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Opinion: Ever-increasing storms don’t have to be this catastrophic

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:43:00 GMT

Imagine trying to build a boat while it’s already at sea and taking on water. You rush from springing leak to springing leak, haunted by a vague sense that a storm is coming but with no idea how big it will be or how long it will last.This more or less describes how the United States is approaching the growing flood threat posed by a warmer atmosphere that holds more water, subjecting the country to bouts of torrential, catastrophic rainfall. Lives are being lost and property destroyed partly because we’re moving too slowly to embrace proven solutions to bolster our infrastructure against disasters that are becoming increasingly routine.Last week in Vermont and New York’s Hudson Valley, months’ worth of rain fell in hours, overwhelming antiquated water-management infrastructure, resulting in widespread flooding that took at least one life and wiped out roads, bridges, houses and more. Both places had experienced severe flooding before and had taken modest steps to avoid it. Those ef...

California Hot Wheels designer to be inducted into Automotive Hall of Fame

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:43:00 GMT

It started with 16 model cars in 1968 — and from there, an iconic toy brand was born.That brand, of course, is Hot Wheels, the tiny Mattel cars that became one of the most popular toys in the country.And Redondo Beach’s Larry Wood is part of that legacy.Wood, now 81 years old, worked as a Mattel designer for decades, beginning in 1969. His first Hot Wheels designs hit the market in 1970, and he continued working at Mattel, which is based in El Segundo, until he retired in 2019.Wood is well-known among Hot Wheels collectors — and later this week, he will be inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in Detroit. The ceremony is Thursday, June 20.“I don’t know where that came from,” the Redondo resident said in a recent interview at his Long Beach garage, where he works daily on his vintage cars, surrounded by Hot Wheels memorabilia. “But all I can figure is I made so many guys play with them through the years and some of them became car guys.”Wood could not put a number on how many Hot...

Angeles National Forest plagued by closures from storms, fires, funding gaps

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:43:00 GMT

The heavily-visited Angeles National Forest is reeling due to damage from past wildfires, heavy snowpack and torrential rainstorms that have closed visitor centers, day use areas, access roads, campgrounds and hiking trails, according to data obtained during a monthlong investigation by this news group.The forest’s second most visited area, Chantry Flat in the forest’s southwest section north of Arcadia, Monrovia and Sierra Madre, has been closed since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Last month, Angeles National Forest (ANF) Supervisor Ramon “Ray” Torres extended its closure through May 2024.Chantry Flat Road remains closed after the 2020 Bobcat Fire, and more recently, the Chantry Fire, shown here in Arcadia on Friday, July 7, 2023. Road signs and closed access gates mark the area north of Santa Anita Avenue where people are prohibited from entering the road that leads to Chantry Flat recreation zone. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)Chantry Flat Road rema...

Southern California landslide response likely falling on county, state official says

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:43:00 GMT

It seems unlikely California will declare a state of emergency related to the slow-moving landslide that destroyed a dozen homes in Rolling Hills Estates on July 8.While a state emergency declaration isn’t out of the question, Brian Ferguson, a spokesperson for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, indicated during a Monday, July 17, interview that the Peartree Lane disaster is something Los Angeles County is likely able to handle on its own.“This is a very challenging disaster for the folks who live in this community,” Ferguson said. “But LA is one of the most resource-rich counties in the state, so we’re working with them to see if they can handle this on their own.”Liz Odendahl, spokesperson for Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, and Rolling Hills Estates Mayor Britt Huff did not immediately return requests for comment Monday afternoon.Despite that an emergency declaration being unlikely, Cal OES has been on the ground in Rolling Hills Estates since the beginning o...

Man returning toy rifles is mistaken as a dangerous gunman at California mall

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:43:00 GMT

A person returning two toy rifles to a gaming business at the Promenade Temecula mall was mistaken for a dangerous gunman on Monday, July 17, prompting employees to take shelter and sheriff’s deputies to search the building from top to bottom.“There was no evidence of a crime,” Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Brent Irvine wrote in a news release. “This incident did not involve an active shooter event and there were no injuries reported.”Nevertheless, businesses locked their doors, employees hid and people falsely reported on social media that there was an “active shooter.”Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Mother: Suspect in Georgia killings needed help for years Crime and Public Safety | Legal challenge against San Jose’s gun insurance law dealt serious blow Crime and Public Safety | Boxing champ Devin Haney arrested in Los Angeles on felony weapons charge Crime and Public Safety | After somehow surviving shoot...

