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California artists, chefs find creative ways to confront destructive 'superbloom' of wild mustard

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:32 GMT

While ripping out yellow blooms blanketing hillsides in Los Angeles, Max Kingery has been questioned about his fervor for killing flowers.But the clothing designer who used the plants to dye his spring and summer lines said he takes no offense at being accused of pillaging this part of California’s “superbloom.” Instead, he sees it as an opportunity to raise awareness about a destructive flower that proliferated in the state following an unusually wet winter: wild black mustard.Mustard was among the most prominent of wild flowering plants that seemingly popped up everywhere in California this spring. As temperatures warm it is starting to die, making it tinder for wildfires in a state that has been ravaged by blazes. Its stalks can act as fire ladders, causing flames to climb.Visitors walk on a pathway amid fields of blooming flowers at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, Monday, April 10, 2023, in Lancaster, Calif.Mustard also smothers native plants, transforming the land...

Unusually large group of killer whales seen off California coast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:32 GMT

An uncommonly large grouping of orcas for Northern California — roughly two dozen killer whales — was spotted by a whale-watching tour off the coast of San Francisco last month, likely gathered together to celebrate a successful hunt for sea lions or seals.“I screamed ‘orca!’” recalled Michael Pierson, an Oceanic Society naturalist leading the tour, after noticing “those distinct dorsal finds poking out of the water.”“It was really, really special,” Pierson said in an interview Wednesday.The big group of whales was seen on May 7 near the Farallon Islands, about 28 miles (45 kilometers) west of San Francisco. Killer whales are more commonly found around the deep ocean canyon beneath Monterey Bay — about 75 miles south of the city — and can be spotted anywhere from the coastline to just 5 miles offshore, according to Nancy Black, a marine biologist and owner of Monterey Bay Whale Watch.In this photo provided by Michael Pierson, an unusually large group of killer whales was spotted off...

4 Extra Strength CBD Oils to Try

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:32 GMT

To read the original article about 4 Extra Strength CBD Oils to Try at Real Tested CBD.Chances are you’ve heard of and maybe even tried CBD oil by now. Many people turn to CBD for a variety of reasons, from stress relief to pain management. If you are curious about CBD and how effective it can be for you, one of the many things to consider is the strength of your CBD oil.There are a wide range of CBD oil options out there, but not all of them are equivalent. There can be differences in spectrum and in strength, both affecting how your product will affect you. If you are looking for an extra strength CBD oil that can be considered high potency, let’s take a look at a few reliable options to start with.What Is CBD?First, a quick refresher on CBD. CBD, also called cannabidiol, is one of many compounds found naturally in hemp plants. Unlike another well-known cannabinoid called THC, CBD is non-intoxicating. That said, it can have effects on the brain and body. This occurs through CBD’s ...

Emile Mosseri Has a Field Day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:32 GMT

Emile Mosseri Has a Field Day: L.A. based composer Emile Mosseri told us about his Field Day experience. Emile Mosseri: When I was 17, my brother and I went to a concert at Giant Stadium called Field Day. It was a festival that was supposed to be held over two days in a field somewhere in Long Island but they lost their permit and moved it to Giant Stadium for a one day bonanza. The lineup was totally nuts – it was Elliott Smith, Spiritualized, Blur,  Beastie Boys and Radiohead as the headliner. There were other bands, but those were the ones I was obsessed with.  I was supposed to sing in a choir concert that night but quit the group so I could go to this festival with my brother. I remember feeling really cool for making that decision and bragging about it to anyone who would listen for months leading up to the show.At the show, it rained buckets all day long and we were all in these clear ponchos and wet socks, and the whole thing and the bands were all incredible. Beck sli...

Transit, child care are among the sticking points in California’s $300 billion budget negotiations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:32 GMT

By ADAM BEAM (Associated Press)SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers passed a budget Thursday to ensure they keep getting paid, but it’s a blueprint unlikely to become law because the Democrat-controlled Legislature is still negotiating with Gov. Gavin Newsom. At stake is how to spend more than $300 billion for the fiscal year that starts July 1.Legislative leaders and Newsom, who is also a Democrat, have until the end of June to agree on a spending plan. Lawmakers must pass a budget by June 15 to keep their paychecks, a requirement voters approved in 2010 to try to keep the budget process from dragging on.Here’s a look at the sticking points:THE NUMBERSNewsom’s budget is $306.5 billion. The Legislature’s is $311.7 billion.Both sides agree the state will have a $31.5 billion budget deficit, to be covered through a combination of delayed spending, some cuts and borrowing. Once those actions are taken, both sides end up with about $37 billion in reserve.PUBLIC TRANSPORTATIONP...

