning. In attendance at the event were his family, representatives of the Guatemalan Consulate, representatives from Miami-Dade County, representatives from the Farmworker Association of Florida and several health experts. Efraín was a farm worker who lost his life on the job earlier in July.“I was in Jacksonville, and the person who was working with him called me. He let me know what had happened to my brother,” said the farm worker’s brother, Jeremías López-Garcia, as he spoke through a translator. Jeremías described the moments he was told about his brother’s death.“Yes...

EU pharma reforms will hurt patients and hinder research

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:04 GMT

Annette Bakker is president of the Children’s Tumor Foundation and chair of the board of directors of CTF Europe.The European Commission recently proposed its first major overhaul of European Union pharmaceutical policies in two decades.With these reforms, the Commission is trying to ensure all Europeans, regardless of nationality, have faster access to affordable, lifesaving drugs — a worthy goal that policymakers, patients and healthcare providers all share.But good intentions don’t necessarily translate to good policy. And the Commission’s proposal rests on a flawed premise that will ultimately block — not facilitate —access to lifesaving medicines.The proposed reforms take a carrot-and-stick approach, shortening the duration of market exclusivity for new medications, thus allowing cheaper generic drugs on the market two years sooner.The threat of massive revenue loss caused by generic competition is the stick here. The fact that drugmakers could earn back most ...