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This winter's El Niño could be one of the strongest in 70 years. What that means for Bay Area

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – The 2023-2024 El Niño is growing more likely to be one for the record books. In an update released Thursday, the Climate Prediction Center said this winter's El Niño was slightly favored to be "historically strong." The national forecasters gave it about a 54% chance of being one of the five strongest since 1950. Rain returning to Bay Area this weekend Those odds are up from last month, when the Climate Prediction Center gave this year's El Niño a 35% chance of being among the strongest ever, like the one we saw 2015-2016 or 1997-1998.But a super-strong El Niño doesn't necessarily mean super-strong impacts, like storms, flooding or heavy snow. "While stronger El Niño events increase the likelihood of El Niño-related climate anomalies, it does not imply expected impacts will emerge in all locations or be of strong intensity," says the Climate Prediction Center. El Niño predicted to flood both coasts: Here’s where risk is highest What are they expecting to happe...

15.4 million Californians will travel over the holidays: AAA

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

(KRON) -- A record number of Californians are expected to hop on a plane or hit the road for one of the busiest holiday travel periods AAA has tracked in more than 20 years.An estimated 15.4 million Californians are expected to travel between December 23 and New Year's Day. The anticipated travel frenzy marks the second-highest number since 2000, according to AAA Northern California.The heaviest congestion is expected to happen on Saturday, December 23 and on Thursday, December 28.Nationwide, 115.2 million Americans will be traveling."The travel outline for the year-end holidays echoes what we’ve been seeing in travel throughout 2023," said Brian Ng of AAA Northern California. "Despite high costs, more Americans are prioritizing creating memories with loved ones and exploring new destinations."AAA Northern California's 3 holiday travel tips:Travel during off-peak periods. Drivers should anticipate up to 20 percent longer travel times. Whenever possible, travel during off-peak period...

San Jose PD deploying extra patrols to combat organized retail theft

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

(KRON) -- The San Jose Police Department is deploying extra overtime-based Organized Retail Theft patrols at shopping centers and malls, the department announced Thursday. Daily high visibility patrols will be conducted daily by one sergeant and three officers, SJPD said. Wrecked, abandoned car on I-880 in Hayward leads to arrest Patrols will be conducted six hours a day during the evening hours, four days a week, on an ongoing basis, SJPD said. Schedules for these extra patrols will change based on factors that include holiday crime trends, holiday shopping and department needs, police said.Funding for these patrols comes from an $8.4 million grant SJPD received from the California Board of State Community Corrections. That grant also provided funding for the Organized Retail Theft Detail and additional Automated License Plate Reader cameras.Reported retail theft crimes in San Jose saw a 25% increase from 2021 to 2022, rising from 4,610 to 5,756, SJPD said.

Rights expert blasts Italy’s handling of gender-based violence and discrimination against women

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

ROME (AP) — Violence and discrimination against women in Italy is a “prevailing and urgent concern,” a European expert on human rights said Thursday in a scathing report that comes amid a national outcry over a gruesome murder of a young woman allegedly by her ex-boyfriend.Dunja Mijatovic, commissioner for human rights at the Council of Europe, faulted Italy across multiple areas, lamenting that Italian courts and police sometimes revictimize the victims of gender-based violence and that women have increasingly less access to abortion services. She also noted Italy’s last-place in the EU ranking for gender equality in the workplace.The report followed a visit by Mijatovic to Italy in June and focused also on the country’s handling of migrants and press freedom. But the section of her report on women comes amid a national reckoning on gender-based violence following the latest case that has grabbed headlines for a month.Giulia Cecchetin, a 22-year-old who was about to graduate with a...

WTOP space reporter says the Geminids meteor shower did not disappoint

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

The 2023 Geminid meteor shower was quite the sky show from Central Virginia for anyone who was looking up.I observed the sky for five hours — 10:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. EST — using two cameras and taking 1,249 pictures. My initial review of these pictures has found 12 of them caught the Geminids. From my location, the shower produced meteors that were easily visible and seen over my entire viewing area — about 50% of the sky. I was looking toward the east and could see the entire sky to the south, north and overhead.The frequency of the Geminids increased after midnight and at times I could see multiple Geminids at the same time. I saw three fairly bright meteors at once in the same section of the sky. The frequency of meteors was steady, with no long lulls between sightings.The overwhelming majority of the Geminids had short flight paths as they were quick and went from dim to easy to see. The “star” of the show was an absolute beauty that had a long and bright flight path...

