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  16. <title>Orange County Register</title>
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  36. <title>USC spring football game preview: Breakout candidates and what to watch</title>
  37. <link>https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/19/usc-spring-football-game-preview-breakout-candidates-and-what-to-watch/</link>
  39. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Luca Evans]]></dc:creator>
  40. <pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 21:10:48 +0000</pubDate>
  41. <category><![CDATA[College Sports]]></category>
  42. <category><![CDATA[Sports]]></category>
  43. <category><![CDATA[Big Ten Conference]]></category>
  44. <category><![CDATA[College Football]]></category>
  45. <category><![CDATA[Lincoln Riley]]></category>
  46. <category><![CDATA[USC football]]></category>
  47. <category><![CDATA[USC Sports]]></category>
  48. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.ocregister.com/?p=9972034&#038;preview=true&#038;preview_id=9972034</guid>
  49.  
  50. <description><![CDATA[Look for freshmen Kameryn Fountain and Marcelles Williams and junior Kyron Hudson to make an impact on the Trojans' spring game Saturday at the Coliseum]]></description>
  51. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>LOS ANGELES — A glint sparkled in Jacobe Covington&#8217;s eye when asked about USC&#8217;s new secondary schemes Thursday, a mischievous smirk creeping from the corners of his mouth.</p>
  52. <p>&#8220;We got a lil&#8217; surprise for these other teams,&#8221; the junior cornerback said, voice building with excitement.</p>
  53. <p>Elements of such surprise will reveal themselves at noon Saturday, at USC&#8217;s spring game free to the public, where loyalists will stream in in droves for a glimpse at a new-look-roster in Trojan-on-Trojan competition – and also any shreds of defensive hope after the debacle that was 2023.</p>
  54. <p>USC&#8217;s reinvention this offseason has been remarkable, hiring a slew of defensive coaches with lengthy résumés, all tuning the cogs of a unit engineered by former UCLA defensive coordinator D&#8217;Anton Lynn.</p>
  55. <p>&#8220;He knows exactly what he wants,&#8221; defensive ends coach Shaun Nua said last week. &#8220;He knows exactly what he wants.&#8221;</p>
  56. <p>Lynn&#8217;s primary focus as a coordinator is the secondary, where he played at Penn State and has coached for years in the NFL. After bringing an emphasis on disguising coverages in a major UCLA defensive turnaround last year, he&#8217;s applied those same concepts at USC, to a group suddenly teeming with length and potential difference-makers. And a strong performance by USC&#8217;s back-line in Saturday&#8217;s spring game, coming off <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2023/12/27/miller-moss-seizes-his-moment-as-usc-upsets-louisville-in-holiday-bowl/">the Trojans&#8217; Holiday Bowl win in December</a>, would go a long way towards quashing concerns about the unit entering Big Ten Conference later this year.</p>
  57. <p>&#8220;We get in the quarterback’s head,&#8221; Covington said of USC&#8217;s new scheme. &#8220;We’re going to make the quarterback think. No easy throws. He gon’ really have to put it in the right spot, make the quarterback be a quarterback.&#8221;</p>
  58. <p>Including the secondary, here&#8217;s what to know and watch for at Saturday&#8217;s spring game at the Coliseum.</p>
  59. <h4>WHAT TO WATCH</h4>
  60. <p><strong>The quarterback reps</strong>: Shouldn&#8217;t be much of a competition, really, because Miller Moss has walked around USC like he owns the place ever since Caleb Williams stepped away before the Holiday Bowl. Even after <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2023/12/27/alexander-loyal-understudy-miller-moss-gets-his-star-turn-for-usc/">the six-touchdown miracle he pulled off against Louisville</a>, though, head coach Lincoln Riley hasn&#8217;t named Moss the starter at any point in spring. Riley said Moss, UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava and returning third-stringer Jake Jensen will cycle reps in a half of football Saturday.</p>
  61. <p>Moss is USC&#8217;s unquestioned starter, entering the Big Ten. But if Maiava – <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2024/02/15/uscs-lincoln-riley-says-hell-let-miller-moss-jayden-maiava-duke-it-out-for-starting-qb-job/">a big-armed transfer who&#8217;s approached the quarterback room with apparent humility</a> – shows out Saturday, it could add external credibility to the QB competition Riley&#8217;s tried to foster.</p>
  62. <p><strong>Who shines on the ground</strong>: Now-sophomore RB Quinten Joyner was one of the highlights of USC&#8217;s spring game last year as a freshman, but didn&#8217;t get many touches behind MarShawn Lloyd and Austin Jones last year. Mississippi State transfer Jo&#8217;Quavious &#8220;Woody&#8221; Marks has entered to likely earn a large slice of the pie in the backfield, but Joyner continues to earn buzz – watch for him to split time with Marks on Saturday and perhaps even start.</p>
  63. <p>&#8220;A lot of progress, a lot of confidence,&#8221; Riley said of Joyner this week. &#8220;I mean, hard not to imagine him being a big part of our offense this year.”</p>
  64. <p><strong>The physicality of USC&#8217;s defensive line</strong>: New defensive line coach Eric Henderson has instantly changed life around USC, from recruits to returners, improvement on USC&#8217;s defensive front sorely needed. Nua, who&#8217;s transitioned from the defensive line to working with Henderson as a defensive ends coach, said last week that this year&#8217;s scheme is different in philosophy, organization and process – &#8220;we&#8217;re going to go through people,&#8221; he emphasized.</p>
  65. <p>They have beefed-up bodies, from <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/18/uscs-anthony-lucas-among-returning-defensive-players-with-a-lot-to-prove/">Anthony Lucas</a> to Jamil Muhammad to Braylan Shelby. It&#8217;ll be notable to see if the front plays with increased physicality Saturday, particularly in plugging up holes against the run.</p>
  66. <h4>BREAKOUT CANDIDATES</h4>
  67. <p><strong>Kameryn Fountain, DE: </strong>At first glance, the 6-foot-6 freshman – perhaps USC&#8217;s crown jewel in their class of 2024 – looks quite literally like a superhero. Fountain is raw, but could make an impact off the edge for USC for years to come; look for him to get in the backfield repeatedly if he gets a good share of snaps Saturday.</p>
  68. <p>&#8220;If you were to build a D-lineman,&#8221; Nua said last week, &#8220;that’s exactly how you would build it.”</p>
  69. <aside class="related left"><h2 class="widget-title" data-curated-ids="" data-relation-type="automatic-primary-tag">Related Articles</h2><ul><li>
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  74. USC’s Anthony Lucas among returning defensive players with ‘a lot to prove’ </span>
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  80. <div class="entry-section"><a href="https://www.ocregister.com/sports/college-sports/">College Sports | </a></div> <a class="article-title" href="https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/16/does-usc-stick-with-its-youth-on-the-offensive-line-or-turn-back-to-the-portal/" title="Does USC stick with its youth on the offensive line, or turn back to the portal?">
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  89. <div class="entry-section"><a href="https://www.ocregister.com/sports/college-sports/">College Sports | </a></div> <a class="article-title" href="https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/13/usc-db-marcelles-williams-not-looking-like-a-freshman/" title="USC DB Marcelles Williams not looking like a freshman">
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  92. USC DB Marcelles Williams not looking like a freshman </span>
  93.  
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  96. </li><li>
  97.  
  98. <div class="entry-section"><a href="https://www.ocregister.com/sports/college-sports/">College Sports | </a></div> <a class="article-title" href="https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/11/lincoln-riley-brushes-off-departure-of-jason-zandamela-uscs-highest-rated-2024-commit/" title="Lincoln Riley brushes off departure of Jason Zandamela, USC’s highest-rated 2024 commit">
  100. <span class="dfm-title metered">
  101. Lincoln Riley brushes off departure of Jason Zandamela, USC’s highest-rated 2024 commit </span>
  102.  
  103. </a>
  105. </li><li>
  106.  
  107. <div class="entry-section"><a href="https://www.ocregister.com/sports/college-sports/">College Sports | </a></div> <a class="article-title" href="https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/11/uscs-silence-on-o-j-simpsons-death-underscores-a-complicated-legacy/" title="USC’s silence on O.J. Simpson’s death underscores a complicated legacy">
  109. <span class="dfm-title metered">
  110. USC’s silence on O.J. Simpson’s death underscores a complicated legacy </span>
  111.  
  112. </a>
  114. </li></ul></aside>
  115. <p><strong>Marcelles Williams, CB: </strong>The <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/13/usc-db-marcelles-williams-not-looking-like-a-freshman/">younger brother of now-graduated safety Max Williams</a>, Williams has drawn heaps of praise in the spring and could be setting himself up for significant snaps as a true freshman come fall.</p>
  116. <p><strong>Kyron Hudson, WR: </strong>Bit odd to label a junior a breakout candidate, but Hudson – now the longest-tenured member of USC&#8217;s receiver room – has never quite had a signature game at USC even after being tabbed a starter last fall. He&#8217;s established a clear connection with Moss, and could put his stamp as the leader of the Trojans&#8217; receiving corps Saturday.</p>
  117. <h4>USC SPRING FOOTBALL GAME</h4>
  118. <p><strong>When:</strong> Noon Saturday</p>
  119. <p><strong>Where:</strong> Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum</p>
  120. <p><strong>Admission:</strong> Free</p>
  121. <p><strong>TV/radio:</strong> Pac-12 Networks/790 KABC</p>
  122. ]]></content:encoded>
  126. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">9972034</post-id><media:content url="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LDN-L-USC-FBC-0412-KB2.jpg?w=1400px&#038;strip=all" fileSize="127139" type="image/jpeg" height="150" width="150" isDefault="true"><media:description type="html"><![CDATA[ Quarterbacks Jake Jensen #17 and Moss Miller #7 of the USC Trojans during football practice at Howard Jones Field on the campus of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 11, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
  127. ]]></media:description></media:content>
  128. <dcterms:created>2024-04-19T14:10:48+00:00</dcterms:created>
  129. <dcterms:modified>2024-04-19T14:14:44+00:00</dcterms:modified>
  130. </item>
  131. <item>
  132. <title>California government can’t get education or homelessness right. Why trust it with your healthcare?</title>
  133. <link>https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/19/california-government-cant-get-education-or-homelessness-right-why-trust-it-with-your-healthcare/</link>
  135. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Brian Dahle]]></dc:creator>
  136. <pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 21:10:34 +0000</pubDate>
  137. <category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
  138. <category><![CDATA[Guest Commentary]]></category>
  139. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.ocregister.com/?p=9972026&#038;preview=true&#038;preview_id=9972026</guid>
  140.  
