Category: Sacramento

The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to the oil spill, and will determine its extent and initiate “containment and cleanup processes.”

NEW YORK — The number of U.S. fatal overdoses fell last year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data posted Wednesday. Agency officials noted the data is provisional and could change after more analysis, but that they still expect a drop when the final counts are in. It would be only the second annual decline since the current national drug death epidemic began more than three decades ago. Experts reacted cautiously. One described the decline as relatively small, and said it should be thought more as part of a leveling off than a decrease. Another noted that the last time a decline occurred – in 2018 – drug deaths shot up in the years that followed. “Any decline is encouraging,” said Brandon Marshall, a Brown University researcher who studies overdose trends. “But I think it’s certainly premature to celebrate or to draw any large-scale conclusions about where we may be headed long-term with this crisis.” It’s also too soon to know what spurred the decline, Marshall and other experts said. Explanations could include shifts in the drug supply, expansion of overdose prevention and

The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. By Leah Sarnoff and Aicha El Hammar Castano Wednesday, May 15, 2024 5:23PM Pod of killer whales attacks and sinks 50-foot yacht in Strait of Gibraltar A pod of killer whales attacked and sunk a yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar, between Spain and Morocco, officials confirmed to ABC News. Two people were on board the vessel when the incident occurred Sunday at 9 a.m. local time, according to Spain’s maritime authority. The nearly 50-foot yacht, named The Alboran Cognac, was 15 miles from Cabo Espartel in Morocco when an unknown number of orcas began ramming it. The couple alerted Spanish authorities and a rescue team arrived to extricate them from the vessel an hour after the attack, though officials were unable to salvage the sinking boat. There have been approximately 700 orca attacks since 2020, according to GT Orca Atlantica, a conservation group, and officials believe there are more than 37 orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar. The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, separating Europe from

Wednesday, May 15, 2024 5:17PM GALVESTON, Texas — A barge hit a bridge in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a small island, officials said. A bridge that leads to Pelican Island, located just north of Galveston, was hit by a barge around 9:30 a.m., said Ronnie Varela, with the Galveston’s Office of Emergency Management. Varela did not have any immediate information on damage to the bridge or if there were any injuries. SEE ALSO: Ship that struck Baltimore bridge had blackouts day before crash, NTSB report finds Varela said the collision caused an oil spill and that crews were working to clean it up. The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office told KTRK that a large piece of the bridge fell. Pictures broadcast by KTRK showed pieces of concrete on the barge. Copyright © 2024 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

By LARRY NEUMEISTER and MIKE CATALINI Wednesday, May 15, 2024 5:12PM NEW YORK — After a jury was chosen in the federal bribery trial of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, opening statements were to occur Wednesday afternoon as prosecutors seek to convince a jury that the longtime powerful Democrat was willing to sell his influence to benefit three businessmen in return for cash, gold bars and a luxury car. The three-term New Jersey senator has insisted since his fall arrest that he is not guilty of charges that he used his influence to aid three New Jersey businessmen, including by providing favors to the governments of Egypt and Qatar. Prosecutors say the men showered Menendez and his wife with gifts to ensure Menendez would help them. Judge Sidney H. Stein gave a jury that had been chosen by early afternoon initial instructions on the law before a lunch break. The 12 jurors and six alternates were chosen over three days. Menendez, 70, is on trial in Manhattan federal court with two of the businessmen. A third has pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the other

Borrowing to pay for college is about to get more expensive: The interest rate on new federal student loans for undergraduates during the upcoming 2024-25 academic year will be the highest in 12 years. The federal student loan interest rate will be 6.53% for undergraduate students, up from 5.5% for the current year. The interest rate has not been that high on any undergraduate loans since the 2012-13 school year. Graduate students will see an 8.08% interest rate this coming academic year, up from 7.05%. And PLUS loans, which are available to both parents and graduate students, will come with a 9.08% interest rate, an increase from 8.05%. The rates for graduate students and parents have not been as high since before July 2006, when the government started setting fixed rates for student loans. Prior to that, most federal student loans had variable rates. The higher student loan interest rates will make it more costly for borrowers to pay back their debt – and could cause a problem for President Joe Biden, who is working to win over as many young voters as he can

