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'Strongest' solar flare since 2017 detected: Here's what to know

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:09:53 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — A massive solar flare — the largest in years — was spotted on the sun on New Year's Eve, sparking a warning to some high-frequency radio users. In an update Sunday evening, NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) released an image of the flare, which appeared as a large, glowing spot on the sun. You can see that image below. "A flare is an eruption of energy from the sun that generally lasts minutes to hours," the SWPC explains. This one in particular, which peaked just before 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, was categorized as an X5 flare. An X5 solar flare detected by NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center on December 31, 2023. (NOAA SWPC; cropped)Solar flares are classified based on their strength, much like earthquakes, according to NASA. The scale ranges from B-class on the lowest end to C-class, then M-class, and finally, X-class. Each letter represents a ten-fold increase in energy output, and there is a scale of 1 to 9 in each class, except for X-class. X-class flares ...

What's a babirusa? San Antonio Zoo rings in 2024 with newest baby

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:09:53 GMT

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KXAN) — The San Antonio Zoo welcomed its newest bundle of joy this year, with the first-ever babirusa born at the zoo.Babirusas are identified as a threatened species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature' Red List's red list, per a San Antonio Zoo release Monday. Babirusas are deer-pig-like animals, noted for their curved tusks. According to the release, babirusas usually only ever have one or two piglets, unlike other pig species.The San Antonio Zoo welcomed its newest bundle of joy this year, with the first-ever babirusa born at the zoo. (Courtesy: San Antonio Zoo)The San Antonio Zoo welcomed its newest bundle of joy this year, with the first-ever babirusa born at the zoo. (Courtesy: San Antonio Zoo)The San Antonio Zoo welcomed its newest bundle of joy this year, with the first-ever babirusa born at the zoo. (Courtesy: San Antonio Zoo)"We are thrilled to welcome this baby to our family - the first-ever babirusa birth at San Antonio Zoo," San An...

Saratoga runners brave cold for First Day 5K

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:09:53 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) — It was below freezing in Saratoga Springs, but that didn't stop some people from starting the New Year off and running...literally.The First Day 5K race in Saratoga Springs took place around noon. 23-year-old Cameron Davis of Delmar crossed the finish line first, in second came his training partner 49-year-old Nick Conway of Albany."Did you think you were going to win?" asked NEWS 10's Zion Decoteau. "I knew that my training partner Nick over here was someone that would be around my fitness [level]. I wasn't sure who else was going to show up, and I like to win" Cameron replied. “We were training hard so we figured we would do well, but you never know who shows up. There's a lot of talented runners here" added Conway. As for Conway's athletic wear on this sub-freezing day:“You want to feel light in fast but I probably should've worn a shirt today," said the shirtless runner wearing only shorts. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delive...

Police officers are charged with crimes, but are juries convicting?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:09:53 GMT

By Audra D.S. Burch and Kelley Manley, The New York TimesA few days before Christmas, a jury in Washington state cleared three Tacoma police officers of criminal charges in the death of Manuel “Manny” Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man who died in police custody in 2020 after pleading that he could not breathe.The next day, on Dec. 22, a jury in Colorado convicted two paramedics of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died in police custody in 2019 after officers subdued him and medics injected him with the powerful sedative ketamine.In the three years since the murder of George Floyd, whose death in police custody ignited a national movement against police brutality, prosecutors have charged police and emergency medical workers in a number of high-profile cases.The result has been a mixed bag of verdicts: convictions, acquittals and in one case, a mistrial. Civil rights activists and legal experts say the different outcomes reflect a...

Four-bedroom home sells in Saratoga for $3.7 million

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:09:53 GMT

12550 Paseo Cerro – Google Street ViewA 2,704-square-foot house built in 2012 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 12500 block of Paseo Cerro in Saratoga was sold on Dec. 8, 2023, for $3,710,000, or $1,372 per square foot. This single-story house provides a generous living space with its four bedrooms and three baths. The home’s outer structure has composition shingles on the roof. Inside, there is a fireplace. The property is equipped with forced air heating and a cooling system. In addition, the home includes an attached two-car garage, offering generous space for vehicles and storage requirements.These nearby houses have also recently been sold:On Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga, in May 2023, a 1,260-square-foot home was sold for $3,222,000, a price per square foot of $2,557. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 1,800-square-foot home on the 12500 block of Paseo Flores in Saratoga sold in November 2023, for $2,405,000, a price per square foot of $1,336. The home...

