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Travel Troubleshooter: Should Overseas Adventure Travel cover fare after cancellation?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

DEAR TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: I booked a trip for two to Costa Rica through Overseas Adventure Travel last year. It included pre-trip and post-trip extensions and round-trip airfare from San Francisco. I also paid for a business class upgrade, which cost $2,032 per person.In late December 2022, I received a call from Overseas Adventure Travel advising that it had canceled the pre-trip portion due to a lack of interest. I had to rebook the airline tickets because the departure date would now be different. Because we were only two months from departure, the cost for this rebooking was an additional $1,056 per person, which the agent advised I would have to pay.I appealed the decision to the executive contacts on your website, but never got a response.During the trip, I spoke to some of the travelers who indicated they had inquired last October about the pre-trip. Overseas Adventure Travel told them that the pre-trip had been canceled, but the company waited another two months to advise ...

Coroner IDs man found dead in Santa Cruz County shopping center parking lot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

APTOS — A man who died in the Rancho Del Mar Shopping Center parking lot has been identified as a 68-year-old Aptos man.According to the Santa Cruz County Coroner’s Office, Mark Steven Gandolfi died of an unexpected medical emergency.The California Highway Patrol responded to Soquel and State Park Drives around 3:15 a.m. July 25, for a vehicle left running up against the shopping center’s curb.Despite life-saving efforts, Gandolfi was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel. Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Fatal Marin County plane crash report cites preliminary findings Crime and Public Safety | 2 women killed, 3 more people hurt in California pleasure boat fire Crime and Public Safety | New California law triggers surge of lawsuits by alleged victims of prison sexual assault Crime and Public Safety | 3 killed when two firefighting helicopters collide, one crashes in Southern California Crime and Pub...

Study shows drop in homelessness in Santa Cruz County in past year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

SANTA CRUZ — Coming out of a punishing winter and the end of the coronavirus pandemic’s state of emergency, Santa Cruz County’s homeless population has remained highly visible and yet significantly dwindled, according to results of a recent study.Jessica and Betsy Scheiner scan the area for people experiencing homelessness during the 2023 point-in-time homeless count. (Aric Sleeper — Santa Cruz Sentinel file) The region’s annual homeless point-in-time count, conducted by volunteers on a single day in late February, recorded a one-year decrease of more than 21%, bringing the census to the county’s lowest recorded population of 1,804 unhoused individuals. The latest survey numbers were published Thursday, more than a month after local governments set in motion their budget plans for the coming fiscal years.With the support of ongoing state dollars and a twisting labyrinth of specialized grants, Santa Cruz County’s efforts on the homeless front have expanded in areas of broader ro...

Medi-Cal covers gender-transition treatment, but getting it isn’t easy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

SANTA CRUZ — From an early age, Pasha Wrangell felt different. Societal expectations of boys, and many characteristics of masculinity, did not match how Wrangell felt inside.Bullied and ostracized, Wrangell started repressing those feelings in middle school and kept them bottled up for a long time. That led to decades of sadness, isolation, and even a couple of suicide attempts. What gnawed at Wrangell was gender dysphoria, a condition widely acknowledged in the medical community, which causes severe distress to people whose sexual identity does not match their sex assigned at birth.“It’s a sense of wrongness, like someone attached an arm to my head badly, and it just punches me in the face every time,” said Wrangell, 38, who grew up and still lives in this idyllic central California beach community. Facial and body hair is particularly upsetting: “I see my face in the mirror, and anytime I have to deal with hair, it is uncomfortable. I hate seeing it.”Santa Cruz resident Pasha Wran...

Single family residence sells in Alameda for $2 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

1615 Moreland Drive – Google Street ViewA historic house located in the 1600 block of Moreland Drive in Alameda has new owners. The 1,997-square-foot property, built in 1929, was sold on June 13, 2023. The $1,955,000 purchase price works out to $979 per square foot. The layout of this two-story house consists of two bedrooms and two baths. In addition, the house provides a two-car garage, granting ample space for parking and storage purposes. The property is situated on a lot spanning 5,000 square feet.These nearby houses have also recently been sold:A 2,553-square-foot home on the 2800 block of Lincoln Avenue in Alameda sold in April 2023, for $1,700,000, a price per square foot of $666. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In June 2023, a 2,529-square-foot home on Southwood Drive in Alameda sold for $2,100,000, a price per square foot of $830. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Versailles Avenue, Alameda, in June 2023, a 2,736-square-foot home was sold for $1,950,000, a...

