Legendary drug lord Fabio Ochoa is deported to Colombia and walks free after 20 years in US prisonsStruggling Syracuse looks to climb back above .500 when it hosts Albany on Tuesday night. The Orange (4-4) are coming off a conference loss to Notre Dame where they failed to make a 3-pointer in a game for the first time in more than 10 years, going 0-for-9 from behind the arc. They will be without leading scorer J.J. Starling, who broke his hand in practice last Monday. Orange coach Adrian Autry said there was "no timetable" for Starling's return after the loss to the Fighting Irish and lamented his team's struggles with turnovers and free-throw shooting in the defeat. "Too many blown opportunities," Autry said. "We're not shooting the ball well. We have to adjust and go game by game now. Our front court has been pretty secure, but we have to keep working and getting better." Starling was averaging a team-high 19.8 points before his injury. The Orange may need to lean more on freshman Donnie Freeman, who has been a standout for Syracuse this season. He's averaging 12.8 points and 8.8 rebounds and already has four double-doubles. He was co-ACC Rookie of the Week last week. Defensively, the Orange have struggled. They rank No. 329 in scoring defense, giving up 79.4 points per game. Albany is scoring 77.2 ppg so far this season. The Great Danes (6-4) were downed by Boston University 80-74 in overtime on Saturday. They started the season 5-1 but have lost three of their last four. Senior guard Byron Joshua, a transfer from Alcorn State, is the Great Danes' leading scorer at 13.6 ppg. Amar'e Marshall was an All-America East Conference pick last season after averaging 16.7 points, but his field goal shooting has dropped from 43.4 percent last season to 34.5 percent this season. He is scoring 11.7 ppg. "I think we're learning how to compete at the right level," Albany coach Dwyane Killings said after a loss to Georgetown on Nov. 30. "I think the one thing that troubles us a lot is that our identity and our energy comes when the ball goes in the basket. When it doesn't, I don't think we have the grit that we need right now." Albany has been one of the best teams in the country in terms of steals. The Great Danes average 10.2 steals per game, which is tied for No. 12 in the nation. Syracuse is 8-0 against Albany all-time with the teams last meeting in 2011. Syracuse is 4-0 at home and 4-0 against non-power-conference opponents. --Field Level MediaKongsberg Digital Secures Major Simulator Contract with Transnet in South Africa
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma appears to have borrowed from the past to cure its recent offensive ills. The Sooners , best known this century for a passing prowess that has produced four Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks, took it back to the 20th century against then-No. 7 Alabama. Oklahoma ran 50 times for 257 yards while only throwing 12 times in a 24-3 win over the Crimson Tide that took coach Brent Venables off the hot seat. The Sooners more resembled Barry Switzer’s squads that dominated the old Big 8 with the wishbone offense in the 1970s and ’80s than the more recent Air Raid teams. Venables said the change was a matter of necessity for a unit that has been besieged by injuries at receiver and offensive line. “I think this staff has done a really good job with trying to figure that out, get better every week, put together a great gameplan but also figure out, ‘OK, what does this group of guys, what does this team — what do we need to do?'” Venables said. To make it work, Oklahoma needed to trust that such a change would work in the modern Southeastern Conference. They had to implement it with an interim play-caller in Joe Jon Finley, who stepped in after the Sooners fired Seth Littrell last month. Oklahoma (6-5, 2-5 SEC) pulled it off, and LSU coach Brian Kelly has taken notice ahead of their game on Saturday. “This is now much more about controlling the football, running the football, playing with physicality," Kelly said. "They've got perimeter skill, but I think it's centered around much more of a run-centric, quarterback run and take care of the football." The Sooners started to see success on the ground against Maine. They ran 52 times for 381 yards in a 59-14 win that got the wheels turning. Jovantae Barnes ran for career highs of 203 yards and three touchdowns that day. Venables said the timing of the opportunity to play that non-conference game against Maine in early November and figure some things out was perfect. “Everybody has some degree of vulnerability and maybe some self-doubt,” he said. “And just developing some confidence and putting something on tape other than practice, like, ‘Man, look, see what you’re capable of?’ And executing against, again, a well-coached team — certainly, we played off of that in all the right ways like you would expect us to. And so there’s a real place for that.” Story continues below video After a bye week, the Sooners tried the same approach against Missouri. It wasn't as successful — they ran 36 times for 122 yards — but they hung tough before losing 30-23 . The Sooners went all in against Alabama. Jackson Arnold — the same guy who threw 45 times in the Alamo Bowl last year, ran 25 times for 131 yards and threw just 11 passes. The Sooners found something in running back Xavier Robinson. With Barnes out with an injury, Robinson carried 18 times for career highs of 107 yards and two touchdowns. Suddenly, a team that had been forcing the pass and getting sacked at an alarming rate was moving the line of scrimmage and controlling the tempo. Oklahoma had the ball for more than 34 minutes against the Crimson Tide, lending support to a talented defense that had been spending way too much time on the field. The new approach could be helpful on Saturday — LSU (7-4, 4-3) ranks 14th out of 16 conference teams against the run. Venables said the Sooners still need to throw the ball well to win, but he's glad to know his squad can run with force when necessary. “I think that’s the art of having a system that’s adjustable, flexible, adaptable, week in and week out, but also has an identity — toughness, physicality," he said. "You’ve got to be able to run the ball at every level of football, but you do have to throw it. You can’t just do one thing. But we need to be efficient.” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballZevgolis rules the roost in Bulawayo
Universal Pictures has revealed that Christopher Nolan's next film will be The Odyssey, a 'mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology' that will be released in theaters on July 17, 2026. Nolan's The Odyssey will bring "Homer's foundational saga to IMAX film screens for the first time" and will be a retelling of the Ancient Greek epic poem that was first written in the 8th or 7th century BC. Christopher Nolan’s next film ‘The Odyssey’ is a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology. The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to IMAX film screens for the first time and opens in theaters everywhere on July 17, 2026.— Universal Pictures (@UniversalPics) For those unfamiliar, The Odyssey follows the journey of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, who travels the world for 10 years in an attempt to get home after the Trojan War. While Universal didn't reveal any further details on Nolan's The Odyssey, reports which marks his return to Universal after 2023's Oppenheimer, which won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director. Alongside Damon, reports state he may be joined by Charlize Theron, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong'o, and Robert Pattinson. We're obviously excited about Nolan's next film as we gave Oppenheimer a 10/10. we said, "A biopic in constant free fall, Oppenheimer is Christopher Nolan’s most abstract yet most exacting work, with themes of guilt writ large through apocalyptic IMAX nightmares that grow both more enormous and more intimate as time ticks on. "A disturbing, mesmerizing vision of what humanity is capable of bringing upon itself, both through its innovation, and through its capacity to justify any atrocity." For more, and
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MITCHELL — With three road games in five days, the Mitchell High School boys basketball program tipped off a new campaign in a flurry last week. All three games — at Watertown, Rapid City Stevens and Rapid City Central — resulted in Mitchell victories, as the Kernels ran their win streak to 20 consecutive games. ADVERTISEMENT Here are three observations from Mitchell’s opening week of play: Starting quality was not among the questions facing Mitchell to start the season. The Kernels returned four starters — Colton Smith, Markus Talley, Landen Soulek and Gavin Hinker — from last season’s championship team. This season’s fifth starter, Sutton Thompson, was a regular member of the 2023-24 rotation off the bench. Senior Mason Herman, who provided valuable minutes in last season’s state tournament as Hinker battled foul trouble, should fulfill a similar role this season. One loss from last year’s rotation the Kernels didn’t count on was senior Parker Mandel, who is out with a knee injury to start the season. According to MHS head coach Ryker Kreutzfeldt, Mandel is set to undergo a procedure on his knee, and a timetable for his potential return is unclear at this time. “We don't really know after that,” Kreutzfeldt said of Mandel’s status. Filling out the rest of the Mitchell rotation is promising talent but with considerably less varsity experience, and finding a key contributor from that collection of up-and-comers takes on added significance in Mandel’s absence. “It’s something we’ve talked to the guys about. We need to have some extra guys who can help us — not just be a part of it, but be a contributor,” Kreutzfeldt explained. “That's going to be a good crew, and I think they're going to be really good complementary players to the guys we have this year.” ADVERTISEMENT Early on, 6-foot-4 sophomore guard/forward Collin Weier has been a top choice off the bench. He snagged five rebounds and even scored Mitchell’s first field goal of the season in the opener at Watertown. The rotation has also included 6-foot-1 sophomore guard Owen Raml and 6-foot junior guard Kendan Skinner through three games. “They came in, and it didn't look like this was their first varsity basketball game,” Colton Smith said after the Game 1 win in Watertown. “The depth was better than I thought,” Kreutzfeldt added. “Everybody who got in did a great job.” One area where Kreutzfeldt expected the Kernels to hit the ground running was on defense, and that’s largely held up. Much like it did a season ago, Mitchell’s effort on the defensive end of the floor has helped ease some early offensive hiccups. Mitchell