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State pursues receivership for Big Basin Water

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:02 GMT

BIG BASIN — After years of unreliable service, code violations and failures to respond to regional authorities in a timely manner, the California Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water says it has engaged the Office of Enforcement to begin the process of pursuing a receivership for Big Basin Water Co.According to a letter sent by the control board to the company’s private owners Jim and Shirley Moore in late February, the company has been falling short of its duty to consistently provide safe, potable water to its customers in the Santa Cruz Mountains.“BBWC (Big Basin Water Company) is not currently satisfying that obligation as it does not have the technical, managerial, and financial capacity to operate a public water system, and it is unresponsive to the rules and orders of the Division,” wrote Office of Enforcement attorney Laura Mooney in the letter.Mooney concluded the seven-page report by stating: “In our view, a receiver should be appointed to assume posses...

Many electric vehicles to lose big tax credit with new rules effective this month

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:02 GMT

By Tom Krisher, Fatima Hussein and Matthew Daly | The Associated PressFewer new electric vehicles will qualify for a full $7,500 federal tax credit later this year, and many will get only half that, under rules proposed Friday by the U.S. Treasury Department.The rules, required under last year’s Inflation Reduction Act, are likely to slow consumer acceptance of electric vehicles and could delay President Joe Biden’s ambitious goal that half of new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. run on electricity by 2030.The new rules take effect April 18 and are aimed at reducing U.S. dependence on China and other countries for battery supply chains for electric vehicles.Electric vehicles now cost an average of more than $58,000, according to Kelley Blue Book, a price that’s beyond the reach of many U.S. households. The tax credits are designed to bring prices down and attract more buyers. But $3,750, half the full credit, may not be enough to entice them away from less-costly gasoline-powered...

This drought-tolerant plant is eye-catching and easy to grow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:02 GMT

My amole (Beschorneria yuccoides) is blooming and as it is adjacent to the sidewalk, passersby stop and stare. There really is no parallel to amole in the plant kingdom and it is seldom seen – although it is ridiculously easy to grow, being stoutly drought tolerant.The flower is incredibly unique and evokes Audrey, the carnivorous plant in “Little Shop of Horrors.” Each flower stalk can grow up to six feet in length with small pendant flower clusters appearing every few inches as each section of the stalk opens up. Although related to yuccas and agaves, amole foliage is soft and smooth. And although it produces pups like agaves do, it is not monocarpic; that is, it does not die after flowering but persists for years.In the language of the Aztecs, “amole” means detergent or soap and refers to the fact that this plant’s roots, in the manner of agave and yucca roots generally, have cleansing properties. San Marcos Growers has four types of Beschorneria in stock; to find a nursery near ...

California attorney claims husband pressured her to gamble millions owed to loan company

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:02 GMT

A Newport Beach attorney who allegedly scammed a lender out of $10.2 million in 2022 to fund a six-month stay at a swanky Las Vegas resort where she frequented casinos around-the-clock now claims her husband pressured her to gamble millions in an effort to win enough to repay the loans.Sara Jacqueline King, 39, who operates King Family Lending and is a partner of the King Reuben law firm, was sued in February by LDR International Limited, based in the British Virgin Islands, for breach of contract, fraud and theft.LDR International allegedly extended 97 loans to King Lending for third-party borrowers from January to October 2022. The borrowers’ loans purportedly were secured by collateral that included luxury automobiles, boats, yachts, jewelry, watches, valuable coins, and earnings from guaranteed professional sports contracts.However, in each instance, King allegedly provided LDR International with phony title documents, appraisals, photographs, and contracts, as well as proof of ...

The Queen Mary is officially open for public tours — sparking excitement about what’s to come

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:02 GMT

Tour guide Paul Knox talks about engine room 2 on Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023, as visitors board the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)Tour guide Paul Knox tells visitors about the aft steering area on Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023, as visitors tour the Queen Mary in Long Beach for the first time in about three years on Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)Visitors tour one of the engine rooms on Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023, aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)A youngster mans the aft steering wheel during a tour of the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)Visitors tour one of the engine rooms on Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023, aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)Visitors to...

