Chipotle is testing a robotic makeline that builds salads and bowls

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:10:36 GMT

Chipotle Mexican Grill is collaborating with a Bay Area robotics company called Hyphen on a “digital makeline” to build salads and bowls.The invention is called a collaborative robot — also cobot or cobotic system — according to a news release. It is being tested at the Chipotle Cultivate Center, a test kitchen in Irvine, according to the restaurant chain.About 65% of Chipotle orders are for bowls or salads, the news release said. Digital orders for those items would be routed to the cobot, freeing up staff members to build burritos, tacos and quesadillas.A 30-second video shows the cobot in action. It cradles a bowl and runs it along an assembly line while ingredients such as rice and corn kernels pour out. A human assembles and wraps a burrito on the countertop in the same amount of time. The filled bowl rises to counter level at the end.Related ArticlesRestaurants, Food and Drink | Oakland’s Burdell offers elevated soul food and a love letter to grandma Rest...

Oakland A’s manager Mark Kotsay addresses his future, potential opportunity with the Giants

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:10:36 GMT

Could Oakland A’s manager Mark Kotsay ditch his A’s cap for a San Francisco Giants cap this offseason?Kotsay isn’t against it.Speaking to reporters on a conference call on Tuesday morning, Kotsay sounded like he was open to the possibility, but his focus is on the present. And presently, he works for the A’s.“I’m cemented in this organization and in this relationship with (general manager David Forst), for sure,” he said. “I’m not one to walk away or think about quitting at all. Seeing this through is something David and I have talked about.“Obviously, there may be opportunities that arise in the future. One was mentioned (in the media) with the Giants. I think for me, sitting here today, my focus is with this organization.”Kotsay is in the unique position of coming off back-to-back 100-loss seasons but still being viewed as a well-respected manager and someone who could be better served while leading a club with legitimate aspirations to contend.Forst said Kotsay and his staff “did...

Trump wants future GOP debates canceled after skipping them

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:10:36 GMT

By Sara Burnett | Associated PressDonald Trump ‘s campaign is calling on the Republican National Committee to cancel all remaining presidential primary debates, saying the RNC must instead “refocus its manpower” on defeating Joe Biden next year.In a statement late Monday, top Trump advisers also repeated debunked falsehoods about election fraud, claiming without evidence that Democrats are working to steal the 2024 election. Trump has maintained that the 2020 election was stolen, despite multiple legal cases, investigations and his own attorney general finding no fraud.In their statement, senior campaign advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita say the November debate in Miami and all future debates should be canceled.“Anything less, along with other reasons not to cancel, are an admission to the grassroots that their concerns about voter integrity are not taken seriously and national Republicans are more concerned about helping Joe Biden than ensuring a safe ...

Google preps visitor center at tech firm’s Mountain View canopy office

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:10:36 GMT

MOUNTAIN VIEW — Google is preparing to open to the public its first West Coast visitor center, a Mountain View complex that the tech titan hopes will become a destination attraction.The new visitor center will be located inside a futuristic office building a short distance from the tech titan’s iconic Googleplex office campus in Mountain View.The new Google visitor center is slated to open on Oct. 12 as part of the search giant’s “Gradient Canopy” office complex at 2000 North Shoreline Boulevard in Mountain View, the company said.“We’re excited to announce that we’re opening the Google Visitor Experience at our headquarters in Mountain View,” Google stated in a Sept. 7 blog post on the company’s website.Hours of operation weren’t immediately known.“This new destination will give you the chance to experience Google and our hometown community,” Google said in the blog post.The Gradient Canopy office complex, a few block...

As spat intensifies, India tells Canada to remove 41 diplomats

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:10:36 GMT

By Rob Gillies | Associated PressTORONTO — India has told Canada to remove 41 of its 62 diplomats in the country, an official familiar with the matter said Tuesday, ramping up a confrontation between the two countries over Canadian accusations that India may have been involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in suburban Vancouver.The official, who confirmed an earlier report from the Financial Times, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.India’s Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment, but ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had previously called for a reduction in Canadian diplomats in India, saying they outnumbered India’s staffing in Canada.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last month that there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the slaying of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a 45-year-old Sikh leader who was killed by masked gunmen in June in Surrey, outside Vancouver. For...

