It might be time for companies in San Francisco to call employees' bluff

The question, and one asked this week by the San Francisco Chronicle, is why San Francisco isn't bouncing back in the same way. As reporter Roland Li writes: "There's always been a disparity -- New York has 10 times the population of San Francisco -- but the coastal tourism and economic hubs have diverged in striking ways as they recover from the pandemic." Consider, writes Li, that while the construction of major commercial property projects in Manhattan were completed during the pandemic -- and while much of that new office space is almost fully leased -- over in San Francisco, projects have stalled and existing buildings struggle to find tenants because of work-from-home policies.

Charlottesville's First Black Woman Police Chief Fired As Officers Refused to Comply

After a midsummer meeting in June 2021, newly hired police chief RaShall Brackney felt the need to double down on her personal safety, unholstering her gun as she left headquarters. Brackney's fear however was not prompted by the activity on the streets, or even the ongoing public threats made against the police department over the years. Instead, she found herself afraid of her own subordinates, cops who wanted her gone after making some controversial, yet necessary shake ups throughout the force.

In her own words: SC Mega Millions winner’s testimony shows how she lost $83 million to NY attorney

On the morning after she became a multi-millionaire, a South Carolina woman drove by the KC Mart No. in Simpsonville where she bought her lottery ticket, to see if anyone was there, just in case she had made a mistake and didn't really win. It was the largest Mega Millions jackpot to be won by a single ticket — more than $1.5 billion — and she had seen the numbers reported on television.

Oregon cops make arrests in thefts of 44,000 catalytic converters

Police in suburban Portland, Oregon, said Thursday they arrested a crime ring leader responsible for trafficking more than 44,000 catalytic converters stolen from vehicles on the West Coast since 2021. Beaverton police say they busted a local organized crime ring, arresting two suspected ringleaders and 12 suspected associates. According to Oregon Live, authorities were alerted to the operations when one of the suspects was caught hauling 100 stolen catalytic converters during a traffic stop late in 2021.

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  Cops: Oregon crime ring moved $22M in catalytic converters stolen along West Coast

  KIRO
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  Cops: Oregon crime ring moved $22M in catalytic converters

  Statesman Journal

Trump's allies are alarmed and starting to 'go dark' amid Mar-a-Lago search warrant revelations, reporter says

Allies of former President Donald Trump, alarmed and shocked by the details in the unsealed Mar-a-Lago search warrant and receipt of goods, are starting to distance themselves and "go dark" in recent days, according to The Washington Post political investigative reporter Josh Dawsey. "Alarm has grown in recent days when you talk to advisers of the former president," said Dawsey, speaking on MSNBC on Friday night, per HuffPost. Some of them are now "trying to go dark," refusing to defend Trump, and hope to "stay as far away from this as they can," Dawsey said.

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  Some Trump Allies Reportedly Are Trying To 'Go Dark' Amid Search Warrant Revelations

  HuffPost
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  Trump states he will not oppose DOJ motion to unseal Mar-a-Lago search warrant

  WPBF - West Palm Beach

Renowned researcher Marty Martin, dubbed ‘the ambassador of rattlesnakes,’ dies from rattlesnake bite

William “Marty” Martin, a renowned snake researcher who dedicated his life's work to the study of timber rattlesnakes, died last week after he was bitten by a snake on the property of his West Virginia home, his wife said. Martin, who was described as the “ambassador of rattlesnakes” in a 2019 profile on the online journal Terrain, was just 13 years old when he documented the first instance of timber rattlesnakes in the Bull Run Mountains in Virginia. At the age of 17, he became a founding member of the Virginia Herpetological Society, and for 30 years he served on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's timber rattlesnake task force, which worked to preserve the species, according to Reptiles Magazine.

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  Respected snake researcher dies from rattlesnake bite

  Associated Press
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  There are 3 types of rattlesnakes found in NC. Here’s how to identify them.

