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Travel Troubleshooter: American Queen Voyages takes five months to process refund

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

DEAR TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: I’m looking for a refund from American Queen Voyages. Our cruise from Memphis, Tennessee, to New Orleans was scheduled for Nov. 27. On Sept. 20, we received an email informing us that American Queen had canceled the cruise. I requested a refund of our $6,396. American Queen said that the refund would take up to 60 days.Christopher Elliott, the Travel Troubleshooter We emailed our sales representative two months after the cancellation to inform her that we hadn’t received our refund. We also called the phone number attached to the email and spoke to a representative who explained the refund process and said that we should have our full refund by the middle of December.The next day, we received an email from the CEO of American Queen Voyages, confirming that we would receive a full refund by the end of the calendar year. But, by the end of the year, we still hadn’t received the money. I sent an email to the CEO and requested evidence...

This free app finds just-canceled permits for Yosemite, other California parks

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

Got a burning itch to hike Yosemite’s Half Dome but can’t get one of those permits, worth their weight in gold? You might try your luck with WildPermits, a free service that pings you the moment someone cancels a permit to Yosemite or other popular parks in California and the Pacific Northwest.The service is the creation of Michael Feger, a recent San Francisco State University grad from Milpitas who enjoys backpacking in Yosemite National Park and Inyo National Forest. “Over the years, backpacking has gotten much more popular, especially after Covid,” he says. “It has gotten to the point where you have to pay to enter lotteries just for a small chance of getting your desired permit.”Feger says he has nothing against this system, being a necessary measure for natural conservation. But like many outdoor enthusiasts, he finds the process of snagging a permit exhausting.“For lower-traffic areas, there are systems in place where permits are rele...

Important offseason looms for Jonathan Kuminga — whether he returns to the Warriors or not

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

Jonathan Kuminga was once viewed as the top high school talent in the nation. Between his size, strength and undeniable athleticism, he was projected to be a future perennial All-Star.Kuminga’s talent and upside were two of the biggest draws for the Warriors when they drafted him seventh overall in 2021.But with two NBA seasons under his belt, Kuminga has yet to solidify his spot in the Warriors’ rotation.Kuminga admitted several times throughout the course of the season that he was frustrated with his wavering playing time. Shortly after the Warriors’ season came to an end, The Athletic reported that Kuminga would be seeking a trade if he was not guaranteed a larger role with the team next season. That set the tone for what should be a big offseason for the springy 20-year-old wing who feels he still has a lot left to prove.Kuminga’s sophomore season didn’t turn out the way he had hoped. With so many veteran players leaving in free agency, there was a ...

Trial date still unsettled for Fremont man charged with 2018 gun battle with Vallejo cops

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

A Solano County Superior Court judge has rescheduled a trial-setting for a Fremont man charged with trying to kill a Vallejo police officer during a 2018 Oakland gun battle following a high-speed pursuit from Vallejo into the East Bay city.Court records show Dominic James Milano, 44, appeared May 12 in Department 2 for more proceedings in the case, but Judge Daniel Healy, who earlier vacated a January trial, ordered the defendant to return at 8:30 a.m. July 7 for another trial-setting in the Justice Building in Vallejo. The judge also will hear some in limine motions, requests that certain testimony be excluded.Milano is represented by Deputy Public Defender Nick Filloy, and Deputy District Attorney Edward W. Lester appeared on behalf of the Solano County District Attorney’s Office for the May 12 matter. Filloy has filed a brief on the admissibility of various evidence.As previously reported, Milano’s pending court dates follow a preliminary hearing in 2020.Afterward, Chief Deputy D...

Preliminary hearing set for Bay Area man charged with first-degree murder for striking, killing bicyclist

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

A Solano County Superior Court judge set an October preliminary hearing for the vehicle driver charged with striking and killing a bicyclist in late December in Fairfield.Court records show that Sean Richard Miron, 46, of Fairfield, who appeared Thursday in Department 23 for a scheduled hearing-setting, heard Judge John B. Ellis order him to return at 9 a.m. Oct. 2 for the hearing in the Justice Center in Fairfield. The judge also set a readiness conference for 8:30 a.m. Sept. 26.Deputy District Attorney Douglas A. Pharr appeared on behalf of the District Attorney’s Office.Miron, who is represented by Deputy Public Defender Lauren Jacobs, is charged with the Dec. 28 death of Christopher Sudat, 39, of Suisun City.According to the DA’s criminal complaint, filed on the same day as the fatal collision, Miron faces five counts: first-degree murder; hit-and-run causing death; hit-and-run driving resulting in property damage; being a felon in possession of a firearm; and illegal possession...

