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Researchers: Inbreeding a big problem for endangered orcas

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:54 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — People have taken many steps in recent decades to help the Pacific Northwest’s endangered killer whales, which have long suffered from starvation, pollution and the legacy of having many of their number captured for display in marine parks.They’ve breached dikes and removed dams to create wetland habitat for Chinook salmon, the orcas’ most important food. They’ve limited commercial fishing to try to ensure prey for the whales. They’ve made boats slow down and keep farther away from the animals to reduce their stress and to quiet the waters so they can better hunt.So far, those efforts have had limited success, and research published Monday in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution suggests why: The whales are so inbred that they are dying younger and their population is not recovering. Female killer whales take about 20 years to reach peak fertility, and the females may not be living long enough to ensure the growth of their population.While ...

Amazon cuts 9,000 more jobs, bringing 2023 total to 27,000

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:54 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon plans to eliminate 9,000 more jobs in the next few weeks, CEO Andy Jassy said in a memo to staff on Monday. The job cuts would mark the second largest round of layoffs in the company’s history, adding to the 18,000 employees the tech giant said it would lay off in January. The company’s workforce doubled during the pandemic, however, in the midst of a hiring surge across almost the entire tech sector. Tech companies have announced tens of thousands of job cuts this year. In the memo, Jassy said the second phase of the company’s annual planning process completed this month led to the additional job cuts. He said Amazon will still hire in some strategic areas. “Some may ask why we didn’t announce these role reductions with the ones we announced a couple months ago. The short answer is that not all of the teams were done with their analyses in the late fall; and rather than rush through these assessments without the appropriate diligence, we cho...

Review: A boarding school whodunit fueled by feminist rage

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:54 GMT

“Commitment,” by Mona Simpson (Alfred A. Knopf)Mona Simpson’s latest novel “Commitment” is a minimalist masterpiece, exploring the large and small ways that a diagnosis of mental illness affects a family. In a story utterly devoid of car crashes, murders, abductions and explosions, Simpson bears down on the truly important questions about life — home, work, love and family.At the center of the novel is Diane Aziz, a single mother struggling to raise three kids on a nurse’s salary in Los Angeles in the 1970s. She has lied to get them into an exclusive public high school in the Pacific Palisades, and it has paid off big for her two older children, Walter and Lina. When the novel begins, it is 1972, and Walter has just enrolled at UC-Berkeley. Soon after that, Diane spirals into a deep depression and is admitted to a state mental hospital. At that point, her best friend, Julie, a colleague at work, steps up to take care of Lina and younger brother Donnie.Lina, who is still in high scho...

Grains mostly lower, Livestock mixed

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:54 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Grain futures were mostly lower Monday in early trading on the Chicago Board of Trade. Wheat for May lost 8 cents at $6.9725 a bushel; May corn was off 2.50 cents at $6.3050 a bushel; May oats was up 3.75 cents at $3.51 a bushel; while May soybeans fell 6.75 cents at 14.7375 a bushel.Beef higher and pork lower on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.Apr. live cattle was up .43 cent at $1.6215 a pound; Mar. feeder cattle rose .58 cent at $1.8890 a pound; Apr. lean hogs was off .88 cent at $.7817 a pound.Source

Sports on TV for Tuesday, March 21

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:54 GMT

(All times Eastern)Schedule subject to change and/or blackoutsTuesday, March 21BASEBALL7 p.m.FS1 — World Baseball Classic: TBD vs. U.S., Final, MiamiBASKETBALL AFRICA LEAGUE12 p.m.NBATV — ABC Fighters vs. Stade Malien, Dakar, SenegalCOLLEGE BASEBALL7 p.m.ACCN — Florida at Florida St.8 p.m.PAC-12N — N. Colorado at UtahCOLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S)7 p.m.ESPN — NIT Tournament: N. Texas at Oklahoma St., QuarterfinalESPN2 — CBI Tournament: TBD, Semifinal, Daytona Beach, Fla.9 p.m.ESPN — NIT Tournament: Wisconsin at Oregon, Quarterfinal9:30 p.m.ESPN2 — CBI Tournament: TBD, Semifinal, Daytona Beach, Fla.COLLEGE SOFTBALL7 p.m.SECN — McNeese St. at LSUFIGURE SKATING6 a.m. (Wednesday)USA — ISU: The World Figure Skating Championships, Women’s Short, Saitama, JapanNBA BASKETBALL7:30 p.m.NBATV — Cleveland at Brooklyn10 p.m.NBATV — Boston at SacramentoTENNIS11 a.m.TENNIS — Miami Open-WTA Early Rounds —Source

