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Final miles of new I-5 HOV lanes set to open in North County: Caltrans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:56 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Drivers in North County will get some traffic congestion relief this week with the opening of four more miles of carpool lanes on Interstate 5 on Monday, Caltrans announced.The new lanes will open on the northbound side of the highway in Oceanside and Carlsbad, stretching from Palomar Airport Road to the State Route 78 exit. According to Caltrans, this could cut commute time for some drivers by as much as 50% during peak travel hours.The opening of the northbound highway expansion comes about two weeks after four miles of new southbound carpool lanes were opened in the same area, marking the beginning of the end for a $410 million project aimed at adding 13 miles of HOV lanes through North County.The project is part of the nearly $900 million Build North Coast Corridor program -- a joint effort by Caltrans and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) described by transportation officials earlier this month as "one of the largest infrastructure improvements in t...

County could declare local state of emergency over sewage spill from Tijuana

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:56 GMT

IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. -- San Diego County leaders are aiming to get the attention of federal officials this week to help address the ongoing sewage spill from Tijuana into the region's southernmost beaches.The crisis from the Tijuana River Valley has been a problem for decades, contaminating water around Imperial Beach and Coronado. However, the problem is seemingly becoming more acute, with nearly 30% of the San Diego coastline closed due to the discharge of untreated sewage. Yellow warning signs have dotted the Imperial Beach shore for nearly 500 consecutive days, alerting people to avoid the water.Now, county leaders are looking to declare a state of emergency over the worsening problem.During the County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Board Chairwoman Nora Vargas and Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer plan to introduce a board policy that would proclaim the local emergency. The two would join Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre and the City of San Diego in sounding the alar...

Fourth of July is ruff for pets. Here's how to keep them safe on the holiday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:56 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The Fourth of July is less than two weeks away and the San Diego Humane Society is encouraging pet owners to be proactive to prevent their animals from straying and ending up in a shelter during the holiday.The Independence Day holiday often leads to a surge in the number of lost animals entering shelter, the Humane Society explained -- particularly dogs and cats who run-off after getting spooked by festivities like fireworks. “The fireworks are loud, they’re very scary," Officer Tiffany Pucillo with Humane Law Enforcement told FOX 5. "It's definitely a high stress, high anxiety holiday."According to SDHS, the shelter took in 275 stray dogs, cats and other small animals last year between July 4 and July 7. Only about 16% of those pets were reclaimed by their owners. Big Bay Boom: How to watch the fireworks show Anticipating a similar number of runaways this year, SDHS hosted their first annual "Prepare Fair" on Saturday to help pet owners get ready for the upcoming ho...

Closing arguments set in trial of Florida deputy accused of failing to stop school shooter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:56 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Closing arguments are scheduled Monday in the trial of a former Florida sheriff’s deputy accused of failing to confront the shooter who murdered 14 students and three staff members at a Parkland high school five years ago. Prosecutors and the attorney for Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson spent his trial contesting what he heard, saw and knew during the six-minute attack inside a three-story classroom building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018.Peterson, 60, is charged with felony child neglect and other charges for his alleged failure to confront former student Nikolas Cruz before the gunman reached the 1200 building’s third floor, where six of the victims died. Peterson is not charged in connection with the deaths of 11 people killed on the first floor before he reached the building. It is the first time a U.S. law enforcement officer has been tried in connection with a school shooting. Prosecutors, during their two-week p...

US aircraft carrier makes Da Nang port call as America looks to strengthen ties with Vietnam

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:56 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — A U.S. aircraft carrier and two guided missile cruisers were visiting Vietnam on Monday, a rare port call that comes as the United States and China increasingly vie for influence in Southeast Asia.The USS Ronald Reagan, along with the guided missile cruisers USS Antietam and USS Robert Smalls, arrived in Da Nang on Sunday for the visit.Neighboring China is Vietnam’s largest trading partner but Beijing’s sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea have led to increasing friction with Vietnam, as well as with Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines. The U.S., meantime, has been on a diplomatic push to strengthen economic and military ties in the Indo-Pacific region.The aircraft carrier’s port call — only the third such visit since relations were reestablished after the end of the Vietnam war — follows visits to Vietnam this year from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and USAID Administrator Sama...

