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CatnClever’s Mission to Make Early Childhood Education Accessible to All

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:47 GMT

Preschool education is one of the most critical building blocks in child development. Yet, access to quality learning experiences often depends on socioeconomic privilege and geographic good fortune. Responding to this challenge, CatnClever, a pioneering startup based in Switzerland, is on a mission to transform early childhood education and foster a lifelong love of learning. By combining innovation, personalized learning, and a commitment to social impact, CatnClever is making a significant difference in the lives of children around the world.At the heart of CatnClever’s approach lies their groundbreaking learning app for preschoolers. Powered by cutting-edge technology and designed by experts in pedagogy, gamified learning, and audiovisual design, the app offers an immersive and interactive learning experience for  children aged 4-6. Through captivating stories and stimulating exercises, children embark on a journey of discovery in which academic and non-academic skills are...

Start Your Day Right: Morning Routines for a Fresh Start

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:47 GMT

The way you start your morning sets the tone for the rest of your day. A well-structured morning routine can help you feel energized, focused, and ready to conquer whatever challenges lie ahead. Incorporating affirmations, coffee, exercise, supplements, good skin care products, and showering into your morning routine can create a powerful and refreshing start to your day.Affirmations: The Power of Positive ThinkingBegin your day with positive affirmations. Affirmations are short, powerful statements that can help you cultivate a positive mindset and set your intentions for the day. Repeat statements such as “I am capable of achieving my goals,” “I radiate confidence and positivity,” or “I am grateful for the opportunities that come my way.” By starting your day with affirmations, you can enhance your self-belief and pave the way for a productive and fulfilling day. I love RYVE (Affirmation Cards, Mindfulness Coloring Books & More)This brands m...

Letters: Fighting transparency | State guarantees | Alzheimer’s drug | Betraying ideals

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:47 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.City fights transparencyin Pink Poodle caseRe: “Strip club ruling a critical voice for transparency” (Page A6, July 12).So now it’s official. There is no transparency in our local government. San Jose’s city attorney, Nora Frimann, will be discussing whether to appeal the court ruling to unseal the investigatory documents related to the Pink Poodle incident involving San Jose city firefighters on duty at the time. She is representing the city’s “interests” and not its residents.Thanks to the Mercury News suing the city, transparency will be achieved. No thanks to any of the 10 council members who have been silent since this episode was reported in October. The council members on the Open Government Committee of San Jose who support transparency have not issued any statements.The goal of transparency is to make local government accountable to the public. Lack of t...

SF Giants’ middle infield needs get more dire as Brandon Crawford lands on IL

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:47 GMT

Less than two weeks away from the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline, the San Francisco Giants were already without their starting second baseman and, now, are missing their starting shortstop, too.Brandon Crawford was placed on the injured list prior to Wednesday’s game in Cincinnati, the second time this season the 36-year-old shortstop has landed on the IL. The inflammation in his left knee that already cost him time this season will sideline him for at least the next 10 days, likely further narrowing the Giants’ trade deadline focus on help up the middle.With Thairo Estrada (fractured hand) also out and the Giants getting minimal production from rookies Brett Wisely and Casey Schmitt, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said before the All-Star break that the middle infield was likely to be the team’s top priority at the trade deadline. The loss of Crawford, who has provided timely hitting and relatively reliable defense, only heightens that need.While Estrada...

New Hampshire Gov. Sununu won’t run for reelection

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:47 GMT

By Kathy McCormack | Associated PressCONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu announced Wednesday he will not seek reelection to a fifth term in 2024, giving Democrats hope of winning back the seat in a battleground state during a presidential election year.Sununu, who has been governor since 2017 and decided against runs for president and the U.S. Senate, did not say what his immediate plans were and did not endorse anyone to succeed him. He said he reached his decision after discussions with his wife, Valerie, and his children.“This was no easy decision as I truly love serving as Governor,” he said in an email. “Public service should never be a career, and the time is right for another Republican to lead our great state.”University of New Hampshire political science Professor Dante Scala said Sununu’s announcement gives Democrats a reason to be optimistic, adding that the state has recently leaned Democrat during presidential electio...

