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How will court’s rebuke of Berkeley’s natural-gas ban affect the national movement it began?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

When Berkeley became the first U.S. city to ban construction of new natural gas lines in 2019, it pioneered an approach to reducing carbon emissions and pollutants that has since spread around the Bay Area and across the country.Now Berkeley has become a pioneer of a different sort, as an April appellate court ruling against the city’s ban is imperiling similar restrictions on natural gas and challenging the growing national electrification movement.While Berkeley’s ordinance winds its way through the courts, laws like it are stuck in legal crosshairs — including municipal code amendments in Oakland, San Jose and San Francisco. Cities intent on restricting the use of natural gas may need to find a different approach, said Amy Turner, a senior fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School.The controversy is rooted in surprising ground: The 1975 Energy Policy and Conservation Act, originally an oil-crisis-era attempt to regulate the nation’...

Me & My Car: ’57 Chevy 150 could easily become a show model

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

The Big Three U.S. automakers, GM, Ford and Chrysler, had very good years from 1955 through ’57. All three companies brought out completely new vehicles that were beautifully styled.Related ArticlesLocal News | Me & My Car: ’47 Chevy in East Bay among first true postwar trucks Local News | Me & My Car: Bay Area owner loves his ’34 Ford pickup truck Local News | Me & My Car: New home may be sought for ’69 Mercedes in Contra Costa Chevrolet changed from an attractive, dependable family car, to a car desired not only by their existing customers, but by people who wanted more performance and style. The new 265-cubic-inch V8 engine that Chevy introduced was a big hit, but they also retained the dependable 235-ci straight-six-cylinder engine.When an automobile company wants to build a new model car, there are at least five groups of people involved. First, the designers plan the vehicle’s look. Next...

Can 49ers win Super Bowl with rookie kicker? Doug Brien recalls doing it

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Last time the 49ers won the Super Bowl, they did so with a rookie kicker drafted in the third round.They’re trying that same recipe 29 years later.By drafting Michigan kicker Jake Moody in Friday’s third round, the 49ers made what general manager John Lynch called a “necessary” move.“That’s exciting. It can work,” Doug Brien, the 49ers’ kicker on that 1994 championship team, said Saturday in an exclusive phone interview with this news organization.Every year at draft time, Brien recalls the “shock and excitement and terror, altogether” of being drafted out of Cal with the 85th overall pick. He only learned of the 49ers’ actual call when awoken by his parents at their Danville home that April 1994 morning.Friday night, on pick No. 99, the Niners made their third-round move for Moody, Michigan’s all-time scoring leader.“This guy Jake has a great opportunity and I wish him the best of luck,” added Brien, 52, a  De La Salle High-Concord graduate and a Piedmont ...

Pérez beats Verstappen to win Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — Sergio Pérez took advantage of a fortunately timed safety car to beat his teammate Max Verstappen to the win in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday, adding it to the sprint he won the day before, as Red Bull kept up its winning start to 2023.Verstappen started second behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc but swept past him on the long start-finish straight at the end of lap 3, the first lap on which drivers were allowed to use the DRS overtake assist system on the rear wing.It was a copy of the pass Pérez made on Leclerc on his way to winning the sprint race Saturday. After Verstappen took the lead Sunday, Pérez needed only two more laps for his own similar pass on Leclerc to seize second, as Red Bull underlined its status as F1’s dominant team.Pérez benefited when an accident by Nyck de Vries brought out the safety car after his AlphaTauri slid off the track with a broken suspension, just after Verstappen had pitted from the lead. The safety car meant...

Napoli a win away from Serie A title after Inter beats Lazio

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

ROME (AP) — Napoli now needs only to beat Salernitana later Sunday to win its first Italian league title since the days when Diego Maradona played for the club.Lautaro Martinez scored twice and Romelu Lukaku provided two assists as Inter Milan came back from a goal down to beat second-place Lazio 3-1 and set up an opportunity for Napoli to seal it.The result left Lazio 17 points behind runaway leader Napoli with six rounds remaining after this weekend.The Napoli-Salernitana game was scheduled to start at 3 p.m. (1300 GMT) and fans in Naples were already celebrating hours before kickoff. The Partenopei supporters kicked their celebrations into another gear with each goal from Inter.No team has ever clinched the Serie A title with six rounds to spare.Torino (in 1947-48), Fiorentina (1955-56), Inter Milan (2006-07) and Juventus (2018-19) each won with five rounds to spare to share the record.Maradona led Napoli to its only two Serie A titles in 1987 and 1990.Inter defender Francesco Ac...