Australia advances to Women’s World Cup quarterfinals by beating Denmark with Sam Kerr back

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia advanced to the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup by beating Denmark 2-0 in Sydney on Monday.Goals from Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso ensured the Matlidas weren’t the latest big name to crash out following the eliminations of holder the United States, Germany and Brazil.The tournament co-host will face France or Morocco in Brisbane on Saturday.Australian fans will start to believe their team could go on to be crowned world champion after star striker Sam Kerr returned from a calf injury to make her first appearance at the tournament.In front of a crowd of 75,784 at Stadium Australia, the Matildas already put themselves on course for the last eight by the time Kerr made her entrance in the 80th minute. Foord fired Australia in front in the 29th after running on to a pass from Mary Fowler. Raso drilled home a second in the 70th after Emily van Egmond’s lay off. The Sydney Opera House was lit up in the yellow and green colors of the Matildas as ...

Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer’s return from injury still unclear after new operation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has undergone an operation to remove metal implants from the leg he broke while skiing last season.Bayern said on Monday the operation the day before was planned as part of Neuer’s treatment.“The FC Bayern captain immediately resumed his rehabilitative training,” Bayern said without specifying a timeline for Neuer’s possible return to the squad. Bayern’s first game of the season is on Saturday against Leipzig in the German Super Cup before its Bundesliga title defense begins on Aug. 18 at Werder Bremen.The 37-year-old Neuer hasn’t played since the World Cup last year after he broke his leg in a ski accident in December. He wasn’t on Bayern’s preseason tour of Japan and Singapore as Swiss keeper Yann Sommer — signed in January as a replacement during Neuer’s injury — and longtime backup Sven Ulreich split the goalkeeping duties. Sommer is reportedly close to signing for Champions League runner-up ...

Dos personas resultan gravemente heridas tras incendio en apartamentos de Silver Spring

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

Dos personas resultaron heridas de gravedad después de que estalló un incendio en un complejo de viviendas el domingo por la mañana en Silver Spring, Maryland, informaron las autoridades.Los funcionarios se apresuraron a llegar a The Enclave en Oak Leaf Drive, cerca de Columbia Pike, alrededor de las 6:30 a. m., indicó el Departamento de Bomberos y Rescate del Condado Montgomery. A pesar de que las llamas estaban dentro de un apartamento en el piso diecinueve, había humo en todo el edificio.Los equipos rescataron a dos víctimas y las llevaron a un hospital.Una residente dijo que las alarmas contra incendios del edificio la despertaron, pero que no había humo en el piso inferior.Tres horas antes, los equipos de bomberos apagaron un incendio en el restaurante Rumba y Carbón en Grand View Avenue en Wheaton.Como resultado, una persona resultó herida. No se dieron a conocer detalles adicionales sobre su condición.El incendio comenzó en el sótano del restaurante y causó daños moderados, s...

Investors Title: Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Investors Title Co. (ITIC) on Monday reported profit of $7.6 million in its second quarter.The Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based company said it had profit of $4 per share.The insurance company posted revenue of $58.3 million in the period._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on ITIC at https://www.zacks.com/ap/ITICSource

De Filadelfia a Atlanta, más de 120 millones de personas en EE.UU. están bajo el riesgo de tormentas severas que podrían traer granizo y vientos dañinos

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

(CNN) — Más de 120 millones de personas en el este de Estados Undos corren el riesgo de tormentas eléctricas severas este lunes que pueden afectar a comunidades desde Filadelfia hasta Atlanta con ráfagas de viento dañinas, granizo grande, fuertes lluvias y algunos tornados.Se espera un patrón de tormentas eléctricas muy activo durante los próximos días en grandes franjas del país al este del río Mississippi. Después de azotar el valle del río Ohio este domingo, un sistema de tormentas se desplaza hacia el este, lo que aumenta el riesgo de clima severo este lunes.Lo peor vendrá para la zona que se extiende desde el norte de Alabama hasta el sur de Pensilvania y Nueva Jersey, incluyendo Filadelfia, Baltimore, Charlotte, Washington, Atlanta y Raleigh. El área está bajo mayor riesgo, nivel 3 de 5, por tormentas severas, dijeron los meteorólogos.Un ligero riesgo de tormentas severas, un nivel 2 de 5, se extiende desde el oeste de Alabama hasta el sur de Nueva York, incluyendo la ci...