opened the season by holding Watertown to 26 points through three quarters, at which point the game was well out of reach. ADVERTISEMENT “Our first quarter (against Watertown), you could tell we came out slow, but we definitely were more settled on the defensive end,” Smith said. “I think defense is going to be our strong suit this year, and we showed that in those first three quarters.” It hasn’t been perfect — during the West River trip, Kreutzfeldt expressed a level of initial disappointment with how the Kernels were handling some of the dribble penetration by Stevens’ Dayler Segrist and Central’s Gilbert White Jr. — but on the whole, Mitchell has been effective at keeping points off the scoreboard. Through three games, opponents have managed 47.7 points per contest against the Kernels. That ranks third in Class AA, trailing the only other 3-0 teams in the class to date — Sioux Falls Lincoln and Spearfish. Last season, Mitchell allowed 49.2 points per game for the season, which ranked fourth in Class AA. Some of Mitchell’s early success has come with finding a comfortability in switching between man-to-man and zone defenses. This proved to be particularly effective against Stevens. “We left it up to our guys. In every timeout, we asked what they wanted to do (defensively), and they felt confident in the zone,” Kreutzfeldt said after the win over Stevens. “It was about the only thing we felt confident in the whole game, but it came through for us.” Though it should come as no surprise, senior guard Markus Talley appears to be in mid-season form from the jump. ADVERTISEMENT The Augustana men’s basketball signee has at least 26 points in all three games, pouring in the points at an efficient clip nearing 58% from the field and upward of 54% from 3-point range. In the opener at Watertown, Talley was able to beat his defender off the dribble and get to the basket almost at will. He finished 12 of 16 from the field and dished out six assists. Against Stevens, Kreutzfeldt said that Talley “had to put us on his back,” and later called him “the best player in the class.” Talley scored 26 of the Kernels’ 55 points, including the last five in a three-point victory. Most recently at Central, Mitchell had an uncharacteristically tough time getting anything going inside, so Talley hit six 3-pointers as part of a 28-point effort to keep the offense afloat. Fellow all-state performer Colton Smith came alive in the second half against the Cobblers, scoring 19 points after halftime alone. Even with the exceptional start, Kreutzfeldt believes Talley could provide more going forward. One thing is certain: his early contributions have been invaluable while the Kernels get up to speed around him. “Markus was great, but even by his standards, maybe it wasn’t his best game,” Kreutzfeldt said after the win over Central. “That’s just how much ability he has.”WATCH: Fallon prices security fence at Butler, Pa. rally at $410Newswise — Cal State Fullerton is experiencing a record-high year for enrollment. Fall 2024 data showed that CSUF enrolled 43,662 students this semester — increasing about 4% from 41,962 enrolled students in fall 2023. CSUF had the highest enrollment in the California State University system this fall. The increase was due in part to an all-time high number of applications, a record-high number of new students in fall 2024 and strong retention. The university received 83,478 undergraduate and graduate applications for fall 2024 compared to 78,325 applications for 2023. "We are thrilled to announce another successful semester with enrollment numbers that reflect both the resilience and ambition of our students,” said Amir Dabirian, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “This milestone not only underscores the growing demand for the high-quality education we offer, but also highlights the strong commitment of our faculty, staff and community to student success. As we continue to innovate and expand opportunities for academic excellence, we remain dedicated to empowering students to achieve their fullest potential." CSUF’s increased enrollment comes as Diverse Issues in Higher Education ranks CSUF No. 3 in the nation for bachelor’s degrees awarded to underrepresented students. U.S. News & World Report also ranked the university as a No. 7 Top Performer on Social Mobility in the nation this year. The CSU system overall experienced a systemwide enrollment increase of 2% from the previous year to more than 461,000 students. The CSU system extended its intent-to-register deadline last year to give new students more time to consider financial aid offers, which were delayed during the 2024-25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, rollout. About Cal State Fullerton: The largest university in the CSU and the only campus in Orange County, Cal State Fullerton offers more than 100 degree programs and Division I athletics. Recognized as a national model for supporting student success, CSUF excels with innovative, high-impact educational practices, including faculty-student collaborative research, study abroad and competitive internships. CSUF is a top public university known for its success in supporting first-generation and underrepresented students, and preparing all students to become leaders in the global marketplace. Our vibrant and diverse campus is a primary driver of workforce and economic development in the region. Visit fullerton.edu .
