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New map shows 44% of California is no longer in a drought

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:26 GMT

Drought conditions continue to ease across California thanks to the relentless battering of rain and snowstorms dating back to early in the season.Data released by the U.S. Drought Monitor on Thursday show 44% of the Golden State is completely clear of any drought classification - an improvement from 27% just a week ago. Maps showing conditions on March 14 (left) and March 7, 2023. (U.S. Drought Monitor)Roughly 36% of California is still experiencing “moderate drought” conditions while 8%, mostly the southeastern desert regions and the northeastern corner of the state, is still in a “severe drought,” the map shows. The remaining 10% is experiencing “abnormally dry” conditions.This also appears to be the first time in three years that Los Angeles and San Francisco have been free of any drought classification.A series of atmospheric rivers since December have pushed snowpack levels well above seasonal averages in the Sierra Nevada. “By March 13, season-to-date snowfall at th...

Planet Palooza: When 5 planets will be visible in the night sky

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:26 GMT

Calling all astronomy enthusiasts! The end of March is going to be a great time to planet gaze. Five planets will be visible on March 28: Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury and Uranus.Venus will be one of the easier ones to see. It will be the biggest planet in the sky. Look to the west to see Venus after sunset.Mars will also be easier to identify. It will appear red and bright, high in the southwest sky. The planets Venus, bottom, and Jupiter, top, light the sky above Matthews, N.C., Monday, June 29, 2015. NASA says a similar sight — Jupiter and Mars close together in the night sky — can be viewed this coming weekend. (Chuck Burton/Associated Press)Jupiter, the second brightest planet (next to Venus), won't be as easy to spot. Jupiter was high in the sky earlier this month but has been slowly descending. To view Jupiter, you'll need to have a clear and obstruction-free view of the western horizon. Mercury will also be close to Jupiter. It is set to make its pass of Jupiter on March 27...

California lottery player wins over $2 million from Mega Millions ticket

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:26 GMT

A California lottery player just became a millionaire after winning over $2 million from a Mega Millions ticket that was purchased in Southern California, the California Lottery Office announced Wednesday.The lucky ticket was purchased at Home Style Donuts located at 12840 Pioneer Blvd. in Norwalk. Multiple California residents win a combined amount of $7 million from scratcher games Home Style Donut owner, An Chao, was ecstatic to learn that her donut shop sold a winning lottery ticket, which was the largest monetary value lottery ticket the shop has ever sold, according to a news release.The shop, which has been a part of the Norwalk community for 20 years, received an $11,483 bonus for the lottery ticket sale.The winner, whose identity wasn’t disclosed, won the second place prize after their ticket matched five out of the six numbers during Tuesday night's drawing, missing out on the Mega number. Some California lottery winners not claiming prizes; unclaimed tickets add up to...

Get Possessed at the Whisky

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:26 GMT

Get Possessed at the Whisky: Of all the bands that were a part of the original Bay Area thrash metal scene, Possessed were the most extreme, and the one that actually went on to influence countless death metal and even black metal bands. We have that to thank them for, as they prepare for this Whisky show. Dark as Death, GraveDanger, Disciples of Death, Exitosus, Crogol, and Putrescence also perform.Possessed has been on and off over the years, first forming in ’83 and breaking up in ’87 (Primus’ Larry LaLonde was the guitarist for most of that time), then active from ’90 to ’93, and finally reforming in 2007 and sticking it out.1985’s Seven Churches is their classic, while 2019’s Revelations of Oblivion is the third and most recent album.Back in 2019, Rob Cardenas of Possessed spoke to us about some of his greatest concert experiences: “Bolt Thrower touring Warmaster in Pomona needs to be mentioned. How about Metallica at the Troubado...

Newsom: California cities, counties plan to reduce homelessness 15% by 2025

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:26 GMT

California’s cities and counties have set new goals of reducing homelessness 15% statewide by 2025, making them eligible for a new round of $1 billion in funding, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced Thursday.To help speed along their efforts, Newsom also unveiled a new statewide strategy aimed at moving people out of the massive homeless encampments that have become common sights in many California cities. His office will deploy 1,200 “small homes” as temporary homeless housing throughout the state — including 200 in San Jose.Los Angeles will receive 500 of Newsom’s small homes, San Diego County will receive 150 and Sacramento will receive 250. None will go to San Francisco or Oakland, both of which are grappling with large homeless populations.The state will cover the full cost of the homes — including installation — and the National Guard will help deliver them. But local governments will be responsible for providing the services pe...