  141. <description><![CDATA[California isn’t known for programs that lower costs, solve problems or run smoothly.]]></description>
  142. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="font-weight: 400">California is losing taxpayers by the hundreds of thousands for several years running, largely due to the overall lack of affordability.  Fundamental programs like education, public health and public safety are failing.  California has the highest or close to the highest costs in the nation for housing, rent, electricity, gas, transportation, and even food.</p>
  143. <p style="font-weight: 400">If single-payer health care in California wasn’t a pipe dream already, it must be now.  The massive costs of such a program are so enormous that even to dream about it when the state is facing a near $70 billion budget shortfall is political malpractice.</p>
  144. <p style="font-weight: 400">There have been several attempts to establish a single-payer healthcare program over recent years, with all getting kiboshed largely due to the massive costs to establish and run such a system. When policymakers speak of it as “free” health care, they are purposely omitting the substantial taxpayer-funded cost of the system.</p>
  145. <p style="font-weight: 400">According to the governor’s proposed budget, the state’s total annual spending for the next year is $200 billion.</p>
  146. <p style="font-weight: 400">Let’s not commit to taking on a massive new project that would be so costly and still have so many unknowns that even the state’s respected, nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office has come up with an estimate somewhere between $494 and $552 BILLION.  Annually. Similarly, the state-established Healthy California for All Commission estimated the cost at about $500 billion.</p>
  147. <p style="font-weight: 400">Long waits for subpar care are kindred to single-payer, and Californians can most definitely expect denials, while also paying dearly to not receive the medical care they need and deserve. Even <em>if</em> the federal government allows California to redirect <em>all</em> of its Medicare and Medicaid (Medi-Cal) dollars to a state-run single-payer health care system, that’s about $200 billion.  The rest would have to come from increased taxes.</p>
  148. <p style="font-weight: 400">In 2022, two bills were introduced (<a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1400" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id%3D202120220AB1400&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1713645507374000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0eztv2tPyxTjcYiNDCuOaW">AB 1400</a>, <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220ACA11" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id%3D202120220ACA11&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1713645507374000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0N0Sp-Qi8enX9cQabch0sP">ACA 11</a>) that laid out the new taxes that the left sees as potential financing for a proposed system.  For businesses, they envisioned imposing first, a 2.3% tax on business gross receipts above $2 million, and second, a double-pronged payroll tax of 1% on the portion of the payroll above $49,900 per worker AND a 1.25% payroll tax on the entire payroll of every company having more than 50 workers.  For individuals, there was a tiered “surcharge” income tax on everyone earning over $149,509.</p>
  149. <p style="font-weight: 400">Looking at the operational side of this instead of the fiscal nightmare side, think about this: Do you trust this state to manage your health care?  This is the state managing a high-speed rail project that is running tens of billions of dollars over budget and is years behind schedule.</p>
  150. <p style="font-weight: 400"><aside class="related left"><h2 class="widget-title" data-curated-ids="" data-relation-type="automatic-primary-section">Related Articles</h2><ul><li>
  151.  
  152. <div class="entry-section"><a href="https://www.ocregister.com/opinion/">Opinion | </a></div> <a class="article-title" href="https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/19/metropolitan-water-district-soaks-taxpayers-with-higher-property-taxes/" title="Metropolitan Water District soaks taxpayers with higher property taxes">
  154. <span class="dfm-title metered">
  155. Metropolitan Water District soaks taxpayers with higher property taxes </span>
  156.  
  157. </a>
  159. </li><li>
  160.  
  161. <div class="entry-section"><a href="https://www.ocregister.com/opinion/">Opinion | </a></div> <a class="article-title" href="https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/19/californians-are-worried-about-crime-setting-the-stage-for-a-ballot-measure-showdown/" title="Californians are worried about crime, setting the stage for a ballot measure showdown">
  163. <span class="dfm-title metered">
  164. Californians are worried about crime, setting the stage for a ballot measure showdown </span>
  165.  
  166. </a>
  168. </li><li>
  169.  
  170. <div class="entry-section"><a href="https://www.ocregister.com/opinion/">Opinion | </a></div> <a class="article-title" href="https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/19/heartburn-doesnt-stop-california-lawmakers-from-quashing-speech/" title="Heartburn doesn’t stop California lawmakers from quashing speech">
  172. <span class="dfm-title metered">
  173. Heartburn doesn’t stop California lawmakers from quashing speech </span>
  174.  
  175. </a>
  177. </li><li>
  178.  
  179. <div class="entry-section"><a href="https://www.ocregister.com/opinion/">Opinion | </a></div> <a class="article-title" href="https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/19/scotus-misses-a-chance-to-protect-peaceful-protesters/" title="SCOTUS misses a chance to protect peaceful protesters">
  181. <span class="dfm-title metered">
  182. SCOTUS misses a chance to protect peaceful protesters </span>
  183.  
  184. </a>
  186. </li><li>
  187.  
  188. <div class="entry-section"><a href="https://www.ocregister.com/opinion/">Opinion | </a></div> <a class="article-title" href="https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/19/claudia-sheinbaum-at-the-intersection-of-sexism-and-antisemitism/" title="Claudia Sheinbaum at the intersection of sexism and antisemitism">
  190. <span class="dfm-title metered">
  191. Claudia Sheinbaum at the intersection of sexism and antisemitism </span>
  192.  
  193. </a>
  195. </li></ul></aside>Recall how the <a href="/2021/04/16/we-need-more-anger-over-unemployment-fraud-scandal/">Employment Development Department</a> handled unemployment insurance during the pandemic – a nightmare debacle.  State school system?  An <a href="/2023/10/29/state-students-losing-ground-in-learning/">utter failure</a> with 50% to 75% of kids failing to meet state standards. Legislative Democrats continue to unwind the state’s formerly tough-on-crime policies, and now California’s violent crime rate is 36% higher than the rest of the nation on average.  (As of 2022, the most recent period for which data is available.)  Homelessness?  The state has spent almost $22 billion on the issue over the past six years, only to see the number of homeless rise from 151,000 to 181,000.</p>
  196. <p style="font-weight: 400">The point is, California isn’t known for programs that lower costs, solve problems or run smoothly.</p>
  197. <p style="font-weight: 400">Whether the governor and his fellow Democrats want to admit it or not, the departing Californians represent a referendum on how this state is being run. They’re fleeing because under two decades of one-party rule, the cost of living in this state has become unaffordable.  The value they saw for the tax dollars they were paying simply wasn’t there.</p>
  198. <p style="font-weight: 400">Can we bring some fiscal sanity to play?  We urge the governor and his fellow legislative Democrats to focus on keeping Californians here, in California, by solving some of the many problems already facing them instead of creating expensive new ones.</p>
  199. <p style="font-weight: 400">AB 2200 is set to be heard in the Assembly Health Committee on April 23 and I urge my legislative colleagues to vote no.</p>
  200. <p style="font-weight: 400"><em>Brian Dahle represents California&#8217;s 1st Senate District, which contains all or portions of 11 counties, including Alpine, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Sierra, Siskiyou, and Shasta. Also serving deferred areas of Tehama, Butte, Colusa, and Glenn counties.</em></p>
  201. ]]></content:encoded>
  205. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">9972026</post-id><media:content url="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/0218_nws_ldn-l-singlepayer.jpg?w=1400px&#038;strip=all" fileSize="281043" type="image/jpeg" height="150" width="150" isDefault="true"><media:description type="html"><![CDATA[ Members of the California Nurses Association and supporters rally on the second floor rotunda at the Capitol calling for a single-payer health plan, Wednesday, June 28, 2017. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
  206. ]]></media:description></media:content>
  207. <dcterms:created>2024-04-19T14:10:34+00:00</dcterms:created>
  208. <dcterms:modified>2024-04-19T14:10:42+00:00</dcterms:modified>
  209. </item>
  210. <item>
  211. <title>Man who set himself on fire across from courthouse where Trump is on trial is in critical condition</title>
  212. <link>https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/19/man-who-set-himself-on-fire-across-from-courthouse-where-trump-is-on-trial-is-in-critical-condition/</link>
  214. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Associated Press]]></dc:creator>
  215. <pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 20:47:23 +0000</pubDate>
  216. <category><![CDATA[National News]]></category>
  217. <category><![CDATA[National Politics]]></category>
  218. <category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
  219. <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  220. <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
  221. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.ocregister.com/?p=9972004&#038;preview=true&#038;preview_id=9972004</guid>
  222.  
