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MoDOT wants to enhance Amtrak service between St. Louis and Kansas City

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 10:23:57 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Missouri travelers could someday see more passenger rail options, including routes to St. Joseph and Springfield. The Missouri Department of Transportation has submitted four applications to the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor ID program. The state is requesting $500,000 in federal funding to study future Amtrak passenger rail lines. MoDOT plans changes, closures at over 50 Missouri railroad crossings In a 2022 letter to the FRA, MoDOT identified four corridors, including the existing Missouri River Runner line and three potential lines. The state would like to improve the existing Amtrak route from Kansas City to St. Louis by adding another daily round trip and new stops. The Missouri River Runner already has two daily round trips and eight stops. MoDOT is also interested in creating new Amtrak routes from Kansas City to Springfield/Branson and from Kansas City to St. Joseph. The agency said both these areas are not currently served by Amtrak. In s...

Opinion: I’m a Denver YIMBY because I want the American Dream my parents built

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 10:23:57 GMT

When my parents moved to Chicago from India four decades ago, they had little money but arrived with a good education. After years of a lean but comfortable life, they were able to do well for themselves. They worked hard, bought a home, and raised a family. They achieved the American Dream.But today, even though I have degrees in political science and law and make a good living, buying a home like the one I grew up in is impossibly expensive in Denver – for me and many others of my generation.We can’t let the American Dream die. To bring it back, we must solve Colorado’s devastating housing shortage. We need to make housing abundant, affordable and equitable for all.Even though my parents didn’t have much money, they were able to buy their first home when they were in their early 30s.Like many Indian parents, when my brother and I were born, they wanted us to become medical doctors. Although I went into finance, they were overjoyed when my brother earned a medical degree from Case ...

This easy vegetarian pasta is full of brilliant hacks

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 10:23:57 GMT

By Melissa Clark, The New York TimesWhat is it about pasta salad that makes it such a divisive dish? Is it that the many bad versions out there — soggy noodles swathed in bottled dressing and tossed with wan vegetables — make good ones hard to imagine? Or maybe since the dish reached peak popularity in the 1980s, the entire category seems about as glamorous as a home perm on a humid afternoon.Given this prejudice, I will not call this dish of cavatelli, corn, tomatoes and red onions a pasta salad, even though it’s a snap to throw together, highly portable and equally good hot, room temperature or straight from the fridge.The most salad-y part about it, though, is how little cooking is involved. While your pasta (cavatelli or any other small, easy-to-fork shape) boils, you can briefly heat the garlic and crushed red pepper in some good olive oil, letting it cook just enough to toast the chile flakes and take the raw edge off the allium before pouring everything into a serving b...

Emergency Renters Assistance Program opens to L.A. residents

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 10:23:57 GMT

Applications for Los Angeles' Emergency Renters Assistance Program are now open to residents.The program is designed to help eligible residents who owe back rent since the time of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to stop people from being evicted. The idea is that more evictions would only add to the city's homeless population. The City Council and Mayor Karen Bass approved the controversial Measure ULA, also known as the "mansion tax," earlier this year to fund rental assistance programs and build affordable housing.The measure places a 4% sales tax on any property worth more than $5 million, and a 5.5% sales tax on any property worth over $10 million.Here is how to qualify for the assistance:Must be a resident of Los AngelesOne or more individuals within the household have experienced a loss of employment, reduction in household income, incurred significant costs or experienced other financial hardship between March 2020 and now Have unpaid rent due to current landlord for any ...

Disney plans to pump loads of cash into its theme parks, cruises

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 10:23:57 GMT

The Walt Disney Co. is nearly doubling its investment in its parks and cruise lines. That's what the company laid out in its securities filing on Tuesday morning for its Disney Parks, Experiences and Products branch.Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a popular roller coaster attraction, is located in Frontierland at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, CA. (Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort)In the filing, it was revealed the company is set to spend $60 billion over the course of 10 years "by investing in expanding and enhancing domestic and international parks and cruise line capacity, prioritizing projects anticipated to generate strong returns, consistent with the Company’s continuing approach to allocate capital in a disciplined and balanced manner."This is the latest in money moves from the company.Just last week, Disney was in "exploratory talks" about selling its ABC network and television stations, possibly to KTLA parent company Nexstar, Bloomberg reported.According to The Hollywood Report...

