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Southwest Airlines penalized $140M for 2022 Holiday travel nightmare

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:18 GMT

Southwest Airlines has been given the largest fine ever levied against an airline for last year's holiday travel debacle which saw thousands of flights canceled near Christmas.The U.S. Department of Transportation penalized Southwest a record-breaking $140 million civil penalty on Monday for violating consumer protection laws. The fine is 30 times larger than any other penalty ever issued by the DOT for consumer protection violations.In December 2022, more than 2 million Southwest passengers were affected by cancellations and delays beginning in the days leading up to Christmas and continuing through the New Year holiday. Southwest starts on reputation repair after cancellations As many as 16,900 flights were canceled in what some were calling the biggest meltdown in modern airline history.The majority of that $140 million fine will go to passengers who were adversely affected by the delays and cancellations. Southwest was also forced to issue more than $600 million in refunds an...

Airbnb launches AI effort to predict, block New Year's Eve parties

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:18 GMT

Airbnb is hoping artificial intelligence can help prevent rental homes from getting trashed on New Year’s Eve.The short-term rental company has launched a new AI-powered and machine-learning system to identify and block bookings that “could be potentially higher-risk for a disruptive and unauthorized party,” Airbnb said in a news release on Monday.The system first looks at one, two and three-night booking attempts, and then crunches data from hundreds of “signals” to determine the risk of a New Year’s Eve ruckus.Those factors include the duration of the visit, how far the listing is from the guest’s location, the type of listing, and if the reservation is being attempted at the last minute, among others. Airbnb data reveals top destination for family bookings in California, U.S. Guests who successfully book their stays need to confirm that they understand that Airbnb doesn't allow parties and that they could be banned from the platform if they get caught breaking the rule.Airbnb s...

George Clooney clears up talk that he's stepping away from acting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:18 GMT

George Clooney is at the helm of the new film "Boys in the Boat," which tells the story of the rowing team at the University of Washington during the Great Depression. The team is thrust into the spotlight as they compete for gold during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Clooney is in the director's chair for the project, but that doesn't mean he's giving up life in front of the camera. George Clooney and Joel Edgerton talked to Sam Rubin about "Boys in the Boat," which hits theaters on Christmas Day.This segment aired on the KTLA 5 Morning News on Dec. 18, 2023."I'm actually acting more now," he told KTLA 5's Sam Rubin. "I'm going to do a movie with Noah Baumbach. I just finished the Jon Watts film with pretty boy Brad Pitt.""You meant you're just stepping further away from the lens," actor Joel Edgerton joked. "I'd like something a little softer on that lens," Clooney quipped. As a father of twins, he isn't quite sure if he'll be able to direct anytime soon. "It takes so much time, an...

Firefighters help save the season after church fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:18 GMT

POMONA, Calif. - Firefighters couldn’t save the church, but they were able to save Christmas for many of its congregants.The Victory Outreach Church in Pomona went up in flames early Sunday morning in a fire that remains under investigation.“The flames just began to run through the entire attic,” Pastor Robert Garcia told KTLA. “[Firefighters] had to pull out so nobody would get hurt, and they had to pretty much sit there and watch it burn for a couple of hours.”Video from OnScene.TV shows the Victory Outreach Church in Pomona, California going up in flames on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2023. (OnScene.TV)No one was injured, but around 500 toys that were to be given to children as Christmas gifts Sunday night were destroyed, along with the 42-year-old building itself.As news of the fire spread, community members started coming forward to donate toys. Then, Los Angeles County firefighters hatched a plan.“When [we] found out that community members of this church were planning their Christmas par...

Oakland police ID man who was shot and killed Nov. 28 at apartment complex

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:18 GMT

OAKLAND — Police have released the identity of a man who was shot and killed here three weeks ago.Antone R. Wiggins, 31, was shot and killed at an apartment complex on the 10900 block of MacArthur Boulevard, around 11 a.m. Nov. 28. Wiggins was reportedly shot inside another person’s unit, then ran a short distance and collapsed in the parking lot, according to police.Authorities haven’t said if Wiggins lived at the complex.Days after Wiggins was killed, police say, a suspect turned herself in at the police station but refused to provide a statement. She was released after the Alameda County District Attorney’s office declined to file charges, pending further investigation, authorities said.Police have not said if they’ve identified a motive for the homicide, nor exactly what circumstances led to the shooting. Officers recovered a firearm from inside the apartment where the shooting took place, but have not said whether they’ve determined if it was...