NEW YORK , Nov. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of stock of Metagenomi, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGX) pursuant and/or traceable to the Company's initial public offering conducted between February 9 and 13, 2024 (the "IPO"), of the important November 25, 2024 lead plaintiff deadline. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.RJ Godfrey and Tyrin Lawrence each scored 14 points to help lead Georgia to a 79-72 win over visiting South Carolina State on Sunday in Athens, Ga. Asa Newell and Dakota Leffew added 12 apiece for Georgia (12-1) which rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit. Silas Demary Jr. had 11 points followed by De'Shayne Montgomery's 10, as the Bulldogs won their seventh straight game, marking their best start to a season since 1930-31 (13-0). Reserve Jayden Johnson led South Carolina State (6-9) with 16 points, followed by Michael Teal's 13 and Wilson Dubinsky's 12. South Carolina State dropped its third game in four tries entering Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play on Jan. 4. Trailing 41-24 at halftime, Demary's triple and Montgomery's dunk began a 12-5 scoring run to open the second half, pulling Georgia within 10 at the 16:18 mark. After Teal's layup extended South Carolina State's lead to 50-39, Demary's basket stamped a 7-0 Georgia run, pulling the Bulldogs within four at the 11:17 mark of the second half. Dubinsky answered with a triple on the other end, but Leffew and Demary's layups began a 14-2 Georgia run -- which was capped with Lawrence's personal 8-0 spurt. Trailing 60-55, South Carolina State cut its deficit to one after Drayton Jones' four straight points. From there, Newell's three-point play jump started an 8-0 Georgia run, stamped with Montgomery's free throw with 3:42 left. After Davion Everett split a pair of free throws to pull South Carolina State within four with 1:44 left, Georgia made seven of its eight free-throw attempts to ice the victory. Georgia connected on just one field goal early in the game until Dylan James' layup trimmed its deficit to 7-5 at the 14:44 mark. After Johnson's basket put South Carolina State ahead 13-10, Leffew's 3-pointer followed by Montgomery's free throw gave Georgia its first lead with 10:27 left in the opening half. Godfrey's pair of free throws flipped the lead to Georgia with 5:30 remaining, before Dubinsky's triple gave South Carolina State a 24-22 advantage on the ensuing possession. Georgia was held scoreless until Somto Cyril's free throws snapped a 14-0 South Carolina State run with 50 seconds left. Johnson then capped the first half with consecutive 3-pointers, giving South Carolina State a 41-24 halftime lead. --Field Level Media
Cristiano Ronaldo and Elon Musk exchange words ending with CR7's signature response on XCHICAGO — With a wave of her bangled brown fingertips to the melody of flutes and chimes, artist, theologian and academic Tricia Hersey enchanted a crowd into a dreamlike state of rest at Semicolon Books on North Michigan Avenue. “The systems can’t have you,” Hersey said into the microphone, reading mantras while leading the crowd in a group daydreaming exercise on a recent Tuesday night. The South Side native tackles many of society’s ills — racism, patriarchy, aggressive capitalism and ableism — through an undervalued yet impactful action: rest. Hersey, the founder of a movement called the Nap Ministry, dubs herself the Nap Bishop and spreads her message to over half a million followers on her Instagram account, @thenapministry . Her first book, “Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto,” became a New York Times bestseller in 2022, but Hersey has been talking about rest online and through her art for nearly a decade. Hersey, who has degrees in public health and divinity, originated the “rest as resistance” and “rest as reparations” frameworks after experimenting with rest as an exhausted graduate student in seminary. Once she started napping, she felt happier and her grades improved. But she also felt more connected to her ancestors; her work was informed by the cultural trauma of slavery that she was studying as an archivist. Hersey described the transformation as “life-changing.” The Nap Ministry began as performance art in 2017, with a small installation where 40 people joined Hersey in a collective nap. Since then, her message has morphed into multiple mediums and forms. Hersey, who now lives in Atlanta, has hosted over 100 collective naps, given lectures and facilitated meditations across the country. She’s even led a rest ritual in the bedroom of Jane Addams , and encourages her followers to dial in at her “Rest Hotline.” At Semicolon, some of those followers and newcomers came out to see Hersey in discussion with journalist Natalie Moore on Hersey’s latest book, “We Will Rest! The Art of Escape,” released this month, and to learn what it means to take a moment to rest in community. Moore recalled a time when she was trying to get ahead of chores on a weeknight. “I was like, ‘If I do this, then I’ll have less to do tomorrow.’ But then I was really tired,” Moore said. “I thought, ‘What would my Nap Bishop say? She would say go lay down.’ Tricia is in my head a lot.” At the event, Al Kelly, 33, of Rogers Park, said some of those seated in the crowd of mostly Black women woke up in tears — possibly because, for the first time, someone permitted them to rest. “It was so emotional and allowed me to think creatively about things that I want to work on and achieve,” Kelly said. Shortly after the program, Juliette Viassy, 33, a program manager who lives in the South Loop and is new to Hersey’s work, said this was her first time meditating after never being able to do it on her own. Therapist Lyndsei Howze, 33, of Printers Row, who was also seated at the book talk, said she recommends Hersey’s work “to everybody who will listen” — from her clients to her own friends. “A lot of mental health conditions come from lack of rest,” she said. “They come from exhaustion.” Before discovering Hersey’s work this spring, Howze said she and her friends sporadically napped together in one friend’s apartment after an exhausting workweek. “It felt so good just to rest in community,” she said. On Hersey’s book tour, she is leading exercises like this across the country. “I think we need to collectively do this,” Hersey explained. “We need to learn again how to daydream because we’ve been told not to do it. I don’t think most people even have a daydreaming practice.” Daydreaming, Hersey said, allows people to imagine a new world. Hersey tells her followers that yes, you can rest, even when your agenda is packed, even between caregiving, commuting, jobs, bills, emails and other daily demands. And you don’t have to do it alone. There is a community of escape artists, she said of the people who opt out of grind and hustle culture, waiting to embrace you. The book is part pocket prayer book, part instruction manual, with art and handmade typography by San Francisco-based artist George McCalman inspired by 19th-century abolitionist pamphlets, urging readers to reclaim their divine right to rest. Hersey directs her readers like an operative with instructions for a classified mission. “Let grind culture know you are not playing around,” she wrote in her book. “This is not a game or time to shrink. Your thriving depends on the art of escape.” The reluctance to rest can be rooted in capitalist culture presenting rest as a reward for productivity instead of a physical and mental necessity. Hersey deconstructs this idea of grind culture, which she says is rooted in the combined effects of white supremacy, patriarchy and capitalism that “look at the body as not human.” American culture encourages grind culture, Hersey said, but slowing down and building a ritual of rest can offset its toxicity. The author eschews the ballooning billion-dollar self-care industry that encourages people to “save enough money and time off from work to fly away to an expensive retreat,” she wrote. Instead, she says rest can happen anywhere you have a place to be comfortable: in nature, on a yoga mat, in the car between shifts, on a cozy couch after work. Resting isn’t just napping either. She praises long showers, sipping warm tea, playing music, praying or numerous other relaxing activities that slow down the body. “We’re in a crisis mode of deep sleep deprivation, deep lack of self-worth, (and) mental health,” said Hersey. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2022 , in Illinois about 37% of adults aren’t getting the rest they need at night. If ignored, the effects of sleep deprivation can have bigger implications later, Hersey said. In October, she lectured at a sleep conference at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota, where her humanities work was featured alongside research from the world’s top neuroscientists. Jennifer Mundt, a Northwestern clinician and professor of sleep medicine, psychiatry and behavioral sciences, praises Hersey for bringing the issue of sleep and rest to the public. In a Tribune op-ed last year, Mundt argued that our culture focuses too heavily on sleep as something that must be earned rather than a vital aspect of health and that linking sleep to productivity is harmful and stigmatizing. “Linking sleep and productivity is harmful because it overshadows the bevy of other reasons to prioritize sleep as an essential component of health,” Mundt wrote. “It also stigmatizes groups that are affected by sleep disparities and certain chronic sleep disorders.” In a 30-year longitudinal study released in the spring by the New York University School of Social Work, people who worked long hours and late shifts reported the lowest sleep quality and lowest physical and mental functions, and the highest likelihood of reporting poor health and depression at age 50. The study also showed that Black men and women with limited education “were more likely than others to shoulder the harmful links between nonstandard work schedules and sleep and