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European Commission spending €1.23bn to reform EU’s mental health

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

The European Commission (EC) announced a landmark mental health strategy to confront what has been termed as a "silent epidemic", backed by €1.23 billion in funding.Recognizing mental health as a fundamental pillar of overall health, the Commission has proposed an expansive, cross-sectoral initiative that seeks to transform the way mental health is addressed in the European Union.Mental health is more than an individual or familial issue; it significantly impacts our economies and societies. According to the Commission, mental health issues have touched approximately 84 million people in the EU prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, at a staggering cost of approximately €600 billion annually – over 4% of the GDP. The workplace hasn't been spared either, with 27% of workers reporting experiencing work-related stress, depression, or anxiety.However, mental health doesn't exist in a vacuum; it's shaped by various personal and external factors. Recent crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Russ...

'Rust' weapons expert was hungover on set, prosecutors say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

The weapons supervisor on the film set where Alec Baldwin shot and killed a cinematographer was drinking and smoking marijuana in the evenings during the filming of “Rust,” prosecutors are alleging, saying she was likely hungover when she loaded a live bullet into the revolver that the actor used. They leveled the accusations Friday in response to a motion filed last month by Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys that seeks to dismiss her involuntary manslaughter charge. The prosecutors accused her of having a history of reckless conduct and argued that it would be in the public interest for her to “finally be held accountable.”Jason Bowles, Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney, said Tuesday that the prosecution has mishandled the case.“The case is so weak that they now have chosen to resort to character assassination claims about Hannah,” Bowles told The Associated Press. “The prosecution has abandoned the idea of doing justice and getting to the actual truth apparently.”A preliminary hearing for...

Anita Baker drops Babyface from Songstress tour amid online feud

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

A big feud between two big names in music. Anita Baker and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds are in the middle of a huge battle involving her latest tour. The drama came to a head on Tuesday when Baker made the big announcement that she was dropping Baby Face from her Songstress tour and she'll continue on as a solo act. This all started on May 10, when Babyface essentially blamed Baker claiming she asked him not to perform."I am truly sorry to my fans who have been waiting for us to hit the stage this evening at the Prudential. I was asked not to perform in order to give Ms. Baker her space and time to perform her show in its entirety," he tweeted. "My band and I are extremely saddened we didn't get to perform for y'all tonight"After this, Baker took to Twitter to provide some context. "It was 9:30 p.m. *contractually?... It was way past time 4 the Headline Performer, to be on stage/Anita Baker Support Act did not perform. I have no contract with Support Act. Not my call I did what I was ...

June Blooms: Arts Calendar June 15-21

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

Some folks like the mystical silvery skies of June Gloom—others eagerly look forward to the day the season finally blooms into summer. We’re not sure about the weather, but this week’s arts calendar brings a profusion of art both thoughtful and lively. From steel-backed and issues-driven new and historical Pop art to commemorative ballet, a vibey bass-based soundbath, a pair of group shows merging the meta with the embodied, ecological, and architectural, an indie arts publishing book fair, a botanical explosion at Bergamot, the visual culture of hip hop, Juneteenth, Indigenous film, Pride-themed arts and literature, and so much more. Plus don’t forget to check the regularly updated L.A. Weekly Pride Guide all month.Ben Sanders: Siren (Black Cherry), 2023Thursday, June 15Ben Sanders: New Caps at Marta. An exhibition of twelve signature Bottle Cap paintings by multi-disciplinary artist Ben Sanders. Identical in exaggerated size—each twenty-six times the scale of their petite co...

Judge reduces life sentence of Bay Area man convicted in 2017 home-invasion robbery to 8 years, 8 months

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

By Jeff Ballinger | Bay City NewsA judge reduced a life sentence to eight years in prison for a man convicted in 2019 for a home-invasion robbery, according to a statement Tuesday from the office of Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez.Yacob Dawit Dain, 37, of Santa Rosa, was originally sentenced in June 2019 to 57 years to life following his conviction for a home invasion robbery, burglary and kidnapping committed in 2017.Dain and three other suspects who were never captured entered the home on Marsh Road through a kitchen window, and pointed guns at the family, including a 10-year-old child, and assaulted members of the family, according to prosecutors.Dain had previous convictions for crimes in 2006 connected to his involvement in a street gang that at the time counted as strikes under the state’s three strikes law.Dain appealed the sentence and in December 2021, the state court of appeals ruled that recent changes in the law required the lower court to determine...