  223. <description><![CDATA[The man took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories and spread them around the park before dousing himself in an accelerant and setting himself on fire, officials said.]]></description>
  224. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The man who set himself on fire across the street from the courthouse where <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/18/full-jury-of-12-people-and-6-alternates-is-seated-in-trumps-hush-money-trial-in-new-york/">Donald Trump&#8217;s hush money trial</a> is taking place is in critical condition in a burn unit, police said Friday.</p>
  225. <p>The man first walked into the park around 1:30 p.m., took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories and spread them around the park before he doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials said.</p>
  226. <p>Officials believe the man had traveled from Florida to New York in the past few days.</p>
  227. <p>Authorities said they were reviewing the security protocols outside the courthouse.</p>
  228. <p>“We are very concerned. Of course we are going to review our security protocols,” Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said.</p>
  229. <figure id="attachment_9972007"  class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline"><a href="https://wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24110673877099.jpg"><img decoding="async" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24110673877099.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1" alt="New York Police officers inspect a backpack left at the scene where a man lit himself on fire in a park outside Manhattan criminal court, Friday, April 19, 2024, in New York. Emergency crews rushed away a person on a stretcher after fire was extinguished outside the Manhattan courthouse where jury selection was taking place in former President Donald Trump's hush money criminal case. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)" width="8082" data-sizes="auto" data-src="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24110673877099.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1" data-attachment-id="9972007" data-srcset="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24110673877099.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 620w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24110673877099.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 780w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24110673877099.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 810w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24110673877099.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1280w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24110673877099.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1860w" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">New York Police officers inspect a backpack left at the scene where a man lit himself on fire in a park outside Manhattan criminal court, Friday, April 19, 2024, in New York. Emergency crews rushed away a person on a stretcher after fire was extinguished outside the Manhattan courthouse where jury selection was taking place in former President Donald Trump&#8217;s hush money criminal case. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)</figcaption></figure>
  230. <figure id="attachment_9972008"  class="wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline"><a href="https://wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24110702388295.jpg"><img decoding="async" class=" lazyautosizes lazyload" src="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24110702388295.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1" alt="New York law enforcement and fire department personnel inspect the scene where a man lit himself on fire in a park outside Manhattan criminal court, Friday, April 19, 2024, in New York. Emergency crews rushed away a person on a stretcher after fire was extinguished outside the Manhattan courthouse where jury selection was taking place Friday in Donald Trump's hush money criminal case. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)" width="4983" data-sizes="auto" data-src="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24110702388295.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1" data-attachment-id="9972008" data-srcset="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24110702388295.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 620w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24110702388295.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 780w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24110702388295.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 810w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24110702388295.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1280w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24110702388295.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1860w" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">New York law enforcement and fire department personnel inspect the scene where a man lit himself on fire in a park outside Manhattan criminal court, Friday, April 19, 2024, in New York. Emergency crews rushed away a person on a stretcher after fire was extinguished outside the Manhattan courthouse where jury selection was taking place Friday in Donald Trump&#8217;s hush money criminal case. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)</figcaption></figure>
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  277. ]]></content:encoded>
  281. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">9972004</post-id><media:content url="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24110702955216.jpg?w=1400px&#038;strip=all" fileSize="308765" type="image/jpeg" height="150" width="150" isDefault="true"><media:description type="html"><![CDATA[ New York law enforcement and fire department personnel inspect the scene where a man lit himself on fire in a park outside Manhattan criminal court, Friday, April 19, 2024, in New York. Emergency crews rushed away a person on a stretcher after fire was extinguished outside the Manhattan courthouse where jury selection was taking place Friday in Donald Trump&#8217;s hush money criminal case. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
  282. ]]></media:description></media:content>
  283. <dcterms:created>2024-04-19T13:47:23+00:00</dcterms:created>
  284. <dcterms:modified>2024-04-19T13:47:37+00:00</dcterms:modified>
  285. </item>
  286. <item>
  287. <title>Swanson: Clippers-Mavericks III could be epic – if Kawhi Leonard plays</title>
  288. <link>https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/19/swanson-clippers-mavericks-iii-could-be-epic-if-kawhi-leonard-plays/</link>
  290. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Mirjam Swanson]]></dc:creator>
  291. <pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 20:31:21 +0000</pubDate>
  292. <category><![CDATA[Clippers]]></category>
  293. <category><![CDATA[NBA]]></category>
  294. <category><![CDATA[Sports]]></category>
  295. <category><![CDATA[Mirjam Swanson]]></category>
  296. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.ocregister.com/?p=9971978&#038;preview=true&#038;preview_id=9971978</guid>
  297.  
  298. <description><![CDATA[The Western Conference first-round playoff tilt has all the ingredients for a classic -- it just needs the Clippers' ailing superstar to suit up.]]></description>
  299. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>PLAYA VISTA – A word with the basketball deities, if I may?</p>
  300. <p>Small ask, please?</p>
  301. <p>Can we get Kawhi Leonard on the court for the Clippers’ first-round Western Conference playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks? <em>Pleeease</em>?</p>
  302. <p>Because, without Kawhi – currently considered <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/18/clippers-lack-clarity-on-kawhi-leonards-game-1-availability/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">questionable with what his team is describing as “very, very stubborn” right knee inflammation</a> – this won’t be the first-round series basketball fans want to see.</p>
  303. <p>But with him? This <a href="https://twitter.com/7PMinBrooklyn/status/1780959680975839583" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will be <em>the</em> first-round series</a>. No. 4 vs. No. 5 and far and away the most compelling matchup on the NBA’s opening-round docket – which has something to do with why <a href="https://twitter.com/MirjamSwanson/status/1780645214685925867" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two of the first four games will be Sunday afternoon ABC telecasts</a>.</p>
  304. <p>This is the type of entertainment you’d gather the family around the TV for. That you’d wait in a long, couple-season line for. (The Clippers missed the 2022 playoffs and the Mavs whiffed last season, interrupting what&#8217;s otherwise become a postseason collision tradition.)</p>
  305. <p>It’s a chess match on a roller coaster. An upside-down feast with all the fixings: Supernova sightings. Mad main-character energy. Home court advantage? Ha! A punchline.</p>
  306. <p>The matchup that’s guaranteed to deliver. That always has. Wild swings and high drama, and Clippers coach Tyronn Lue writing and rewriting basketball code on the fly. A newcomer – Derrick Jones Jr. – raising his hand, wanting to audition for the role of Kawhi Stopper, telling reporters in Dallas <a href="https://twitter.com/noahweber00/status/1781386258486382991" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he&#8217;ll just make Leonard “go left.”</a></p>
  307. <p>So I’m begging whoever up there in hoops heaven that might be reading – <em>please</em>?</p>
  308. <p>Pretty please, can we get another showdown between a couple of the game’s ultimate on-court killers: Luka Doncic, the Slovenian sensation due soon for a monumental breakthrough, in one corner. And in the other, Leonard, the all-time playoff performer and two-time NBA Finals MVP out of Moreno Valley.</p>
  309. <p>And those undercards! <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1463360776681377796" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Luka vs. Terance Mann</a>, the Clipper fan fave who’s had a <a href="https://twitter.com/JamCristopher/status/1492705474877165568" target="_blank" rel="noopener">running, uh, conversation</a> with the Mavs star since a <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1185047640230092801" target="_blank" rel="noopener">preseason game in Mann’s rookie season</a> in 2019.</p>
  310. <p>Even some Brooklyn Nets baggage, toted on court by James Harden and Kyrie Irving.</p>
  311. <p>Paul George vs. Paul George?</p>
  312. <p>Remember – and maybe you don’t, but you ought to – in 2020, before the Clippers’ second-round collapse against the Denver Nuggets, how PG pulled himself out of miserable three-game 10-for-47 slump against Luka and his Mavs with a brilliant 12-for-18 35-point heater in <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2020/08/25/paul-george-stands-tall-as-clippers-rout-dallas-take-3-2-lead-in-series/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Clippers’ 154-111 Game 5 victory</a>.</p>
  313. <p>How on an emotional night, as the world raged on outside of the NBA’s uncomfortable bubble, George helped the Clippers stake a 3-2 series lead. How that win would propel them past Dallas – and overcome <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2020/08/23/doncic-buries-clippers-at-the-buzzer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Doncic’s dramatic overtime series-tying buzzer-beater</a> in Game 4 – in the first of these tantalizing postseason meetings between the teams.</p>
  314. <p>These heavyweight matchups have been the stuff legend is made of – legend that gets passed down, apparently, by word of mouth. Like a story over campfire, embellished without fact-checking so many times that there’s an astonishingly large segment of the basketball-watching world seems to believe that <a href="https://twitter.com/followAdamA/status/1778661876471300540" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Doncic simply owns the Clippers</a> and that <a href="https://twitter.com/betqlapp/status/1779842113884025295" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dallas won one of these past two meetings</a>, if not both.</p>
  315. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
  316. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Luka owns the Clippers <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f5e3.png" alt="🗣" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> <a href="https://twitter.com/ShannonSharpe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ShannonSharpe</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/GilsArenaShow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GilsArenaShow</a> <a href="https://t.co/1ydreYxtiI">pic.twitter.com/1ydreYxtiI</a></p>
  317. <p>&mdash; Nightcap (@NightcapShow_) <a href="https://twitter.com/NightcapShow_/status/1778482548470870372?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  318. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  319. <p>The Mavs have won neither, of course.</p>
  320. <p>The Clippers beat them 4-2 in 2020 and then, despite being down 0-2 in 2021 after consecutive home losses, Lue’s squad was revived after it <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2021/05/28/clippers-spoil-mavericks-game-3-party-to-get-back-in-series/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rallied from a 19-point first-quarter Game 3 deficit</a> in Dallas. The Clippers went on to win in seven games, with Leonard bludgeoning the Mavs on their home floor in Game 6 – 45 points on 18-of-25 shooting – and the final blow coming at home, in an empty Crypto.com Arena, in what was the only home victory of the whole series.</p>
  321. <p>But Dallas could do it this time; the Mavs are coming in hot, winners of 16 of their past 20 games – but, with all due deference to basketball’s generous divinities, you’ve got to make ’em earn it. You just have to.</p>
  322. <p>And for that, Leonard has to be available.</p>
  323. <p>And who can say? Not the Clippers, Lawrence Frank said Thursday.</p>
  324. <p>The president of basketball operations sat and took questions at the team&#8217;s training center before practice and promised that the Clippers aren’t playing games with Leonard’s status.</p>
  325. <p>“There is no gamesmanship here,” Frank said. It’s just what’s unknowable is unknowable, he said: “We&#8217;d love to have a crystal ball and Kawhi would love to have a crystal ball and know exactly on this day, but you just control what you can control.”</p>
  326. <p>So the Clippers – like all of us – can hope: “Hopefully,” Frank said, “the inflammation reduces in a short amount of time.” As of Thursday, though, Leonard was “avoiding any contact work” while dealing with the inflammation, before &#8220;he can make functional basketball movements.”</p>
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  349. <span class="dfm-title metered">
  350. Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard reportedly gets final roster spot on U.S. Olympic team </span>
  351.  
