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See the spiral in the night sky that ‘created an internet storm’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:04 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Viewers of the northern lights got a surprise mixed in with the green bands of light dancing in the Alaska skies: A blue spiral appeared amid the aurora borealis for a few minutes.The cause of Saturday morning’s display was excess fuel that had been released from a SpaceX rocket that launched from California about three hours before the spiral appeared.Sometimes rockets have fuel that needs to be jettisoned, said space physicist Don Hampton, a research associate professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute.“When they do that at high altitudes, that fuel turns into ice,” he said. “And if it happens to be in the sunlight, when you’re in the darkness on the ground, you can see it as a sort of big cloud, and sometimes it’s swirly.”While it’s not a common sight, Hampton said he’s seen such occurrences about three times.The appearance of the swirl was caught in time-lapse on the Geophysical Institute’s all-sky camera and shared...

1,500 homes planned in Contra Costa County hills

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:04 GMT

A massive housing project in the hills southwest of Pittsburg got the City Council’s nod of approval despite some opposition from residents, conservationists and environmentalists.Monday’s 4-0 vote – with Councilman Juan Banales recusing himself – came after the Planning Commission agreed in mid-February not to recommend the project and developer Louis Parsons of Discovery Builders appealed that decision.Two decades in the making, the Faria/Southwest Hills Annexation Project proposes to build 1,500 homes mostly clustered in the valleys in the southwest Pittsburg hills, just out of the city’s limits and overlooking the former Concord Naval Weapons Station.This week’s approvals included a green light for the housing project’s master plan, an amendment to the city’s general plan and pre-zoning designations, and a development agreement with Faria Land Investors, a Seeno/Discovery Builders associate.“We’ve negotiated this over many years,” Louis Parsons of Discovery Builders told t...

State recognizes ‘unsung heroes’ of Milpitas

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:04 GMT

Four Milpitas residents were among 26 individuals and organizations from across state Assemblymember Alex Lee’s District 24 to be honored as the district’s unsung heroes April 14 at the Fremont Downtown Event Center.Rahim Jaffer is an active volunteer with Ismaili CIVIC and the Aga Khan Development Network, participating in food drives, teachings and finding ways to assist seniors in the community. Jaffer also works remotely to train hundreds of professionals as part of the School of Professional and Continuing Education in Afghanistan.Nonie McDonald was nominated by Milpitas Vice Mayor Evelyn Chua, who accepted the award for her. Through her work with the Friends of the Milpitas Library, McDonald has helped raise thousands of dollars for the library materials and programs. McDonald also coordinates the library’s adult and teen volunteers.Milpitas City Manager Steve McHarris was nominated by Milpitas City Councilmember Anthony Phan. McHarris previously served as Milpitas’ deputy cit...

Prep roundup: Washington-Fremont stays hot, Heritage softball loses another gut-wrencher

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:04 GMT

Washington-Fremont 8, American 6Washington-Fremont remained one of the hottest teams in Bay Area baseball as it extended its winning streak to five games with a victory over American. Washington (10-5) had ended last week with a 6-2 victory over WCAL powerhouse St. Francis. That winning run seemed to be in jeopardy after the American (5-10) scored five runs in the bottom of the first inning following one run by Washington. Freshman Micah Boo singled in one run with the bases loaded, junior Calen Morgan walked in another, Carson Rice singled in one and Kent Abe drove in two on a line drive into center. That 5-1 lead lasted until the top of the third, when Washington scored seven runs to take a lead it would never relinquish. Sophomore Ezekiel Venn Porter went 1 for 2, scored two runs, and had two RBIs. Senior Noah Morton had two hits and one RBI, and senior Narayan Venkataramana batted 2 for 4 and drove in one run.Washington pitcher Maxwell Paek starred in relief as he threw 3.2 scor...