International group of agencies investigates loss of submersible carrying 5 people to the Titanic

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:56 GMT

An international group of agencies is investigating the loss of the Titan submersible, seeking to determine what caused it to implode while carrying five people to the Titanic.Investigators from the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, the French marine casualties investigation board and the United Kingdom Marine Accident Investigation Branch are working closely together on the probe of the June 18 accident that drew worldwide attention. Evidence is being collected in the port of St. John’s, Newfoundland, in coordination with Canadian authorities.On Sunday, U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Jason Neubauer, that agency’s chief investigator, said at a news conference that the salvage operations from the sea floor in the North Atlantic are ongoing, and they have mapped the accident site. He did not give a timeline for the investigation. The Coast Guard board can make recommendations to prosecutors to pursue civil or crim...

The chaos in Russia is a morale booster for Ukraine as it pushes forward with its counteroffensive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:56 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The armed rebellion against the Russian military may have been over in less than 24 hours, but the disarray within the enemy’s ranks was an unexpected gift and timely morale booster for Ukrainian troopsThe spectacle of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mutiny in the critical military command and control hub in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, and later Russia’s scramble to fortify Moscow as troops marched to upend the country’s military leadership was greeted “with applause” by commanders of Ukraine’s Eastern Group of Forces, said its spokesperson, Serhii Cherevatiy.“Soldiers at the front lines are positive about it,” he said. “Any chaos and disorder on the enemy’s side benefits us.”A video of well-known Ukrainian drone commander “Magyar” watching the revolt while eating enormous amounts of popcorn went viral. A plethora of gleeful memes mocking Russian leader Vladimir Putin inundated social media, and statement after statement from Ukraine’s top brass described the t...

Essentials for the Hajj: From sunhats to shoe bags, a guide to gear Muslims bring to the pilgrimage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:56 GMT

MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Straw hats, cross-body bags, and collapsible chairs: These are just some of the essentials Muslims bring to the Hajj pilgrimage.Spiritually, the five-day Hajj is awe-inspiring for the faithful, an experience they say brings them closer to God and to the entire Muslim world.Physically, it’s grueling. Pilgrims walk outdoors for hours in broiling heat around holy sites in Mecca and the surrounding desert. They are caught in unimaginable and overwhelming crowds, all trying to get to the same place. Barriers directing the traffic mean that if you miss your turn, you might walk hours more to get where you want to be.So the more than 2 million pilgrims don’t just learn the complicated rules of how to properly perform the rituals, which begin on Monday. They also pick up helpful hints and tricks of the trade to get by, learned from other hajjis — as those who have completed the pilgrimage are known.Here’s a look at what they say is essential gear.WHAT TO WEARDress...

Early vote count for Guatemala’s presidential election gives no indication of leaders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:56 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Electoral workers slowly tallied ballots across Guatemala late Sunday, and early counts gave no indication of which two candidates from a huge field of presidential contenders would advance to a runoff.While some isolated incidents interrupted the vote in some localities, voting appeared to have been orderly and peaceful in much of the country. Voters also cast ballots in hundreds of congressional and local races,Many Guatemalans had expressed disappointment with their presidential choices after three opposition candidates were excluded by authorities. A large number of null ballots were expected, and experts said it could depress turnout.Early in the count, with about 7% tallied, null votes led all candidates in the presidential race.With none of the 22 presidential candidates polling near the required 50% threshold for winning outright, a second round of voting on Aug. 20 between the top two finishers was almost certain. At a polling place in central Guatemal...

Haruki Murakami pleads for keeping Tokyo park and baseball stadium that inspired his writing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:56 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Author Haruki Murakami says he’s strongly opposed to the redevelopment of a historic and beloved Tokyo park district that would remove his favorite jogging path and tear down the nearly century-old baseball stadium where he was inspired to become a novelist. The plan approved earlier this year by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike to put skyscrapers and new stadiums in the heart of the Jingu Gaien green district has become increasingly controversial. Followers of baseball and rugby history are opposed to it, as well as conservationists and civil groups who say the project has advanced without transparency, adequate environmental assessment or explanation to the residents. The ball park and a neighboring rugby stadium used for soccer during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics would be demolished under the plan, and hundreds of trees would be removed from what’s been a Tokyo park district for centuries. When finished, the new stadiums will be surrounded by nearly 200-meter (650-foot) tall...