Nothing could be easier to make than Aunt Rosie’s Eggplant Parmesan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:02 GMT

By Carla Vigos | Laguna Woods GlobeMy Aunt Rose was a key influence for me at the beginning of my love of cooking. My mother died unexpectedly when I was 20, and even though I was always her sous chef, I never had the recipes because she cooked without them.My Aunt Rose, who never had children, became my teacher. She taught me how to make sauces, beans, marinated crab, lentils, fava and pasta, chicken soup, baked chicken and so much more.She also showed me a simpler eggplant parmesan without all the typical breading. She did fry her eggplant first, but I altered it to a healthier version by baking the eggplant before adding the toppings. I make a simple marinara, but you can buy your favorite pasta sauce instead.Carla Vigos, Laguna Woods Globe cooking columnist(Courtesy photo)Laguna Woods Globe cooking columnist Carla Vigos’ Aunt Rose made eggplant parmesan with both parmesan and mozzarella cheese.(Photo by Jeff Sinclair)Show Caption of ExpandAunt Rosie’s Eggplant ParmesanINGR...

Here are some new ways thieves are scamming people

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:02 GMT

Don’t get fooledApril Fools’ Day was Saturday, April 1, but schemers and scammers are out to get your money year-round. Here are the statistics for past years and how technology is helping the swindlers.You can report fraud and theft to the Federal Trade Commission here.A few things to look out and listen up for:According to the Federal Trade Commission, scammers are making more than ever. In 2022, the number of people who got scammed was down, but the amount of money lost is estimated to be $8.8 billion, more than any year.If that’s not bad enough, the type of scams are more diabolical too. If you’re familiar with the “Help me Grandma” scams where an impostor calls saying they need money to help a grandchild, now it’s gone high tech.New generative artificial intelligence tools with just a snippet of someone’s voice to work with can create speech that sounds convincingly like a particular person. If thieves can find 30 seconds of your voice somewhere online such as Instagram, there’...

After Two Decades of U.S. Military Support, Terror Attacks Are Worse Than Ever in Niger

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:02 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger — The look on Miriam’s face was abject fear. Her pink, white, and green veil had mostly slipped from her head, and her dark eyes grew wide as she stared down at her lavender smartphone. In a flash, she pulled it to her ear. “Allo!” she said, her pitch rising as her other hand nervously cradled her chin.In the courtyard of her family’s tree-lined compound in a well-to-do neighborhood in Niger’s capital, members of Miriam’s ethnic group had been describing jihadist attacks on their historic community in a rural region to the north. Now, the six or seven men wearing tagelmusts — a combination of turban and scarf worn by Tuareg men to provide protection from sun and dust — were also glued to their phones as chimes announced incoming texts and calls. Voices on the phones sounded panicked. There were gunshots, and a familiar roar rumbled through the desert scrubland 100 miles away. At any moment, relatives warned, they expected an attack by the “motorcycle guys.”Over the las...

Power outages and winds linger as DC-area surveys damage from Saturday’s storms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:02 GMT

Thousands of D.C-area residents are waking up in the dark after Saturday’s high winds and storms caused power outages to linger into Sunday morning.Winds remain strong Sunday morning with some gusts up to 30 mph. But by the afternoon, winds are expected to slow to 5-10 mph.Listen to WTOP online and on the radio at 103.5 FM or 107.7 FM.Current traffic conditionsPower outages mapWeather forecastSign up for WTOP alerts“Winds gradually calm through this morning with any early morning clouds clearing through the first few hours of daylight,” WTOP meteorologist Lauryn Ricketts said.While winds largely died down overnight, gusts up to 70 mph damaged power lines on Saturday and some outages remain.Winds continue to decrease today with high pressure building in. Expect NW gusts up to 30 mph this morning decreasing to 20 mph this afternoon. Highs will top out in the mid to upper 50s for most outside the mountains. Turning warmer Monday & Tuesday. #MDwx #VAwx #WVwx pic.tw...

Pandemic pounds push 10,000 U.S. Army soldiers into obesity

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:02 GMT

After gaining 30 pounds during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Murillo is finally getting back into fighting shape.Early pandemic lockdowns, endless hours on his laptop and heightened stress led Murillo, 27, to reach for cookies and chips in the barracks at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Gyms were closed, organized exercise was out and Murillo’s motivation to work out on his own was low.“I could notice it,” said Murillo, who is 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighed as much as 192 pounds. “The uniform was tighter.”Murillo wasn’t the only service member dealing with extra weight. New research found that obesity in the U.S. military surged during the pandemic. In the Army alone, nearly 10,000 active duty soldiers developed obesity between February 2019 and June 2021, pushing the rate to nearly a quarter of the troops studied. Increases were seen in the U.S. Navy and the Marines, too. “The Army and the other services need to focus on how to bring the forces bac...