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Caltrans testing new ramp lights to prevent wrong-way crashes: Roadshow

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:36:12 GMT

Q: Another innocent person was killed by a wrong-way driver in Santa Rosa earlier this month. Once an idiot starts driving up the offramp, there are no signs telling the idiot to stop and turn around. Maybe the signage is too costly? What is a life worth? What do you think?Tom Lustig, Mountain ViewA: The state has been testing red lights on onramps and offramps to try to curb wrong-way driving. More testing will be done, but early indications are that these lights are very effective at reducing wrong-way crashes.Q: I am sure that the opinion that Pete Williams of Moraga offered recently is based on his experience. And he made some good points. But having had military driver’s training, a military driver’s license, and an FAA pilot’s license gives me a different experience and a different perspective of the cause of so many bad drivers with bad attitudes and poor driving performance.In my experience of driving in this valley for many years, the real cause of bad drivers is inadequate...

California among the most affordable states in terms of energy costs

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:36:12 GMT

California is one of the most expensive states to live in, but in terms of energy costs, it is surprisingly one of the most affordable in the country.A study done by WalletHub has revealed that the state ranks 46th out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia in total energy costs for 2023. California residents pay, on average, $408 per month for electricity, natural gas, motor vehicle fuel and, if they use it, home heating oil.The most expensive? Another surprise, it’s Wyoming.The high cost is driven mainly by home heating oil. With its frigid winters, heating a home in Wyoming, as well as in North Dakota and Alaska, has made these states the top three most expensive energy. California, with its milder climate, uses very little heating oil.To determine the costs for each state, WalletHub researchers collected data from the Census Bureau, Energy Information Administration, Federal Highway Administration, AAA, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and Environment...

Oakland Airport expansion reflects the Bay Area’s changing demographics

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:36:12 GMT

When the Oakland International Airport announced plans for a major expansion last week, the potentially profound implications for the Bay Area may not have been obvious — it’s long operated in the shadow of major airline hubs in San Francisco and San Jose.But in fact, the often-overlooked airport may finally be catching up to the major role that aviation has played in the East Bay — and that the East Bay has played in aviation.Last Wednesday, Oakland Airport officials published a draft environmental report outlining their plans for terminal modernization and development, an early step in a push to reimagine an airport that hasn’t seen significant upgrades in 40 years. The plan, which is currently open to public comment, outlines dramatic changes for the airport — including the construction of a new 830,000-square-foot terminal building, upgrades to existing facilities, and the addition of 16 gates to “meet increasing air travel demand.”It’s an effort to tap into what many see ...

Berkeley’s 37-year nuclear ban has limited everything from investments to post-it notes. Could it be changed?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:36:12 GMT

Tattered signs along Berkeley’s city limits discreetly greet newcomers with three facts about the city: it sits on Ohlone territory, has a population of 112,580 people and is a “nuclear-free zone.”Now that “Oppenheimer” has hit theaters, global film audiences know how the UC Berkeley physicist called the “Father of the Atomic Bomb” lived and worked in the East Bay for 14 years.But the city’s “nuclear free” policy didn’t emerge until 1986, when voters approved an ordinance prohibiting investments in organizations with ties to nuclear energy, weapons and other infrastructure — including the federal government — within city limits. Passed amid uncertainty and fear surrounding the Cold War and Chernobyl disaster, the “nuclear free” designation was mocked by some critics who said city government should not be wading into national policy, but was also supported by local elected officials in Oakland, Marin County, Hayward, Davis and Santa Cruz.RELATED: Was the...

Thomas heads to Minnesota for the PGA Tour. The seniors and the LPGA have majors

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:36:12 GMT

PGA TOUR3M OPENSite: Blaine, Minnesota.Course: TPC Twin Cities. Yardage: 7,431. Par: 71.Prize money: $7.8 million. Winner’s share: $1.404 million.Television: Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS).Defending champion: Tony Finau.FedEx Cup leader: Jon Rahm.Last week: Brian Harman won the British Open and Akshay Bhatia won the Barracuda Championship.Notes: Two-time PGA champion Justin Thomas was a late entry to salvage his season. He has two tournaments remaining to get in the top 70 in the FedEx Cup and qualify for the postseason, along with helping his Ryder Cup consideration. Thomas has never missed the FedEx Cup playoffs. He is at No. 75. … Tony Finau won the first of two straight PGA Tour events last year at the 3M Open. … Two tournaments are left for players to finish in the top 70 and qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs. … A sponsor exemption was given to Thomas Lehman, the son of Minnesota native...

