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Lower water temperature in Mississippi River near Monticello nuclear plant kills 230 fish, Xcel says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:02 GMT

Xcel Energy on Monday reported that lower water temperatures in the Mississippi River have killed more than 200 fish near its Monticello nuclear power plant since the company shut the facility down last week to repair a leak.While the plant is running, it draws in water from the Mississippi for cooling purposes before returning it to the river, Xcel spokesman Theo Keith said in an email. This raises the river’s water temperature near the facility.“When a plant is taken offline, the river cools down,” Keith said. “Fish are affected by the change in water temperature. While we powered down the plant slowly to mitigate the impacts to fish in the river, 230 fish have died.”Minneapolis-based Xcel began powering down the plant on Friday to replace a 50-year-old pipe that had leaked water contaminated with radioactive tritium into groundwater.Keith said the tritium contamination was not a factor in the deaths of the fish.“We are working closely with the ...

Wisconsin school bans Miley, Dolly duet about LGBTQ acceptance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:02 GMT

MADISON, Wis. — Administrators at a Wisconsin elementary school stopped a first-grade class from performing a Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton duet promoting LGBTQ acceptance because the song “could be perceived as controversial.”Students at Heyer Elementary School in Waukesha had prepared a rendition of “Rainbowland” for their spring concert, but school officials struck the song from the lineup last week. Parents in the district say the decision was made because the song encourages LGBTQ acceptance and references rainbows.Superintendent James Sebert, who did not immediately return a call on Monday, confirmed to Fox6 that administrators had removed “Rainbowland” from the first-grade concert because it might not be “appropriate for the age and maturity level of the students.” He also cited a school board policy against raising controversial issues in classrooms.Sebert has previously prohibited rainbows and pride flags from being displayed in Waukesha classrooms an...

Thousands of Girl Scout cookies unloaded in Saratoga Springs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:02 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Girl Scout cookies have arrived in the Capital Region. The shipping trucks arrived in Saratoga Springs on Monday. It was one of eight shipments coming in this week.Girl Scout volunteers picked up more than 700,000 boxes of cookies to distribute to troops and customers. Girl Scout officials said that cookie sales not only teach young girls important business skills, but also keeps local troops up and running. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "A lot of people don't realize that 100% of cookie sales stay local with our Girl Scout troops and Council, which is really important to fund operations and girl scouting activities all year long," Girl Scouts of Northeastern NY CEO Brenda Episcopo said.It's not too late to grab a box. Cookies are still available for purchase through the Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York website or at cookie booth sales, which start Wednesday, March 29 and run throug...

CHP investigating terrifying crash caused by runaway tire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:02 GMT

Authorities with the California Highway Patrol are investigating a wild crash that sent a car and its 29-year-old driver careening into a midair spin before crashing onto the road.The crash, which was captured on video by a Tesla's dashboard camera, occurred on March 23 in the eastbound lanes of the 118 Freeway near De Soto Avenue in Chatsworth.  The video shows a dark-colored Kia approaching a Chevrolet pickup that had just transitioned into the middle lane. Moments later, the front driver’s side tire of the truck pops off in front of the Kia, sending the Kia into a midair spin before crashing onto the freeway hood-first, and then rolling upright.“It just shows when you’re simply driving down the freeway, some pretty dramatic things can happen really quickly," CHP Officer Weston Haver told KTLA Monday.Dash-cam footage from a Tesla captured the moment a vehicle on the 118 Freeway in Chatsworth ran over a tire that had just come off a nearby pickup truck, launching the car ...

Home prices climb in Southern California for 1st time since last May

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:02 GMT

Home prices edged higher in Southern California last month, marking the first increase since the spring of last year, according to new data from the California Association of Realtors.The median sale price of existing homes in the region was $745,000 in February, a month-over-month increase of 0.9%. The increase can largely be attributed to higher prices in San Diego, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties were down month-over-month, data showed.Southern California Median Home PricesCountyFebruary 2023January 2023February 2022Month-over-month price changeYear-over-year price changeLos Angeles$726,870$778,540$773,490-6.6%-6.0%Orange$1,159,000$1,194,500$1,260,000-3.0%-8.0%Riverside$595,000$585,000$605,0301.7%-1.7%San Bernardino$466,500$446,900$450,0004.4%3.7%San Diego$875,000$824,950$888,0006.1%-1.5%Ventura$805,000$815,000$887,500-1.2%-9.3%California Association of RealtorsHome prices in Southern California had been in a freefall for eight stra...

