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Uber, Lyft agree to back pay $328M to New York drivers following probe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:56 GMT

(The Hill) -- Ride-haling companies Uber and Lyft have agreed to pay back $328 million to over 100,000 New York drivers following a multi-year investigation, officials announced Thursday.New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) confirmed two "landmark" settlements on Thursday, where Uber will pay $290 million and Lyft will pay $38 million for "stealing earnings from drivers." James said the two settlements mark the largest wage settlement ever to be won by her office. She explained that the probe found Uber, between 2014 to 2017, deducted sales taxes and Black Car Fund fees from drivers' payments instead of charging the passengers. The ride-share company "misrepresented the deductions" in the company's terms of service and said the company would only deduct its commission from the drivers' fare, James said. Uber also told drivers they were “entitled to charge [the passenger] for any tolls, taxes or fees incurred." The Uber Driver app, however, did not have a method for them to do...

'Now and Then': The Beatles' final 'new' song featuring John, Paul, George and Ringo is released

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:56 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The final Beatles recording is here.Titled “Now and Then,” the almost impossible-to-believe track is four minutes and eight seconds of the first and only original Beatles recording of the 21st century. There's a countdown, then acoustic guitar strumming and piano bleed into the unmistakable vocal tone of John Lennon in the song's introduction: “I know it’s true / It’s all because of you / And if I make it through / It’s all because of you.”More than four decades since Lennon's murder and two since George Harrison's death, the very last Beatles song has been released as a double A-side single with “Love Me Do,” the band's 1962 debut single. Blink 182 announces US concert dates “Now and Then” comes from the same batch of unreleased demos written by Lennon in the 1970s, which were given to his former bandmates by Yoko Ono. They used the tape to construct the songs “Free As a Bird” and “Real Love,” released in the mid-1990s. But there were technical limitations to f...

WATCH: Naked man fights Las Vegas police officer, steals patrol vehicle

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:56 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A naked man who got into a fight with a Las Vegas Metropolitan police officer before stealing the officer's patrol vehicle and causing a serious crash is facing four charges, according to court documents.The incident unfolded Tuesday around 11:00 p.m. when police received a call regarding a naked man on the road near Blue Diamond Road and Buffalo Drive.According to police, Clyde Cabulisan, 29, got into a fight with a responding police officer that involved hitting and punching. The fight was captured on video by Kyle Even, a nearby driver. Even said he saw flashing lights, and initially thought he was pulling up on an accident. Instead, he witnessed a naked man in the road “casually” walking."You got a cop and a naked dude. I thought he was going to be handcuffed and thrown to the ground," Even said during a phone interview Wednesday morning. “The cop kind of seemed he was, like, protecting him from somebody coming through and hitting him.” ‘Home Improvemen...

Kaitlin Armstrong Day 2: Testimony surrounds gathering evidence at murder scene

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:56 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Prosecutors will call more witnesses Thursday in the murder trial for Kaitlin Armstrong, who's accused of shooting and killing pro cyclist Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson in May 2022.Both sides delivered opening statements Wednesday morning. The state outlined a timeline of evidence gathered from phone and GPS records of Armstrong and Wilson's actions leading up to the shooting. Prosecutors also discussed the relationship between Armstrong, Wilson and Armstrong's then-boyfriend Colin Strickland. Day one of the Kaitlin Armstrong murder trial wraps up The defense's primary argument appears to be the notion that even though there is surveillance of gunshots and her Jeep, there is no camera footage of Armstrong actually shooting Wilson."I want to talk to you about what you didn’t hear about," defense attorney Geoffrey Puryear said. "Not one witness saw Kaitlin Armstrong allegedly commit this murder because there isn’t one."Wilson's brother Matt was the first to testify. The s...

Texas State Parks Day is Nov. 5 — how to get free entry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:56 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas State Parks Day will be celebrated on Nov. 5, and now visitors will have free day pass entrance to explore the great outdoors of the Lone Star State.All Texas state parks will have free daily entry available with more than 80 statewide parks. Day-use activities can include wildlife watching, walking, hiking, parks programming, camping, biking, swimming, paddleboarding and other activities, per the release. A complete list of activities and events is available online. ICYMI: Celebrating 100 years, what you may not know about the Texas State Parks system Those interested are advised to make a reservation online, especially since parks will operate at established capacity limits. Other fees still apply for non-day pass use.“Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wants to continue to connect everyone to our beautiful parklands, and we hope that Texas State Parks Day will give someone new the opportunity to discover what makes our state parks special,” State Parks Di...

