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Can raccoons be stopped from befouling Livermore yard with stinky poo?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

DEAR JOAN: How do I get the raccoons to stop using my yard as their latrine?— Annie, LivermoreDEAR ANNIE: Have you tried asking nicely and posting “do not poo here” signs? Just kidding. Raccoons have no manners and can’t read, so we have to be much more blunt.Raccoons are fond of using the same spot for their daily toilet rituals. The latrines not only keep their foul deposits in a central location, they also can warn other animals that this here is raccoon country.Various products on the market can make raccoons reconsider where they build their latrines, but you’ll need to combine them with other efforts, including making your yard less attractive to the animals. Removing thick undergrowth and sealing off access to the area under your deck, outdoor sheds and the attic means fewer raccoon hangouts.For the actual latrine, gear up in a long-sleeve shirt, long pants, gloves and face mask, then clean any poo deposits, which can be fairly toxic. Sprinkle the commercial produ...

TasteFood: Your barbecued ribs deserve a rub

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Kick off summer with these dry-rubbed baby back pork ribs. The key to this recipe is a heady rub that does not skimp in the flavor department. It’s an evolution of a dry spice rub I was inspired by years ago at the now-closed East Coast Grill in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The chef, Chris Schlesinger, devised this mouth-tingling blend for his baby back pork ribs, which packed a whammy of flavor and officially kickstarted my passion for barbecue ribs.The key to the rub is heaps of salt and sugar along with an abundance of dried spice that leaves enough wiggle room to tinker with flavor. The sugar and salt ensure crispy, succulent ribs that are wildly crave-worthy, and the flavors tip to the Southwest with the addition of cumin, paprika and cayenne. In the restaurant, a sauce was always served on the side, but it’s the rub that stands out in my memory, since I prefer my ribs crispy and not overly sauced. Since then and over the years, I’ve replicated this rub in variou...

Analysis: Why one of the most dangerous hours in America is now 11 o’clock on Sunday morning

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Analysis by John Blake | CNN(CNN) —  Jeanne Assam had a gut feeling that something terrible was about to happen as she watched parishioners leave a Sunday worship service at a Colorado megachurch one snow-covered December day.That morning, a gunman had escaped after killing two people at a missionary training center about 70 miles away. Assam had a premonition that the gunman would next target the Colorado Springs church where she volunteered as an unpaid security officer. Her feeling was so strong that she volunteered to work that day, even though she had planned to stay home.At 12:55 pm., Assam heard someone in the church lobby say that something weird was going on in the parking lot. Someone had lit a smoke bomb. A rifle shot then rang out in the parking lot. Assam heard a panicky voice shout from the packed crowd in the church lobby, “Get down! He’s got a gun!”“I could tell it was the crack of a high-powered rifle,” Assam said. “It [the gunfire] was just thundering out really lo...

A California woman fell to her death at a popular hiking area while trying to rescue a teenage girl who slipped, authorities say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

By Ashley R. Williams | CNNA woman fell to her death and a teenager was seriously injured at a popular southern California hiking trail during the woman’s attempt to help the girl, who had slipped, authorities said.Sarah Louise Crocker, 48, was hiking with four teenagers Thursday morning at Three Sisters Falls in the Cleveland National Forest, an unincorporated area of Descanso, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office described the teenagers traveling with Crocker, who was from Ladera Ranch, California, as “family and family friends” in a news release.The group was hiking along a ledge and were within the middle pool of the falls when one of the teenagers slipped, according to the medical examiner’s office and sheriff’s department.In an attempt to keep the girl from going over the ledge, Crocker reached out to the girl and lost her footing, the medical examiner’s office said.They both fell over the waterfall’s edge and la...

Tony Awards list: Winners of major categories 2023

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Select final winners at the 2023 Tony Awards:Best musical: “Kimberly Akimbo”Best play: “Leopoldstadt”Best revival of a musical: “Parade”Best revival of a play: Suzan-Lori Parks’ “Topdog/Underdog”Related ArticlesEntertainment | Tony Awards telecast make inclusive history and puts on quite a show despite Hollywood strike Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical: Victoria Clark, “Kimberly Akimbo”Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play: Sean Hayes, “Good Night, Oscar”Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play: Jodie Comer, “Prima Facie”Best book of a musical: “Kimberly Akimbo,” David Lindsay-AbaireBest performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical: J. Harrison Ghee, “Some Like It Hot”Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical: Alex Newell, “Shucked”Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play: Miriam Silverman, “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window”Best perform...

