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Montebello tornado was strongest to hit L.A. metro area since 1983

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:14 GMT

A tornado that descended on Montebello Wednesday morning clocked in at 110 mph, making it the strongest weather event of its kind to impact the Los Angeles metro area in 40 years.The rare event, which developed rapidly and hit for two to three minutes around 11:20 a.m., was rated an EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. It was also .42 miles long and 50 yards wide, according to the National Weather Service. Montebello tornado was an EF1, touched down for 2 to 3 minutes, NWS says All that makes it the strongest tornado to hit the region since an F2 on March 1, 2023.By comparison, an EF0 tornado is considered weak, with a 65 to 85 mph wind speed, while an EF5 is considered violent at 200 mph wind speed, the weather service broke down.The last time an EF1 hit the L.A. metropolitan area was in Long Beach on Jan. 9, 1998, NWS officials shared.Wednesday’s tornado tore through portions of roof tops, sent signs flying, downed trees and damaged several cars.In all, 17 structures were damaged, ...

New flights will carry travelers from Burbank to Glacier National Park

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:14 GMT

Get ready to scratch an item off your bucket list.An affordable airline will soon be offering flights from Los Angeles County to one of America's most beautiful places: Glacier National Park.Avelo Airlines announced Wednesday it would be offering twice-weekly flights from Hollywood Burbank Airport to Glacier Park International Airport in Kalispell, Montana — just a short drive from the West entrance to Glacier.Glacier National Park was established in 1910 and is one of the oldest and most-visited parks in the National Park Service. It's home to 700 miles of trails and is known for its breathtaking views of "melting glaciers, alpine meadows, carved valleys, and spectacular lakes.""Glacier is a paradise for adventurous visitors seeking wilderness steeped in human history," the National Park Service said.Engineering marvel Going-to-the-Sun Road cuts through the middle of the park, but was designed to go relatively unnoticed. (Tim Rains/National Park Service)Grinnell Peak is reflected i...

Wildlife crossing construction to close lanes on both sides of 101 Freeway this weekend

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:14 GMT

Caltrans has announced that some lanes and ramps on the 101 Freeway in Ventura County will be closed starting Thursday night. The work is for the construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing at Liberty Canyon Road in Agoura Hills. The wildlife crossing will be the largest of its kind in the nation and is set to cost approximately $88 million, according to Caltrans. Beginning at 7 p.m. on Thursday night, the Liberty Canyon Road northbound on-ramp and one northbound lane will be closed, followed by a second northbound lane being closed at 8 p.m. By 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, three northbound lanes will be closed, leaving just one lane open for traffic. All lanes except for the entrance lane will be opened by 5 a.m. on Friday. The closures will affect the southbound lanes of the 101 Freeway as well, with the Liberty Canyon Road off-ramp being closed at 7 p.m. Thursday night and reopening at 6 a.m. Friday morning. One southbound lane will be closed at 8 p.m. and a second lan...

Parrot worth $2,500 stolen off porch in Santa Ana 

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:14 GMT

The Santa Ana Police Department is looking into the theft of a parrot off a front porch on Wednesday. According to the Santa Ana Police Department, a suspect approached the victim’s front porch around 1 p.m. and stole the family’s African Gray Parrot while it was in its cage. He is described as a “heavy-set Hispanic male possibly in his forties, wearing a charcoal gray hoodie, gray gloves and light gray sweatpants.” "A second suspect is believed to have assisted in the theft and is believed to be the driver,” authorities added. The second suspect is described as a male possibly wearing a tan bucket hat, a black hoodie and dark-colored pants.The suspects fled the scene in a red SUV, which police say was possibly a Ford Excursion. The stolen African Gray Parrot is worth about $2,500. Anyone with any information on this theft is asked to contact Detective A. Castro at 714-245-8345. 

Why California’s ‘best’ airport is also considered ‘scary’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:14 GMT

If you are boarding a plane to get to your spring break or summer destination, you may want to book a flight through this California airport.John Wayne Airport, located in Orange County, was considered to be the "second-best' airport in the U.S. due to its short wait times, with an average of six minutes, and high customer satisfaction rate. New airline coming to Orange County airport Experts at Travel Lens, an online travel publication, released a February report that looked at the 50 busiest airports in the U.S. and ranked them based on several factors, which include:Passenger satisfactionWait timeGoogle review scoresCO2 emissionsResearchers used data from the Federal Aviation Administration, J.D. Power, AWT, Google Maps and Airport Tracker to rank the airports. Video shows Delta jet catch fire just before takeoff at John Wayne Airport The Top 10 best airports in the U.S.Southwest Florida InternationalJohn Wayne Airport Portland International Tampa International Dallas Love F...

