>>Waymo Testing Freeway Rides
(Phoenix, AZ) -- An autonomous vehicle company is getting ready to put its foot further on the pedal. Waymo says it will start testing it's cars on freeways "in the coming weeks." It will be first tried out in Phoenix, Arizona. At the moment, employees of the company, so-called "Waymonauts," will be the only ones allowed to take the trips and provide feedback. Waymo called the test "especially important" as it expands its services to other cities. The company also serves San Francisco and Los Angeles, and most recently, Austin, Texas.
>>Automakers To Skip Super Bowl Advertising
(Detroit, MI) -- Detroit's automakers will not be airing ads during this year's Super Bowl game. A 30-second commercial for the broadcast will reportedly cost seven-million dollars. Officials with Stellantis say they are readjusting their marketing spending and recently announced they will not take part in the Chicago Auto Show. General Motors will not air commercials after focusing on electric vehicles in last year's broadcast. Ford has not run an ad during the Super Bowl for several years.
>>Tiger Leaves Nike After 27 Years
(Beaverton, OR) -- Tiger Woods is leaving Nike after a nearly 30-year partnership. In a social media post, the golf star thanked Nike founder Phil Knight for his passion and vision. Woods signed with Nike at the age of 20 when he turned professional. Nike acknowledged Tiger's contribution to golf in a social media post, saying he challenged his competition, stereotypes, conventions and the old school way of thinking. Tiger also confirmed there will be another chapter in his career, ending his post with "See you in LA" -- most likely referencing the Genesis Invitational scheduled for next month.
>>CA Official Wants Change In Tax Structure After Dodgers/Ohtani Deal
(Sacramento, CA) -- The L-A Dodgers 700-million-dollar deal with star pitcher Shohei Ohtani. [[ SHOW-hey oh-TAH-nee ]] is coming under scrutiny. The bulk of Ohtani's pay will be deferred at least ten years to a time when he will likely no longer be subject to California's tax laws. He could return to Japan and escape payment of California income taxes altogether. California State Controller Malia Cohen says the current tax system allows for these kinds of deferrals primarily to the wealthy and it creates an imbalance. She's asking Congress to take action to correct the imbalance and move toward a more-fair distribution of taxes.
>>AI Helping With Health
(Undated) -- Artificial intelligence, while many have questions about it, is aiding people with their health. According to the January Newsletter from The National Institutes of Health, researchers are looking at how AI can continue to improve healthcare. AI is already being used in medical imaging by searching through CT and MRI scans for health issues, like cancer and heart disease. Dr. Despina Kontos, an AI researcher at Columbia University says, "AI can look at images very closely, in a way that's much more detailed than we can do with the human eye." Chatbots are also becoming popular to find health information, and with a shortage in mental health care providers, may be able to fill in some gaps.
>>Thousands Of Massagers Recalled Over Fire, Burn Risk
(Undated) -- Thousands of massagers are being recalled due to a risk of burns and fire. The Homedics company says some of their Therapist Select Percussion Massagers can overheat while charging, making the devices dangerous to use. The recall applies to about 41-thousand units sold across the U.S. by retailers like Amazon, Macy's, JC Penny and Lowe's through November of last year. Devices made before 2023 are impacted. Owners can contact the Homedics company through their website to find more information on the recall and to get refund details.
>>A Look Back At The First iPhone
(San Francisco, CA) -- Back on this day in 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the first generation iPhone at the Macworld 2007 convention at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Using a touch screen, the new device combined the features of Apple's iPod with a mobile phone, allowing users to field phone calls and play music and videos. It would be several more months before the game-changing phone officially went on sale in the United States in June of 2007, with a starting price of just under 500-dollars.