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  354. </li><li>
  355.  
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  358. <span class="dfm-title metered">
  359. Blake Griffin retires after high-flying NBA career that included Rookie of the Year, All-Star honors </span>
  360.  
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  363. </li><li>
  364.  
  365. <div class="entry-section"><a href="https://www.ocregister.com/sports/nba/clippers/">Clippers | </a></div> <a class="article-title" href="https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/14/kawhi-leonards-playoff-status-still-uncertain-as-regular-season-ends-in-loss/" title="Kawhi Leonard’s playoff status still uncertain for Clippers as regular season ends in loss">
  367. <span class="dfm-title metered">
  368. Kawhi Leonard’s playoff status still uncertain for Clippers as regular season ends in loss </span>
  369.  
  370. </a>
  372. </li></ul></aside>And there are some seemingly significant steps to take after the “swelling&#8217;s is at an acceptable level and then you start the ramp up,” Frank explained. “You do some exercises in the performance room, you start doing court work and then where you get to a point where you&#8217;re able to go full-speed contact-type work.”</p>
  373. <p>And yet! With Game 1 bearing down in fewer than 72 hours, Frank insisted he was hopeful: “Yeah, it’s Thursday though, right?”</p>
  374. <p>I suppose that’s the <a href="https://twitter.com/FlyByKnite/status/1781040664438100194" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“cautious optimism”</a> that the Athletic’s Shams Charania talked about earlier in the day? Cautious optimism in miracles? Or is this the Clippers’ <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/11/swanson-updates-no-update-clippers-kahwi-leonard-keep-their-fans-guessing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">annual postseason gambit</a>, but in reverse – with Leonard set <em>to take the court</em> this time?</p>
  375. <p>Whether by miracle or mind game, science or prayer, I almost don&#8217;t care. Let’s just get Leonard in the Mavericks’ way, please. Let&#8217;s have us another Clippers-Mavericks series that lives up to its billing.</p>
  376. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
  377. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">A familiar battle in the Playoffs. Mavs vs Clippers Vol. III, here we go <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f3a5.png" alt="🎥" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MFFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MFFL</a> <a href="https://t.co/8b2RQxbVNT">pic.twitter.com/8b2RQxbVNT</a></p>
  378. <p>&mdash; Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) <a href="https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/1781352826108563541?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  379. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  380. ]]></content:encoded>
  384. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">9971978</post-id><media:content url="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LDN-L-CLIPPERS-0607-KB57.jpg?w=1400px&#038;strip=all" fileSize="226674" type="image/jpeg" height="150" width="150" isDefault="true"><media:description type="html"><![CDATA[ It&#8217;s unknown whether Kawhi Leonard (No. 2) will be able to play when his Clippers take on Dallas and their star Luka Doncic (No. 77) in Game 1 of the teams&#8217; third playoff meeting in five seasons on Sunday. Leonard is considered questionable with right knee inflammation. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
  385. ]]></media:description></media:content>
  386. <dcterms:created>2024-04-19T13:31:21+00:00</dcterms:created>
  387. <dcterms:modified>2024-04-19T13:31:31+00:00</dcterms:modified>
  388. </item>
  389. <item>
  390. <title>Bomber targets Japanese workers in Pakistan; all survive</title>
  391. <link>https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/19/bomber-targets-japanese-workers-in-pakistan-all-survive/</link>
  393. <dc:creator><![CDATA[The Associated Press]]></dc:creator>
  394. <pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 20:30:42 +0000</pubDate>
  395. <category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
  396. <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  397. <category><![CDATA[World News]]></category>
  398. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.ocregister.com/?p=9972094&#038;preview=true&#038;preview_id=9972094</guid>
  399.  
  400. <description><![CDATA[Insurgents have also targeted Chinese working in Pakistan on projects relating to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which includes a multitude of megaprojects such as road construction, power plants and agriculture.  ]]></description>
  401. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>By Adil Jawad | Associated Press</strong></p>
  402. <p>KARACHI, Pakistan — A suicide bomber targeted a van carrying Japanese nationals in Pakistan&#8217;s port city of Karachi on Friday, police said. The Japanese nationals escaped unharmed but officials later said one bystander was killed.</p>
  403. <p>Initially, police said the van was heading to an industrial area where the five Japanese nationals worked when it came under attack, local police chief Arshad Awan said. Police escorting the Japanese returned fire, killing a second attacker, the bomber&#8217;s accomplice, he said.</p>
  404. <p>&#8220;All the Japanese who were the target of the attack are safe,&#8221; Awan added.</p>
  405. <p>Police had initially said the five worked at Pakistan Suzuki Motors but later corrected that statement, saying it was another factory.</p>
  406. <p>Images on local news channels showed a damaged van as police officers arrived at the scene. The three passersby who were wounded in the attack were taken to the hospital, where one later died. The two others were said to be in stable condition.</p>
  407. <p>Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced the attack in separate statements, praised police for their quick response and vowed to eliminate terrorism. They also offered prayers for the casualties.</p>
  408. <p>The Foreign Ministry confirmed the Japanese nationals were unhurt and said it &#8220;strongly condemns this heinous act of terrorism. All necessary measures will be taken to bring the perpetrators to justice.&#8221;</p>
  409. <p>&#8220;Pakistan remains committed to ensuring the safety of foreign nationals residing in the country,&#8221; the ministry said.</p>
  410. <p>The ministry said two Pakistani nationals were killed in Friday&#8217;s attack, which contradicted the statements from police and hospital officials who said one of the three wounded died. The discrepancy could not immediately be reconciled.</p>
  411. <p>The van was given a police escort following reports of possible attacks targeting foreigners working in Pakistan on various Chinese-funded and other projects, said Tariq Mastoi, a senior police officer. He said a timely and quick response from the guards and police foiled the attack and both attackers were killed.</p>
  412. <p>No one immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion is likely to fall on separatists or the Pakistani Taliban, who have stepped up attacks on security forces in recent years.</p>
  413. <p>Insurgents have also targeted Chinese working in Pakistan on projects relating to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which includes a multitude of megaprojects such as road construction, power plants and agriculture.</p>
  414. <p>In March, five Chinese and their Pakistani driver were killed when a suicide bomber in northwestern Pakistan rammed his explosive-laden car into a vehicle when they were heading to the Dasu Dam, the biggest hydropower project in Pakistan, where they worked.</p>
  415. <p>Karachi, Pakistan&#8217;s largest city, is the capital of southern Sindh province.</p>
  416. <p>Separately, an Afghan Taliban religious scholar, Mohammad Omar Jan Akhundzada, was killed on Thursday by gunmen inside a mosque in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan&#8217;s southwestern Baluchistan province, a local police officer Akram Ullah said.</p>
  417. <p>No one claimed responsibility for that attack.</p>
  418. <p>Chief Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid on Friday denounced the killing of Akhundzada, saying he taught at a jihadi seminary in Afghanistan&#8217;s Kandahar province and was a member of the Taliban oversight committee of Islamic scholars.</p>
  419. <p>Many Afghan leaders and scholars lived in Quetta and elsewhere in Pakistan before the Afghan Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in mid-August 2021 as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew. Most then went back and it was unclear why Akhundzada was still in Pakistan.</p>
  420. <p><em>Associated Press writer Abdul Sattar contributed to this story from Quetta, Pakistan.</em></p>
  421. ]]></content:encoded>
  425. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">9972094</post-id><media:content url="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/sjm-akistan-Suicide-Attack_187717471.jpg?w=1400px&#038;strip=all" fileSize="329076" type="image/jpeg" height="150" width="150" isDefault="true"><media:description type="html"><![CDATA[ CORRECTS DATE &#8211; Pakistani investigators examine a damaged van at the site of a suicide attack in Karachi, Pakistan, Friday, April 19, 2024. Five Japanese nationals traveling in a van narrowly escaped a suicide attack when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden vest near their vehicle in Pakistan&#8217;s port city of Karachi on Friday, wounding three passers-by, police said. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
  426. ]]></media:description></media:content>
  427. <dcterms:created>2024-04-19T13:30:42+00:00</dcterms:created>
  428. <dcterms:modified>2024-04-19T14:23:06+00:00</dcterms:modified>
  429. </item>
  430. <item>
  431. <title>Women animators create a safe space, support at CSUF</title>
  432. <link>https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/19/women-animators-create-a-safe-space-support-at-csuf/</link>
  434. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lou Ponsi]]></dc:creator>
  435. <pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 20:23:26 +0000</pubDate>
  436. <category><![CDATA[Local News]]></category>
  437. <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
  438. <category><![CDATA[Cal State Fullerton]]></category>
  439. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.ocregister.com/?p=9971957&#038;preview=true&#038;preview_id=9971957</guid>
  440.  
