Amazon Fresh store is coming to East Long Beach - Long Beach Post

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One of the first Amazon Fresh stores will open at the former Haggen/Albertsons location at 6235 E. Spring St., ending long debates and wild-guessing on such social media sites as Nextdoor, which has been abuzz with speculation and wish-lists over what will go into the space since Haggen closed its store five years ago.

Christopher Koontz, deputy director of Development Services in Long Beach, confirmed that Amazon Fresh has filed a business license request and has discussed a sign permit allowing the store to put up the signage on the building.

No opening date has been announced due to COVID-19 supply chain complications, an Amazon spokesperson said. The company is still working to finalize an open date but job postings will go live first thing Tuesday morning.

The news of the Long Beach store comes less than two weeks after the first Amazon Fresh store’s opening in Woodland Hills on Sept. 17.

Amazon Fresh shoppers will find an array of tech features not found in a typical grocery store, including the ability to use Amazon’s multifunctional Dash Carts that allow users to find items, track purchases and skip checkout lines by pairing their mobile apps or shopping lists to buy one or two bags of groceries. Sensors identify the cart’s contents and payment is automatically made through the shoppers’ credit cards in their Amazon accounts.

Amazon’s Alexa technology will also be available to help shoppers find items and navigate store aisles by chatting with Alexa at one of the store’s kiosks. The store is expected to offer organic food, such as those offered at Amazon’s higher-priced Whole Foods chain, but Amazon Fresh will offer more commoners’ fare such as Coca-Cola, Cheetos and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, which are not on the shelves of Whole Foods, as well as comparatively low-cost groceries.

The new store will offer same-day delivery and curbside pick-up, package pick-up for other goods sold on Amazon and package-less return service, in which shopper can bring items purchased at Amazon without the package, and the store will refund their money and ship the product back at no cost.

Amazon Fresh will also feature in-store prepared food and freshly baked bread.

The Amazon Fresh chain is expected to open as many as two dozen stores in the near future. The Woodland Hills store is currently open, as is one in Irvine. Also on the list for opening soon are stores in Northridge and North Hollywood, as well as three in the Chicago area.

The Long Beach store will be another example of Amazon’s paradoxical backward foray from online services to brick and mortar shops, which includes more than 20 bookstores, a couple dozen Amazon Go convenience stores and several Amazon 4-Star stores featuring gift items that have earned four or more stars by online product reviewers.

Secrecy has surrounded the store’s year-long construction, with contractors and city officials signing non-disclosure agreements and various public-record permits being signed and applied for by the property’s landlord rather than any of Amazons LLCs.

The Link Lonk


September 29, 2020 at 07:41AM
https://lbpost.com/news/business/amazon-fresh-store-is-coming-to-east-long-beach

Amazon Fresh store is coming to East Long Beach - Long Beach Post

https://news.google.com/search?q=fresh&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

'Disappointed' Hal Steinbrenner eager for fresh Yankees playoff start - New York Post

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Hal Steinbrenner is looking for a fresh start after being bummed about his club finishing second to the Rays in the AL East.

“Given the caliber of this team I am disappointed, as they are, that we didn’t win the division. Losing 15 of 20 in a season this short made that a very difficult task,’’ Steinbrenner told The Post via email Monday. “Having said that, at this point it is a new beginning. If we play up to our potential we can defeat any team in baseball. I truly believe that and I know the players do as well.’’

That faith will be tested Tuesday night, when the Yankees and Indians play Game 1 of the best-of-three AL Wild Card Series at Progressive Field in Cleveland. Game 2 and Game 3, if required, will also be at the Indians’ ballpark because they are the fourth seed, one notch ahead of the Yankees who went 22-9 at home and 11-18 outside of The Bronx.

Game 1 will be a matchup of elite right-handers Gerrit Cole and Shane Bieber, the heavy favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award after an 8-1 season with an MLB-best 1.63 ERA in a dozen starts.

And the exact reason Steinbrenner spent $324 million across nine years to make Cole a Yankee.

