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As the COVID-19 health emergency ends, experts say a less-deadly pandemic likely in next 25 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:11 GMT

There’s some good news about the COVID-19 pandemic.Experts once believed the SARS-CoV-2 virus would be an ongoing threat years or decades into the future. But they now think the worst of it is over — forever.With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting COVID-19 has caused more than 1.1 million deaths in the United States since its outbreak in early 2020, the federal government on Thursday, May 11,  declared the health emergency over. As civilization continues to move into environments where only animals, and their diseases, previously dwelled, it’s almost certain other diseases will jump to humans. But the odds of one of them being as serious as COVID-19 seems low, experts say.“I think 2023 will be the end of the general concern” about COVID-19, said Dr. Jeffrey D. Klausner, a professor of medicine, infectious diseases, population and public health at the University of Southern California.Government agencies are ending their coronavirus states of emergency. San Bern...

Lyft driver arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and sexually assaulting 15-year-old California girl

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:11 GMT

A 30-year-old Lyft driver from Orange was arrested on Wednesday after he was accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in Santa Ana, police said.The attack allegedly occurred in April, when Lyft driver Fredi Rojas kidnapped the girl from the area of 1200 North Bewely after she flagged him down and asked for a cell phone charger, according to authorities. Rojas stopped and offered to help the girl before forcing her into his car and driving to a nearby parking lot, where he sexually assaulted her, police said.After that, Rojas drove the girl to a different location and dropped her off. He was driving a white Nissan Rogue rental car at the time, according to police. Authorities do not believe the girl was a customer.Police say there may be additional victims and urge anyone with information to contact Detective Amanda Miller at 714-245-8363 or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Search ongoing for b...

Search ongoing for boy, 4, after sister, 8, dies in California river closed after storms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:11 GMT

SANGER — Rescuers who recovered the body of an 8-year-old girl Sunday were searching for her 4-year-old brother after the siblings were carried away by the current of a California river that was off limits because of high water levels, authorities said.Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters responded around 2 p.m. Sunday to the Kings River in Sanger, about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from Pine Flat Dam, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said.The girl was found dead less than an hour later by rescuers using boats and a helicopter. They did not immediately say how the child died.The boy had not been found and a search was ongoing, the sheriff’s office said Sunday night.The children, who were not wearing life jackets, entered the water with their mother and another adult while trying to make their way to climb on a specific rock.The Kings and San Joaquin rivers have been closed to recreational users since March 14 because heavy winter storms and melting snow created high water levels and haz...

Pac-12 media rights: How to interpret a recent series of public comments by campus officials

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:11 GMT

The timing of it all makes perfect sense.No, not that timing. Not the timing of the Pac-12’s media rights deal, which has been extended far beyond what was originally forecast and might not be completed for many more weeks.Instead, we’re referring to the timing of on-the-record comments about the negotiations by those in the know. The utterances fit perfectly within the larger saga.The conference held its annual double-shot of spring meetings in the first half of May. The athletic directors gathered in Scottsdale (with coaches) during the first week, then came the quarterly board meeting of university presidents on May 15 in Seattle.Both agendas included updates from commissioner George Kliavkoff on media rights negotiations and conference expansion.Kliavkoff hasn’t spoken publicly about the topics for six months, and that didn’t change following the May meetings. But two athletic directors and one president addressed the situation, thus providing fans and me...

Palo Alto Mayor Lydia Kou launches bid for state assembly seat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:11 GMT

(BCN) -- Palo Alto Mayor Lydia Kou stumbled into politics accidentally as an active member of her community--now she wants to run for higher office. Kou declared her candidacy for state Assembly on Monday. She will run against incumbent Marc Berman who represents District 23, which includes Mountain View, Palo Alto, most of Menlo Park, Pacifica, Half Moon Bay, Saratoga and Campbell. Her focus is on ending the state's housing crisis through short-term transitional housing and long-term affordable housing with supportive services for drug addiction and mental health. California has the largest homeless population in the nation with more than 171,000 people, according to the Annual Homeless Assessment to Congress. There are approximately 10,000 homeless residents in Santa Clara County. Kou opposes Senate Bill 9, which ended exclusionary single-family zoning statewide and enforced a government approval process to subdivide parcels of land. She aims to tackle street safety by...

