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Saratoga Winery plants milkweed for Monarch restoration

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:46 GMT

The 10 acres of vines at House Family Vineyards, located in the Saratoga hillside, has an intricate ecosystem.The cover crops improve soil health, owls and birds of prey keep the rodent population at bay, and the grapes grown there are turned into House’s wine. But the vineyard manager is adding a new population to the mix: milkweed.The floral plant is used to restore Monarch butterfly habitats across the globe. The species is in danger of extinction from threats to its habitat and food source, and Monarchs lay their eggs solely on milkweed.Vineyard manager Jonathan Goodling sourced 96 milkweed plants from Monarch Watch, a nonprofit education, conservation and research organization based at the University of Kansas.The nonprofit partners with businesses to plant milkweed restoration plants for free. Goodling said they had to wait a year for the organization to have the native milkweed species for the region.While the butterflies will be helping to pollinate plants at the vineyard, G...

How California’s overtime law threatens use of grazing goats to prevent wildfires

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:46 GMT

By TERRY CHEA | Associated PressWEST SACRAMENTO  — Hundreds of goats munch on long blades of yellow grass on a hillside next to a sprawling townhouse complex. They were hired to clear vegetation that could fuel wildfires as temperatures rise this summer.These voracious herbivores are in high demand to devour weeds and shrubs that have proliferated across California after a drought-busting winter of heavy rain and snow.“It’s a huge fuel source. If it was left untamed, it can grow very high. And then when the summer dries everything out, it’s perfect fuel for a fire,” said Jason Poupolo, parks superintendent for the city of West Sacramento, where goats grazed on a recent afternoon.Targeted grazing is part of California’s strategy to reduce wildfire risk because goats can eat a wide variety of vegetation and graze in steep, rocky terrain that’s hard to access. Backers say they’re an eco-friendly alternative to chemical herbicides or weed-whacking machines that are make noise and pollut...

Dare to bare: 20 of the world’s best nude beaches

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:46 GMT

By Joe Yogerst | CNNIt’s been a banner year for nudity around the globe.Berlin recently announced that women can now go topless at the German capital’s public swimming pools while Nantucket Island went topless last December after locals voted in favor of “gender equality on beaches.”After a multi-year Covid hiatus, the Free the Nipple campaign was back with topless parades in New York City, Vancouver, Paris and elsewhere. And the barely veiled female figure was the fashion statement du jour at the Met Gala, Milan Fashion Week, the BRIT Awards in London and other top-shelf events.Meanwhile, there are more places than ever to sun, swim or build sandcastles au naturel at clothing-optional beaches on every continent.From rocky coastlines to talcum-powder fine sands, and big city bays to secluded shores, there are now hundreds of beaches where it’s perfectly legal (or at least de facto legal) to frolic beside the sea in nothing more than your birthday suit.“Soft, smooth sand, warm ocean ...

One dead in shooting near Hwy-87 in San Jose

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:46 GMT

(BCN) -- San Jose police are on the scene of a shooting early Tuesday that injured two people and has closed at least one lane of northbound Highway 87 near Willow Street, according to a 4:52 a.m. tweet from police. Thousands of people drawn to sideshow in Alameda One man and one woman were injured in the shooting. Police confirmed to KRON4 that the man has been pronounced dead, and the shooting occurred at an encampment. No further information was immediately available.

USA Basketball to play host to Puerto Rico in World Cup tuneup at Las Vegas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:46 GMT

USA Basketball has finalized its schedule of exhibition games leading into this summer’s FIBA World Cup, announcing Tuesday that it will open the five-game slate against Puerto Rico in Las Vegas on Aug. 7.It will be the only World Cup warmup game in the U.S. for the Americans, a team that will be coached by Golden State’s Steve Kerr. His assistants are Miami’s Erik Spoelstra, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Tyronn Lue and Gonzaga’s Mark Few.The roster of NBA players is still being assembled.“Puerto Rico, obviously, we’re familiar with them,” said Grant Hill, managing director of USA Basketball’s men’s national team. “We’ve competed in the World Cup qualifiers, although neither team had their full heavy roster, if you will, its strongest roster. But it’s an opportunity to throw our guys into the fire. The games, the exhibition games, the lead-up, we’re going to get a lot of basketball in us before we play for real. And that’s good.”After the Puerto Rico game, the U.S. will leave for Malaga...

