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Parents step back on selling now in the Bay Area; is that a smart move?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:24 GMT

Question: My parents planned to sell their Bay Area home. Their plans have changed. Their friends and neighbors told them to wait. Their seller’s agent agrees. They blame high interest rates. The advice is to wait until spring. “The interest rates will come down” is what they hear. It is shocking. My parents bought an out-of-state condominium near me. They need to relocate. I cannot help them long distance. Your column indicates a robust Bay Area seller’s market. You also claim a housing shortage. Is it necessary to sit out the home-selling market until spring?  Answer: No, it is not. The San Francisco Bay Area counties have enjoyed a seller’s market despite rising interest rates. Today, on a Realtor video call, the regional sales manager for a national bank claimed the interest rates are the highest of his career, yet “buyer demand remains high.” Robust home sales are proof.On Tuesday, on a Realtor video call, a manager at the National Association of Realtors showed a slide titled ...

Walters: California employers, unions enter a new labor law battle

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:24 GMT

When Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 365 this month, he opened a new chapter in a decades-long political and legal war over California laws governing relations between employers and their workers.Briefly, SB 365 declares that when an employer loses a civil suit seeking to compel arbitration in a labor law dispute with a worker, the employer is not automatically allowed to freeze proceedings in the underlying issue by filing an appeal.Thus, the measure weakens the long-standing ability of employers to require arbitration of such disputes, which flows from a pro-arbitration federal law, and is a significant victory for unions and lawyers who specialize in pursuing employment cases for workers.Ironically, however, as the bill was winding its way through the Legislature this year, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that appeals of disputes over the applicability of arbitration in federal courts should freeze (stay, in legal jargon) the underlying cases.In June, a legislative staff ana...

Word Game: Oct. 21, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:24 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — GRAPHICS (GRAPHICS: GRAF-iks: Reproductive methods such as engraving, etching, photography, etc.)Average mark 38 wordsTime limit 45 minutesCan you find 48 or more words in GRAPHICS? The list will be published Monday.YESTERDAY’S WORD — DECISION dice dine disc disco does done dose code coed coin cone cosine iced icon ides incise indie inside iodine ionic scion scone second send side since sine snide sonde sone sonic once onside nice node noes noise noseTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words...

Bridge: Oct. 21, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:24 GMT

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking.Nobody likes unpleasant guesses, but today’s declarer arranged matters so that he had one. Against 3NT, West led the jack of spades, and declarer won with the king and led a diamond to finesse with dummy’s queen. East took the king and returned a spade.Declarer then came to his hand with a high club and led another diamond. West followed low. South delayed the evil moment but finally played the ten from dummy. East produced the jack, and the defense ran the spades for down one.FOUR TRICKSSouth started with two spades, a heart and two clubs. Since he needed only four diamond tricks to make 3NT, he could play safe. South should take the ace of diamonds at Trick Two. If East-West played low, South would come to his hand to lead a second diamond toward dummy.A safety play is like buying insurance. You give up the chance to win the maximum number of tricks but guard against a damaging loss.DAI...

El incidente en el que un buque de guerra de EE.UU. interceptó misiles cerca de Yemen duró 9 horas

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:24 GMT

(CNN) — Un buque de guerra estadounidense que interceptó drones y misiles cerca de la costa de Yemen este jueves se encontró con un bombardeo mayor y más sostenido de lo que se conocía anteriormente, derribando 4 misiles de crucero y 15 drones en un período de 9 horas, según un funcionario estadounidense familiarizado con el situación.El USS Carney, un destructor de clase Arleigh-Burke que atravesó el Canal de Suez en dirección sur el miércoles, interceptó los misiles y drones mientras se dirigían hacia el norte a lo largo del mar Rojo. Su trayectoria dejaba pocas dudas de que los proyectiles se dirigían a Israel, dijo el funcionario, una evaluación más clara que la opinión inicial del Pentágono.Un bombardeo sostenido de drones y misiles dirigidos a Israel desde muy lejos del conflicto de Gaza es uno de una serie de señales preocupantes de que la guerra corre el riesgo de escalar más allá de las fronteras del enclave costero.Además de las protestas en las embajadas de Estados ...

