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Bullfrog to become California’s amphibious illegal alien

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:36 GMT

California will take steps to ban the importation and sale of bullfrogs, halting century-old commerce that has introduced deadly disease to the state’s native frogs.The decision, which ends a battle over animals that are traditional cuisine in the Bay Area’s Asian communities, will take time to implement. It is part of a much larger strategy to manage problems caused by the invasive frog, with its huge leap and dangerous appetite.“It’s exciting to be moving forward, finally, to try to walk back the damage that’s been caused by bullfrogs,” said Erika Zavaleta, an ecology professor at UC Santa Cruz and co-chair of the California Fish and Game Commission, which sets policy for the state’s Department of Fish and Game and voted on Wednesday to start work on regulatory and legislative steps to fend off the importation and sale of the frog.The step echoes California’s 2011 ban of the sale of shark fins, a delicacy in a traditional Chinese soup.This Feb. ...

How stumbling Warriors, refreshed Celtics took divergent paths since 2022 NBA Finals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:36 GMT

Eighteen months ago, the Warriors dismantled the Celtics in six games, stamping their dynasty with a fourth NBA title in eight years.Golden State was too savvy, too headstrong and too deep for the younger Celtics. Winning his first Finals MVP, Stephen Curry was unquestionably the best player on the court.Each team looked like it could return to the grand stage — the Celtics with an emerging core around wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown entering their primes, the Warriors refusing to let their championship window close for as long as possible.“We came back from the abyss,” Joe Lacob said at the start of a raucous parade down Market Street, later adding, “We’re ready to come back next year and do it again.”Neither the Warriors nor Celtics reached the Finals in 2023, and as they meet Tuesday night in Chase Center, each squad looks quite different from June 2022. Each has gone through dramatic organizational change, yet come out on the other side on opposite tracks. Boston comes...

NFC playoff picture: 49ers in driver’s seat for top seed thanks to Seahawks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:36 GMT

A margin for error.Something the Faithful probably never anticipated in late November when the reigning NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles were 10-1 and the 49ers were 8-3.Yet here we are, after the division rival Seattle Seahawks stole a 20-17 win Monday from a reeling Eagles team that is suddenly 10-4.Both No. 2 seeded Dallas and No. 5 Philadelphia are a game behind the 49ers (11-3). The 49ers beat both teams handily so in a tiebreaker sense, life is good.A month ago, who would have considered the 49ers could wrap up their bye and home-field advantage by winning two of the last three games?If the 49ers, winners of six straight, beat the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas night and follow that up with a road win against the currently 4-10 Washington Commanders, their home finale against the Los Angeles Rams becomes moot.Imagine that. The top seed and home field wrapped up before they even take the field against the Rams.It would take a considerable fade by the 49ers to give up the bye and...

Big San Jose retail center lands California buyer in $30 million-plus deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:36 GMT

SAN JOSE — A big retail center in San Jose with some high-profile anchors has landed a buyer from Southern California in a $30 million-plus deal.Monterey Plaza, a shopping center in south San Jose, has been bought for $33 million, according to documents filed on Dec. 18 with the Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office.Monterey Plaza, a shopping center with addresses ranging from 5502 through 5568 Monterey Highway in south San Jose. City Sports Club is visible on the left and FoodMaxx supermarket is visible on the right. (Google Maps)Brixton Capital, a real estate investment firm, bought the shopping center, the county documents show. Brixton Monterey Owner is the affiliate that now owns the retail complex, according to the property records.“Adding Monterey Plaza to our retail portfolio serves as a testament to our firm’s commitment to our value-add strategy aimed at enhancing shopping centers to better serve the surrounding community,” said Dan Sutherland, ...

Walters: Despite progress, epic California water wars still ahead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:36 GMT

The politics of water in California could be likened to the constant grinding of tectonic plates 10 miles or more beneath its surface.The Pacific Plate battles with the North American Plate for dominance along the 800-mile-long San Andreas Fault tracing California’s coast. When one gives way, the state experiences an earthquake.Similarly, California’s water interests — farmers, cities and environmentalists, principally, with infinite numbers of sub-groups — joust constantly over how the state’s water supplies will be apportioned.The conflicts of water buffaloes, as they have been dubbed, play out in legislative arenas, in the many federal, state and local governmental agencies that manage water distribution, and increasingly, in state and federal courts.Their grinding struggles have been underway for as long as California has been a state (173 years), but on occasions — sometimes separated by decades — major actions change California’s waterscape.This appears...

