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Niles: Will the new Six Flags get the details right?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

Now that the shock is wearing off following the merger of Six Flags with Knott’s Berry Farm parent Cedar Fair, it’s time to consider whether this deal will be a good one for theme park fans.Sure, it’s going to feel strange to have Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott’s Berry Farm be part of the same company. But at this point, the new company’s management has not told fans anything about what changes might be coming to their favorite parks as a result of the deal.We know that the new company will be called Six Flags, and that its shares will trade under Cedar Fair’s old ticker symbol, FUN. Cedar Fair CEO Richard Zimmerman will assume the same title in the new company, and its headquarters will be located at Cedar Fair’s home in Charlotte, North Carolina.Both companies have sold passes that allow fans admission into all parks in the chain, and many fans are hoping for a new pass offering that includes everything in the supersized Six Flags. A pass that allowed unlimited admission to bo...

Climate change is impacting the home insurance industry and damaging the U.S. housing market

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

By Anna Bahney | CNNWashington, DC — When Michael Monaghan, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Sellers Realty in northern California, got an offer for a home in Bayside at the seller’s $650,000 list price in September, he told the buyer’s agent that the buyer needed to start looking for insurance immediately.“I said, ‘Start working on this on day one,’” Monaghan said. “Getting insurance is the most important thing right now when you’re in escrow for the deal to close.”In the past, acquiring homeowners’ insurance didn’t present buyers much difficulty, but as climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather, insurers — especially those in areas most impacted by floods and fires — are raising their premiums, or pulling out altogether, impacting the affordability and availability of home and fire insurance.For example, in May, State Farm, the largest home insurer in the state, announced it would pause issuing policies in California, citing wildfire risks. Tha...

San Mateo County low-income families to receive toys, books during the holidays

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

(BCN) -- Low-income households in San Mateo County can look forward to receiving toys and books during the holidays, according to county officials.Families on time-limited programs and served by the Housing Authority of the County of San Mateo are invited to complete a survey listing at least three appropriate gift choices for each child living in their home, county officials said in a statement Monday. Veterans to get free meals, deals and discounts for the upcoming holiday: Here’s where The child will receive at least one gift from their wish list. The deadline for the survey is Nov. 17.Toys will be distributed by HACSM staff during the second and third weeks of December, according to county officials."Every year, all of us at the Housing Authority look forward to this tangible reminder that we provide more than rental assistance -- first and foremost, we are here to support families," HACSM coordinator Victoria Grant-Velgado said in a statement.According to county officials, th...

Mayor Breed, Marc Benioff announce Dreamforce 2024 will be held in SF

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – Salesforce’s annual event Dreamforce will be held in San Francisco in Sept. 2024, Mayor London Breed announced Tuesday on X.  Thanks to @Benioff, Dreamforce is coming back for another incredible year in our beautiful city by the bay — the only place it has ever called home.Mayor London BreedIn August, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff threatened not to have the Dreamforce conference in San Francisco due to the city’s cleanliness and safety.Benioff stated that Dreamforce 2023 set new standards with outstanding safety measures, cleanliness, and hospitality.Thrilled to share the news that Dreamforce, the world's largest enterprise tech conference, will be returning to San Francisco, the stunning city by the bay–and now the AI capital of the world in 2024! In partnership with Mayor London Breed and our beloved city, Dreamforce 2023 set new standards with outstanding safety measures, cleanliness, and hospitality for our 40,000 visiting trailblazers. Thank you, ...

Median price of luxury home in DC market now nearly $1.7M

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

The D.C. metro ranks No. 17 among the Top 50 metros for median price of a luxury home sale and No. 10 among metros with a population of one million or more people.A luxury home sale is defined as a home whose list price is in the top 5% by value in each market. The median luxury home sale price in the D.C. region in the third quarter was $1.662 million, up 5.1% from a year earlier, according to data from Redfin.Homes in the luxury tier sold in the third quarter in an average of 36 days, which is fairly quickly considering the limited pool of buyers in the luxury price range. Nearly half those sales were all cash sales.“Wealthy homebuyers have more tools to weather the storm of high mortgage rates,” said Jason Aleem, senior vice president of real estate operations for Redfin. “Many of them can afford to pay cash, meaning they’re escaping high mortgage rates altogether. Others are choosing to take on a higher rate and refinance later — an expensive option that ...