  Raleigh News and Observer

Trump property appraiser no longer in contempt in NY civil probe

Cushman & Wakefield, which appraised several properties belonging to Donald Trump, is no longer in contempt of court for not complying with a subpoena for the New York attorney general's civil probe into the former U.S. president's business. In an order made public on Friday, Justice Arthur Engoron of a New York state court in Manhattan said Cushman had "purged its contempt of court," and that under an agreement with Attorney General Letitia James "no fines were paid, or need be paid." The attorney general is investigating whether Trump and his family business, the Trump Organization, fraudulently inflated the values of golf clubs, hotels and other assets to obtain loans, and reduced those values to save on taxes.

Low water levels at Lake Mead reveal more than just human remains

Lake Mead National Recreation Area is showing the dramatic effects of falling water levels from the ongoing drought. The nation's largest reservoir is now giving up many of its secrets, including a fourth set of human remains discovered since May. Among those found were the remains of Daniel Kolod, who went missing in 1958.

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  Climate, crime, and the bodies at Lake Mead

  The Week
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  Las Vegas family suspects remains found at Lake Mead are Army veteran who drowned saving wife

  KLAS Las Vegas

Gang of female shoplifters stole thousands of dollars worth of men's Nike boxer shorts from Kohl's stores, investigators say

Police say three women stole about $1,800 worth of men's underwear from a Kohl's store in Newnan, Georgia. Kohl's says they stole Nike men's boxer shorts, which cost between $26 and $40, per Fox 5 Atlanta. More than $6,000 worth of high-end men's underwear has been stolen from Kohl's stores in the area, say police.

Wisconsin GOP leader Vos fires 2020 election investigator

Wisconsin's Republican Assembly leader on Friday ended a 14-month, taxpayer-funded inquiry into the 2020 election by firing his hand-picked investigator. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos' firing of Michael Gableman came just three days after the lawmaker narrowly survived a primary challenge from an opponent endorsed by former President Donald Trump and Gableman. While Gableman found no evidence of widespread fraud during his inquiry, he had joined Trump in calling for lawmakers to consider decertifying the 2020 election — something Vos and legal experts say is unconstitutional and impossible.

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  Vos fires Wisconsin election investigator Gableman

  WITI
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  Robin Vos fires Michael Gableman, ending a 2020 election review that's cost taxpayers more than $1 million and produced no evidence of fraud

  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Why is The Villages known as ‘the STD capital of America?’

Friends up north and across Tampa Bay snickered when Brian Lafferty revealed where he'd bought a new home. “Without exception, every person I've told I bought a house in The Villages has asked the same thing,” Lafferty said. The Villages, a mammoth retirement community that was the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the nation two years ago, is no stranger to folklore.

Fox News' Steve Doocy to House GOP Chair Stefanik on nuclear documents reporting: "That's kind of a big deal!"

Fox News' Steve Doocy said to House GOP Chair Stefanik that reports the FBI were seeking to retrieve classified nuclear documents from Mar-a-Lago is: "kind of a big deal!" President Trump overnight said that he encouraged the judge who authorized the search to release both the warrant and the list of items sought in the search. DOOCY: Apparently, they're related to nuclear weapons.

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  Report: FBI was after documents on nuclear weapons in search of Trump's home

  WEWS-Cleveland Videos
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  Trump doesn't deny taking classified nuclear documents from the White House while baselessly accusing Obama of the same thing

  Business Insider

President Zelenskyy on "good news" in southern Ukraine

KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO – SATURDAY, 13 AUGUST 2022, 22:18 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced "good news" regarding the Ukrainian Armed Forces' success in southern Ukraine. Source: President Zelenskyy's video address Quote: "Those fighting in the south of our country give us good news about the forces, weapons and equipment of the Russian army that they are putting out of action or destroying. Not a single day is lost in our effort to diminish the occupiers' capabilities."

J.J. Watt feels like ‘a wimp’ after bathroom drama at home

J.J. Watt had an unwanted guest in his bathroom Saturday morning. The Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman is ready to handle anything and everything on the field. What he wasn't about to handle, touch or get near was the “baby rattlesnake” curled up in the corner of one of the bathrooms at his home.

