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Monterey Jazz icon Tim Jackson preps for his ‘last rodeo’ with the festival

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:42:45 GMT

Tim Jackson is getting ready to wave goodbye to Monterey.The Santa Cruz resident is stepping down as artistic director at the Monterey Jazz Festival — a role he’s held for more than 30 years — following this weekend’s event, which runs Sept. 22-24 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds.“I feel like I’ve got a responsibility here while I am still operating at the top of my game, at least in my opinion, to step aside and let somebody else come in and bring their artistic vision to it,” says Jackson, who was hired by the festival in 1991 and started booking the lineup one year later.Jackson took over the reigns from the legendary Jimmy Lyons, who co-founded the festival in 1958 with Ralph J. Gleason. His replacement is composer-musician Darin Atwater, who becomes only the third artistic director in the festival’s long history.“I never saw myself as like a Jimmy Lyons or George Wein at Newport, where you just kind of die with your boots on kind of thing — and just stay to ...

Trump sparks blowback for criticizing abortion ban

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:42:45 GMT

By Sara Burnett | Associated PressDonald Trump is facing new blowback from anti-abortion activists for refusing to commit to national abortion restrictions and for calling Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signing of a six-week ban on the procedure a “terrible mistake.”Speaking Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Trump repeatedly declined to say whether he would support a federal ban on abortion. He said he could “live with” the procedure being banned by individual states or nationwide through federal action, though he said “from a legal standpoint, I think it’s probably better” to be handled at the state level.Regarding the bill signed by DeSantis, which bans abortions before many women know they are pregnant, Trump said, “I think what he did is a terrible thing and a terrible mistake.”So far, the former president has dominated the 2024 field while at times spurning the anti-abortion groups that traditionally have...

Search for next Berkeley City College president now down to 3 finalists, public form slated for Wednesday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:42:45 GMT

(BCN) -- Berkeley City College has shortlisted three finalists in its search for a new president, and has announced a public forum on Wednesday to allow the candidates to answer questions from the community. The three finalists for consideration are Dr. Denise Richardson, Dr. John al-Amin and Dr. Rafe Trickey, Jr. Berkeley City College will host a public forum for the candidates to engage with the community on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the college's Auditorium at 2050 Center Street, Berkeley. Bay Area motorists paying more at the pump Each candidate will have 50 minutes share their vision in guiding Berkeley City College, including a presentation and question-and-answer period. The forum will be moderated by Dr. Martin de Mucha Flores, Dean of Counseling and Student Equity at the college. Dr. Denise Richardson, serving as the Interim President of Berkeley City College since July 2023, is described as an experienced education leader committed to data informed d...

Nationals Notebook: Teetering on the precipice

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:42:45 GMT

Believe it or not with just 12 games left in the regular season, the Washington Nationals are technically in contention because the team has 84 losses while three teams chasing the final Wild Card berth each have 78 wins.So with the next Nats loss or a win by either Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins or the Chicago Cubs, Washington will officially be out of the postseason party.But last week was big for the past, present, and future of the club. The present has been secured with general manager Mike Rizzo signing a multiyear extension. The future had its night with prime pitching prospect Jackson Rutledge making his Major League debut. Will they be able to put their streak of last place finishes (three straight) in the past? Time is running out on the team that’s already almost out of it.Digesting the Division: Atlanta (96-53) despite getting swept by Miami remains in the driver’s seat for home field in the playoffs. Matt Olson (52 home runs with 129 RBI) is having one of th...

A railroad worker was crushed to death in Ohio by a remote-controlled train. Unions have concerns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:42:45 GMT

A railroad worker was crushed to death between two railcars over the weekend by a remote-controlled train in a CSX railyard in Ohio, raising concerns among unions about such technology.The death highlights the need for an in-depth review of the use of remote-controlled locomotives, the Transportation Communications Union and Brotherhood of Railway Carmen said in a news release Sunday. Every major railroad has used such locomotives inside, and increasingly outside of, railyards across the country for years.The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the death, which happened shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday in Walbridge, Ohio.Fred Anderson is the third carman killed in an incident involving a remote-controlled locomotive, the unions said.“Enough is enough. A full-scale review of the use and practices around remote-control locomotives is long overdue. CSX — and every railroad — must evaluate their use of these supposed technological advancements to ensure they are actually m...

Fall TV Guide: What to watch amid Hollywood strikes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:42:45 GMT

toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley previews fall TV season amid strikes (Part 1) $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); This time of year is typically when television networks roll out their fall TV lineups.However, the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes are causing content to dry up.Network TV hits like “Abbott Elementary,” “Ghosts,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Saturda...

The Los Angeles County sheriff says a suspect has been arrested in the ambush killing of a deputy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:42:45 GMT

PALMDALE, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles County sheriff says a suspect has been arrested in the ambush killing of a deputy.Source

Critics slam Belgian Green chief’s taxi ride on car-free Sunday 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:42:45 GMT

Belgian politicians have criticized the co-chair of Green party Ecolo, Rajae Maouane, for taking a taxi to talk about sustainability on car-free Sunday, the only Sunday of the year in which cars are prohibited in Brussels.“I am not going to lie to you, I came here in a taxi,” she told hosts Martin Buxant and Christophe Deborsu during the TV interview after the pair asked her how she got to the studio on a day in which no private vehicles are allowed in the city. “From my home to here, I had a 45-minute bike ride, which was a bit complicated, so I took a taxi,” she added. Taking a taxi is allowed during the Belgian capital’s car-free day but critics called her out for choosing a high-emission mode of transport. During the interview, she supported reinvesting in public transport, changing the city’s parking setup, and reducing the prices of bus and train tickets. “If people choose cars, it’s because other public transport isn’t dev...

At least 20 killed in South Africa as bus erupts in flames after head-on collision

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:42:45 GMT

(CNN) — At least 20 people – mostly mine workers – were killed in South Africa’s Limpopo province on Sunday after a bus they were traveling in erupted in flames following a head-on collision with a truck, state media reported.The Limpopo transport department said on Monday 20 people were confirmed dead on the scene while two others died at the hospital. It is not immediately known how many people were on the bus and if there were any survivors.The vehicles collided on a major road between Musina town and Venetia mine in the northern Limpopo province, the transport agency added.Murray and Roberts company, the employer of the deceased mine workers, said 18 of its staff who were “traveling to the Venetia mine” were killed in the accident, citing preliminary reports.The Venetia mine is South Africa’s largest diamond producer.Videos from the scene of the bus crash posted on social media showed bodies lying scattered on the ground and a plume...

Remnants of Lee move over northern Atlantic after bringing fierce winds and coastal flooding to Canada and northeast US

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:42:45 GMT

(CNN) — The remnants of post-tropical cyclone Lee were moving out over the ocean and away from Atlantic Canada on Monday, after US officials announced at least two deaths due to the storm.Lee, once a powerful hurricane, churned northward with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph on Sunday after making landfall Saturday on Long Island in Nova Scotia, the National Hurricane Center said in its final advisory about the storm.The storm knocked out power to tens of thousands and lashed the coasts of the northeastern US and Atlantic Canada with strong winds and waves.At least two deaths have been attributed to dangerous conditions associated with Lee.Officials in Fernandina Beach, Florida, announced a 15-year-old had drowned in the surf “due to turbulent wave conditions as a result of Hurricane Lee.”The boy was last seen Wednesday by witnesses holding onto a floating raft, “and then the raft got away from him,” Fernandina Beach Police Department Interim Police Chief J...