Hal SteinbrennerCharles Wenzelberg/New York Post

“I believe Cole will give us the type of strong performance that we envisioned last year when we signed him. One of the many in the years to come,’’ Steinbrenner predicted. “Will be a tough series but I believe we will prevail.’’

A clearer path for advancing to the best-of-five ALDS would be winning Game 1. If that isn’t enough pressure on Cole, his hitters have to figure out Bieber, who led the majors with 122 strikeouts in 77 ¹/₃ innings.

“He has been locked in from the beginning [of the 60-game season]. We all love good pitching matchups,’’ said Cole, who went 7-3 with a 2.84 ERA in a dozen starts. “I am excited and it should be a good one.’’

While Bieber, 25, will be facing a stronger lineup than the 30-year-old Cole, who pointed out the challenge of the first four batters in the Indians’ lineup being switch hitters, the Yankees have been inconsistent at the plate. In losing six of their final eight games, the Yankees scored a dozen runs in the losses and 23 in the two victories.

“A couple of guys you got to be careful with. There is obviously some real good talent and some good bat to ball with [DJ) LeMahieu,’’ Bieber said of the Yankees’ second baseman, who topped the majors with a .364 batting average. “There is some obvious power in that lineup.’’

That is likely a reference to Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Luke Voit, who led the majors in homers with 22.

However, Judge and Stanton haven’t found the power switch since coming back from the injured list. In his last 10 games, Judge hit .194 (7-for-36) without a homer, two RBIs and a .548 OPS. In nine games, Stanton batted .200 (7-for-35) with a homer, four RBIs and posted a .700 OPS.

While pointing out the hurdles of the 2020 COVID-affected season, Cole understands what a high-end No. 1 starter is expected to do in a short postseason series.

The Link Lonk


September 29, 2020 at 11:31AM
https://nypost.com/2020/09/29/disappointed-hal-steinbrenner-eager-for-fresh-yankees-playoff-start/

'Disappointed' Hal Steinbrenner eager for fresh Yankees playoff start - New York Post

https://news.google.com/search?q=fresh&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

Watch Will Smith, ‘Fresh Prince’ Cast Tour Series Mansion - Rolling Stone

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Will Smith reunited with some of his original Fresh Prince of Bel-Air cast mates for a video tour of the series’ classic mansion. The clip hypes the announcement that the home is available to rent on Airbnb for five nights to mark the sitcom’s 30th anniversary.

The five-minute teaser follows Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff on a stroll through the property, which includes memorabilia from the series. “I know it’s supposed to be for other people,” Smith says of the home. “But I need this for myself.”

After the duo pose for photos and goof around, they link up with some of the other cast members — including Karyn Parsons and Joseph Marcell — to sign one of the home’s walls.

“This image represents all that the Banks family represented,” Smith reflects. “All of the hopes and all of the dreams and all of the possibilities. Being able to grow and excel in the world, being able to have family and love, make mistakes and not get punished for it, get caught by somebody who cares about you and building and elevating in the world. That image represents an oasis and a ladder to become whatever the greatest version of yourself is.”

The Will character’s wing of the Fresh Prince mansion will be available to rent on Airbnb on October 2nd, 5th, 11th and 14th for $30 per night. The bookings, open to up to two Los Angeles County residents, will begin September 29th at 2 p.m. ET.

Smith, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Parsons, Marcell, Tatyana Ali, Alfonso Ribeiro and Daphne Maxwell Reid will take part in a cast reunion special launching around Thanksgiving on HBO Max.

The Link Lonk


September 29, 2020 at 11:14AM
https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-news/will-smith-fresh-prince-cast-tour-mansion-1067864/

Watch Will Smith, ‘Fresh Prince’ Cast Tour Series Mansion - Rolling Stone

https://news.google.com/search?q=fresh&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

Downtown 1980s Office Tower Gets a Fresh Look - Commercial Observer

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Built in 1983 by developer Howard Ronson, the 31-story office tower served as the headquarters for NatWest Bancorp and, beginning in 1996, insurance giant AIG. The blocky, modernist office tower is basically a red brick and dark glass box perched on several narrow, circular columns, with a recessed, circular glass core extending upward inside the building.

