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Other voices: Voters are right to complain about inflation

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:22:48 GMT

Against the odds, the Federal Reserve’s effort to guide the U.S. economy to a soft landing — reducing inflation without causing a recession — seems to be working. Recent data show a still-growing economy, a gently cooling jobs market and a slower pace of price increases in services. Investors are growing more confident that the Fed won’t need to raise its policy rate any higher — and might start cutting in another few months.President Joe Biden’s administration seems baffled that voters aren’t celebrating this accomplishment. Opinion polls show they’re persistently unhappy with the economy. It shouldn’t be a mystery why.Given the surge in inflation following the pandemic — the headline rate of consumer-price inflation peaked at more than 9% in June 2022 — a relatively painless return to price stability would in fact be a notable achievement. But both the Fed and the administration should be cautious about celebrating ...

Volunteers of America: Needs of people living on Colorado streets growing

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:22:48 GMT

One thing employees of Volunteers of America say they know for certain: the needs of people living on Colorado streets are increasing.They range from seasoned all-weather campers to a family of Venezuelan refugee newcomers wearing shorts who wandered up to VOA’s mission downtown at 2877 Lawrence St. recently – as temperatures plunged to 25 degrees. They were among the tens of thousands who found hot meals and a place to stay at VOA facilities around the state. The Venezuelans got warmer clothes, coats, and gloves.Needs are increasing due to “the current times in Colorado and everywhere else in the United States,” VOA vice president Faustine Curry said on her way to a Christmas party with low-income seniors at VOA’s Sunset Towers on Larimer Street. “Costs of living are high. Inflation is high.”The Denver Post Season To Share is the annual holiday fundraising campaign for The Denver Post and The Denver Post Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Grants a...

In Houston, the city’s housing-first roadmap pays off big — but shows challenges facing Denver’s new homeless strategy

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:22:48 GMT

HOUSTON — The apartment complex where Teresa Eddins now lives is so quiet that “you can hear a pin drop” at night, she says — a stark contrast to the constant noise she withstood while living beneath a bridge two years ago.She was one of the first people who moved into a former hotel in Houston that served as a center to help homeless people navigate their way to more stability. She credits the transitional housing facility and programs launched as part of “The Way Home,” the large Texas city’s nationally recognized homelessness-reduction strategy, for the fact that she now lives in an apartment she loves, alongside her adopted dog, Violet. It’s also where she decided to tackle her alcoholism, getting sober.“You don’t ever want to be in those shoes under a bridge — going through a hurricane, going through the cold, going through the winds, going through hot weather, you name it,” recalled Eddins, 63, of her life in 2021, wh...

Wish Book: Stanford Children’s Health Teen Van treats those on roads less traveled

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:22:48 GMT

As she’s done many times before, sophomore Nicole Zamora grabbed a hall pass, went to the front of the East Palo Alto Academy school, entered the massive vehicle in the parking lot, and got a free medical checkup. No questions asked.She’s one of thousands of young people — many lower income, in communities underserved by traditional medical care — who turn to the Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Teen Van for help.Since 1995 — more than a decade before Zamora and many current Bay Area high-school students were born — the Teen Health Van has ventured to various Peninsula and South Bay schools and nonprofits to provide free medical care. Young people between the ages of 12 and 25 can access medical services ranging from sports physicals to vaccinations, all the way to testing for sexually transmitted infections and substance counseling.To Zamora, 15, the Teen Health Van is a symbol of personal empowerment. She can get a checkup whenever she wants,...

Happy trails: Roadshow readers deliver shout-outs for jobs well done

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:22:48 GMT

Q: Susan McLean wrote recently about bus service from Santa Cruz to Diridon station in San Jose. A bus driver’s actions when encountering an emergency were professional and kept everyone in their seats, while avoiding the stopped vehicles.I use SamTrans bus service daily to commute between Half Moon Bay and Hillsdale, where I catch Caltrain to Palo Alto to substitute teach in their outstanding district.Multiple times along Highway 92, the bus driver has rounded a curve to see a stopped vehicle and had to make a sudden stop. SamTrans drivers are awesome and always have great control. Five stars for a great commute service.I cannot complain about the price, either. As a senior, the cost to me is . . . a buck.My favorite driver is the one who picks me up a block from my house at 6:30 a.m. He should have been an Indy car driver. He drives smooth as butter, and gets us over the hill faster and better than any other bus driver I’ve ever encountered!James ThurberA: Thanks for s...

