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Series of major weekend closures on I-80 starts Friday night

Published Sun, 15 Dec 2024 16:50:27 GMT

(BCN) -- Eastbound Interstate Highway 80 will be fully closed for construction this weekend starting Friday night. The closure will start after 9 p.m. between State Highway 4 in Hercules and Cummings Skyway in Crockett and will conclude no later than 5 a.m. Monday. This is part of a series of closures on I-80 in Contra Costa County announced by Caltrans on four different weekends to do repaving work. Upcoming weekends for closure on eastbound I-80 include Aug. 4 and Aug. 18. The closures will take place after 9 p.m. on Fridays and before 5 a.m. on the following Mondays. SF restaurant named among most ‘legendary’ in the world Caltrans recommends drivers traveling east to exit onto eastbound Highway 4 in Hercules to northbound Interstate Highway 680, then re-enter I-80 in Fairfield. Travelers to Benicia and Vallejo can use westbound Interstate Highway 780. Cummings Skyway between Highway 4 and I-80 will remain open for drivers going to Crockett. Additionally, Caltr...

England take 4 Australia wickets in push for Ashes-leveling victory

Published Sun, 15 Dec 2024 16:50:27 GMT

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — England grabbed four Australia wickets to press closer to an Ashes-series leveling victory on day three of the fourth test on Friday.After posting a rapidfire 592 for a massive first-innings lead of 275, England extended its domination when Australia was reduced to 113-4 in its second innings by stumps at Old Trafford.Mark Wood’s hostile pace and timely insertions into the attack made the difference as he dismissed Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith and Travis Head cheaply to pass 100 test wickets, and Chris Woakes bagged David Warner.England forced the pace of its innings at 5 1/2 runs per over ahead of forecasted bad weather this weekend.Jonny Bairstow smashed an unbeaten 99, most of it in a last-wicket partnership of 66 with James Anderson, who contributed 5.The 592, built on Zac Crawley’s blast of 189, was England’s highest home Ashes score since 1985, and might be enough for a win if there’s enough breaks in the expected rain.England m...

Arizona woman injured in Yellowstone bison attack says ‘yes’ to boyfriend’s hospital proposal

Published Sun, 15 Dec 2024 16:50:27 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona woman who suffered fractured vertebrae and collapsed lungs after being gored by a bison in Yellowstone National Park has said “yes” to her boyfriend’s hospital proposal.Chris Whitehill said he planned to propose to Amber Harris during their vacation in the park this week, but after spending just one night there, an encounter with a bison upended those plans.The couple from the Phoenix area had walked to a lodge for some coffee on Monday and decided to walk through a field to Yellowstone Lake in Wyoming, Harris posted on Facebook the next day.They waited for some people and about 20 elk to leave the area before continuing. They also noticed two bison. They watched one “drop and roll in the dirt, like a dog would,” she wrote. “He got up on his feet and started walking, then running toward us.”The bison “struck her head-on and she was airborne,” Whitehill told KPNX-TV in Phoenix. “I think she did one or two backflips in the air, and I was screaming...

Deadly crash of Marine Osprey last year was caused by mechanical failure, report says

Published Sun, 15 Dec 2024 16:50:27 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The deadly crash of a Marine V-22 Osprey in California last year was caused by mechanical failure, according to an investigation that ruled out pilot and maintenance errors.The more than 400-page report released on Friday concluded that the Marines were doing routine flight operations when a “catastrophic, unpreventable and unanticipated mechanical failure occurred.” The Osprey crashed in a remote area near Glamis, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) east of San Diego.Five Marines died in the crash: Two pilots, Capt. Nicholas P. Losapio, 31, of Rockingham, New Hampshire, and Capt. John J. Sax, 33, of Placer, California; and three crew chiefs, Cpl. Nathan E. Carlson, 21, of Winnebago, Illinois; Cpl. Seth D. Rasmuson, 21, of Johnson, Wyoming, and Lance Cpl. Evan A. Strickland, 19, of Valencia, New Mexico. “The tragedy of this event is impossible to capture in words,” said Maj. Gen. Bradford Gering, who was commander of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, in a memo attached to...

