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FEMA names 6 Bay Area communities as ‘Disaster Resilience Zones’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

By Leslie Kaufman | BloombergRikers Island in the Bronx, New York, made the list due to its extreme vulnerability to flooding. Lincoln, Wyoming, was selected because of its high avalanche risk. And the danger of both earthquakes and drought propelled part of Alameda, California, to federal attention.The three places are among 483 census tracts nationwide that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designated Wednesday as Community Disaster Resilience Zones, giving them prioritized access to federal funding to strengthen their defenses against climate impacts and other hazards.  In all, the designated tracts cover about 2 million people living in rural, urban and suburban areas.“These designations will help ensure that the most at-risk communities are able to build resilience against natural hazards and extreme weather events, which are becoming increasingly intense and frequent due to climate change,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in a written statement.Each of the...

Overturned tanker truck spills asphalt across westbound I-780, injuries reported

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

(KRON) -- An overturned tanker truck collision resulting in injuries occurred on I-780 near 2nd Street in Benicia Wednesday morning. The truck has spilled asphalt across the westbound lanes, according to a Sig Alert. The truck overturned around 9:35 a.m. and was hauling 6,000 gallons of hot asphalt. All lanes are currently blocked.Caltrans has been notified and is on the scene.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Quarantine in effect for portions of Santa Clara County due to oriental fruit flies

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

(KRON) -- A portion of Santa Clara County is now under quarantine after eight oriental fruit flies were found in Santa Clara and Sunnyvale, according to the California Secretary of Agriculture.The map below shows areas where the quarantine is in effect, which includes all of Santa Clara and portions of Cupertino, Milpitas, San Jose and Sunnyvale. These areas are expected to remain under quarantine until June of next year. Map courtesy of the California Department of Food and Agriculture The California Department of Food and Agriculture is also expected to treat the area where the flies were trapped through March of next year. Bait will be applied on street trees, utility poles and other surfaces. According to CDFA, the bait, which contains a natural compound, will be applied 8 to 10 feet off the ground, making it safe for both people and pets. San Jose women charged after infested langsat fruit seized Residents who live within the quarantined area are advised to not move any homeg...

Endangered California condor shot, $5,000 reward offered

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

(KRON) -- After an endangered California condor was fatally shot in San Benito County, federal wildlife officials announced a $5,000 reward on Wednesday to catch the person responsible. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the condor was found on private property along Lone Tree Road in Hollister in July of 2022. USFWS's Wildlife Forensics Laboratory conducted a necropsy and determined the cause of death to be trauma from a gunshot wound.  Anyone with information regarding the shooting of this condor is asked to contact the Service’s Office of Law Enforcement in Sacramento at 916-569-8478, or email Special Agent Victoria Van Duzer at [email protected]. "The Service is offering a reward up to $5,000 for information leading to the conviction of the person or persons responsible for the shooting of this condor," the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stated. California condors were listed as endangered in 1967. In the 1980s, California condor numbers reached a low of only 23 wi...

National Zoo to hold ‘Panda Palooza’ before bears leave for China

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

The D.C. area is getting ready to say goodbye to three giant panda bears before they leave for China — and the National Zoo is preparing to send them off in style.The party to celebrate the bears is being called none other than the “Panda Palooza.”Those fond of the bears are invited to join the celebration which includes a nine-day series of events in honor of 25-year-old Mei Xiang, 26-year-old Tian Tian and 3-year-old Xiao Qi Ji.Mei Xiang and Tian Tian came to the zoo in 2000 as part of an agreement between the zoo and China Wildlife and Conservation Association.They were only meant to stay for 10 years, but the agreement with China was extended several times.The palooza will run from Sept. 23 to Oct. 1.“Millions have connected with and grown up loving Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cubs by visiting us in Washington, D.C., and watching our Giant Panda Cam,” said Brandie Smith, the John and Adrienne Mars director of Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conser...