‘Stop the bleeding’: Pleasanton proposes big rate increases to keep water program afloat

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:47 GMT

Water rates in Pleasanton could go up 30% this year under a proposed plan that would also raise rates and additional 20% in 2025 and another 12% in 2026.The proposed increases — the first of which would be effective Nov. 1 — address what officials have described as the dire state of the city’s water enterprise fund, which is meant to be sustained by ratepayers but hasn’t kept up with water delivery and maintenance costs. The fund is at risk of becoming insolvent by 2025 as reserves are drawn down, according to the city.“It really is designed to stop the bleeding,” Pleasanton City Manager Gerry Beaudin told the City Council at its meeting Tuesday. “We have a systemic issue that we need to address.”Beaudin characterized the rate plan as the city playing catch-up after not raising water rates for the past three years. Before that, from 2015 to 2020, rates were adjusted only to keep up with inflation and have not been enough to maintain aging infrastr...

At least 2 dead in shooting in Auckland, New Zealand

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:47 GMT

By Tara John, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Hira Humayun | CNNAt least two people have died in central Auckland following a serious incident, which the city’s mayor described as a shooting to New Zealand public broadcaster RNZ.New Zealand police said Thursday morning local time that there were multiple injuries reported and “and at this stage we can confirm two people have died. The male offender is also deceased.”Police have begun an investigation and are asking people to avoid the area, it said on Twitter.CNN affiliate Newshub said it captured a man, covered in blood, being carried from the scene by police. He was treated on site by an ambulance after gunshots were heard coming from the scene, it reported.Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown told RNZ he is getting regular updates from police but that it is hard to know exactly what is happening.Police earlier said that a “serious incident in Auckland CBD” was contained “to a building in lower Queen Street, which is under construction.”Brown describe...

A’s use power hitting to overcome errors against Boston

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:47 GMT

OAKLAND – The Oakland A’s used the long ball to beat the visiting Red Sox for a 6-5 win Wednesday, their second victory in 24 hours after an eight-game losing streak.After using two homers to score three runs in Tuesday’s 3-0 win, the A’s got power from an unexpected part of their lineup, including second-year right fielder Cody Thomas, who hit the first home run of his career. Three two-run home runs helped Oakland (27-71) win back-to-back games for just the sixth time this season, overcoming four errors that helped keep Boston (51-46) in the game. The A’s entered the day ranked 23rd out of 30 teams in home runs with 72. JJ Bleday went into the series almost a month removed from sending a ball over the fence. He finished the series with home runs in back-to-back games, driving a ball deep into right field for a two-run bomb in the bottom of the first.Bleday, who was 2 for 4, was part of an offense that had 10 hits, with Jordan Diaz and leadoff man and fellow Vanderbilt alum T...

Motorhome driver suspected of hitting more than two dozen cars in heavy traffic

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:47 GMT

LIVERMORE — The driver of a motorhome is suspected of hitting 25 vehicles during rush-hour traffic and leading the California Highway Patrol on a pursuit Monday before surrendering, the agency said.Officers arrested the driver on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and misdemeanor evading, CHP Officer Robert Purl said. The CHP does not suspect the driver was under the influence but did say there may have been a mental health issue at play.The first call to the CHP came at 6:04 p.m. and reported that a white motorhome had crashed into several vehicles on eastbound Interstate 580, west of the N. Flynn Road exit in Livermore, Purl said. Stop-and-go traffic had clogged the freeway at that time, he said.An officer spotted the motorhome about four minutes after the initial call, going about 35 mph and passing cars on the right shoulder, Purl said. The motorhome exited at the N. Flynn Road exit, crashed into another vehicle on the exit ramp and didn’t stop, he said.According to Pur...

Judge rejects bid to move Paul Pelosi attacker trial out of SF

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:47 GMT

By Olga R. Rodriguez | Associated PressSAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge on Wednesday denied a motion to move the trial of a man charged in last year’s attack against former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband out of San Francisco, saying she wasn’t convinced the court wouldn’t be able to find impartial and fair jurors in the San Francisco Bay Area.David DePape’s defense attorneys argued that the intense publicity the case has received means he won’t get a fair trial in the city. They had asked Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley to move the trial to Eureka, a city near the border with Oregon. The federal trial is set to start Nov. 13.Federal public defender Angela Chuang said local media attention has tainted the pool of jurors. In its motion asking for the change of venue, the defense said a survey it commissioned shows many potential jurors already believe DePape is guilty of the crimes and would be unable to change their minds.Judge Jacqueline S...