Austin Parks & Rec ends burning restrictions in all parklands

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:56 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Thursday, the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) ended the burning restrictions for all city parks. Texas Burn Bans Map “PARD is committed to protecting the City’s parks and surrounding communities and will continue to evaluate the wildfire risk on an ongoing basis,” the department said in a release.According to the city, if conditions get worse and there was an increased risk of wildfires, the burning restriction would be reinstated.

Harmony Public Schools deliver 5% bonus to full-time staff

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:56 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Harmony Public Schools, a Texas-based public charter system, announced a 5% appreciation bonus for its full-time staff Thursday.The bonus will be paid the week before Thanksgiving, school officials said in a news release. Approximately 5,000 staff members statewide will receive the bonus, officials added, equating to a minimum of $2,700 added for Harmony teachers. RELATED: Harmony Public Schools finds success with teacher retention program Alongside the bonus given to full-time members, a $300 flat amount will be paid to qualifying temporary workers, such as interns, tutors and crossing guards. Substitute teachers, however, do not qualify for that flat amount bonus. Those temporary employees who are eligible "must have received a paycheck at the end of October and remain actively employed as of Nov. 10.“I commend our Board and administrators for being outstanding stewards of our finances and allowing us to show our gratitude to our dedicated staff in this special w...

Vikings’ Danielle Hunter, Jordan Addison bring home monthly awards

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:56 GMT

Though franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins was the driving force behind the Vikings turning things around over the past month, star pass rusher Danielle Hunter and rookie receiver Jordan Addison did their fair share of work, as well.As a result, on Thursday. Hunter was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month, and Addison was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month.The monthly award was very much deserved for both players, as Hunter had five sacks and a pair of force fumbled in October, while Addison had 23 catches for 297 yards and five touchdowns.That production helped the Vikings finished 4-1 last month, scoring wins over the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers. Not only are the Vikings now 4-4 and right back in the NFC North race, they have won three straight games, the longest active streak among all teams in the NFC.Related ArticlesMinnesota Vikings | Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah talks Kirk Cousins, Danielle Hunter, Justin Jeff...

St. Paul City Council seeks bigger recurring investment in library materials

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:56 GMT

Acting as chair of the St. Paul Library Board, City Council Member Rebecca Noecker introduced a resolution on Wednesday aimed at stating, in no uncertain terms, that the city needs to put more money each year into acquiring new library books, music and movies.Aside from last-minute emergency cash infusions, the St. Paul Public Library system’s collections budget hasn’t grown with time, even as inflation has greatly increased the cost of acquiring new materials, she said.A likely dedicated funding source, she said, could be the city’s Cultural Star grant program, which provides grants and loans to cultural organizations with funding from the city’s half-cent sales tax. The council has scrambled almost annually to find ways to boost the library system’s collections budget, or at least offset cuts, dipping into the $2 million Cultural Star grant program for $175,000 both last year and years prior. A similar grant amount is likely on the table later this ye...

Opponents petition courts for environmental review of proposed St. Thomas arena in St. Paul

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:56 GMT

Neighborhood residents have petitioned the Minnesota Court of Appeals in an attempt to block the University of St. Thomas from building a new college sports arena at Cretin and Grand avenues in St. Paul.With the goal of hosting men’s and women’s hockey, basketball and other functions, the university has proposed a sports and entertainment facility spanning 270,000 square feet on its south campus.Residents banding together under the title “Advocates for Responsible Development” have called the project’s Environmental Assessment Worksheet, or EAW, “inadequate, incomplete and misleading,” and asked the court to require a more elaborate review known as an Environmental Impact Statement.Among their concerns, the worksheet focused on the environmental impact of what the university described as a typical game drawing some 2,100 fans, instead of basing their figures on near-capacity games, which would feature up to 5,500 or 6,000 fans depending upon...