Gas prices soar overnight in the Southland

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 10:23:57 GMT

On Monday, rising gas prices neared an average of $6 per gallon in the Los Angeles area.It only took one more day for that benchmark to be eclipsed.On Tuesday, the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was nearly $6.03 in the L.A. area, according to AAA.That's about 11 cents higher than Monday's $5.92.Gas prices also rose statewide, though not by as much as they did in the Southland.The state average price is $5.76, up about 7 cents from $5.69 on Monday.Nationally, however, gas prices actually dipped about a tenth of a cent, remaining right around $3.88 per gallon.Even with the higher prices in L.A. Tuesday morning, the all-time record for average gas price remains the $6.49 recorded last year on Oct. 5, 2022.

More California inflation relief payments being sent this month

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 10:23:57 GMT

A few thousand Californians will be surprised this month when they receive a debit card loaded with hundreds of dollars in the mail. It's not a scam or a prize – it's the Middle Class Tax Refund arriving a bit behind schedule. The Middle Class Tax Refund, often referred to as an "inflation relief" payment, started going out to millions of eligible taxpayers nearly a year ago. Most people who qualify have already received a direct deposit or debit card. However, approximately 5,000 payments that never got sent out are still being processed through the end of September 2023, the Franchise Tax Board said. Some California inflation relief checks still haven’t been sent: Is yours missing? "FTB plans to finish processing all new payments (for people who had never been issued a payment before) by the end of this month," an agency spokesperson told Nexstar. After this month, there could be "occasional cases" where payments are reissued – for example, if someone reports a debit card as lo...

13 obvious and not-so-obvious ways to save money on gasoline

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 10:23:57 GMT

As gas prices soar to over $6 per gallon in Southern California, many drivers are trying to either drive less or take other steps to save money at the pump.Modern vehicles track and display fuel efficiency, which allows you to easily track your progress in the short and long term.  The American Automobile Association offers the following gas-saving tips:Slow down and drive the speed limit.Avoid “jackrabbit” starts and hard acceleration.Avoid prolonged idling. If the car will be stopped for more than 60 seconds, shut off the engine to save fuel.Keep tires properly inflated.Minimize the use of air conditioning.When driving in town, adjust your speed to time the traffic lights and reduce repeated braking and acceleration.Use cruise control to help maintain a constant speed and save fuel (but not while on slippery roads).Remove unnecessary and bulky items from the car since it takes more fuel to accelerate a heavier car.Keep windows closed when traveling at highway speeds. Open win...

Oakland firefighters battling residential structure blaze in Hoover-Foster neighborhood

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 10:23:57 GMT

(BCN) -- Oakland firefighters are battling a residential structure fire in the city's Hoover-Foster neighborhood Tuesday morning, according to city fire officials. Ex-Oakland police chief Armstrong says he is ‘vindicated,’ deserves job back The fire occurred at a two-story residential building in the area of San Pablo and Mead avenues, Oakland firefighters said on social media around 5:45 a.m. Tuesday. Firefighters said the fire caused a partial collapse in the rear of the building. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Over 1,200 children have died in the past 5 months in conflict-wrecked Sudan, UN says

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 10:23:57 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — More than 1,200 children under age 5 have died in nine camps in war-scarred Sudan in the past five months because of a deadly combination of measles and malnutrition, the U.N.’s refugee agency said Tuesday.The UNHCR said the deaths, between May 15 and Sept. 14, were documented by its teams in the While Nile province, where thousands of Sudanese have sheltered as fighting has raged for six months between rival generals, in the capital of Khartoum and elsewhere.“Dozens of children are dying every day — a result of this devastating conflict and a lack of global attention,” said the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi.Sudan plunged into chaos in mid-April, when simmering tensions between the military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, exploded into open warfare.The conflict has turned the capital and other urban areas into battlefields. At least 5,000 people have been kil...