  441. <description><![CDATA[The collective offers industry-related resources to members.]]></description>
  442. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Women in Animation was formed more than 30 years ago to support and grow the scant number of women working in the field of animation.</p>
  443. <p>The nonprofit has grown to 11,000 members worldwide and is a preeminent advocacy group supporting female-identifying and nonbinary people in animation, visual effects and gaming.</p>
  444. <p>WIA Student Collectives, including the WIA Cal State Fullerton Collective, have played a significant role in the nonprofit’s growth, enabling university students to build connections and support among members as they work to make inroads into the industry.</p>
  445. <div class="article-slideshow"><button class="icon-close" aria-label="Close fullscreen slideshow"></button><ul data-total="3"><li data-index="1"><div class="image-wrapper"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="1024" height="697" src="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-3.jpg" class="attachment-article_inline size-article_inline lazyload" alt="The Women in Animation Cal State Fullerton Collective offers industry-related..." draggable="false" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-3.jpg?w=620 620w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-3.jpg?w=780 780w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-3.jpg?w=810 810w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-3.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-3.jpg?w=1860 1860w" data-src="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-3.jpg" /><p class="slide-credit"></p><p class="slide-caption">The Women in Animation Cal State Fullerton Collective offers industry-related resources to members and organizes workshops, mixers and speaker events for CSUF animation students. (Photo by Lou Ponsi, contributing photographer)
  446. </p></div></li><li data-index="2"><div class="image-wrapper"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="726" src="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-2.jpg" class="attachment-article_inline size-article_inline lazyload" alt="Visitors view the artworks by the Women in Animation Collective..." draggable="false" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-2.jpg?w=620 620w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-2.jpg?w=780 780w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-2.jpg?w=810 810w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-2.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-2.jpg?w=1860 1860w" data-src="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-2.jpg" /><p class="slide-credit"></p><p class="slide-caption">Visitors view the artworks by the Women in Animation Collective on display at the Titan Student Union. (Photo by Lou Ponsi, contributing photographer)
  447. </p></div></li><li data-index="3"><div class="image-wrapper"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="740" src="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-1-1.jpg" class="attachment-article_inline size-article_inline lazyload" alt="Brooke Olsen, left, and Khue Tran, are members of the..." draggable="false" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-1-1.jpg?w=620 620w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-1-1.jpg?w=780 780w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-1-1.jpg?w=810 810w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-1-1.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-1-1.jpg?w=1860 1860w" data-src="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-1-1.jpg" /><p class="slide-credit"></p><p class="slide-caption">Brooke Olsen, left, and Khue Tran, are members of the  Women in Animation Collective at Cal State Fullerton. (Photo by Lou Ponsi, contributing photographer)
  448. </p></div></li></ul><div class="caption"><button class="caption-expand">Show Caption</button><div class="slideshow-credit"></div><div class="slide-count"><span class="current"></span> of <span class="total"></span></div><p class="slideshow-caption"></p><a href="#" class="icon-enlarge" aria-label="Expand fullscreen slideshow"><span>Expand</span></a></div></div>
  449. <p>The CSUF collective offers industry-related resources to members and organizes workshops, mixers and speaker events for CSUF animation students and advocates for gender equality in the animation industry.</p>
  450. <p>Any CSUF student, including students who don’t identify as a woman, can become a member of the collective.</p>
  451. <p>“It&#8217;s not exclusionary,” collective member and officer Pedro Maradiaga said. “It was started by women, but their goal is to help all minority groups and as well as people who may not be minority groups. It&#8217;s supposed to be an open and safe space because, historically, most spaces in animation and most other industries are dominated by men.”</p>
  452. <p>Animation major Brooke Olson has been a member of the collective for nearly two years after hearing about it from a friend, who told her several members were graduating and the collective was looking for new members.</p>
  453. <p>“I really love the kind of community that was built within the arts department through WIA,” said Olson, an officer in the collective. “I was able to meet a lot of cool people and meet a lot of friends while also learning a bit more about art with the resources and events that WIA provides with the clubs on campus and also within the departments. It&#8217;s really nice, too, because we have a lot of faculty that are alumni of WIA as well.”</p>
  454. <p>The collective also collaborates with related clubs such as the Video Game Development Club, Pencil Mileage Club and others.</p>
  455. <p>Member Teeny Nadeau first learned about the collective after transferring from Saddleback Community College and attending Discoverfest, CSUF’s largest involvement event that showcases student organizations.</p>
  456. <p>Nadeau, who is a double major in illustration and animation, is also drawn to the sense of community within the collective. She said everybody in the group is “super friendly and amazing.”</p>
  457. <p>“We get to do all these fun activities, and we all have this shared sense of art,” Nadeau said. “I&#8217;ve always been in the 2D kind of scene when it comes to art, and I didn&#8217;t know if I wanted to do 2D animation or if I wanted to do background or concept art, so I just kind of decided I&#8217;d expand my horizons.</p>
  458. <p>Nadeau, incidentally, was recently awarded a $10,000 scholarship from Sketchers for print design artwork she submitted for “Skechers’ Paws for a Cause Design” scholarship program.</p>
  459. <p>The award also included mentorship from a Sketchers industry professional.</p>
  460. <p>Nadeau’s design of “goofy cats dressed in regal attire” was selected and will be used as design for a BOBS from Sketcher limited edition collection that will be released in June.</p>
  461. <p>Khue Tran is a design lead for the collective and organizes the art created by other members for promotional events.</p>
  462. <p>Tran first learned about the collective from a classmate who had served as the club’s president.</p>
  463. <p>“I just feel like Women in Animation fosters a very specific environment,” Tran said. “Community is really important, and because of that a lot of people are more than willing to kind of pull each other up in this industry where I believe that a lot of women or people who don&#8217;t identify as men are a little bit underrepresented.”</p>
  464. <p>Between 30 to 40 students typically attend the collective’s biweekly meetings, but membership is at about 200 students.</p>
  465. <p>When WIA was formed in 1995, it set a goal of having an equal percentage of women and men working in the industry by 2025.</p>
  466. <p>Maradiaga feels equality can be reached sooner.</p>
  467. <p>“It can be done way sooner,” he said. “You look at any of the school&#8217;s demographics for animation, it&#8217;s mostly women. So, I feel like it&#8217;s going to happen naturally, and we just want to foster that. Even the people going in should all be getting into the industry with the idea of helping other people out, especially minority groups, and encouraging them as well because that&#8217;s what we mostly do. We encourage and provide a safe space, and we just have fun together.”</p>
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  514. ]]></content:encoded>
  518. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">9971957</post-id><media:content url="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CSF-L-ANIMATION-0411-1-1.jpg?w=1400px&#038;strip=all" fileSize="228253" type="image/jpeg" height="150" width="150" isDefault="true"><media:description type="html"><![CDATA[ Brooke Olsen, left, and Khue Tran, are members of the  Women in Animation Collective at Cal State Fullerton. (Photo by Lou Ponsi, contributing photographer)
  519. ]]></media:description></media:content>
  520. <dcterms:created>2024-04-19T13:23:26+00:00</dcterms:created>
  521. <dcterms:modified>2024-04-19T13:32:16+00:00</dcterms:modified>
  522. </item>
  523. <item>
  524. <title>5 airport lines you can ditch (and how to skip them for free)</title>
  525. <link>https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/19/5-airport-lines-you-can-ditch-and-how-to-skip-them-for-free/</link>
  527. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Nerdwallet]]></dc:creator>
  528. <pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 20:14:03 +0000</pubDate>
  529. <category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
  530. <category><![CDATA[Things To Do]]></category>
  531. <category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
  532. <category><![CDATA[network]]></category>
  533. <category><![CDATA[personal finance]]></category>
  534. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.ocregister.com/?p=9971938&#038;preview=true&#038;preview_id=9971938</guid>
  535.  
