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Disneyland ticket prices quadruple since 2000, annual passes up 700%

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:35:35 GMT

Disneyland has quadrupled the top price for tickets since 2000 and increased the cost of premium annual passes more than 700% during the same period while holding the lowest price admission to the Anaheim theme parks steady for about a decade.The cost of tickets to Disneyland has increased 351% from $43 in 2000 to $194 in 2023 — more than quadrupling the cost of admission on the most expensive days in less than a quarter century.Since the parks returned from a yearlong pandemic closure, top-tier ticket prices for Disneyland and Disney California Adventure have jumped 35% from $144 in April 2021.The lowest-priced daily tickets for the least-popular dates have climbed 13% over the past decade — rising from $92 in 2013 to $104 in 2023.That rock bottom $104 ticket is above the cost of inflation since 2000. The $43 ticket from 2000 adjusted for inflation would be $76 in 2023, based on the Consumer Price Index.Disneyland ticket prices outpace inflation. (Jeff Goertzen/SCNG) Jeff Goer...

Southern California police looking for possible serial killer targeting homeless people

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:35:35 GMT

Los Angeles police are searching for a possible serial killer targeting homeless people sleeping alone at night after connecting three shootings this week to one suspect.The killings occurred early in the mornings of Sunday, Nov. 26, Monday, Nov. 27 and Wednesday, Nov. 29.In each case, a man approached a homeless person sleeping alone, shot them with a handgun, then fled in a two-door vehicle.The killings were in the Westmont area in South Los Angeles, downtown L.A. and East L.A. just over the L.A. River from Elysian Park.From LAPD’s headquarters on Friday, Dec. 1, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass issued a widespread alert to people living on the streets, urging them to seek out city shelters or to gather in groups to stay safe. She said homeless-service providers would fan out across the city to get as many people as they could in shelters.“I want to be very clear about what we’re facing today — this is a killer preying on the unhoused,” Bass said. “Do not sleep alone tonight.“Seek shelter, s...

Sunnyvale to reconsider property transfer tax ballot measure

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:35:35 GMT

(BCN) -- Sunnyvale officials are considering a property transfer tax ballot measure for a second time.The Sunnyvale City Council on Tuesday voted 5-1 to discuss--at a future meeting--putting a property transfer tax on the November 2024 ballot. Councilmember Russ Melton dissented and Councilmember Alysa Cisneros was absent. San Jose approves hundreds of homes east of downtown Councilmembers will begin discussing the details of the tax early next year, which if ultimately approved by voters would bring more revenue into the city to help meet service and budget needs.Mayor Larry Klein and Councilmember Richard Mehlinger reintroduced the discussion, hoping to find various ways the city can meet demands."There's not a lot of flexibility on kicking off new programs and having funding to implement some of the measures we're looking at unless we talk about cutting service levels," Klein told San Jose Spotlight.The city council previously discussed a property transfer tax in 2022, but the ...

Big 12 committed to title game even with CFP expansion and changes in league, Yormark says

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:35:35 GMT

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said his still-evolving conference remains committed to having a championship game even as the College Football Playoff expands from four to 12 teams after this season.“This is a tentpole event. Everything leads up to this moment, it creates a wonderful narrative for this conference. It’s a showcase event, and something I’m committed to,” Yormark said before Saturday’s title game. “I know there’s been a lot of discussion amongst the commissioners about what that might look like, but as it relates to the Big 12, we love this game. We love being at AT&T (Stadium). … It lets the world know who we are and where we’re going.”Seventh-ranked Texas, the Big 12’s last hope to get into the final four-team version of the playoffs, played No. 19 Oklahoma State at the home of NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, where it has a contract to play its championship game through 2031.Texas is leaving along with Oklahoma for the Sou...

Titleholder Italy joins Spain, Croatia in tough group at Euro 2024. Host Germany opens vs Scotland

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:35:35 GMT

HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Defending champion Italy was drawn in a tough group at the 2024 European Championship with two-time winner Spain, 2022 World Cup semifinalist Croatia and Albania on Saturday.Italy, the Euro 2020 winner, shaped as the most difficult option from the draw pot of lowest-ranked teams and so it proved.Italy beat Spain — the back-to-back title winner in 2008 and 2012 — in the semifinals to win that title.The draw ensured the other Euro 2020 semifinal also will be a rematch in Germany next year. England will again face Denmark, which it beat to reach the final. Their group also includes Slovenia and Serbia.France, the World Cup finalist a year ago, was drawn with Austria, the Netherlands — which the French beat twice in a qualifying group this year — and the winner of a playoff bracket in March involving Poland, Estonia, Wales and Finland.Germany, on a run of poor results, will open its home tournament against Scotland on June 14 at Bayern Munich’s stadium. The group...

