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Opinion: Do we have it all wrong about giant sequoias and wildfires?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:25:26 GMT

As my colleagues and I hiked through the Nelder giant sequoia grove south of Yosemite National Park recently, we could barely believe our eyes. In 2017, the Railroad fire swept through nearly all of the Nelder Grove, burning lightly in most areas but very intensely in the portion where we walked, about six years after the fire. The naturally regenerating giant sequoia forest was so vigorous and lush that, in many places, we had to pull the stems of young sequoias apart just so we could walk between them. There were hundreds of them on almost every acre — many of them already 8 or 9 feet tall.It was a remarkable sight because, in that particular location, the Railroad fire burned hot, killing trees, including about three dozen mature sequoias.The U.S. Forest Service, which manages the Nelder Grove and many other sequoia groves, has repeatedly told the public, the media and Congress that giant sequoias are adapted to mild and moderate surface fires. The agency has insisted that emerge...

Photos: Superstar NFL QB Josh Allen pays $7.2 million for California house

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:25:26 GMT

The family room. (Photo by PreviewFirst.com)The dining room. (Photo by PreviewFirst.com)The kitchen. (Photo by PreviewFirst.com)The backyard. (Photo by PreviewFirst.com)The Monarch Bay community surrounds the members-only Monarch Bay Beach Club. (Photo by PreviewFirst.com)Show Caption of ExpandBuffalo Bills’ star quarterback Josh Allen is the owner of a 2,808-square-foot house in Dana Point’s guard-gated Monarch Bay.According to a person familiar with the July 5 deal who asked not to be identified, the 6-foot-5-inch NFL player bought the house for $7.2 million, paying 4% less than the initial $7.5 million asking price.The single-story beach house completed in 1962 and updated, sits on a flat, quarter-acre lot. It has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and floor-to-ceiling glass walls.Even as they extend the open, airy floor plan to the outside, the house is secure from prying eyes.Related ArticlesReal Estate | HGTV star Christina Hall’s former California house lists at $8 mi...

Northwestern fires football coach Pat Fitzgerald amid hazing claims

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:25:26 GMT

EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern fired football coach Pat Fitzgerald on Monday amid a hazing scandal that called into question his leadership of the program and damaged the university’s reputation after it mishandled its response to the allegations.Fitzgerald’s dismissal completed a rapid fall from grace for the former All-American linebacker, the star of the 1995 Northwestern team that won the Big Ten and played in the Rose Bowl after years of losing. The 48-year-old Fitzgerald had been firmly entrenched at his alma mater, an annual fixture on any list of college coaches with the most job security.“The head coach is ultimately responsible for the culture of his team,” Northwestern president Michael Schill wrote in an open letter to the university community. “The hazing we investigated was widespread and clearly not a secret within the program, providing Coach Fitzgerald with the opportunity to learn what was happening. Either way, the culture in Northwestern football, while incredible...

After Southern California landslide, at least 10 homes will slip into canyon, officials say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:25:26 GMT

The fallout from a massive landslide on the Palos Verdes Peninsula continued unfolding as a slow-motion tragedy on Monday, July 10, with at least 10 homes in a gated Rolling Hills Estates neighborhood on the brink of crumbling into the canyon below.Two out of the 12 destroyed homes, meanwhile, were on a “wait and see” list, according to officials at a late-Monday walk-through of the impacted area. And officials are monitoring another 16, though no evacuations from those homes have yet been ordered, said Los Angeles County fire Chief Anthony Marrone.It’s unclear how long the waiting will last, Marrone said.“We don’t know how long that these homes are going to continue to move,” he said. “At this time, it’s just a holding pattern we’re in, waiting to see what the final determination is going to be.”RELATED: Does homeowners insurance cover landslides? That’s a key question after Southern California landslide And for the residents who had to hurry from their red-tagged homes, the past t...

Opinion: Angry about the Supreme Court? Blame Congress’ failure to act

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:25:26 GMT

The Supreme Court is seizing more and more policymaking power, prompting a barrage of criticism for the court’s imperial tendencies. The current ultra-conservative super-majority is voraciously advancing a deregulatory and anti-democratic policy agenda, including by rolling back environmental protections, degrading bodily autonomy, invalidating common sense gun control, undermining labor rights, nullifying student loan forgiveness, gutting public health measures, eroding the administrative state, insulating public corruption and dismantling laws and policies aimed at promoting a multi-racial, pluralistic democracy. No doubt, the critics are right: The court is overreaching.Yet prevailing criticisms miss half the problem. The court’s overreach is a direct result of Congress’ underreach. The Constitution relies on a system of checks and balances to preclude tyranny and ward off imperial overreach. As its framers recognized, power abhors a vacuum. The American model of government is no...

