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Miller moth migration hits Colorado’s Front Range — but they’re not a nuisance, ecologists say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:19 GMT

Once reviled widely as a nuisance, the millions of miller moths migrating through cities along Colorado’s Front Range this week increasingly are seen as an ecological necessity.These native moths matter more than ever, entomologists say, because other pollinators, such as bees, are decreasing — which imperils native vegetation and potentially billions of dollars worth of agricultural food crops.The miller moths (Euxoa auxiliaris) come from Army cutworms, which turn into adult moths on the Eastern Plains before swarming into metro Denver and other urban areas. If not distracted by household and commercial light, each moth typically flies up to 100 miles, moving on into mountain foothills before July.They’re crucial food for birds, arriving just as newly-hatched chicks need protein. They become a major food source for bears foraging after emerging, hungry, from hibernation. And fuzzy moth bodies pick up and carry pollen from one flower to another, helping native plan...

Hollywood homeless encampment endangers students, parents say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:19 GMT

An encampment of homeless people that sits adjacent to a pair of schools in Hollywood has parents and city officials concerned for the students' safety.Perhaps the most problematic aspect of the encampment is that it blocks the sidewalk, forcing students from Selma Avenue Elementary School and Larchmont Charter School to walk in the street on their way to and from school.Footage from the scene shows multiple tents and multiple people, possibly students, stepping into the street to get around the encampment.In that same stretch of Selma Avenue, lines of cars wait to drop off and pick up children, forcing children to dodge traffic.School officials told KTLA they've called police multiple times about the encampment, including this week. The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that an arrest was made Monday after an altercation at the camp."Since March, we've had nine homeless-related incidents in the area, within about 500 foot radius of the school," said Capt. Ben Fernandes. "Out ...

California network anchor reveals why he stepped back from TV

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:19 GMT

He's a trailblazer in the TV news industry; the first Asian-American male to anchor a daily cable news program. Richard Lui was a rising star in the news industry when he landed his dream job at NBC and MSNBC News as an anchor. Soon after, he received devastating news. His father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He was soon faced with the difficult decision of whether or not he should, or could, become a caregiver for his father."I knew I wanted to take care of him," Lui said. "When he could no longer fight for himself, I really thought, 'OK, it's my turn.' And that would mean leaving New York and coming to California."Richard Lui caregiving for his father with Alzheimer's diseaseRichard Lui caregiving for his father with Alzheimer's diseaseRichard Lui as a boy with his fatherLui walked into his boss's office to tell her he needed to become a caregiver for his father, expecting to be let go from his job. Instead, his boss, Yvette Miley, said, "I'm taking care of my mom too, i...

One Hospitalized after Two-Vehicle Crash on Copperwood Drive [Citrus Heights, CA]

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:19 GMT

Rollover Crash in Citrus Heights Left One Person HurtCITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (May 18, 2023) – A two-vehicle crash on Copperwood Drive sent one person to a hospital Wednesday morning.Sacramento Metropolitan Fire units responded to the collision around 7:30 a.m. at the 8000 block of Copperwood Drive.Upon arrival, crews discovered two vehicles in the wreckage. Authorities said the impact caused one of the vehicles to roll onto its side and trapped one person.Eventually, rescuers maned to extricate the trapped occupant inside and transported the to a hospital for moderate injuries.At this time, the circumstances that led up to the collision and the total number of parties involved remain unclear.No further details regarding the Copperwood Drive two-vehicle crash have been released to the public. Citrus Heights Officials will provide more information once available.One small driving mistake can lead to a two-vehicle crash. This is why it is important to drive defensively and always abid...

Oakland A’s final destination is unknown, but rookie Esteury Ruiz is getting somewhere in a hurry

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:19 GMT

Esteury Ruiz is in a hurry to get somewhere, and we’re not talking about Oakland or Las Vegas.The Athletics’ leadoff hitter poked what appeared to be a single to right field Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks and slid head-first easily into second base with a double.Ruiz, through a translator, maintains he wasn’t even the fastest player on his Little League team in the Dominican Republic. Hard to believe when he chased down two potential would-be hits by Arizona’s Emmanuel Rivera.National headlines regarding the Athletics have focused on their 10-35 record, empty seats at the dilapidated Coliseum and the responsibility of silent owner John Fisher for putting a once-proud franchise in an impossible position while attempting to flee to Las Vegas.The success of the A’s sell-offs as Fisher stripped the franchise is well known — Chris Bassitt, Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Sean Murphy and others.For anyone paying attention, Ruiz, who came to the A&...

