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Solar panel-covered canals to be studied in the Central Valley

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:22 GMT

By Brittany Peterson and Sibi Arasu | Associated PressBack in 2015, California’s dry earth was crunching under a fourth year of drought. Then-Governor Jerry Brown ordered an unprecedented 25% reduction in home water use. Farmers, who use the most water, volunteered too to avoid deeper, mandatory cuts.Brown also set a goal for the state to get half its energy from renewable sources, with climate change bearing down.Yet when Jordan Harris and Robin Raj went knocking on doors with an idea that addresses both water loss and climate pollution — installing solar panels over irrigation canals — they couldn’t get anyone to commit.Fast forward eight years. With devastating heat, record-breaking wildfire, looming crisis on the Colorado River, a growing commitment to fighting climate change, and a little bit of movement-building, their company Solar AquaGrid and partners are preparing to break ground on the first solar-covered canal project in the United States.“All of these ...

Human remains found on shore near Alameda bridge

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:22 GMT

(KRON) -- Human remains were found Thursday in Alameda on the shore near the Bay Farm Island Bridge, the Alameda Police Department shared on Facebook. Alameda police were responding to a call about an object on the shoreline that was received around 3:30 p.m.Responding officers confirmed the object at the shoreline was that of human remains, Alameda police said. Alameda Police Investigators and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau were also brought to the scene to initiate investigations.Authorities said additional details are not able to be released at this time due to the nature of the investigation. “Because we are still in the early stages of this investigation, we are limited in the details we can share,” Alameda PD said.If you have information that may help in the investigation, APD said to call 510-337-8340. Texas man found dead in UC Berkeley building was slain years ago In January, skeletal remains were found in a University of California, Berkeley buildin...

Yountville issues precautionary boil order after E. coli detected in water

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:22 GMT

(BCN) -- The town of Yountville has issued a precautionary boil order for its water supply, the town clerk announced Friday. CalVet, the town's water supplier, told town officials on Thursday at 6 p.m. that it had detected E. coli in the municipal water. According to Yountville, water customers were informed of the issue and a precautionary boil order was sent out. In order for the boil order to be lifted, Cal-Vet will need to get a negative test result Friday from a sample taken Thursday afternoon, as the tests take 24 hours. 5 California cities ranked among the 10 least educated in the U.S. Then another test must be taken on Friday, with results due Saturday or Sunday. Then another test must be taken on Sunday, and if the town receives a negative result that Monday, the boil notice can be lifted. Yountville said well water is not an option because distribution lines are already potentially contaminated. Dealing with that would take longer than just waiting for the mun...

Series of major weekend closures on I-80 starts Friday night

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:22 GMT

(BCN) -- Eastbound Interstate Highway 80 will be fully closed for construction this weekend starting Friday night. The closure will start after 9 p.m. between State Highway 4 in Hercules and Cummings Skyway in Crockett and will conclude no later than 5 a.m. Monday. This is part of a series of closures on I-80 in Contra Costa County announced by Caltrans on four different weekends to do repaving work. Upcoming weekends for closure on eastbound I-80 include Aug. 4 and Aug. 18. The closures will take place after 9 p.m. on Fridays and before 5 a.m. on the following Mondays. SF restaurant named among most ‘legendary’ in the world Caltrans recommends drivers traveling east to exit onto eastbound Highway 4 in Hercules to northbound Interstate Highway 680, then re-enter I-80 in Fairfield. Travelers to Benicia and Vallejo can use westbound Interstate Highway 780. Cummings Skyway between Highway 4 and I-80 will remain open for drivers going to Crockett. Additionally, Caltr...

England take 4 Australia wickets in push for Ashes-leveling victory

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:22 GMT

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — England grabbed four Australia wickets to press closer to an Ashes-series leveling victory on day three of the fourth test on Friday.After posting a rapidfire 592 for a massive first-innings lead of 275, England extended its domination when Australia was reduced to 113-4 in its second innings by stumps at Old Trafford.Mark Wood’s hostile pace and timely insertions into the attack made the difference as he dismissed Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith and Travis Head cheaply to pass 100 test wickets, and Chris Woakes bagged David Warner.England forced the pace of its innings at 5 1/2 runs per over ahead of forecasted bad weather this weekend.Jonny Bairstow smashed an unbeaten 99, most of it in a last-wicket partnership of 66 with James Anderson, who contributed 5.The 592, built on Zac Crawley’s blast of 189, was England’s highest home Ashes score since 1985, and might be enough for a win if there’s enough breaks in the expected rain.England m...