  536. <description><![CDATA[With planning, you can skip some of the longest and most annoying lines at airports for free.]]></description>
  537. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>By Sally French | NerdWallet</strong></p>
  538. <p>At the airport, long lines for check-in, security screenings and even getting food can feel like a giant waste of time — and potentially disrupt even the most meticulously planned itinerary.</p>
  539. <p>But with planning, you can skip some of the most annoying lines, and in some cases, get reimbursed if the line-skipping privilege requires an application fee. Here are five common airport bottlenecks and how to avoid them for free or cheap.</p>
  540. <h4>1. Check in</h4>
  541. <p>It is the year 2024, which means there’s <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/how-technology-is-changing-the-travel-tourism-industry?utm_campaign=ct_prod&amp;utm_content=1538759&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_source=syndication&amp;utm_term=medianews-group" target="_self" rel="nofollow noopener">a mobile version of all sorts of travel services</a>. That includes the ability to check in to your flight without standing in line at the airline counter.</p>
  542. <p>Most airlines allow you to check in for your flight directly through their mobile app or website within 24 hours of departure, allowing you to bypass the desk and proceed directly to security if you are flying with only carry-on luggage.</p>
  543. <p>Even if you plan to check bags, checking in online via the airline app or website can help speed up the process so all you will have to do at the airport is print the bag tags at a kiosk and then hand the luggage off at the bag drop.</p>
  544. <p>One way to avoid the checked-bags line altogether is to <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/how-to-avoid-line-airport-bag-check-counter?utm_campaign=ct_prod&amp;utm_content=1538759&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_source=syndication&amp;utm_term=medianews-group" target="_self" rel="nofollow noopener">check your bag at the gate</a>. Many airlines offer complimentary gate-checked baggage services on full flights, but it doesn’t hurt to ask the gate agent even if it’s not offered outright.</p>
  545. <p>This trick doesn’t work if you’re packing <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/tsa-carry-on-restrictions?utm_campaign=ct_prod&amp;utm_content=1538759&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_source=syndication&amp;utm_term=medianews-group" target="_self" rel="nofollow noopener">common items that can’t go through the security screening</a>, like pocket knives or liquids greater than 3.4 ounces. But assuming your stuff will pass through the security screening and you don’t need it during the flight, it might be worth waiting to check it at the gate.</p>
  546. <h4>2. Airport security ID check</h4>
  547. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.nerdwallet.com/assets/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_9295-770x578.jpg" alt="" width="770" height="578" /></p>
  548. <p><em>An expedited Clear lane at San Francisco International Airport. (Photo by Sally French)</em></p>
  549. <p>U.S. airport security technically consists of two lines: the line to get your identity checked, and the line to get you (and your stuff) screened.</p>
  550. <p>You can get through airport security fast and skip to the front of the identity verification line with Clear, which is a private biometric screen company operating at more than 55 airports nationwide. Clear says it has more than 20 million members.</p>
  551. <p>Once you pay for a Clear membership (which typically costs $189 per year), you can scan your fingerprints or eyes at Clear’s kiosks instead of having a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent look at your ID. From there, a Clear employee escorts you straight to the physical security screening, allowing you to cut in front of everyone else waiting to have their boarding pass or identification checked.</p>
  552. <p>Though <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/is-clear-worth-the-cost?utm_campaign=ct_prod&amp;utm_content=1538759&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_source=syndication&amp;utm_term=medianews-group" target="_self" rel="nofollow noopener">Clear membership fees</a> are high, you might not actually have to pay them. <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/amex-platinum-clear-credit?utm_campaign=ct_prod&amp;utm_content=1538759&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_source=syndication&amp;utm_term=medianews-group" target="_self" rel="nofollow noopener">Certain American Express credit cards</a> offer annual statement credits to cover the cost.</p>
  553. <h4>3. Baggage screening</h4>
  554. <p>The standard TSA screening process can be slow, as most people have to remove their jackets and shoes, plus large electronics, from their bags. But with <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/what-is-tsa-precheck-and-how-do-i-get-it?utm_campaign=ct_prod&amp;utm_content=1538759&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_source=syndication&amp;utm_term=medianews-group" target="_self" rel="nofollow noopener">TSA PreCheck</a>, you can leave your shoes and jackets on — and keep your laptops tucked away.</p>
  555. <p>Most airports have two separate screening lanes for your carry-on luggage — one for TSA PreCheck and one for standard screening. According to the TSA, 99% of TSA PreCheck passengers wait less than 10 minutes (while it’s not uncommon for the standard line to take about 30 minutes).</p>
  556. <p>To access those TSA PreCheck lines, you’ll need to submit an application and pay the fee, which starts at $78 and covers five years of membership. More than 4 million people enrolled in the program in 2023, bringing the total to more than 18 million active members.</p>
  557. <p>There are ways to <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/how-to-get-tsa-precheck-free?utm_campaign=ct_prod&amp;utm_content=1538759&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_source=syndication&amp;utm_term=medianews-group" target="_self" rel="nofollow noopener">get TSA PreCheck for free</a>, including holding a credit card that offers TSA PreCheck statement credit or redeeming rewards from certain hotel and airline loyalty programs.</p>
  558. <h4>4. Ordering food</h4>
  559. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.nerdwallet.com/assets/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_2997-770x578.jpg" alt="" width="770" height="578" /></p>
  560. <p><em>At certain airports, Starbucks allows ordering through its mobile app. (Photo by Sally French)</em></p>
  561. <p>Many airport eateries now offer mobile food ordering, where you can place an order before you arrive, and pick it up before you catch your flight.</p>
  562. <p>Some restaurants, such as Starbucks, offer mobile ordering through an app. Starbucks began rolling out mobile order functionality in 2022, making it possible to order ahead and pay on the Starbucks app at participating airport outposts.</p>
  563. <p>Other airports offer websites or apps that allow you to order food and beverages from participating airport restaurants. For example, the SFO2Go website allows you to order food from one of about a dozen restaurants at San Francisco International Airport. Food is typically ready within about 10-20 minutes.</p>
  564. <h4>5. Customs</h4>
  565. <p>International travelers returning to the U.S. must pass through a Customs and Border Inspection site before leaving the airport, which typically entails yet another long line.</p>
  566. <p>If you hold <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/what-is-global-entry-how-do-i-get-it?utm_campaign=ct_prod&amp;utm_content=1538759&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_source=syndication&amp;utm_term=medianews-group" target="_self" rel="nofollow noopener">Global Entry,</a> which is an expedited clearance program for preapproved, low-risk travelers, you can skip the customs line. Program members get access to specific Global Entry lanes where their photo is taken to verify their membership. The process is generally much faster than the standard line — so fast that you pause only briefly on your way out of the terminal.</p>
  567. <p>To get Global Entry, you’ll need to fill out an application and pay a $100 fee, which is nonrefundable (even if your application is denied). Avoid that fee by paying on one of the myriad <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/best/credit-cards/tsa-precheck-global-entry?utm_campaign=ct_prod&amp;utm_content=1538759&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_source=syndication&amp;utm_term=medianews-group" target="_self" rel="nofollow noopener">credit cards that will cover your Global Entry application fee</a>. Global Entry also includes TSA PreCheck benefits, so if you travel internationally, it’s better to pay the slightly higher fee for Global Entry to get access to both special lanes.</p>
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  571. <li><a class="nw-link" title="How to Navigate Those Confusing Airline Fare Bundles" href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/navigate-airfare-bundles?utm_campaign=ct_prod&amp;utm_source=syndication&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_term=medianews-group&amp;utm_content=1538759" target="_self" rel="nofollow noopener" data-nw-component-type-name="Link" data-nw-component-type-slug="nw_link" data-nw-track-click="1" data-nw-track-impression="1">How to Navigate Those Confusing Airline Fare Bundles</a></li>
  572. <li><a class="nw-link" title="Ask a Travel Nerd: How I Introduce Friends to Award Travel" href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/ask-a-travel-nerd-how-i-introduce-friends-to-award-travel?utm_campaign=ct_prod&amp;utm_source=syndication&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_term=medianews-group&amp;utm_content=1538759" target="_self" rel="nofollow noopener" data-nw-component-type-name="Link" data-nw-component-type-slug="nw_link" data-nw-track-click="1" data-nw-track-impression="1">Ask a Travel Nerd: How I Introduce Friends to Award Travel</a></li>
  573. <li><a class="nw-link" title="Hotels Where Baseball Fans Can Score Cool Perks, Save Some Money" href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/hotels-for-baseball-season?utm_campaign=ct_prod&amp;utm_source=syndication&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_term=medianews-group&amp;utm_content=1538759" target="_self" rel="nofollow noopener" data-nw-component-type-name="Link" data-nw-component-type-slug="nw_link" data-nw-track-click="1" data-nw-track-impression="1">Hotels Where Baseball Fans Can Score Cool Perks, Save Some Money</a></li>
  574. </ul>
  575. </div>
  576. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  577. <div class="nw-author-box-wp" data-nw-component-type-name="Author Box - WP" data-nw-component-type-slug="nw_author_box_wp">
  578. <div class="nw-author-box-wp--inner">
  579. <aside class="nw-author-box" data-nw-component-type-name="Author Box" data-nw-component-type-slug="nw_author_box"><em>Sally French writes for NerdWallet. Email: sfrench@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @SAFmedia.</em></aside>
  580. </div>
  581. </div>
  582. <p class="nw-originally-posted-link"><em>The article <a title="5 Airport Lines You Can Ditch (and How to Skip Them for Free)" href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/skip-airport-lines?utm_campaign=ct_prod&amp;utm_source=syndication&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_term=medianews-group&amp;utm_content=1538759" rel="nofollow noopener">5 Airport Lines You Can Ditch (and How to Skip Them for Free)</a> originally appeared on <a title="NerdWallet.com" href="https://www.nerdwallet.com?utm_campaign=ct_prod&amp;utm_source=syndication&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_term=medianews-group&amp;utm_content=1538759" rel="nofollow noopener">NerdWallet</a>.</em></p>
  583. ]]></content:encoded>
  587. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">9971938</post-id><media:content url="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1920700122.jpg?w=1400px&#038;strip=all" fileSize="240577" type="image/jpeg" height="150" width="150" isDefault="true"><media:description type="html"><![CDATA[ Travellers wait in line at the security check point located in Terminal 1 of O&#8217;Hare Airport on January 12, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)
  588. ]]></media:description></media:content>
  589. <dcterms:created>2024-04-19T13:14:03+00:00</dcterms:created>
  590. <dcterms:modified>2024-04-19T13:21:37+00:00</dcterms:modified>
  591. </item>
  592. <item>
  593. <title>Volkswagen workers in Tennessee vote on joining the UAW</title>
  594. <link>https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/19/volkswagen-workers-in-tennessee-vote-on-joining-the-uaw/</link>
  596. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Cnn Com Wire Service]]></dc:creator>
  597. <pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 20:08:39 +0000</pubDate>
  598. <category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
  599. <category><![CDATA[National News]]></category>
  600. <category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
  601. <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  602. <category><![CDATA[Autos]]></category>
  603. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.ocregister.com/?p=9972087&#038;preview=true&#038;preview_id=9972087</guid>
  604.  