Three arrested on suspicion of $40,000 worth of stolen goods from Bay Area outlet mall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:36 GMT

Three people were arrested Friday on suspicion of commercial burglary following a large theft from the Premium Outlets in Vacaville.According to Vacaville Police Department officials, the Vacaville Communications Center received a report of a thief at the shopping center and officers were soon able to identify a suspected vehicle by using traffic cameras to identify a license plate.“An observant lieutenant located the vehicle driving on westbound I-80 through Fairfield,” read a release by the department. “With the help of Fairfield PD, the vehicle was stopped and all the occupants were safely detained. Officers were able to see two filled trash bags within the vehicle.”According to officials, the trash bags contained several pairs of sunglasses that still had price tags attached to them. An estimated $40,000 of suspected stolen sunglasses were found in the vehicle, according to officials.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Commission hearing retail theft complaints ...

The 25 worst-behaved tourists of 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:36 GMT

By Julia Buckley | CNNStripping off from the waist down at a sacred site. Driving a car across a medieval bridge, as fragile as it is famous. Carving your name into a world icon, and going on a punishing hike… to take illegal drugs.These are just some of the things tourists have got up to in 2023. They’ve damaged heritage sites, eaten endangered species, and – in the case of one couple – stolen nearly $2 million worth of wine from a Michelin-starred restaurant. They’ve (allegedly) insulted border guards, and flashed in front of kids. And when they’ve been caught out, they’ve often pleaded ignorance.Here are 25 of the worst incidents we saw in 2023.JanuaryA bridge too far: The Ponte Vecchio in Florence.(mustafacan/iStockphoto/Getty Images) Italy has long been a center of bad behavior for tourists who treat it like a theme park, and the year kicked off in a predictably grim manner when an American was caught driving across the pedestrianized Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence. Ital...

Masters has 77 eligible players. It’s shaping up to be one of the smallest fields

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:36 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The Masters already has the smallest field of the majors. The 2024 edition could be one of the smallest in years depending on the first three months of the PGA Tour season.With no significant tournaments the rest of the year, it looks as though 11 players who finish in the top 50 will be added to the field. That would bring the field to 77 players among those expected to compete.That includes three players who will be making their Masters debut without ever having won on the PGA Tour or European tour — Adam Schenk, Eric Cole and Denny McCarthy. Schenk qualified by reaching the Tour Championship for the first time.The 11 expected to get in through top 50 in the world ranking are Ryan Fox, Min Woo Lee, McCarthy, Will Zalatoris, Justin Rose, Harris English, Cole, J.T. Poston, Adrian Meronk, Adam Hadwin and Nicolai Hjogaard.Four players — Luke List, Erik van Rooyen, Camilo Villegas and Ludvig Aberg — earned invitations by winning PGA Tour events in the fall.One addi...

Stock market today: Wall Street ticks higher as markets continue winning streak

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:36 GMT

Wall Street inched modestly higher Tuesday as markets roll toward the end of 2024 on a seven-week winning streak.Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow industrials each rose 0.2% before the bell. The broader market surged last week and added to solid December gains after the Federal Reserve signaled that inflation may have cooled enough for the central bank to shift to cutting interest rates in 2024. The Dow closed out last week with a record, while the S&P 500 ended the week with its longest weekly winning streak in six years, while edging closer to its all-time high. The benchmark S&P 500 is now up more than 23% this year, while the Nasdaq is up more than 42%.Lower interest rates typically take pressure off of financial markets. The Fed’s goal since 2022 has been to slow the economy and grind down prices for investments enough through high interest rates to get inflation under control. Economic growth has slowed, but has not dipped into recession, while inflation continue...

Getting out that cone to save a parking space? Takoma Park police want you to think twice

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:36 GMT

If you’re looking to save a parking space this holiday season for you or your guests, city officials in Maryland are saying that’s not a good idea.If you have a cone, a chair or maybe a friend helping you save a parking spot, police in Takoma Park say you should think twice.They have received multiple complaints recently about people attempting to reserve parking spaces on public roads and are asking residents to stop.“By engaging in such activities, residents contribute to the inconvenience and frustration of others in the community,” Takoma Park police said in a news release.They’re reminding everyone that reserving public spaces, such as parking spots, goes against the policy of “fair and equal access to public amenities.”Police said that these shared spaces belong to the entire community and should be treated as such.Instead, police said those in the area should utilize the legal parking methods available.Source