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Here's how to see blooms in Borrego Springs before they leave us

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:41 GMT

BORREGO SPRING, Calif. -- The desert is blooming.Yellow, purple and white flowers are popping up in the Anza-Borrego Desert.“If you can come, then come, it’s beautiful,” said Jim Wermers, honorary mayor of Borrego Springs. “A lot of cactus are in bloom.”Borrego Springs leaders are expecting thousands of visitors to see the flowers and cactus blooms this season and they are prepared.“We’re told there could be more than 100,000 that come in, any weekend or weekday, there’s hundreds of people,” Wermers said.When you drive down the mountain leading into Borrego Springs, there’s a white sign that reads “Wildflower Information” with an arrow leading to one of two visitor information centers from the Anza-Borrego Foundation, where visitors can get maps, buy souvenirs and get directions to the best places to see the blooms, how long the trails are and what you are capable of seeing depending on your time frame and vehicle. According to local leaders, the peak has been happening this week, a...

US, Ukraine say many war secrets safe from intel leaks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine’s leaders say they don’t see a major U.S. intelligence leak as gravely damaging future offensives. A key reason: They have long held back on sharing their most sensitive operational information, doubting Washington’s ability to keep their secrets safe.Ukrainian and U.S. officials said this week that only Ukrainians know some battle plans and other operational information, not the Americans, their most important ally. That means the leak of secret military documents, including some assessing Ukraine’s battlefield strengths and weaknesses against Russia, may not have been enough — so far — to change the course of the war.“If military operations are planned, then only a very narrow circle of people know about the planning of the special operation,” Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Wednesday on Ukrainian television. “The risk of leaks is very minimal” for the most important war matters.Still, the U.S. sees the leaks as grave. The documents ...

Gulf nations Bahrain, Qatar to restore ties after boycott

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:41 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Gulf nations of Bahrain and Qatar agreed to restore diplomatic relations late Wednesday.Bahrain had been the last holdout of four Arab nations that imposed a boycott on Qatar in 2017. They were angered by Qatar’s support for Islamist groups that rose to power in some countries following the 2011 Arab Spring protests, which the other autocratic nations viewed as terrorist organizations.The boycott was lifted at the start of 2021, and Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt have restored ties with Qatar since then, with top leaders paying official visits in recent months.Bahrain and Qatar each issued official statements announcing the decision to restore relations following a meeting between their delegations at the headquarters of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a six-nation bloc of which both are members, in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.The four nations had severed all ties to Qatar, and at the height of the crisis there was even ta...

In new book, Murakami explores walled city and shadows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:41 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Haruki Murakami wrote a story of a walled city when he was fresh off his debut. More than four decades later, as a seasoned and acclaimed novelist, he gave it a new life as “The City and Its Uncertain Walls.”It was three years ago when he felt the time had come to revisit the story that he thought was imperfect but had important elements, such as the wall and the shadow, and tackle them again based on what he was feeling on his skin.“Because of the coronavirus … I hardly went out and stayed home most of the time, and I tended to look at my inner self. Then I thought, perhaps it’s time to write that story,” Murakami said. And he did, “as if recovering it from the back of a drawer.” He started writing it in January 2020 and finished in December 2022, years that overlapped with multiple earthshattering events. “When I write a novel, I just know it’s time,” he said.There were also Russia’s war on Ukraine, shaken globalism and the Pandora’s box of social media, Murakam...

B.C. Chinese communities tell Mendicino of intimidation by foreign powers and proxies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:41 GMT

VANCOUVER — Federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says Chinese community members in Vancouver have told him of “intimidation, harassment and abuse” linked to foreign governments or their proxies, confirming the need for a foreign agent registry.Mendicino said he met Wednesday with a “robust cross-section” of people from the communities.The results, he said, reinforced the need for a registry of agents who are acting on behalf of foreign governments in Canada.“Foreign interference is a phenomenon that has existed for many years, but it has become a more insidious threat to our national security landscape,” Mendicino said after the meeting.“And so that’s why we have (been), and will continue to be, very proactive in putting in place the people, the resources and the tools that are necessary to combat foreign interference.”The federal government announced in March that it wants to hear from Canadians on creating a foreign influence transparency re...

