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Park officials list best 'super bloom' hot spots in South Bay

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:11 GMT

(KRON) -- Santa Clara County Parks officials said an "extraordinary" display of wildflowers are expected to bloom this spring thanks to the Bay Area's unusually wet winter. Parks officials wrote Monday, "The explosion of flowers, known colloquially to some as a 'super bloom,' is expected to be in full swing once a prolonged period of sunshine and warm weather occurs. It is expected to last through May."Parks director Don Rocha said, "It’s been a cold and rainy winter for many in the Bay Area, but our reward will be an awesome array of wildflowers for everyone to enjoy. Our accessible trail system will provide outstanding opportunities for all to view, no matter their skill level. Once the bloom begins, Parks staff will continue to monitor the trails to keep visitors up to date for the best places to view the wildflowers."Visitors can find hot spots for the upcoming wildflower array using the county's ArcGIS system.According to SCCP, some of the best local parks for finding colorful ...

Al Jaffee, longtime Mad magazine cartoonist, dead at 102

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:11 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Al Jaffee, Mad magazine’s award-winning cartoonist and ageless wise guy who delighted millions of kids with the sneaky fun of the Fold-In and the snark of “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions,” has died. He was 102.Jaffee died Monday in Manhattan from multiple organ failure, according to his granddaughter, Fani Thomson. He had retired at the age of 99.Mad magazine, with its wry, sometimes pointed send-ups of politics and culture, was essential reading for teens and preteens during the baby-boom era and inspiration for countless future comedians. Few of the magazine’s self-billed “Usual Gang of Idiots” contributed as much — and as dependably — as the impish, bearded cartoonist. For decades, virtually every issue featured new material by Jaffee. His collected “Fold-Ins,” taking on everyone in his unmistakably broad visual style from the Beatles to TMZ, was enough for a four-volume box set published in 2011.Readers savored his Fold-Ins like ...

Shields to fight Gabriels in Detroit at Little Caesars Arena

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:11 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — The Motor City has landed a big punch to get back in the fight game.Claressa Shields will fight Hanna Gabriels for the women’s world middleweight championship on June 3, bringing boxing to Little Caesars Arena for the first time since it opened in 2017.DAZN, which will carry the match live, made the announcement.Shields, who hails from Flint, Michigan, headlines the card that will include up-and-coming fighters from Michigan.“Claressa opening up the building will forever be imbedded in the rich history of Detroit like the Joe Louis fist in downtown,” Shields’ promoter, Dmitriy Salita, said Monday. “This event will transcend sports because of Claressa, what she represents and accomplished as a young girl from one of the most challenged places in the USA, who believed in herself and made a positive choice every day of her life when she was a kid to be a champion.”Gabriels, who is from Costa Rica, became the only opponent to knock Shields down before losing to her in 201...

Hoskins hopeful for potential October return for Phillies

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:11 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Rhys Hoskins leaned on his left crutch as he helped injured teammate Bryce Harper raise the Phillies’ 2022 National League championship banner. He got a standing ovation as he hobbled to the field two days later to accept his championship ring.Hoskins’ participation in Philadelphia’s opening weekend festivities was about all he could muster as the slugging first baseman recovers from a torn ACL in his left knee.But should the Phillies make another run in October, Hoskins is ready to spike the seven- to nine-month rehab expectation and play in the postseason.“I’m going to do everything in my power to give myself an opportunity that if and when we are playing in late October, I have a chance to contribute to that,” Hoskins said Monday.The 30-year-old Hoskins — playing on a $12 million, one-year contract — spoke to reporters for the first time since he “felt a pop” and was injured in late March while fielding a grounder in a spring training game. Hoskins hit 30 home...

Saudi diplomat: Talks with Houthis aim to revive Yemen truce

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:11 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen said Monday his trip to the Houthi-held capital of Sanaa was aimed at reviving a cease-fire and re-starting political talks to end the nine-year conflict.Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Jaber met with Houthi officials in Sanaa on Sunday for talks also attended by Omani officials. The trip came as talks between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis gained momentum after the Kingdom reached a deal with Iran last month to restore their diplomatic ties. Iran is the Houthis’ main foreign backer in Yemen’s conflict.Al-Jaber said on Twitter that his trip was meant to “stabilize the truce and cease-fire, support the prisoner exchange process and explore venues of dialogue between Yemeni components to reach a sustainable, comprehensive political solution in Yemen.”His comments were the first by Saudi Arabia on the visit.Yemen’s conflict began in 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthis seized Sanaa and much of Yemen’s north, ousting the internationally recognized govern...

