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Are robot waiters the future? Some restaurants think so

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:45:28 GMT

MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) — You may have already seen them in restaurants: waist-high machines that can greet guests, lead them to their tables, deliver food and drinks and ferry dirty dishes to the kitchen. Some have cat-like faces and even purr when you scratch their heads. But are robot waiters the future? It’s a question the restaurant industry is increasingly trying to answer.Many think robot waiters are the solution to the industry’s labor shortages. Sales of them have been growing rapidly in recent years, with tens of thousands now gliding through dining rooms worldwide.“There’s no doubt in my mind that this is where the world is going,” said Dennis Reynolds, dean of the Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership at the University of Houston. The school’s restaurant began using a robot in December, and Reynolds says it has eased the workload for human staff and made service more efficient.But others say robot waiters aren’t much more than a gimmick that have a long way...

Brazil wrestles with solutions after deadly day care attack

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:45:28 GMT

BLUMENAU, Brazil (AP) — Parents in this small city in southern Brazil are struggling with how to explain to their children that a man slaughtered four of their friends, while Brazilians across the country are wondering what should be done to stem an apparently systemic rise of violence in schools.Dozens of mourners gathered at the day care center in Blumenau as evening fell Wednesday to pray, to lay flowers for the victims — aged between 5 and 7 — and to cry. At least four other children were wounded in the attack that shook the nation and put pressure on the government to find solutions.Carlos Kroetz and other parents arrived to collect their children’s backpacks left behind at the center during Wednesday morning’s mayhem. “My daughter thinks a thief came in and ran away without harming anyone,” Kroetz told The Associated Press while holding his 6-year-old’s Minnie Mouse bag. “She knew kids who died. We still have to figure out a way to tell her. For now, she is afraid of going to ...

Massachusetts weighs letting judges order mental health care

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:45:28 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — When Ashoke and Vinita Rampuria’s son returned home after taking a year off from college, to complete his course work, he didn’t seem like himself.“He was unable to complete tasks. He was lying on the sofa,” said Ashoke Rampuria, a resident of Acton, Massachusetts. “He took some jobs, but could not hold them.”In 2011, his son was diagnosed with what Rampuria described as a severe mental illness. He soon began cycling in and out of health care facilities, appearing to get his illness under control and then slipping back once released. In 2021, the couple said their son used a new medication and was able to hold a job for three months, but did not continue on the drug.All along, Rampuria said he and his wife lacked a crucial tool – the power of a judge to order their now 36-year-old son, currently at a psychiatric hospital in Lynn, Massachusetts, into mandatory outpatient care. Massachusetts, along with Connecticut and Maryland, are the only states that don’t give courts...

Future of Borges estate in limbo as widow doesn’t leave will

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:45:28 GMT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The rights to the works of the late Jorge Luis Borges, considered Argentina’s most internationally significant author of the 20th century, have fallen into limbo because his widow died last month without a will. The revelation this week surprised the country’s literary circles, because Borges’ wife, Maria Kodama, devoted much of her life to fiercely protecting his legacy. She set up a foundation under the writer’s name, but did not detail plans for what should happen after she died, even though she was battling breast cancer.“If there really is no will, it’s surprising,” said Santiago Llach, a writer who is a specialist on Borges’ work. He said the announcement by Kodama’s longtime lawyer, Fernando Soto, that there was no will “generated buzz on social media and elsewhere.”Borges died in 1986 at age 86 and left Kodama, a translator and writer whom he had married earlier that year, as his only heir. They never had children. She died Ma...

Windy Wednesday; Cooler the Next Few Days—but BIG WARMING AHEAD

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:45:28 GMT

COOLER WEATHER NEXT FEW DAYS--BUT MAJOR WARMING HEADED THIS WAY BY NEXT WEEK—Cooling Lakeshore Breezes Friday Into Easter Sunday To Give Way To "SW" Flow Capable Of Overcoming Lake CoolingA HUGE PATTERN CHANGE IS TO USHER THE WARMEST TEMPS OF 2023 AND SINCE LAST AUTUMN in a huge portion of the Lower 48. This is the 1 to 5 DAY TEMP DEPARTURE FORECAST off the NWS GFS modelDaytime high temps are predicted to surge to--or above--70-degrees each day next week making it the warmest run of weather here to date in 2023. It's even conceivable a temp could approach 80 in the area Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week.The expansion of warm temps over a good swath of the country is reflected in the predicted per cent of the Lower 48 which is to reach or exceed 70-deg. 17% of the country is to do that Thursday down to 11% Friday. But warming begins for the Easter weekend with 21% of the country looking for 70s Saturday and 33% Easter Sunday. By Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week, thos...

