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'It's a big deal': New student loan plan could cut payments for borrowers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:20 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Soon, millions of borrowers are going to have to start paying back their student loans again. The Biden administration is touting a new plan they say will help lower monthly payments and bring borrowers closer to forgiveness. On Tuesday, the Department of Education launched the "SAVE Plan," which Education Under Secretary James Kvaal calls the most affordable student loan repayment plan ever. "It's a big deal," Kvaal said.  Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Under the SAVE Plan, monthly payments will be capped at 5% of a borrower's discretionary income. For some people, that means payments will drop to $0 a month. "It really is a dramatic difference in the amount borrowers are going to be expected to pay," Kvaal said. Also, students who borrowed $12,000 or less will have their debt completely forgiven after 10 years of payments. Every $1,000 past that will add another year of payment...

State climatologist: Heat causing high evaporation rates, no rainfall to place it

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:20 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – It's a hot topic, literally. What does this heat mean for drought conditions across the state?While many parts of Missouri saw rainfall earlier this month and drought conditions are improving, it's this heat that could cause the state to take two steps backwards because the evaporation rate is that much higher."We're losing potentially two-tenths of an inch of rainfall that fell on those fields every day when it gets this hot," Missouri Department of Natural Resources Director Dru Buntin said. "It increases the loss of that moisture in the soil when you have these types of extreme heat."After the driest April and May since 1988 and now the heat, the agriculture industry continues to struggle. Farmers are left with tough decisions like sending cattle to market early due to a lack of feed. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News ...

Baby born during power outage at Los Angeles hospital

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:20 GMT

Justin Ugaldo called his brand new baby boy a rock star.That’s because Jacob Phoenix Villabona Ugaldo was born during a power outage at Adventist Health White Memorial Monday night.Surely, mom deserves rock star status, too. Power outage forces critical condition patients from Los Angeles hospital Critical condition patients had to be transferred by ambulance to other hospitals amid the outage at the Boyle Heights hospital, but mom Eileen Villabona powered through her delivery.Eileen Villabona is seen in a photo provided by her family on Aug. 22, 2023. Using battery-powered flashlights to illuminate the hospital room, a dedicated team of doctors, firefighters and nurses made sure Jacob was delivered safely.Ugaldo said he was slightly nervous when the lights went out, but was grateful for everyone’s help.“When the lights went out we said ‘I hope they can come back on,’ but when it didn’t, they knew what to do, they kept us calm and we kept moving forward,” he said. Eventually, the...

Judge sentences Bay Area man to a year for laundering $1.5 million for San Francisco mafia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:20 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — A Cupertino man has been sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal custody for laundering more than $1.5 million for an undercover officer pretending to be a New York mob figure who was seeking help from an organization led by an infamous Bay Area gangster.Serge Gee, 37, was sentenced Aug. 15 by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer. Last April, Gee pleaded guilty to laundering money with the San Francisco-based Ghee Kung Tong criminal organization led by Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow.Prosecutors argued for a 34-month sentence, writing in a sentencing memo that Gee was brought into a money laundering conspiracy by his mother, Elaine Liang, who ran a “drug distribution network” that stretched to New York, Georgia and Massachusetts. They acknowledged, though, that Gee “willingly returned from abroad” to face these criminal charges.The undercover FBI agent gave Gee and others the impression that the money he was laundering came fro...

Critics of expansion say Oakland airport’s zero-emissions plan is missing most crucial element

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:20 GMT

The Port of Oakland’s plan to reduce carbon emissions at the Oakland International Airport leaves out a crucial element, according to critics of its planned expansion: emissions from actual flights.The port’s announcement this week of its plan for a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero emissions at the airport by 2040 comes just days after a broad coalition of organizations rallied at the airport to protest plans to build a new terminal, add more gates and ultimately increase air traffic in the East Bay.Lin Griffith, a member of the steering committee for Stop OAK Expansion Coalition, which organized last week’s protest, said the plan represents merely a drop in the bucket of the airport’s emissions, primarily because it leaves out the biggest emitters.“Ninety-nine percent of emissions are from the airplanes themselves, not airport emissions,” Griffith said. “That’s what we need to reduce.”In pursuit of its emissions goal, the airport has already begu...

'Aggressive shark behavior' reported off San Mateo Coast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:20 GMT

(KRON) -- Aggressive shark behavior was reported Tuesday in the vicinity of Pebble Beach, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office. A kayaker had a close encounter with a shark that was behaving aggressively, but emerged unharmed, police said. Person robbed, dragged by 2 armed suspects in Oakland: video The encounter occurred just south of Pescadero, a state beach jurisdiction.No further information is available at this time.

Two lanes closed due to fire along Highway 101

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:20 GMT

(KRON) -- Two lanes are blocked on northbound US-101 in Menlo Park due to a brush fire, according to a 511 alert. The fire is north of Willow Road in Menlo Park. The two right lanes are blocked. Caltrans' traffic camera shows traffic on northbound US-101 slowed to a crawl due to the closures. Drivers are advised to take alternate routes to avoid the area. There is no estimated time for the roadway to reopen. This is a developing story. Stick with KRON4 for updates.

Two Atherton houses broken into in 2-day span

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:20 GMT

(KRON) -- Two Atherton houses were broken into last week, the Atherton Police Department said. In both cases, suspects entered the homes by smashing a bedroom window. The first break-in happened in the evening on Aug. 18. Police said the rear master bedroom window of a home on the 200 block of Greenoaks Drive was smashed. Person robbed, dragged by 2 armed suspects in Oakland: video The suspects went inside and rummaged through the home, per APD. A day later, suspects broke into a home on Adam Way. Again, they smashed a rear master bedroom window and went through the home. Police are investigating both incidents. Anyone that lives near these homes and noticed anything suspicious or has relevant surveillance footage is asked to call Atherton police at (650) 688-6500.

Man who swung at officers with branch, allegedly stole iPhone arrested in Campbell

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:20 GMT

(KRON) -- A man who allegedly stole an iPhone and swung at officers with a tree branch while resisting arrest has been taken into custody, according to the Campbell Police Department. The iPhone was reported stolen on Aug. 15 from a vehicle near Budd Avenue.The victim, police said, located the phone using Find My iPhone. They went to retrieve it from a suspect in a tent near the Los Gatos Creek Trail. Officers responded to the report and initiated an investigation. Person robbed, dragged by 2 armed suspects in Oakland: video At the scene, officers encountered Francisco Gudino, a 45-year-old man described as a "transient." The situation quickly escalated, according to police and the suspect became confrontational. He was also found to be in possession of a knife.Officers attempted to arrest Gudino, but he resisted arrest, wielding a large branch as a weapon against officers, before escaping into Highway 17.According to police, Gudino has a history of interactions with CPD, includin...

Fare evasion is down 70% at Metro stations with new, higher fare gates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:20 GMT

Metro is installing new doors meant to make it more difficult to side-step fares.(Courtesy WMATA) Metro is installing new doors meant to make it more difficult to side-step fares.(Courtesy WMATA) The new higher fare gates at Metro stations are actually curbing fare evasion,   according to the transit agency’s newest data.A month after Metro rolled out new, higher fare gates at six stations, it said Tuesday that fare evasion has decreased by more than 70% at those stations.The new fare gates are “saloon door” shaped and increased the barrier height from 28 to 55 inches, making it more difficult to jump over fare gates. Metro is publishing the paid and unpaid ridership data on its online ridership ...