49ers rolling up convincing wins reminiscent of some of their best teams

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:22:48 GMT

Steve Young sounded as if he could hardly believe the words as they came out of his mouth.And while he qualified it to make sure people understood there is no such thing as a lock when it comes to predicting a championship in the NFL, the guts of what he said during his weekly appearance on KNBR is as follows:“I don’t want to say in early December this team is a lock for the Super Bowl, but without injury, how does anyone beat ’em?” Young said Wednesday. “They look as good and talented as a team has been since the Cowboys of the early ’90s, our (teams) in the early 90s. They look that good. Top to bottom.”The 49ers (9-3) host the Seattle Seahawks (6-6) Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.With their most recent one-sided win coming 42-19 against defending NFC champion Philadelphia, the 49ers are outscoring opponents by 13.6 points per game. Only Dallas, a team the 49ers beat 40-12, has a higher margin at 14.0. Since the start of the Super Bowl era...

The Warriors’ 29 turnovers open up bigger questions about the offense

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:22:48 GMT

The Warriors will have three days in Phoenix to help bond as a team and recover from their latest meltdown in Oklahoma City. They may watch some college hoops together. They will practice. Perhaps have a team dinner.Written in stone on the schedule, though, is to gather and watch a horror film together.That horror film: All 29 turnovers they committed Friday in a 138-136 overtime loss to the Thunder.“We will watch all 29 as a team,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Friday. “I can tell you that. We will watch all 29 turnovers.”What they’ll see is a well-rounded comedy of errors. Of the 10 Warriors that took the court, only Cory Joseph had a zero in the turnover column. Only Brandin Podziemski had one turnover and everyone else committed at least two. The full turnover breakdown:Andrew Wiggins: 6Draymond Green: 4Klay Thompson: 4Jonathan Kuminga: 3Steph Curry: 3Dario Šarić: 3Kevon Looney: 2Moses Moody: 2Green, the facilitator, is often the one who shoulders the most...

Troubled retailer Sears quietly reopens two stores. What is behind the comeback?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:22:48 GMT

By Samantha Delouya | CNNLos Angeles  — To the casual shopper, Sears, one of America’s oldest retailers, may appear to be on life support. The department store chain that once reinvented how Americans shopped now barely has a brick-and-mortar footprint after a 2018 bankruptcy and hundreds of store closures.But talk of Sears’ demise may be premature: just two months ago, a previously shuttered Sears in Burbank, California, quietly turned the lights back on. Two weeks after that, another reopened in Union Gap, Washington.I visited the newly opened Burbank store several times last month, including on Black Friday, retail’s busiest shopping day, to explore the storied brand. The new Sears looks much like the old one, a vestige from a time when department stores ruled America’s shopping landscape. While the store remained mostly devoid of shoppers when I visited, those who did drop in, along with some store associates, expressed hope and excitement of a new age for Sears.Inside Sears’ re...

Haaland injured and misses Manchester City’s match at Luton in Premier League

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:22:48 GMT

LUTON, England (AP) — Erling Haaland will miss Manchester City’s away match against Luton in the Premier League on Sunday with a foot injury.It wasn’t immediately clear for how long Haaland will be sidelined.The Norway striker is the top scorer in the league with 14 goals in 15 games.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerSource

Iran bans Mahsa Amini’s family from traveling to accept the European Union’s top human rights prize

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:22:48 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian authorities banned members of the late Mahsa Amini’s family from traveling to accept the European Union’s top human rights prize on her behalf, a civil rights monitor reported. Amini’s death while in police custody in 2022 sparked nationwide protests that rocked the Islamic Republic.The U.S.-based HRANA said late Saturday that authorities have refused to allow Amini’s father, Amjad, and two of her brothers to fly out to Strasbourg, France, to receive the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Reports said only the family’s lawyer, Saleh Nikbakht, would be able to travel to be handed the award on their behalf. The EU award, named for Soviet dissident and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov, was created in 1988 to honor individuals or groups who defend human rights and fundamental freedoms. It is “the highest tribute paid by the European Union to human rights work,” as per the EU Parliament website.Earlier in Se...