Finland to close again entire border with Russia as reopening of 2 crossing points lures migrants

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Finland’s government has decided to seal again, effective Friday, the Nordic country’s entire eastern frontier due to a continuing influx of migrants at the two crossing points on the border with Russia that were reopened on a temporary basis early Thursday.Interior Minister Mari Rantanen told reporters that a decision by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Cabinet earlier this week to temporarily reopen the southeastern Vaalimaa and Niirala crossing points today was meant as a trial to see whether the migrant “phenomenon” still exists at the border.The Finnish Border Guard reported that dozens of migrants without proper documentation or visas had arrived at the two checkpoints by late Thursday. The number of migrants was predicted to increase rapidly at Vaalimaa and Niirala checkpoints, prompting the Finnish government’s to react quickly and close them as of 8 p.m. Friday until Jan. 14, Rantanen said.At the end of November, Orpo’s government opted to close the entire 1,34...

Myles Garrett and banged-up Browns host Justin Fields, improved Bears with focus on AFC playoff spot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

CHICAGO (5-8) at CLEVELAND (8-5)Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox BETTING LINE: Browns by 3 1/2 according to FanDuel Sportsbook.AGAINST THE SPREAD: Bears 6-5-2; Browns 7-5-1.SERIES RECORD: Browns lead 10-7.LAST MEETING: Browns beat Bears 26-6 on Sept. 26, 2021, in Cleveland. LAST WEEK: Bears beat Lions 28-13; Browns beat Jaguars 31-27.BEARS OFFENSE: OVERALL (21), RUSH (4), PASS (26), SCORING (20).BEARS DEFENSE: OVERALL (12), RUSH (2), PASS (23), SCORING (T-23).BROWNS OFFENSE: OVERALL (19), RUSH (7), PASS (23), SCORING (12).BROWNS DEFENSE: OVERALL (1), RUSH (11), PASS (1), SCORING (14).TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Bears minus-1; Browns minus-7.BEARS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Justin Fields. With an uncertain future in Chicago, Fields has been showing progress as a passer after a slow start. He has a 104.5 rating in his past six games while throwing for 1,284 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions. Against Detroit, his third game back from a dislocated right thumb, he threw for a TD and ran for another....

European Union agrees to open membership negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union decided Thursday to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.European Council President Charles Michel called it “a clear signal of hope for their people and our continent.”The decision was announced at a summit gathering leaders of the 27 EU countries.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the decision as “a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe.”THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders struggled at the start of a two-day summit Thursday to keep intact their two most basic promises to Ukraine at war — to give it the money and wherewithal to stave off the Russian invasion and maintain its hope that one day it will be able to join the wealthy bloc.And stunningly, the threat to that commitment does not come from outside, but from within, from the EU’s increasingly recalcitrant member Hungary. The vision of its prime minister, Viktor Orban, heartily s...

Stock market today: Wall Street rises on hopes for rate cuts as Dow ticks toward another record

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is ticking higher Thursday following its big rally the day before on excitement that several cuts to interest rates may indeed be coming next year.The S&P 500 was 0.6% higher in afternoon trading and within 1.3% of its all-time high set early last year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 171 points, or 0.5%, and on track to set a record for a second straight day, as of 12:36 p.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite was 0.5% higher.Moderna jumped 11.6% after it reported encouraging data from a study of its treatment for high-risk melanoma that’s used with Merck’s Keytruda. That helped offset a 5.5% slump for Adobe, which gave a forecast for 2024 revenue that fell short of analysts’ expectations.Stocks broadly have been shooting higher since October on hopes that inflation has cooled enough for the Federal Reserve to not only stop its market-rattling hikes to interest rates but to even begin considering cutting them. Those hopes strengthened Wednesd...

76ers’ Daryl Morey mixes basketball with shot at Broadway in absurdist musical ‘Small Ball’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:57 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Off Broadway and right off Broad Street, Daryl Morey composed an offbeat kind of basketball roster. Bird, Magic, even Phil Jackson made the cut, only in Morey’s world they are 6-inch Lilliputians, rather than giants in NBA history.Yes, the team is even led by Michael Jordan.Just not THAT Michael Jordan, a running gag in an absurdist musical comedy orchestrated in large part by Morey. The team president of the Philadelphia 76ers, Morey grew up considering a career in musical theater. Maybe write some Broadway smash hits. He even sketched out a draft for a basketball-themed musical — an idea hatched years ago when he connected with a theater company in Houston.“That theater I was working with approached me and said, ‘hey, wouldn’t it be cool to do a musical?’” Morey said. “Yeah, sure, I have an outline of something that might be fun. Then we very smartly threw out my outline.”From the ashes of Morey’s proposed book came “Small Ball,” about a small team with big bas...