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Google users will share $630 million in a Play store settlement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:59 GMT

By Melissa Alonso, Diksha Madhok and Brian Fung | CNNGoogle has agreed to pay $700 million and allow more competition in its Play app store, according to the terms of an antitrust settlement with US states and consumers filed in federal court on Monday.Roughly 102 million US consumers will be eligible to receive a total of $630 million in compensation as part of the settlement, which resolves long-running allegations that Google harmed competition through its app store terms and fees. The other $70 million will be paid to the dozens of states that participated in the suit.The vast majority of affected consumers, about 71.4 million, will not need to file a claim in order to benefit from the agreement, according to the settlement terms. Consumers eligible for a payment will each receive $2 or more, depending on how much they spent through the Google Play Store between Aug. 16, 2016 and Sept. 30, 2023.The deal stands to reshape Google’s app store business amid intense scrutiny of its c...

Tom Brady, Peyton Manning endorse Christian McCaffrey’s MVP case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:59 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Tom Brady says his NFL MVP vote is leaning toward the 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey, who also scored an endorsement Monday night from Peyton Manning.Such backing might be what McCaffrey needs to wrestle the Associated Press’ NFL MVP award away from quarterbacks, who’ve won it 16-of-17 years since Brady captured his first in 2007.Or the 50 voters — from national media outlets — could follow McCaffrey’s own advice, which, after the 49ers’ latest win Sunday in Arizona, was to cast support behind 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, the unanimous favorite of the Las Vegas sportsbooks.McCaffrey has the fifth-best odds, and the second-best belongs to quarterback Lamar Jackson, who leads the Baltimore Ravens (11-3) into Monday night’s game at the 49ers (11-3).McCaffrey, the NFL’s rushing leader, made the media rounds Monday, appearing on Brady’s “Let’s Go!” podcast and also on ESPN’s “Manni...

South Bay restaurants ring in 2024 with a French twist

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:59 GMT

Feeling like welcoming the New Year a la Francaise? Several South Bay restaurants are serving up French cuisine on New Year’s Eve.Chez Philippe Los Gatos offers a three-course prix fixe menu with choices like lobster bisque, French onion soup, ratatouille crepe, filet mignon or salmon. Early seating is 5:30-6 p.m. at $150 per person, with a Night Owl seating 7:30-8:30 p.m. at $250. The Night Owl menu includes Kir Royale and caviar, plus a bubbly toast. https://www.chezphilippelosgatos.com/reservationsLa Forét French restaurant in San Jose’s New Almaden area is offering both a five- and six-course dinner on New Year’s Eve, starting at $155 per person, with wine pairings for $80.  https://www.laforetrestaurant.com/new-years-eve-menuNew Year’s Eve at Le Papillon in West San Jose features four courses for $225 per person. The last seating is around 9 p.m., and those who are up for ringing in the New Year at midnight will be treated to a glass of bubbly. https://www.lepapillon.com/reserv...

Where’s the cheapest spot to live in California – and it’s not cheap

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:59 GMT

“How expensive?” tracks measurements of California’s totally unaffordable cost of life.The pain: No California metro area had a below-average cost-of-living in 2022. There were 12 such areas in 2016.The source: My trusty spreadsheet reviewed the annual “price parity” data from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis that compares what it costs to live in 384 US metropolitan areas, including 26 from California.The pinchCalifornia “bargains” are rare, historically speaking. The state had four metros with below average costs in 2021, six in 2020 but just one in 2018.So what happen between 2016 – the state’s most recent affordability peak – and 2022?Well, California had the top nine metros for cost-of-living increases, by this math. And 13 from teh Golden State were in the top 18.Pressure pointsSo where is California living the cheapest? And how do those costs compare to the “heyday” of 2016?Think inland and farming regions.No. 1 is El Centro, at the Mexico border. It costs 0.1% above t...

Coronavirus subvariant JN.1 growing fast, already dominant in parts of the US

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:59 GMT

By Brenda Goodman | CNNThe US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the coronavirus subvariant JN.1 is now causing about 20% of new Covid-19 infections in this country, and it’s the fastest-growing strain of the virus. It’s already dominant in the Northeast, where it is estimated to cause about a third of new infections.JN.1 is descended from BA.2.86, or Pirola, a subvariant that came to the world’s attention over the summer because of the large number of changes to its spike proteins: more than 30. Scientists feared that it was so mutated that it would completely escape the protection of vaccines and antibodies against Covid-19, perhaps sparking another tidal wave of illness the way the original Omicron variant did in 2021.That never happened, but BA.2.86 hung around, growing very slowly in some countries, including the US. Some studies suggested that it never really took off because it may have lost some of its ability to infect our cells.Enter JN.1, which is t...

