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A Legacy of Excellence: DiBara Masonry Receives Congressional Award for Four Generations of Outstanding Craftsmanship

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:11:36 GMT

In the heart of Los Angeles, one family’s masonry and concrete lineage has stood the test of time, quietly building a legacy of exceptional craftsmanship. DiBara Masonry, a fourth-generation masonry firm, has recently been recognized with a prestigious congressional award celebrating their commitment to quality and craftsmanship, solidifying their position as a leader in the construction industry.With a journey beginning over a century ago, Michael Larusso and Matteo DiBara, immigrated from Italy to the United States. What started as building homes for their neighbors evolved into a lasting legacy built on trust and dedication to delivering the finest work.DiBara Masonry recently received the Quality and Craftsmanship award from Congressman J. Luis Correa, affirming their dedication to excellence and restoration practices. Matthew DiBara, the current owner, expressed his gratitude, stating, “I stand on the shoulders of three generations before me who worked to set the standard...

John Hannum and PPS Solutions: Empowering Businesses Growth with (Fractional) Financial Firepower

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:11:36 GMT

Leading the charge in transforming the financial landscape for growing businesses, John Hannum and his company, PPS Solutions, have set their sights on enabling entrepreneurs to achieve their business goals through the power of Fractional Finance. With well-established corporate experience in finance and operations, John now brings his skill set to growing businesses of all sizes, championing success for entrepreneurs and business leaders ready to change the world.To fully appreciate the mission John is on, one must trace his entrepreneurial journey back to its roots. When he was a child, his parents bought their first business – a SCUBA diving store in Florida. He watched the struggles they encountered by working with them in the shop, learning the value of hard work and keeping a good set of books. Both in the business and at school, he developed an interest in numbers and systems which ultimately lead to a remarkable finance career and a passion for entrepreneurship.Followi...

Motorcyclist Injured in Vehicle Accident on Home Avenue [San Diego, CA]

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:11:36 GMT

25-Year-Old Male Rider Hospitalized after Motorcycle-Vehicle Collision near NeighborhoodSAN DIEGO, CA (August 15, 2023) – Late Friday night, a motorcyclist sustained injuries in a vehicle accident on Home Avenue.On August 4th, shortly before 10:20 p.m., officers responded to a call involving a collision between a 2017 Yamaha motorcycle and a 2011 Hyundai Tucson.The investigation showed that the rider was traveling eastbound and the woman came to a stop at the bicycle lane.Furthermore, the woman made a U-turn and turned in front of the rider causing him to hit the driver’s side front fender.As a result, the motorcyclist suffered serious injuries including multiple fractures and cuts on his ankle.Meanwhile, the female driver remained at the scene and police did not suspect impairment as a factor in the collision.Further investigation is still being conducted by the San Diego Police Traffic Division.Any witnesses of the collision are encouraged to call the authorities at 85...

California judge pleads not guilty to murdering his wife in their Anaheim Hills home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:11:36 GMT

An Orange County Superior Court judge pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles courtroom on Tuesday, Aug. 15, to a charge of murdering his wife in their Anaheim Hills house.Judge Jeffrey Ferguson made his plea through his attorneys before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ricardo Ocampo, who granted Orange County prosecutors’ requests that Ferguson wear a GPS monitoring device, stay away from alcohol and submit to searches as conditions of his $1 million bail.Ocampo rejected a request by prosecutors for Ferguson to not have any contact with his 22-year-old son, who authorities say witnessed the killing. Ocampo said such contact was up to the son.Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson appears during a hearing at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, right, sits next to his attorneys John Drummond Barnett, left, and Paul Meyer during a hearing a...

‘Black Godfather’ of music dies at 92

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:11:36 GMT

By Hillel Italie | Associated PressNEW YORK — Clarence Avant, the judicious manager, entrepreneur, facilitator and adviser who helped launch or guide the careers of Quincy Jones, Bill Withers and many others and came to be known as the “Black Godfather” of music and beyond, has died. He was 92.Avant, inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles, according to a family statement released Monday.Avant’s achievements were both public and behind the scenes, as a name in the credits, or a name behind the names. Born in a segregated hospital in North Carolina, he became a man of lasting and wide-ranging influence, in part by minding two pieces of advice from an early mentor, the music manager Joe Glaser: Never let on how much you know, and ask for as much money as possible, “without stuttering.”Singer-songwriter Bill Withers, right, speaks at the 2016 ceremony in which music executive Clarence Avant received a star on the Hollyw...