By SEUNG MIN KIM, ELLEN KNICKMEYER and ZEKE MILLER (Associated Press) WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it plans to move forward on a new $1 billion sale of arms and ammunition to Israel, three congressional aides say. It’s the first arms shipment to Israel to be pushed ahead since the administration put another arms transfer, consisting of 3,500 bombs of up to 2,000 pounds each, on hold this month. The Biden administration, citing concern for civilian casualties in Gaza, has said it paused that bomb transfer to keep Israel from using those particular munitions in its offensive in the crowded southern Gaza city of Rafah. The new package disclosed Tuesday includes about $700 million for tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles and $60 million in mortar rounds, the congressional aides said. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an arms transfer that has not yet been made public. The administration’s notice to lawmakers this week isn’t the final, formal notification before a sale, one of the congressional aides said. The deal would be an entirely new sale, the

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI (Associated Press) The presidential primary may be decided, but election season marches on. Voters in several states, including Maryland and West Virginia, chose nominees Tuesday in critical races that could decide the balance of power on Capitol Hill next year. Here are some takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries: HOGAN: GAME-CHANGER OR SACRIFICIAL LAMB? Maryland’s former Republican governor, Larry Hogan, easily won his party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate seat opened by Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin’s retirement. The Senate race in the solidly Democratic state would normally be a snoozer, but Hogan is a candidate unlike any other Republican. Over his two terms as governor, Hogan won a significant number of Democratic votes and remained popular among a wide swath of the left-leaning state. He’s been a sharp Trump critic, which endears him to a segment of the Democratic electorate and can blunt attacks from the left. That’s why Senate Republicans wooed him relentlessly to run for the newly open seat, as part of their plan to flip control of the chamber from Democrats, who currently have a two-seat majority. Candidates with cross-party appeal

By MIKE STOBBE (AP Medical Writer) NEW YORK (AP) — The number of U.S. fatal overdoses fell last year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data posted Wednesday. Agency officials noted the data is provisional and could change after more analysis, but that they still expect a drop when the final counts are in. It would be only the second annual decline since the current national drug death epidemic began more than three decades ago. Experts reacted cautiously. One described the decline as relatively small, and said it should be thought more as part of a leveling off than a decrease. Another noted that the last time a decline occurred — in 2018 — drug deaths shot up in the years that followed. “Any decline is encouraging,” said Brandon Marshall, a Brown University researcher who studies overdose trends. “But I think it’s certainly premature to celebrate or to draw any large-scale conclusions about where we may be headed long-term with this crisis.” It’s also too soon to know what spurred the decline, Marshall and other experts said. Explanations could include shifts in the

By KAREL JANICEK (Associated Press) PRAGUE (AP) — Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting after a political event Wednesday afternoon, according to his Facebook profile. The populist, pro-Russian leader, 59, was hit in the stomach after four shots were fired outside the House of Culture in the town of Handlova, some 150 kilometers (93 miles) northeast of the capital where the leader was meeting with supporters, according to reports on TA3, a Slovakian TV station. A suspect has been detained, it said. A message posted to Fico’s Facebook account said that the leader “has been shot multiple times and is currently in life-threatening condition.” It said he was being transported by helicopter to the Banská Bystrica, 29 kilometers (63 miles) away from Handlova because it would take too long to get to Bratislava due to the necessity of an acute procedure. “The next few hours will decide,” it said. President-elect Peter Pellegrini, an ally of Fico, called the assassination “an unprecedented threat to Slovak democracy. If we express other political opinions with pistols in squares, and

Extreme heat is known as a “silent killer,” and in some areas across Asia, its intensity would have been impossible without one critical factor, a new study found.

Nearly 9% of credit card balances are now delinquent. Here’s what you can do to tackle yours today.

Assailants killed 2 prison convoy officers, springing the inmate they were escorting. France’s prime minister vowed the suspects “will pay.”

Inflation cooled off last month. Here’s what that could mean for mortgage rates now.

SAN JOSE – Former NHL goalie Darren Pang’s first assignment, when he began working for the Blackhawks last year, was to cover the team’s draft party at a concert venue in Chicago. Once Pang arrived, he was stunned by what he saw. “There had to be 8,000 to 10,000 people at the sold-out event in anticipation of the first overall pick, and the fans were already wearing No. 98 sweaters,” Pang said of the crowd, there to watch the 2023 NHL Draft from Nashville and see Connor Bedard become a member of Blackhawks. “When (general manager) Kyle Davidson said, ‘the Chicago Blackhawks select …’ the place went nuts,” Pang recalled. The Sharks, winners of this year’s NHL draft lottery, could see a similar scene play out next month at their official draft party on June 28 at SAP Center in San Jose. Per a team spokesperson, more than 5,000 free tickets have already been claimed, leading the organization to open the upper deck and increase the seating capacity for the event to 15,000. It’s one indication, especially after a season when the Sharks were last