Best Online Casinos in India in 2023: Updated List of the Best Indian Casinos Online

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:04 GMT

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Community group rallies against Antioch PD in wake of racist text scandal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:04 GMT

(KRON) -- Community group Souljahs is planning a protest the Antioch Police Department Tuesday evening in the wake of the release of certain text conversations between officers about people there were investigating. The texts, described by police chief Steve Ford as “racially abhorrent,” included racial slurs and officers comparing Black people to animals such as gorillas and water buffalo, as well as homophobic and sexually explicit language.There will be two protests Tuesday evening: One at 5 p.m. in front of the Antioch Police Department at 300 L Street, and a second one at 6:15 p.m. in front of City Hall at 200 H Street in Antioch, according to the event flyer. MORE: Read the full documents on the text messages The flyer said the "outrageous and ridiculous behaviors by some Antioch PD officers will not be tolerated" and that those officers are a "hazard to our communities" for "perpetuating violence on members of our communities.""We demand immediate termination of all officer...

J&J sales in US rise 10%, health care giant raises dividend

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:04 GMT

Johnson & Johnson beat first-quarter expectations, as growth in cancer treatments and the health care giant’s home market helped counter another revenue hit from the strong dollar.The health care giant booked a $68 million loss on a one-time charge in the quarter related to its baby powder, and revenue grew more than 5% to $24.75 billion, which was better than anticipated. Sales in pharmaceuticals, the company’s largest business, grew 4% in the quarter. The bulk of that revenue came from immunology and cancer treatments. Those includes two long-standing top sellers, the blood cancer treatment Darzalex and Stelara, which treats psoriasis and other inflammatory disorders.Aside from prescription drugs, Johnson & Johnson also sells medical devices, including products for knee and hip replacements. Sales in that segment grew more than 7% to $7.5 billion in the quarter. Chief Financial Officer Joe Wolk said surgical procedures “seem to have hit much more of a steady cadence”...

Bank of America profits grow 15%, avoids industry crisis

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:04 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Bank of America said its profits grew 15% last quarter, the latest of the big banks to do exceptionally well this earnings season as investors and consumers flock to Wall Street for safety after the failure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. The nation’s second-largest bank by assets posted a profit of $8.2 billion, up from $7.1 billion in the same period a year earlier. On a per-share basis, BofA earnings rose to 94 cents from 80 cents. The results beat analysts’ expectations. Like its major competitors, BofA has benefitted from wealthy clients, businesses and other customers running to the bank as a place of safety after last month’s bank failures. The nation’s biggest banks are seen as having an implicit government backstop, due to their “too big to fail” status among the country’s financial institutions. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank added customers in its business and consumer banking businesses. While deposits ac...

Casa Bonita wants you to share your memories

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:04 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- The highly anticipated reopening of an iconic Colorado restaurant is expected to happen in May.Casa Bonita, which has been around since 1974, hasn’t been open since spring of 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Are people already waiting in line for Casa Bonita to reopen? Share your memoriesAhead of Casa Bonita's reopening, the restaurant made a request to past visitors."Millions of guests have created precious memories in our historic restaurant. We want to hear your favorite stories and memories about your past visits," Casa Bonita shared on Twitter.You can upload your stories and memories to Casa Bonita on this form. Share your photos and memories with Casa Bonita "We would love to see any old photos, videos, or memorabilia you have of Casa Bonita. If you have any photos or videos you would like to share," Casa Bonita said.In September 2021, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of “South Park”, entered into a purchase agreement to buy Casa Bonita....

'Technology issues' at Southwest Airlines are snarling flights across country

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:04 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – A representative for Southwest Airlines confirmed that “intermittent technology issues” were interrupting the carrier’s operations Tuesday morning.“As a result of the intermittent technology issues that we experienced, we should hopefully be resuming our operation as soon as possible,” a representative for Southwest wrote in response to a Twitter user complaining of a “nationwide grounding" around 9 a.m. CT.“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but we're hoping to get everyone going ASAP,” the spokesperson, identified as Jeni, said.Southwest Airlines was not immediately available to confirm whether the grounding was “nationwide,” as the Twitter user suggested. Southwest Airlines pilot hangs from window to retrieve passenger’s cell phone Other passengers, however, took to social media to share similar announcements, including one traveler in Denver who claimed a gate agent called it a "nationwide full ground stop," and another passenger whose pilot alleged...