Now Gensler and the new owner, Metro Loft, have decided to repaint the brick in a darker color, replace the dark glass with more transparent and efficient windows, and completely revamp the interior. The curved glass curtain wall will be extended outward to include the columns, adding several thousand square feet to the ground and second floors. 

Extending the glass core outward to create a new facade at the base of the building is an attempt to fix the unwelcoming, covered retail arcades on Water Street. 

“We’re really rethinking about how it urbanistically hits the ground and interacts with the streets,” Gensler principal Robert Fuller said. “Today urban planners wouldn’t make that choice of allowing those dark arcades. It just made the retail very dark and uninviting.”

Metro Loft, which has done several office-to-residential conversions in the Financial District, had originally planned to convert part of the building to apartments, but the pandemic seems to have thrown a wrench into that plan.

The developer also plans to add two extra stories to the top of the building. The former AIG cafeteria on the 16th floor could become an amenity floor, with a conference center, town hall space, an outdoor terrace and a fitness center. Two inaccessible, gravel rooftops on the upper floors will also become roof decks. Other upgrades include new mechanical and electrical systems, including pandemic-friendly HVAC systems, and destination dispatch elevators that can be keyed to workers entry cards.

The lobby, which is also a privately owned public space, will get a cafe and potentially other kinds of market-style retail. The redesign for the ground floor includes white terrazzo marble floors, dark suspended wood ceilings, repainted silver columns, and a combination of modern lounge seating and tables and chairs. The lounge and cafe areas will have flooring that resembles patterned dark wood, which will continue upstairs in a second-floor lounge and coffee bar that’s reserved for office tenants. There is also the opportunity to create a second entrance and lobby for another anchor tenant.

AIG will occupy the building until its lease is up at the beginning of 2022. Until then, Gensler, Metro Loft and Newmark Knight Frank will search for tenants, and tweak their designs to fit what those tenants want. Asking rents range from $60 to $68 a square foot. The aim is to lease to large tenants who want at least 100,000 square feet of space.

“Depending on who the tenant is, we have time to customize our drawings,” said NKF broker Andrew Sachs. “If they’re taking a large bank of space, if they wanted something different than the design of what we’re thinking about, we have time to engage in those conversations with tenants. We’re seeing a lot of activity in the 300,000- to 400,000-square-foot range.”

The Link Lonk


September 29, 2020 at 01:46AM
https://commercialobserver.com/2020/09/downtown-1980s-office-tower-gets-a-fresh-look/

Downtown 1980s Office Tower Gets a Fresh Look - Commercial Observer

https://news.google.com/search?q=fresh&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

Multiple wildfires in California prompt fresh evacuations - NBC News

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Multiple blazes were burning out of control in California early Monday, prompting fresh evacuation orders for a state already battered by wildfires in recent months.

Eddy Whitmore evacuates from his Santa Rosa, Calif., home as the Shady Fire approaches on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020.Noah Berger / AP

In Napa County, the Glass Fire rapidly scorched at least 2,500 acres and is zero percent contained, according to Cal Fire. It started early Sunday and by evening, had roared through vineyards and buildings; at least 2,000 structures are currently threatened by it, according to NBC Bay Area.

Meanwhile, two other fires were burning in the North Bay, the station reported: The Shady Fire started west of St. Helena and was burning into the Oakmont area of Santa Rosa, while the Boysen Fire was burning northeast of Santa Rosa. Those, too, forced evacuations, and are believed to be spot fires of the Glass Fire.

Among those shuttled to safety were residents of the Oakmont Village retirement community in Santa Rosa, city spokeswoman Elise Howard said.

About 100 residents who don't drive or have nearby loved ones to pick them up were loaded on to five city buses between midnight and 1 a.m. PT and taken to evacuation center set up at a park 11 miles away, Howard added.

Residents of the Oakmont Gardens senior home evacuate as the Shady Fire approaches in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Sept. 28, 2020.Noah Berger / AP

They are the latest in a string of blazes. Since the beginning of the year, there have been more than 8,100 wildfires that have burned more than 3.7 million acres in California, Cal Fire said Sunday, adding that since August 15, there have been 26 fatalities and more than 7,000 structures destroyed.