Pac-12 power ratings: Brutal barrage of non-conference results offsets previous success against ranked opponents

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:59 GMT

The last weekend of heavy non-conference play proved suboptimal for the Pac-12.In fact, it was downright awful.The conference posted a 5-7 record from Friday through Sunday and was winless against power conference opponents.Yep, it played six games against teams from the ACC, Big Ten, Big East, Big 12 and SEC — and lost them all.Even worse: The Pac-12 lost the six games by an average of 13.5 points.Only UCLA (seven) and Arizona (eight) managed single-digit defeats, to Ohio State and Purdue, respectively. Everyone else was beaten soundly.And to make matters worse, none of the Pac-12’s five victories were against top-tier opponents outside the power leagues.Instead, the list of vanquished foes featured Northern Colorado, Utah Valley, UTSA, Idaho and Seattle.The resume damage more than offset any gains made the previous weekend, when the conference defeated four ranked opponents.As a result, the Pac-12’s non-conference winning percentage stands at 65.8 (raw total: 77-...

Pac-12 legal saga: What’s next for the ‘Pac-2’ and the ‘Pac-10’ after Washington’s high court sides with WSU and OSU

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:59 GMT

According to the only authority that truly matters, the Pac-12 is now the Pac-2.Washington State and Oregon State were given control of the conference’s governing board Friday through a momentous display of inaction by the Washington Supreme Court.The justices declined to review a lower court’s preliminary injunction that established WSU and OSU as the only board members and lifted a stay that was preventing the two schools from taking action to secure the future of the conference.“As of right now,” a source said after the ruling from Olympia, “there are two board members in the Pac-12.”What’s next for the Cougars and Beavers after their groundbreaking victory?How will they treat the outbound schools?Is there a reasonable legal recourse for the 10 departing members?How will the conference’s revenue and assets be distributed?Let’s dive in …— Deafening silenceAdmittedly, the high court’s decision came as a surpris...

Will empty office buildings meet the same fate as zombie shopping malls?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:59 GMT

Analysis by Bryan Mena | CNNWashington, DC  — It’s been about four years since the Covid-19 pandemic first upended society. Cities and towns have mostly sprung back to life, but one aspect of daily life is unmistakable: The once-ubiquitous reality of working in an office for eight hours a day, five days a week is dead.As many companies embrace remote and hybrid work, demand for office space has weakened and property values have fallen.The predicament for office buildings is strikingly similar to that of regional shopping malls around the turn of the century, when Americans first began to gravitate en masse to online shopping, according to an analysis from the Treasury Department’s Office of Financial Research.Many malls have shuttered since as retailers dialed back their brick-and-mortar operations.But some zombie malls have been given new life, repurposed for other uses, in some instances after sitting vacant and abandoned for years.“The redeveloped uses for regional malls include ...

Los Gatos woman reports diamond tiara, Christmas lights and family cat stolen

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:59 GMT

Dec. 11VANDALISM: 11:58 a.m. at Tasting House on Village Lane. The door to the employee restroom that faces the back parking lot was removed.Dec. 13STOLEN VEHICLE: 5:58 a.m. on Cleland Avenue. A woman allowed her son to come to the house to shower. After he left the house, she discovered her purse, wallet, diamond tiara, Christmas lights, family cat, car and other items missing.VANDALISM: 11:06 a.m. on North Santa Cruz Avenue. Someone wrote “Free Gaza” on the front window of a business.SUSPICIOUS PERSON: 5:54 p.m. at Knowles Drive and South Winchester Boulevard. A man wax holding a swastika stencil and a can of spray paint next to the bus stop by Garret Station. He was gone when officers arrived.AUTO BURGLARY: 7:35 p.m. at Muni Lot 1 on Los-Gatos Saratoga Road. The window of a rental car was smashed, and a suitcase and other items were taken.PROWLER: 11:19 p.m. on Las Miradas Drive. A man knocked on the door, said “hello” and attempted to open a door that connects outsid...

Over 100 flights delayed at SFO, other airports

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:59 GMT

(KRON) – With the current rainstorm, Bay Area airports are experiencing an influx of delayed flights. Over 100 flights are currently delayed at San Francisco International Airport. Here is an update on the current number of delayed flights in the Bay Area.  Bay Area rain updates: Roadways flooded amid heavy rain San Francisco International Airport (SFO), 102 flight delays 2 canceled flights to SFOSydney and San Deigo30 departing flights are delayed72  incoming flights are delayed Oakland International Airport (OAK), 8 flights delayed 4 outgoing flights are delayed 4 incoming flights are delayed 1 cancellation to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport1 cancellation to OAKSan Jose International Airport (SJC), 14 flights delayed0 canceled flights to/from SJC5  incoming flights are delayed 9 outgoing flights are delayedThis is a developing story. Check back for updates.