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‘I feel helpless’: Pajaro evacuees left in limbo as Monterey County crews race to plug levee

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:16:32 GMT

PAJARO — As murky brown floodwaters began receding from the inundated Monterey County farmworker community of Pajaro, residents grasped for aid Tuesday and voiced frustration at the possibility that they and thousands of other evacuees could remain out of their homes for weeks, possibly longer.More than three days after the levee at the head of the Pajaro Valley burst, evacuees remained in a state of limbo while emergency crews worked to plug the rupture that had spilled water over 3 square miles of houses and farmland. Their work came as yet another atmospheric river storm hit California — exacerbating the region’s flood risk and further complicating efforts to bring an end to the crisis.About 21,000 residents remain under evacuation orders or warnings across Monterey County, including 2,000 people forced from more than 800 homes in the community of Pajaro, according to Sheriff Tina Nieto. County officials opened two more shelters after the temporary housing at th...

Farmers fear massive losses from Pajaro flood

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:16:32 GMT

Like so many in the fertile Pajaro Valley where livelihoods are linked to the rhythms of the growing season, Fabiola Alcaraz is anxiously eyeing the calendar as fields and equipment that deliver a bounty of beautiful red strawberries and raspberries sit under several feet of muddy floodwater.She manages a cold storage unit in Pajaro that keeps the freshly picked berries cool as they await shipment to grocers throughout the Bay Area and beyond. But a breach longer than a football field that severed a levee upstream during Saturday rainstorms spilled floodwater through the town and into the nearby farms.A breach in the Pajaro River Levee floods the town of Pajaro and farmland. (Shmuel Thaler/ Santa Cruz Sentinel) Within weeks, strawberries will be coming in from other farms along the coast that were spared the brunt of the storm’s wrath.“We need to get back as soon as possible,” Alcaraz said. “We grow strawberries half a mile north and south of Pajaro, and...

Biden says Jimmy Carter asked him to deliver his eulogy

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:16:32 GMT

By Bill Barrow | Associated PressATLANTA — President Joe Biden says he plans to deliver the eulogy at the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter, who remains under hospice care at his home in south Georgia.Biden told donors at a California fundraiser Monday evening about his “recent” visit to see the 39th president, whom he has known since he was a young Delaware senator supporting Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign.“He asked me to do his eulogy,” Biden said, before stopping himself from saying more. “Excuse me, I shouldn’t say that.”Carter, who at 98 is the longest-lived U.S. president, announced Feb. 18 that he would spend his remaining days at home receiving end-of-life care, forgoing further medical intervention after a series of short hospital stays. The Carter Center in Atlanta and the former president’s family members have not disclosed details of his condition, though Biden alluded to Carter’s 2015 cancer diagnos...

Bay Area storm updates: Nearly 300K PG&E customers without power

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:16:32 GMT

(KRON) -- Nearly 300,000 PG&E customers are without power after heavy rain and strong winds that disturbed the morning commute led to hazardous conditions across the Bay Area Tuesday. The excessive rainfall from the latest storm could bring the potential for heavy flooding as well as downed trees and power lines. The rain is expected to dry up by Wednesday and Thursday before some more showers for St. Patrick's Day weekend, according to KRON4 meteorologist John Shrable. Walmart big rig overturns on Richmond-San Rafael bridge, causes lane closures The National Weather Service also issued a High Wind Warning for the entire Bay Area effective Monday night through Wednesday morning. Peak gusts in the valleys are expected to reach between 40 and 50 miles per hour while coastal gusts are expected to reach between 55 to 70 miles per hour.Tuesday, March 145:50 p.m. -- Strong winds knock down trees in Union CityKRON4's Justin Campbell reports from the scene. 5: 38 p.m. -- Do...

Eastbound 580 reopens to all vehicles after big rigs overturned on Richmond-San Rafael Bridge

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:16:32 GMT

RICHMOND, Calif. (KRON) -- Several big rigs, including a Walmart truck, were flipped over on the Richmond-San Rafael bridge due to wind on Tuesday afternoon, causing injuries and road closures in the area, according to the San Rafael Police Department. Bay Area storm updates: atmospheric river impacts traffic, downs trees As of 5:25 p.m., the eastbound lanes have been reopened to regular traffic, according to the California Highway Patrol Marin. The eastbound side of Interstate 580 thru the Richmond-San Rafael bridge had been closed until the overturned trucks could be moved after the wind died down, SRPD says. Drivers were asked to use State Route 37 or the Bay Bridge as alternate routes.(Photo courtesy of CHP)Traffic from Sir Francis Drake Boulevard at Anderson Street was also being rerouted. The Main Street entrance to I-580 eastbound was closed, according to CHP. Photos from the scene showed crews with chains hooked up to the Walmart big rig as they prepared to bring the truc...

