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California has been declared drought-free for the first time in years

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

California has been declared drought-free after the latest update from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows most of the Golden State is free from any drought classification.Drought conditions across the state have retreated after last year’s winter season brought heavy rain and historic snowfall to multiple regions. Tropical Storm Hilary brought even more rain during the summer. Humans to blame for about 90% of wildfire ignitions, report finds About 94% of the state is free from any drought classification, data released on Nov. 2 shows.Siskiyou, Modoc and Del Norte counties in Northern California are still classified as “abnormally dry,” the U.S. Drought Monitor’s least severe classification. Small portions of Riverside, San Bernardino and Imperial counties have the same classification.The "abnormally dry" classification indicates that a region is "going into or coming out of a drought," according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.No area in the Golden State is considered to be in an “extreme...

Rockstar Games provides update on much-anticipated Grand Theft Auto sequel

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

A trailer for the latest edition of the beloved (and controversial) Grand Theft Auto video game franchise is coming next month, according to the game's developer.On Wednesday, Rockstar Games provided an update about the status of the upcoming next-gen sequel in celebration of the company's 25th anniversary."In 1998, Rockstar Games was founded on the idea that video games could come to be as essential to culture as any other form of entertainment, and we hope that we have created games you love in our efforts to be part of that evolution," said Sam Houser, President of Rockstar Games.Houser promised that a trailer for the next installment of Grand Theft Auto would drop early in December."We look forward to many more years of sharing these experiences with all of you," Houser concluded in his message to fans.Visitors queue to play "Grand Theft Auto V" at the Tokyo Game Show in Chiba, suburban Tokyo on September 19, 2013. (Getty Images)It's been more than ten years since a new and orig...

Letters: Protect otters | Transparency needed | Free speech

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.More marine preserveswould protect ottersRe: “Inside the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s incredible surrogacy program for otters” (Nov. 6).The article was inspiring and encouraging to otter fans like me, given the existential threats that oil spills and pollution pose to California’s wild otter populations.We have an underutilized tool we should use to protect otters in their natural habitat along the California coast: the designation of marine reserves, also known as Marine Protected Areas. MPAs restrict or ban activities such as oil and gas drilling and commercial fishing that are harmful to otters and other aquatic life. These reserves have a proven record of enhancing marine biodiversity and bolstering kelp forests, which help to shield otters from sharks.The California Fish and Game Commission should build on the aquarium’s inspiring work by expanding the MPAs in Monterey Bay. Only then wi...

Tentative deal reached to avert walkouts at half of Vegas casinos set to strike

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

New York (CNN) — A tentative five-year labor deal has been reached between the Culinary union and Caesars Entertainment to avert a potential strike at its nine casinos along the Las Vegas Strip, although nine other casinos still face possible walkouts come Friday morning.The details of the agreement, which was announced in a tweet by the union, are not yet available, but the union said it was reached after 20 straight hours of negotiations. It covers 10,000 union members who work as cooks, bartenders, waiters and waitresses and housekeepers at the nine casinos owned by Caesars Entertainment.The nine casinos on the strip owned by the company are Caesars Forum, Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Harrah’s, Horseshoe, Paris, Planet Hollywood, The Cromwell and The Linq.The tentative deal will now be presented to rank-and-file members for a ratification vote. If they vote it down, they could still go on strike. But reaching a deal with one of the three casino operators along the strip increases th...

Alameda County D.A. pledges accountability in Santa Rita Jail death — but no charges announced

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

A family photo of Maurice Monk. (Courtesy of the Monk Family) District Attorney Pamela Price announced Wednesday that she had reached a deal with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office to obtain documents relating to the care of Maurice Monk, who died at Santa Rita Jail in 2021.“Too many people have died in police custody, and too many have died in Santa Rita jail,” Price said at the press conference, which Monk’s daughter and sisters attended. “We will hold those responsible for the death of Maurice Monk accountable.”The development is one small step forward in a case that stretches back to November 2021, when Monk was found face-down, covered in bodily fluids, dead inside his cell.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Months after ordering investigation, Alameda DA Pamela Price quietly brings prosecutors back to work Crime and Public Safety | Alameda County recall changes tabled after ‘power grab’ accusations Crime and Public Safet...