Arizona woman injured in Yellowstone bison attack says ‘yes’ to boyfriend’s hospital proposal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:22 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona woman who suffered fractured vertebrae and collapsed lungs after being gored by a bison in Yellowstone National Park has said “yes” to her boyfriend’s hospital proposal.Chris Whitehill said he planned to propose to Amber Harris during their vacation in the park this week, but after spending just one night there, an encounter with a bison upended those plans.The couple from the Phoenix area had walked to a lodge for some coffee on Monday and decided to walk through a field to Yellowstone Lake in Wyoming, Harris posted on Facebook the next day.They waited for some people and about 20 elk to leave the area before continuing. They also noticed two bison. They watched one “drop and roll in the dirt, like a dog would,” she wrote. “He got up on his feet and started walking, then running toward us.”The bison “struck her head-on and she was airborne,” Whitehill told KPNX-TV in Phoenix. “I think she did one or two backflips in the air, and I was screaming...

Deadly crash of Marine Osprey last year was caused by mechanical failure, report says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:22 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The deadly crash of a Marine V-22 Osprey in California last year was caused by mechanical failure, according to an investigation that ruled out pilot and maintenance errors.The more than 400-page report released on Friday concluded that the Marines were doing routine flight operations when a “catastrophic, unpreventable and unanticipated mechanical failure occurred.” The Osprey crashed in a remote area near Glamis, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) east of San Diego.Five Marines died in the crash: Two pilots, Capt. Nicholas P. Losapio, 31, of Rockingham, New Hampshire, and Capt. John J. Sax, 33, of Placer, California; and three crew chiefs, Cpl. Nathan E. Carlson, 21, of Winnebago, Illinois; Cpl. Seth D. Rasmuson, 21, of Johnson, Wyoming, and Lance Cpl. Evan A. Strickland, 19, of Valencia, New Mexico. “The tragedy of this event is impossible to capture in words,” said Maj. Gen. Bradford Gering, who was commander of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, in a memo attached to...

Death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001 Daytona 500 picked as NASCAR’s most pivotal moment

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:22 GMT

The 2001 Daytona 500 remains the bleakest day in NASCAR history. The death of Dale Earnhardt from a crash on the last lap of the race robbed a family of its patriarch and the industry of the greatest stock car star of his era. But beyond the seven championships, The Intimidator persona and fierce rivalries that ushered NASCAR into the mainstream, Earnhardt’s enduring legacy may be how his death changed auto racing safety.NASCAR was still reeling from three driver fatalities in 2000 — Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr., and Tony Roper — ahead of a Daytona 500 that seemed intent on setting a new course for the series.NASCAR had moved at its own pace to impose safety rules at a time when some drivers balked at wearing enhanced technology such as the Head And Neck Safety (HANS) device. There were complaints that it was too cumbersome for a comfortable ride, while others suggested improvements were too simplistic for a sport that was akin to mayhem on the track.The Daytona 500 also ...

WATCH LIVE: Josh Harris press conference at FedEx Field

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:22 GMT

Josh Harris, who led the group that purchased the Washington Commanders for a record-breaking $6 billion Thursday, will hold a news conference live from FedEx Field at 2 p.m on Friday.Stay with WTOP for the livestream.Source

Humanitarian worker for the World Food Program killed in Yemen

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:22 GMT

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Gunmen shot and killed the head of one of the World Food Program’s offices in Yemen on Friday, the humanitarian organization said. In a statement, the program said that Moayad Hameidi, a Jordanian, was shot by gunmen not long after he arrived in the country to assume the role as head of its office in the city of Taiz. It added he died not long after reaching a hospital. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attack. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, also known by its acronym AQAP, is active in several regions in Yemen. It is believed to be one of the more dangerous branches of the al-Qaida terror network. Years of conflict have allowed the group to maintain a presence in several areas around the country. Taiz, the country’s third-largest city, has been under a siege by the Houthi rebels since 2016, as part of the country’s brutal civil war. The blockade has severely restricted freedom of movement and impeded the flow of essential go...