Jabeur bounces back at French Open, Ruud, Gauff and Russian teenager advance

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:46 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Ons Jabeur got a do-over on Court Philippe Chatrier at the French Open and won this time.A year after her first-round exit, the No. 7 seed beat Lucia Bronzetti 6-4, 6-1 Tuesday to help erase some bad memories for the Tunisian and answer questions about a recent calf injury.On his return to Roland Garros after badly damaging an ankle in the semifinals against Rafael Nadal last year, Alexander Zverev also advanced in straight sets. Jabeur, a crowd favorite in Paris, expressed relief in not repeating last year’s mistake, when she lost to Magda Linette of Poland.“I was pretty stressed, I’ve got to say,” Jabeur said. “But I was just trying to play my game. The most important thing for me was to feel healthy and to move well on the court.”Now she can focus on trying to win her first major. She was runner-up at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year.The 28-year-old Jabeur has battled injuries this season. She had knee surgery after the Australian Open, and was then ...

Stock market today: Wall Street is mixed as DC moves to avoid default

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:46 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting in mixed trading Tuesday after Washington reached a tentative deal to avoid a potentially disastrous default on its debt.The S&P 500 was up 0.2% in morning trading, remaining near its highest level in nine months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 82 points, or 0.2%, at 33,010, as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, while excitement about artificial intelligence helped the Nasdaq composite lead the market with a 0.5% gain.President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy struck a deal over the weekend to allow the U.S. government to borrow more money, which would let it avoid a default on its debt. They now must convince Congress to approve it before the U.S. government runs out of cash to pay its bills, which could happen as soon as Monday.Some on Capitol Hill are unhappy about the deal’s details, and Biden and McCarthy are both working to gather votes. The House could vote on the matter Wednesday.The wide expectation on Wall Street ha...

Federal panel overrules another judge to pave the way for acceptance of Purdue Pharma’s settlement of US opioid lawsuits

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:46 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal panel overrules another judge to pave the way for acceptance of Purdue Pharma’s settlement of US opioid lawsuits.Source

Sevilla, Roma’s Mourinho put perfect European records on line in Europa League final

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:46 GMT

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A remarkable perfect record in European soccer must fall Wednesday when Sevilla faces José Mourinho’s Roma in the Europa League final.Sevilla has played six and won six finals of the Europa League, or the UEFA Cup as it was called when winning the first of those titles in 2006.Mourinho has a 5-0 career mark in finals of the three major European club competitions, dating back to the UEFA Cup triumph in 2003 with Porto.Mourinho actually has more European title wins than Sevilla coach José Luis Mendilibar has total games managed in those same competitions. The 62-year-old Mendilibar’s career is peaking since joining then-struggling Sevilla just two months ago.Only one record can survive their meeting at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest where the Europa League trophy is just the start of the rewards for the winning club.Neither Roma nor Sevilla can finish in the top four of their domestic leagues that would have ensured qualifying for the Champions League.Thei...

DC has fewer big conventions on the books, but that’s not a concern

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:46 GMT

Walter E. Washington Convention Center. (Courtesy Events DC)Business travel in the D.C. region and nationwide has made a comeback. It is still shy of pre-pandemic levels, but a recent survey by the American Hotel and Lodging Association shows it is getting closer.Of business travelers AHLA surveyed, 49% said the average length of business trips is now the same as before the pandemic, and 22% said it is more than before.When asked about travel budgets, 47% said the amount of spending their employer will cover for trips is the same as before the pandemic, while another 25% say it is more than before.AHLA’s online survey was open from April 28 to May 3 and it received responses from more than 4,100 participants.Business travel can include anything from one employee, to a team, to large conventions and conferences that draw employees from many companies and from all across the country.For the latter, this is shaping up to be a slower year for D.C.While the District expects strong ...