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Meet Nicole Taylor, the powerful foundation CEO who gives away Silicon Valley’s billions

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:14 GMT

You might not know about the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, unless you work in philanthropy — or you caught stories earlier this year about a mystery donor using the foundation to give $10 million to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s nonprofit.But since the SVCF was founded in 2007, it has become one of the most powerful vehicles for charitable giving in the United States. With nearly $14 billion in assets, it has emerged as the largest community fund in the world and the go-to for Mark Zuckerberg, Reed Hastings and other tech titans to donate sizable chunks of their fortunes for eventual distribution to chosen causes.Charismatic president and CEO Nicole Taylor, who has led the foundation since 2018, believes the SVCF should help the most vulnerable. In 2022, she oversaw the distribution of nearly $2.6 billion in grants to more than 5,000 organizations around the world. Nearly $550 million of that went to Bay Area nonprofits, including $154 million to organizations in San...

These Bay Area cities could hit 100 degrees this weekend

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:14 GMT

(KRON) -- Make sure your air conditioner is working, because it's about to get hot in the Bay Area. The National Weather Service says some parts of the region could see temperatures greater than 100 degrees on Saturday and Sunday. "The second heat wave of summer is almost here," said KRON4 Meteorologist Lawrence Karnow. "This one will be much hotter than the previous with dry, desert air moving in from the southwest. I think record high temperatures are likely on Saturday and possibly Sunday." Highway 92 to remain closed through evening commute due to HazMat spill The NWS predicts that San Francisco will not reach triple digits on either Saturday or Sunday. In the South Bay, the NWS says that San Jose has a 2% chance of getting to 100 degrees on Sunday.Further inland, sky-high temperatures are more likely. The NWS says Concord and Livermore have better than a 50% chance of cracking 100 degrees on both weekend days. Karnow says Livermore could get as hot as 110 degrees ...

4 Nevada teens crash into patrol car, flee police in Palo Alto

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:14 GMT

(KRON) -- Four teenagers from Nevada were arrested in Palo Alto early Thursday morning after crashing their stolen car into a patrol vehicle and leading an officer on a pursuit, according to the Palo Alto Police Department. Just after 2 a.m., an officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a 2017 Kia Rio for a moving violation. The officer began to position his patrol car behind the Kia after the car pulled over into a cul-de-sac near Ross Road and Nathan Way, police said. COVID home eviction moratorium ending in Oakland The driver collided with the front of the patrol car while attempting to make a U-turn and fled the scene down Ross Road to East Meadow Drive. The suspect vehicle struck a raised curb and signal pole as it attempted to make a right turn onto Alma Street, Palo Alto police said.Police took all four teenagers into custody without incident. Two of the teens were taken to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries. No other injuries were reported.Police later le...

Coit Tower to light up city skyline

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:14 GMT

(BCN) -- The Coit Tower will light up the San Francisco skyline with laser space cannons this weekend, as arts non-profit Illuminate aims to continue lifting the locals' spirits and energize the city. According to Illuminate, the three-night installation "Candle" will officially begin on Friday after 9 p.m. It will beam up from sunset to sunrise through Sunday. The 210-foot tower, which overlooks the city and San Francisco Bay, was built in 1933. It is named after Lillie Hitchcock Coit, a patron of San Francisco firefighters. The non-profit group noted the SFFD will bring its fire equipment to the event. Coit Tower to light up city skyline According to Illuminate, "Candle" is the third of four "Summer of Awe" laser installations "designed to energize and mesmerize the city by creating extraordinary art using lasers" with its partner Nu-Salt Laser International. "San Francisco is the City of Awe," Illuminate's CEO Ben Davis said in statement. "Our Summer of Awe series...

Saudi Arabia’s Huge U.S. Investments Lose Money — but Buy Influence

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:14 GMT

Congress’s investigation into Saudi Arabia’s acquisition of the PGA Tour golf league hints at the extent of Saudi government penetration into the U.S. economy, extending far beyond simply golf. On Monday, the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released a 276-page report detailing the PGA’s merger with LIV Golf, the entity bankrolled by the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. The merger has been widely criticized as an attempt to “sportswash” Saudi Arabia’s sordid human rights record. The report, however, also listed the Public Investment Fund’s other public equities, including considerable stakes in many of the U.S.’s largest corporations. “What company will dare to cut ties with Saudi the next time its sociopathic leader goes on a wild killing spree?”Experts interviewed by The Intercept warned that this growing Saudi role in the U.S. economy constitutes a new avenue for foreign influence in U.S. affairs.“U.S. officials a...

