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Driftwood destiny: Where all those beached logs come from and where they’re going

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

APTOS — All week long, the scene at local beaches has caused visitors to pause for a moment and stand in awe of what sits before them while their furry companions are sent into an insuppressible fit of joy.That’s right, there’s still plenty of driftwood piled up on Santa Cruz County shores – parked there last week by heavy rainfall and a massive tidal swell.The images aren’t so different from last January, when a powerful string of atmospheric river storms swept mountains of ocean debris and tree trunks the size of SUVs onto local shores that took officials weeks to clean up and disperse.But as crews rung in the new year with another robust mop up effort to the dismay of countless local pups, some may wonder: where does it all come from and where does it end up?Another pileupGabe McKenna, spokesperson for California State Parks which manages nine beaches across the county and several more subunit regions, said the cleanup effort in some of the hardest-hit, low-lying areas such as Se...

Santa Cruz man assaults stranger believed to be ‘Charles Manson’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

SANTA CRUZ — A man is facing felony assault and elder abuse charges this week after allegedly severely beating a man he thought was Charles Manson, police said.Santa Cruz Police Department officers arrested Charles Bonin, 35, on New Year’s Eve after responding to a report of a group fight shortly after 2 p.m. at the Town Clock.Police later determined that Bonin allegedly had injured a 66-year-old man, giving him significant facial and head injuries that required treatment at an out-of-county medical center, according to Santa Cruz Deputy Police Chief Jon Bush. Officers arrested Bonin on suspicion of attempted murder and related charges, but formal charges later filed by the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office did not pursue the attempted murder. Bonin, held at the Santa Cruz County Jail without bail Wednesday, was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning at the Santa Cruz County Superior Court on charges of assault with great bodily injury, elder abuse and battery with bo...

East Bay man arrested in connection with Aptos ‘road rage’ shooting

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

LIVE OAK — Authorities have arrested a Hayward man suspected of unloading a handgun into the vehicle of a family of five during an apparent “road rage” incident last year.Raphael Shakur Abduh-Salam Investigators believe 33-year-old Raphael Shakur Abduh-Salam, 33, fired off 15 rounds using an extended ammunition clip after the two vehicles were in a Friday-night Highway 1 fender-bender in May. The shooting and related shrapnel injured the father, who was driving, and his 3-year-old child in the backseat. Both were treated and released from the hospital within 24 hours.“Really, as it is in law enforcement, you find that some things are just miracles,” Santa Cruz County Undersheriff Chris Clark said during a press conference Thursday morning put on jointly by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office and the Santa Cruz-area California Highway Patrol. “Miracles that people aren’t more seriously hurt.”The shooting occurred while the two cars were pulling off on a Freedom Boulevard offr...

See the new California laws looking to boost affordable home construction

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

State bills signed into law during the past year seek to boost construction of affordable housing by expanding the number and types of developments that bypass California’s environmental review process and curtail discretionary hearings by city councils and county boards of supervisors.Related ArticlesHousing | San Jose housing highrise may break ground in a “few months” Housing | Downtown San Jose store may become pet hotel, pet daycare, retail site Housing | Conversion of San Jose tower from offices to homes starts to emerge Housing | ‘The era of saying ‘no’ to housing is coming to an end’: New California building laws for 2024 Housing | Bay Area office vacancies balloon to all-time high as tech wobbles Here are some of the key measures adopted in 2023:SB 4: Requires cities and counties to approve “by-right,” or without a discretionary city council or board of supervisors review, affordable...

What’s new in fast food for January 2024

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

Fast food chains are giving their menus a refresh for the news year.Some, like Starbucks, Chipotle and El Pollo Loco, are packing up the holiday cheer and leaning into new year’s resolutions.Here is a sampling of what’s out there.Chick-fil-A: The chicken sandwich giant is going tropical in January with its seasonal drinks, according to a news release. Among them is the return of Mango Passion Sunjoy, a mixture of lemonade and iced ice, and three variations, Mango Passion Lemonade, Mango Passion Iced Tea and Mango Passion Frosted Lemonade. chick-fil-a.comChipotle Mexican Grill: The Newport Beach-based chain is leaning heavily into fitness with a 2024 lineup of seven Lifestyle Bowls that can be ordered online or through its app. They include bowls for Keto or Whole30 diets, vegetarian and vegan bowls, and a high-protein bowl. Chipotle is also partnering with a fitness social network called Strava on a series of challenges in January, including “Chipotle segments” in major cities that ...

