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Understanding Sweden’s Smoke-Free Revolution: A Model for Global Health

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

The journey towards a smoke-free world has been complex, with various entities working tirelessly to navigate the intricacies. Sweden has emerged as a star, effectively managing its smoking prevalence down to an impressive 5.6 percent from over 30 percent in the 1980s. This remarkable turnaround places the nation on the precipice of achieving smoke-free status this year - writes Federico N. Fernández A goal reached two years ahead of its own schedule and a staggering 17 years in advance of the broader EU ambition. On the other hand, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission (EC) have been spearheading the charge with the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), respectively. These bodies have enacted stringent regulations, including outright product bans and tax increases. While the initial application of these preventive and cessation-focused measures succeeded in reducing the smoking populace, recent trends hav...

Man dies on street after being struck by hit-and-run driver in San Fernando Valley

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

Police are searching for a hit-and-run driver who struck and killed a man in the Valley Glen neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley Monday morning.The victim was crossing the street on Sherman Way near the Bellaire Avenue intersection when he was struck by a vehicle around 1 a.m.The vehicle, described as an older-model white van, temporarily stopped in a nearby shopping center before leaving the scene, Los Angeles Police Department Detective Lisset Fuentes said.The victim, identified only as a man between 30 and 40 years old, was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators do not believe the victim was in a crosswalk at the time of the crash. The van is believed to be an early 2000s model but police did not provide a description of the driver. Police are searching the area for any surveillance video that may help in the investigation.

It’s getting harder and more expensive to insure your California home. What can you do?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

Californians are finding it harder and more expensive to insure their homes in the wake of devastating wildfires across the state in recent years. Premiums are rising sharply, even with requirements from 1988’s Proposition 103 that the state review and approve rate increases.And that’s for the lucky homeowners. Others are getting notices from their longtime insurers that their policy won’t be renewed, forcing them to scramble to find a new one. And major insurers like Allstate and State Farm have stopped writing new policies, in the Golden State, leaving fewer options.We asked Amy Bach, cofounder of the United Policyholders consumer group, how consumers can navigate this shifting insurance landscape.Q: Why is it suddenly harder and more expensive to insure homes in California?A: It’s a national phenomenon, and California has been particularly hard hit. Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida have been hit too, and Colorado seems to be heading in a similar...

Report: Nearly 25% of Marin County households can’t afford decent living

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

Volunteer Anita Hernandez of San Rafael and others prepare bags of food to give away during a community food distribution event in San Rafael on Saturday, April 11, 2020. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)A Chevron gas station displays its prices on Rowland Boulevard in Novato on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal)Students eat lunch at tables marked with tape for social distancing at North Marin Community Services in Novato on Tuesday, June 16, 2020. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)Apartment buildings stand along Canal Street in San Rafael on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)Show Caption of ExpandNearly a quarter of the households in Marin lack the income for a decent standard of living, according to a report by the United Ways of California.The study — titled “How Much it Costs to Struggle: The Real Cost Measure in California 2023” — estimated what families of different sizes must pay for such necessities a...

Make the case: Why the Warriors should trade up, stay put, or trade for a veteran

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

The Warriors made the first major decision of their offseason last week, naming Mike Dunleavy Jr. as their next general manager. The next big choice comes Thursday in Brooklyn at the NBA Draft.Golden State has the No. 19 pick and plenty of motivation to use it on a win-now plan, with Stephen Curry pushing to extend his prime at age 35.Exactly how the Warriors will do so remains an open question: Should they trade up for a higher-caliber rookie, package the pick with a young player to pursue an established NBA veteran, or stay put and make the pick, trusting their scouting?Our writers make the case for each path:Why they should trade for a veteranWith Curry still playing at a high level, why would the Warriors want to take on another project?The two-timeline plan was good in theory, but those young players in the second wave, beyond Jordan Poole, haven’t made the leaps the Warriors hoped they would at this point.And despite being booted in the Western Conference semifinals last...