Stone practicing for Golden Knights, game return uncertain

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:11 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone returned to practice Monday for the first time since back surgery Jan. 31 forced him out of the lineup.He was in a blue noncontact jersey, and coach Bruce Cassidy said Stone’s return to game action was still unknown.“This is his next phase of returning to playing and recovery and integrating with the team,” Cassidy said. “We’ll see how he responds to it (Tuesday). It’s just good to have him around.”Stone was injured Jan. 12 against Florida, and at the time, he was second on the team with 17 goals and 38 points.This was this second time in less than a year that Stone underwent back surgery. He also had a procedure May 19.Jack Eichel, who shares the team lead with 27 goals and leads the Knights with 65 points, will miss his second straight game with a lower-body injury when Vegas hosts the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night.Zach Whitecloud will also miss the game after suffering a lower-body injury Saturday at Dal...

Mexican ballad singer Julián Figueroa dies at 27

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:11 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican ballad singer Julián Figueroa has died at the age of 27, his mother confirmed Monday. Figueroa was the son of actress Maribel Guardia and singer Joan Sebastian, who died in 2015. Guardia wrote that Figueroa died of a heart ailment. Like his father, Figueroa sang northern-inspired ballads backed by a traditional band. His hits included songs like “Yo sería”, “Ay amor” and “Volaré.” Guardia wrote in her Instagram account that her son died over the weekend.“They found him unconscious in his room last night,” she wrote. “When the ambulance arrived and the police found him dead, there was no sign of violence. The medical report says he died of an acute heart attack.”Figueroa was survived by his mother, and his wife, singer and actress Imelda Tuñón, and their son. Funeral plans were not immediately announced.Joan Sebastian, one of Mexico’s great ballad singers, died in 2015 at age 64.He was best known for sentimental love songs like “Tatuajes” and “Secreto de Am...

Nashville governing council votes unanimously to return expelled Black lawmaker to Tennessee House

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:11 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nashville governing council votes unanimously to return expelled Black lawmaker to Tennessee House.Source

Red Sox slugger Adam Duvall going on IL with fractured wrist

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:11 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Boston Red Sox slugger Adam Duvall is going on the injured list with a fractured left wrist.Boston manager Alex Cora announced the injury before Monday night’s game at Tampa Bay, saying the center fielder has a distal left wrist fracture.Duvall was hurt while attempting a diving catch in the outfield in Sunday’s game with Detroit. He was hitting .455 with AL-tying best four homers and 14 RBIs in eight games through Sunday.Duvall was undergoing additional tests Monday in Boston. Although Cora had no timetable for his return, Duvall will be out for an extended period. Cora didn’t know if surgery would be needed.“The guy’s a good player,” Cora said. “It’s a big blow. But, at the same time, somebody has to step up. At one point we hope he comes back.”Duvall had surgery last summer to repair a torn tendon sheath on the same wrist.“It’s in the other side,” Cora said on the new injury. “From everything I hear with the pr...

MATCHDAY: Man City hosts Bayern in CL, Benfica faces Inter

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:11 GMT

A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Tuesday:CHAMPIONS LEAGUEMANCHESTER CITY VS. BAYERN MUNICHPep Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel go head-to-head again in the Champions League when Manchester City hosts Bayern Munich in the first leg of the quarterfinals. Tuchel denied Guardiola a third Champions League title as a manager when his Chelsea team beat City 1-0 in the 2021 final. Tuchel was fired by the London club earlier this season, but is back in work with Bayern and has the chance to win the competition for a second time. BENFICA VS. INTER MILANBenfica hosts an Inter Milan side which hasn’t won in six matches in all competitions. Benfica will try to win five consecutive Champions League games for the first time since 1989-90, when it won six straight on its way to the final that it lost to AC Milan. Inter is aiming to reach the last four for the first time since it won the title in 2010. Benfica hopes to make it past the quarterfinals for the first time since 1990. Its loss...