Cillian Murphy, protagonista de Oppenheimer, no descarta interpretar a Ken en una secuela de ‘Barbie’

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:36:12 GMT

(CNN Español) — El actor Cillian Murphy, protagonista de la más reciente película de Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”, dijo que sí se podría interpretar a Ken en una secuela de la película “Barbie”, si la hicieran.“¿Que si yo interpretaría a Ken en Barbie 2? ¡Seguro! Leamos el guión, tengamos las conversaciones. No puedo esperar a verla”, dijo Murphy, entre risas, a Cinéfilos. El actor interpreta a Robert Oppenheimer en la película de Nolan sobre el desarrollo de la bomba atómica a mediados del siglo pasado.¿Quién fue Robert Oppenheimer y qué hizo?¿El meme se hace realidad? pic.twitter.com/Haz3fiMmWX— Cinéfilos (@cinefiloos) July 17, 2023“Barbie” y “Oppenheimer” son los dos grandes estrenos mundiales que se debutaron en la pantalla gigante el pasado 20 de julio. ‘Barbenheimer’ ha recaudado en conjunto US$ 511 millones desde su estreno la semana pasada a nivel mundial hasta este lunes. Barbie, dirigida por Greta Gerwi...

Land mines are in place around a Russian-occupied nuclear plant in Ukraine, UN watchdog warns

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:36:12 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The U.N. atomic watchdog says its monitors at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant reported seeing anti-personnel mines around the site as Ukraine’s military pursues a counteroffensive against the Kremlin’s entrenched forces after 17 months of war.The International Atomic Energy Agency said its team observed the mines Sunday in a restricted area that is off-limits to the plant’s Ukrainian staff. The agency did not directly attribute the placement of the mines to the Russians but said its experts were told “it is a military decision, and in an area controlled by military.” “Having such explosives on the site is inconsistent with the IAEA safety standards and nuclear security guidance and creates additional psychological pressure on plant staff,” Rafael Mariano Grossi, the agency’s director general, said in a statement late Monday.However, any detonation of the mines, which were facing away from the plant and located between its ...

Naoya Inoue stops Stephen Fulton and wins world titles in his 4th weight class

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:36:12 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Naoya Inoue became a world champion in his fourth weight class Tuesday night when he stopped Stephen Fulton in the eighth round to claim the WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles.Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs) made an impressive debut at 122 pounds with a dominant performance against the previously unbeaten Fulton (21-1) at Ariake Arena. Fulton had held both of his belts since 2021 and was considered the top fighter in the division.The Japanese star knocked down Fulton in the opening minute of the eighth round with a big left hand after stunning him with a body jab and a punishing right. Inoue finished moments later, pummeling Fulton with punches in the corner to force the referee to halt the bout.The 30-year-old Inoue improved to 20-0 in world title fights with a whopping 18 stoppages, improving his standing as one of the world’s top pound-for-pound boxers.Inoue held all four major belts at 118 pounds after beating Paul Butler last December, prompting him to move up to cha...

Decretan en Ecuador 60 días de estado de excepción en las cárceles tras los enfrentamientos

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:36:12 GMT

(CNN Español) — El presidente de Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, firmó un decreto por el que se declara el estado de excepción en todo el sistema penitenciario durante los próximos 60 días.Según el decreto ejecutivo 823, publicado este martes por la mañana en la cuenta de redes sociales de la presidencia ecuatoriana, la Policía y las Fuerzas Armadas se desplegarán dentro de las prisiones para restablecer el orden y hacer frente a la violencia a manos de organizaciones criminales.Fin de semana violento en Ecuador: ocho muertos, incluido un alcalde, y más de 90 agentes de seguridad penitenciaria retenidosLa medida se produce mientras Ecuador sigue sumido en una profunda crisis de seguridad, especialmente entre los reclusos.Al menos seis reclusos murieron en enfrentamientos entre bandas rivales durante el fin de semana. El servicio penitenciario del país reveló este lunes que más de 90 guardias de prisiones permanecen actualmente secuestrados por reclusos en varias cárceles del país.Th...

Hagerstown Flying Boxcars: New team, stadium pay tribute to Maryland aviation history

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:36:12 GMT

The road to a career in Major League Baseball often takes young ballplayers on a life-changing journey — some will be making a stop, and learning a bit about military aviation history, in Hagerstown, Maryland.Construction began last October for a new ballpark in downtown Hagerstown for a new Atlantic League team that will play its first season in 2024.The team name was announced last week by Downtown Baseball Hagerstown as the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars in tribute to the military plane that was built in Hagerstown in the 1940s and 1950s.Made by Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation, which was located in Hagerstown, the C-119, and its predecessor, the C-82, became the military’s cargo and transport workhorses. By the early 1950s, Fairchild’s payroll reached 10,000 employees.The city of Hagerstown has installed an round-the-clock livestream webcam to document construction of the new stadium.Hagerstown has a long history as home to baseball teams. In 2019, Major League B...