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Cruising to Nome: The first U.S. deep water port for the Arctic to host cruise ships, military

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:54 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The cruise ship with about 1,000 passengers anchored off Nome, too big to squeeze into into the tundra city’s tiny port. Its well-heeled tourists had to shimmy into small boats for another ride to shore.It was 2016, and at the time, the cruise ship Serenity was the largest vessel ever to sail through the Northwest Passage.But as the Arctic sea ice relents under the pressures of global warming and opens shipping lanes across the top of the world, more tourists are venturing to Nome — a northwest Alaska destination known better for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and its 1898 gold rush than luxury travel. The problem remains: There’s no place to park the big boats. While smaller cruise ships are able to dock, officials say that of the dozen arriving this year, half will anchor offshore.That’s expected to change as a $600 million-plus expansion makes Nome, population 3,500, the nation’s first deep-water Arctic port. The expansion, expec...

Philippine ferry with 120 people onboard catches fire at sea, rescue underway

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:54 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine ferry carrying 120 passengers and crew members caught fire at sea on Sunday and a coast guard vessel was deployed to rescue those onboard and try to extinguish the flames, coast guard officials said.The M/V Esperanza Star caught fire at dawn while traveling from Siquijor province to Bohol province in the central Philippines, the coast guard said. It did not immediately say how many people have been rescued from the ferry or if there were casualties.Photos and video released by the coast guard show flames and black smoke billowing from two decks at one end of the ferry as coast guard personnel onboard another vessel used a water cannon to try to put out the fire. A fishing boat and one other vessel could be seen nearby.None of the 65 passengers and 55 crew members could be seen aboard the burning ferry based on the photographs and video released by the coast guard.Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of frequent storms...

Stalled contract jeopardizes relations between new Disney governing body, firefighters

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:54 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — After appointees of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took over Walt Disney World’s governing district earlier this year, its firefighters were among the few employees who publicly welcomed them with open arms.But that warm relationship is in jeopardy as a new district administrator has reopened negotiations on a contract that was approved last month by the unionized firefighters, promising pay raises and more manpower.A vote on the contract originally was targeted for last month during a meeting of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board of supervisors but it was never brought up, and it did not appear on an agenda released ahead of the next meeting scheduled for Wednesday.Under the three-year contract proposal overwhelmingly approved by 200 firefighters and first responders, annual starting pay for firefighters would increase to $65,000, up from $55,000. It also promised hiring up to three dozen firefighters and paramedics.At several meetings since the De...

California governor proposes rolling back access to police misconduct records

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:54 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration has proposed an end to public disclosure of investigations of abusive and corrupt police officers, handing the responsibility instead to local agencies in an effort to help cover an estimated $31.5 billion budget deficit.The proposal, part of the governor’s budget package that he is still negotiating with the Legislature, has prompted strong criticism from a coalition of criminal justice and press freedom groups, which spent years pushing for the disclosure rules that were part of a landmark law Newsom signed in 2021.The law allows the state Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to investigate and decertify police officers for misconduct, such as use of excessive force, sexual assault and dishonesty. It requires the commission to make public the records of decertification cases. The Newsom administration now wants to get rid of that transparency element. The commission says the public co...

4.4-magnitude quake rattles Mendocino County, seismologists report

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:54 GMT

UKIAH — An earthquake jolted the Ukiah area of Mendocino County Saturday night, according to seismologists.The quake had a magnitude of 4.4, the U.S. Geological Service reported.The temblor was located about 5.2 miles southeast of Talmage, a community in Mendocino County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter was also 7.6 miles away from UKiah, according to seismologists.No immediate reports of damage were issued by official agencies in Mendocino County.The quake occurred around 8:45 p.m. on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. 

4.4 magnitude earthquake rattles Mendocino County

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:54 GMT

(BCN) -- A 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck in Mendocino County about five miles southeast of Talmage on Saturday. The quake hit at about 8:44 p.m. and was measured at a depth of about 5.2 miles. No injuries have been reported. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, people typically report feeling earthquakes larger than about magnitude 2.5.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved.

