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Flaring at Richmond refinery triggers alert Monday afternoon

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:51 GMT

RICHMOND – A large plume of black smoke was visible for miles in the Bay Area on Monday afternoon after flaring was reported at the Chevron refinery in Richmond.In a social media post, Chevron said the flaring activity was due to a loss of power to a portion of the facility.“Our employees are working quickly to minimize and stop the flaring,” Chevron said.A Community Warning System, or CWS, Level 1 was issued due to the visibility of the flare. A CWS Level 1 requires no action by the public, according to Chevron.Chevron notified Contra Costa Health of the flaring around 3:45 p.m., said CCH spokesman Karl Fischer.“We know that smoke is visible in the community around the refinery,” Fischer said. “Contra Costa Health is in the process of sending a hazardous materials team to investigate.”Check back for updates.

Prep baseball: St. Francis announces new head coach

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:51 GMT

St. Francis named South Bay native Erik Wagle as its new head baseball coach in a press release on Monday afternoon. “With immense reverence for the rich traditions of Lancer baseball, I am looking forward to serving the young men in the program and to moving the program forward into the model for high school baseball development,” Wagle said in the press release. Wagle, a Live Oak alum with coaching experience at his alma mater, San Jose City College and Cal State Monterey Bay, is also the president of baseball training company Kinetic Performance Institute. Wagle’s Live Oak team won the CCS Division III title in 2008. According to his LinkedIn profile, Wagle has also worked as an associate scout for the Washington Nationals.“Saint Francis baseball has a strong tradition with a lineage of great educators who have led our baseball program,” athletic director Therren Wilburn said in the statement. “I am looking forward to Erik building on that legacy and helping our...

‘Fishing expedition’: Judge denies Trump’s Jan. 6 subpoena request

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:51 GMT

By Holmes Lybrand | CNNThe federal judge overseeing Donald Trump’s election subversion case in Washington, DC, denied the former president’s effort to subpoena records from the House select committee that investigated the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.Trump’s attorneys had claimed in their motion to subpoena records from the committee, its Chairman Bennie Thompson, and others that the committee and federal officials withheld some materials related to the investigation. His defense lawyers also argued that special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump had “significant overlap” with the House select committee’s investigation.With the case slated to go to trial in March, Judge Tanya Chutkan is still considering several pretrial motions from Trump’s team, including long-shot motions to dismiss the entire case. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges stemming from efforts to overturn the 2020 election.Thompson has defended his panel’s archival process. He...

Rescuers use hand-held drills to free 41 workers trapped in an Indian road tunnel for over 2 weeks

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:51 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Rescuers in India began digging manually Monday in hopes of reaching 41 construction workers who have been trapped in a collapsed mountain tunnel in the country’s north for over two weeks. Kirti Panwar, a state government spokesperson, said a dozen men were taking turns burrowing into the debris with hand-held drilling tools for what was hoped would be the final stretch. They had dug nearly 1 meter (3.2 feet) and had up to 11 more meters (36 feet) to go, he said. Rescuers have also started to create a vertical channel with a newly replaced drilling machine, officials said. They drilled horizontally for a week but the mountainous terrain proved too much for the machine, which broke down repeatedly before it was damaged irreparably on Friday, officials said. The work being done now is designed to create a passageway for evacuating the trapped workers. Rescue teams have inserted pipes into dug-out areas and welded them together so the men can be brought out on wheeled ...

A Sumatran rhino calf born in Indonesia adds to an endangered species of fewer than 50 animals

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:51 GMT

In this undated photo released by Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry, a newly born Sumatran rhino calf walks in its enclosure at Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary at Way Kambas National Park, Indonesia. The critically endangered Sumatran rhino was born on Sumatra Island Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, the second Sumatran rhino born in the country this year and a welcome addition to a species that currently numbers fewer than 50 animals. (Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry via AP) In this undated photo released by Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry, a newly born Sumatran rhino calf walks in its enclosure at Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary at Way Kambas National Park, Indonesia. The critically endangered Sumatran rhino was born on Sumatra Island Satu...