health, worsening their probability of maintaining and nurturing their health as they approach middle adulthood.” The CDC links sleeping fewer than seven hours a day to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and more. Although the Nap Ministry movement is new for her followers, Hersey’s written about her family’s practice of prioritizing rest, which informs her work. Her dad was a community organizer, a yardmaster for the Union Pacific Railroad Co. and an assistant pastor. Before long hours of work, he would dedicate hours each day to self-care. Hersey also grew up observing her grandma meditate for 30 minutes daily. Through rest, Hersey said she honors her ancestors who were enslaved and confronts generational trauma. When “Rest Is Resistance” was released in 2022, Americans were navigating a pandemic and conversations on glaring racial disparities. “We Will Rest!” comes on the heels of a historic presidential election where Black women fundraised for Vice President Kamala Harris and registered voters in a dizzying three-month campaign. Following Harris’ defeat, many of those women are finding self-care and preservation even more important. “There are a lot of Black women announcing how exhausted they are,” Moore said. “This could be their entry point to get to know (Hersey’s) work, which is bigger than whatever political wind is blowing right now.” Hersey said Chicagoans can meet kindred spirits in her environment of rest. Haji Healing Salon, a wellness center, and the social justice-focused Free Street Theater are sites where Hersey honed her craft and found community. In the fall, the theater put on “Rest/Reposo,” a performance featuring a community naptime outdoors in McKinley Park and in its Back of the Yards space. Haji is also an apothecary and hosts community healing activities, sound meditations and yoga classes. “It is in Bronzeville; it’s a beautiful space owned by my friend Aya,” Hersey said, explaining how her community has helped her build the Nap Ministry. “When I first started the Nap Ministry, before I was even understanding what it was, she was like, come do your work here.” “We Will Rest!” is a collection of poems, drawings and short passages. In contrast to her first book, Hersey said she leaned more into her artistic background; the art process alone took 18 months to complete. After a tough year for many, she considers it medicine for a “sick and exhausted” world. “It’s its own sacred document,” Hersey said. “It’s something that, if you have it in your library and you have it with you, you may feel more human.” lazu@chicagotribune.comA man died Monday after a large wave trapped him beneath debris on a California beach, likely related to the storm pummeling the West Coast that brought high surf and flooding to central California, officials said. First responders were called to Sunset State Beach, a state park, around 11:30 a.m. Monday. The man was pronounced dead at a hospital. Other details were not immediately available and his name has not been released. The storm’s high surf also likely pulled a man into the Pacific Ocean around noon Monday at Marina State Beach along the Monterey Bay, authorities said. Strong currents and high waves forced searchers to abandon their efforts roughly two hours later as conditions worsened. The man remained missing Monday evening. In Santa Cruz, a pier under construction partially collapsed and fell into the ocean, taking three people with it. Two people were rescued by lifeguards and a third swam to safety. No one was seriously injured, Mayor Fred Keeley said. Residents were warned to stay away from low-lying areas near the beaches around the Santa Cruz Wharf, about 70 miles (112 kilometres) south of San Francisco, as the storm rapidly gained strength. The mayor said that section of the wharf had been damaged over time. The structure was in the middle of a $4 million renovation following destructive storms last winter. “It’s a catastrophe for those down at the end of the wharf," said David Johnston, owner of Venture Quest Kayaking, who was allowed onto the pier to check on his business. Tony Elliot, the head of the Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department, estimated that about 150 feet (45 metres) of the end of the wharf fell into the water around 12:45 p.m. It was immediately evacuated and will remain closed indefinitely. Some of the wharf’s pilings are still in the ocean and remain “serious, serious hazards” to boats, the mayor said. Each piling weighs hundreds of pounds and is being pushed by powerful waves. “You are risking your life, and those of the people that would need to try and save you by getting in or too close to the water,” the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office said on the social platform X. Gov. Gavin Newsom's has been briefed and the state's Office of Emergency Services is coordinating with local officials, his office said. In the city of Capitola, police ordered guests at a waterfront hotel to evacuate if they had ocean-facing