Justin Suh takes his first 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour into final round of the Zozo Championship

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:24 GMT

INZAI CITY, Japan (AP) — Justin Suh shot a 3-under 67 on Saturday to lead the third round of the Zozo Championship, the first time he’s the leader going into the final day of a PGA Tour event, and also looking of his first PGA Tour victory.Just one shot behind are fellow Americans Eric Cole and Beau Hossler, who are also seeking their first PGA Tour victories. Cole shot 66 and Hossler, the second-round leader, had a 68 on a sunny fall day at the Narashino Country Club just outside Tokyo.To make the three very uncomfortable, Collin Morikawa — the first-round leader — is just two shots back after a 66. Morikawa is looking to break a “mini-slump” since winning the 2021 British Open and the DP World Tour Championship later that year. He also won the PGA Championship in 2020.Suh played on the Korn Ferry Tour, the developmental feeder for the PGA Tour, and credits the experience there for his growing maturity.“Throughout this year I’ve put myself in this position a few times in some...

Los primeros camiones con ayuda entran en Gaza, pero el enclave asediado necesita desesperadamente más

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:24 GMT

(CNN) — Los primeros camiones que transportaban ayuda humanitaria entraron en Gaza este sábado, dos semanas después de que Israel lanzara un asedio completo del enclave en respuesta a los ataques mortales del grupo extremista islamista Hamas.Los camiones entraron por el cruce de Rafah, el único punto de entrada a Gaza no controlado por Israel, según lo visto por el equipo de CNN en el lado palestino de la frontera. El cruce se cerró rápidamente después de que pasaran 20 camiones.La gente en el lado egipcio de la frontera, donde las organizaciones de ayuda habían esperado durante días para recibir luz verde, estaban jubilosas cuando se abrió el cruce, celebrando con vítores y cánticos.Las oficinas de prensa del Gobierno controladas por Hamas dijeron que los camiones estaban cargados con medicinas, suministros médicos y una cantidad limitada de alimentos enlatados.Sin embargo, si bien estos suministros se necesitan desesperadamente, los trabajadores humanitarios dicen que son un...

Businesses are the biggest targets of financial crimes. Help is being offered in Prince George’s Co.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:24 GMT

October isn’t even over yet and already fraud and scams have cost Prince George’s County, Maryland, residents and businesses more than $10 million.With the holiday shopping season almost upon us, there’s concern that the number will go up even more.“Because of their large balance sheets, businesses are at even a greater risk for financial fraud than citizens would be,” said Lt. Joseph Bellino, who leads the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Financial Crimes unit.“We’ve seen that with the transition of mobile banking and our kind of move to the digital age when it comes to the banking system. We found that financial tsunami … that local businesses are being targeted more and more frequently with financial fraud.”Different businesses are targeted by different groups of criminals, with different methods.“The most prevalent is mail fraud and check fraud. Any time that businesses are paying employees or paying partner businesses, their checks are being intercepted in the m...

Michael Cohen to testify at Trump fraud trial Tuesday with the former president expected in court

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:24 GMT

(CNN) — Michael Cohen plans to testify Tuesday at the Trump civil fraud trial in New York, Donald Trump’s ex-attorney said, with the former president expected to attend.“It appears that I will be reunited with my old client @realDonaldTrump when I testify this Tuesday, October 24th at the @NewYorkStateAG civil fraud trial. See you there!” Cohen posted on the social media site Threads.Trump is expected to attend the trial on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to two sources close to the former president, who said the details were still being finalized.Cohen was previously scheduled to testify this week but it was delayed after he cited a medical issue. Whenever he does appear, Cohen’s testimony will be the latest in a series of high-profile public clashes between Trump and his onetime “fixer” over the past several years.A longtime attorney of the former president before he occupied the Oval Office, Cohen had been one of Trump’s closest allies, famously pledging years ago that...

Patriots-Bills preview: How Bill Belichick can upset Josh Allen and Buffalo

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:24 GMT

For the third time in 30 years, the Patriots are two-score underdogs at home.The Bills (4-2) enter Foxboro as one of the NFL’s best teams, while the Pats (1-5) continue to flounder in a way few expected. Offensively, the Patriots snapped their games-long touchdown drought last week at Las Vegas, but again fell into an early hole. Staying competitive through the first half will be non-negotiable versus Buffalo, which has averaged more than 30 points per game against Bill Belichick’s defense the last three seasons.If the Pats fall behind by two scores, they’re done. But if they can create a couple turnovers, and win on the margins, they could find life at an unexpected time in an unforeseen season.Here’s what else to watch for Sunday:When the Patriots runFeed Zeke?Ezekiel Elliott ended the aforementioned touchdown drought by punching in a 2-yard score at Las Vegas last weekend. On that drive, the Patriots powered their way downfield with four first-down runs th...