SANTA CLARA – For an 11th consecutive season, the 49ers won’t be going across the pond to play in London. All 17 of their regular-season games will be played in the continental United States, spanning all corners from Buffalo to Miami to Los Angeles and Seattle. But it all starts at Levi’s Stadium on Sept. 9 when they open against the New York Jets. Their only option for a London voyage this season was if the Minnesota Vikings were to host the 49ers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, an hour north of London. Instead, the NFL revealed this morning that 49ers-Vikings matchup will take place in Minneapolis for a second straight season. The entire NFL schedule is due out at 5 p.m. PT. The Vikings will look to improve to 4-0 all-time in London when they host the Jets on Oct. 6. The 49ers’ other known date ar this point: they will be hosting the Kansas City Chiefs (1:25 p.m. PT) in a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl LVIII, which the Chiefs won 36-33 in overtime. All other NFL International Series games involve home teams

Red Bluff, Calif. (May 14, 2024) – A Swiftie struck it big in Red Bluff last month. Eleven-year-old Taylor Pitner was given a pink guitar signed by Taylor Swift at the Tough Enough to Wear Pink Luncheon held during Red Bluff Round-Up week. Pitner has a special tie to the Round-Up. She is the Round-Up’s 2024 Golden Circle of Champions designee and courtesy of the Round-Up, she and her family will receive a trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December as one of the “golden” children who are going through or have gone through cancer treatment. The daughter of Eric and MaryBeth Pitner, Taylor was diagnosed with ALL: acute T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia in February 2021. She went through six cycles of chemotherapy, followed by 18 months of maintenance. Taylor Pitner holds the pink autographed Taylor Swift guitar she received from Cornerstone Community Bank. With her is (from left to right): Tomi Arteaga, Heather Bell, Pitner, Liz Ramos, Gary Ramos, and Shelley Macdonald. Arteaga, Bell and Macdonald are Cornerstone employees. (Delcie Strahan/contributed) Taylor underwent treatment at the University of California-Davis, a nearly two-hour

RED BLUFF – Thanks to the diligent efforts of Congressman Doug LaMalfa’s office, Tehama County has been granted a substantial sum of nearly $2.46 million for the ongoing Corning Veterans Hall Remodel Project. Previously, Congressman LaMalfa’s 2023 Community Project funding request yielded $2 million for the remodel. Additionally, the Board of Supervisors authorized a $2 million allocation from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act funds, specifically earmarked for the Corning Veterans Hall Remodel Project, ensuring substantial financial backing for the project. While the funding news is undoubtedly a step forward, it is essential to note that some crucial design aspects still need to be finalized before the project can commence. As a result, it may take some time before the county can begin the construction. In March, the supervisors discussed design properties for the project. Based on a previous evaluation by Nichols, Melburg, and Rosetto, they authorized county staff to proceed with securing design services for the remodel. The Board reached a consensus that the parking lot should be the highest priority of the design process. One option being considered is expanding the kitchen. This

Shares of GameStop, AMC Entertainment and other so-called meme stocks dipped ahead of the start of trade on Wednesday.

NEW YORK — Across two days of testimony in former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen detailed Donald Trump’s extensive involvement in an alleged scheme to hide negative information about himself from voters in the run-up to the 2016 election. Tuesday afternoon, defense lawyers launched their effort to convince jurors to not believe a single word Cohen said. Cohen’s cross-examination quickly became combative, with defense attorney Todd Blanche highlighting Cohen’s animosity for his former boss, who Cohen has called a “boorish cartoon misogynist,” a “Cheeto-dusted cartoon villain,” and a “dictator douchebag.” Michael Cohen testifies on the witness stand with a National Enquirer cover story about Donald Trump displayed on a screen in Manhattan criminal court, May 13, 2024, in New York. Elizabeth Williams via AP The cross-examination focused on Cohen’s actions and remarks since being released from prison in 2020, leaving the more substantive cross-examination about Cohen’s conduct related to the case for Thursday, when the proceedings resume. Trump is on trial for allegedly falsifying business records to hide the reimbursement of a hush money payment that Cohen made

Wednesday, May 15, 2024 12:25PM A popular destination for many California residents just became more accessible for low-income families. FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — A popular destination for many California residents just became more accessible for low-income families. Starting May 27th, the Monterey Bay Aquarium will provide free admission to anyone enrolled in the federal food assistance benefits through SNAP, also known as CalFresh. You can receive complimentary entry for up to four people when you show your SNAP EBT card. This is part of the Museums for All program, which encourages people to visit museums regularly. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is said to be the most admired aquarium in the US. It’s also a leader in science education and a voice for ocean conservation. For more information on free admission, click here. Copyright © 2024 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.