AISD, Austin Apartment Association partner to find affordable rentals for teachers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:41 GMT

Austin ISD is taking steps to help teachers find more affordable housing."In AISD we have an exclusive deal with the Austin Apartment Association," said Arnoldo Gutierrez, assistant superintendent of human capital with Austin ISD.In a partnership announced on KXAN, the school district is working with the Austin Apartment Association to find apartments that will offer incentives for teachers."From discounted rates, to waving some fees," said Gutierrez. "It is something that is exclusive for our teachers in Austin ISD."Austin ISD Trustee Candace Hunter says she knows the struggles teachers face when it comes to finding affordable housing in Austin."Our schools are in the core (of the city)," said Hunter. "So that is east, northeast, southeast and central Austin where those areas are rapidly gentrifying which is putting those rents into the stratosphere." Austin ISD identifies two potential sites for teacher, staff affordable housing Lyndsay Hanes with the Austin Apartment Associatio...

White House urges meat processors to guard against child labor in their industry

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:41 GMT

OMAHA, Neb. — The Biden administration is urging U.S. meat processors to make sure children aren’t being illegally hired to perform dangerous jobs at their plants.The call comes after an investigation found more than 100 kids working overnight for a company that cleans slaughterhouses, handling dangerous equipment like skull splitters and razor-sharp bone saws.Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack sent a letter Wednesday to the 18 largest meat and poultry producers urging them to examine the hiring practices at their companies and suppliers. The letter is part of a broader effort by the administration to crack down on the use of child labor. The Labor Department has reported a 69% increase since 2018 in the number of children being employed illegally in the U.S.“The use of illegal child labor — particularly requiring that children undertake dangerous tasks — is inexcusable, and companies must consider both their legal and moral responsibilities to ensure they and their suppl...

Troy men found guilty of 2020 murder

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:41 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Two Troy men were convicted of killing another man in 2020. Nashone Pinn, 23, and Eric Stroud, Jr., 20, were found guilty of Murder and Criminal Possession of a Weapon. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Officials said they killed Zeandre Domingo in August 2020. Their convictions are part of the Gun Involved Violence Elimination cases being pursued by the Rensselaer County District Attorney's Office.The DA's Office said they have prosecuted more than 250 cases since 2019.

Attorney for New Scotland murder suspect seeks to suppress evidence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:41 GMT

NEW SCOTLAND, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- New developments have been made in the case for the Virginia man accused of murdering a local physician assistant.Jacob Klein was arrested in April 2022 for the stabbing death of Philip Rabadi in his New Scotland home. Klein's attorney has filed a motion to suppress evidence gathered by police the night Klein was arrested, including a gun, his clothing, and statements Klein made to police. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! His lawyers said police did not have probably cause to arrest Klein, and everything that came after should be tossed out. A judge will now consider the motion.Klein was charged with murder in the second degree. He pleaded not guilty.Before he was killed, Rabadi worked as a physician assistant at St. Peter’s Health Partners. He also graduated from Albany Medical College in 2015.

Multiple crews help fight large Schoharie County brush fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:41 GMT

RICHMONDVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A large brush fire broke out in Schoharie County on Wednesday. Several crews—some reportedly from Otsego and Delaware Counties—responded to Richmondville, near the county line, to fight the blaze. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The fire began around 3 p.m. on Winegard Road near train tracks. Officials believe the fire was sparked from a passing railroad work car that was clearing brush from the tracks. Once crews had an understanding of the magnitude, it was all hands on deck."So the wind is actually driving the fire, so we've been chasing the fire," Richmondville Fire Chief Dennis Cole explained. "When we contain hotspots, when the wind picks up, it actually fires up the hotspots again."The flames stretch along five miles of track, and smoke could be seen from as much as 20 miles away. Black ash fell from the sky, and firefighters worked on foot as well as on ATVs to extinguish numerous fir...