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Review: Superstars share stage to ‘Celebrate Christmas’ at Bay Area concert

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:21:02 GMT

Natalie Grant had just soared through “O Holy Night” in awe-inspiring fashion, sending fans to their feet in rapturous applause and prompting the evening’s other co-headliner, Danny Gokey, to marvel at the Grammy-nominated vocalist’s incredible talent.“Listen, if you aren’t in the Christmas Spirit yet,” Gokey remarked to the crowd, “there’s something wrong with you.”Nope — nothing wrong with this audience, which definitely turned out ready to celebrate the reason for the season as the two talented vocalists brought their holiday show to 3Crosses Church in Castro Valley on Monday night (Dec. 11).The concert — which sold out well in advance — was attended by some 1,400 fans, who were in joyous spirits as they witnessed two of contemporary Christian music’s most popular artists mine the Christmas songbook as well as perform other similarly themed material.One of the best things about the show was the ch...

Pro-Palestine rally at Meta headquarters in response to alleged shadow banning 

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:21:02 GMT

(KRON) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations San Francisco Bay Area is sponsoring a rally outside Meta headquarters in Menlo Park on Tuesday at 3 p.m.The CAIR-SFBA is rallying against reports of alleged shadow banning on Meta’s Instagram and Facebook platforms.  Workers at Oakland coffee shop at center of antisemitic graffiti incident slam owners Shadow banning is a practice used in online moderation that consists of preventing a user’s content from being seen by others—either partially or totally—without the user being notified or aware of it, according to dictionary.com.The organization says its purpose of “Let Palestine Speak: End Meta Censorship” is for Meta “to end its practices of suppressing and restricting content from the Palestinian perspective.”  "As advocates for justice, we are deeply concerned about the reports of 'shadow banning' affecting Palestinian voices on Meta's platforms,” said CAIR-SFBA Executive Director Zahra Billoo on Monday. “Tomorrow's r...

Ex-First Republic Bank employee sentenced for sabotaging former employer's computer network

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:21:02 GMT

(BCN) -- A former bank employee from San Francisco was sentenced to 24 months in prison on Monday for intentionally damaging his former employer's cloud system and stealing valuable computer code, federal prosecutors said. Miklos Daniel Brody, 38, pleaded guilty in April 2023 to two charges that he violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act by obtaining information from a protected computer and by intentionally damaging a protected computer and one charge of making false statements to a government agency, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California said in a statement. Workers at Oakland coffee shop at center of antisemitic graffiti incident slam owners According to prosecutors, Brody worked as a cloud engineer for First Republic Bank, which is headquartered in San Francisco, until March 2020 when he was fired for violating company policy.Based on a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in December 2022, he used his company-issued laptop -- ...

Thousands gather to honor Mexico’s Virgen of Guadalupe on anniversary of 1531 apparition

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:21:02 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Thousands of people sang the traditional Mexican birthday song “Las mañanitas” at Mexico City’s Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe Tuesday to honor the virgin on the 492th anniversary of her apparition in 1531.Authorities estimated that over five million faithful visited the Basilica during the days leading up to the annual celebration of the country’s patroness.Many had walked from distant villages, others had ridden bicycles or buses to reach the Basilica’s enormous patio, where a sea of tents held pilgrims who had slept overnight to greet the virgin in the morning.The journey was not without dangers and risks. Mexico City prosecutors said Tuesday that three pilgrims, who were among a group on motorcycles, had been run over and killed on a highway leading from Mexico City east toward the city of Puebla.Ten others were injured when a pickup truck ran into the group late Monday. The driver was arrested at the scene. Such groups of pilgrims walking or ri...

Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen takes offense to comments from teammate’s dad, breaks out of slump

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:21:02 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen said he had added incentive for his big game Monday night after taking offense to comments from the dad of one of his teammates concerning his offseason work ethic.Ismo Lehkonen, a hockey analyst and the father of injured Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen, told Finnish public broadcaster YLE earlier Monday that Rantanen’s recent slump may be because “he didn’t have a terribly swell summer.” Rantanen responded with a goal and two assists, including a pass that helped set up the winner by Nathan MacKinnon in a 6-5 comeback win over the Calgary Flames.“It feels good. It’s actually one thing where I got a lot of extra energy,” Rantanen told media after the game. “One of our Finnish NHL player’s dad was talking (expletive) about me in the media, that I didn’t train last summer like I used to do. (He) was making things up. That was for him. If you talk (expletive), it’s going to come back at you.”Rantanen’s teammate and fellow...