California terrorist attacker’s relatives let government seize $275,000 life insurance payout

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

The mother and sister of San Bernardino terrorist attacker Syed Rizwan Farook have given up their legal fight with the federal government for the proceeds of two life insurance policies that Farook purchased shortly before he and his wife killed 14 people and wounded 22 others at the Inland Regional Center in 2015.Farook received a $25,000 policy in 2012 as a benefit from his job as an inspector for the San Bernardino County Division of Environmental Health, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office court filing that sought to seize the proceeds because the government considered the money a fruit of a crime. Then in 2013, Farook purchased a $250,000 policy from the Minnesota Life Insurance Co.A poster placed outside U.S. District Court in Riverside during a U.S. Attorney’s Office news conference in 2021 shows the 14 people slain in the attack on a San Bernardino County Division of Environmental Health event at the Inland Regional Center on Dec. 2, 2015. (The Press-Enterprise) By ...

Review: Anthony Hopkins shines in ‘Freud’s Last Session’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

By Jake Coyle | Associated Press“Freud’s Last Session,” starring Anthony Hopkins as Sigmund Freud, adds to a string of sterling late-chapter performances by the 86-year-old actor. He was the soul of “Armageddon Time,” the reason to see “The Father” and the papal foil to Jonathan Pryce’s Pope Francis in “The Two Popes.” With the exception of James Gray’s more cinematically composed “Armageddon Time,” the movies have offered simple, stagy showcases for Hopkins, a lion in winter.“Freud’s Last Session,” which expands in theaters this weekend, also comes from the stage and, like “The Two Popes,” centers on the tete-a-tete of intellectual opposites. Mark St. Germain’s 2009 two-character play brought together Freud and C.S. Lewis (played by Matthew Goode in the film) for a speculative meeting between the two in 1939 London.An aged Freud, suffering from oral cancer, prepares to ...

Germany faces Australia in United Cup semifinals after beating Greece 2-1

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — Alexander Zverev won both his singles and mixed doubles matches against Greece on Friday to lead Germany into the United Cup semifinals against Australia.Zverev and Laura Siegemund beat Maria Sakkari and Petros Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-3 in the deciding mixed doubles to clinch Germany’s 2-1 victory after Zverev beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 in singles. Sakkari beat former Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber 6-0, 6-3 to give Greece the early lead.France will play Poland in the other semifinal match on Saturday. The final is set for Sunday, also at Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena.Sakkari had lost three of her four previous career meetings with Kerber. But those defeats came before her rise to the world’s top 10 and 35-year-old Kerber’s break to start a family.“I was just very solid from the baseline, doing what I have to do,” Sakkari said. “But of course I knew that Angie, because she’s very experienced, an amazing player, that she was going to find a way to come back...

Constellation Brands: Fiscal Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

VICTOR, N.Y. (AP) — VICTOR, N.Y. (AP) — Constellation Brands Inc. (STZ) on Friday reported fiscal third-quarter earnings of $509.1 million.The Victor, New York-based company said it had profit of $2.76 per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to $3.19 per share.The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 10 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $3.03 per share.The wine, liquor and beer company posted revenue of $2.66 billion in the period. Its adjusted revenue was $2.47 billion, which did not meet Street forecasts. Eight analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $2.55 billion.Constellation Brands expects full-year earnings to be $9.15 to $9.35 per share._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on STZ at https://www.zacks.com/ap/STZSource

Europe’s inflation is up after months of decline. Could it delay interest rate cuts?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:40 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Inflation plaguing Europe rose to 2.9% in December, rebounding after seven straight monthly declines as food prices rose and support for high energy bills ended in some countries. The rise in price levels fueled debate over how soon interest rate cuts could be expected from the European Central Bank.The figure released Friday was up from the 2.4% annual inflation recorded in November — but is well down from the peak of 10.6% in October 2022.ECB President Christine Lagarde warned that inflation could tick up in coming months, taking a detour from its recent downward path. The central bank for the 20 European Union countries that use the euro currency has raised its benchmark interest rate to a record-high 4% and says it will keep it there as long as necessary to push inflation down to its goal of 2% considered best for the economy.The faster-than-expected fall in inflation over the last months of 2023 had led some analysts to predict the central bank would s...