Single family residence sells in Pleasanton for $2.4 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:02 GMT

363 Mullin Court – Google Street ViewA 3,367-square-foot house built in 2002 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 300 block of Mullin Court in Pleasanton was sold on Feb. 10, 2023, for $2,400,000, or $713 per square foot. The property features five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a garage, and three parking spaces. It sits on a 0.3-acre lot, which also has a pool.These nearby houses have also recently been sold:In October 2022, a 3,246-square-foot home on Riddell Street in Pleasanton sold for $2,265,500, a price per square foot of $698. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.A 3,182-square-foot home on the 300 block of Brianne Court in Pleasanton sold in September 2022, for $2,272,000, a price per square foot of $714. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Amber Lane, Pleasanton, in November 2022, a 3,440-square-foot home was sold for $2,475,000, a price per square foot of $719. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. 

US renewable electricity surpassed coal in 2022

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:02 GMT

By Isabella O’Malley | Associated PressElectricity generated from renewables surpassed coal in the United States for the first time in 2022, the U.S. Energy Information Administration announced Monday.Renewables also surpassed nuclear generation in 2022 after first doing so last year.Growth in wind and solar significantly drove the increase in renewable energy and contributed 14% of the electricity produced domestically in 2022.“I’m happy to see we’ve crossed that threshold, but that is only a step in what has to be a very rapid and much cheaper journey,” said Stephen Porder, a professor of ecology and assistant provost for sustainability at Brown University.California produced 26% of the national utility-scale solar electricity followed by Texas with 16% and North Carolina with 8%.The most wind generation occurred in Texas, which accounted for 26% of the U.S. total followed by Iowa (10%) and Oklahoma (9%).“This booming growth is driven largely by...

SF Giants get positive news on right-handed starter as opening series looms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:02 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO – Alex Cobb should be available to pitch this weekend but manager Gabe Kapler stopped short of saying the right-hander will start Saturday in the second game of the Giants’ season-opening series with the New York Yankees.Kapler said Cobb (bruised left knee) felt good after he threw 52 pitches over four innings Monday in a minor league backfield game in Arizona, and will join the Giants when they begin a three-game series against at Yankee Stadium on Thursday.The Giants, though, have yet to announce their rotation plans, beyond Logan Webb’s start on Opening Day. Cobb was originally slated to start Saturday in the second game of the series.“I think his first start could be a couple of different days, but I feel good about it at this point,” Kapler said Monday of Cobb. “I feel confident that he’s going to be ready for the start of the season.”Kapler said Sunday the Giants had a good idea of how the rotation will shake out. Alex Wood threw 10 strikeouts over 5 ...

1 bird that escaped Oakland Zoo remains on the loose

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:02 GMT

(KRON) -- Only one bird remains on the loose this week after a storm-toppled tree smashed into the Oakland Zoo's Savanna bird aviary.Five of the six escaped birds have been recovered. But a black-and-white pied crow, named Diego, is still flying free somewhere in the San Francisco Bay Area. "If people see it ... call us and let us know so we can try to get him," zoo spokesperson Erin Dogan told KRON4 Monday.Diego's species is native to Africa. Thanks to his fancy feathers, the bird looks like a well-dressed black crow wearing a white vest.(Image courtesy Oakland Zoo) Whipping wind gusts from last week's storm damaged the zoo's newest bird habitat. Three iridescent blue and orange superb starlings flew back into the aviary 48 hours later. Oliver, an endangered hooded vulture, was also recovered. And on Saturday, an eagle-eyed Oakland resident found a pied crow, named Deauville, in their neighborhood a few miles away from the zoo. But Diego's whereabouts remains unknown. Oakland Zoo o...

These Bay Area cities hit record-low temps on Monday morning

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:02 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) -- The Bay Area was chilly Monday morning, and some areas hit record-low temperatures, according to the National Weather Service Bay Area. Suspect in custody after mother dies in San Jose hit-and-run crash The numbers were close, with Redwood City beating previous records by a single degree. Three other areas tied previous records. Check out the updates below. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KRON4 Breaking News SIGN UP NOW Record-breaking low temperatures: Redwood City 33 degrees (previous low 35 degrees in 1972) Oakland Downtown 41 degrees ( previous low 42 degrees in 1991 and 1976) Half Moon Bay 31 degrees (previous low 34 degrees in 1972) Low temperatures that tied previous records:San Francisco Downtown 42 degrees (tied with ...