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Amazon says its increasing pay for contracted delivery drivers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon says it’s boosting pay for contracted drivers who deliver millions of packages to customers every day.The company announced at a conference for delivery firms this week that it will invest $440 million over the next year to increase pay rates for drivers. It did not disclose how much the bump will be, but said it expects U.S. drivers to earn an average of $20.50 per hour.Many of Amazon’s delivery service partners, or DSPs, already pay well above that. The company did not share the minimum pay for drivers across the country. According to its website, some at select stations make at least $20 per hour.The e-commerce company launched its delivery service partners program in 2018 as part of an effort to reduce its reliance on outside carriers such as UPS and FedEx. Over the past five years, Amazon says 3,500 firms have signed up for the program and created 279,000 delivery jobs worldwide. The company gives the firms a pot of money to cover pay and other expenses f...

Packers fans stunned after deal for free drinks is cancelled by Jets win

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WTVO) — Packers fans at Jack's American Pub in Milwaukee were stuck with stunned expressions and expensive tabs after a deal for free drinks fell through at the last second.Fans flocked to Jack's on Monday for quite the promotion. The bar offered to pick up all drink tabs if the New York Jets lost to the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football. The best dive bars in every state, according to Yelp The deal appeared promising after former Packers and current Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers was forced to leave the game due to injury. (It was later determined Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon, putting him out for the remainder of the season.) Drinks began to flow as many believed a Jets loss was all but guaranteed, according to Milwaukee's WDJT, which was broadcasting live from the bar.Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets is helped off the field after an injury during the first quarter of a game against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 11, 2023, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (...

El Chapo's wife released from US custody after completing 3-year prison sentence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

The wife of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was released from federal custody on Wednesday after completing a three-year sentence for helping him run his multibillion-dollar criminal empire, the federal Bureau of Prisons said.Emma Coronel Aispuro, who pleaded guilty in 2021 to three federal offenses as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors, had been moved from a Texas prison to a California halfway house prior to her release. She will now serve four years of supervised release. Coronel Aispuro expressed “true regret for any and all harm” when she was sentenced after pleading guilty to charges including money laundering conspiracy and engaging in transactions with a foreign narcotics trafficker.She also helped her husband plan a dramatic escape through a tunnel dug underneath a prison in Mexico in 2015 by smuggling to him a GPS watch disguised as a food item, prosecutors have said. That helped those digging the tunnel pinpoint his location and reach him. El Chap...

Armed individual arrested for 'incident' on UNC-Chapel Hill campus, all-clear given

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) — Sirens rang out as students and staff were urged to once again hide and seek shelter at UNC-Chapel Hill's campus Wednesday afternoon.An emergency alert regarding an armed and dangerous person on or near UNC Chapel Hill's campus went out on Wednesday at 1:54 p.m. This scare came two weeks and two days after the fatal shooting of Associate Professor Dr. Zijie Yan inside the Caudill Labs building on campus.Chapel Hill police announced the arrest of 27-year-old Mickel Deonte Harris of Durham in connection to an incident that triggered the lockdown. Harris, police said, already had an arrest warrant out for him for an assault on Sept. 5.According to a statement from Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, the alert was activated following reports of a person pulling out a gun inside the Student Union. UNC Police reported no shots were fired, and the situation was related to a "personnel matter.""Following the incident on Monday, Aug. 28, the news of another armed person a...

James Webb telescope stumbles onto signs of possible life on Earth-like planet

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

(WTAJ) -- Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope say they have stumbled onto possible signs of life coming from a massive Earth-like exoplanet, NASA confirmed in a release. K2-18 b is an exoplanet -- a planet outside our solar system -- that's 8.6 times as massive as Earth. A new investigation with the JWST revealed the presence of "carbon-bearing molecules" that include methane and carbon dioxide. The findings add to recent studies that suggest that K2-18 b could be a Hycean exoplanet, meaning it has the potential to hold a hydrogen-rich atmosphere and a water-covered surface, NASA reported. Astronomers first studied K2-18 b's atmosphere with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in 2019. The results prompted further studies of the massive exoplanet that have changed experts understanding of the system. "Our findings underscore the importance of considering diverse habitable environments in the search for life elsewhere," explained Nikku Madhusudhan, an astronomer at the Universi...