1 million take to the streets in France as protests grow

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:14 GMT

By Alexander Turnbull, Nicolas Garriga and Elaine Ganley | Associated PressPARIS — French unions called for new nationwide strikes and protests next week, which will coincide with King Charles III’s planned visit to France, after more than 1 million people demonstrated throughout the country Thursday against unpopular pension reforms.The Interior Ministry said the march in Paris — marred by violence, as were numerous marches elsewhere — drew 119,000 people which was a record for the capital during the pension protests. Polls show that most French oppose President Emmanuel Macron’s bill to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64, which he says is necessary to keep the system afloat.Building on the strong turnout, unions swiftly called for new protests and strikes on Tuesday when the British king is scheduled to visit Bordeaux on the second day of his trip to France. The heavy wooden door of the Bordeaux City Hall was set afire and destroyed Thursday evening by a members...

Legendary Bay Area high school basketball coach Don Lippi is retiring

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:14 GMT

ALAMEDA — Don Lippi, one of California’s all-time winningest high school boys basketball coaches, announced on Thursday that he is retiring.Lippi, 75, has spent the past two decades at St. Joseph Notre Dame, leading the Alameda school to four state championships, three in Division V and one in Division IV.Before that, Lippi coached at St. Ignatius, Skyline, St. Patrick-St. Vincent and the school where he began and ended his 43-year run, St. Joseph.“I try to live every day to make every day great for some student, player, coach, parent or stranger,” Lippi said in the school’s news release. “God gave me a big heart and I want to share that with others.”According to Cal-Hi Sports’ record book, Lippi finished with 914 victories and 319 losses, ranking him fourth among California boys basketball coaches in wins.Only Mater Dei-Santa Ana’s Gary McKnight (1,243), Damien-La Verne’s Mike LeDuc (1,044) and Westchester-Los Angeles’ Ed Azzam (932) have w...

Utah Gov. signs bill requiring parental OK for social media

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:14 GMT

By Samantha Murphy Kelly | CNNThe governor of Utah signed a controversial bill on Thursday that will require minors to obtain the consent of a guardian before joining social media platforms, marking the most aggressive step yet by state or federal lawmakers to protect kids online.As part of the bill, called the Utah Social Media Regulation Act, social media platforms will have to conduct age verification for all Utah residents, ban all ads for minors and impose a curfew, making their sites off limits between the hours of 10:30 p.m. – 6:30 a.m. for anyone under the age of 18. The bill will also require social platforms to give parents access to their teens’ accounts.The legislation, which was introduced by Republican Sen. Michael McKell and passed by Republican Governor Spencer Cox, will go into effect on March 1, 2024.“When it comes down to it, [the bill] is about protecting our children,” McKell said in a statement to CNN, citing how depression, anxiety and ...

TikTok CEO grilled by skeptical lawmakers in Congress

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:14 GMT

By Haleluya Hadero and Farnoush Amiri | Associated PressWASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers grilled the CEO of TikTok over data security and harmful content Thursday, responding skeptically during a tense committee hearing to his assurances that the hugely popular video-sharing app prioritizes user safety and should not be banned.Shou Zi Chew’s rare public appearance came at a crucial time for the company, which has 150 million American users but is under increasing pressure from U.S. officials. TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, have been swept up in a wider geopolitical battle between Beijing and Washington over trade and technology.In a bipartisan effort to rein in the power of a major social media platform, Republican and Democratic lawmakers pressed Chew on a host of topics, ranging from TikTok’s content moderation practices, how the company plans to secure American data from Beijing, and its spying on journalists.“Mr. Chew, you are here because the Ame...

Young San Jose chefs dish out their best for competition

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:14 GMT

They may not be able to reach the top shelf of a pantry without help, but the eight elementary school students taking part in the finals of the Future Chefs Challenge for San Jose Unified School District this week sure can cook.The young chefs — all in third or fourth grade — put together their favorite dishes Tuesday at Gunderson High School for a panel of judges with hopes of moving onto the next stage of the national competition, which is sponsored by Sodexo, the food service company that manages San Jose Unified’s school cafeterias.Cruz Skinner, a 10-year-old fourth-grader from Schallenberger Elementary, took first place in the contest with “Cruz’s ZuccCorn Fritters with Lemon Dill Dipping Sauce.” Second and third place went to a pair of fourth-graders at Graystone Elementary: Rohan Kedlaya, who made “CAULiforIndian Potatoez,” and Jacob Walsh, who made a “Persimmon Pop Salad.” Back when I was in fourth grade, I think my best ...