Man United forward Rashford pulls out of England squad

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:54 GMT

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount and Nick Pope have withdrawn from the England squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine, the Football Association said Monday. Manchester United forward Rashford suffered a knock during the 3-1 win against Fulham in the FA Cup on Sunday. Mount is recovering from a pelvic injury and the FA said Pope was hurt after Newcastle’s 2-1 win against Nottingham Forest on Friday. Tottenham goalkeeper Fraser Forster has been called up as a replacement for Pope, but no other players have been added to Gareth Southgate’s squad. England plays European champions Italy in Naples on Thursday and Ukraine at Wembley on Sunday in the Three Lions’ first games since the World Cup. The squad met at England’s St. George’s Park training headquarters on Monday, with 23 players reporting for duty. ___James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https:/...

Injured Netherlands midfielder De Jong out for France match

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:54 GMT

ZEIST, Netherlands (AP) — Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong and winger Steven Bergwijn dropped out of the national squad for the team’s opening European Championship qualifier against France, coach Ronald Koeman said Monday.De Jong injured his thigh late in Barcelona’s 2-1 victory over Real Madrid on Sunday. Bergwijn picked up a knee injury in Ajax’s 3-2 loss to Feyenoord.“Of course that is a big loss because he’s an important player for this team,” Koeman said of De Jong. “Because of the way he plays, it will be different if others play in his position. He brings things that not many other players can.”Koeman called up PSV Eindhoven midfielder Joey Veerman to replace De Jong and Borussia Dortmund winger Donyell Malen as a replacement for Bergwijn.Friday’s match at the Stade de France is the first for Koeman in his second stint in charge of the Netherlands. Predecessor Louis van Gaal’s contract ended after the World Cup in Qatar, where the Du...

Job searching? Here are some opportunities at Casa Bonita

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:54 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- If you are looking for work, an iconic Colorado restaurant is looking for enthusiastic, hard-working people to be a part of the team.Casa Bonita will open sometime in May. The restaurant is now hiring for cooks and dishwashers, as well as a few other positions. Are people already waiting in line for Casa Bonita to reopen? Casa Bonita said you can apply and interview on Tuesday from 12-4 p.m. at 2500 Larimer Street in Denver.What jobs are open?Here is a look at the jobs Casa Bonita is hiring for, according to its website:Assistant General ManagerCookCook assistant/Prep Line AttendantEntertainer (Dancer Dry)Event Sales ConsultantSecurity Surveillance Technician Table Assistant (Busser/Runner/Expo/Soda Fountain)Table AttendantCasa Bonita says its business hours will be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week.

Street named in honor of fallen MDPD officer in Southwest Miami-Dade

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:54 GMT

There was a sign of respect for a fallen South Florida officer who was killed in the line of duty. The street where he grow up in will now bear his name.The location, 162nd Avenue near 56th Street, holds a big meaning for the officer’s family. It is not where Miami-Dade Police officer Cesar Echaverry was killed, but instead, it’s where he lived his life. “Today’s dedication will never ease the pain of his passing,” said Stephanie Vargas, his fiance. “We’ll remember him every single day, and we’ll do everything we can to honor his memory.”A hometown hero was honored in special way. Echaverry was killed in August while chasing an armed robbery suspect. On Monday, 162nd Avenue by his high school, Ferguson High, and also near the neighborhood where he grow up, was named after him. “The street itself is extremely meaningful as it was the main way to his daily routines; gym, church, my house,” Vargas said. MDPD Director Alf...

2 students injured in high school shooting outside of Dallas

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:54 GMT

(CNN) — Two students were injured in a shooting at Lamar High School in Arlington, Texas, according to a statement from local police.“At around 6:55 this morning, we received multiple reports of shots fired on campus, outside of the school building,” police spokesperson Tim Ciesco said. “Two students were injured and are now receiving medical care.”The conditions of the injured students are unknown, he said.The suspected shooter was taken into custody, according to the statement. Police do not believe the suspect entered the building.Information about the suspect’s identity, age, and whether the individual was a student at the school has not yet been released, nor has a possible motive.Lamar High School remained on lockdown Monday morning, according to Ciesco and school district spokesperson Anita Foster.Foster told CNN the school will remain on lockdown while police investigate, and then students and staff will be dismissed for the day.Arlington ...