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The Moth-Off: Readers post their own photos of giant, hummingbird-like moths

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:10:48 GMT

You know that old saying in journalism: Write about giant, weird bugs once, and your inbox forevermore will brim with photos of giant, weird bugs.It’s been two weeks since we covered the appearance of white-lined sphinx moths in the Bay Area, which are out in unusual abundance this year. That’s given readers plenty of time to hustle up their own photos of the giant moths invading their backyards and flitting about in the high Sierra Nevada.You’ll definitely remember if you’ve seen one of these creatures. They have wingspans of almost 4 inches, can fly at 30 mph and have wingbeats so fast they look identical to hummingbirds. Here’s one fellow that amateur photographer Diane Winkler spotted at Point Reyes National Seashore this August:A white-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata) seen at Point Reyes National Seashore in August, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Diane Winkler) Gary Yost made this gorgeous video of a white-lined sphinx moth doing its thing up in th...

Ukrainian attack damages 2 ships, injures 24 people and sets port on fire in Russia-annexed Crimea

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:10:48 GMT

By DASHA LITVINOVA and ILLIA NOVIKOV (Associated Press)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian attack on a strategic shipyard early Wednesday in Russian-annexed Crimea wounded 24 people, damaged two ships undergoing repairs and caused a fire at the facility, Russian authorities reported. The attack in the port city of Sevastopol, which serves as the main base for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, took place as Moscow offensives killed at least three civilians and injured 14 across Ukraine, the president’s office said. A pre-dawn drone onslaught in southern Ukraine’s Odesa region damaged port and civilian infrastructure in the region’s Izmail district, about 350 kilometers (220 miles) across the Black Sea from Sevastopol, and wounded seven people, three seriously, Gov. Oleh Kiper said.Russian attacks on residential areas in 10 cities and villages in the Donetsk region killed three people and wounded three. Fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region injured one resident in Ori...

Woman accused of setting California Target afire so she could steal baby formula is arrested

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:10:48 GMT

A 40-year-old woman was arrested after being accused of setting a Target store on fire in Buena Park to divert attention from her stealing baby formula, authorities said.She was arrested on Tuesday, Sept. 14, a week after a blaze erupted in a clothes rack in the children’s department, prompting employees and customers to evacuate.The fire lead to the Target, at 7530 Orangethorpe Ave., to temporarily closed.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Man arrested on suspicion of setting six fires in Belmont Crime and Public Safety | California Target evacuated after fire in children’s department According to police, the damage to the store was estimated at $500,000 to $1 million, primarily because of water and smoke damage.No injuries were reported.Orange County Fire Authority arson investigators and Buena Park police conducted a joint investigation. It was unclear how authorities found the suspect. 

Police identify officer who shot man outside San Pablo residence during mental health call

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:10:48 GMT

SAN PABLO — Police on Wednesday released the name of an officer who shot and critically injured a 44-year-old man last week.Capt. Brian Bubar said four-year veteran Manuel Agredano remains on paid administrative leave, per department policy, following the shooting on Sept. 8. The gunfire wounded Andre Smith, who remained in critical but stable condition with life-threatening injuries at a hospital Wednesday, Bubar said.The shooting happened outside a residence in the 2600 block of Dover Avenue, according to a police statement. Police said Smith wasn’t slowed by Tasers, bean bags or foam bullets; that he threw pieces of brick at officers; and that he charged at officers with a 3-foot pole while using a folding chair as a shield.In the statement, police said Agredano fired after Smith swung the pole at another officer, who ducked to avoid being hit. Police said Agredano’s shot hit Smith in the upper right leg.Police also said that as officers were on way to the scene...

New England cleans up with an eye on Hurricane Lee’s path

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:10:48 GMT

By Michael Casey and Kathy McCormack | Associated PressLEOMINSTER, Mass. — More heavy rain was falling Wednesday in New England, where residents kept one eye on cleanup and another on the path of Hurricane Lee after downpours dropped nearly 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain in six hours and flooded parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.The rainfall was a “200-year event,” said Matthew Belk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boston. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey issued a state of emergency Tuesday night following the “catastrophic flash flooding and property damage” in two counties and other communities.The rain created sinkholes in Leominster, Massachusetts. Cars sank into the ground at an auto dealership. The front yard collapsed at one house, resulting in a 15-foot (4.6-meter) hole that exposed the foundation.Andre Obin said his parents, who have lived in the home for many years, were able to pull out of their driveway shortly before...

