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How owls could be the next frontier for pest control in Napa Valley

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

(KRON) -- If the wine on your table this holiday season is from Napa Valley, you might have some feathery friends to thank for the good harvest. Matt Johnson, professor in Cal Poly Humboldt's Department of Wildlife, and his students have been studying the role owls play in pest control in Napa Valley, Sonoma and the Central Valley for the past nine years. Courtesy Cal Poly Humboldt"We do have evidence that it's not just a feel-good story; that they do actually help control rodents," Johnson said. Specifically, gophers, mice and voles, Johnson added, which are big issues for the region's award-winning vineyards.In Napa, there are over 300 barn owl nest boxes. The lab estimated that each property with two bird boxes home to an average of two adult owls and four babies kills 1,000 rodents over the course of the breeding season between March and June. Research also shows that properties with boxes home to insectivorous birds might be immune to pest outbreaks.Courtesy Cal Poly HumboldtJo...

Suspect in series of robberies nabbed by Moraga police

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

(BCN) -- Moraga Police Department officers arrested a suspect in a series of burglaries in the Contra Costa County town, police said this week.Trevor Hudson, 25, was nabbed on Nov. 18 after officers were able to get video evidence that he was allegedly involved in one of the reported burglaries in the Moraga Country Club, in which golf clubs and golf equipment were stolen.When Hudson was arrested, he was in possession of stolen property from some of the burglaries, police said. Amazon driver was not kidnapped, San Ramon police say Investigators allege Hudson was connected to at least 12 burglaries in Moraga and two others in Danville.Police said they have been able to find a large amount of the stolen property, and that they are working to return it to the victims.Those with relevant information are asked to contact Moraga police at (925)-888-7056.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Portraits of those held hostage after Hamas attack on Israel

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

A temporary cease-fire deal that would facilitate the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza offers a glimmer of hope to families and friends of those who have been held captive since their abduction from southern Israel by militants on Oct. 7.In all, roughly 240 people were taken to Gaza by militants in Hamas’ deadly rampage. Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day halt that would also see the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.Under the deal announced by Qatar on Wednesday, 50 hostages would be released in exchange for what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Those released by both sides would be women and minors. Israel said the truce would be extended by a day for every 10 additional hostages released.While several families will be thrilled to have their loved ones back, if the deal goes through, a significant number of hostages will likely remain in captivity. The plight of the families has gripped Israelis and they have w...

Qatar says Gaza cease-fire will begin at 7 a.m. Friday, with aid to follow ‘as soon as possible’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Qatar said Thursday that a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war will begin at 7 a.m. Friday, with aid “going in as soon as possible.”Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, made the announcement in a news conference in Doha, Qatar.The cease-fire had been anticipated after a deal was reached, though details were still being sorted out over the last day.Al-Ansari said the first batch of captive civilians will be delivered around 4 p.m., including 13 women and children.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An agreement for a four-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages held by militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel appeared to have hit a last-minute snag. A senior Israeli official said it would not take effect until Friday, a day later than originally announced.The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaz...

Qatar says Gaza cease-fire in Israel-Hamas war to begin at 7 a.m. Friday, with aid ‘going in as soon as possible’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Qatar says Gaza cease-fire in Israel-Hamas war to begin at 7 a.m. Friday, with aid ‘going in as soon as possible.’Source

Ukraine says 3 civilians were killed in a daylight Russian cluster bomb attack

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian attack using cluster munitions killed three people Thursday in a suburb of Ukraine’s southern city of Kherson, a Ukrainian official said, bringing the number of civilians to die in a day of war to at least six. Five people were wounded in what Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said was heavy afternoon shelling of Kherson’s Chornobayivka suburb. More than 60 residential and infrastructure buildings were damaged in the daylight attack, he said.Cluster munitions — a type of bomb that opens in the air and releases smaller “bomblets” across a wide area — are used by both Russia and Ukraine, which has received them as military aid from the United States. Critics say the weapons litter the ground and harm and kill many more civilians than combatants.Kherson city is the capital of a region of the same name that is located on the Dnieper River near the mouth of the Black Sea and a key gateway to Crimea. Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Uk...

“Sé amable”: el mensaje de la FAA a los que viajan en Thanksgiving

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

Las carreteras congestionadas y los cielos abarrotados forman parte de las fiestas navideñas tanto como el pavo y la tarta de calabaza.Y mientras los responsables del sector turístico esperan evitar el tipo de colapsos que han empañado las anteriores fiestas de Acción de Gracias, también instan al público a no recurrir a los abusos cuando se enfrentan a los inevitables retrasos de los vuelos.“Si viajas en avión, sea amable con la tripulación. Están ahí por tu seguridad”, dijo en X Mike Whitaker, administrador de la Administración Federal de Aviación. “La FAA tiene tolerancia cero con el comportamiento indisciplinado”.Introducida en 2021, la política de tolerancia cero promete acciones legales, incluido el posible enjuiciamiento penal, contra cualquier pasajero que “agreda, amenace, intimide o interfiera con los miembros de la tripulación de la aerolínea.”Pero la FAA afirma que el personal de las aerolíneas ha informado de un “aumento preocup...

Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi out for months after undergoing groin surgery

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi will be sidelined for “months,” manager Steve Cooper said Thursday, because of a groin injury that caused him to withdraw from Nigeria’s squad during the international break.Awoniyi, who has scored four goals in 11 appearances this season as Forest’s first-choice striker, has been managing the problem since October.He played for Nigeria in its disappointing 1-1 draw with Lesotho in World Cup qualifying last week but then pulled out of the squad and has since had an operation, which is set to rule him out of the African Cup of Nations starting in mid-January.“He is going to be out for months,” Cooper said of Awoniyi ahead of Forest’s Premier League match against Brighton on Saturday. “We’ll support him and try to get him back as quick and as fit as he can be, but it’s a really unfortunate situation and a blow for him. He’s become an important player for us with the goals he’s scored and the goals he ...

Denver preps plows before Friday's storm

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure has a plan for the upcoming snowstorm expected to hit late Thursday night and into Friday.DOTI will have plow drivers and crews on ‘stand-by’ during Thanksgiving day. Crews will also be ‘on-duty’ during the overnight shift Thursday through Saturday morning.The crews will be prepared to plow Denver’s main roads and put down de-icing treatment if necessary. These spots in Colorado have winter weather advisories in effect DOTI also warns drivers who may venture out early Friday morning for Black Friday sales to be prepared for challenging weather conditions.Drivers can expect snow and ice, especially in the early morning hours.Colorado Department of Transportation has its crews prepared, as well.CDOT’s electronic signs along the interstates are lit up with the message, "snow expected tonight…be prepared."If you're traveling for the holiday weekend, make sure you're prepared for snowy conditions.

Axl Rose accused of sexually assaulting former Penthouse model in new lawsuit

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:11 GMT

(CNN) — Axl Rose, lead singer of the rock band Guns N’ Roses, has been accused of sexually assaulting a Penthouse magazine model in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in New York.Model and actress Sheila Kennedy, identified as the plaintiff in the complaint, alleges that Rose “violently” sexually assaulted her in 1989 after they met at a New York City nightclub, and is suing the singer for battery, assault, gender-motivated violence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday with the New York State Supreme Court and was obtained by CNN.Kennedy is suing for an unspecified amount.According to the complaint, the incident occurred when Rose “was at the peak of his commercial success,” and alleges he “used his fame, status, and power as a celebrity and performer in the music industry to gain access to manipulate, control, and violently sexually assault Kennedy.”The complaint describes an incident that took place in a New York City hotel...