CapMetro moves closer to OKing $753M fixed-route contractor agreement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

Editor's Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today's top headlines for Sept. 13, 2023AUSTIN (KXAN) -- CapMetro is one step closer toward approving a new contractor to oversee the transit authority's fixed-route services, including its MetroBus and MetroRapid lines.CapMetro's operations, planning and safety committee unanimously voted to recommend CapMetro's board of directors approve a nearly $753.7 million contract with Keolis Transit Services, LLC. If the board of directors votes to approve the contract at its Sept. 25 meeting, Keolis would be responsible for overseeing CapMetro's fixed-route bus operations and maintenance services.If approved, Keolis would manage CapMetro's current 1,212 bargaining employees as well as its 36 operations, safety and general management personnel. Austin's transit authority received two additional proposals alongside Keolis':MTM Transit, LLC, which currently oversees CapMetro's MetroAccess and paratransit servicesMV Transportation, Inc., which is ...

New improvements to be unveiled at Waterfront Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- On Thursday morning, the Mayor's Office is holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the completion of improvements to Waterfront Park. The public is welcome to attend the celebration at 11:30 a.m. Get the latest news, weather, and sports delivered right to your inbox! Mayor Kim states, “Waterfront Park was made possible by preservation and land acquisitions in 2001 by the Open Space Advisory Committee. It remains to this day one of the only points of public access to Saratoga Lake. I want to thank the Department of Public Works and the Recreation Department for their hard work in making this project to update the park possible.”Improvements to Waterfront Park include handicap-accessible ramps and renovations to the bathrooms and gazebo. A new playground will also be installed next month. The public is welcome to attend the celebration that begins at 11:30 a.m. at 622-630 Crescent Avenue.

Albany murder suspect sentenced to 23 years to life

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- On Wednesday, Nicholas Higgins, 30, of Albany, was sentenced to 23 years to life in state prison. Higgins was convicted of murder in the second degree for the death of Uizaie Brigman on January 11, 2021. Get the latest news, weather, and sports delivered right to your inbox! Brigman was located inside a vehicle with a gunshot wound. He was treated by emergency medical personnel but was pronounced deceased at the scene. Higgins was also accused of possessing a loaded, illegal firearm during the incident. Assistant District Attorneys Collin D’Arcy and Emily Schultz handled the prosecution of thiscase.

Missouri AG sues Dollar General over 'unfair and deceptive pricing'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Dollar General, claiming that hundreds of its retail stores in the state are offering "unfair and deceptive pricing." Bailey's lawsuit contends that Dollar General has violated Missouri’s consumer protection laws by advertising one price on the shelves and charging a higher price at the register upon checkout.The lawsuit states, “Dollar General is routinely overcharging Missouri consumers for every day staples and the necessities of life. Worse still, consumers are being deceived as to the prices they are actually paying for these items." Father of teen killed in crash wants more transparency from police Bailey says items such as candles, toilet paper, lip balm, lemonade, tire foam and drink coolers all frequently cost more at the point of sale than the prices listed on the shelf.  Bailey claims this is a violation of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act. He is seeking an injunction...

Man threatens woman with a knife during U-City home break-ins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. -- A man is accused of breaking into several University City homes and threatening a homeowner with a knife. Kaleb Shillington is being charged with trespassing and unlawful use of a weapon. He is being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond.Officers were called to the 8100 block of Stanford at around 7:40 a.m. on September 7 for a burglary in progress. They witnessed Shillington break into a home on Cornell. The homeowner chased him away and said she was going to call the police. Father of teen killed in crash wants more transparency from police Police say that Shillington pulled out a pocketknife and told her not to make the call. He then ran into another person's home. The officers were then able to place Shillington under arrest. There are no injuries to report in this incident.