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Disneyland closing 3 popular rides during peak of summer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

Disneyland is shuttering two of the most popular Disney California Adventure attractions along with a temperamental ride at the Anaheim theme park during the peak of summer for several weeks of seasonal refurbishment.Soarin’ Around the World and Toy Story Midway Mania at DCA and the Monorail that ferries riders between Disneyland and Disney’s hotels will temporarily close for standard refurbishments in July.Soarin’ Around the World will close July 5-14, according to the Disneyland website. The Disneyland Monorail will also close on July 5 while Toy Story Midway Mania will close July 17. Reopening dates for Midway Mania and the Monorail have not been set and both attractions will remain closed through at least Aug. 8, according to the Disneyland website.Soarin’ and Midway Mania are among DCA’s most popular rides and part of Disney’s upcharge Genie+ line-cutting service. Both rides have clocked wait times over 3 hours — some of the longest wait times in DCA history, according to Thril...

The Whitney Plantation outside New Orleans shows the reality of slavery

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

There are a dozen restored antebellum mansions and plantations along the west bank of the Mississippi River, on the River Road outside of New Orleans, and they are among the most popular tourist day trips from the city.Most of them spin the same fantasy — allowing visitors to imagine themselves as the master and mistress of the manor, strolling beneath the magnolias in hoop skirts and top hats, and then pulling a cord to summon a slave to bring a mint julep when it’s hot.Such places are popular wedding venues, where would-be Scarlett O’Hara’s can marry under old oaks, in front of white mansions built with the money from sugar cane, rice and indigo fields worked by enslaved people.Only one plantation goes out of its way to flip the story entirely.The “Big House” plantation home built from cypress trees hewn by slaves, at the Whitney Plantation slavery museum near New Orleans, LA. (Photo by Marla Jo Fisher/SCNG) The Whitney Plantation, also along the River Road, tells the same ta...

Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville faces growing bipartisan ire at defense blockade

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

By Lauren Fox and Nicky Robertson | CNNNearly five months after Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville announced his hold on Department of Defense nominees, the tactic has become a major flashpoint within the US Senate as institutionalists inside the body are voicing concerns the hold could have long-term repercussions and are openly warning an overhaul of the nominations process could be needed.Despite efforts from Republican colleagues, Tuberville’s been resolute, holding up the nomination of roughly 250 military nominees – many promotions that would typically be fast-tracked through the Senate. The dramatic impasse is forcing senators to openly question if it’s time for the body to consider changing the rules or at the very least limit the number of nominations that require Senate confirmation.“Maybe we need another gang to come up with a set of rules changes, but the vast majority of us who understand these tools should be used sparingly, I think we need to raise our voices,” ...

Map: Which Sierra highways remain closed for the July 4 holiday

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

Lingering snowpack and winter road damage have kept several highways in the Sierra Nevada closed as the Fourth of July holiday approaches.Following are the status reports of some major routes as of June 28. In addition to the sites linked below, updates for the state highways can be found at the California Department of Transportation website or on its mobile app or by calling (800) 427-7623.Closed (red)1/ Highway 89, Lassen Volcanic National Park. Lassen Peak Highway remained closed between Sulphur Works and Devastated Area. As of June 22, the park said only 4 miles of highway remained to be plowed, but parking lots and other road preparations will need to be completed before full reopening. Updates: NPS Lassen website.2/ Donner Pass Road. The road (Old Highway 40) has been closed since a rockslide June 9 west of Donner Lake. Updates can be found at the Nevada County road closures site and the county’s public works Facebook page.3/ Highway 120 (Tioga Road). Plowing continued ...

Starbird CEO talks trends in chicken sandwiches, salads, wings. Has spicy run its course?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

Seven years after its Bay Area founding, the premium chicken Starbird chain is taking its vision to Southern California.The inspiration behind Starbird stemmed from the realization by Aaron Noveshen and the innovators at his Culinary Edge consultancy that there were too many burger players in the marketplace. So they decided to focus on chicken — and not just any chicken, but a fresh bird, marinated in a signature brine then fried in rice bran oil to give it a lighter taste and better crunch.With their first Starbird in Sunnyvale, they offered a tech-driven experience too, making it app-convenient. Gone was the drive-thru, replaced by a fast delivery to the customer’s car — four years before the Covid pandemic made friction-free food the industry standard.They were prescient about the chicken too. “Even burger brands are now required to have chicken on their menu to fulfill the consumer demand,” says Noveshen, who is both the CEO of Starbird and the cha...

