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Los Angeles Unified to make largest electric bus purchase in history as part of green energy goals

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:24:52 GMT

The Los Angeles Unified School District plans to purchase more than 180 new electric school buses and other electric vehicle infrastructure as part of its ambitious green energy plans. School district officials say the acquisition will be the largest single EV bus purchase ever made by a school district.Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the district plans to fully electrify its bus yard in Sun Valley by 2026, adding that the district was committed to “creating a model of sustainability that benefits our students, our school communities and generations to come.”Carvalho called the goal “aggressive,” but said it was necessary to reduce the school district’s impact on the environment. The Sun Valley Bus Yard serves the northern portion of LAUSD, with about 180 buses responsible for transporting more than 4,600 students to and from school. The existing fleet consists of natural gas, gasoline and propane-powered buses, alongside six EVs. Diesel buses were removed from the fleet in 202...

Discovery of endangered bird halts construction on Santa Ana River Trail

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:24:52 GMT

Construction on the longest multi-use trail in Southern California has been halted following the discovery of an endangered bird.Crews were on Phase III of the four-phase Santa Ana River Trail project when a Least Bell’s Vireo was found nesting in the project’s boundary in San Bernardino County.The Least Bell’s Vireo was added to California’s list of endangered species in 1980 and remains state-protected.“The birds breed in areas of Southern California from mid-March to early April and usually remain in their breeding grounds until late September,” said U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. “Sometimes they leave as early as the end of July.”A Least Bell's Vireo in a photo from the Western Ecological Research Center (WERC).A male vireo incubating a nest in the “Mars” territory on the Middle San Luis River. (USGS Western Ecological Research Center)A Least Bell’s vireo photographed in Southern California. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)Work on the 3.8-mile Santa Ana River Trail broke grou...

Hollywood Writers Strike As Contract Agreement Not Reached

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:24:52 GMT

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) voted to strike Monday night after talks for a new contract broke down.The labor union represents thousands of writers for Hollywood movies, TV, radio, and internet shows and have been in negotiations for a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), who represent media platforms such as Netflix, Disney, Apple, Amazon, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony.“Though our Negotiating Committee began this process intent on making a fair deal, the studios’ responses have been wholly insufficient given the existential crisis writers are facing,” the guild wrote in a statement Monday. “Therefore, earlier today the WGA Negotiating Committee unanimously rejected the AMPTP’s final offer before deadline and recommended to the [Writers Guild of America West] board and [Writers Guild of America East] Council the issuance of a strike order.”The writers said they felt underval...

Dominant DeSclafani blanks Astros, SF Giants snap losing streak at four

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:24:52 GMT

HOUSTON — Anthony DeSclafani was about as dominant as he’s been in a Giants uniform Tuesday as San Francisco blanked the World Series champion Houston Astros and snapped their losing streak at four games.DeSclafani retired 19 of the first 20 batters he faced, and the Giants got all the offense they needed behind his masterful pitching performance with a pair of RBI knocks from Joc Pederson and Blake Sabol, defeating the Astros, 2-0, to even the three-game series and earn their first win of this taxing road trip.San Francisco (12-17) has its ace, Logan Webb, on the mound Wednesday looking to deliver only its third series win of the season.DeSclafani blanked the Astros for eight innings, striking out only three and relying mostly on soft contact, before handing off to Camilo Doval to close out the ninth inning. In his longest start since July 4, 2021, DeSclafani combined with Doval hold the powerful Astros lineup scoreless for the first time this season. It was the Giants’...

Oakland’s teachers are preparing to strike on Thursday — how has it gotten this far?

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:24:52 GMT

Oakland teachers are poised to strike on Thursday, a walkout that could shutter schools and affect 34,000 students unless a deal is reached between the district and the teachers’ union.The Oakland Education Association, which represents 3,000 of the city’s educators and school staff, announced the strike late Monday afternoon. The move came after months of negotiations. Since October, teachers have been pushing for increased pay, reduced class sizes, and higher safety standards, along with additional support services for students.“We promise you, we’ve done everything we can to avert this strike,” said Ismael Armendariz, interim president of the union, in a Monday press release. “The district has truly failed our students and the time for us to act is now.”On Tuesday evening, teachers began to pick up their posters, flyers and materials from the union office — and as of 7 p.m., the two sides were still at the bargaining table. Earlier Tuesday the district released a statement ...

