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Social Security increases may be larger than previously expected

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:53:36 GMT

The next cost-of-living increase for Social Security recipients is projected to be slightly higher than estimated in previous months, though still dramatically less than the 8.7% beneficiaries received in 2023, the Senior Citizen’s League predicts.The Senior Citizen’s League (TSCL), a nonpartisan senior advocacy group, had previously estimated in mid-August that 2024’s COLA increase would be 3%, based on July data reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But as of Wednesday, that increase is estimated to be somewhere around 3.2%, thanks to “a jump in consumer price data through August,” TSCL wrote in a press release.In terms of benefits, that means the average monthly Social Security check, at $1,790, would increase to around $1,847.30.TSCL’s estimate comes after the most recent publication of the Labor Bureau’s Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners (CPI-W) — the same index used by the Social Security Administration to determine the annual COLA. TSCL warned, however, t...

Van Morrison at the Greek

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:53:36 GMT

Van Morrison at the Greek: Two living legends for the price of one up at the Greek Theatre, as Northern Irish singer and songwriter Van Morrison headlines over blues man Taj Mahal. Morrison has been remarkably prolific in recent years — he’s already released a skiffle album called Moving On Skiffle this year, and another called Beyond Words: Instrumental. Last year, he gave us What’s it Gonna Take?, and 2021 had Latest Record Project, Volume 1. The man never stops.“Van Morrison unveils his 45th studio album, Accentuate the Positive, which is now available to pre-order HERE ahead of its release on November 3rd,” reads the press release. “This electrifying homage to rock ‘n’ roll is launched alongside its first single, a new take on the Johnny Kidd classic ‘Shakin’ All Over’. Listen HERE. Like this year’s acclaimed Moving On Skiffle, Accentuate The Positive sees Van Morrisonreturning to one of his childhood passions: this time rock ‘n’ roll. Growing up in Belfast sho...

See the World: Arts Calendar September 14-20

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:53:36 GMT

See the world of art right here at home this week, as more than one new gallery opens their doors amid the already rather epic crush of a new art season. With fantastical stylization and a darker aspect of exuberance, photographers, painters, sculptors, and more explore themes of identity, history, politics, sexuality, rebellion, desire, destruction, natural phenomena, eco-consciousness, vulnerability, and nostalgia. Performance- and installation-based events unfold on museum grounds, in a parking lot, and across an art school campus explore personal, environmental, and societal actions; plus literature for humanity, dreamy classical in the forest, gender-fluid musical theater, design as cozy psychedelia, avant-garde cinema, and an arts-based celebration of the Bahia connection.Philippe Shangti at the Andaz HotelThursday, September 14Philippe Shangti at Andaz Hotel. Shangti’s art serves as a poignant commentary on the intricacies of our modern society, capturing societal flaws and h...

Classic loaded wedge salad is stacked with texture and flavor

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:53:36 GMT

Is there anything better than a well-built salad? And by salad, I mean a towering wedge of crunchy iceberg lettuce topped with a tangy yet creamy homemade blue cheese dressing and juicy chunks of ripe, diced tomato and crunchy bacon bits.A staple on steakhouse and some gastropub menus, the salad is thought to date back at least to the early 1900s, a few years after the first cultivar for iceberg lettuce was developed in California.Some say they called it “iceberg” because that’s what it looked like when it was transported on crushed ice; others attribute its name to its ice-white color of its inner leaves and crunchy texture.One early version of what cookbook author Marion Harris Neil dubbed “Lettuce Salad with Roquefort Dressing” appeared in “Salads, Sandwiches and Chafing Dish Recipes” in 1916 and by the mid 1920s, with bottled salad dressing being mass-produced by companies such as Kraft, the crispy, crunchy salad was growing in popularit...

‘Outrageous’: Kevin Costner’s ex demands he pay $855,000 for court fight she could lose

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:53:36 GMT

Some would say that Kevin Costner’s estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, doesn’t know how to quit while she’s ahead.Baumgartner keeps losing key court rulings in her highly contentious divorce from the rich and powerful movie star, but she seems determined to press ahead with challenging a provision in their prenuptial agreement, which she signed before she married him in 2004. Even more “outrageous,” according to Costner’s attorney: Baumgartner wants him to pay the $855,000 she says her lawyers need to pursue this risky legal gambit, TMZ reported Tuesday. Costner’s high-profile divorce lawyer, Laura Wasser, has questioned in court documents whether Baumgartner’s legal team would even need close to $1 million to challenge the prenuptial agreement, TMZ reported. At that amount, her attorneys would have to put in more than 1,100 in billable hours to justify the fee. Wasser also said that Costner has already paid Baumgartner $300,000 in...

Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates are meeting in Washington to discuss future AI regulations

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:53:36 GMT

By Brian Fung | CNNWashington — Some of the most influential voices in the tech industry are meeting with federal lawmakers Wednesday as the US Senate prepares to draw up legislation regulating the fast-moving artificial intelligence industry.Among those attending the in-person event are the CEOs of Anthropic, Google, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI, Palantir and X, the company formerly known as Twitter. The guest list also includes Bill Gates, the former CEO of Microsoft, and Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, along with leading officials from the entertainment industry, civil rights groups and labor organizations.Today’s meeting and its expected all-star cast marks the first of nine sessions hosted by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has pledged to craft comprehensive guardrails regulating the AI sector in what he’s described as an unprecedented congressional effort.“With AI we can’t be like ostriches sticking our heads in the sand,” Schumer said, according to p...

Multiple people arrested in connection to various crimes including murder in Pittsburg 

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:53:36 GMT

(KRON) -- Several people were arrested on Monday in Pittsburg for multiple crimes including murder, the police department said. A 19-year-old man is still being sought following a July 14 homicide.Back in July, several men shot into a moving car in the 2100 block of Crestview Boulevard. The shooting resulted in the death of a man and serious injury to another. Around 5 a.m. on Monday, a total of 10 search warrants were served in Pittsburg, Antioch, Oakley and Pleasant Hill. Nine people were arrested for various crimes including murder, firearms violations and narcotics-related offenses, police said. Bay Area college coach charged with pimping women into prostitution Many of those who were arrested are believed to be associated with an East Contra Costa County gang involved in criminal activity. There are also other multiple ongoing investigations involving one or more of these individuals, PPD said.Amen Syrius Allen, 19, of Pittsburg is wanted in connection to the July 14 murder....

Warriors issue fraud alert for 2023-24 single game tickets

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:53:36 GMT

(KRON) -- The Golden State Warriors have issued a fraud alert warning fans about the risks of buying single game tickets from non-verified third parties. This warning comes as the 2023-24 Warriors season tickets are set to go on sale Wednesday at 4 p.m.Last season, the Warriors faced issues with over 300 fans being denied access during the regular season after they purchased counterfeit tickets. Over 200 people were turned away for fraudulent tickets during the Warriors' playoff run this past season. Bay Area college coach charged with pimping women into prostitution Fans are advised to purchase tickets directly from the team's website or by calling 1-888-GSW-HOOP. Official resale tickets are also available on their website.SuiteXchange, a verified suite resale website, is available for Warriors fans looking for single game premium spaces at the Chase Center for the 2024 Warriors postseason.

Ticketed concerts approved in Golden Gate Park

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:53:36 GMT

(BCN) -- On Tuesday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to authorize a permit for ticketed concerts at the Polo Fields in Golden Gate Park on the weekend following the popular Outside Lands Festival in 2024, 2025 and 2026. Outside Lands Festival infrastructure will be dismantled and removed from the park, but the performance stage will remain for another weekend of concerts held by Another Planet Entertainment LLC. With all board members present, the only no vote came from Supervisor Connie Chan, who represents the city's Richmond District that is along the park's northern border and includes a main access road to the concerts. "I do recognize the benefits of these concerts bringing to our overall city budget and the vitality additional concerts would bring to our downtown areas," said Chan, who was the only speaker among supervisors or members of the public when the measure came to a vote and said why she nevertheless opposed the plans. Man runs ...

‘Invisible Beauty’ offers a unique take on fashion through eyes of trailblazer Bethann Hardison

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:53:36 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — “I always know, because I’ve lived life long enough, you can change things,” Bethann Hardison said at the start of “Invisible Beauty,” a new documentary focused on her more than five decades in fashion.“You might need to be your foot against the pedal, but you can change things.”That’s exactly what the trailblazer has done in the fight for diversity, equity and inclusion in the fashion industry, first as a Garment District salesperson, then model, model agency owner and activist at large. She broke new ground as one of 10 Black models who participated in the “Battle of Versailles,” in 1973, that pitted five French designers and five American designers against each other at the French landmark. The historic fashion show marked its 50th anniversary this year.Later, Hardison founded the Black Girls’ Coalition that lent voice to working models of color, and she kept the heat on in the 1990s when the industry began backsliding on ...