Mueren 7 personas que presuntamente practicaban minería ilegal en Zambia; más de 20 desaparecidos

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:35:35 GMT

7 personas que presuntamente practicaban la minería ilegal fueron declaradas muertas y más de 20 estaban desaparecidas y se las daba por muertas después de que fuertes lluvias provocaron aludes que los enterraron al interior de túneles que excavaban en una mina de cobre en Zambia, informaron el sábado la policía y autoridades locales.Los mineros estaban excavando en busca de mineral de cobre en la mina a cielo abierto Seseli en la ciudad de Chingola, en el cinturón cuprífero, a unas 250 millas al norte de Lusaka, la capital, según la policía. Los deslaves sucedieron alrededor de las 9 y 10 de la noche del jueves, informó la policía.La policía dio nombres o nombres parciales de siete de las víctimas confirmadas y agregó que “se sospecha que están muertos” los mineros en los túneles. No especificó cuántos mineros en total estaban en los túneles, pero el comisionado del distrito de Chingola, Raphael Chumupi, le dijo a The Associated Press que eran al menos 36.Funcionarios del gobierno ...

Report: Chronic absenteeism at DC public schools improves slightly, remains high

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:35:35 GMT

The number of D.C. public school students missing class has improved slightly in a new report, but still remains high.Chronic absenteeism dropped from 48% to 43% in the 2022 to 2023 school year in D.C. public schools, according to the attendance report by the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education.The report found that truancy fell from 42% to 37% during the same time.The report comes at a time when there is an increased number of D.C. teachers leaving their jobs and fewer students repeating ninth grade despite reports of high chronic absenteeism.OSSE noted that only 2% of all public school instruction in the District was remote during the 2022 to 2023 school year.The report stated that high schoolers had the lowest attendance rate compared to elementary and middle school students.It found that 60% of high school students were chronically absent, compared to less than 40% of students in lower gradesWhen it comes to chronic truancy, elementary grades showed 28% were chr...

Euro 2024 draw ceremony interrupted by unexplained noises in German concert hall

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:35:35 GMT

HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — The draw ceremony for the European Championship in men’s soccer was disrupted by unexplained noises that competed for attention with the team names being read out on stage on Saturday.The interruption, which seemed to sound like sexual noises, was clearly heard for several minutes on the ceremony broadcast from a concert hall in Hamburg.UEFA director of competitions Giorgio Marchetti noted the noise in his commentary before continuing with the draw for the last six places for lower-ranked teams in the 24-nation tournament lineup. The sound continued sporadically until the draw was completed.Similar noises disrupted a BBC live broadcast of an English soccer game in January between Wolverhampton and Liverpool. It turned out to be a prank use of a mobile phone next to the studio.Euro 2024 is being played in 10 Germany cities from June 14 to July 14.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerSource

Germany wins U17 World Cup final for first time

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:35:35 GMT

SURAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Germany won the Under-17 World Cup for the first time after beating France in a penalty shootout in the final on Saturday.The Germans won 4-3 after regulation time ended 2-2. Germany played the last 21 minutes with 10 men after Winners Osawe received a second yellow card. A first-half penalty by Paris Brunner gave Germany the lead in its first final since 1985. The lead was extended by captain Noah Darvich six minutes after the break.Saimon Bouabre pulled a goal back for France, champion in 2001. With a man advantage, France threw everything forward and was rewarded five minutes from the end when Mathis Amougou leveled and sent the final to penalties.Goalkeeper Konstantin Heide saved two of the French penalties. Almugera Kabar fired home the winning shot.“It was a pure fight,” Darvich said. “A sending off in a game like that is bitter and I was sacrificed and had to come off but as a team we did it perfectly.”Mali defeated Argentina 3-0 to take third plac...

EU, Mercosur give up on finalizing trade pact next week: Report

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:35:35 GMT

Mercosur and the European Union have given up on reaching a free-trade agreement next week, CNN Brasil reported.The EU had hoped to finalize a trade deal with the Mercosur countries — Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina — in time for a December 7 summit of South American leaders in Brazil.But Argentina has notified Brazil, the current president of Mercosur, that it will not be able to make new commitments in the negotiations and that it intends to leave decisions to Javier Milei, an anarcho-capitalist outsider who won Argentina’s presidential election in November, according to the CNN Brasil report. The December 7 summit comes days before Milei’s inauguration.As a result of Argentina’s decision, a potential round of negotiations set for Rio de Janeiro during the Mercosur meeting was canceled, according to the report. A visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to the Mercosur gathering was also scrubbed, the report said. Milei’s vic...