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Why Oakland's beloved cannabis dispensary, Rose Mary Jane, closed

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:45 GMT

(BCN)--It was a Tuesday afternoon in early August and there was seemingly never a free moment at the counter of Rose Mary Jane, a cannabis dispensary and lounge in Oakland. Budtenders shuffled behind the counter, grabbing products off sparsely populated shelves, fielding questions from customers (no, they do not have any purple left, yes, Sweet Cherry Pie is good for keeping your mind clear), and stopping occasionally to fawn over a customer's dog. Everything in the store was up to 75% off. It was their last day in business. On Aug. 9, after around a year and a half in business, Rose Mary Jane officially closed its doors to the public, leveling a palpable blow to Oakland's cannabis community. The store on their Instagram cited an unaffordable lease and burglaries. "The three burglaries in the last six months, the increased violence, loss and damage from the burglaries, and the unwillingness of our property manager, Erik Murray, with Oak Investment Funds, to negotiate a...

Defying RICO Indictment, Faith Leaders Chain Themselves to Bulldozer to Stop Cop City

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:45 GMT

Revs. Jeff Jones and Dave Dunn at the construction site of Cop City during a direct action in protest of the planned police training compound on Sept. 7, 2023. Photo: Courtesy of The People’s Stop Work OrderFive participants of the Defend the Atlanta Forest movement broke into the construction site of the planned police training compound known as “Cop City” on Thursday morning and chained themselves to a bulldozer. This is by no means the first direct action Stop Cop City protesters have taken to halt construction of the vast facility, but it carries renewed significance just two days after Georgia prosecutors announced extreme and overreaching racketeering charges against 61 other movement activists.The charges, filed Tuesday under Georgia’s expansive Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO, are an effort to chill the movement and paint one of the most resilient anti-racist, environmentalist efforts in history as a criminal enterprise. In response, ...

Shohei Ohtani nears return to Angels’ lineup, takes swings before game against Guardians

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:45 GMT

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani took swings in the batting cage and did other baseball activities Thursday, nearing a return to the Los Angeles Angels’ lineup after straining his right oblique muscles early in the week.Ohtani wasn’t in the Angels’ starting lineup for the fourth straight game when they hosted the Cleveland Guardians, but Los Angeles manager Phil Nevin said the two-way superstar might be available to pinch-hit.“He’s moving around good,” Nevin said. “The swings were close, but not close enough to start tonight. So we may ramp up later, and he’s got a chance to pinch-hit.”Nevin sounded optimistic about the chances of an imminent return for Ohtani, who has already been shut down for the season as a pitcher. Nevin said Ohtani wanted to be in the lineup Tuesday, just one day after he injured his oblique in batting practice, but the Angels are asking him to slow down.“I think it’s more (Ohtani is) just a little uncomfortable,” Nevin ...

Climate protest interrupts US Open semifinal between Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:45 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Open semifinal between Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova was delayed early in the second set because of a disruption by climate activists in the Arthur Ashe Stadium stands on Thursday night.Gauff was ahead 6-4, 1-0 when play was halted for at least 15 minutes.Tournament referee Jake Garner came out onto the court, while security headed toward where the protesters were. They were wearing shirts that read, “End Fossil Fuels.” At least one person glued their shoes to the ground, making it harder to be removed.At least two protesters were taken away.Gauff sat on her sideline bench for a bit, eating fruit out of a plastic container, before then getting some tennis balls and hitting a few practice serves. Muchova was briefly visited by a trainer during the interruption.Eventually, both players headed toward the locker room as the delay continued.___AP tennis coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/tennisSource

“No es posible aplicar el sí”, dice Guillermo Lasso sobre la decisión electoral de no explotar petróleo en el Yasuní

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:45 GMT

(CNN Español) — Una polémica declaración ha puesto al presidente de Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, en aprietos, luego de que el pasado 20 de agosto los ciudadanos votaron a favor de que se frene la extracción de petróleo en el bloque 43 del Yasuní, una de las zonas más biodiversas del planeta.La noche de este miércoles el vocero del colectivo ambientalista Yasunidos, Pedro Bermeo, difundió en su cuenta de X –antes conocida como Twitter–, videos de una reunión del presidente Lasso con parte de su gabinete y miembros de comunidades amazónicas que se oponen al retiro de la actividad petrolera en el Yasuní por considerar que existen proyectos comunitarios que podrían desaparecer.¿Qué implica que los votantes en Ecuador hayan rechazado la explotación petrolera en el Parque Nacional Yasuní?La Secretaría de Comunicación de la Presidencia confirmó que la reunión se realizó en el Palacio de Carondelet el martes 5 de septiembre aunque no quiso precisar quién de los asistentes grabó al mandat...

