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Scientists surprised four California sea otters died from strain of a parasite that could impact humans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:33:00 GMT

Four sea otters in California have died from a rare strain of the Toxoplasma gondii parasite that scientists said could pose a risk to human health.Researchers called the finding a “complete surprise” because this strain of T. gondii had never been reported in any aquatic animal or in coastal California. Their study, led by researchers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and University of California, Davis, was published this week in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.“Since Toxoplasma can infect any warm-blooded animal, it could also potentially cause disease in animals and humans that share the same environment or food resources, including mussels, clams, oysters, and crabs that are consumed raw or undercooked,” Melissa Miller, a California Department of Fish and Wildlife researcher and author of the paper, said in news release.The four sea otters stranded from 2020 to 2022, and each had an “unusual and severe” condition called steatitis, or inflammation of bo...

Rapper Afroman sued by officers who raided his home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:33:00 GMT

Associated PressWINCHESTER, Ohio — Seven law enforcement officers have sued rap artist Afroman, accusing him of improperly using footage from a police raid on his Ohio home last year in his music videos.Four deputies, two sergeants and a detective with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office brought the suit earlier this month, claiming invasion of privacy. Other law enforcement officers who were involved in the raid are not named as plaintiffs.The plaintiffs say the rapper, whose real name is Joseph Foreman, took footage of their faces obtained during the August 2022 raid and used it in music videos and social media posts without their consent. They say that has caused them “emotional distress, embarrassment, ridicule, loss of reputation and humiliation.”The plaintiffs are seeking all of Foreman’s profits from his use of their personas. That includes proceeds from the songs, music videos and live event tickets, as well as the promotion of Foreman’s Afroman b...

Five planet alignment will be visible to naked eye starting today

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:33:00 GMT

Night sky lovers can typically spot a smattering of a few planets, but in late March, a stunning visual takes shape when five planets line up beneath the moon in a display sometimes called a planetary parade or alignment.Onlookers will be able to catch the best glimpse of the alignment — which will include Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus — on Tuesday evening, just after sunset. Much of the display will become visible on Friday and will continue to be so over the next couple of weeks, according to Cameron Hummels, a computational astrophysicist at the California Institute of Technology.Alignments such as this one appear every few years or so, Hummels said, and much of it will be visible to the naked eye, even in urban areas with significant light pollution. And it can be spotted across the Northern and Southern hemispheres.The arrangement will be visible just underneath the crescent moon. To spot the display, Hummels recommended heading out to a place with a good view of the...

Paltrow insists Utah ski slope collision wasn’t her fault

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:33:00 GMT

By Sam Metz | Associated PressPARK CITY, Utah — Gwyneth Paltrow insisted Friday on the witness stand that a ski collision at an upscale Utah ski resort in 2016 wasn’t her fault, claiming the man suing her smashed into her from behind with his two skis.Paltrow testified that the crash shocked her — and at first, she worried that she was being violated.“There was a body pressing against me and a very strange grunting noise,” she said.“My brain was trying to make sense of what was happening,” the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer added, clarifying on the stand that the collision was not a sexual violation.Paltrow and Terry Sanderson, the retired optometrist who is suing her, are both expected to answer questions about the crash while their attorneys jostle to convince the 8-member jury which skier was positioned downhill and who had the right of way.Throughout Paltrow’s heavily anticipated testimony, the founder-CEO of Goop has calmly and repeatedly ...

Beautiful Dutch Colonial home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:33:00 GMT

This beautiful Dutch Colonial features an exceptional floor plan and seamless integration of traditional details and modern upgrades.This sunshine-filled home showcases a spacious primary suite, a new roof deck, custom cabinetry and electrical updates. A bonus is the stunning, fully permitted ADU cottage that provides ultimate flexibility.The home is in a highly sought-after location, and only a block to schools and parks.Location: 226 Park View Avenue, Piedmont 94610Price: $2,495,000Website: 226ParkViewAve.comListing agent: Hernan Luna, (510) 816-5862 Lic.#01205743 Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty 

Student group sues after Texas university cancels drag show

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:33:00 GMT

A student group at a university in the Texas Panhandle said in a federal lawsuit filed Friday that the school’s president violated their constitutional right to free speech when he canceled their planned drag show.Walter Wendler, president of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, located just south of Amarillo, said this week in a letter and column laden with religious references that he believed drag shows discriminated against women and were “derisive, divisive and demoralizing misogyny, no matter the stated intent.” In recent months, drag shows across the country have been targeted by right-wing activists and politicians, with Republican lawmakers in several states, including Texas, proposing restrictions on the shows. And events like drag story hours, where drag queens read books to children, have drawn protesters.Spectrum WT — a group for LGBT+ students and allies — had organized the March 31 drag show to raise money for the Trevor Project, a group that works to ...

After 40 years at NBC Washington, Pat Lawson Muse signs off with final newscast

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:33:00 GMT

NBC Washington anchor Pat Lawson Muse retires. (Courtesy NBC Washington) toggle audio on and off change volume download audio Pat Lawson Muse signs off for final time $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); Longtime NBC Washington anchor Pat Lawson Muse delivered her final broadcast at News4 on Friday, putting the exclamation point on a 40-plus-year career with the station.In the 1970s, Lawson Muse was the afternoon drive-time anchor for WTOP. She made history with ...

Teachers press school safety in wake of Denver shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:33:00 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Colorado teachers flooded into the state Capitol Friday to press for better protections for students and school staff after a 17-year-old Denver student shot two administrators, fled to the mountains and killed himself.Roughly 1,500 teachers and their supporters called for improved school security, more mental health support and tighter gun control measures, adding to pressure on lawmakers a day after students and parents converged at the Capitol to make similar demands.School shootings are becoming increasingly frequent in the U.S., and teachers at the rally voiced the fears they feel during safety lockdowns that are now regular occurrences. They also raised questions about the circumstances surrounding Wednesday’s shooting at East High School, which came as the boy was being patted down for weapons, a daily requirement because of his behavioral issues including a pending firearm charge, according to school officials.Some East High School teachers at Friday̵...

Lack of March Madness: Seeds hold form in Seattle 3 Region

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:33:00 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Reaching the Sweet 16 is old hat for Geno Auriemma and UConn. They’ve done it in a record 29 consecutive NCAA Tournaments.Because of all the Huskies have gone through this season with injuries and illnesses to both players and coaches, this one was more special for the Hall of Fame coach.“Everything was a struggle. Everything was hard,” Auriemma said. “And for us to be in the position that we’re in — to go to the same place where so many other UConn teams have gone, yet having gone through so much more than I think any other UConn team has had to go through — I was really proud of them. Because I’ve been through a lot of these, but they haven’t.”The Huskies will play Ohio State in the first semifinal Saturday. Tennessee will face Virginia Tech, which is making its first appearance in the second weekend of the tournament since 1999, in the second game.The two winners will play Monday night with a trip to the Final Four in Dallas on the line. UConn is trying...

Sheriff: 2 dead in Southern California helicopter crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:33:00 GMT

PERRIS, Calif. (AP) — Two people died in a helicopter crash Friday in Southern California, officials said.The helicopter crashed in an unincorporated area of Perris, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said on Twitter. Two people were confirmed dead, but it was not immediately clear whether there were others aboard the helicopter. Additional details were not available.Perris is about 65 miles (104.61 kilometers) southeast of downtown Los Angeles.Source