NBA Playoffs: The conference finals might be finished in record time

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:11 GMT

The NBA conference finals might be finished faster than anyone expected.Faster than ever, too.There has never been a pair of 4-0 sweeps in the third round of the NBA playoffs, but the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat are in position to change that. The Nuggets lead the Los Angeles Lakers 3-0 in the Western Conference finals; the Heat lead the Boston Celtics 3-0 in the Eastern Conference finals.Denver can wrap up its series on Monday night in Los Angeles. Miami will aim to finish off a sweep on Tuesday, at home.Since the NBA started calling this round the “conference finals” in 1971, the fewest games needed to decide the champions of the East and West was nine.That happened on four occasions — 1974 (Boston beat New York 4-1 in the East, Milwaukee beat Chicago 4-0 in the West), 1986 (Boston beat Milwaukee 4-0 in the East, Houston beat the Lakers 4-1 in the West), 2015 (Cleveland beat Atlanta 4-0 in the East, Golden State beat Houston 4-1 in the West) and 2017 (Cleveland beat Boston 4-1 i...

World Cup final referee Marciniak picked for Champions League final duty

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:11 GMT

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — After refereeing the World Cup final in December, Szymon Marciniak of Poland was picked Monday to officiate the Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan.UEFA selected Marciniak to complete a rare feat on June 10 in Istanbul of refereeing the biggest finals in national team and European club soccer in the same season.The 42-year-old Pole won praise for his handling of Argentina’s World Cup win over France in a penalty shootout in Doha, Qatar.The first World Cup-Champions League final double was done by English referee Howard Webb in 2010.Marciniak handled games with both Champions League finalists in the knockout rounds — Manchester City’s 4-0 win over Real Madrid in the semifinals and Inter Milan’s 0-0 draw at Porto in the round of 16.UEFA also picked referees for its three other finals.Anthony Taylor of England will referee the Europa League final between Sevilla and Roma on May 31 in Budapest, Hungary.At age 47, Carlos del Cerro Grand...

FIFA extends rule to let players, coaches suspend contracts with Ukrainian, Russian clubs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:11 GMT

ZURICH (AP) — FIFA extended a rule Monday that lets players and coaches continue to suspend their contracts with clubs in Ukraine and Russia for another season, even while it faces a legal challenge from Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk.FIFA first passed the temporary measure less than two weeks after Russia’s war in Ukraine started in February 2022, saying it was “to protect foreign players and coaches who have left the territory of Ukraine or Russia due to the conflict and who do not wish to currently return in view of the circumstances.”It was renewed one year ago and will now be extended through June 2024, though not for players and coaches who joined clubs in those countries or extended their existing contracts after the first FIFA decision in March last year. The FIFA rule is unpopular with Ukrainian and Russian clubs who said letting their players leave on loan left them with no protection and cost millions of dollars in lost transfer fees.Separate legal challenges were ...

Iglesia y dos edificios se incendian al noroeste de DC

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:11 GMT

Fue una noche ocupada para los bomberos en el noroeste de DC, luego de que una iglesia y dos edificios adyacentes se incendiaran el domingo.El fuego comenzó poco antes de las 7 p.m. en la cuadra 5200 de Georgia Avenue NW.Más de 100 bomberos respondieron al incendio mientras el humo salía de la parte superior de los edificios.“Nuestro mayor desafío fue evitar una mayor propagación del fuego”, afirmó Vito Maggiolo, portavoz del Departamento de Bomberos y Emergencias de DC.Nadie dentro de los edificios resultó herido, pero un bombero sufrió lesiones que no pusieron en peligro su vida.Karen Serpas, una trabajadora dentro del Restaurante y Bar Mariachi, grabó un video de las llamas.“Estaba lleno de humo y todos salimos corriendo”, expresó.Ambzam Misgina, propietario de un negocio que está a punto de abrir un restaurante unas puertas más abajo, dijo que se sorprendió cuando escuchó la noticia, pero agradeció que no fuera peor.“Vaya, estaba tan nervioso. Pensé que todo el edificio estaba e...

Turkey’s third-placed candidate endorses Erdogan in upcoming runoff presidential vote

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:11 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s third-placed candidate endorses Erdogan in upcoming runoff presidential vote.Source