The Supreme Court hears arguments in a case over a gun law that protects domestic violence victims

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is taking up a challenge to a federal law that prohibits people from having guns if they are under a court order to stay away from their spouse, partner or other family members. The justices are hearing arguments Tuesday in their first case about guns since last year’s decision that called into question numerous gun control laws.The federal appeals court in New Orleans struck down the law, intended to protect domestic violence victims, following the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision in June 2022. That high-court ruling not only expanded Americans’ gun rights under the Constitution, but also changed the way courts are supposed to evaluate restrictions on firearms.Justice Clarence Thomas’ opinion for the court tossed out the balancing test judges had long used to decide whether gun laws were constitutional. Rather than consider whether a law enhances public safety, judges should only weigh whether it fits into the nation’s history of ...

Citizens & Northern: Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

WELLSBORO, Pa. (AP) — WELLSBORO, Pa. (AP) — Citizens & Northern Corp. (CZNC) on Monday reported net income of $7.6 million in its third quarter.The bank, based in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, said it had earnings of 50 cents per share.The bank posted revenue of $35.6 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $26.2 million, falling short of Street forecasts._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CZNC at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CZNCSource

A Meta engineer saw his own child face sexism on Instagram. Now, he’s testifying before Congress

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

On the same day whistleblower Frances Haugen was testifying before Congress about the harms of Facebook and Instagram to children in the fall of 2021, Arturo Béjar, then a contractor at the social media giant, sent an alarming email to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the same topic. In the note, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal, Béjar, who worked as an engineering director at Facebook from 2009 to 2015, outlined a “critical gap” between how the company approached harm and how the people who use its products — most notably young people — experience it. “Two weeks ago my daughter, 16, and an experimenting creator on Instagram, made a post about cars, and someone commented ‘Get back to the kitchen.’ It was deeply upsetting to her,” he wrote. “At the same time the comment is far from being policy violating, and our tools of blocking or deleting mean that this person will go to other profiles and continue to spread misogyny. I don’t think policy/reporting or having more conten...

Voters in Virginia cast ballots in pivotal state election

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

It’s Election Day in Virginia, and voters have begun casting ballots to decide which party controls the Virginia Legislature — as well as a slew of local races for school and county boards.The outcome in Virginia — among just four states with legislative elections this year — will be closely scrutinized nationwide for hints of what may come in the 2024 presidential cycle.Here’s what you need to know.What’s on voters’ minds?Polls have indicated abortion is a key issue in the election.After the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade’s decision last year, Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin moved to ban abortion after 15 weeks with exceptions for rape, incest and when the life of the mother is at stake.But that move was blocked by the Democratic-controlled state Senate.With control of both chambers up for grabs Tuesday, that could change next year.“If Republicans control both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s office, you can expect significant restrictions on abortion in Vi...

Voters in Lewiston are overcoming fear and sadness to do their civic duty after mass shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Less than two weeks after 18 people were killed by a gunman in their small New England city, residents headed gingerly to polling places Tuesday.The mood was somber. Several shooting survivors remained hospitalized, flags flew at half-staff, and funerals were being held this week for those who died in the attack.Citing civic duty and a quest to return the community to normal life, Lewiston residents turned out to vote in several high-profile referendums and local races. “This is a necessity. We have to do this. So we can’t neglect it even though we’ve been through a terrible tragedy,” said James Scribner, 79, a retired teacher and Marine veteran, who was joined by his wife at local school that was transformed into a polling place.The shootings on Oct. 25 at a bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston forced tens of thousands of residents to shelter in place for several days. Grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants were closed. The gunman was later found dead fr...