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Gia Woods talks new EP and Pride

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:24:00 GMT

Gia Woods talks new EP and Pride: We spoke to L.A.-based Persian popster Gia Woods back in June 2020, right at the start of the pandemic and as she was about to release her Cut Season EP. That record was described as a journal of her coming out as a gay woman and, while the timing proved to be a little weird, it earned her a lot of praise.“It’s crazy, a lot of people still bring it up to me that they really did love Cut Season,” she says. “I feel like I was so out of it by the time it was out because I was so worried about the world, which is crazy because it was about toxic people and whatever. When it came out I was like, ‘none of it even matters right now – the world is ending.’ But the feedback that I got after that period, a lot of people went back and revisited the project. I got so many positive reactions, like ‘That project was actually so good, it just came out in the worst time possible.’ I have a sense of direction now, and I look back and I’m like, ‘Damn, I’m really prou...

Is Hemp Flower A Hallucinogen? — Understanding Hemp CBD’s Psychoactive Potential

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:24:00 GMT

Although many people don’t consider cannabis to be as psychoactive as substances like peyote or LSD, all of these items are lumped into the same Schedule I drug category. Also, it’s undeniable that THC-rich cannabis strains can alter a person’s sense of time and space. While some debate whether weed is genuinely a “hallucinogen,” everyone agrees that strong cannabis hybrids can have hallucinogen-like traits.So, what does this hallucinogenic status mean for hemp flowers? After all, hemp is technically in the same family as marijuana. Does hemp’s chemical structure also qualify it as a hallucinogen?Is CBD Hemp A Hallucinogen?In their natural state, hemp flowers have minimal psychoactivity. Although hemp is in the cannabis family, it doesn’t produce high amounts of delta-9 THC. By contrast, marijuana hybrids have excessive THC, which explains their hallucinogenic properties. Therefore, most people don’t consider natural hemp flowers to be...

Surf’s Up in Long Beach

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:24:00 GMT

Surf’s Up in Long Beach: The 14th annual Surf Guitar 101 Festival takes place in Long Beach this weekend, on July 28-30. The headliners are Satan’s Pilgrims (Portland), The Bomboras (Los Angeles), Deke Dickerson as Link Wray (SoCal), Messer Chups (Russia), Tikiyaki Orchestra (SoCal).“This 14th Annual Surf Guitar 101 Festival celebrates surf music in all forms, from the instrumental tunes that influenced the forefathers to the bands that created and developed that unmistakable sound to the current domestic and foreign bands today, either carrying on the tradition of instrumental surf ‘n’ drag tunes in their pure form or progressively changing the face of the genre,” they say. “In addition, many vendors sell music, instruments, music gear, ephemera, t-shirts, and more!”The bill also features The Charades (Finland), Sir Bald Diddley( England), The Irradiates (France), Pollo Del Mar (San Francisco), The Volcanos (Detroit), The Hellbenders (Detroit), The Eli...

PG&E profits rocket higher as electricity and gas revenues rise

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:24:00 GMT

OAKLAND — PG&E profits rocketed higher in the second quarter of 2023, bolstered by solid increases in the utility behemoth’s revenue from its electricity and gas operations, the company reported Thursday.The utility earned $406 million in its April-through-June second quarter, an increase of 17.3% over the company’s profits of $356 million during the same period a year ago.Oakland-based PG&E said it produced $5.29 billion in revenue in the second quarter, up 3.4% from $5.12 billion in the year-ago April-June period.Electricity revenue totaled $3.85 billion, up 4.4% from the year before, while gas revenue was $1.44 billion, a 0.7% increase from the 2022 second quarter.“Through the first half of 2023, we feel confident that we continue to reduce physical risk on our system overall,” said Patricia Poppe, PG&E’s chief executive officer.Related ArticlesEconomy | See how California energy costs compare with other states’ ...