Death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001 Daytona 500 picked as NASCAR’s most pivotal moment

Published Sun, 15 Dec 2024 16:50:27 GMT

The 2001 Daytona 500 remains the bleakest day in NASCAR history. The death of Dale Earnhardt from a crash on the last lap of the race robbed a family of its patriarch and the industry of the greatest stock car star of his era. But beyond the seven championships, The Intimidator persona and fierce rivalries that ushered NASCAR into the mainstream, Earnhardt’s enduring legacy may be how his death changed auto racing safety.NASCAR was still reeling from three driver fatalities in 2000 — Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr., and Tony Roper — ahead of a Daytona 500 that seemed intent on setting a new course for the series.NASCAR had moved at its own pace to impose safety rules at a time when some drivers balked at wearing enhanced technology such as the Head And Neck Safety (HANS) device. There were complaints that it was too cumbersome for a comfortable ride, while others suggested improvements were too simplistic for a sport that was akin to mayhem on the track.The Daytona 500 also ...

WATCH LIVE: Josh Harris press conference at FedEx Field

Published Sun, 15 Dec 2024 16:50:27 GMT

Josh Harris, who led the group that purchased the Washington Commanders for a record-breaking $6 billion Thursday, will hold a news conference live from FedEx Field at 2 p.m on Friday.Stay with WTOP for the livestream.Source

Humanitarian worker for the World Food Program killed in Yemen

Published Sun, 15 Dec 2024 16:50:27 GMT

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Gunmen shot and killed the head of one of the World Food Program’s offices in Yemen on Friday, the humanitarian organization said. In a statement, the program said that Moayad Hameidi, a Jordanian, was shot by gunmen not long after he arrived in the country to assume the role as head of its office in the city of Taiz. It added he died not long after reaching a hospital. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attack. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, also known by its acronym AQAP, is active in several regions in Yemen. It is believed to be one of the more dangerous branches of the al-Qaida terror network. Years of conflict have allowed the group to maintain a presence in several areas around the country. Taiz, the country’s third-largest city, has been under a siege by the Houthi rebels since 2016, as part of the country’s brutal civil war. The blockade has severely restricted freedom of movement and impeded the flow of essential go...

Hops for beer flourish under solar panels. They’re not the only crop thriving in the shade.

Published Sun, 15 Dec 2024 16:50:27 GMT

AU in der HALLERTAU, Germany (AP) — Bright green vines snake upwards 20 feet (six meters) toward an umbrella of solar panels at Josef Wimmer’s farm in Bavaria.He grows hops, used to make beer, and in recent years has also been generating electricity, with solar panels sprawled across 1.3 hectares (32 acres) of his land in the small hop-making town of Au in der Hallertau, an hour north of Munich in southern Germany. The pilot project — a collaboration between Wimmer and local solar technology company Hallertauer Handelshaus — was set up in the fall of last year. The electricity made at this farm can power around 250 households, and the hops get shade they’ll need more often as climate change turbocharges summer heat.Solar panels atop crops has been gaining traction in recent years as incentives and demand for clean energy skyrocket. Researchers look into making the best use of agricultural land, and farmers seek ways to shield their crops from blistering heat, keep in moisture ...

Bear sniffs out deer carcass in CPW truck

Published Sun, 15 Dec 2024 16:50:27 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Imagine Officer Drew Vrbenec’s surprise when he recently discovered bear prints covering his Colorado Parks and Wildlife truck. But the bear didn’t just leave behind prints, he tried to open both doors too. The bear almost struck gold as he could smell a stinky deer carcass in the truck, according to CPW Southeast Region's Twitter. Bear activity increased in 2022, trash biggest culprit The bear couldn't find his way into the car, but not for a lack of trying.After pawing over both doors and the roof he left a nose print on the rearview mirror as a warning sign for Coloradans to lock their doors during bear season.  CPW's southeast region posted a picture on Twitter of a department truck covered in bear prints. This isn’t the only bear sighting of the season. Colorado Parks and Wildlife tweeted a few warnings to be “bear aware” as bears are scrummaging through trash cans, bathing in community pools and breaking into cars.  Being bear aware with a veh...

Lionel Messi set to make his Inter Miami debut in Leagues Cup opener against Cruz Azul

Published Sun, 15 Dec 2024 16:50:27 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.(AP/WSVN) — Lionel Messi’s debut gameday with Inter Miami has arrived.Messi is expected to play Friday night when Inter Miami takes on Cruz Azul in a Leagues Cup match at his new home stadium. Team officials say all tickets — about 21,000, in a newly expanded stadium — have been sold, though thousands were available for resale on secondary markets Friday morning.It’s unclear how much Messi, a World Cup champion for Argentina and someone who Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham calls the best player ever, will be on the field in his debut. He signed a 2-1/2 year contract with Inter Miami this past weekend, and the deal will pay him between $50 million and $60 million annually. That will almost certainly work out to more than $1 million per match.He was introduced to his new home fans on Sunday and officially trained for the first time as a member of the club Tuesday.Messi made the decision in June to join Inter Miami and come to Major League Soccer. He considered a...