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Monterey spent one-fifth what Santa Cruz did on Pajaro River flood control. Did that contribute to catastrophic levee break?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:48:12 GMT

Twelve miles of levees were built to hold back the Pajaro River — a waterway with Monterey County on one side, Santa Cruz County on the other. But a Bay Area News Group review reveals there had been significantly less flood control work on the south bank where the levee failed this month, catastrophically flooding the small farming town of Pajaro, than along the north bank, where the city of Watsonville escaped a similar fate.That may help explain why the nearly 75-year-old south levee crumbled March 11, despite the river never rising to levels historically associated with disastrous floods — or even topping flood stage.It could almost be called the Tale of Two Levees.Because the river forms the border between the two counties, flood control work — including levee maintenance like tree and vegetation removal, rodent control and slope rehabilitation — has historically been done by separate agencies that devoted vastly different resources to the upkeep, the new...

How 49ers’ prize free agent Javon Hargrave went from hoops prodigy to NFL stardom

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:48:12 GMT

There was a time when Javon Hargrave envisioned himself dominating the paint like Charles Barkley instead of sacking quarterbacks like Charles Haley.Everything changed when Hargrave, playing on the junior varsity at North Rowan High in Spencer, N.C., in 2007, had an epiphany borne of performance.“I didn’t really care for football,” Hargrave said Friday morning in a phone interview following a workout. “Basketball was my way. But I had like five or six sacks in my first game and it just came kind of natural to me. I had a few bad games in basketball – sometimes against taller people. In football, in high school, I didn’t have many bad games.”Given that Hargrave was a conference player of the year in basketball as a junior and helped lead North Rowan to the Division I (small school) state title as a senior, it wasn’t as if bad games came with regularity.Andrew Mitchell, Hargrave’s high school basketball coach, gave the following scouting report:“He was hard-nosed, a bruiser, but had a...

Spring cleaning checklist for your home

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:48:12 GMT

Spring is here, which means it’s time to break out the mop, duster and rubber gloves and get rid of all the junk that accumulated over the winter. Spring cleaning is the perfect opportunity to get your house back in order and give it a deep clean before allergy season.However, this isn’t the only time your home should get a good scrub. “The parallel is to bathing and showering. Clean your home as often as you wash your hands and body,” says Allen Rathey, director at Indoor Health Council, an organization that connects cleaning with public health. “How often do you wash hands, bathe or shower? What level of detail? It’s really ‘spring cleaning’ time all year round depending on how dirty your body or home gets.”To help you make spring cleaning more manageable, here is a spring cleaning checklist and advice from experts.— The importance of regular cleaning.— Refresh your cleaning supplies.— Declutter.— Deep c...

Air Fryer Salmon Bites / Belkys

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:48:12 GMT

Ingredients:4 six-ounce skinless salmon fillets, diced into 1-inch chunksOlive oil spray1 Tbs. sweet paprika1/2 Tsp. dried cayenne pepper1 Tsp. garlic powder1 Tsp. dried thyme1 Tsp. dried oregano1 Tsp. salt1/8 Tsp. black pepperLemon wedges for servingChopped parsley for garnishWhite or brown rice, optional for servingMethod of Preparation:Place salmon in a large bowl and spray the pieces with oil.Combine all the spices in a small bowl and mix well.Rub all over the salmon pieces to coat evenly.Spray the air fryer basket with oil.Place salmon in the air fryer basket and air fry at 400 degrees for about 5-7 minutes, shaking halfway until the salmon is cooked through in the center and browned all over.Serve with lemon wedges, chopped parsley and rice.Enjoy!

Secrets uncovered as scientists explore Beethoven’s DNA

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:48:12 GMT

 (CNN) — The idea of time travel has always fascinated me.Since I was a kid, I’ve imagined a “Jetsons”-like future with flying cars and the ability to journey to the past, as the Time Traveller did in H.G. Wells’ novella “The Time Machine.”Advances have turned many sci-fi ideas into reality, but it doesn’t look like I’ll be going for a stroll with novelist Jane Austen or mathematician Ada Lovelace anytime soon.As humans, however, we’re motivated by challenges. If there is a puzzle with no direct solution, there are ways around or over it.Science has evolved enough that we now have innovative ways of peering back in time. This week, a team of researchers stepped into history by using DNA analysis to understand an important figure in classical music a little bit better.We are familyLudwig van Beethoven, known for his stirring sonatas and symphonies, expressed a wish before he died in 1827. The composer wanted doctors to ...