A Trump backer has a narrow lead in Utah’s congressional primary, buoyed by strong rural support

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

With strong backing from Utah’s rural voters, Donald Trump supporter Celeste Maloy held a slim lead in a Republican special congressional primary — but the race was still too early to call Wednesday.Whoever triumphs in the GOP primary will be heavily favored to win November’s general election, and the race has thrown a spotlight on the rural-urban divide among Republicans in the sprawling district, which encompasses large swathes of southern and western Utah as well as northern Salt Lake City. Many votes had yet to be counted, with thousands of mail-in votes expected to come in over the next two weeks.Becky Edwards, a former state lawmaker who’s been critical of Trump, was leading in two urban counties. But Maloy, who was chief legal counsel to U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart, had the overall edge with support from rural areas. Stewart is stepping down next week because his wife is ill.Maloy, who has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Southern Utah University and once...

Texas AG Ken Paxton’s affair explains his illegal acts, former aide testifies at impeachment trial

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — An extramarital affair Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had with a donor’s employee helped connect the dots about why the Republican was using his power in ways that are now at the center of his impeachment trial on accusations of corruption, a former top aide testified Wednesday. “It answered that ‘why’ question,” said Jeff Mateer, who was Paxton’s second-in-command at the Texas attorney general’s office.The account by Mateer, who went on to report Paxton to the FBI in 2020 over accusations of abuse of office, quickly injected Paxton’s acknowledged affair into the historic impeachment trial — the gravest threat to Paxton’s political career after years of criminal charges and alleged scandal. At the center of the case are accusations that Texas’ top lawyer wrongfully used his power to help Austin real estate developer Nate Paul, one of his political supporters who was under FBI investigation at the time and was arrested this ...

The heat’s on Ireland at the Rugby World Cup. Time to get used to being a title favorite

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

The Ireland squad prepared for the sweltering temperatures of western France. Now to deal with the unfamiliar heat of being a Rugby World Cup title favorite.Never has an Ireland team been so highly rated or so highly ranked heading into the showpiece, and while a 14-month run at No. 1 in the world shows an extended period of excellence that can’t be denied, it’s make or break now.You don’t want that to be all for nothing.“We’ve been building nicely during the summer,” fullback Hugo Keenan said on Wednesday. “We’ve been preparing for this not only in this preseason block, but for the last couple of years as well. So, we’re ready for it.”Ireland has never made it past the quarterfinals at a World Cup, and has lost at that stage the last three times. Anything less than winning this tournament will likely be viewed as a bitter disappointment.That’s a pretty big leap, but nothing this Ireland team isn’t capable of making after an historic come-from-behind se...

WeWork, shortly after warning about its future, seeks to renegotiate nearly all of its leases

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — WeWork said Wednesday it will attempt to renegotiate nearly all of its leases and may exit some properties, an announcement coming just weeks after the workspace-sharing company sounded the alarm over its ability to remain in business.The New York City company must reduce its operating costs — notably its current lease liabilities, which “remain too high and are dramatically out of step with current market conditions,” WeWork Interim CEO David Tolley said in a statement published on the company’s website.WeWork’s lease liabilities accounted for more than two-thirds of its operating expenses for the second quarter of this year, Tolley said. As of June 30, WeWork had 777 locations in 39 countries.“We will seek to negotiate terms with our landlords that allow WeWork to maintain our unmatched quality of service and global network, in a financially sustainable manner,” Tolley wrote — adding that the company expects to exit “unfit and underperforming loca...

Pakistan shuts key crossing into Afghanistan after border guards exchange fire

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan closed a key northwestern border crossing with Afghanistan after border guards from the two sides exchanged fire Wednesday, while elsewhere near the border in northern Pakistan clashes killed four Pakistani soldiers and 12 militants, authorities said.Separately, mortar fire hit a house in Pakistan near the Afghan border, killing five Pakistanis— a mother and her four children. It was not immediately clear who fired the mortar and police were investigating the attack in the North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local authorities said. Militants often target security forces deployed in the region with mortars, which also has caused civilian casualties in recent years.The exchange of fire across the border also took place in the province, in the town of Torkham, and it was not immediately clear what prompted the gunfire, said Nasrullah Khan, an official in Torkham. He said Pakistani government and military officials were in contact...