  605. <description><![CDATA[The union vote at the Volkswagen plant will mean more than whether the 4,300 hourly workers in Chattanooga are members of the UAW or not. It could be the start of a revolution in the US auto industry, which has not seen a new automaker unionize in nearly 50 years.]]></description>
  606. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>By Chris Isidore | CNN</strong></p>
  607. <p>Renee Berry has been working at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee since 2010, shortly after it opened, long enough to see the majority of her co-workers twice vote against joining the United Auto Workers union. She thinks the third vote taking place this week will be different.</p>
  608. <p>“It’s a totally different ball game,” she said. “The atmosphere is different. You see more pro-union than anti-union [workers]. A whole lot of people who were anti-union in the past have switched.”</p>
  609. <p>The union vote at the Volkswagen plant will mean more than whether the 4,300 hourly workers in Chattanooga are members of the UAW or not. It could be the start of a revolution in the US auto industry, which has not seen a new automaker unionize in nearly 50 years.</p>
  610. <p>Today the industry is split almost evenly between unionized and nonunion workers at US auto factories, and the unionization of a factory in Tennessee would give unions a high profile beachhead in the South, which has long been difficult territory for unions to organize.</p>
  611. <p>Because the plant is in Tennessee, and not Michigan or Pennsylvania or some more unionized northern state, the results could be close, as they were in the two previous votes in <a href="https://money.cnn.com/2014/02/03/news/companies/vw-uaw-vote/index.html">2014</a> and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/15/business/volkswagen-united-auto-workers-union-vote/index.html">2019</a> at the plant. The latest vote saw 52% decide against joining the union.</p>
  612. <p>The plant has more than doubled its workforce from the 1,600 eligible to vote in the 2019 election. Supporters of the union are hoping that many of the new, younger workers will be more union-friendly than the workers in 2019.</p>
  613. <p>Opponents of the union among rank-and-file are hoping the union will lose out again, although they admit they’re not sure that will happen this time.</p>
  614. <p>“I don’t know. It could go either way,” said Darrell Belcher, who also started work soon after the plant opened. “The last time we were concerned it would swing [to the union]. I’m hearing people say there are more people against it than people think.”</p>
  615. <h2>UAW deal after auto strike influences vote</h2>
  616. <p>But it’s not just that there are more, and different workers at the Volkswagen plant than last time.</p>
  617. <p>Previous votes were held after the union had negotiated <a href="https://money.cnn.com/2007/03/27/news/companies/uaw_talks/index.htm">concession contracts</a> in which members at the unionized automakers had given up past gains, and in the wake of a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/20/business/uaw-president/index.html">corruption scandal</a> that would land two former union presidents in prison.</p>
  618. <p>This time the UAW is coming in a winner, after negotiating <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/30/business/gm-uaw-tentative-agreement/index.html">record wage increases</a> at GM, Ford and Stellantis. The unprecedented <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/15/business/auto-workers-strike/index.html">simultaneous strike at all three automakers</a> won immediate <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/30/business/gm-uaw-tentative-agreement/index.html">raises of at least 11%</a> and pay increases of more than 30% over the life of the contract that runs through April 2028.</p>
  619. <p>Even though Volkswagen quickly matched the UAW’s contracts with the Big Three with an 11% raise of its own, Berry said their contract in Chattanooga is still not as good as the UAW deals, and people know that.</p>
  620. <p>“It opened up a lot of people’s eyes. That had a big impact,” Berry said.</p>
  621. <p>“People here were rooting for [the strikers],” said Kelcey Smith, another union supporter who has been at VW for about a year. “It [the strike and the deal that followed] showed what you can achieve.”</p>
  622. <p>Smith said he has never had a union-represented job<strong>, </strong>and despite his support for the union effort, it doesn’t mean that he holds anything against the company. “I love my job. I enjoy being an employee here,” he said.</p>
  623. <p>But he said he wants the better pay and benefits he sees workers at unionized auto plants are getting, in order to provide more for his family.</p>
  624. <p>Volkswagen said the average worker in its plant makes about $60,000 a year before bonuses and benefits. Production workers working under the recent UAW contract now make about $36 an hour, or about $75,000 a year before overtime, bonuses and benefits.</p>
  625. <p>“I want to be financially safe, to give them a cushion in life,” Smith said. “I want to do what I can to make things better for them.”</p>
  626. <p>But Belcher said he’s worried what will happen to his job if the union were to win the pay its supporters at the plant are promising they’ll achieve after a UAW win.</p>
  627. <p>“In my opinion, if Volkswagen were to agree to something like that, they’d pack up and be gone to Mexico,” he said.</p>
  628. <h2>Volkswagen staying neutral</h2>
  629. <p>The company said it is neutral in the election, only urging workers to vote however they want. That’s relatively rare in union representation elections, where management often lobbies workers to vote no at mandatory meetings, and sometimes takes action against union organizers. Even union supporters acknowledge that hasn’t happened in this case, however.</p>
  630. <p>One thing helping the UAW is that unions have much more clout in Germany than in the United States, and the main Volkswagen union there has a seat on the company’s board. This is also the only VW plant without union representation.</p>
  631. <p>The vote is the first of an effort by the UAW to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/29/business/uaw-organize-nonunion-automakers/index.html">organize workers at 13 nonunion automakers</a> spread across the country, mostly in the South<strong>.</strong></p>
  632. <p>Another <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/05/business/uaw-mercedes-union-vote/index.html">vote, at a Mercedes plant</a> just outside of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is set to be completed by May 17. And efforts are underway to organize workers at the American plants of eight other foreign automakers beyond VW and Mercedes – BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, and Volvo, as well as the plants of three US-based electric vehicle makers – Tesla, Rivian and Lucid.</p>
  633. <p>Together the US plants of those companies have about 150,000 workers, roughly as many as the three unionized automakers whose workers went on strike last year.</p>
  634. <p>Even if the union wins in Chattanooga, it could be an uphill battle to win at the other companies, said Art Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell University’s Industrial and Labor Relations school. But it would be an important step in the broader organizing effort, he said. And that could change the dynamics in future auto contract negotiations.</p>
  635. <p>“It won’t be like dominoes where the others all fall quickly,” he said. “But it’ll start to build momentum. As you get more plants organized, you have more leverage at the table and you can set an industry [contract] pattern.”</p>
  636. <h2>Southern governors worried</h2>
  637. <p>Because of the potential for organizing efforts to pick up steam once one plant joins the union, the vote is closely watched by people across the auto industry and the labor movements, as well as by politicians across the South, who have worked hard to attract manufacturers to their states with promises of a union-free work force.</p>
  638. <p>“The reality is companies have choices when it comes to where to invest and bring jobs and opportunity. We have worked tirelessly on behalf of our constituents to bring good-paying jobs to our states,” said a letter signed by this week by Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee and five other Southern governors – from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas – who have nonunion auto plants in their states. “Unionization would certainly put our states’ jobs in jeopardy.”</p>
  639. <p>Fewer than 5% of workers belong to unions in those six states, which is less than half the union representation in the seven more northern industrial states where the Big Three have most of their plants.</p>
  640. <p>It’s not just Republican governors who are weighing in on the vote. President Joe Biden, who became the first <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/26/politics/biden-picket-line-michigan-uaw/index.html">president to visit a picket line during the UAW strike</a> last fall, and who has been <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/24/politics/biden-uaw-endorsement/index.html">endorsed by the UAW</a>, congratulated the Volkswagen workers when they filed for the election last month. But Biden’s ties to the union aren’t playing particularly well among the rank-and-file who will be voting at the Chattanooga plant.</p>
  641. <p>“I know a lot of people on the pro side have switched over,” said Corey Linn, a 13-year employee and one of those working against the union. “The biggest argument to make the switch is once they found out that Biden was backing the UAW. He’s not very popular in Tennessee.”</p>
  642. <p>Union supporters say they have also heard from co-workers who are afraid that their dues money would go to Biden, even though political donations from unions don’t come from the dues money collected.</p>
  643. <p>“You hear all of that, ‘Why are they supporting Biden?’” Berry said.</p>
  644. ]]></content:encoded>
  648. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">9972087</post-id><media:content url="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/cnn-L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2ltYWdlL2luc3RhbmNlcy9jbHY1cnVkMTQwMDAwMzU2aWF0eTlhdGw2-L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2FydGljbGUvaW5zdGFuY2VzL2NsdjVwNnNjNDAwMGtjMXA4Z3R6MGgwcGY.jpg?w=1400px&#038;strip=all" fileSize="258882" type="image/jpeg" height="150" width="150" isDefault="true"><media:description type="html"><![CDATA[ cnn-L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2ltYWdlL2luc3RhbmNlcy9jbHY1cnVkMTQwMDAwMzU2aWF0eTlhdGw2-L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2FydGljbGUvaW5zdGFuY2VzL2NsdjVwNnNjNDAwMGtjMXA4Z3R6MGgwcGY ]]></media:description></media:content>
  649. <dcterms:created>2024-04-19T13:08:39+00:00</dcterms:created>
  650. <dcterms:modified>2024-04-19T14:21:56+00:00</dcterms:modified>
  651. </item>
  652. <item>
  653. <title>Carolee Ogata is named the new superintendent of Huntington Beach Union</title>
  654. <link>https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/19/carolee-ogata-is-named-the-new-superintendent-of-huntington-beach-union/</link>
  656. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Annika Bahnsen]]></dc:creator>
  657. <pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 19:55:05 +0000</pubDate>
  658. <category><![CDATA[Local News]]></category>
  659. <category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
  660. <category><![CDATA[Top Stories OCR]]></category>
  661. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.ocregister.com/?p=9971924&#038;preview=true&#038;preview_id=9971924</guid>
  662.  
