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Woman claims her water at Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay hotel ‘defiled’ by ‘criminal deviant’ worker

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:20 GMT

A guest at the high-end Ritz-Carlton hotel in Half Moon Bay claims in a lawsuit that a worker brought her a water bottle containing semen, and that testing confirmed the contamination.The Washington woman, identified as “Jane Doe,” was celebrating her birthday last November with a four-night stay at the oceanside hotel where rooms start at around $800 per night, according to the lawsuit she filed with her husband of 25 years, identified as “John Doe.”“The couple intended to celebrate her special day at a special place,” the lawsuit filed this month in Oakland U.S. District Court said.After the couple returned to their room following a Friday night dinner, Jane called the front desk to ask for bottled water, according to the lawsuit.A male worker “moments later” brought several bottles bearing the Ritz-Carlton logo, and Jane put them on her nightstand and went to bed, the lawsuit said.She awoke thirsty in the night, grabbed a bottle, &#...

San Jose Sharks president believes changes to NHL’s Pride tape ban are forthcoming

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:20 GMT

SAN JOSE – The president of the San Jose Sharks believes the NHL’s ban on players displaying “cause messaging” on their equipment, including the use of Pride-themed tape on their sticks, will undergo some adjustments, possibly this season.An NHL memo earlier this month informing clubs what players could no longer do on theme nights, including using the rainbow-colored stick tape – often used during LGBTQ+ Pride celebrations in pregame warmups — was met with both confusion and derision, with some feeling the league was backtracking on its long-running “Hockey is for Everyone” campaign.“Make no mistake,” former NHL executive Brian Burke wrote on social media earlier this month, “this is a surprising and serious setback.”Previously, NHL players had the option of putting specialized tape, including lavender tape on Hockey Fights Cancer nights, or camouflage tape on Military Appreciation Nights, on their sticks before the league established its current guidelines.Perhaps, though, t...

Apple Maps app is giving drivers dangerous wrong-way directions; how can it be fixed? Roadshow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:20 GMT

Q: There is a dangerous and incorrect instruction on the iPhone Maps app. I don’t know how to contact them. If one wishes to enter Highway 101 north from Bailey Avenue just south of San Jose, coming from the west, the app tells you to turn right at the stop sign, just after crossing over the freeway.If one does exactly what it says, you would turn into the exit from northbound 101 going in the wrong direction. The on-ramp to 101 north is about 25 feet before the stop sign, not at the stop sign.There is little lighting at night. If a driver is unfamiliar with the area and following app instructions explicitly, they would end up going south on the northbound side of the freeway.I read your column regularly and appreciate your common-sense approach. Thanks for your great advice and counsel.Gela RussellA: I bring this to you, Roadshow readers, to advise how Gela can get these Apple map app instructions corrected. I searched Apple’s website and tried a few phone calls but each call...

Franklin Electric: Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:20 GMT

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — Franklin Electric Co. (FELE) on Tuesday reported third-quarter net income of $57.8 million.The Fort Wayne, Indiana-based company said it had net income of $1.23 per share.The results fell short of Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.27 per share.The water and fuel pumping systems company posted revenue of $538.4 million in the period.Franklin Electric expects full-year earnings to be $4.07 to $4.17 per share, with revenue in the range of $2.05 billion to $2.15 billion._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on FELE at https://www.zacks.com/ap/FELESource

2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia expanding to 24 teams with six-week schedule

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:20 GMT

PARIS (AP) — The next Rugby World Cup in 2027 in Australia will feature more teams, an extra knockout round and a week less to play.The late-2027 tournament will have 24 teams, the first expansion since 1999 when it went to 20 teams from the original 16.Where the four new teams will qualify from will be determined after a review of the ongoing World Cup in France, World Rugby said on Tuesday.The 2027 dates were set for Oct. 1 to Nov. 13, the first time the tournament will start in October since 2003, when it was last staged in Australia.A reduced four-week pool stage will feed into a new round of 16 as the whole tournament will be played over six weeks rather than the current seven.Whether the tournament will continue with four pools with an extra sixth team or more pools, World Rugby didn’t say.Expansion was expected after the United States failed to qualify for the ongoing World Cup in France.The U.S. will stage the 2031 men’s World Cup and is automatically qualified a...

Israel’s increased strikes across Gaza kill more than 700 people in the past day, Palestinians say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:20 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Rapidly expanding Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip killed more than 700 people in the past day as medical facilities across the territory were forced to close because of bombing damage and a lack of power, health officials said Tuesday.The soaring death toll from Israel’s escalating bombardment was unprecedented in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It could signal an even greater loss of life in Gaza once Israeli ground forces backed by tanks and artillery launch an expected offensive into the territory aimed at crushing Hamas.Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been under increasing bombardment and running out of food, water and medicine since Israel sealed off the territory following the devastating Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants on towns in southern Israel.On Tuesday, Israel said it had launched 400 airstrikes over the past day, killing Hamas commanders, hitting militants as they were preparing to launch rockets into Israel and striking ...

HarborOne Bancorp: Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:20 GMT

BROCKTON, Mass. (AP) — BROCKTON, Mass. (AP) — HarborOne Bancorp Inc. (HONE) on Tuesday reported third-quarter earnings of $8.4 million.The Brockton, Massachusetts-based bank said it had earnings of 20 cents per share.The results beat Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 16 cents per share.The bank holding company posted revenue of $74.8 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $42.7 million, also topping Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $42.2 million._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on HONE at https://www.zacks.com/ap/HONESource

CNOOC: Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:20 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — HONG KONG (AP) — CNOOC Ltd. (CEO) on Tuesday reported profit of $4.68 billion in its third quarter.The Hong Kong-based company said it had profit of $9.81 per share.The oil and gas producer posted revenue of $15.86 billion in the period.CNOOC shares have risen 33% since the beginning of the year. The stock has increased 11% in the last 12 months._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CEO at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CEOSource

Spooky plants for Goth gardens

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:20 GMT

Think you’re ready for Halloween? Like me, you might have a pumpkin on the porch, a scarecrow by the lamppost and enough candy to guarantee leftovers, but do you have any spooky plants in your garden?Probably not. And that’s too bad. We tend to think about spring by planting plenty of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocuses and pansies. Summer is well planned, too, with blooming perennials, fruits, vegetables and hanging baskets brimming with annuals. So why is it that when we think of Halloween – the day that likely sees more visitors on our doorsteps than any other on the calendar — all that comes to mind are mums, sedums and whatever perennials are kind enough to stick around?There are plenty of seasonally appropriate near-black and gothic plants to delight those little ghosts and goblins — and ourselves. And we don’t need to overhaul the whole garden: Tucking just a few of these living decorations into beds or containers will do the trick. And that’ll be a treat...

Strikes trim GM profit in an otherwise strong quarter; more losses anticipated if picketing spreads

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:20 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — A strike by auto workers against General Motors is expected to cut pretax earnings by $800 million this year, and another $200 million per week after that, the company’s chief financial officer said.And those figures include only factories that are on strike now with less than a third of the company’s workforce on the picket lines, so if more plants are added by the United Auto Workers union, the losses will pile up further, CFO Paul Jacobson told reporters.Those strike are already taking a toll. GM on Tuesday posted net income of more than $3 billion from July through September, down 7% from the same period last year due to lost production from the strike, and also increased warranty costs, Jacobson said. The company also withdrew its previous full-year pretax earnings estimates, citing uncertainty over the length of the strike and how many factories would be shut downHowever, excluding one-time items, GM said made $2.28 per share, handily beating Wall St...