Cirque du Soleil returns to DC area with new show

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:45 GMT

Stunning acrobatics — with an uplifting message for the family: Cirque du Soleil premieres in Northern Virginia on Thursday night.The latest show creation from Cirque du Soleil, entitled “Echo,” is an idea that writer and stage director Mukhtar Omar Sharif Mukhtar said was years in the making.“There was a really beautiful message about connection, about reconnecting with what matters, what’s important. And that’s the nature around us, the animals we share this planet with,” he told WTOP.Mukhtar, once a performer himself, said it’s been a joy to watch this cast of performers bring his vision to life.Aside from the normal death-defying acrobatics and dazzling visuals, Mukhtar said the show unveils a brand-new two-story prop piece that’s sure to blow you away.“It’s one of those things that people have to wait and see,” he said. “But I will say that we use it as a metaphor, artistically, for our world. The more we take from it, the emptier it becomes. The m...

Teachers at Southwest Ranches school save safety officer using recently learned CPR training

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:45 GMT

Teachers at a school in Southwest Ranches became a safety officer’s guardian angels when he had a medical emergency at work, using the CPR training they recently learned when they rushed to his aid.7News cameras captured Scott Weissman as he greeted students at Greentree Preparatory Charter School on Thursday, weeks after his sudden health scare.“I’m here today because of these teachers, because of this school,” he said. “I love the job. I love the mission that I’m here for.”The 47-year-old safe school officer’s mission is to protect the lives of students and staff.But last month, it was Weissman who needed saving, when he collapsed in the parking lot.It was the second day of school after summer recess, and with the sun blazing during dismissal, Weissman said he started to feel thirsty.That was last thing he remembered until he woke up in the ambulance.“The first thing I remember is looking up and seeing the light in the rescue t...

State trooper hurt in crash while on vacation in Utah returns to Massachusetts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:45 GMT

An overwhelming show of support met Massachusetts State Trooper Matthew McRae on Thursday as McRae returned home for the first time since he was involved in a serious crash while vacationing in Utah. According to officials, McRae was critically hurt while visiting family in Salt Lake City last month when a drunk driver crashed into a rideshare car he was in. Just under two weeks after the crash, dozens of state and local police showed up at Hanscom Airport as the MedFlight jet with McRae inside landed Thursday. “We’re just proud of this country and this state and the ability that the citizens have come together, along with our local first responders, MedFlight and everybody else that just helped assist us in getting our trooper home,” said Patrick McNamara, union president for the Massachusetts State Police Association. 7NEWS cameras were then rolling as McRae’s ambulance arrived at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center with a full escort from the state police. ...

Robert Kraft discusses Tom Brady, planned ceremony to honor Patriots icon

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:45 GMT

New England Patriots Owner Robert Kraft could barely contain his excitement Thursday when discussing Tom Brady’s planned return to Gillette Stadium this weekend. The Patriots icon will be honored during Sunday’s season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. Recently speaking with reporters, Kraft shared the first details about what the ceremony might look like.“We’re going to do something special and unique with him,” Kraft said.Kraft said he talked to Brady recently. “[H]e’s really excited and I’m excited because our fans never really got a chance to say goodbye in a proper way,” Kraft said.The ceremony is set to be so special, Brady is making it a family affair. In all, Kraft said Brady will have 20 members of his family attending.“We’re honored to be hosting all of them,” Kraft said.When 7NEWS asked for some clues as to what will happen, Kraft almost let the secret out. In this case, though, he said it will be much cooler to wait. What Kraft did say was that all of hal...

Javier Assad tries to stay on roll for the Chicago Cubs — while Marcus Stroman takes the next step in his rehab

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:45 GMT

Good luck trying to find right-hander Javier Assad on old prospect lists.Assad hadn’t gained much attention outside the Chicago Cubs organization while in the minors because he doesn’t own the eye-catching stuff that becomes notable when a player works his way up the system.But the consistency the Cubs have seen from Assad since he slotted into the rotation Aug. 5 is why he has become so valuable as he uses the great defense behind him to produce quality outings. He entered Thursday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 1.95 ERA and .212 average against in his five starts over the last month.Assad, 26, is a great organizational example of having an opportunity to help the team that signed him from Mexico as teenager get back to the postseason.“We focus so much on prospects that there’s a ton of guys down there trying to prove everyday who they are and that they’re worthy of being big leaguers and staying,” manager David Ross said Th...