‘Where was Tom Cruise?’ David Letterman asks Jimmy Kimmel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:26 GMT

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show Wednesday, David Letterman had nothing but praise for the way Kimmel hosted the Academy Awards ceremony Sunday night, saying the show has “never been more successful.”But Letterman asked a question that’s been on many people’s minds since the Oscars. “Here’s something that may be a little sensitive,” Letterman said to Kimmel.  “Where was Tom Cruise?”Letterman also said Tom Cruise — “Mr. Big Shot” — “should have been there.”David Letterman grilling Jimmy Kimmel on why Tom Cruise want at The Oscar’s pic.twitter.com/k7h4NUdl6f— Navy (@TomCruiseNavy) March 16, 2023As Kimmel noted during his opening monologue at the Oscars, Cruise wasn’t going to make it to the show, even though he was nominated for a best-picture award, as a producer for “Top Gun: Maverick.” By shepherding “Top Gun” into a $1.48 billion worldwide theatrical bl...

San Francisco no longer in drought according to latest data

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:26 GMT

Drought conditions continue to ease across California thanks to the relentless battering of rain and snowstorms dating back to early in the season.Data released by the U.S. Drought Monitor on Thursday shows 44% of the Golden State is completely clear of any drought classification - an improvement from 27% just a week ago. Maps showing conditions on March 14 (left) and March 7, 2023. (U.S. Drought Monitor)Roughly 36% of California is still experiencing “moderate drought” conditions while 8%, mostly the southeastern desert regions and the northeastern corner of the state, is still in a “severe drought,” the data shows. The remaining 10% is experiencing “abnormally dry” conditions. When will it stop raining in California? Here’s what meteorologists are saying This also appears to be the first time in three years that Los Angeles and San Francisco have been free of any drought classification.A series of atmospheric rivers since December have pushed snowpack levels well above seas...

What’s the next step for Black reparations in San Francisco?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:26 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco supervisors have backed the idea of paying reparations to Black people, but whether members will agree to lump-sum payments of $5 million to every eligible person or to any of the more than 100 other recommendations made by an advisory committee won't be known until later this year.The idea of Black reparations is not new, but the federal government's promise of granting 40 acres and a mule to newly freed slaves was never realized. It wasn't until George Floyd, a Black man, was killed in police custody in 2020 that reparations movements began spreading in earnest across the country. Stanford employee arrested after allegedly lying about being raped twice on campus The state of California and the cities of Boston and San Francisco are among jurisdictions trying to atone not just for chattel slavery, but for decades of racist policies and laws that systemically denied Black Americans access to property, education and the ability to build ...

Ready for Love: Rodgers’ exit would mean new era for Packers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:26 GMT

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst valued Jordan Love’s potential enough three years ago to trade up in the draft and select him in the first round, catching the Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback already on Green Bay’s roster by surprise.Love finally has a chance to show he was worth the gamble.Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers said Wednesday on “The Pat McAfee Show” on YouTube and SiriusXM that he intends to play for the New York Jets in the 2023 season and is waiting for the Packers to trade him. Assuming that move is made, Love will take over as Green Bay’s starting quarterback.“We’re excited about him,” Gutekunst said Feb. 28 during the NFL scouting combine. “I think I’ve expressed to a lot of people that he needs to play. That’s the next step in his progression.”Love’s two predecessors set quite the standard.The Packers have had three decades of Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback production from Brett Favre and Rodgers, who won a combined seven MVP awards during their time in G...

Metallica buys vinyl record factory in Alexandria

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:26 GMT

Eric Astor, president and founder of Furnace Record Pressing, says 1,700 units is considered an average run for his presses. (WTOP/Tiffany Arnold)The iconic heavy metal band Metallica has purchased the Furnace Record Pressing factory in Alexandria, Virginia, according to a statement from shop founder and CEO Eric Astor.With purchases of vinyl well surpassing CDs over the past few years, Metallica had already drafted the pressing company to provide thousands of vinyls. Since 2014, Furnace has produced more than 5 million vinyl LPs for the Grammy Award-winning band.See WTOP’s photo gallery of the Furnace Record Pressing factory in Alexandria, Va.The announcement came as the Metallica shared plans to release their new album, “72 Seasons,” this April.According to Billboard magazine, Metallica sold over 900,000 vinyl records in 2022 alone. Roughly half of those sales were in the United States.Astor, who has run the shop for over 26 years, said the new ownership wouldn&#...