East Bay city responds to sideshows, including critical injury this weekend: Roadshow

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:24:00 GMT

Q: I’m hoping you will write about the sideshow last Sunday in Richmond that involved 200 cars. Participants were throwing illegal fireworks at police and there was one critical injury, according to the Grandview Independent. An important angle on this story is the support that the mayor and city council have shown in recognizing sideshows as culturally important and, therefore, they say participants should not be criminalized.Ellen Sasaki, RichmondA: This sideshow sounds particularly dangerous. Safety is one of the significant concerns with sideshows, generally, and with this one, in particular. There are other concerns, too. We’ve covered sideshows in Roadshow before, and readers have very strong and varying opinions on them.Q: I have been wanting to write you for quite a while. I live in Pleasanton. So now that we are back at work, the traffic is back, too. I live off Highway 84, so Interstate 680 is bumper-to-bumper.I finally took the time to concentrate on the area around...

Swiftonomics: California could see big economic boom from Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:24:00 GMT

Taylor Swift is reigniting a “Gold Rush” in California as the final leg of her record-breaking U.S. Eras Tour comes to Santa Clara and Los Angeles with massive fanfare at the sold-out concerts.The cultural phenomenon is on track to boast the highest-grossing musical tour of all time, with more than $1 billion in revenue anticipated — along with a big boost to the economies of the cities in which she sets foot. Over the last several months, the impact of the tour has trickled down from Swift herself to the entire U.S. economy, with one estimate from market research firm QuestionPro predicting her tour could generate $4.6 billion in spending across the country.The preliminary numbers from cities that Swift has already passed through are staggering.Visit Pittsburgh estimated $46 million in direct spending in Allegheny County, while Cincinnati Regional Chamber’s Center for Research and Data and Visit Cincy said the tour brought in more than $90 million to the greater C...

Pregnant woman shot in Oakland

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:24:00 GMT

(KRON) -- A pregnant woman was shot Wednesday night in Oakland, according to the Oakland Police Department.Around 9:30 p.m., officers arrived at the intersection of 73rd Avenue and International Boulevard after receiving reports of a victim who had been shot. A woman, who was nine months pregnant, was suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest, OPD said. She was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Farm workers demand OSHA issue federal heat rule Both the woman and her unborn baby were listed in stable condition, police said. Officers later located a shooting scene at 77th Avenue and International Boulevard.

Oakland police investigating early morning homicide

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:24:00 GMT

(KRON) -- The Oakland Police Department is investigating a homicide that occurred early Thursday morning.Around 5:15 a.m., officers arrived at the intersection of Seventh Avenue and International Boulevard after receiving reports of a person down on the ground. A victim suffering from an apparent gunshot wound(s) was located, according to police. Pregnant woman shot in Oakland The victim was pronounced deceased on scene. The circumstances surrounding the victim's death is being investigated by OPD's Homicide Section.Anyone with information is asked to contact OPD at 510-238-3821.

Sideshow promoters sued by city over pollution in Santa Rosa

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:24:00 GMT

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KRON) -- Thirteen men are being sued by the City of Santa Rosa under the California Fish and Game Code for polluting waterways with tire crumbs after driving recklessly during sideshows. The city says the tire crumbs ended up in storm drains and polluted Colgan and Roseland Creeks, adding that it is unlawful to deposit any petroleum, acid, coal, tar or asphalt, among other, pollutants into waterways. Mayor London Breed signs off on $14.6 billion city budget Once in the waterways, it can be harmful to fish, birds, mammals and plants. The thirteen men allegedly organized, promoted and participated in the sideshows while on public property. Santa Rosa Police Chief John Cregan says his team cracked down on these shows by giving tickets, arresting people and impounding cars. The city’s lawsuit has listed one to 100 John Does. As of now, they are only known by their social media handles, but the city plans to amend the lawsuit once they find the legal names...

As Hollywood Strikes, Sen. John Fetterman Introduces Food Stamps Bill for Workers on Picket Line

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:24:00 GMT

With more than 150,000 actors and writers on the picket line in Hollywood and other labor actions heating up across the country, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., is introducing legislation to ease the financial toll of their strikes. The Food Secure Strikers Act of 2023 would repeal a restriction on striking workers receiving SNAP benefits, protect food stamp eligibility for public-sector workers fired for striking, and clarify that any income-eligible household can receive SNAP benefits even if a member of that household is on strike. “The union way of life is sacred. It’s what built Pennsylvania and this nation. It is critical for us to protect workers’ right to organize, and that includes making sure they and their families have the resources to support themselves while on strike,” Fetterman wrote in a statement. “As Chair of the Nutrition Subcommittee and an advocate for the union way of life, this bill is just plain common sense. I’m proud to introduce this bill that wil...