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Can frozen DNA help species survive extinction? San Diego’s Frozen Zoo, conservationists partner to put biodiversity banking on the map

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:51 GMT

Emily Alvarenga | The San Diego Union-TribuneFor nearly half a century, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has been taking the fantasy world of “Jurassic Park” from fiction to reality — minus the dinosaurs and destruction.As wildlife populations plummet and biodiversity is lost worldwide, the alliance has been working to collect and preserve genetic samples, taken during routine exams or after animals have died, from as many species as it can with what it calls its Frozen Zoo.Now its conservation efforts are being recognized globally, as it was designated Wednesday by a major conservation group as its first-ever center focusing on gene banking to help rare and endangered species survive.The Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature — the world’s largest conservation organization — has partnered with the wildlife alliance to form the union’s newest Center for Species Survival.It will be one of the organization’s just 17 such centers around the...

San Jose hotel project near mega malls advances despite feeble market

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:51 GMT

SAN JOSE — Plans for a big hotel near San Jose’s mega malls are pushing forward despite the post-coronavirus maladies that still afflict the Bay Area’s feeble lodging market.The development site is located at the corner of South Winchester Boulevard and Olin Avenue in San Jose, across the street from Santana Row and a few blocks from Westfield Valley Fair.The hotel project is also next to One Santana West, a modern office building totaling 376,000 square feet. Big tech companies Splunk and NetApp have offices across the street.Street-level view of a 176-room, seven-story hotel at 425 South Winchester Boulevard in San Jose, concept. (Lowney Architecture)If the hotel is built, if could benefit from its proximity to the office buildings and their current or future tenants, as well as the two shopping centers.Why? If back-to-work gambits by employers take deeper and wider roots, that could bolster the fortunes of hotels that are near office sites where more people...

13 House Democrats Call for Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:51 GMT

On Monday, 13 Democrats in the House of Representatives, led by Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, André Carson of Indiana, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, and Delia Ramirez of Illinois, introduced a resolution urging the Biden administration to call for an “immediate deescalation and cease-fire in Israel and occupied Palestine” and to send humanitarian aid to Gaza.“They are running out of body bags,” Tlaib said through tears in a press conference Monday. “We all know collective punishment of Palestinian is a war crime. The answer to war crimes can never be more war crimes.” It is a disgrace, Tlaib added, that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the majority of Congress have not even mentioned the possibility of a ceasefire. The resolution comes after two earlier efforts in the House both fell short of calling for an end to violence. The first — a bipartisan resolution led by Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., and supported by over 420 ...

Georgia TE Brock Bowers is having ankle surgery. He likely will be sidelined at least a month

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:51 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Brock Bowers, the dynamic tight end for No. 1 Georgia and one of the nation’s most versatile offensive players, is likely to be sidelined at least a month after sustaining a high ankle sprain that requires surgery.Georgia announced that Bowers would have surgery on his left ankle on Monday, two days after he hobbled off the field in the first half of a 37-20 victory at Vanderbilt.Bowers’ injury puts a damper on Georgia’s bid for a third straight national title — unprecedented in The Associated Press poll era — though there is hope the preseason All-American will be able to return in time for meaningful games at the end of the season.The school did not provide details on the surgery. But Bowers seemed likely to undergo what is known as a TightRope procedure, which stabilizes the ankle with surgical thread rather than rigid screws and generally reduces the rehab time to four to six weeks.Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was perhaps the most pr...

Slave descendants are suing to fight zoning changes they say threaten their island homes off Georgia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:51 GMT

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Black residents of a tiny island enclave founded by their enslaved ancestors off the Georgia coast have filed suit seeking to halt a new zoning law that they say will raise taxes and force them to sell their homes in one of the South’s last surviving Gullah-Geechee communities.The civil lawsuit was filed in McIntosh County Superior Court a month after elected county commissioners voted to double the size of houses allowed in Hogg Hummock, where a few dozen people live in modest homes along dirt roads on largely unspoiled Sapelo Island. Black residents fear larger homes in the community will lead to property tax increases that they won’t be able to afford.County officials approved the larger home sizes and other zoning changes Sept. 12 after three public meetings held five days apart. Well over 100 Hogg Hummock residents and landowners packed those meetings to voice objections, but were given just one chance to speak to the changes.The lawsuit accuses...

Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez dealing with ailment during ALCS against Rangers, AP source says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:51 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez is dealing with an ailment as the Astros face the Texas Rangers in the AL Championship Series, a person familiar with his condition told The Associated Press on Monday.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the illness publicly.Manager Dusty Baker deflected when asked about Alvarez’s health prior to ALCS Game 2 on Monday.“He’s fine,” Baker said. “He’s better today than he was yesterday.”Alvarez’s illness was first reported by The Athletic.Alvarez was not on the field for introductions or the national anthem before Game 1 on Sunday night. Alvarez, who hit .438 with four homers and six RBIs in the Division Series, had an uncharacteristically poor game in the 2-0 loss, going 0 for 4 with three strikeouts.Baker added that people often have to work when they aren’t feeling well. “Like I was telling somebody yesterday, as a responsible man, a family man, you go to work, you know,...

Italian lawmakers debate long-delayed Holocaust Museum revived by far-right-led government

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:51 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Italian lawmakers on Monday marked the 80th anniversary of the Nazi roundup of more than 1,200 Roman Jews in the Holocaust with a debate on a measure to partially fund a long-delayed Holocaust Museum in the capital.The Shoah Museum project was launched in 2007, but has foundered over funding, a location and even reluctance to highlight the role of Italy’s fascist government as a perpetrator in the Holocaust. The project was revived this year by far-right leader Giorgia Meloni and her culture minister, Gennaro Sangiuliano, both of the far-right Brothers of Italy party with neo-fascist roots. Italy’s lower house will vote later this week on a measure that includes 10 million euros ($10.5 million) in funding for the museum over the next three years, following Senate approval this summer. The president of the Shoah Museum Foundation that is heading the project, Mario Venezia, told The Associated Press that the Italian role in the Holocaust must be central to the museu...

Column: F1’s Las Vegas Grand Prix shaping up to be both a spectacle and an expensive headache

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:51 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — It was a pretty typical weekend in Las Vegas, with Adele performing at Caesars Palace, U2 at the newly opened largest spherical structure in the world, NASCAR in town and the Raiders hosting the Patriots. An exhaustive set of entertainment options. With it came the traffic snarls — on foot or car — from every road closure, redirection or new fencing erected along the Las Vegas Strip as part of construction preparations for a Formula One race that is still a month away. The inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, if nothing else, will be a sensory overload of neon bright lights, roaring race cars and some of the wealthiest F1 fans in the world in attendance. But the daily disruptions have created a vibe that the ballyhooed event might also be an expensive, logistical headache. American fans of the global racing series have grumbled since tickets went on sale that they’ve been priced out of this year’s third F1 stop in the United States. The race is being promoted...

CDC Director urges winter vaccinations in South Florida

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:51 GMT

With the arrival of the winter season on the horizon, public health experts are sounding the alarm about the potential risks for the unvaccinated population. Dr. Mandy Cohen, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, was in South Florida on Monday leading a proactive effort to bolster vaccination rates and safeguard the community.“At any age, you need to be thinking about protecting yourself for the winter,” said Cohen. Cohen visited a CVS Pharmacy in Southwest Miami-Dade where COVID-19 and flu vaccinations were available, emphasizing the importance of getting vaccinated as winter approaches. The urgency is underlined by recent federal data revealing that Florida has reported approximately 1,300 COVID-19 deaths in the past three months.So far, more than 8 million Americans have received the vaccine. According to Cohen, the elderly and those with higher risks should consider getting the vaccine. “This virus has changed and the updated CO...

Ex-NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown arrested in Broward County for allegedly failing to pay child support

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:51 GMT

Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown was arrested on Sunday for failure to pay child support, following a warrant issued by a Miami-Dade judge in August, according to officials. According to the arrest report, Brown, whose legal issues have been in the spotlight, was taken into custody outside of his Broward County home.SEE ALSO: Dashcam video captures altercation between Antonio Brown, moving truck driver outside Hollywood homeAntonio Brown faces arrest warrant for domestic incident in TampaAttorney: Antonio Brown trashed Sunny Isles Beach condo, threw furniture to pool areaAntonio Brown accused of raping trainer in South Florida federal lawsuitThe warrant stemmed from Brown’s alleged failure to meet child support obligations to Wiltrice Jackson, the mother of his daughter Antanyiah, born in 2008. In an interview with TMZ, Jackson said Brown owes her more than $30,000.The arrest unfolded when a deputy pulled over a taxi in which Brown was riding during a routine traffic st...