Claiming election fraud, Serbian opposition takes to the streets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:18 GMT

By Jovana Gec | Associated PressBELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia’s weekend snap election was held in “unjust conditions,” with multiple reports of irregularities, international observers said on Monday, as opponents of populist President Aleksandar Vucic took to the streets claiming the vote was rigged.Political tensions spiked in the Balkan country over the parliamentary and local elections on Sunday. In Belgrade, several thousand people gathered in front of the state election commission headquarters, chanting “thieves,” as opposition leaders moved to lodge formal complaints claiming fraud in the city election.“We have hundreds and hundreds of complaints, said opposition politician Marinika Tepic. She and several other opposition politicians will camp inside the building that’s the seat of the state election commission. “We will stay here for a while.”At one point, protesters broke through a fence surrounding the building and one young...

Why the Sharks need Anthony Duclair to respond after healthy scratch

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:18 GMT

The San Jose Sharks – for multiple reasons — would love to see Anthony Duclair respond this week after the veteran forward was healthy scratched by coach David Quinn for the first time this season.Duclair watched Sunday as the Sharks fell behind early and were unable to score a 5-on-5 goal in what became a 6-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, bringing an end to a 0-2-0 road trip.Among other things, Quinn wasn’t happy that Duclair didn’t hustle to get back onside Friday against the Arizona Coyotes, negating a late third-period goal by Mikael Granlund in what turned into a 1-0 Sharks loss.“He and I have talked about it,” Quinn told reporters Sunday night regarding Duclair. “I’ll keep that conversation between him and I. Listen, he’s had a good stretch here.”Duclair, with six points in his last seven games, figures to be back in the lineup Tuesday as the Sharks play the Los Angeles Kings to start a two-game homestand.In the past, Duclair has shown he can respond to being left out ...

Woman killed on I-580 Richmond bridge identified

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:18 GMT

(KRON) -- A 19-year-old woman was killed in a crash on Interstate-580's Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Sunday evening. She was identified by the Marin County Sheriff's coroner as Darolyn Alejandra Reyes Rodas.According to investigators, Rodas was riding as a passenger inside a silver Honda sedan when the driver began speeding on the bridge at 7:57 p.m. Sunday. The Honda driver attempted to make a lane change halfway across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and struck a white Mazda SUV that was traveling at a slower speed, according to the California Highway Patrol. The CHP wrote, "The Honda collided with the rear of the Mazda.""As a result of the vehicles colliding, the sedan ... rolled over multiple times, coming to rest within the roadway on its roof. Due to the collision the decedent regrettably sustained multiple traumatic injuries and was found unconscious and unresponsive inside the vehicle," the Sheriff's Office wrote. Good Samaritan motorists stopped at the crash scene, pulled Roda...

Oakland could be days away from revealing new police chief

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:18 GMT

(KRON) -- Finalists for the vacant position of Oakland's Chief of Police have been submitted to the mayor by the police commission, the Oakland Mayor's Office said Monday. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has received the recommendations from the commission and will "conduct her due diligence in reviewing the candidates," the mayor's office said.Now that the candidates have been submitted, Mayor Thao can select from the finalists of ask the Oakland Police Commission to provide her with a new list. Woman killed on I-580 Richmond bridge identified "This is an important decision, and the Mayor Thao will take the time that is necessary to select the person that will lead the Oakland Police Department," Mayor Thao's office said. "Finding the right leader for the police department is a priority and Mayor Thao intends to conduct this process in a timely manner."Oakland has been without a police chief since Mayor Thao fired former Chief LeRonne Armstrong back in February. In October, the Oakland ...

Man arrested for DUI after crashing car in Pacifica parking lot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:18 GMT

(KRON) – A 21-year-old Moss Beach resident was arrested for driving under the influence after a vehicle collision. A Pacifica police officer located a single-vehicle collision in the parking area near 700 Cabrillo Highway at approximately 6:00 a.m. on Dec. 16.  Driver at large in Oakland hit-and-run involving multiple vehicles A man was unconscious in the driver’s seat of the vehicle and a woman was asleep on the ground nearby, police said.   According to the officer, the vehicle had damage from a recent collision. Medics were summoned to the scene to render aid. The woman was transported to the hospital due to extreme alcohol intoxication. According to the police investigation, officers determined that the vehicle had collided with multiple objects in the parking lot before halting at the entrance to a pedestrian footpath at that location. The driver was identified as 21-year-old Moss Beach resident, Diogo Zavalacardoso. According to police, Zavalacardoso exhi...