units. The county sheriff’s office ordered beachfront residents in nearby Rio Del Mar to evacuate as well. Forecasters warned that storm swells will continue to increase throughout the day. “We are anticipating that what is coming toward us is more serious than what was there this morning,” the mayor said. Ocean swells along California's central coast could reach 60 feet (18 metres) as the Pacific storm gains strength through Monday, the weather service said. “A rapidly developing storm will bring hurricane force winds to the areas well offshore of the Pacific Northwest tonight,” the weather service's Ocean Prediction Center said on X. The end of the pier that broke off had been shut down during renovations. The portion, which included public restrooms and the closed Dolphin restaurant, floated about half a mile (0.8 kilometers) down the coast and wedged itself at the bottom of the San Lorenzo River. Those who fell into the water were two engineers and a project manager who were inspecting the end of the wharf, officials said. No members of the public were in the area. Building inspectors were now looking at the rest of the Santa Cruz Wharf’s structural integrity. Monday's collapse came about a year after the Seacliff State Beach pier just down the coast was battered beyond repair by a heavy winter storm. Further up the West Coast, dangerous surf conditions and waves up to 30 feet (9.1 metres) were expected from the central Oregon coast up through southwestern Washington. Winds could peak near 80 mph (130 km/h) and a high surf warning in effect until 10 p.m. Monday night, forecasters said. In a post on X, the National Weather Service office in Portland, Oregon, said “it will likely go down as some of the highest surf this winter.” ___ Dazio reported from Los Angeles.
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He was the oldest living president and had been out of the White House for more than 35 years, but Jimmy Carter never stopped working to improve the lives of others — much of which included building homes for the needy. Even well into his 90s, Carter put on a hard hat and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, the nonprofit organization he often partnered with through The Carter Center. The one-term president — who died Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia — worked alongside 103,000 volunteers in 14 countries to build, renovate and repair 4,331 homes with Habitat for Humanity for more than 35 years. Often, Carter and his late wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, volunteered together. The couple first participated in a Habitat for Humanity project in 1984 in New York City. Carter discovered the organization while on a run. He recalled that he passed by a building and thought, “Rosalynn and I should come up and give them a hand.” “When we left the White House, we could have done anything,” Carter once said . “But our choice was to volunteer as Habitat workers, and that’s been a life-changing experience for us.” In September 1984, the Carters and a dozen other volunteers made their way to New York, where they worked on a six-story apartment building that gave safe and affordable housing to families. For one week, the Carters helped build 19 units and returned the following year to finish the building. The work unknowingly sparked an annual tradition for the Carters to spend one week volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in a different location around the world in what became known as the Carter Work Projects. Habitat for Humanity was founded in Americus, Georgia — near Carter’s hometown of Plains — in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller. The organization aims to help build or improve homes for families in low-income or communities in need. It relies on volunteers and other Habitat for Humanity homeowners for manual labor, which is called sweat equity. Over the years, the Carters have volunteered in areas impacted by natural disasters or humanitarian crises. In 2008, Carter and his wife joined volunteers in helping rebuild communities along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas after Hurricane Katrina. They traveled to Haiti in 2011 and 2012 to rebuild more than 100 homes for those affected by the devastating earthquake. They helped move more than 150 families from tents or makeshift shelters into safe homes. “One of the things Jesus taught was: If you have any talents, try to utilize them for the benefit of others,” Carter said. “That’s what Rosa and I have both tried to do.” The last Carter Work Project the former president participated in was in 2019. At 95 years old, Carter showed up at the site of the build in Nashville, Tennessee, sporting fresh stitches and a black eye. “I fell down and hit my forehead on a sharp edge and I had to go to the hospital,” Carter told reporters. “They took 14 stitches in my forehead and my eye’s black, if you noticed.” “But I had a number one priority and that was to come to Nashville and build the houses!” Carter said.