A new mysterious metal monolith has appeared atop a mountain in California, just a week after a similar structure captured the imagination of the world when it was discovered in the deserts of Utah – before disappearing. Amid mounting international attention of the mystery, a similar structure was reportedly found in the mountains of Romania - before it disappeared as well
Continue reading...Category Archives: California
Covid and California’s farmworkers: study lays bare disproportionate risks
Primarily Latino workforce has contracted Covid-19 at nearly three times the rate of other residents
California’s agricultural workers have contracted Covid-19 at nearly three times the rate of other residents in the state, a new study has found, laying bare the risks facing those who keep a $50bn industry afloat.
Continue reading...New mystery metal monolith appears on a California mountaintop
Not long after a similar structure was discovered in a Utah desert, a silvery column has been found in Atascadero
A new mystery metal monolith has appeared atop a mountain in California, just a week after a similar structure captured the imagination of the world when it was discovered in the deserts of Utah – before being taken down and disappeared.
The local newspaper in the small town of Atascadero, on the central California coast, reported that the silvery column had been found atop Pine mountain where dozens of local hikers made the trip to view it – and post their pictures on the internet.
Continue reading...US braces for post-Thanksgiving Covid surge as 100,000 are hospitalized
Hospitalizations are at twice as many as in April and July spikes, while more than 150,000 test positive nearly every day
Americans are bracing for a surge in Covid-19 cases following the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, as the number of people hospitalized hit an all-time high on Wednesday.
More than 100,000 people are hospitalized, according to data from the Covid Tracking Project, the highest number yet recorded, and nearly twice as many people as were hospitalized at the peak of earlier coronavirus waves in April and July.
Continue reading...Los Angeles reverses plans to close Covid-19 testing site for film shoot
City faced widespread uproar over news that Union Station testing center would be closed for filming of She’s All That remake
Los Angeles reversed the planned closure of a downtown coronavirus testing site, after the news that the center would be closed because of a film shoot for the remake of the popular teen comedy She’s All That was met with widespread uproar.
Continue reading...Harvey Milk’s murder is a stark reminder of the persistence of police brutality
Few realize Milk and San Francisco mayor George Moscone were killed in part due to their opposition to police violence and abuse
Like millions around the world, last May the image of the Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killing George Floyd sickened and angered me and drove me to the streets to demonstrate in support of Black Lives Matter. It also reminded me of events that occurred in my hometown of San Francisco 42 years ago on Friday.
Many people know who Harvey Milk was, are familiar with his contributions to the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement and remember that he was assassinated on 27 November 1978 after being in office for less than a year. Fewer people are aware that one of the proximate reasons why Milk and San Francisco’s progressive mayor George Moscone were killed was because of their opposition to police violence and abuse.
Continue reading...California enacts coronavirus curfew for majority of state’s 40m residents
Governor Gavin Newsom announced the stay-at-home order for all non-essential work and gatherings from 10pm to 5 am
California is imposing a curfew affecting nearly all of its 40 million residents beginning this weekend, as the state tries to control a surge in coronavirus cases.
The state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, announced what officials are describing as a limited stay-at-home order on Thursday, saying that all nonessential work and gathering must stop from 10pm to 5am. The order will apply to the 41 counties currently in the most restrictive tier of reopening rules, which accounts for 94% of the state’s 40 million residents.
Continue reading...Naya Rivera drowning: wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of Glee actor’s son
Lawsuit alleges boats lacked safety equipment and that there were no warning signs around California lake where she died in July
A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed over the drowning of Glee actor Naya Rivera, who died in July while boating with her four-year-old son on a lake in California.
The suit was filed on Tuesday against Ventura County and managers of Lake Piru over her accidental death on 8 July at the lake north-west of Los Angeles. It was filed on behalf of her son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, by Ryan Dorsey — Rivera’s ex-husband and the boy’s father and guardian — and also on behalf of her estate.
Continue reading...US officials warn of tens of thousands more Covid deaths in coming weeks
- CDC warning comes amid threat of PPE and bed shortages
- New coronavirus cases increase with 150,000 on Thursday
Government health officials have warned that tens of thousands of Americans will die in the coming weeks as coronavirus continued to surge across the country, shattering more daily records.
Related: Coronavirus live news: Germany, Sweden and Russia all report record rises in daily cases
Continue reading...Who will fill Kamala Harris’s Senate seat in California?
The state’s governor will appoint a replacement for Harris now she has been elected vice-president. Who’s in the frame?
- Biden wins US election after four tumultuous years of Trump
- Kamala Harris makes history as first woman of color elected VP
With Kamala Harris officially headed to the White House, a fresh political battle in her home state of California looms: who will fill her US Senate seat?
