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Elon Musk announces new company xAI as he seeks to build ChatGPT alternative

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:27 GMT

By Rachel Metz | BloombergElon Musk, who has hinted for months that he wants to build an alternative to the popular ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot, announced the formation of what he’s calling xAI, whose goal is to “understand the true nature of the universe.”On a website unveiled Wednesday xAI said its team will be led by Musk and staffed by executives who have worked at a broad range of companies at the forefront of artificial intelligence, including Google’s DeepMind, Microsoft Corp. and Tesla Inc., as well as academic institutions such as the University of Toronto.Musk was involved in the creation of OpenAI, the highest-profile AI startup and developer of ChatGPT. But he has frequently and publicly criticized OpenAI since he left the board in 2018, especially after it created a for-profit arm the following year. He has said he believes it to be “effectively controlled by Microsoft.” Microsoft has invested some $13 billion into OpenAI.Despite his work in AI, Musk has exp...

CSU appoints Mildred García as Chancellor, first Latina to oversee mammoth university system

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:27 GMT

The California State University Board of Trustees announced a new leader to oversee its 23 campuses during its Wednesday, July 12 meeting — putting an end to a year-long search to replace former CSU Chancellor Joseph Castro, who resigned last year amid blowback from allegations that he mishandled sexual harassment complaints against another administrator.Mildred García, who currently serves as president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and was formerly president of both CSUs Fullerton and Dominguez Hills, will take over the role on Oct. 1. She’s the first Latina appointed to the prestigious role, according to the announcement.The chancellor is responsible for overseeing the mammoth university system, including its 460,000 students and 56,000 faculty and staff. She’ll have an annual salary of $795,000, a $96,000 yearly housing stipend, a $1,000 monthly car allowance, and other standard benefits offered to CSU employees, according to a Wednesday board rep...

US inflation hits lowest level in 2 years as prices ease

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:27 GMT

By Christopher Rugaber | Associated PressWASHINGTON — Squeezed by painfully high prices for two years, Americans have gained some much-needed relief with inflation reaching its lowest point since early 2021 — 3% in June compared with a year earlier — thanks in part to easing prices for gasoline, airline fares, used cars and groceries.The inflation figure the government reported Wednesday was down sharply from a 4% annual rate in May, though still above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. From May to June, overall prices rose 0.2%, up from just 0.1% in the previous month but still comparatively mild.Even with Wednesday’s better-than-expected inflation data, the Fed is considered all but sure to raise its benchmark rate when it meets in two weeks. But with price increases slowing — or even falling outright — across a range of goods and services, many economists say they think the central bank could hold off on what had been expected to be another rate hike in September, shoul...

New Grateful Dead collection spotlights legendary show that ran nearly 5 hours

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:27 GMT

Didn’t score those much-sought-after ducats to see the final Dead & Company shows at Oracle Park in San Francisco?Well, you could join the throngs outside the venue for those three nights, July 14-16, and hope for a “miracle” ticket or two.Or you could stay home and just crank up some good ol’ Grateful Dead with the excellent new “Here Comes Sunshine 1973” box set.Rhino Records Rhino RecordsThe 17-CD collection, which is also available in digital download format, captures the mighty Dead in the spring of ’73 as the band makes its way through the final five shows of a tour in brilliant fashion.These previously unreleased recordings hail from the Iowa State Fairgrounds, Des Moines (5/13/73); Campus Stadium, UCSB, Santa Barbara (5/20/73); Kezar Stadium, San Francisco (5/26/73); and Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C. (6/9/73 & 6/10/73).All of the shows are keepers, of course. Yet, the one that stands out from the p...

San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing Co. is shutting down

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:27 GMT

Rumors have been swirling through the beer community for weeks that Sapporo, the Japanese conglomerate that bought San Francisco’s venerable Anchor Brewing Co. in 2017, was looking for a buyer. The company had not been doing well. It was especially hard hit by the pandemic, and sales were continuing to fall.But the news this morning was even grimmer. Anchor Brewing announced early Wednesday that the brewery is ceasing operations and will liquidate its assets through a process known as an assignment for the benefit of creditors that avoids bankruptcy.Employees were given 60 days notice today, and brewing has already halted, but Anchor’s Potrero Hill taproom, Public Taps, will remain open at least until Aug. 1 to sell off remaining inventory.Anchor had recently announced it was pulling back distribution to only California, and the company  would no longer brew its popular holiday seasonal, Our Special Ale. In 2021, it revamped its logo, labels and packaging, a rebranding f...

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Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:27 GMT

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Berryessa Flea Market vendors worry about their livelihoods

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:27 GMT

Editor’s note: This story is part of the annual Mosaic Journalism Workshop for Bay Area high school students, a two-week intensive course in journalism. Students in the program report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.With over 400 vendors selling food, clothing, piñatas, toys and other items, the Berryessa Flea Market, established in 1960,  is part of San Jose’s history and provides a livelihood for its many vendors.But as property owners move forward with plans to redevelop most of the land for housing and commercial space, the vendors are in a panic on where to relocate.  A recently announced rent increase is adding to the anxiety.Last week Mosaic spoke, in both English and Spanish, with several worried vendors.Surrounded by the candies, flavored nuts and handmade gummies she sells in her stand, long-time vendor Delia Arjorno said she worries that she and her husband will not be able to afford medical care if they are displaced.Arjorno said she...

1 arrested, handgun seized after plainclothes officer hears gunshots in Tenderloin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:27 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A suspect was arrested and a pistol was seized Tuesday following a traffic stop in the Tenderloin, according to the San Francisco Police Department. A plainclothes sergeant with the SFPD Tenderloin station heard gunshots coming from the direction of Eddy and Hyde streets at around 6:11 p.m. Tuesday. New skimmer threat targets retail shoppers, according to Alameda PD A witness pointed out the suspect vehicle and officers conducted a vehicle traffic stop. One subject was arrested and a firearm seized. A photo tweeted out by SFPD showed a black handgun on the floorboards of the vehicle alongside an empty case of Modelo and an empty Kentucky Fried Chicken container.

Three badly decomposing bodies found in remote Colorado campsite

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:27 GMT

DENVER (AP) — The badly decomposing bodies of three people were found in a remote Rocky Mountains camp in Colorado, and they may have been lying there since late last year, authorities said.A hiker discovered one of the bodies late Sunday and notified the authorities, who found the other two after arriving at the campsite Monday, Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie said.Two of the bodies were inside a small, zipped-up tent and the other was outside in the camp, which was in a remote wooded area where hikers typically wouldn’t pass by, he said. There were personal belongings and tarps at the scene, and a lean-to built from local logs over a firepit. “This is not a typical occurrence anywhere, by any means,” said Murdie, noting that his department doesn’t think the discovery implies any risk to hikers or campers in the area.The sheriff’s department is looking for missing persons reports that might shed light on the situation, but they haven’t found ...

Capitol riot suspect arrested near Obama’s home will remain jail until trial, judge rules

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:27 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man charged in the Capitol riot who had guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in his van when he was arrested near former President Barack Obama’s Washington home will remain in jail while he awaits trial, a federal magistrate judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui agreed with federal prosecutors that Taylor Taranto represents a danger to the community if he is released. Taranto’s lawyer said the judge’s decision will be appealed. Taranto was arrested June 29 after prosecutors say he showed up in Obama’s neighborhood on the same day that former President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform what he claimed was Obama’s home address. Prosecutors detailed a litany of what they said were examples of Taranto’s erratic behavior before his arrest, including threatening statements about House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and claims on his YouTube livestream that he intended to blow up the National...