Smithsonian says it canceled Asian American Literature Festival due to ‘event planning’ issues. Participants say that’s not true

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:43:00 GMT

The Smithsonian Institution’s Asian Pacific American Center abruptly canceled this year’s Asian American Literature Festival weeks before it was scheduled to begin.The center added a blue and white banner to its website with a simple message: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, AALF 2023 Ghost World has been canceled. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.”Officials didn’t provide additional information about the cancellation online, but Ghost World — the theme of this year’s festival — is no longer on the calendar for early August.Why the Asian Pacific American Center says it canceledWTOP reached out to officials with the center on Monday to ask if the festival was planning to reschedule. Linda St. Thomas, chief spokesperson for the Smithsonian Institution, said the event planning process “did not meet Smithsonian expectations” and the institution’s “goals for an in-person event.”“After careful review, and...

Cambridge: Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:43:00 GMT

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Cambridge Bancorp (CATC) on Tuesday reported second-quarter net income of $7.1 million.The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based bank said it had earnings of 91 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to $1.23 per share.The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.18 per share.The bank posted revenue of $64.2 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $39.7 million, which did not meet Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $40 million.Cambridge shares have declined 30% since the beginning of the year. The stock has dropped 30% in the last 12 months._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CATC at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CATCSource

Bank of America net income jumps 19%, extending the rally for big banks

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:43:00 GMT

Bank of America said its profits grew 19% in its most recent quarter, the latest of the big banks to see its bottom line boosted by higher interest rates. The nation’s second-largest bank by assets posted a profit of $7.4 billion in the three months ended June 30, up from $6.2 billion in the same period a year earlier. On a per-share basis, BofA earned 88 cents, compared with 73 cents one year ago. Analysts were expecting profit of 84 cents per share, according to a poll by FactSet. Revenue of $25.2 billion came in just ahead of target. Like its major competitors, BofA has benefitted from wealthy clients, businesses and other customers moving deposits to the bank in search of safety after this spring’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 Federal Reserve has raised its benchmark interest rate to a range of 5% to 5.25% from near zero starting ...

El filtrador acusado de Discord, Jack Teixeira, cita a Trump al pedir ser enjuiciado en libertad

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:43:00 GMT

(CNN) — El miembro de la Guardia Nacional Aérea de Massachusetts que está acusado de publicar un gran número de documentos clasificados en las redes sociales le pidió este lunes a un juez que reconsiderara su detención, señalando que está acusado de los mismos cargos federales que el expresidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, y que los fiscales no se opusieron a su liberación.En mayo, un juez de Massachusetts dictaminó que Jack Teixeira, de 21 años, permanecería en la cárcel mientras espera el juicio por cargos en virtud de la Ley de Espionaje después de que los fiscales argumentaran que manejó insensiblemente información de seguridad nacional altamente confidencial durante su breve mandato en la Guardia Nacioal. El juez de instrucción, David Hennessy, dijo que Teixeira representaba una amenaza continua para la seguridad nacional.Los abogados de Teixeira argumentaron en una nueva presentación este lunes que el juez debería revertir su decisión de mantener detenido a Teixeir...

Fairfax County’s ‘most wanted’ who was ‘playing games’ with police indicted on murder charge

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:43:00 GMT

A Virginia man who police once considered Fairfax County’s most wanted has been indicted for killing a man last October.Kyjuan Trott-McLean, 43, of Alexandria, is accused of killing Brandon Wims, 31, last October. Fairfax County police said he opened fire on Wims’ vehicle from a car near a Mount Vernon area apartment complex.Wims was with two others in the vehicle when shots rang out around the Old Mill Gardens apartment complex. He was shot several times and died at the hospital.“The death of Brandon Wims is a tragedy,” Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said in a statement.It took police almost three months to catch and arrest Trott-McLean.Before his arrest, Trott-McClean was listed as Fairfax County’s “most wanted,” with a $1,000 reward for information that could lead to catching him. Fairfax County police Chief Kevin Davis said police were aware that Trott-McClean knew he was wanted.Trott-McLean was “playing...