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1st major snow storm of season drops 1 foot on Montana

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:30:00 GMT

By Amy Beth Hanson | Associated PressHELENA, Mont. — The first major snowstorm of the season dropped up to a foot (30 centimeters) of snow in the Helena, Montana, area by Wednesday, sending an army of snowplows and sand trucks out on the roads.Residents woke up to swirling snow and the sound of shovels on sidewalks just days after temperatures rose into the lower 80s. Trees decked out in fall colors and some Halloween decorations were weighed down with snow. Helena Public Schools canceled six school bus routes Wednesday morning, but no schools were closed.The National Weather Service warned of hazardous travel on snowy mountain passes and ice on some highways when snow initially melts and then freezes as road temperatures drop.Plows scraped snow off the highways, streets and parking lots and sand was scattered on roads to increase traction as the Montana Highway Patrol responded to dozens of crashes and slide-offs, including jackknifed semi-tractor trailers, according to the patrol&...

Smartphone essentials for traveling abroad

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:30:00 GMT

I just returned from two weeks in Japan — a combination business trip to attend the UN’s Internet Governance Forum in Kyoto, followed by a week of touring some of Japan’s interesting smaller cities and their surroundings: Kanazawa, Matsumoto, Nakatsugawa  and Osaka. Of course, I had a smartphone with me — in this case a brand-new Pixel 8 Pro review unit that was officially released while I was in Japan. And, in ways that may not seem obvious, the phone was extremely useful during the trip.Before I left the country, I made sure I had an international plan. Otherwise, I might might have spent more on calls and data than on airfare.I use AT&T and, although their $10 a day international day pass isn’t cheap, it’s a lot less expensive than paying roaming fees for data, text and calls while outside the United States because it let me use my unlimited plan while abroad.  Other carriers also have international plans and there may be discounts if you use it for an extended pe...

New South Bay center in Gilroy offers universal service to victims of violent crimes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:30:00 GMT

After the horrific Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting in 2019, community and county leaders opened a support center in the city to help those victims struggling to cope with the tragedy. But it soon became apparent to many that victims of all violent crimes needed help.So the seeds for Mariposas Resiliency Center were planted, and this week bore fruit to much fanfare, as it became the first center of its kind in Santa Clara County.“I hope that with the expansion of services, with more days like today, we can normalize coming for help because there’s still such a stigma around it,” said Melissa Santos, senior director of Strategy and Community Development at Community Solutions, which provides much of the mental health services for the Mariposas Center. “People deserve a place for healing.”To celebrate the grand opening, the center featured art from students around the county and music from Gilroy’s Brownwell Middle School Choir, with several local le...

Pac-12 lawsuit: New court filings by ‘Pac-2’ schools include examples that USC and UCLA were removed from board

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:30:00 GMT

Last fall, a few months after USC and UCLA announced they were leaving the Pac-12 behind, the conference office created a “Briefing Book” for the member universities. Marked “highly confidential,” the digital document included a section titled “Introduction to the Pac-12 Board of Directors” that featured the names of the presidents and chancellors, along with a picture of each. There was no mention of the Los Angeles schools.The exclusion of USC’s Carol Folt and UCLA’s Gene Block from the “Briefing Book” illustrates how the Pac-12 treated the presidents and chancellors of the outgoing schools — treatment that now stands at the heart of a legal dispute over control of the conference.The latest development unfolded Wednesday in Whitman County (Wash.) Superior Court, where attorneys for Washington State and Oregon State filed a motion for a preliminary injunction designed to ensure that the outgoing schools lose their seats, leaving the presidents of WSU and OSU...

49ers’ Brock Purdy in concussion protocol, misses Wednesday practice

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:30:00 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Brock Purdy is in the NFL’s concussion protocol and could miss his first start since seizing the 49ers’ starting quarterback job last DecemberPurdy reported symptoms on the 49ers’ flight home from Monday night’s loss at Minnesota. He is not practicing Wednesday, and coach Kyle Shanahan said Purdy “does have enough time” to get medically cleared for Sunday’s home game against the Bengals, adding: “He just has to go through the process.”Sam Darnold would make his 49ers starting debut if Purdy remains in the NFL’s post-concussion evaluation process, which seemingly has become more stringent this season.No player this season has gained clearance within a week out of protocol, with evaluations done by an independent, neurologist. Dr. John York, the 49ers’ co-owner, has served as chairman of the NFL Owner’s Health and Safety Advisory Committee since its inception in 2011.Defensive end Nick Bosa cle...