Why look at birds? They bring happiness

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

Why pay attention to birds? As with most fields of interest, you may hear a variety of responses to this question, depending on whom you ask. The most enthusiastic birders might display a rather strange intensity and competitiveness in their bird watching — I wouldn’t necessarily recommend you consult a gold medal swimmer to learn about the simple, relaxing pleasures of splashing about in the water. Earnest environmentalist types might point out how watching birds can help teach you about ecology or inspire you to become a more enthusiastic conservationist. That probably has some truth, but doesn’t really get at the central question.I have a simpler answer: I recommend paying attention to birds because I think that doing so adds to human happiness.I don’t mind admitting those claims of the serious birders and the conservationists. Birding — seeing many species, developing the knowledge that helps you find them and the skills that help you identify them — is fun. Humans like making l...

Suspected Oakland music-video shooter pleads not guilty after Santa Cruz County pursuit, arrest

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

A Bay Area man considered a suspect in a fatal Oakland shooting earlier this year and person of interest in a shooting that injured nine people in San Francisco’s Mission District last week has been arrested in Santa Cruz County, authorities said.Friday morning, 22-year-old Javier Campos pleaded not guilty to Santa Cruz County charges of felony evading an officer with disregard for public safety, being a felon in possession of a firearm, illegal possession of ammunition and carrying an unregistered loaded firearm in a vehicle, which he allegedly ditched out his car window during a pursuit, authorities said.Police nabbed Campos on Wednesday evening after a vehicle chase by law enforcement officers from multiple counties up Highway 1, from Watsonville to the Soquel area, Santa Cruz County Assistant District Attorney Yukiko Orii said Friday. Details of the arrest were not immediately available. Watsonville spokesperson Michelle Pulido said the Santa Cruz County Anti-Crime Team was serv...

Downtown San Jose adds jobs but loses residents in post-COVID recovery

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

SAN JOSE — Downtown San Jose’s job market is holding steady after a catastrophic decline due to the coronavirus outbreak — but the number of people living in the city’s urban core has dwindled, a new report shows.Ominously, the office vacancy rate for downtown San Jose is approaching its highest level on record and could jump further as new space comes on the market and leases expire, according to a report prepared for an upcoming meeting of a committee of the San Jose City Council.Significant challenges beset downtown San Jose — yet the city’s urban core is gradually overcoming its coronavirus-spawned maladies and still entices office tenants, the new report from the city’s Economic Development and Cultural Affairs Office suggests.Before the coronavirus outbreak, downtown San Jose boasted 43,000 jobs as of mid-2019, according to a previously released report from the city’s Economic Development Office.Now, San Jose’s downtown has...

Empty downtown San Jose supermarket space lands medical company

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

SAN JOSE — The site of a long-closed grocery store in downtown San Jose has landed a medical services organization as a new tenant, potentially bringing new uses to a dormant space.The medical use will occupy the Safeway store site at 100 South Second Street in San Jose.OneMedAll is the tenant, according to a brief bit of information posted on the company’s website.“Coming soon to downtown San Jose” reads the OneMedAll post.A OneMedAll sign that declared “coming soon” has also appeared on one of the sides of a space for a Safeway store that closed in 2019 at the corner of South Second Street and East San Fernando Street in San Jose.Safeway closed its store over concerns about crime and a lack of parking for customers.“Any use is better than a vacant use,” said Mark Ritchie, president of Ritchie Commercial, a real estate firm.OneMedAll is planning what it describes as a health and wellness center, the company states on its website.The m...

Looking for a housing price crash? That’s unlikely, real estate economists say

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

The nation‘s housing market is going through a correction, not a crash.While sales are down and mortgage rates are up, home prices are still rising because there are so few homes for sale.And after a decade of rising prices, commercial real estate values have been dropping steadily over the past 18 months, particularly for offices. It’s going to take two to nine years for building and warehouse values to get back to 2022 levels, creating some risk for banks holding real estate debt. Another 311 banks will likely fail in the near future — equivalent to three Silicon Valley Banks, but not enough to tank the banking system.Those are among the conclusions from more than a dozen economists and analysts speaking at a gathering of real estate journalists in Las Vegas earlier this month.“We don’t foresee home price declines on a year-over-year basis nationally,” Selma Hepp, CoreLogic chief economist, told the National Association of Real  Estate Editors conference held in Las Vegas June 6-9...