Fire crews put out 5-acre blaze near Highway 4 in Martinez

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:19 GMT

MARTINEZ — A wildfire that broke out near Highway 4 on Thursday morning offered a reminder to fire crews — both good and bad — of what may lay ahead as a result of an extraordinary winter of rain and snow.The good: Vegetation that’s still lush and green at the top of East Bay hills slowed the fire, which started about 10 a.m. adjacent to the highway between the Alhambra Avenue and McEwen Road exits. Contra Costa Fire Protection District crews contained the fire in 20 minutes and were mopping up by noon, spokesman Fire Prevention Capt. Joe Ottolini said.The bad: “The vegetation is really high,” Ottolini said. “The fuels haven’t completely dried out, but when they do …”The fire burned on the hills adjacent to the westbound part of the highway, a mostly desolate area of medium-sized hills. No structures were threatened, Ottolini said.“The (vegetation) fuels were facing the south right there on the grade,” he said. “So what hap...

New Cured: Fish Bar to bring raw local seafood and sake to Livermore

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:19 GMT

Frances Catano and Joe Tomaszak have long been fans of raw bars, with their bountiful array of oysters, clams, mussels and sushi. “We live out here in Sunol and have worked in San Francisco for 10 years or so,” says Catano, “and sad to say, we don’t have anywhere here in this area that we can pop in before dinner or on a sunny day for raw-bar bites.”This fall, they hope to plug that hole in Tri-Valley seafood coverage with a restaurant in Livermore where people can slurp down oysters, munch tasty bread and butter and savor a nice glass of wine – or, in this case, also sake. Cured: Fish Bar at 136 Maple St. is the next step in the duo’s food-industry journey after working in buzzy Japanese restaurants like San Francisco’s Robin, Rintaro, the dear departed ICHI Sushi and Los Angeles’ Ototo. They hope to show off both Tomaszak’s chops as a sushi chef and Catano’s wide experience in the beverage realm.“While technically conside...

Single family residence sells in Alameda for $1.6 million

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:19 GMT

1449 Sixth Street – Google Street ViewA historic house located in the 1400 block of Sixth Street in Alameda has a new owner. The 1,458-square-foot property, built in 1910, was sold on April 3, 2023, for $1,550,000, or $1,063 per square foot. The property features three bedrooms, one bathroom, and a garage sits on a 4,770-square-foot lot. 

Oakland man takes plea deal in 2020 homicide over missing $5,000

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:19 GMT

OAKLAND — A 43-year-old Oakland resident has taken a plea deal on charges that he killed a man who’d allegedly taken $5,000 from his relative, court records show.Willie Pope pleaded no contest to manslaughter with a gun enhancement, and in exchange prosecutors dropped a murder charge against him. On June 6, he is scheduled to be formally sentenced to 19 years in state prison, court records show.Pope was charged with murder in the death of 25-year-old Sean Phillip Collins, who was shot and killed around 12:45 p.m. on March 15, 2020 outside a store on the the 9700 block of Edes Avenue. Pope was identified as a suspect in part by the relative who complained that Collins owed her $5,000, according to court records.During Pope’s 2021 preliminary hearing, Pope’s family member testified that she’d dated Collins — who went by the nickname “Gunna” — and that he took $5,000 from her. She testified he’d offered her marijuana for the missing money...

Review: In ‘Chinglish’ at SF Playhouse, mistranslation spells hilarity

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:19 GMT

You’ve probably seen photos of bafflingly mistranslated English signs in China, some of which couldn’t be quoted in a family newspaper. “Chinglish,” David Henry Hwang’s comedy now onstage at San Francisco Playhouse, uses those risible flubs as a jumping-off point for a masterful series of reversals about language, different cultural expectations, American complacency and the social complexities of doing business in China.In fact, the play begins with a seminar exactly about doing business in China from a white American man with a salesman’s veneer of easy amiability and warmth. This is Daniel Cavanaugh, played by Michael Barrett Austin with an endearing air of bewilderment and the persistence to carry on anyway.We quickly dive deep into Daniel’s own experience trying to pitch his sign-making family firm to city officials in a mid-level Chinese city. He quickly finds that his practiced sales pitch is of limited usefulness when everything’s filtered and warped by translation and subte...