NBA playoffs live updates: Lakers-Warriors Game 1 going back-and-forth in second quarter

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:24:52 GMT

To view the live updates on your mobile device click here.GAME 1: Lakers at Warriors at Chase Center, at 7 p.m. TV: TNT. Announcers: Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Stan Van Gundy (color commentary), Chris Haynes (sideline reporting).ODDS: Warriors -4. OVER/UNDER: 226.5. (Both from Caesars Sportsbook.)SEASON SERIES: Lakers went 3-1 against the Warriors in the regular season. PRIOR PLAYOFF HISTORY: Lakers have won 6-of-7 postseason series, including the last one in 1991.Ever since Steve Kerr joined the Warriors’ core of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green as head coach, they’ve faced 11 of the other 14 Western Conference foes and vanquished them all. Some multiple times.But for many Warriors fans, there is one opponent they’ve been waiting for this group to face. And now, finally, we’re getting that matchup.It’s the Warriors and the Lakers.Oh, and for good measure, that means we get a fifth head-to-head showdown between Curry and LeBron James, t...

Activists Face Felonies for Distributing Flyers on "Cop City" Protester Killing

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:24:52 GMT

Three activists involved in the Defend Atlanta Forest movement are facing charges of felony intimidation of an officer of the state and misdemeanor stalking for placing flyers on mailboxes in a neighborhood in Bartow County, Georgia, about 40 miles from Atlanta. The detainees were held for days in solitary confinement, a lawyer working on the case and a relative of one of the activists told The Intercept.The flyer, according to the lawyer, named a police officer who lives in the area where the activists were arrested and alleged he was connected to the killing in January of forest defender Manuel “Tortuguita” Terán during a multi-agency raid on the Atlanta Forest protest encampment.A forensics report from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation about guns fired during Tortuguita’s killing named six state patrol officers: Bryland Myers, Jerry Parrish, Jonathan Salcedo, Mark Jonathan Lamb, Ronaldo Kegel, and Royce Zah. According to public records, one of the officers named lives in the ar...

Knicks top Heat 111-105, even Eastern Conference semi series

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:24:52 GMT

Jalen Brunson scored 30 points and keyed the run the New York Knicks needed just in time to get by a Miami Heat team playing without Jimmy Butler, evening the Eastern Conference semifinals at a game apiece with a 111-105 victory Tuesday night.Julius Randle returned from a sprained left ankle that sidelined him in Game 1 with 25 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, and RJ Barrett scored 24 points for the No. 5-seeded Knicks. Josh Hart finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.But it was Brunson, who pointed the blame at himself and said he had to be better after going 0 for 7 from 3-point range in the opener, who made the biggest plays in a game the Knicks trailed much of the way.Caleb Martin scored 22 points in place of Butler for the Heat, who host Game 3 on Saturday afternoon. They will hope to have Butler, the leading scorer in the playoffs who sat out after spraining his right ankle late in their 108-101 victory in the opener.___AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba a...

Argentina’s Fernandez seeks dollar relief from Brazil’s Lula

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:24:52 GMT

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Argentine President Alberto Fernández and his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, vowed Tuesday to keep working to come up with a mechanism that would allow them to eschew the dollar in trade between the neighboring nations. Argentina’s economy is looking particularly fragile after a run on the peso in the financial markets caused a sharp devaluation of the local currency late last month as well as a drain of U.S. dollars from central bank reserves in part due to a devastating drought that has slashed exports. There was lots of anticipation Tuesday that the two countries would unveil a mechanism allowing Argentine firms to continue trading with Brazil without draining precious dollars from the country’s reserves. Yet after a nearly four-hour meeting the two presidents made clear they were still fine tuning the details.“The meeting was long, difficult and we will carry out many more meetings,” Lula said alongside Fernández as the two left-l...

Harper returns for Phils, 160 days after Tommy John surgery

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:24:52 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bryce Harper has always enjoyed playing at Dodger Stadium. His return Tuesday night for the Philadelphia Phillies might top them all.Harper was activated off the injured list and was in the lineup, batting third at designated hitter when the Phillies took on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the middle game of a three-game series.Harper struck out in his first at-bat. He fouled off the first pitch from Julio Urías before the Dodgers left-hander retired him swinging on a 2-2 slurve.The return for the two-time NL MVP came 160 days after Harper had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. It occurred at the ballpark where he made his major league debut in 2012.“Medically it is surprising, but by Harper genetic standards probably not,” Harper’s agent, Scott Boras, said while the Phillies were taking batting practice. “I remember last Thanksgiving we were talking about when he could come back and he mentioned May and I told him not to tell anyone that.”When Harper had sur...