Police respond to possible road rage crash in Westmoreland, NH

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:48:12 GMT

A woman was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries Saturday after a two-vehicle crash on NH12 in Westmoreland, New Hampshire, that is being treated as a road rage incident, officials said. Troopers responding to a reported crash near Aldridge Road around 4:45 p.m. determined a brown 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis driven by a 34-year-old Walpole, New Hampshire woman tried to pass a red 2004 Chevy 1500 pickup truck when they both lost control and drove off the roadway, according to New Hampshire State Police.The woman driving the Grand Marquis struck an embankment, causing her vehicle to roll over onto its roof. She was taken to Cheshire Medical Center with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. https://twitter.com/NH_StatePolice/status/1639975644623933440The pickup driver was uninjured.Police say the crash remains under investigation and is being treated as a road rage incident. Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to contact Trooper Troy Couillard at 603-223-2162 or Troy.J....

States’ divisions on abortion widen after Roe overturned

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:48:12 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A group of Tennessee Republicans began this year’s legislative session hoping to add narrow exceptions to one of the strictest abortion bans in the country, armed with the belief that most people — even in conservative Tennessee — reject extremes on the issue.Tennessee law requires doctors to prove in court that they were saving a woman’s life when they performed an abortion. Surely, the lawmakers thought, they could win concessions that would allow doctors to use their good faith judgment about when abortion is necessary to save a woman’s life. But after a key anti-abortion group stepped in, the lawmakers had to settle for a stricter legal standard that moves the needle very little.Like lawmakers in several GOP-led states who started the year thinking about moderating the nation’s toughest abortion laws, Tennessee’s lawmakers found no appetite among their colleagues for loosening the rules.During the first legislative sessions in most states since the ...

In Ghana, Kamala Harris ‘excited about the future of Africa’

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:48:12 GMT

Accra, GHANA (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris was greeted by schoolchildren, dancers and drummers as she arrived Sunday in Ghana for the start of a weeklong visit to Africa intended to deepen U.S. relationships amid global competition over the continent’s future.“We are looking forward to this trip as a further statement of the long and enduring very important relationship and friendship between the people of the United States and those who live on this continent,” Harris said.The children cheered and waved Ghanaian and American flags as she stepped off her plane after an overnight flight. She smiled broadly and placed a hand on her heart as she passed by the dancers.“What an honor it is to be here in Ghana and on the continent of Africa,” Harris said. “I’m very excited about the future of Africa.” She said she wanted to promote economic growth and food security and welcomed the chance to ”witness firsthand the extraordinary innovation and creativity that is occ...

Veto puts Kentucky in thick of fight over transgender rights

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:48:12 GMT

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of a bill aimed at transgender health care puts the state in the middle of a national fight, but with more immediate consequences as the state’s looming election offers an early test on the state-by-state assault on gender-affirming care for minors.The veto issued Friday set off competing messages likely to be repeated until the November election — when Bluegrass State voters will decide whether to reward the Democratic governor with a second term or hand over the governor’s office to a Republican. No one seems to know yet how much weight voters will put on the transgender issue with the general election more than seven months away.The legislation in Kentucky is part of a widespread movement, with Republican state lawmakers in other states approving extensive measures that restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ people this year, from bills targeting trans athletes and drag performers to measures limiting gender-affirmi...

Gap grows between TikTok users, lawmakers on potential ban

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:48:12 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — On the one side are dozens of lawmakers on Capitol Hill issuing dire warnings about security breaches and possible Chinese surveillance.On the other are some 150 million TikTok users in the U.S. who just want to be able to keep making and watching short, fun videos offering makeup tutorials and cooking lessons, among other things. The disconnect illustrates the uphill battle that lawmakers from both sides of the aisle face in trying to convince the public that China could use TikTok as a weapon against the American people. But many users on the platform are more concerned about the possibility of the government taking away their favorite app. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said during a nearly six-hour congressional hearing Thursday that the platform has never turned over user data to the Chinese government, and wouldn’t do so if asked. Nevertheless, lawmakers, the FBI and officials at other agencies continue to raise alarms that Chinese law compels Chinese companies like T...