Travel Troubleshooter: Fishy experience at Istanbul bar ends up in a $7,853 charge

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

DEAR TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: While I was on vacation in Istanbul last year, I fell victim to a scam by some local thugs. They ran a “club” where they persuaded single male tourists to come in. Then, they coerced them into paying thousands of dollars for bogus drinks (“Champagne” that was cider and water, for example). They made it impossible to leave without the threat of violence.Christopher Elliott, the Travel Troubleshooter Once I was inside, it was clear that the locals I had come with were working with the “club” to lure tourists in and bilk them of their money. I played dumb, realizing I had no choice but to stay. There was one exit down a flight of stairs and a bouncer who made sure no one was leaving until they got their money. Some charges they made me sign for; others they continued to charge to my card now that they had it.They charged me on two credit cards: one Wells Fargo card and one Chase card. I eventually was able to leave an...

SFPD searching for 'person of interest' in block party shooting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

(AP) — San Francisco police searched Sunday for a person of interest in a mass shooting during a block party in San Francisco Friday night in what investigators said appeared to be a “targeted and isolated” incident. One teenager dead, several other people wounded in Antioch birthday party shooting The person of interest is a man believed to be a member of a street gang who detectives have tied to a Mercedes sedan recorded on surveillance video speeding from the scene of the shooting, police said.The man has outstanding firearm warrants from San Mateo and Alameda counties, as well as an outstanding arrest warrant for homicide in Oakland, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.Gunfire erupted shortly after 9 p.m. Friday during an anniversary party hosted by the clothing store Dying Breed near the intersection of 24th Street and Treat Avenue in the Mission District. Among the victims were eight men and one woman, the Chronicle reported. They range in age from 19 to...

San Leandro fatal collision causes traffic detours

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

(BCN) -- Police in San Leandro asked the public to avoid the area of Davis and Preda Streets Monday morning as a fatal vehicle collision was investigated. One dead, seven injured in Antioch birthday party shooting Davis Street between Orchard Avenue and Pierce Avenue was closed in both directions following the wreck at about 4 a.m. Police asked drivers to avoid the area until at least 7 a.m. Marina Boulevard was a suggested alternate route to Interstate 880 during the closure.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Aerolínea china defiende restricciones de peso para auxiliares de vuelo tras reacción violenta del público

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

(CNN) — La aerolínea china Hainan Airlines defendió la imposición de requisitos de peso a los asistentes de vuelo después de que los informes de la nueva política se hicieran virales en redes sociales y provocaran una reacción negativa del público.Medios estatales informaron inicialmente que la aerolínea, una de las más grandes del país, introdujo una nueva política a principios de junio que amenazaba con dejar en tierra a las asistentes si su peso excedía el “límite estándar”.La regla era parte de una serie de pautas más amplias sobre la apariencia emitidas para la tripulación de cabina, con el peso “estándar” calculado por altura, según el Global Times administrado por el estado.Por ejemplo, un asistente que mida 158 centímetros, la estatura promedio de una mujer china adulta, deberá permanecer dentro de los 48 kilogramos.Tras tres años de cierre por pandemia, aerolíneas chinas lanzan nuevas rutas aéreas en 2023Los asistentes de vuelo que superen menos del 5% de ese estándar...

Lahmajoun ‘pizzas’ are a family-friendly dinner to satisfy Dad

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

In Turkey, Armenia and the Levant, a meat-topped flatbread known as lahmajoun comes topped with spiced ground lamb, tomatoes and bell pepper. With the dough stretched paper-thin, diners typically drizzle the popular dish with lemon juice and roll it up to eat.We were in Istanbul when we came across this tasty, social dish, which fills a similar place in the culture as pizza in many other places, with equally exacting standards for what makes a good lahmajoun. The toppings are chopped coarsely for a rustic texture, the dough is expertly stretched by hand, and the flatbread cooks in minutes in a roaring-hot oven.Though delicious, authentic lahmajoun is out of reach for kids trying to do something nice for Father’s Day. That’s why we created this recipe for our book “Cook What You Have,” which draws on pantry staples to assemble easy, weeknight meals. Kids can help out, though the recipe does involve a food processor and a very hot oven.We swap the usual homemade flatbread dough for st...