Stock market today: Wall Street points slightly higher ahead of US inflation update

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:25:26 GMT

Wall Street ticked modestly higher early Tuesday ahead of new U.S. inflation data that will play a role in a decision by the Federal Reserve on interest rates when it meets later this month.Futures for the Dow Jones industrials rose 0.1% and the S&P 500 edged 0.2% higher before the opening bell.For the first time in more than a year, the Fed did not raise its benchmark lending rate when it met in early June. Fed officials have suggested that as many as two more increases are possible this year.Forecasters expect inflation in June to fall to 3.1% from the previous month’s 4%. That would be higher than the Fed’s 2% target but down sharply from last year’s peak above 9%.“They will have a hard time justifying further rate increases if headline inflation — which is their mandate — is moving convincingly towards target,” said Rubeela Farooqi of High Frequency Economics in a report.It is still hoped that the U.S. can avoid a recession after a run-up in the Fed’s...

Live Updates | Zelenskyy slams ‘absurd’ lack of timetable for Ukraine’s invitation to join NATO

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:25:26 GMT

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Follow along for updates on the summit of the NATO military alliance in Lithuania’s capital:What to know: — Turkey’s decision to end opposition to Sweden’s NATO membership boosts summit— Sweden’s rocky road from neutrality toward NATO membership— What is NATO doing to help Ukraine in the war with Russia?— Ukraine, defense plans and Sweden’s membership top summit agenda——Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says it’s “absurd” that no timetable has been laid out for his country to be invited to join NATO or become a member one day.Zelenskyy said on Twitter that he plans to discuss NATO’s “uncertainty” over Ukraine’s possible membership during the alliance’s summit in Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital.He says the Ukrainian delegation to the summit starting Tuesday had “received signals that certain wording” under discussion deals with the prospect of NATO inviting Ukraine to become a member, “not about Ukraine’s membership.”Ze...

Un volcán entra en erupción en Islandia tras semanas de terremotos

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:25:26 GMT

(CNN) — Una erupción volcánica al sur de la capital de Islandia, Reykjavik, está enviando columnas de humo a través de una región conocida por sus extensos campos de lava, volcanes y actividad geotérmica.La Oficina Meteorológica de Islandia (IMO, por sus siglas en inglés) dijo que la erupción “menor” comenzó este lunes en la península de Reykjanes en Islandia, pero no se emitieron cenizas y hasta el momento no se han reportado interrupciones en el aeropuerto Keflavik del país.Una erupción volcánica emite humo y lava que fluye al sur de Reykjavik, Islandia, el 10 de julio de 2023. (Kristinn Magnusson/AFP/Getty Images)La OMI dijo que había una fisura de 200 metros (656 pies) de largo en las laderas de la montaña Litli Hrútur, “de la cual emerge lava como una serie de fuentes”.Los científicos habían advertido sobre posibles erupciones después de que se detectaran cientos de terremotos menores en las últimas semanas.Las fotos muestran corrientes de lava que fluyen a lo...

Biden y los líderes de la OTAN ingresan a la cumbre con una demostración de fuerza cuando Turquía acepta ingreso de Suecia

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:25:26 GMT

(CNN) — El presidente Joe Biden y los líderes de la alianza ingresan este martes al primer día de la Cumbre de la OTAN de alto nivel con un renovado sentido de unidad después de una gran victoria este lunes por la noche cuando Turquía aceptó la oferta de Suecia para unirse a la alianza.“Gracias, señor presidente, por organizar esta cumbre histórica en un momento importante. La primera vez que los líderes de la OTAN se reunirán, 31, juntos, y esperamos reunirnos muy pronto con 32 miembros con la incorporación de Suecia”, dijo Biden al comenzar una reunión bilateral con el presidente lituano, anfitrión de la cumbre, Gitanas Nausėda.“Estoy seguro de que lo lograremos”, agregó Biden.Los líderes se reúnen en Vilnius, Lituania, para una cumbre de dos días que podría convertirse en una de las reuniones más trascendentales para la alianza en la historia moderna, aproximadamente un mes después de la lenta contraofensiva de Ucrania y semanas después de que una insurrección fallida en Ru...

Police investigate weapons call at local motel

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:25:26 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Police investigated a weapons call at a local motel, but were unable to locate the suspect.The Denver Police Department said they were investigating a weapons call at around 6:20 a.m. Tuesday. Denver neighbors concerned about sniper after 5 windows shot at on 2 occasions The call was reported in the area of the 3000 block of West 49th Avenue. SkyFOX flew over the scene where multiple DPD cars were parked outside the Motel 6.A shelter-in-place was issued for those in the area while officers work to resolve the situation.About 30 minutes later, DPD said the shelter-in-place was lifted, but the suspect had not been located. DPD did not provide information on the suspect they were looking for or why the weapons call was placed.