Demolition underway for stuck sailboat at Stinson Beach

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:10:48 GMT

(KRON) -- The sailboat, Chandalar, that has been stuck along the shores of Stinson Beach since late July is being demolished Wednesday morning. Video above taken by KRON4 Reporter Terisa Estacio, who was the only reporter at the scene, shows the boat being torn into pieces. Deputies clear out heated Sunol Glen school board meeting The boat's owner, Logan Walker, said he was sleeping while the boat was on autopilot when it crashed along the beach. Ever since the crash, Walker has been trying to beat the deadline and remove the boat himself by digging it out of the sand.Several volunteers recently helped Walker by attempting to tug the boat to the water on Monday.Marin County had concerns that the boat would pose a potential risk to people in the water if boat pieces were to hit them. They gave the Walker a deadline to remove his boat at which he was unable to meet.

Haney pushes legislation allowing addiction treatment without parent's consent

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:10:48 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A bill that will allow teenagers to access opioid addiction treatment without consent from a parent is heading to Governor Gavin Newsom's desk.The new legislation permits physicians to enroll youth over the age of 16 in buprenorphine treatment without prior parental consent. AB 816 passed out the California State Senate with 29 votes, and the Assembly with a vote of 64 in support. It now heads to the governor where it will await his signature.Opioid overdoses now account for 1 out of every 5 deaths of minors in California, according to State Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco). A deadly fentanyl epidemic caused overdose deaths among minors to double. Fentanyl overdose death toll rises to 105 in Santa Clara County "Most young people will thankfully have support from their parents when seeking this treatment," said Haney. “But some teenagers tragically will have no choice but to look for help on their own. Often because they're homeless, have parents...

Republicans raise the specter of widespread COVID-19 mandates, despite no sign of their return

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:10:48 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — As Americans fend off a late summer COVID-19 spike and prepare for a fresh vaccine rollout, Republicans are raising familiar fears that government-issued lockdowns and mask mandates are next.It’s been a favorite topic among some of the GOP’s top presidential contenders. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters that people are “lurching toward” COVID-19 restrictions and “there needs to be pushback.” South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott posted online that the “radical Left” seeks to bring back school closures and mandates. And former President Donald Trump urged congressional Republicans to stop the Biden administration from bringing back COVID-19 “mandates, lockdowns or restrictions of any kind.”“The radical Democrats are trying hard to restart COVID hysteria,” Trump told supporters in Rapid City, South Dakota, during a recent campaign stop. “I wonder why. Is there an election coming up by any chance?”While some individual schools and colleges have implemented te...

Judge blames Atlanta officials for confusion over ‘Stop Cop City’ referendum campaign

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:10:48 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — A federal judge overseeing the case involving Atlanta activists’ referendum effort against a police and firefighter training facility accused city officials on Wednesday of moving the goalposts on the signature-gathering campaign, saying they have “directly contributed” to a widespread sense of confusion over the matter.U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen ruled that he does not have the authority to force the city of Atlanta to begin processing the tens of thousands of signatures that were handed in Monday by “Stop Cop City” activists, explaining that he cannot intervene while a larger dispute over the effort is awaiting input from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.But Cohen also said he was “compelled to comment upon the vacillating positions of the City of Atlanta throughout this litigation.”“On June 21, 2023, instead of approving a referendum petition it had no intention to honor regardless of the number of signatures obtained from City residents, the City could ha...

El Chapo’s wife released from US custody after completing 3-year prison sentence

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:10:48 GMT

The wife of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was released from federal custody on Wednesday after completing a three-year sentence for helping him run his multibillion-dollar criminal empire, the federal Bureau of Prisons said.Emma Coronel Aispuro, who pleaded guilty in 2021 to three federal offenses as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors, had been moved from a Texas prison to a California halfway house prior to her release. She will now serve four years of supervised release. Coronel Aispuro expressed “true regret for any and all harm” when she was sentenced after pleading guilty to charges including money laundering conspiracy and engaging in transactions with a foreign narcotics trafficker.She also helped her husband plan a dramatic escape through a tunnel dug underneath a prison in Mexico in 2015 by smuggling to him a GPS watch disguised as a food item, prosecutors have said. That helped those digging the tunnel pinpoint his location and reach him. El Chap...