One person died from fireworks on San Francisco’s Treasure Island shortly after the New Year

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:09:53 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — One person is dead after being injured by fireworks that were lit on Treasure Island shortly after ringing in the New Year, authorities said.Officers with the San Francisco Police Department responded to a residential neighborhood in the 1200 block of Exposition Drive about 12:40 a.m., where they found a person suffering life-threatening injuries, police said.The person was pronounced dead when paramedics arrived, despite previous efforts to provide first aid.SFPD could not be reached Monday morning to confirm any additional information.Police are asking that anyone with relevant information contact them at (415) 575-4444 or text TIP411.

Man killed by fireworks in SF's Treasure Island neighborhood

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:09:53 GMT

Editor's note: A previous version of the story incorrectly stated the age of the victim. This story has been updated (January 1, 2024).SAN FRANCISCO (KRON/BCN) -- A man died after suffering firework-related injuries in San Francisco, barely an hour after the New Year arrived, police said.The San Francisco Police Department said that at approximately 12:40 a.m. Monday, officers responded to a report of someone injured by fireworks in the 1200 block of Exposition Drive in Treasure Island neighborhood.Upon arrival, they found a man suffering life-threatening injuries, police said. (AIO Filmz)The victim was given first aid, but when paramedics arrived, the man was pronounced dead.San Francisco police ask anyone with relevant information to contact them at (415) 575-4444 or text TIP411.Bay City News contributed to this report.

Police arrest 3 people in Dedham after state troopers hit during traffic stop in Boston

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:09:53 GMT

Police arrested three men in Dedham Monday after a routine traffic stop escalated in Boston, resulting in a close call for two state police troopers, officials said.Police said the troopers initiated the traffic stop and were trying to speak to the driver when he sped off. Though the troopers were struck, both escaped serious injury.State troopers quickly got three men in handcuffs in connection with the initial incident in Boston, swarming the area around a Holiday Inn in Dedham as they did so. At the Holiday Inn, which was already busy with parents bringing their children to a New Year’s Day sports card show, witnesses described the scene.“All of a sudden, state patrol, state police came running in asking, yelling ‘Which way did they go? Which way did they go?” said George Pfromm. “All of a sudden, there were police everywhere.”Pfromm, who brought his family to the card show at the hotel, said police appeared to have apprehended the suspects on the second floor. “You could see thr...

Surveillance video shows woman repeatedly kick dog outside apartment building in Lowell

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:09:53 GMT

A woman has been arrested and charged, according to police, after allegedly kicking a dog in Lowell. The incident happened early Friday morning and was captured on surveillance video from an area apartment building. “That was gross,” said one neighbor after seeing the video on Monday. “Holy cow,” another said. “That’s horrible.”The video shows a woman walk up to a small dog as it cowers in fear. The woman is then seen kicking it before going after it again, kicking it a second time. The dog runs away and the woman is seen walking inside the apartment. A minute later on the video feed, the woman is seen walking back out of the apartment and in the same direction as the dog. Ann Isler lives across the street from the site where this incident played out. She said she often sees the dog off leash. As a result, she said she wasn’t surprised when she saw animal control show up. “What is wrong with her?” she said of the person seen kicking the dog in the surveillan...

Ticker: Chief Justice Roberts casts a wary eye on Ai; Prosecutors say there’s no need for a second trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:09:53 GMT

Chief Justice John Roberts on Sunday turned his focus to the promise, and shortcomings, of artificial intelligence in the federal courts, in an annual report that made no mention of Supreme Court ethics or legal controversies involving Donald Trump.Describing artificial intelligence as the “latest technological frontier,” Roberts discussed the pros and cons of computer-generated content in the legal profession. His remarks come just a few days after the latest instance of AI-generated fake legal citations making their way into official court records, in a case involving ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.“Always a bad idea,” Roberts wrote in his year-end report, noting that “any use of AI requires caution and humility.”Prosecutors say there’s no need for a second trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-FriedA second trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried on charges not in the cryptocurrency fraud case presented to a jury that convicted him in November is not necessary, prosecutors t...