Bay Area fireworks shows for 4th of July 2023

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- The Bay Area, like the rest of America, will celebrate the 4th of July this coming Tuesday. Across the bay region, there will be fireworks shows, parades and other events celebrating America's independence. If you're looking for something to do on Tuesday, here are some of the events taking place across the Bay Area this 4th of July.Bay Area fireworks shows for 4th of July 2023:San Francisco Fireworks at Pier 39The City by the Bay's annual July 4th fireworks celebration will take place at Pier 39 Tuesday. The show begins at 9:30 p.m. as the city will set off fireworks near the pier from barges north of Fisherman's Wharf.Best places to watch the show include Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Aquatic Park, the Cannery, Ghirardelli Square, Coit Tower and Angel Island.Admission is free.Sausalito's 4th of July Parade and FireworksSausalito's annual 4th of July parade begins at 10 a.m. on the corner of Second and Main and will head up Bridgeway to Caledonia, ending at Du...

Wembanyama’s height no longer a mystery: 7 feet, 3-1/2 inches is official, Spurs say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

Victor Wembanyama has grown a little. Or not, depending on perspective.The official height for the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, the San Antonio Spurs said Wednesday, is 7 feet, 3-1/2 inches — and that was measured without shoes, per NBA guidelines.That’s a half-inch taller than Wembanyama said he was back in October, when he was in Las Vegas for a pair of exhibition games. (His official height then was 2.21 meters, he said, and he’s now nearly 2.23 meters.) Which makes sense, given that he was 18 then, has turned 19 since and it’s reasonable to think he might still have a bit of growing left.He has been listed by various sites as anywhere between 7-foot-2 and 7-foot-5, in part because of how he towers over other 7-footers when photographed standing with them. The NBA listed him at 7-foot-4 in the league’s guide for last week’s draft, but that was not based off any official measurement.The 7-3.5 figure puts Wembanyama on pace to be the NBA’s second-tallest player this...

Officials identify firefighter killed battling Md. blaze

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

Firefighter Brice C. Trossbach. (Courtesy NAS Patuxent River)Officials at Naval Air Station Patuxent River have identified a firefighter who was killed while battling a blaze on Tuesday.Twenty-five-year-old Brice Trossbach “made the ultimate sacrifice” while responding to a mutual aid request for a house fire in nearby Leonardtown, Maryland, the installation said in a news release.Capt. Derrick Kingsley, commanding officer at NAS Patuxent River, called Trossbach’s death a “tragic loss” that serves as a reminder “of the tremendous risks our firefighters face each shift to keep our installation and our community safe.”Trossbach had served as a firefighter at NAS Patuxent River since 2019, and had also joined volunteer fire departments in Leonardtown and Lexington Park.“I’ve known Brice since he was a little kid following his dad to the Leonardtown fire station when I was the chief there, and he always wanted to be a firefighter,” G...

Muti ends 13 seasons with Chicago Symphony Orchestra with praise and honors — and Beethoven

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Riccardo Muti was in total control to the very end.He had signaled the last note of his final Orchestra Hall concert as Chicago Symphony Orchestra music director on Sunday when several people started to applaud. His back to the audience, the 81-year-old conductor snapped out his right arm and baton, demanding silence to frame Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis.”Moments later, he relaxed his shoulders, setting off seven minutes of sustained applause.“It needs a moment of tranquility to think about,” he said the next day.Muti’s 13 seasons as music director were celebrated with Sunday’s subscription finale, and he ended his tenure on Tuesday night the way it began: with a free concert in Millennium Park, although the denouement of Florence Price’s Andante moderato and Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony was played in a smoky haze caused by Canadian wild fires.His 540th performance with the orchestra and 508th as music director wasn’t a final goodbye. While the search for a...

Lloyd Howell to take over as executive director of NFL Players Association

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT

Lloyd Howell will succeed DeMaurice Smith as the NFL Players Association’s executive director.The NFLPA’s board of player representatives announced Wednesday that Howell was elected as the next executive director. Smith had said last fall he planned to depart after serving one more term with the union.Howell has spent more than 34 years at the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., most recently as chief financial officer and treasurer. He also led the company’s civil and commercial group.“We are excited to have Lloyd lead our union into its next chapter and succeed DeMaurice Smith, who has ably led our organization for the past decade plus and has our gratitude and thanks,” NFLPA President JC Tretter said in a statement. “It was important for us to run a process that lived up to the prestige of the position we sought to fill. The process was 100% player led and focused on leadership competency, skills and experience. Our union deserves strong leadership and a smooth transition, ...