California Dolphin

Police in a Sydney, Australia, suburb tracked down what they called an “audacious arborist” who stole a rare tree and fled on a bicycle.   The suspect was captured on camera digging up and removing a rare Blood Dragon Tree from the front yard of a home in Box Hill, located northwest of Sydney in the province of New South Wales, on Sept. 25.  According to The Hills Police Area Command, the local law enforcement body, dragon’s blood tree are known for their striking appearance and rarity; they are said to be a “popular choice of feature plant in homes and gardens across Australia.”  Southern California braces for hottest day of record-setting heat wave Also possessing a striking appearance was the suspect who was caught stealing the tree, police said; he was seen in a “fluorescent yellow tradesman shirt” and used a bicycle as his getaway vehicle.  “Witnesses describe the suspect as having a unique sense of style and a questionable choice of getaway vehicle,” police said in their original post advising of the tree theft. “The suspect was seen pedaling away with the tree

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County dropped two-tenths of a cent Wednesday to $4.545, a day after dropping nine-tenths of a cent. The average price is 2.6 cents less than one week ago, 5.7 cents lower than one month ago and $1.74 below what it was one year ago, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It has dropped $1.949 since rising to a record $6.494 on Oct. 5, 2022. The Orange County average price is unchanged at $4.477, a day after dropping four-tenths of a cent. It has dropped six of the past seven days, decreasing 2.3 cents. The Orange County average price is 2.3 cents less than one week ago, 4.5 cents lower than one month ago and $1.751 below what it was one year ago. It has dropped $1.982 since rising to a record $6.459 on Oct. 5, 2022. The national average price dropped for the fifth consecutive day after a four-day streak of increases totaling 1.5 cents, decreasing eight-tenths of a cent to $3.196. It has dropped 2.7 cents

The average price of a gallon of self-service regular gasoline in Riverside County dropped for the ninth day in a row decreasing a half-cent Wednesday to $4.399, a day after dropping 1.1 cents. The average price has dropped 6 cents over the past nine days, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It is 3.7 cents less than one week ago, 8 cents lower than one month ago and $1.718 below what it was one year ago. The average price has dropped $1.974 since rising to a record $6.373 on Oct. 5, 2022. The national average price dropped for the fifth consecutive day after a four-day streak of increases totaling 1.5 cents, decreasing eight-tenths of a cent to $3.196. It has dropped 2.7 cents over the past five days, including 1.2 cents Tuesday. The national average price is 1.7 cents less than one week ago, 13.5 cents lower than one month ago and 61.8 cents below what it was one year ago. It has dropped $1.82 since rising to a record $5.016 on June 14, 2022.

California’s protracted summer COVID surge has finally ended, a welcome window that provides a key opportunity to prepare for yet another expected resurgence of transmission this autumn and winter, doctors say. Key to thwarting that threat is the availability of updated vaccines, which have been formulated to boost protection against recently dominant circulating coronavirus strains — the same approach used to develop the annual flu shot. That’s why doctors are urging everyone age 6 months and older to get an updated COVID vaccine, ideally before Halloween. And unlike last year, the new shots have arrived on time and are plentiful. “The single most effective thing that [people] can do to protect themselves as we get into fall and winter is to get vaccinated,” Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a recent briefing. “We have an updated COVID vaccine, an updated flu vaccine, an RSV vaccine — all of those can help protect ourselves, our families, our communities.” This summer’s COVID surge was particularly enduring. Viral levels in California wastewater were calculated as “high” or “very high”

A crash in the northbound lanes of Highway 101 was backing up traffic Wednesday morning. It happened just before 7:30 a.m. near the Avila Beach Drive offramp. According to the California Highway Patrol, two vehicles were reported to be involved and near the center divider. The extent of any injuries was not immediately know.

The Palm Theatre in downtown San Luis Obispo has announced a party for the launch of SLO Film Center. To celebrate, the center is throwing an opening party from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. with food, drinks, cinema and spooky activities. The new venture is a collaboration with the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival (SLOIFF), hoping to bring new releases and expand its showings to the community. To kick off spooky season, the party will also be having a costume contest. Locals who show up in costumes can win some prizes.