Palo Alto native's boat attacked by killer whales

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:54 GMT

(KRON) -- You might call this "A Whale of a Tale." A Palo Alto teen's boat was attacked by a killer whale while out to sea off the coast of southern Spain.You may remember we introduced you to Cal Currier last summer when he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from the East Coast. Well, he and his family went on another adventure this summer, but it was cut short.This was the moment when orcas, also known as killer whales, attacked Cal Currier's boat "Argo."His father immediately called for SOS. The boat was adrift on the Strait of Gibraltar near Spain, leaving Currier, his brother and his father stranded. A’s situation similar to when Giants almost left SF, ex-MLB team president says "It was very brief and very intense," Currier who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean said.Speaking to KRON4 from Portugal, Currier says the incident lasted about 4 minutes."As soon as it happened me and my brother were lowering the sails turning off the engine doing things to try to really boar them. We...

U.S. Open Par Scores

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:54 GMT

SaturdayAt North CourseLos AngelesPurse: $20 millionYardage: 7,423; Par: 70Third RoundWyndham Clark, United States64-67-69—200-10Rickie Fowler, United States62-68-70—200-10Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland65-67-69—201-9Scottie Scheffler, United States67-68-68—203-7Harris English, United States67-66-71—204-6Dustin Johnson, United States64-70-71—205-5Xander Schauffele, United States62-70-73—205-5Ryutaro Nagano, Japan71-67-68—206-4Bryson DeChambeau, United States67-72-68—207-3Tom Kim, South Korea73-68-66—207-3Cameron Smith, Australia69-67-71—207-3Viktor Hovland, Norway69-70-69—208-2Min Woo Lee, Australia69-65-74—208-2Hideki Matsuyama, Japan72-69-67—208-2Patrick Cantlay, United States71-71-67—209-1Tony Finau, United States68-69-72—209-1Matt Fitzpatrick, England71-70-68—209-1Padraig Harrington, Ireland73-69-67—209-1Collin Morikawa, United States71-69-69—209-1Sam Burns, United States69-70-71—210EEric Cole, United States69-70-71—210EBrian Harman, United States65-73-72—210ETyrrell Hatton, Engl...

In the dark: Wyndham Clark criticizes late start for US Open’s 3rd round

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:54 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Call him a traditionalist, but Wyndham Clark thinks professional golf is better in the daylight.The U.S. Open co-leader criticized NBC’s decision to put Saturday’s third round in a late broadcast window that forced the final competitors to finish their rounds around sunset. Visibility at Los Angeles Country Club was poor for the final hour of play, and Clark wasn’t thrilled to finish the biggest round of his life in suboptimal conditions.“Personally, I don’t quite understand it,” Clark said. “I know we’re (on the) West Coast and whatnot, and I know they probably have the say, but I would like to think that they would step in and be like, ‘Hey, we want to make sure it’s in the light and we have time.’ Definitely Rickie (Fowler) and I had a little bit of a disadvantage on those last two holes playing in the dark.”Clark and Fowler were the final pairing of the third round, and the broadcast network raised eyebrows Friday night when it was announced they w...

Unknown Nagano making a name for himself with great play at the US Open

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:54 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ryutaro Nagano is definitely making the most of his first tournament in the United States.The 35-year-old Japan Golf Tour player was in eighth place Saturday through three rounds of the U.S. Open. Nagano was 4 under through 54 holes, six shots behind co-leaders Wyndham Clark and Rickie Fowler.Nagano will play alongside Xander Schauffele on Sunday in the fourth-to-last group.“I’m grateful that I’ve been able to play well for the last three days, and to be here is amazing,” Nagano said through an interpreter after he shot a 2-under 68 at Los Angeles Country Club.Nagano is No. 522 in the latest world golf ranking and got into the field by earning one of three spots in U.S. Open qualifying in Japan.His best finish in four years on the Japanese tour is a second in the 2021 Mizuno Open, which qualified him for the British Open. He missed the cut two years ago at Royal St. George’s.His only PGA Tour start was at the 2021 Zozo Championship in Japan, when he tied for...