Woodbridge resident arrested on attempted murder, arson charges

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

A Woodbridge woman has been charged with arson and attempted murder after Prince William County fire officials say she intentionally set fire to her Virginia residence with a person inside.The incident happened on April 2 in the 4000 block of Dane Ridge Circle.Officials said 37-year-old Jessica Marie Knox lived in the home set on fire that day while another unidentified person was inside the house.“Evidence from the scene and the suspect’s actions ultimately led to her identity in the incident,” the Prince William County Fire and Rescue services said in a news release.Knox was arrested on April 22 after fire marshals obtained an arrest warrant.She was charged with attempted first-degree murder and arson of an occupied dwelling. Knox was released without monetary bond and is expected in court on June 13.Source

¿Cómo ha sido el Gobierno de Mario Abdo Benítez como presidente de Paraguay?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

(CNN Español) — Los paraguayos están llamados a votar este domingo en elecciones generales que definirán al sucesor del presidente Mario Abdo Benítez, quien ha estado al frente del país durante los últimos cinco años.Abdo Benítez, del Partido Colorado, fue electo en 2018, pero dado que la Constitución de Paraguay no admite la reelección no podrá participar de estas elecciones en las que 13 candidatos competirán por sucederlo.Presidente Mario Abdo Benítez rompió el silencio para explicar sus gestiones en relación con las vacunas contra el covid-19Su Gobierno concluirá efectivamente el 15 de agosto, cuando el nuevo presidente asuma en el cargo.Mario Abdo Benítez, presidente de Paraguay. (Crédito: NORBERTO DUARTE/AFP/Getty Images)¿Cómo le ha ido Mario Abdo Benítez en la presidencia de Paraguay y qué situación dejará a su sucesor?La llegada al poderAbdo Benítez se impuso por un estrecho margen en las elecciones de abril de 2018, logrando el 46,47 % de los votos, seguido por Pedro ...

Party at Petworth: Annual PorchFest features free music in NW

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

After being postponed for a week, the skies finally parted for porch goers in the Petworth neighborhood of Northwest D.C., who casually sipped and listened to the sounds of their favorite local bands jamming out Saturday afternoon.“I’m having a great time. It’s my first time here,” said Lee Sova-Claypool, who came to PorchFest with a group to watch a friend perform.PorchFest was supposed to take place back on April 21 but storms prompted organizers to postpone the event.“We were going to come last week, and we were really disappointed we weren’t able to make it, so this is an excellent reschedule,” she told WTOP.The wait was worth it.“A lot of kids, a lot of dogs, a lot of people watching, the weather has been great and it really makes me want to live in this neighborhood,” Sova-Claypool said.“Porch is my favorite word — I love porches!” she added.But she wasn’t the only one having a good time.“It’s got that block party energy; there’s kind of that sense of community,” s...

Feta Cheese Puffs / Belkys

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

Ingredients:8 ounces feta, crumbled3 tbs. finely chopped green onions1 egg, beaten1 pkg. frozen puff pastry1 egg yolk (beaten with 1 tsp water)Method of Preparation:Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.In a small bowl, blend feta cheese, green onions and egg. Cut the pastry into 9 three-inch squares. (Or you can also cut 12 squares). Put a spoonful of filling in the middle and fold over to make a triangle.Press edges together firmly with a fork to seal for a triangle.You can also make a pouch shape by folding and pinching the edges together in the middle.Lightly brush each cheese puff with egg yolk.Bake for 20 minutes in the oven until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.Enjoy!

Be open to foreigners, Pope Francis tells Hungarians

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:13 GMT

Pope Francis called for open doors and inclusivity during a visit to Hungary on Sunday. The Hungarian government has long faced criticism over anti-immigration policies and rhetoric that has stoked xenophobia at home. Concerns about Budapest’s treatment of minorities were exacerbated on the eve of the pope’s three-day visit when Hungarian President Katalin Novák unexpectedly pardoned a far-right terrorist. Speaking to a large crowd in central Budapest on Sunday morning before wrapping up his trip, the pope did not directly address the Hungarian government’s policies but was blunt about the need to embrace outsiders. “How sad and painful it is to see closed doors,” the pope said at an outdoor mass, pointing to “the closed doors of our indifference towards the underprivileged and those who suffer; the doors we close towards those who are foreign or unlike us, towards migrants or the poor.”“Please, brothers and sisters, let us open those doors!” he added. “Let us tr...