Related: US election live: Joe Biden wins and says 'It’s time for America to unite'
Continue reading...Emily Harrington becomes fourth woman to free-climb El Capitan in a day
Harrington, who recovered from scary fall last year, reached top of 3,000ft granite wall in Yosemite in just over 21 hours
Emily Harrington has become the fourth woman to free-climb El Capitan, the 3,000ft granite wall in Yosemite national park, in a single day.
Related: El Capitan: How did the climbers do it?
Continue reading...Humpback whale appears to nearly swallow kayakers in California – video
Two whale-watchers off Avila beach had a terrifying experience when a humpback overturned their kayak and seemed to nearly swallow them.
The women surfaced and shortly after, other kayakers and paddleboarders came to help them and check they had not been hurt
Continue reading...Whale, that was close!: humpback appears to overturn kayakers in California
Two whale-watchers at Avila beach had a close encounter that dumped them into the ocean
Two kayakers in California had an unsettlingly close whale watching experience Monday, after a humpback appeared to overturn their boat and almost swallow them, according to a report.
Liz Cottriel and Julie McSorley told the Fresno-area Fox affiliate that they were watching whales from a distance of about 30 feet (9.14 meters) during what appeared to be a peaceful morning near Avila beach.
Continue reading...Seven new charges brought against adult film star Ron Jeremy
He has now been accused by 23 alleged victims and faces a total of 11 counts of rape, eight of sexual battery and 16 other sexual offenses
Porn star Ron Jeremy was charged on Wednesday with an additional seven counts of rape and sexual assault, bringing to 23 the number of his alleged victims, the Los Angeles district attorney’s office said.
Jeremy, 67, one of the biggest names in the adult film industry, was initially charged in June with raping three women and sexually assaulting a fourth, but more women have come forward to police since then.
Continue reading...What I learned at man camp, where men get in touch with their emotions
In early March, I headed to the California desert to explore my emotions and learn ‘healthy masculinity’ with a group of men
On a Friday evening in early March, two weeks before much of the US went into a coronavirus lockdown, I found myself standing in the California desert, screaming into another man’s face.
The next day, the smell of burning sage wafted through the air as I took my shirt off and wrestled a guy inside a metal dome.
Continue reading...California appears to be winning fight against Covid-19. How long will it last?
State is currently faring better than the US as a whole, but experts and public health officials expect a fall surge
After a brutal summer of increased infection and overburdened hospitals, California is having a moment of respite in coronavirus transmission as much of the nation and the world experiences yet another rise in cases.
But experts and public health officials warned Californians to practice caution.
Continue reading...Statue of former California governor Pete Wilson removed in San Diego
- Protests highlighted legacy on immigration and gay rights
- Republican, 87, does not immediately comment
A statue of the former California governor Pete Wilson was removed from a San Diego park after critics said the governor supported laws and policies that hurt immigrants and the LGBTQ community.
The 13-year-old statue near Horton Plaza Park was removed by Horton Walk, the non-profit that owns it, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Horton Walk’s president, Steve Williams, wrote in an email that no decision had been made on whether it will be returned.
Continue reading...California: over 50,000 without power amid extreme wildfire risk
PG&E began shutting off power Wednesday evening to customers in portions of 24 counties as a ‘last-resort option’ amid high fire risk
Thousands of people in northern California were without power on Thursday amid an autumn heatwave that brought another round of extreme wildfire danger.
The utility company Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) began shutting off power Wednesday evening to about 50,000 customers – about 100,000 people – in portions of 24 counties, mainly in the Sierra Nevada foothills and the San Francisco Bay Area. Another 20,000 people were expected to lose power later on Thursday.
Continue reading...California wildfires spawn first ‘gigafire’ in modern history
August complex fire expanded beyond 1m acres, elevating it from a mere ‘megafire’ to a new classification: ‘gigafire’
California’s extraordinary year of wildfires has spawned another new milestone – the first “gigafire”, a blaze spanning 1m acres, in modern history.
Related: California fires set bleak record as 4m acres destroyed
Continue reading...Smoke choking California again as dangerous fire conditions continue
Excessive heat warnings will remain in effect on the coast as the state closes in on a new record of 4m acres burned
Smoke from nearly two dozen wildfires burning across California will continue to darken skies across the west this weekend, as residents prepare for more heat, toxic air and conditions that are expected to keep fueling the flames.
The National Weather Service reports that both excessive heat warnings and heat advisories will remain in effect along California’s coast, while the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has extended its Spare the Air Alert through Tuesday, with air quality deemed “unhealthy”. Meanwhile the state is closing in on a devastating new record, with close to 4m acres now consumed by wildfires this season.
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