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San Diego Zoo elephant Mary dies at 59

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:29 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A popular 59-year-old elephant at the San Diego Zoo passed away due to health issues, animal officials said Tuesday.Mary, a geriatric Asian elephant, was under veterinary care to alleviate age-related joint ailments, but her mobility declined, the San Diego Zoo posted on its Instagram account. Health specialists made the difficult decision to euthanize her.Mary exceeded the average life expectancy of a female Asian elephant by 12 years, according to zoo officials. New rules for San Diego short-term rentals in effect "She was described by wildlife care specialists as having a uniquely dominant personality but also a peaceful presence that was a comfort to other elephants," the zoo said. "As an ambassador for her species, Mary helped educate guests on the difference between Asian and African elephants, the threats they face, and how we adapt our care for aging animals."In 2009, Mary arrived at the San Diego Zoo from the Safari Park. She lived at the Elephant Odyssey ha...

US, Mexico agree on tighter immigration policies at border

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:29 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. and Mexican officials have agreed on new immigration policies meant to deter illegal border crossings while also opening up other pathways ahead of an expected increase in migrants following the end of pandemic restrictions next week.Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall spent Tuesday meeting with Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and other top officials, emerging with a five-point plan, according to statements from both nations. Under the agreement, Mexico will continue to accept migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba and Nicaragua who are turned away at the border, and up to 100,000 individuals from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador who have family in the U.S. will be eligible to live and work there. Despite sharing a 1,951-mile border with the U.S., Mexico had been notably absent from the rollout last week of a fresh set of efforts, including the creation of hubs outside the United States where migrants could go to apply to legally sett...

History, civics scores of US students dipped amid pandemic

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:29 GMT

Test scores in history and civics have declined slightly for eighth grade students in the U.S., according to results that show an increasing number of children lack a basic understanding of either subject.The scores were released Wednesday by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The same assessment reported in October that every single state had seen a decline in math or reading scores amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest scores, officials said, reflect more of the impact of the disruptions from the virus that shuttered schools across the country.At a time of some pessimism about the state of the U.S. democracy, the test results suggest many young people are struggling to understand how government works and the importance of civic participation. Nearly one-third of eighth grade students cannot describe the structure or function of government, according to the results.Many U.S. schools aren’t doing enough to reverse the trend, history and civics educators say.Abou...

Gone for 20 years, Old Man of the Mountain lives on in NH

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:29 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Two decades after New Hampshire’s famed Old Man of the Mountain crumbled to pieces, the state is paying tribute to the granite profile that symbolizes its independence with new geological research, poetry, a song, and a scavenger hunt. The 40-foot-tall (12-meter-tall) natural rock formation — a series of ledges that resembled an old man’s face — was suspended 1,200 feet (366 meters) above Franconia Notch, held in place by turnbuckles and rods to fight erosion. It collapsed, and the rubble was discovered the morning of May 3, 2003.“When he was up there, he represented a kind of reliantly steady, reassuring presence in a world that was otherwise changing really rapidly,” said Brian Fowler, a geologist and president of the Old Man of the Mountain Legacy Fund that’s leading a planned online tribute Wednesday, with shared stories, poetry, and a new song. His departure was a stunning and shocking event, Fowler said.The Old Man was created by a series of ge...

Florida to execute prisoner for 1986 fatal stabbing of woman

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:29 GMT

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — Florida is scheduled to execute a man Wednesday for breaking into a woman’s home and stabbing her to death in 1986, a crime that came months after he was released from prison for rape.Darryl B. Barwick, 56, is set to be executed at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison in Starke.Barwick confessed to killing 24-year-old Rebecca Wendt in her Panama City apartment on March 31, 1986, after watching her sunbathing outside and following her back to her room. He said he intended to rob Wendt but then killed her as she resisted, stabbing her 37 times while she tried to fight him off.Wendt’s bathing suit appeared as though someone had tried unsuccessfully to remove it, officials said. There was no evidence of sexual assault, but medical examiners reported finding semen on a blanket where her body was found. Authorities linked Barwick to the crime through his confession, the semen stain, a witness who saw him heading toward and leaving Wendt’s apartment, and footprints left insid...