Taylor Swift invita a la familia de Ana Clara Benavides, fan que murió en Brasil, a su último concierto en este país

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:51 GMT

(CNN) — Taylor Swift invitó a la familia de Ana Clara Benavides Machado, una fan que murió antes de un concierto de “Eras Tour” en Río de Janeiro, Brasil, a su última presentación en el país este domingo, confirmó a CNN una fuente cercana a la cantante.En redes sociales ha circulado una imagen de la familia de Benavides Machado vistiendo camisetas con la foto de la joven, mientras posan junto a Swift tras bambalinas. También se ha difundido un video que muestra a la familia entre los asistentes al concierto en São Paulo, Brasil, el domingo.La fuente verificó a CNN la autenticidad de la foto y el video.Benavides Machado, de 23 años, murió justo antes de un concierto de Swift en Río el 17 de noviembre, mientras la región enfrentaba una ola de calor récord que también llevó a que Swift aplazara uno de sus shows en Brasil.Posponen concierto de Taylor Swift en Río de Janeiro tras la muerte de una fan, informa la cantanteLa cantante lamentó en ese momento la muerte de Benavides.R...

Burrow-less Bengals have to rally around backup Browning to keep the season from going in the tank

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:51 GMT

CINCINNATI (AP) — A gray, wet sky blanketed Paycor Stadium on Sunday. It looked a lot like the state of the season for the Cincinnati Bengals at the moment.Jake Browning and Co. have a lot of work to do.Back in October, Cincinnati was confident and roaring again, winning four straight games behind a finally healthy Joe Burrow. At 5-3, the Bengals were back in the thick of the AFC North.Then came a three-point home loss to Houston on Nov. 12. Then it got worse.Burrow was lost for the season when he tore a ligament in his right hand during a 34-20 loss at Baltimore on Nov. 16. The star quarterback had surgery on Monday.With former practice squad QB Browning making his first NFL start Sunday, the last-place Bengals lost 16-10 to Pittsburgh. They dropped to 5-6, a full two games behind the 7-4 Steelers and Browns and well out of reach of the 9-3 Ravens on top of the AFC North.All hope of making the playoffs for a third straight season is not lost, but the defending division champions wi...

Vikings opt for caution and rule Jefferson out ahead of game vs. Bears for his 7th absence

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:51 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings ruled wide receiver Justin Jefferson out of their Monday night game against Chicago about four hours ahead of kickoff, taking the cautious route and keeping the All-Pro sidelined for a seventh straight game.The Vikings listed Jefferson as questionable on the final scheduled injury report for the third straight week, but the 2022 NFL Offensive Player of the Year was officially downgraded to out.Jefferson returned to practice on Nov. 8, but with Minnesota’s bye on the schedule this weekend, the opportunity to give him extra time for his hamstring injury to heal clearly was appealing.If Jefferson is not activated from injured reserve next week, he’d be ineligible to play the rest of the season. The Vikings next play Dec. 10 at Las Vegas.The Vikings also elevated linebacker Anthony Barr to the practice squad for the game against the Bears. Starting cornerback Akayleb Evans (calf) was inactive, along with third quarterback Jaren Hall, ...

Bengals QB Joe Burrow has right wrist surgery, expected to make full recovery

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:51 GMT

CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow had surgery Monday to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist.“The procedure went as planned and he is expected to make a complete recovery,” the Bengals said in a statement.Burrow was lost for the season when he injured his wrist during a 34-20 loss at Baltimore on Nov. 16. Backup Jake Browning started in his place Sunday as the Bengals lost their third game in a row, 16-10 to the Steelers.The team didn’t disclose where Burrow had surgery, but it said he was returning to Cincinnati to begin the recovery and rehab process.The franchise quarterback was forced to miss training camp with a strained calf muscle that limited his mobility early in the season.Browning is expected to start Monday night when the Bengals (5-6) visit Jacksonville. ___AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFLSource

Blinken will return to Israel as the US hopes to see further extensions of the Gaza cease-fire

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:51 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return this week to the Middle East as the U.S. hopes to find a way to extend a cease-fire in Gaza and get more hostages released, the State Department said Monday. It will be his third trip to the region since Israel’s war with Hamas began last month.Blinken will travel to Israel and the West Bank after attending Ukraine-focused meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels and Skopje, North Macedonia, where foreign ministers from NATO and the Organization for Peace and Security in Europe are gathering. Israel has agreed to pauses in its military operations in exchange for the gradual release of hostages taken by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. The agreement had been due to expire Monday but was extended for an additional two days, meaning the extension will be expiring just as Blinken is arriving in Israel.White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday the U.S. hopes to see the pau...