Minnesota's Finstad sworn in as newest member of Congress

Minnesota Republican Brad Finstad was sworn in Friday as the newest member of the U.S. House, giving the GOP one more seat, which means Democrats can't afford to lose more than four votes on close issues like their flagship climate change and health care bill. Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi held a ceremonial photo op afterward with a smiling Finstad, who was surrounded by members of his large family, including his wife, Jackie, and their seven children. “It's a special day for us to welcome a new member of Congress, Mr. Finstad, and his beautiful family,” Pelosi said.

Rep. Lauren Boebert's neighbors called 911 after her husband ran over their mailbox 'looking to fight'

Rep. Lauren Boebert's neighbors called 911 after an altercation with her husband, Jayson Boebert. Neighbors accused Jayson of driving under the influence and property damage, per The Denver Post. Officers from the Garfield County Sheriff's Office opted to let the neighbors settle the dispute among themselves.

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  Lauren Boebert’s ‘Jacka** Husband’ Jayson Allegedly Ran Over Neighbor’s Mailbox

  The Daily Beast
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  Listen To Rattled Neighbors Report Wild Clash With Lauren Boebert's Husband

  HuffPost

Texas man convicted of child sexual assault dies after chugging from bottle as verdict is read

A Texas man charged with five counts of child sexual assault died after a jury convicted him and he chugged a bottle of liquid in the courtroom, his lawyer said Friday. After the first count was read on Thursday afternoon and the Denton County jury returned a guilty verdict, Edward Leclair, 57, started drinking from a plastic water bottle filled with what appeared to be clear liquid, lawyer Mike Howard said. “I looked over and noticed him drinking,” Howard said.

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  Texas man dies after chugging bottle of liquid in court as he was convicted of child abuse

  The Independent
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  Man Convicted Of Child Sexual Assault Drinks Mystery Liquid In Court, Dies

  HuffPost

Author Salman Rushdie attacked on lecture stage in New York

Salman Rushdie, the author whose writing led to death threats from Iran in the 1980s, was attacked Friday as he was about to give a lecture in western New York. An Associated Press reporter witnessed a man storm the stage at the Chautauqua Institution and begin punching or stabbing Rushdie as he was being introduced. Rushdie's book “The Satanic Verses” has been banned in Iran since 1988, as many Muslims consider it to be blasphemous.

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  Salman Rushdie ‘getting the care he needs’ says New York governor

  Yahoo News Video
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  Police: Rushdie undergoes surgery after attack

  Associated Press Videos

6 fraternities disaffiliate from USC, prompting harsh warnings from university

In a mutiny against strict party rules imposed last year following allegations of frat house sexual assaults, six USC fraternities formally disaffiliated from the university Friday — prompting warnings of "serious ramifications" from campus administrators. "We are disappointed that some USC fraternities are following an unfortunate national trend by disaffiliating from the university — against our strong recommendations," USC said in an Instagram statement Friday night. USC officials had given fraternities a Friday deadline to convey their decision, as students prepare to return to campus next week.

Invasive critters that can lay 1,000 eggs at a time are found in Texas. What to know

Invasive critters were collected from a Texas apartment complex pond earlier this year — and wildlife experts say the females can lay up to 1,000 eggs at a time. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley researchers first collected three Australian redclaw crayfish in January and February, according to an Aug. 11 news release from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. They were found in a pond that connects to a Brownsville-area resaca, a type of oxbow lake.

Rainwater is no longer safe to drink anywhere on Earth, due to 'forever chemicals' linked to cancer, study suggests

Rainwater across Earth contains levels of "forever chemicals" unsafe to drink, a study suggests. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), linked to cancer, are pervading homes and environments. PFAS levels across the planet are unsafe, and the substances must be restricted, researchers say.

New York gun bans alarm residents of upstate bear country

Gunfire has long echoed in New York's Adirondack Mountains. So June's landmark ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court establishing a constitutional right to carry weapons in public seemed like a vindication of an upstate, gun-centric way of life. The ruling by the court's conservative majority appalled Democratic leaders across the country who said it would lead to more gun violence.