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Mailbag: Kliavkoff’s current role and final grade, options for the ‘Pac-4’ schools, the Knight view and a few words on our coverage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

The Hotline mailbag published weekly. Send questions to [email protected] and include ‘mailbag’ in the subject line. Or hit me on Twitter: @WilnerHotlinePlease note: Some questions have been edited for clarity and brevity.What grade do you give George Kliavkoff for his first two-plus years as Pac-12 commissioner? — @Jalex0077How does Kliavkoff still have a job? — @benwilkinsonLet’s address the second question first: He remains employed because the conference needs someone to handle day-to-day operations for the upcoming competition year.Also, because his buyout likely would approach $10 million, assuming he signed a five-year deal in 2021 for about $3.5 million annually.If they have to pay him anyhow, why not let Kliavkoff oversee operations?He is not heavily involved in strategic matters for the remaining schools, according to sources. Stanford, Cal, Washington State and Oregon State are plotting their paths, individually and collectively, without ...

Why a twisted hunk of metal that used to be a Ferrari just sold for nearly $2 million at a Monterey auction

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

By Peter Valdes-Dapena | CNN BusinessA hulk of dented, torn and scorched metal that was, decades ago, a Ferrari race car just sold at an RM Sotheby’s auction in Monterey, California for $1.9 million.While that may be surprising, it’s not quite as horrible an investment as it looks, especially if the buyer is after something more than money: racing history and, for the new owner, a shot at a glory all their own.One of only 13 made, this 1954 Ferrari Mondial Spider Series I wasn’t one of Ferrari’s fabled V12 models but a an entirely different design. The four-cylinder car was designed for driving on twisting tracks with lots of curves and few straightaways, where a smaller, lighter engine was desirable.A winning designFerrari won world championships in 1952 and 1953 with cars of this one’s design, hence its name “Mondial” or “World.”Known by its chassis number, 0406 MD, it was originally built with a body by the famed Italian design firm Pinin Farina. (The company name would later be ...

Big Fremont tech and research park is grabbed by California buyers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

FREMONT — A big tech and manufacturing complex in Fremont has been bought in a deal that suggests Bay Area real estate still maintains islands of strength despite a wobbly economy.Clipper Court Commerce Center has been bought for $103 million, according to the buyer, CIP Real Estate.The complex is leased to an array of tech and advanced manufacturing companies.Newmark commercial real estate brokers Steven Golubchik and Edmund Najera helped to arrange the property purchase. The transaction was completed on Aug. 16, documents on file with the Alameda County Recorder’s Office show.The 14-building commerce center’s tenants include Hyundai, BASF, Hyundai, Kaeser Compressors, Advantive Technologies, Clearink Displays and CTEMS. according to the buyer and information on Google Maps.The complex totals roughly 352,300 square feet. The seller was a group affiliated with Los Angeles-based Canyon Partners, an investment firm, state business records show.Related ArticlesReal Es...

ChatGPT-wary universities scramble to prepare for new school year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

By Eari Nakano, Bloomberg NewsChatGPT set the academic world ablaze after it was introduced in November, when the AI chatbot suddenly gave students a hard-to-detect shortcut for completing essays and assignments. Nine months later, as a new school year nears, many universities are still crafting their response.Colleges around the world spent much of the previous academic year adopting ad hoc approaches to the software — or no policy at all. Some professors banned the use of it outright, citing plagiarism, while others looked to incorporate it more intentionally into their curriculum. That led to inconsistent approaches across classes and departments.The situation is only slowly changing now: Without clear guidelines that apply to various departments, universities risk repeating the free-for-all they experienced during 2023 final exams. But many are realizing they need to find a way to live with artificial intelligence.“It’s moving so quickly,” said Eric Fournier, director of educati...

Two giant hip-hop concerts heading to Bay Area over Labor Day weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

Labor Day should be a very good weekend to be a hip-hop fan in the Bay Area.That’s because not just one, but two cool tours — both rich in nostalgia — are coming through town.First up is F.O.R.C.E. Live, which touches down Sept. 1 at Chase Center in San Francisco.F.O.R.C.E. (which stands for Frequencies of Real Creative Energy) is LL Cool J’s first headlining arena tour in more than 30 years. Fans will turn out in hopes that the Grammy winner — who is also an accomplished actor — will perform such classic cuts as “Going Back to Cali,” “I’m Bad,” “Rock the Bells,” “I Need Love” and, of course, “Mama Said Knock You Out.”The bill also features a number of other hip-hop icons, including the Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Z-Trip, Big Boi, Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick, Ice-T, Rakim and — the act we would be most excited to see — Salt-N-Pepa.The Roots are serving as the house band ...

