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Travel Troubleshooter: I paid twice for my checked luggage on Avianca. I want a refund!

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

DEAR TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: I booked two flights through GoToGate from San Jose, Costa Rica, to Mexico City, and then to Oaxaca, Mexico.I ran into a problem on my flight to Mexico City, which was on Avianca. I knew these were small planes, so I prepaid $33 for each checked bag. But when I checked in at San Jose, the agent had no record of my prepaid bags. I discussed it with them and showed my receipt. I even spoke to a supervisor. But I ended up having to pay $90 per bag.Christopher Elliott, the Travel Troubleshooter I have copies of my boarding pass showing “no checked bags” and the receipt for the $180 fee. When we arrived in Oaxaca, I called the phone number on my receipt, but after speaking to a representative, we were disconnected. A representative emailed me and said there should have been no issue with the baggage. She invited me to file a claim. I’ve heard nothing since. Can you help?— Peter Holt, Woodinville, WashingtonANSWER: You shouldn’...

Photos: Allisen Corpuz wins the US Women’s Open

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Allisen Corpuz found herself on the biggest and most beautiful stage in women’s golf and made it look like a stroll on the beach.Never mind that she had never won on the LPGA Tour or that she had heard all week about the historic occasion of the U.S. Women’s Open held at Pebble Beach for the first time. Nothing could make her crack.“Every few holes I kind of looked out and said, ‘I’m here at Pebble Beach. There’s not many places that are better than this,’” Corpuz said.There weren’t many better performances, either. Corpuz turned a tight duel with Nasa Hataoka into a runaway, closing with a 3-under 69 on Sunday for a three-shot victory to become the first American in 20 years to make the U.S. Women’s Open her first LPGA title.At Pebble Beach, no less.Allisen Corpuz waves to the crowd after her final putt on the 18th green after winning the 78th U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif., o...

Stabbing inside Levi’s Stadium during soccer match heightens concerns about security

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

SANTA CLARA — A brawl and stabbing captured on video during a soccer game at Levi’s Stadium earlier this month is raising new questions about security at one of the Bay Area’s biggest event facilities — home of the San Francisco 49ers, countless major concerts and the scheduled site of matches in the 2026 World Cup.Brawls at sporting events are nothing new; combine robust alcohol sales with sets of opposing fans often sitting in close proximity to each other, and fists will be thrown. But the graphic video on social media of the July 2 fight at a CONCACAF Gold Cup match between Mexico and Qatar — a chaotic swirl of people, grabbing each other and exchanging sloppy punches — is escalated in seconds as a man runs in, swinging what appears to be a knife over his head and into the group.A 29-year-old Sacramento man was arrested within days and faces three charges of felony assault. Authorities said Friday that the weapon was a metal folding knife, smuggled through a security...

$20 million lawsuit claims anti-Asian bias at San Jose tech company

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

A long-time employee at a San Jose tech company is seeking $20 million in a wrongful-termination lawsuit accusing the firm of a “culture of prejudice against Asians,” and a manager of saying his internal presentation on discrimination “made White people feel bad.”Lumentum — which makes laser- and optics-based hardware for telecommunications, data centers and other business uses — fired Andre Wong late last year for “vocally and persistently” pointing out alleged discrimination against Asian-American employees, Wong alleged in the lawsuit filed June 30 in Santa Clara County Superior Court.Wong worked at the multinational company for more than 20 years, and created and led development of a new product line based on three-dimensional scanning and facial-recognition technologies, according to the lawsuit. He claimed his work, and connections with Apple, Microsoft and other tech titans, brought in $1 billion in business to Lumentum and R...

‘Flow trail’ proposal for Berkeley hills highlights challenges of building new paths for Bay Area hikers, bikers

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

Chase White and Theo Lemkin are reduced to a blur while zipping through the Berkeley hills atop their mountain bikes.Whether riding for the Berkeley High School mountain bike team — believed to be the first of its kind nationally — or just a personal outing, the teenagers join hundreds of others who navigate trails in Wildcat Canyon, Tilden and other areas of the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD).There’s one problem: they’re cramped for space.Bikes are technically only allowed on 18% of the narrow, unpaved trails in those parks — sharing 30 miles of multi-use trails and less than two miles of single-track routes wide enough for just one person with dozens of hikers, dog walkers and equestrians along the way.“There’s a lot of people walking their dogs who are scared of bikes and other people who just don’t enjoy having someone rush by them at 25 miles an hour,” said White, 17. “We often need to slow down or even walk to avoid people and not scare the oth...