Rising turmoil is making Fed’s rate decisions more perilous

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:29 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Poised to raise interest rates Wednesday for a 10th time, Federal Reserve officials are facing two competing economic trends that could make their future rate decisions more difficult and treacherous. On the one hand, turmoil in the banking sector and political battles over the government’s borrowing limit could weaken the economy if banks restrict lending and financial markets tumble on fears of a default on the nation’s debt. Such anxieties would argue against further rate hikes, at least for now.On the other hand, inflation, while slowing, is persisting at a level far above the central bank’s 2% target rate, raising concerns that the Fed might have to further tighten credit to slow price increases. Additional rate hikes would follow — a trend that would lead to ever-higher borrowing rates and heighten the risk of a recession. The wide range of potential outcomes could provoke divisions among Fed officials, even as they’re expected on Wednesday ...

Stock market today: Asian markets track Wall Street decline

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:29 GMT

NEW YORK — Asian shares declined Wednesday, tracking losses on Wall Street as shares of beleaguered banks tumbled again and worries about the U.S. economy deepened. U.S. futures edged higher while oil prices were little changed.Investors are waiting for the Federal Reserve’s next move on interest rates. Wrapping up a two-day policy meeting later in the day, the U.S. central bank is widely expected to raise its key rate by a quarter percentage point to 5%-5.25% to try to finally tamp down inflation. Meanwhile, a political stalemate left the U.S. edging ever closer to what would be a catastrophic default on government debt. President Joe Biden invited the top four congressional leaders to face-to-face talks at the White House next week to try to resolve the problem.“Risk sentiments are back to a cautious mood this week, having digested many of the big tech earnings and a series of uncertainties are now back onto the radar for the bulls to tackle,” Yeap Jun Rong of IG Research said in ...

Warmer Days Ahead:Temps in the60s Wednesday, and 70s by the Week's end—flirting to 80° by Tuesday next week

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:29 GMT

Warmer days ahead for Chicago—we'll break into the 60s away from Lake Michigan Wednesday afternoon and make it to the 70s by week's end—though lake breezes will be cooling the shoreline—the weekend is to see organized east winds which will cool shoreline locations even as inland areas warm—but it appears we'll be flirting to 80 by TUES/WED next week!MAMMOTH SPRING STORM Below normal temps moved into an 11th consecutive day Tuesday—featuring a sub-normal high of 54° and 31 mph wind gusts at O'Hare (Midway made it to 55° Monday). It marked the 5th day in which Chicago's weather was controlled by the mammoth spring storm which has wreaked havoc over a wide swath of the Midwest and East coast—producing up to 29" of snow the past two days followed by 1 to 3.70" rainfalls in parts and 50+ mph wind gusts across a swath of Michigan's Upper Peninsula; generating Monday's deadly downstate I-55 downstate dust storm and forcing Chicagoans to keep a close watch on the sky for what little sun we'...

Warriors’ fourth quarter rally falls short as Lakers take Game 1

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:29 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors’ double-digit comeback in the fourth came up short as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the defending champs 117-112 to take Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.The Lakers were up by 14 points, their largest lead of the game, near the midway point of the fourth. But the Warriors rallied back, with Jordan Poole and Stephen Curry hitting back-to-back shots from deep to tie the game at 112 with less than two minutes remaining.But Golden State never jumped the Lakers.With Los Angeles up by three, Curry rebounded a missed 3-pointer by LeBron James and moved the ball up the floor. But the Lakers countered by doubling Curry, who couldn’t break free. He passed it off to a wide-open Jordan Poole, who’s 27-foot jumper was off the mark.The Lakers corralled the rebound and effectively ended the game with two D’Angelo Russell free throws with 2.7 seconds left.Anthony Davis, who is the Warriors’ biggest — literally — c...

WCAL champs: Valley Christian clinches regular-season title, one win from perfection

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:29 GMT

NEW: PREP SPORTS MAILBAGThe Bay Area News Group is introducing a high school sports mailbag in May. Get your questions in as soon as possible. Our debut edition is an open forum. Got questions about spring sports playoffs, coaching changes, an early peek at football season, etc.? Send questions to [email protected]. Please include “mailbag” in the subject line.SAN JOSE — Valley Christian is no stranger to West Catholic Athletic League baseball success.The Warriors have filled their trophy case with numerous league and section championship hardware under longtime coach John Diatte.But this year’s edition, ranked No. 1 team by the Bay Area News Group, is on the verge of doing something that even the program’s teams that won three consecutive WCAL crowns from 2017-19 didn’t do: Go 14-0 in league play.Valley Christian clinched the WCAL title on Tuesday, winning on the road over Bellarmine 7-2. The Warriors are 23-3 overall and 13-0 in the league.They can compl...