School staff member allegedly paid students for explicit images, videos in San Jose

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

(KRON) -- A staff member from the Valley Christian Schools was arrested Thursday after he allegedly paid students to provide him with explicit images and video, according to the San Jose Police Department. On Wednesday, police were notified of a staff member, identified as Todd Baldwin, who allegedly was in possession of explicit digital media of juveniles, police said. Antioch and Pittsburg police officers arrested by FBI On Thursday, the 43-year-old was arrested by detectives and a search warrant was served at his office and Morgan Hill residence. He was booked at the Santa Clara County Main Jail, SJPD said.Anyone with information on this incident or any other similar incidents is urged to contact Detective Sergeant Pierce with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Child Exploit Detail Unit at 408-537-1397 or at [email protected].

New program to help get guns off the streets in Santa Clara County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

(KRON) -- There are new efforts being made by Santa Clara County to get guns off the streets.On Monday, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office will be launching the Firearms Relinquishment Program in an effort to get guns away from the hands of the wrong people. A $50 Visa gift card will be given for each firearm turned in. San Jose police searching for missing Netflix employee, recent Cornell grad just moved to Bay Area A maximum of up to five gift cards can be redeemed per person. The gift cards will be served on a first-come, first-served basis. The program will be available at the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office headquarters located at 55 West Younger Avenue in San Jose.

Norfolk Southern Spent $1.9 Million in Washington as Congress Weakened Rail Safety Bill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

After laying low in the wake of the disastrous East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, Norfolk Southern is back to spending millions in Congress — and a paper trail indicates that it’s lobbying for weaker regulation and rewarding members of Congress who play along.From the day of the derailment on February 3 through the end of April, the company made no political contributions, instead receiving refunds of donations it had made to a number of campaigns. But as the national spotlight dimmed, the company got back to work.In the last four months, Norfolk spent $1,657,500 on lobbyists who met with the same elected officials tasked with regulating the company. And in June and July alone, the company shelled out almost $200,000 to a myriad of congressional campaigns and political action committees, or PACs, according to its recent filings with the Federal Election Commission, including one from this week.As Norfolk went on a spending spree, the Bipartisan Railway Safety Act stalled in the...

German archbishop ‘disappointed’ by diocese employees’ attempts to access porn

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The archbishop of Cologne, one of Germany’s most important Catholic dioceses, on Friday expressed disappointment that employees used work computers to try to access pornographic websites.The statement from Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki came after the city’s Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper reported that a list from the archdiocese showed more than 1,000 attempts to access such sites from its computers. It said that dozens of employees, including senior clerics, had made such attempts.The archdiocese confirmed the existence of a list. It said that its IT service provider routinely checks whether its firewalls fend off attempts to access sites with risky content such as violence, pornography and drugs, and that they are not meant to check individuals’ usage habits.It said that the check turned up “no indications of criminally relevant behavior.”“It disappointed me that employees tried to access pornographic pages with the help of devices that our archdio...

Russell Wilson starting to look like his old self under tutelage of Sean Payton

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Russell Wilson is starting to look like his old self again.Make that his younger self, as in the swaggering quarterback who helped the Seattle Seahawks win their only Super Bowl title a decade ago.Wilson is throwing the ball with authority, accuracy and touch as he embarks on a comeback from the worst season of his career.It’s exactly what coach Sean Payton wanted to see when he sent Wilson and the rest of the starters out for a fourth drive in Denver’s preseason opener at Arizona last week.Following three fruitless drives — a three-and-out and two missed field goals — in which Wilson had many Broncos fans mumbling, “Here we go again,” Wilson went 3 of 4 with a drop for 44 yards and a touchdown in that final series. He’ll start again Saturday night against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, when the Broncos starters are expected to play until halftime. Wilson got off to a hum-drum start when training ...