More than 100 San Jose residences could sprout in Willow Glen

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

SAN JOSE — A big housing development could replace a liquor store site in San Jose, a proposed project that would add more than 100 residences to the city’s Willow Glen district.The project could sprout at 940 Willow Street in San Jose, according to the proposal filed by Redco Development, a company whose managing director is real estate executive Chris Freise.The seven-story apartment complex would be built at the corner of Willow Street and Kotenberg Avenue, according to a preliminary proposal on file with San Jose city planners.The project would consist of 126 apartments and include ground-floor retail, the plans filed by Redco Development show.“The property is currently a 5,000-square-foot, two-tenant underutilized retail strip building,” Redco Development states on its website, referring to the proposed development location.At present, BWS, a beer, wine and spirits store; and Fit Body Boot Camp fitness center are located at the 940 Willow Street site, wh...

Last-minute funding saves Los Gatos Creek Trail connector project

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

Last-minute funding amounting to $2.8 million is taking construction of pedestrian- and bike-friendly entrances to the Los Gatos Creek Trail near downtown past a bump in the road after the project, six years in the making, went well over budget earlier this year.The design for two concrete ramps to lead from Highway 9 to the trail were largely supported by residents who currently have to take a wide detour or travel down a steep footpath to the trail. One ramp starts after University Avenue and gradually slopes down to a connecting bridge, and the other is near the Highway 17 offramp with switchbacks parallel to Los Gatos-Saratoga Road.Students who walk and bike to Fisher Middle School or Los Gatos High School would be able to use the trail to get to school rather than walking and biking on the busy street and across highway on- and offramps.At the start of the design process in 2017, staff estimated the project would cost $3.4 million. These costs have more than doubled in the ensu...

SF Giants’ phenom Luis Matos in starting lineup vs. Cardinals

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

The Giants were reluctant to call up red-hot outfielder Luis Matos only to have him cool his heels on the bench.When Mitch Haniger broke his right forearm Tuesday night when hit by a pitch, the process of promotion was accelerated. Matos was recalled Wednesday along with infielder David Villar and was in the lineup, batting second and playing center field against the St. Louis Cardinals.Matos, 21, was hitting .398 with seven home runs and 20 RBIs in 24 games with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. He also played 31 games for Double-A Richmond, hitting .304 with three home runs and 16 RBIs.If the Giants are fortunate, Matos will prove another shot of adrenaline to a team that was given a spark by two other rookies — infielder Casey Schmidt and catcher Patrick Bailey.Haniger and J.D. Davis were removed from an 11-3 win over the Cardinals Tuesday night after being injured in the third inning. Haniger, hit by a pitch from St. Louis starter John Flaherty, will be out for an extend...

Potholes are gone, but why are the new sections of 680 still so bumpy?: Roadshow

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

Q: Interstate 680 was repaved south of 580 up to 580. It appears to be concrete and is bumpier than the old section of concrete (which needs replacing) from 580 up to the Alcosta overpass. Why is the new section rougher than the old section? Will the new surface be covered with another layer in the future or be reworked to remove the roughness?Denny Smith, PleasantonA: And…Q: My wife and I took northbound 680 from 880 to Walnut Creek recently. The new lanes from 84 to Sunol (approximately) are an absolute ABOMINATION. The potholes are gone. But the entire surface is ridiculously rough. Exacerbating this section are fairly-closely-spaced (10-20 feet apart) mini-rumble-strips running perpendicular to the roadway. We hope that this work is just the start and that, when finished, it will be much better.Roy Clifton, SunnyvaleA: I heard about this from several people. For northbound 680, crews are still placing precast concrete pavement on the road, including the area near the 680 t...

California woman’s greenwashing lawsuit against Delta Air Lines aims to set a precedent

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

By Kendra Pierre-Louis | BloombergAs tranquil instrumental music plays over gauzy images of nature, a woman’s voice-over begins. “Isn’t it a paradox,” she wonders aloud, “that the love for this world that gets us out in it, sometimes leaves behind the things that can harm it? Flight by flight, we broaden our views. We gain new perspectives. And now, flight by flight, we can make a difference.”The commercial, released by Delta Air Lines Inc. in 2021, goes on to tout the company’s commitment to “becoming the world’s first carbon-neutral airline on a global basis.” It’s a pledge Delta debuted in February 2020, alongside a plan to spend $1 billion over the next decade mitigating its greenhouse-gas emissions. Now that pledge is the focal point of a class-action lawsuit arguing that Delta’s carbon-neutrality claims amount to little more than greenwashing.“Delta’s representations of carbon neutrality are provably false and misleading,” reads the lawsuit filed on May 30 on behalf of any Cal...