U.S. Open Cup: It’s “Hailstorm Hysteria” as Northern Colorado comeback to claim 3-1 Centennial State Derby win over Switchbacks

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:45:28 GMT

Talk about Centennial State Déjá vu in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.Northern Colorado Hailstorm came from behind Wednesday night at Weidner Field to pull off a second successive Open Cup shocker against in-state rival Colorado Springs Switchbacks in a 3-1 win.It was the second successive year in which the budding Centennial State Derby has gone to extra time, and both times Hailstorm have found a winner in the additional period to pull off the “cupset”.Switchbacks opened the scoring in the 82nd minute as 17-year-old academy product Marco Rios found midfielder Drew Skundrich, who flicked in the pass to make it 1-0. Six minutes later, Westminster’s Trevor Amann leveled the score shortly after he hit the post, as he headed home a cross from Arthur Rodgers.In the opening half of the extra time, Hailstorm got its go-ahead goal. Substitutes combined as Marky Hernandez had a wonderful step-over to create separation from his man and Donald Benama headed home the ensuing cr...

Effort underway to replace iconic Chinatown red lanterns damaged in storm

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:45:28 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A community effort is underway Wednesday night to replace the iconic red lanterns in San Francisco's Chinatown. Many of them were damaged and destroyed during the recent series of storms.But hanging new ones comes with a hefty price tag.Check out these Chinatown lanterns, the storms tore through them, leaving gaping holes. Three blocks of lanterns need to be replaced, costing a total of $90,000.But for business owners in Chinatown, it's worth every penny. LIST: Free Warriors-hosted events at Thrive City this spring "And the wind, it was insane we had to call someone to take down the 800 blocks lanterns," said Jenny Chan who works for the Chinatown Merchants Association. The Chinatown Merchants Association is the organization that independently paid for and installed the red lanterns 10 years ago. After the relentless storms tore them apart, the association is working to raise enough money to replace lanterns on three blocks."It costs $30,000 to replace each...

Hackers leak second batch of data in Oakland ransomware attack

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:45:28 GMT

OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) -- Oakland city officials say more data from a recent ransomware attack have been leaked on the dark web. This is the second time the party claims responsibility."Play" has released data from the attack that was first reported in early February. KRON4 spoke with a tech expert about what this means for people whose personal information may now be out in public. Oakland Police Officers Association says city is ‘stonewalling’ it regarding cyber breach information Oakland's ransomware attack is going beyond city employees. City officials say hackers have released information of some city residents -- along with those city employees -- on the dark web.The city of Oakland said in a statement:"We recently became aware that the same unauthorized third party claiming responsibility for the ransomware incident has posted additional data allegedly taken from our systems during the incident in February to a website not searchable via the traditional internet."The group ...

Flames beat Jets 3-1 to keep playoff hopes alive

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:45:28 GMT

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Andrew Mangiapane and Nikita Zadorov each had a goal and assist and the Calgary Flames beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-1 on Wednesday night to keep their playoff hopes alive.The Flames (37-27-15) and Jets (43-32-3) each have 89 points, but Winnipeg maintained its hold on the second Western Conference wild-card spot based on winning percentage. Walker Duehr also scored for the Flames, who lost to Chicago the night before, but are 5-1-0 in their past six games. Jacob Markstrom stopped 33 shots.“He was great today,” Mangiapane said about Markstrom. “He’s been great down the stretch here. We’ve got three more games, we’re going to need him for all three of those. He’s a big part of our team and I’m happy to see how he’s playing right now.”The Jets have four games remaining, one more than the Flames.“We knew the game was must-win for us and it was a big them for them too, but you can feel it and the crowd was into it,” Markstrom said. “A great team effort and a great w...

Today in History: April 6, first modern Olympics begin

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:45:28 GMT

Today in History Today is Thursday, April 6, the 96th day of 2023. There are 269 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History:On April 6, 1896, the first modern Olympic games formally opened in Athens, Greece. On this date: In 1862, the Civil War Battle of Shiloh began in Tennessee as Confederate forces launched a surprise attack against Union troops, who beat back the Confederates the next day. In 1864, Louisiana opened a convention in New Orleans to draft a new state constitution, one that called for the abolition of slavery.In 1909, American explorers Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson and four Inuits became the first men to reach the North Pole. In 1917, the United States entered World War I as the House joined the Senate in approving a declaration of war against Germany that was then signed by President Woodrow Wilson. In 1943, “Le Petit Prince” (The Little Prince) by Antoine de Saint-Exupery was first published by Reynal & Hitchcock of New York.In 1945, during Wo...