Dockworker strike hits day 2 after union rejects new proposal – CBS News Watch CBS News The U.S. dockworker strike is in its second day after the union representing about 25,000 workers rejected a new proposal promising 50% raises over six years and limits on automation. CBS News correspondent Nancy Chen has more. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Helene blamed for more than 130 deaths Communities struggle to clean up from historic Hurricane Helene as the death toll rises 02:47 Hurricanes are known for causing  deaths and  severe damage along their paths, but new research suggests major weather events like these are an indirect driver of thousands more deaths for years after a storm passes.   In the study, published Wednesday in Nature, Stanford University researchers found a “robust increase in excess mortality” following tropical cyclones in the United States between 1930 and 2015. The authors also observed the increase in deaths persists for about 15 years after each weather event. Tropical cyclones are defined in the study as both hurricanes and tropical storms .  “In any given month, people are dying earlier than they would have if the storm hadn’t hit their community,” senior study author Solomon Hsiang, a professor of environmental social sciences at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, said in a news release. “A big storm will hit, and there’s all these cascades of effects where cities are rebuilding or households are displaced or social networks are broken. These

Updated on: October 2, 2024 / 11:01 AM EDT / KFF Health News Report ranks U.S. health system in last place Report finds U.S. health system ranks last, despite paying more 04:30 Dave Lantz is no stranger to emergency department or doctor bills. With three kids in their teens and early 20s, “when someone gets sick or breaks an arm, all of a sudden you have thousand-dollar medical bills,” Lantz said. The family’s health plan that he used to get as the assistant director of physical plant at Lycoming College, a small liberal arts school in central Pennsylvania, didn’t start to cover their costs until they had paid $5,600 in medical bills. The Lantzes were on the hook up to that annual threshold. The high-deductible plan wasn’t ideal for the family of five, but it was the only coverage option available to them. Things are very different now. In mid-2022, the college ditched its group health plan and replaced it with a new type of plan — an individual coverage health reimbursement arrangement, or ICHRA. Now Lantz gets a set amount from his employer every

Brace yourself Southern California, Wednesday is expected to be the hottest day of an already record-breaking early autumn heat wave. Dangerously hot temperatures will be common across most of the region’s valley, mountain, and inland areas, according to the National Weather Service. “Expect to see several daily record highs and at least one all-time monthly record set,” the Weather Service stated in its morning forecast. Five areas reported record high temperatures on Tuesday including Woodland Hills (113), Palmdale (104), Lancaster (103), Paso Robles (107) and Sandberg (95). Heat warnings and advisories remain in place until 8 p.m. Thursday across much of Southern California for temperatures expected to reach in excess of 100 degrees. (National Weather Service) Inland Empire areas including Riverside, Rancho Cucamonga and Corona could see afternoon highs near 108 degrees. The increased heat also brings a higher risk of fire danger, which has prompted the Weather Service to issue a red flag warning. A flare-up in the Line Fire that burned hundreds of acres and forced more evacuations in the San Bernardino Mountains sparked during a warm afternoon over the weekend. The Line Fire

Some commuters taking the Metrolink into Los Angeles were late to work on Wednesday morning due to a box truck blocking train tracks.  The Metrolink Antelope Valley line first reported the vehicle on the tracks shortly after 4:30 a.m., initially announcing the closure of all tracks between Newhall and Sylmar/San Fernando.  Footage from Sky5 shows the vehicle, a USPS box truck, sitting perpendicular to the 5 Freeway truck route near the 210 Freeway interchange.  Magnitude 2.7 earthquake rumbles Malibu area overnight “It may have veered off the truck route of the 5 Freeway near the 210,” Rich Prickett said from Sky5.  Some commuters taking the Metrolink into Los Angeles were late to work on Wednesday morning due to a box truck blocking train tracks. (Sky5) Some commuters taking the Metrolink into Los Angeles were late to work on Wednesday morning due to a box truck blocking train tracks. (Sky5) Some commuters taking the Metrolink into Los Angeles were late to work on Wednesday morning due to a box truck blocking train tracks. (Sky5) Heavy tow truck crews were seen on San Fernando Road near Balboa Boulevard getting ready

We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. By Sharon Wu Edited By Matt Richardson October 2, 2024 / 10:47 AM EDT / CBS News Even as the price of gold surges, many would benefit from investing in the precious metal now. Getty Images In recent years, gold has caught investors’ eyes, especially since the start of 2024. The price of gold has been on a steady climb and even hit a new all-time high of $2,672 per ounce in September. This surge has pulled in even more investors, fueling further price increases. But now with gold prices at record levels , many are asking: Is it still smart to buy gold? Or should investors wait for a pullback? We spoke with three financial advisors to get their perspectives on where gold prices might go from here. Below, we’ll detail what they’re saying about investing in the precious metal today. Start exploring your top gold investing options here now. Does gold investing make sense with the price high?  Investing in gold can still