  663. <description><![CDATA[Ogata has been serving as the deputy superintendent of human resources at HBUHSD since 2012.]]></description>
  664. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Carolee Ogata has been selected to serve as the next superintendent of Huntington Beach Union High School District, succeeding Clint Harwick <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2024/03/25/hbuhsd-superintendent-clint-harwick-set-to-retire-this-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">once he retires in August</a>.</p>
  665. <p>&#8220;I am honored and thrilled to have the opportunity to continue the legacy of excellence within the Huntington Beach Union High School District,&#8221; Ogata said. &#8220;HBUHSD boasts an exceptional community of dedicated staff and high-achieving students.&#8221;</p>
  666. <p>Ogata has been serving as the deputy superintendent of human resources at HBUHSD since 2012 but has been involved in education for over 30 years.</p>
  667. <p>In her time at the district, she has worked alongside Harwick with growing the Career Technical Education pathways, courses that focus on trade work, as well as science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics programs. Ogata also assisted in the expansion of girls&#8217; sports offerings to include beach volleyball and flag football.</p>
  668. <p><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2024/03/25/hbuhsd-superintendent-clint-harwick-set-to-retire-this-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Huntington Beach schools superintendent Clint Harwick will retire this year</a></p>
  669. <p>Assistant Superintendent Jeff Starr said Ogata fits this role well because she has a &#8220;long history and deep roots within HBUHSD.&#8221;</p>
  670. <p>&#8220;Her dedication to our students’ success, our school employees and the community will ensure a seamless journey forward,&#8221; Starr said. &#8220;With her great love for students and emphasis on education, she fosters an environment where everyone can thrive. As a compassionate leader, she navigates decisions with kindness and foresight and will guide us confidently into the future.&#8221;</p>
  671. <p>Ogata, who holds a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Southern California, has been awarded many accolades during her time in education, including Teacher of the Year and the Association of California School Administrators Region 17 Administrator of the Year in human resources.</p>
  672. <p>Ogata will be sworn into the position during the district&#8217;s May 14 board meeting and will officially start in the office on Sept. 1.</p>
  673. <aside class="related left"><h2 class="widget-title" data-curated-ids="" data-relation-type="automatic-primary-tag">Related Articles</h2><ul><li>
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  719. <p>In a press release, the district said that Ogata&#8217;s &#8220;compassionate nature and steadfast leadership fosters a positive work environment where HBUHSD staff are supported and encouraged to explore their passions and seek opportunities for professional growth.&#8221;</p>
  720. <p>HBUHSD is a high school-only district, overseeing nine schools across Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley and Westminster.</p>
  721. ]]></content:encoded>
  725. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">9971924</post-id><media:content url="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/OCR-L-HBUHSDCO-0419-01.jpg?w=1400px&#038;strip=all" fileSize="163405" type="image/jpeg" height="150" width="150" isDefault="true"><media:description type="html"><![CDATA[ Carolee Ogata is the new Huntington Beach Union High School District superintendent. (Courtesy of Huntington Beach Union High School District)
  726. ]]></media:description></media:content>
  727. <dcterms:created>2024-04-19T12:55:05+00:00</dcterms:created>
  728. <dcterms:modified>2024-04-19T12:57:54+00:00</dcterms:modified>
  729. </item>
  730. <item>
  731. <title>Providence warns patients of potential disruption as Blue Shield negotiations drag on</title>
  732. <link>https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/19/blue-shield-customers-still-in-network-with-providence-for-now/</link>
  734. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jackson Guilfoil]]></dc:creator>
  735. <pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 19:23:03 +0000</pubDate>
  736. <category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
  737. <category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
  738. <category><![CDATA[health care]]></category>
  739. <category><![CDATA[hospitals]]></category>
  740. <category><![CDATA[Insurance]]></category>
  741. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.ocregister.com/?p=9971906&#038;preview=true&#038;preview_id=9971906</guid>
  742.  
  743. <description><![CDATA[Patients might become out of network with Providence hospitals, clinics and physicians if the contract is not renewed by June 1, Providence wrote to its 110,000 patients.]]></description>
  744. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Providence and Blue Shield California, currently <a href="https://www.times-standard.com/2024/03/26/providence-blue-shield-at-odds-over-insurance-claims/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">embroiled in a contractual spat</a> over how much the insurance company covers patient care, have until June 1 to ink a new deal before the old contract expires.</p>
  745. <p>The hospital system emailed its 110,000 patients earlier this week, warning that Blue Shield health insurance might flip to out of network with Providence hospitals, clinics and physicians.</p>
  746. <p>&#8220;We are diligently working with Blue Shield to resolve this negotiation and that you can continue to see your Providence providers with no impact until June 1, 2024,&#8221; the email states.</p>
  747. <p><strong>Also see:</strong> <a href="/2022/09/19/providence-plans-712-million-expansion-with-new-mission-hospital-tower-2-satellite-health-centers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Providence plans $712 million expansion with new Mission Hospital tower, 2 satellite health centers</a></p>
  748. <p>Providence is urging Blue Shield policyholders to &#8220;talk to your human resources department, insurance broker or Blue Shield directly &#8230; to express your concerns and to find a way to stay with your doctor and Providence should we not reach an agreement.&#8221;</p>
  749. <p>Such disputes during contract negotiations are common, though typically the rows don’t spill this deeply into the public eye, said Cynthia Saunders, a former assistant professor of health care administration at California State University, Long Beach. In late March, Blue Shield urged customers to look beyond Providence facilities for care.</p>
  750. <p>“If I had a chronic health care condition or was in the middle of some bad health situation that needed constant medical care, I would be terrified. I might even have to consider moving to a place that has better access to medical care,” Saunders said.</p>
  751. <p>Providence issued an offer to Blue Shield four weeks ago and hasn’t heard back since, said Laureen Driscoll, chief executive of Providence’s south division. The previous contract was signed before the pandemic, and Providence has operated in the negative for years, Driscoll said, without providing numbers on the past fiscal year’s margins.</p>
  752. <p>“Providence wants to be able to provide our caregivers and our physicians living wages. And in order to do that, we need to be able to get paid the cost of care to provide services to patients,” Driscoll said. “From our standpoint, we’ve been negotiating in good faith, seeking reasonable terms to help cover those costs as the rising cost of care.”</p>
  753. <p>Even if the deadline passes without a new contract, Blue Shield must cover emergency care, even if Providence facilities are out of network.</p>
  754. <p>Driscoll said Providence would also provide financial assistance to help pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses.</p>
  755. <p>Jonna Constantine, a Blue Shield of California spokesperson, said Providence’s demands would increase healthcare costs for patients and scuttle her organization’s attempts at affordability.</p>
  756. <p>“We are disappointed that Providence has been unwilling to reach such an agreement with Blue Shield. Instead, they are attempting to negotiate in the media and using misleading information in the process regarding patient access to treatment. Our members are at the forefront of all decisions made by Blue Shield and the health plan’s goal is not to limit members’ access to care and treatment,” Constantine said via email.</p>
  757. <p>In March, several Providence-affiliated physician groups in Southern California wrote in a letter that Blue Shield &#8220;continues to deny or delay coverage for necessary patient care at an alarming rate, with denials increasing by almost $250 million from 2019 to 2023.&#8221; According to Providence, the Blue Shield denial rate is up by 11.7% in 2024.</p>
  758. <p>“As physicians, we cannot accept that our patients are often being denied treatment for essential care, including medications, therapies and procedures,” the letter stated.</p>
  759. <p>Constantine added that Providence overstates the claim denial rate, writing that “the small number of claims for payment that the health plan has declined is almost always due to Providence’s errors, including not seeking authorizations appropriately, submitting duplicate claims, needing to provide additional information for processing, and submitting claims to the inaccurate party for payment.”</p>
  760. <p>Medical debt is the largest reason for bankruptcy in the United States. In 2022, 92.1% of Americans had health insurance.</p>
  761. <p>Blue Shield of California, a nonprofit – as is Providence – caps its net income at 2%. McKinsey and Co. consultant firm estimated that by 2027, nationwide healthcare profit will reach $819 billion.<aside class="related left"><h2 class="widget-title" data-curated-ids="" data-relation-type="automatic-primary-tag">Related Articles</h2><ul><li>
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  807. ]]></content:encoded>
  811. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">9971906</post-id><media:content url="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/HOSPITALS-01.jpeg?w=1400px&#038;strip=all" fileSize="227116" type="image/jpeg" height="150" width="150" isDefault="true"><media:description type="html"><![CDATA[ Providence and Blue Shield of California are negotiating over a new contract. The old one expires on June 1. (Times-Standard file photo).
  812. ]]></media:description></media:content>
  813. <dcterms:created>2024-04-19T12:23:03+00:00</dcterms:created>
  814. <dcterms:modified>2024-04-19T12:23:21+00:00</dcterms:modified>
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