PHOTOS: Van full of marijuana explodes on Highway 101 in Santa Rosa

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:16:32 GMT

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KRON) -- First responders were already busy with storm-related emergencies on Tuesday when a van exploded and caught fire on Highway 101.Santa Rosa Fire Department firefighters saw the flaming van on Highway 101's onramp at 3rd Street at 9:34 a.m. Big rigs toppled by wind on Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Once firefighters doused the fire, they found "several 55-gallon bags full of marijuana 'shake' soaked in butane," SRFD wrote. The driver suffered burn injuries and was transported to a hospital.(Image courtesy SRFD) Butane is a highly explosive material used to convert marijuana plants into oil, also known as "dabs" or "wax." (Image courtesy SRFD) The Santa Rosa Fire HazMat Team assisted SRPD with the explosion investigation and ensured additional hazards were mitigated before reopening the onramp.

Georgia’s Smart insists he has not lost control of program

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:16:32 GMT

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia coach Kirby Smart insists he has not lost control of a program that has produced back-to-back national championships but has been rocked by offseason arrests and a car crash that claimed the lives of a player and a recruiting staffer.“There’s no lack of control for our program,” Smart said Tuesday before the Bulldogs’ first spring practice.“… Our guys do make mistakes. That historically is probably going to happen when you have 18 to 22 year-olds. Our job as coaches is to prevent that from happening and that starts with me and you do it with how you educate your players and how you discipline your players and we’ll continue to do that at a high standard.”Wednesday’s pro day on campus for NFL general managers and coaches will feature defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who is regarded as one of the top picks in the NFL draft on April 27. Carter’s draft outlook has been potentially clouded by misdemeanor charges of racing and reckless driv...

Yoenis Céspedes leaves Cuban team for personal reasons

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:16:32 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Former major leaguer Yoenis Céspedes has left the Cuban team at the World Baseball Classic for unspecified personal reasons.The Cuban Baseball Federation, in a statement from Havana, gave few details about his departure for the United States but said he might rejoin the team if Cuba reaches the semifinals in Miami.Cuba faced Australia on Wednesday in a quarterfinal game in Tokyo with the winner going to Miami.Cuba won its last two games in Group A playing in Taiwan to advance. Cuba lost its first two games in Group A, but won its last two. Céspedes did not play in the last two games and was hitless in the first two.This is the the first World Baseball Classic in which the Cuban team has been comprised of players residing in Cuba, and others playing abroad in the United States and other countries.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Beard declines to discuss Texas exit at Ole Miss intro

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:16:32 GMT

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi on Tuesday introduced new basketball coach Chris Beard, who repeatedly declined to discuss specifics regarding his December domestic violence arrest that led to his eventual firing at Texas.“Respectfully, Randi (Trew) and I have agreed not to talk about the details of what happened, not only that night, but in the nights we went through during this process,” Beard said. “But what I can tell you is that much of what was reported is not accurate, and that has been proven with the case being dismissed and the charges being dropped, and also Randi’s statement on December 23. I think that statement speaks for itself.”Beard’s two-year tenure at alma mater Texas ended abruptly in January, though felony domestic charges were ultimately dismissed on Feb. 15. A prosecutor said his office determined that the charge of assault by strangulation/suffocation-family violence could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.Texas suspended Beard after his Dec. 12 ...

Pearl launches Virginia high school tutoring partnership with four HBCUs

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:16:32 GMT

Pearl, a Richmond company behind an all-in-one tutor management platform, is partnering with the Urban League chapters of Greater Richmond and Hampton Roads on a program that will employ hundreds of students at four historically Black colleges and universities as tutors and mentors to middle and high school students. Pearl said it will initially support tutoring for nearly 1,500 students in the Hampton City School District and Petersburg City Public Schools over the next two years with plans to expand the program to schools in Richmond and “other districts in underserved communities.”The participating HBCUs include Norfolk State University, Hampton University, Virginia State University and Virginia Union University. The program has earned the endorsement of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who said in a statement the initiative is “the kind of collaborative, inventive partnership we want to see across the commonwealth to support our students.” Last year, Pearl closed a seed…Read the fu...