Nick Gravenites reminisces about Janis Joplin, Michael Bloomfield and the Chicago blues migration to San Francisco

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:32 GMT

In the green room before Los Lobos’ Memorial Day concert at West Marin’s Rancho Nicasio, everyone’s attention was focused on the band’s guest for the day: 84-year-old bluesman Nick Gravenites.Wearing his signature Greek fisherman’s cap, Gravenites sat at the end of a couch with his cane by his side, signing copies of his albums and chatting with members of the band, who peppered him with questions about his life and the famous people he’d met and worked with along the way.Singer-songwriter-guitarist Cesar Rosas wanted to know if Gravenites had met Bob Dylan in New York.“Nah,” Gravenites replied. “New York wasn’t a blues town. It was a folk music town.”But he quickly segued into a story about Dylan’s manager, Albert Grossman, wanting Dylan to renegotiate his original Columbia Records contract because he was underage when he signed it.“Bob said no,” Gravenites said. “He told Grossman that he signed that contract with John Hammond (the respected producer and civil rights activist) in g...

San Mateo’s wealthy cities using ADUs to avoid building affordable housing, says report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:32 GMT

Affluent cities in San Mateo County are using accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to meet affordable housing targets set by the state, according to a new report by the county’s civil grand jury. Effectively, this allows these cities to avoid constructing multifamily low-income affordable housing units, the report says.An ADU — sometimes called a granny flat — is a small secondary housing unit that shares the single-family lot of a larger primary residence. A recent change to California’s 1969 Housing Element Law allows communities to count ADUs as affordable housing in their state-mandated plans.The requirements for the 2023-2031 period call for approximately three times more affordable housing units compared to the 2015-2023 cycle, the report says. Cities like Atherton, Hillsborough, Portola Valley and Woodside plan to meet as much as 80 percent of these targets through ADUs, according to the report.This is a problem, the report says, because property owners often rent thei...

KRON4 celebrates Founder's Day of Caring

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:32 GMT

(KRON) -- June 16 marks Founder's Day of Caring, the celebration of when KRON4's parent company, Nexstar, was founded.KRON4 employees will be volunteering at food banks in San Francisco and Oakland on Friday to help fight food insecurity. "Right now, food banks really need money. We really need volunteers. All of our organizations have increased in size dramatically over the last couple of years," said Michael Altfest, Alameda County Community Food Bank. "We're spending $1.7 million every month just to buy food and that's relative to the $250,000 we were paying per month before the pandemic."KRON4's Will Tran reports from the Alameda County Community Food Bank Friday morning to share more. Watch his live report in the video player above.

Correction: Pakistan-Budget story

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:32 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — In a story published June 10, 2023, The Associated Press erroneously reported that Pakistan’s government budget for the coming fiscal year is $940 billion and that this compared to $786 billion in the previous year. The actual figure is $50 billion for the coming fiscal year, compared to $47 billion for last year’s budget.Source

Pokemon cards help tie suspect to series of explosions in Md. neighborhood

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:32 GMT

Authorities in Maryland have charged a man following a series of explosions over the last several weeks in Aberdeen — and they say his collection of Pokemon cards helped connect him to the blasts.Jeremiah E. Burnette, 34, of Aberdeen, faces charges of possessing and using explosive devices, following a joint investigation by the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal, Aberdeen Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.Burnette was arrested Tuesday after Aberdeen police officers responded to a reported explosion in the area of South Rogers and James streets around 3:30 a.m.The “loud explosion,” as described by the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal, happened in the same area residents had reported hearing explosions in the middle of the night since mid-May.Responding officers discovered a crater near a wood line littered with Pokémon cards. One of the officers recalled a similar stack of cards when previously arresting Burnett...