Among those destroyed by the Glass Fire Sunday was the Château Boswell Winery in St. Helena, a family-owned winery founded in 1979.

"Our incredibly talented team is safe, but shares our heartbreak," Jacquelynn Prevost, ambassador at large of Château Boswell, told NBC News in a statement.

St. Helena hospital was evacuated out of an abundance of caution on Sunday, while the entire town of Paradise was put under an evacuation warning, meaning residents should prepare to evacuate.

It was not immediately clear how many people were under evacuation orders early Monday statewide.

Elizabeth Chuck

Elizabeth Chuck is a reporter for NBC News.

David K. Li and Kurt Chirbas contributed.

The Link Lonk


September 28, 2020 at 10:07PM
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/multiple-wildfires-california-prompt-fresh-evacuations-n1241233

Multiple wildfires in California prompt fresh evacuations - NBC News

https://news.google.com/search?q=fresh&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

Fresh Thyme in Lincoln closing Oct. 16 - KOLN

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LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Fresh Thyme in Lincoln will be closings its doors on Oct. 16.

All Nebraska locations were pulled off its website on Monday, and a statement from Fresh Thyme sent to 1011 NOW said the last day for the store will be Oct. 16.

“Fresh Thyme will be closing our Lincoln store on October 16, 2020. All successful organizations continually review their performance and look for ways to improve. After many months of intense focus and support of this store, we have made the decision to close it. Our talented team members in this store have worked incredibly hard to engage with their community, and we appreciate their efforts. We are working with these team members to provide them opportunities at other Fresh Thyme stores, if possible.”

The Fresh Thyme location in Lincoln opened in February of 2016 near 52nd and O Street.

Copyright 2020 KOLN. All rights reserved.

The Link Lonk


September 28, 2020 at 09:41PM
https://www.1011now.com/2020/09/28/fresh-thyme-in-lincoln-reportedly-closing/

Fresh Thyme in Lincoln closing Oct. 16 - KOLN

https://news.google.com/search?q=fresh&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

Fresh uncertainty in Catalonia as court rules against leader - Al Jazeera English

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Spain’s Supreme Court has barred Catalonia’s regional president from his office for refusing to remove a banner that called for the release of imprisoned separatist leaders and was displayed on a public building ahead of the 2019 general election.

Monday’s ruling that Quim Torra disobeyed Spain’s electoral law triggers a new period of uncertainty in the northeast Spanish region. According to the existing regulations, Torra’s deputy should take over as president-in-charge until a new election is held.

Pro-secession activists reacted by calling for protests later on Friday in the regional capital, Barcelona.

In their ruling, the panel of judges unanimously agreed to confirm last year’s decision by a lower court to ban Torra from holding any public office for 18 months and fine him 30,000 euros ($35,000).

Torra, a staunch separatist who became the head of Catalonia’s government following the 2017 push for the region’s independence from Spain, had previously criticised the case as an act of repression against the democratic mandate of voters in the region.

He had remained at the helm of Catalonia during the appeal but Monday’s decision must be implemented even if the case is taken to the European Court of Human Rights, as pledged by Torra’s defence team.

The banner at the centre of the case referred to a dozen former Catalan Cabinet members, legislators and activists who were imprisoned or fled Spain following a declaration of independence in October 2017.

The court on Friday said Torra had “stubbornly” disobeyed the country’s electoral board by refusing to take it down from a balcony at the regional government’s headquarters.

In hearings, Torra and his defence lawyers had argued he was defending the higher cause of political and human rights. But the Supreme Court judges said the electoral board’s order did not violate Torra’s right to free speech and only limited what he could do in his role as an elected official.

Torra, who has in the past encouraged acts of civil disobedience in response to Spanish judicial rulings, did not react immediately to the ruling.

The Link Lonk


September 28, 2020 at 09:15PM
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/9/28/fresh-uncertainty-in-catalonia-as-court-rules-against-leader

Fresh uncertainty in Catalonia as court rules against leader - Al Jazeera English

https://news.google.com/search?q=fresh&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en