In parts of California, a prescription will pay for your fresh fruits and veggies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:11:36 GMT

BY RYA JETHA | CalMattersEvery other Friday, the Stockton Emergency Food Bank hosts two live cooking classes — one in English and one in Spanish. Last week, Brenda Munoz made a classic tuna melt with an orange, romaine and dandelion salad.“Dandelion is completely edible,” said Munoz, holding the small leaves from the flower. “They’re really high in vitamin A and folate.”But this isn’t your typical cooking lesson on Zoom and Facebook. It’s part of a “food prescription” experiment — prescriptions for healthy food instead of pills. Diabetics get a free box full of fruits, vegetables, chicken breast, quinoa and other nutritious food delivered to their homes every two weeks — and then can learn some recipes.Advocates who want to expand the program across California say it could very well be a way to improve chronic conditions, lower health care costs and reduce hunger, all at the same time.   It’s aimed at people like Shane Bailey, a 72-year-old who served in the Coast Guard who has thre...

Woman found dead in Golden Gate Park at end of Outside Lands

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:11:36 GMT

A woman’s body was found at the edge of Golden Gate Park as the Outside Lands festival was winding down, and police called the death suspicious.The discovery, near Fulton Street and 22nd Avenue, was reported to police around 7:20 p.m. Sunday. The woman was later identified as Kelly Koike, 37.The woman’s mother told TV station ABC7 that the coroner informed her a dogwalker found the body in a duffel bag.No information on the cause of death has been released. The San Francisco police homicide unit is leading the investigation.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | California woman sentenced to 26 years for fatal pruning shears attack on 2 neighbors Crime and Public Safety | During murder trial, California man claims that he accidentally strangled his girlfriend in 2018 Crime and Public Safety | Oakland man charged with chasing down and killing woman, attempting to kill her would-be rescuer Crime and Public Safety | ...

Tech companies, bank chop hundreds of Bay Area jobs in fresh layoffs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:11:36 GMT

SAN RAMON — A bank and some high-profile tech companies have chopped hundreds of Bay Area jobs in a fresh round of layoffs — although the pace of tech sector layoffs has greatly eased.In the most recent spate of job cuts, nearly 250 banking jobs are being eliminated in the Bay Area, while four different tech companies have revealed their plans to chop a combined 211 jobs, based on filings that were posted so far in August by state labor agency officials.Here are the details for the most recent rounds of tech and banking industry job cuts in the Bay Area that various companies reported to the state Employment Development Department.— Bank of the West has revealed plans to jettison 248 jobs. These include 203 at the bank’s offices in San Ramon’s Bishop Ranch complex and another 45 in San Francisco.— Crunchbase, which has created a software database of information about an array of companies, 63 job cuts.— Niantic, a mobile apps company, is cho...

Sandra Bullock’s ‘The Blind Side’ long criticized for its ‘White savior’ view of a Black athlete

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:11:36 GMT

Not all Americans fell in love with Sandra Bullock’s inspirational football movie “The Blind Side” when it was released in November 2009.Sure, “The Blind Side” made $309 million at the box office and Bullock won her long-awaited Academy Award, but many Black viewers “never cared much for it” according to The Root. Discerning critics also saw the movie, based on a best-selling book by Berkeley author Michael Lewis, as another Hollywood project that uses “White savior” tropes.Now, critics of the movie have more ammunition in the wake of bombshell court documents filed by Michael Oher, the Black athlete at the center of the story. Oher’s documents allege that the White savior character played by Bullock and her family basically exploited his life story for their own financial gain.In the movie, Bullock plays plays Leigh Ann Tuohy, a Memphis interior decorator who rescues Michael Oher, a homeless Black teenager, from grinding p...

San Jose city workers win agreement, avert strike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:11:36 GMT

(KRON) -- San Jose city workers have won an agreement with the city and averted a potential strike that was supposed to start today, according to a union official. The unions have reached tentative agreements with the City of San Jose that will last until June 30, 2025, officials said.The tentative agreements include "historic investments in recruiting and retaining staff to make our public services stronger," the unions said in a statement. The two unions involved in the negotiations are IFPTE Local 21 and MEF-AFSCME Local 10."The bargaining teams of both unions endorsed the three-year tentative agreement and have called off the scheduled August 15-17 strike," the statement also said. Federal workers in SF told to work from home due to safety concerns: reports Highlights of the tentative agreement, according to the unions, include:Historic wage increasesAn increase from one to eight weeks of paid family leaveMore competitive bilingual pay to better serve diverse residentsRetentio...