California to add more CHP officers statewide: Roadshow

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

Q: If the CHP existed and pulled over speeders and reckless drivers on Highway 17, you might have a safer highway. People do what they usually feel entitled to. I wish there were more traffic enforcement on the roads.S.J.A: The cavalry is returning. The state will hire 1,000 more CHP officers over the next few years.Q: Hello Gary, you’ve got a great column and I enjoy reading it very much. We don’t have anything like this in Michigan (metro Detroit + Ann Arbor).I’ve been in Sunnyvale and San Jose since about April 11 on a tech-auto engineering project. I’m middle-aged and have to admit that daytime driving has been a pleasure around here. Mindful and courteous drivers are my observation, usually. Michigan’s freeways are essentially racetracks, but everyone seems used to this and accelerates to stay in the flow. Michigan state police usually work in corridors to address this problem.In the Bay Area on both occasions when I drove to the ocean on weekends,...

Maine governor suggests making paid leave proposal easier on businesses

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine Gov. Janet Mills is pumping the brakes on a paid family and medical leave proposal promoted by her fellow Democrats, seeking compromises to reduce the burden on businesses in an effort to win broader support. Deputy Chief of Staff Elise Baldacci said the governor recommended changes to balance the “disparate needs of Maine families and businesses” as paid leave advocates rallied at the State House and a public hearing was held Thursday.Maine would join a growing number of states in adopting a paid family leave plan if the legislature approves the proposal, which allows up to 12 weeks a year of paid leave for qualifying conditions, such as the birth or adoption of a child, a worker’s serious illness, or care for a sick relative. Minnesota became the 12th state to require such benefits on Thursday.The bill being considered in Maine would fund the leaves through a payroll tax split between workers and employers and capped at 1% of wages. The exact contributi...

UK’s Treasury chief accepts that recession may be necessary to get inflation down

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Treasury chief said he would be prepared to see the U.K. economy slip back into recession if further interest rate hikes are necessary to bring down inflation.With the Bank of England expected to keep raising rates following higher-than-anticipated inflation figures this week, Jeremy Hunt said it was necessary to prioritize measures to slow the pace of price increases.In an interview with Sky News that aired Friday, Hunt said the “only path to sustainable growth” is to bring inflation under control.Asked if he was comfortable with further rate hikes even if it could precipitate a recession, Hunt said, “Yes, because in the end, inflation is a source of instability. … It is not a trade-off between tackling inflation and recession.” Like other central banks, the Bank of England has been raising interest rates aggressively over the past 18 months or so to a 15-year high of 4.5% after inflation spiked sharply, first because of bottlenecks caused ...

Prosecutor: Trio convicted of murder in fatal shooting of former Indiana U football player

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Three people have been convicted in the fatal shooting of a former Indiana University football player who was gunned down during unrest in Indianapolis following the death of George Floyd.Marcus Anderson, Alijah Jones and Nakeyah Shields were found guilty of murder and multiple counts of armed robbery, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced Friday.Businessman Chris Beaty, 38, was shot and killed May 30, 2020 as he walked through an alley near his apartment building during violence that followed protests over Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.Beaty played for three state championship-winning teams at Indianapolis Cathedral High School before going on to play for Indiana University. He was known to some as Mr. Indianapolis because of his unwavering support and enthusiasm for the city.“Chris tragically lost his life while caring for others and his city,” Mears said. “His death was felt by many throughout Indianapolis, Bloomington, and beyond. In a time of unrest a...

Protester involved in pulling down abolitionist’s statue in Wisconsin gets 6 months in jail

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A man who drove the car that helped pull down the statue of a Civil War hero and abolitionist outside of the Wisconsin state Capitol during a night of protests in 2020 has been sentenced to six months in jail.The statute of Hans Christian Heg was toppled and beheaded during a protest in downtown Madison in June 2020 against police brutality. Protests began a month earlier over the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and flared up again that June after Madison police arrested a Black activist.Kelsey D. Nelson, 33, was sentenced for his role in damaging the Heg statue and for looting a nearby jewelry store about a month earlier, t he Wisconsin State Journal reported Friday. Nelson apologized in court, saying he was “someone who was trying to make a difference.”“I was just a person who woke up and saw the injustice done to a man named George Floyd,” Nelson said. “Am I going to say what I did was right? I am not.”Nelson was also ordered to pay $5,000 to the...