'Insurrectionist,' 'MAGA extremist': Leading CA Senate candidates react to new Speaker

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:30:00 GMT

After weeks of political chaos, House Republicans unanimously elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-CA) as Speaker of the House on Wednesday. The deeply conservative but lesser-known, member of the House GOP leadership team swept through on the first ballot with support from all Republican members.He was quickly sworn into office, effectively making him second in line to the presidency and drawing unequivocal condemnation from the three Democratic representatives vying to fill the Senate seat of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein.Bay Area Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) issued a statement slamming Johnson as an "election denier" and a "MAGA extremist.""After over three weeks of infighting, the GOP showed their true colors today by surrendering to the extreme factions of their party and elevating an election denier to one of the most powerful positions in government," Lee said in a statement."I will work with anyone to get critical protections for working people passed," the statement continued....

49ers QB Brock Purdy enters concussion protocol

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:30:00 GMT

(KRON) -- San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is in concussion protocol, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Wednesday. Purdy started to have concussion symptoms on the plane ride home after the 49ers' 22-17 loss to the Vikings in Minnesota on Monday night. ‘It’s like a dream come true’: New Giants Manager Bob Melvin on returning to Bay Area If Purdy, 23, is not cleared by the team's next game this Sunday, backup quarterback Sam Darnold is expected to start at home against the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 29. Against the Vikings, Purdy completed 21-of-30 passes for 272 yards and one touchdown, along with two interceptions. Other notable 49ers injuries include Deebo Samuel (shoulder) and Trent Williams (ankle). Both will not practice on Wednesday. The 49ers are 5-2 and are atop the NFC West standings. San Francisco, along with the Lions (5-2), is behind the Eagles (6-1) for the top spot in the NFC standings. Implemented in 2018, the NFL's Concussion Protocol is a mult...

Ensign Group: Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:30:00 GMT

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (AP) — SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (AP) — The Ensign Group Inc. (ENSG) on Wednesday reported third-quarter profit of $63.9 million.The San Juan Capistrano, California-based company said it had profit of $1.11 per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to $1.20 per share.The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.18 per share.The provider of nursing and rehabilitative care services posted revenue of $940.8 million in the period, which also beat Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $939 million.Ensign Group expects full-year earnings to be $4.73 to $4.79 per share, with revenue in the range of $3.72 billion to $3.73 billion._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on ENSG at https://www.zacks...

American Athletic Conference adds Army in 2024 for football. Army-Navy to remain nonconference game

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:30:00 GMT

The American Athletic Conference announced Wednesday it is adding Army as a football-only member starting in 2024.“We are honored to welcome Army to the American Athletic Conference,” AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco said in a statement. “Army’s football program has an iconic national brand with a legacy of success that spans more than a century and is a perfect fit with our conference.”Army will replace SMU, which is moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference, to keep the American a 14-team football league. The addition puts Army and Navy football in the same conference. But their traditional, end-of-the-season, standalone matchup will remain a nonconference game so it can be played after conference championships.Army mostly competes in the Patriot League, but it has been an independent in football for most of the program’s existence. The Black Knights competed in Conference USA from 1998 to 2004 and never won more than three football games in a season.Army’s football hi...

Driver in Malibu crash that killed 4 students charged with murder, prosecutor says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:30:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The 22-year-old driver of a BMW that struck and killed four Pepperdine University students in Malibu last week has been charged with four counts of murder, authorities said Wednesday.Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced the charges against Fraser Bohm at a Wednesday news conference. He didn’t immediately say if Bohm had entered a plea.Bohm was in court Wednesday, a day after he was arrested, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. Prosecutors also charged Fraser Bohm with four counts of gross vehicular manslaughter.Bohm had previously been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after the Oct. 17 crash but was released a day later while investigators gathered more evidence.“In this specific case, the evidence including toxicology, speed analysis, execution of search warrants, etc. was still pending and took additional time to collect,” the statement said.The department does not decide if criminal charges are filed, bu...