Houston’s ‘other’ 1st round draft pick Cam Whitmore has Rockets headed to Summer League playoffs

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:14 GMT

Cam Whitmore, the Houston Rockets other first-round draft pick, refuses to be overshadowed.Much of the buzz surrounding the Rockets the past few weeks focused on the addition of No. 4 overall pick Amen Thompson. However, it’s been Whitmore — who fell to the 20th spot in the NBA draft — turning heads in the Summer League after Thompson went down with an ankle injury.Whitmore had 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting in Thursday night’s win over Golden State, including three 3-pointers and a handful of emphatic dunks. He also had a Summer League record-tying eight steals as the Rockets (4-0) secured one of the four playoff spots.The Summer League semifinals are Sunday with the championship game on Monday in Las Vegas.At one point, the 6-foot-7 Whitmore was considered one of the best two-way players in this year’s draft and a potential top five pick by pundits after earning Big East Rookie of the Year honors as a true freshman at Villanova. He averaged 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 ...

Tennessee fined more than $8 million for over 200 infractions in football program

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:14 GMT

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The NCAA fined Tennessee more than $8 million on Friday and issued a scathing report outlining more than 200 infractions during the three-year tenure of former coach Jeremy Pruitt. The Volunteers escaped a postseason ban.The sprawling report said Tennessee committed 18 Level I violations, the most severe, and said most involved recruiting infractions and direct payments to athletes and their families – benefits that totaled approximately $60,000.The NCAA praised Tennessee for its cooperation and the Vols escaped the postseason ban penalty. But the infractions panel noted that decision was a difficult one given the circumstances.“The panel encountered a challenging set of circumstances related to prescribing penalties in this case,” it said in its decision. “The panel urges the Infractions Process Committee and the membership to clearly define its philosophy regarding penalties — which extends beyond postseason bans — and memorialize that philosophy in an upda...

Kwiatkowski wins mountaintop Tour stage, Pogacar cuts into Vingegaard’s lead with late attack

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:14 GMT

LE GRAND COLOMBIER, France (AP) — Former world champion Michal Kwiatkowski soloed to the top of the Grand Colombier mountain on the Tour de France and Tadej Pogacar cut a little more time off Jonas Vingegaard’s lead in the fight for the yellow jersey on Friday.Kwiatkowski, a seasoned veteran with the Ineos Grenadiers team, was part of an early breakaway and went solo about 11 kilometers from the daunting mountaintop finish.Vingegaard and Pogacar watched each other closely. Well shepherded by his UAE Team Emirates teammates, Pogacar did not attack before the last 500 meters of the 17.4-kilometer-long ascent, yet managed to gain some precious time.Pogacar crossed the line in third position behind Kwiatkowski and Maxim van Gils, four seconds ahead of Vingegaard. He was awarded a time bonus of four seconds for his third-place finish to cut Vingegaard’s overall lead to just nine seconds ahead of two big mountain stages scheduled in the Alps over the weekend before Monday̵...

World's best drum corps perform in Fort Collins this weekend

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:14 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Some of the best ensembles in Drum Corps International, also known as the Marching Music's Major League, will stop in Fort Collins this weekend.On Saturday, DCI is hosting Drums Along the Rockies, one of many shows on a national competitive tour. There will be eight world-class corps and an open-class corps, including Denver's very own Blue Knights. Did you know Colorado has one of the world’s best drum corps? Most of the groups have been rehearsing all day, every day since the middle of May. Performers from all over the world travel to audition for a contract at a corps months in advance, and this weekend you have the chance to see the production they worked so hard to create.There are tens of other corps touring the country that will not be here this weekend, but the highest-scoring corps of all, the Blue Devils from Concord, California, will be. The local group, Blue Knights, will perform last with a bonus encore for their home show. They are currently ranked n...

Crews put out house fire in Davie; no injuries reported

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:14 GMT

A fire broke out at a home in Davie. Davie Fire Rescue arrive at the scene of the home at 13300 SW 26th Street, Friday afternoon. 7Skyforce hovered over the scene as crews worked to contain the fire. According to fire rescue, the fire started in the home’s garage after a problem happened with solar panels that were placed on the roof. No injuries were reported and fire rescue recovered pet birds from the garage.