Oldest known pair of Levi’s Jeans sells for $100,000

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:10:36 GMT

The oldest known pair of Levi’s jeans, dated back to at least 1873, sold at auction on Saturday evening for $100,000 to an anonymous bidder.The jeans headlined the 2023 Durango Vintage Festivus, an annual vintage fashion festival held this year at Tico Time River Resort in Aztec, N.M. Started by vintage fashion collector Brit Eaton last year, the four-day-long Festivus features pop-up food vendors, live music and a live auction of vintage clothing that can also be accessed online.The idea for the event came to fruition in August 2022, as Eaton was finishing construction of a warehouse to use for his work in the vintage clothing business. Due to increased material costs at the time, the overall cost of the project had gone up about three times the initial estimate, and he was looking for ways to finance it.“I decided to have a huge warehouse party and sale in order to afford my new million-dollar warehouse, and some friends of mine were like, ‘Hey, you’re havi...

Worker buried, killed in San Francisco trench collapse identified

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:10:36 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A utility worker was identified on Tuesday after he was killed in San Francisco by 8 feet of dirt and concrete collapsing on top of him in a trench.The victim was identified by the city's Chief Medical Examiner as Javier Romero, 25, of Alameda County.Romero was working below ground on a city sewer line in the Lower Haight neighborhood last week when the fatal accident happened. Romero was trapped in the trench for two hours before emergency crews were able to reach his body, the San Francisco Fire Department said.It’s still unknown why the trench suddenly collapsed on Sept. 28. Cal OSHA and other agencies are investigating the utility worker's death to find out what went wrong at the sewer upgrade project site. According to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Romero worked for a private contractor.A worker was buried by eight feet of dirt and killed in San Francisco on Sept. 28, 2023. (Image courtesy SF Fire Department) Rachel Gorden of San Francis...

Suspect arrested for DUI collision, suspect’s second DUI arrest in 3 weeks

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:10:36 GMT

(KRON) – The Santa Rosa Police Department arrested a suspect after a solo vehicle collision on Oct. 2 around 11:15 p.m. on the 3500 block of westbound Highway 12. This arrest was the suspect's second DUI arrest in less than a month. SRPD officers, the fire department, and medical officials were alerted to a silver Subaru Outback on its side on the roadway.The police identified the suspect as 24-year-old Jack Hauptman, who is a Santa Rosa resident. DUI driver tries to buy more alcohol after crashing into Santa Rosa store According to police, officers noticed Hauptman displaying signs of intoxication, which led to a DUI investigation. Police confirmed that Hauptman’s blood alcohol levels were almost three times the legal limit, which is 0.08 percent. Hauptman was arrested for DUI and was transported to a local hospital for minor injuries. Hauptman was treated, then released, and booked for driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percen...

Four SF men charged in June fatal shooting in Lower Haight

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:10:36 GMT

(BCN) -- Four men have been charged in connection with a fatal shooting in San Francisco's Lower Haight neighborhood in June, according to prosecutors. The suspects, Jeremiah Fisher, 28, Deniro Gulley, 24, Jamaree Willis, 21, and Chase Goodspeed-Taylor, 25, were indicted on murder and gun charges on Thursday. They pleaded not guilty to the raps against them, the San Francisco District Attorney's Office said in a statement.A 25-year-old man died in the shooting reported at 7:08 p.m. on June 5 in the 400 block of Rose Street. He was identified as Yeurra Blaylock III, according to the city's Medical Examiner's Office. Woman suffers ‘traumatic injuries’ after possible hit-and-run in SF Besides murder and firearms raps, Gulley and Willis are also each charged with 14 counts of burglary, and Taylor is charged with seven counts of burglary. Prosecutors allege that Gulley, Willis and Taylor committed these crimes while they were released from custody in felony offenses while on bail and o...