Letters: Property rights | Mahan’s vision | Israeli intent | Leader in peace

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Preservation agencyviolating property rightsRe: “Preservation agency aims to force sale of family land” (Page A1, Nov. 6).“Nobody would allow a two-story mansion to be built in the middle of Golden Gate Park,” said Andrea Mackenzie, the authority’s general manager.That’s not a legal reason to justify taking away this man’s property rights. It’s also an ineffective analogy. Golden Gate Park is public property. This man wants to build a home on his private property.This is a case of a taxpayer-funded organization operated by unelected bureaucrats taking away property rights from an individual for no measurable public benefit. It seems greedy for the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority to go after 4.6 acres when they already control thousands of acres in Coyote Valley.Their offer isn’t even fair. The compensation should be enough to purchase an equivalent property, no...

Investigation finds Hayward school administrators failed to respond to antisemitism at Mt. Eden High

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

Hayward school district administrators failed to respond to multiple complaints about an educator teaching antisemitic material in his classroom, the findings of a six-month independent investigation have found, the latest chapter of a nearly year-long controversy over Henry Bens, a former English teacher at Mt. Eden High School.Last December, students and teachers reported that Bens was using The Hidden Tyranny, an antisemitic text written by Holocaust denier Benjamin Freedman, in his 10th grade classroom. According to multiple teens at the school, Bens also saluted Adolf Hitler and made excuses for him, saying Bens would “let (Hitler) share his views” if he was given the opportunity.Nearly 10 months later, an independent investigation by Ellis Investigations Law Corporation verified that Bens had taught with antisemitic materials and verbally attacked teachers who spoke up against him. Now, a second investigation has found neither Mt. Eden nor Hayward Unified administrators adequa...

Trial for man accused of attacking Nancy Pelosi's husband with hammer to begin

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- The trial for the man accused of breaking into then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Pacific Heights home last year and striking her husband Paul with a hammer gets underway Thursday morning. David DePape is facing two charges: assault on an immediate family member of a federal official, and attempted kidnapping of a federal official.Legal experts say tomorrow's opening statements are crucial. They will set the tone and outline for the case. We may learn if Nancy Pelosi may take the stand, or David DePape himself. Dorsey’s Block, formerly Square, to slash 1,000 jobs Evidence such as the body-worn camera video from San Francisco police officers will play a major role in the case against DePape, according to legal experts. Officers responding to a 911 call from the Pelosi residence recorded the moment when DePape struck Pelosi with a hammer, fracturing his skull."It will be hard to dispute that so they will have to admit that and then create another way to go around it...

Garvey's moderate positions on key issues set him apart from fellow GOP contenders

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

(KRON) -- As a Republican, former baseball great and candidate for the United States Senate, Steve Garvey faces longshot odds to make it out of California's top-two primary into the general election. In two out of three of California's most recent U.S. Senate elections, no Republican candidate has advanced to the general election.Garvey, a former Major League Baseball All-Star and World Series champion with the Los Angeles Dodgers, is a relatively late entry into the Senate race -- having just announced his candidacy last month. But while the other two leading Republicans in the race -- businessman James Bradley and attorney Eric Early -- are staking out positions in line with the GOP base, Garvey has been decidedly more moderate.On his website, Garvey says he will serve with "commonsense compassion" and "work to build consensus" if elected. In a KQED interview on Oct. 10, Garvey said he supported "very stringent background checks" when it comes to guns, implied that he opposes a na...

DC high school students share experiences ‘Through My Anacostia Eyes’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

Teenagers from Anacostia High School rushed into the auditorium of the University of the District of Columbia, posed for photos, and got ready to deliver spoken-word readings at their book launch party Wednesday.The students were there to celebrate the publication of their collection of poems, essays and images in “Through My Anacostia Eyes,” a project made possible through a collaboration between the University of the District of Columbia, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Conservation Nation and several D.C. agencies along with the Justice40 Initiative summer internship. Justice40 Initiative was established in an executive order by President Joe Biden to provide guidance to federal agencies on tackling pollution.Caroline Brewer, an author and literacy consultant who edited the book, cheered on the teenagers as they took the stage.“Let’s give it up for Anacostia High School students!” she called out, as the students lined up to share their work.NeKa...