3 DC-area baseball prospects among 2023 MLB Draft first round selections

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

Draft prospect Jonny Farmelo participates in the MLB baseball draft combine, Wednesday, June 21, 2023, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)(AP/Matt York) Draft prospect Jonny Farmelo participates in the MLB baseball draft combine, Wednesday, June 21, 2023, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)(AP/Matt York) Three D.C.-area baseball prospects — James Madison High School’s Bryce Eldridge, Westfield High School’s Jonny Farmelo and University of Maryland’s Matt Shaw — were selected in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft.Eldridge, who committed to the University of Alabama, was selected by the San Francisco Giants with the 16th overall pick. He once told WTOP that playing in the major leagues was a dream of ...

Union Pacific Railroad in tentative deal with union on paid sick leave

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — United Pacific railroad has reached a tentative deal with a major union regarding paid sick leave.The railroad and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers said that the deal reached over the weekend provides up to eight paid sick leave days to around 5,900 railroad employees.While all Union Pacific employees receive some form of paid leave, the proposed agreement will provide the union members an additional five paid sick days annually, prorated for 2023. Starting next year, they also will have the ability to convert up to three paid leave days for use as paid sick time.If ratified by workers, Union Pacific, which is based in Omaha, Nebraska, will have paid sick leave agreements in place with all 13 of its labor unions, making it the second railroad in the industry to to do so.Last month Norfolk Southern was the first major North American freight railroad to reach deals to provide paid sick time to all of its workers.Othe...

Israeli troops kill alleged Palestinian gunman as West Bank violence persists

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

JERUSAELM (AP) — Israeli troops shot and killed an alleged Palestinian gunman during new unrest in the West Bank Monday, as a wave of violence in the occupied territory showed no signs of slowing.The Israeli military said troops stopped a motorist in Deir Nidham, a town west of Ramallah, to question him. It said the man got out of his car, threw a grenade and fired shots toward soldiers, who then opened fire. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that a 33-year-old man had been killed, but gave no further details.The death comes during a major spike in violence between Israel and the Palestinians. Last week, Israel concluded a fierce two-day offensive that used rare air power and hundreds of troops in what was designed as a crackdown against militants.But the operation in the Jenin refugee camp was followed by more bloodshed, including a shooting by a Palestinian assailant that killed an Israeli soldier. A Israeli military raid killed two militants, while a third Palestinian was...

Denver council to vote on pandemic relief checks for some parents

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Monday is the last city meeting for the current Denver City Council members. One of their final issues to vote on is allocating another round of pandemic checks for some Denver residents.The goal is to help with basic needs like housing, food, utilities, bills, transportation, childcare and/or healthcare for people who were not eligible for federal pandemic relief. Denver renter priced out of his 20-year home amid rising rent The council members are weighing a proposed contract with a nonprofit called Impact Charitable to provide Denver residents with one-time, direct cash assistance. People could receive $1,000 for the first child and, potentially, an additional $500 for households with multiple children.This would total $3 million through June 30, 2024.  Who is eligible for the pandemic relief checks? The resolution states the payments will be made to the head of household, who is not eligible for federally funded public benefits, and with at least one ch...

Putin hosted Russian mercenary leader Prigozhin at the Kremlin after short-lived mutiny

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:22:49 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at the Kremlin days after the commander led a short-lived rebellion, a senior government spokesman said Monday, the latest twist in a baffling episode that has raised questions about the power and influence held by both men.The three-hour meeting took place on June 29 and also involved commanders from Prigozhin’s Wagner Group military contractor, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin gave an assessment of Wagner’s actions on the battlefield in Ukraine — where the mercenaries have fought alongside Russian troops — and of the revolt itself. The Wagner forces pledged loyalty to Putin, according to Peskov.The confirmation that Putin met face-to-face with Prigozhin, who led troops on a march to Moscow last month in order to demand a change of defense minister, was extraordinary. Though the Russian leader branded Prigozhin a traitor as the revolt unfolded and vowed harsh punishment, the criminal case aga...