Poll: Md. voters fairly content, seek a bold agenda in upcoming legislative session (if it’s not too expensive)

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:21:02 GMT

On the eve of a new year — and a new General Assembly session — Maryland voters are generally optimistic about the future, though many have jitters about inflation and crime in Baltimore. They are also looking to their government leaders for bold solutions — though it isn’t clear whether there’s the political will or the desire by taxpayers to pay for the initiatives that may be needed to move the state’s economy forward.Those are some of the conclusions of a recent issues survey for Maryland that was taken by a Democratic pollster and commissioned by a leading Annapolis lobbying firm and a politically wired public affairs strategist.The poll showed that many voters are comfortable in their own lives and are enthusiastic about several proposed measures that could improve Maryland’s economy and create more opportunity and equity for residents who are struggling financially.“I think one of the takeaways is, particularly with budget cuts on the horizon and so much focus on them, that M...

These Colorado highways are some of the most hated roads in America

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:21:02 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — If you think your morning commute is awful, you might be right. Two Colorado highways are said to be some of the "most loathed" in America.Volvo surveyed 3,000 drivers to find the top 100 most hated roads to drive in America. Out of those, Interstate 70 ranked as the fifth most hated highway. 1 of 2 structurally deficient I-70 bridges rebuilt at Vail Pass Volvo attributes most of this to the winter season.No. 5: Interstate 70I-70 is the main road from Denver to popular ski destinations, which often makes the highway fill up with miles of traffic during the winter season.To complicate things more, the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnel, which is crucial to the route, closes due to safety concerns during snowstorms. The snowy conditions require mandatory chain and traction laws throughout the winter, which start as early as September and last until late May. How long will sun glare last on I-70? Fresh powder lures skiers to the roads, but it also causes car crashes, closure...

Colorado coach Deion Sanders says he plans to retire in Boulder

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:21:02 GMT

BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) — University of Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders is shutting down any rumors that he won't stay in Boulder for long. "I love what I do and I do what I love, and I love Boulder, Colorado," said Sanders in a recent interview. On Dec. 6 Coach Prime did a virtual interview with CU Boulder Alumna Savannah Sellers on NBC News Now.The duo sat down and discussed Sanders' first year coaching in Colorado, what he's learned and the future. Colorado’s Travis Hunter named most versatile player in major college football One question that every CU fan has been waiting to be answered is what Sanders has planned for his future at Boulder. Here is what he told Sellers:I love Boulder, Colorado and Colorado. I'm not chasing finances, I'm not chasing the bag, I'm not chasing notoriety, I'm not chasing hype. I love what I do and I do what I love, and I love Boulder, Colorado. I don't plan on being anywhere else in my coaching career. It is my desire to one day retire and jus...

When is SantaCon coming to Colorado?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:21:02 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – The Santa Clauses are coming to town — and possibly looking for a place to urinate!SantaCon, an annual event that takes place around Christmastime, is essentially a huge, festive pub crawl populated almost entirely by revelers dressed as Santa Claus or other holiday characters. The event has been growing in popularity for decades too, with hundreds of cities in the U.S. (and many abroad) playing host to their own SantaCons in recent years. Holiday crowds at airports, on highways expected to be even bigger than last year In December 2023, over 100 different SantaCon events were scheduled to take place throughout the country, with many still to come. But that’s only the events listed on the SantaCon.info database; it’s possible there are even more being organized under different names.Where are SantaCon events taking place in the coming weeks?According to SantaCon.info, there are still more than 40 SantaCon events scheduled for cities in 17 states: Arizona, Californ...

Student brings BB gun to SLAM! Miami Charter School; no injuries reported

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:21:02 GMT

A student at SLAM! Miami Charter School brought a BB gun to school on Tuesday morning, school officials said. The student has not been identified but school officials said the student did not “intend to use the item maliciously” and no student or faculty was harmed. The school said they called local law enforcement to conduct a further investigation. “We want to thank the students and parents who reported the incident. Their adherence to our ‘See Something, Say Something’ protocol has further illustrated the positive community of trust and safety we have cultivated here at SLAM North. This incident underscores the importance of our community vigilance and commitment to the safety and well-being of each other,” said the school in a statement.