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World-record pumpkin takes home $30k at Half Moon Bay annual pumpkin weigh-off

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:59 GMT

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (KRON) -- The 50th annual World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off took place Monday in Half Moon Bay, and a world-record-setting pumpkin weighing 2,749 pounds won it all, according to contest officials. Travis Gienger, who brought the gargantuan pumpkin from Minnesota, will take home the $30,000 prize money.Organizers brought a new, heavier-duty scale to Monday’s pumpkin weigh-off because they expected a pumpkin to weigh over 2,560 pounds, which was the winner presented by Gienger last year.Travis Gienger of Anoka, Minnesota, and his world-record-setting 2,749-pound pumpkin. (Photo: Michael Thomas)The previous world record sat at around 2,700 pounds for a pumpkin weighed in Italy in 2021. Contestants at Half Moon Bay hoped to beat that, earning them $30,000 for a record breaker. If the record wasn't broken, the first-place pumpkin would have still earned a hefty $9 per pound. Had enough heat? Wet weather returning to Bay Area Early arrivals to the weigh-off Mond...

Early voting begins for Santa Clara County special election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:59 GMT

(KRON) -- Early voting begins today for the Nov. 7 Santa Clara County Special Election. Voters will have the opportunity to cast their ballots at the Registrar of Voters' Office or at an Official Drop Box, starting today.There are two contests on the ballot for this Special Election:San Jose-Evergreen Community College District Governing Board Member -- Trustee Area 7 only, Short-TermLos Altos School District, Parcel Tax -- Measure A Bay Area restaurants imposing ‘vomit fee’ on Sunday brunch-goers "No matter the size of the election, our staff are always ready to help the voters of Santa Clara County make their voices heard," said Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Shannon Bushey.Voters wishing to drop off their ballot or vote in person during normal business hours may do so Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Registrar of Voters' Office is located at 1555 Berger Drive, Building #2, San Jose, CA 95112.Voters may also drop off their ballot at one of 13 official drop...

Rundown of Newsom's latest vetos and approvals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:59 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KRON) – Governor Gavin Newsom made executive decisions, including permitting and vetoing laws over the weekend. Among other things, Gov. Newsom made California the first state in the country to follow President Joe Biden's federal guidelines and the first state with transparency measures.Here are the laws Gov. Newsom signed off on.Senate Bill 348California is the first state in the United States to codify Biden’s new federal nutrition guidelines, with Senate Bill 348, which reduces added salt and sugar in school meals. “California was the first state to provide two free meals a day to all public-school students, so it’s fitting that California is now the first state to ensure that school meals are healthy and don’t contribute to lifelong health problems,” said State Senator Nancy Skinner.Senate Bill 253Senate Bill 253 would ensure that 5,300 companies that operate in California and make more than $1 billion will have to disclose a wide range of planet-warming dir...

American, United and Delta suspend service in and out of Israel after Hamas attack

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:59 GMT

(AP) -- Major airlines have suspended flights in and out of Israel after the nation declared war following a massive attack by Hamas. Israel hit more than 1,000 targets in Gaza and Palestinian militants continued firing barrages of rockets, setting off air raid sirens in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Video posted online appeared to show a plume of smoke near a terminal at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport.Scores of arriving and departing flights at Ben Gurion were canceled or delayed, according to the airport’s online flight board, which also showed a steady trickle of flights. Most were operated by Israel's national airline El Al along with others by regional carriers like Turkey's Pegasus Airlines and Greece's Blue Bird Airways. American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines suspended service as the U.S. State Department issued travel advisories for the region citing potential for terrorism and civil unrest. American suspended service to Tel Aviv through Friday. The ai...

Israel Responds to Hamas Crimes by Ordering Mass War Crimes in Gaza

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:59 GMT

This article includes graphic images and depictions of death.Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant used genocidal language and ordered mass war crimes in the occupied Gaza Strip on Monday in response to Hamas’s weekend assault and massacre of Israeli civilians, setting the stage for a large-scale escalation of the violence that has already led to the killing of at least 800 Israelis and more than 500 Palestinians.Gallant said that he had ordered “a complete siege of the Gaza Strip,” which is home to 2.2 million Palestinians, nearly half of them children. “There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed,” he said. “We are fighting human animals, and we act accordingly.”What Gallant ordered — the collective punishment of a civilian population — amounts to a war crime under international law, as well as potentially a crime against humanity and the crime of genocide, some international law experts have pointed out. Hamas’s massacre of civilians and taking...

Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is feeling better a day after his neck injury against the Dolphins

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:59 GMT

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is feeling better a day after being forced to leave a game with a neck injury and coach Brian Daboll is optimistic he will be able to play against the Bills in Buffalo.Jones was hurt early in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 31-16 loss to the Dolphins in Miami. He had X-rays after the game and he had an additional test on Monday. Daboll said he did not have those results.“I guess I’d say we’re optimistic,’” Daboll said Monday. “He’s feeling better today, so I think he’s moving in the right direction. Let’s see where he is when he comes back on Wednesday, but doesn’t feel terrible today.”Backup Tyrod Taylor played the final 12 minutes. There was a point late when he had the wind knocked out of him at the end of a run.Daboll said receiver Parris Campbell can play quarterback and the team has a player who can run in the wildcat formation, but Taylor finished the game.Jones has been sacked 16 times in the pa...

EU reverses earlier announcement that it was ‘immediately’ suspending aid to Palestinians

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:59 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on late Monday reversed an earlier announcement by an EU commissioner that the bloc was “immediately” suspending aid for Palestinian authorities and instead said it would urgently review such assistance in the wake of the attacks on Israel by Hamas.“There will be no suspension of payments” at the moment, a terse European Commission statement said late Monday, five hours after EU Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi had said that all payments from the development program for Palestinians would be “immediately suspended. All projects put under review. All new budget proposals … postponed until further notice.”No immediate explanation for the reversal was given. A full European Commission statement always trumps a statement from an EU commissioner, but the reversal on a 691 million-euro ($730 million) program capped an embarrassing day at the EU’s executive at a time of extreme geopolitical sensitivities.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story foll...

Warrant issued for suspect in Aurora mall shooting that killed teen

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:59 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Aurora police have issued an arrest warrant for one of the suspects wanted in connection to the death of a teen who was killed in the parking lot of an Aurora mall.On Sept. 30, 15-year-old Raphael Velin was shot and killed outside the Southlands Mall. Detectives said the incident was part of a pre-planned meetup between Velin and the suspects."This event was not a homecoming event. It was a preplanned meeting between these individuals to conduct some business," Aurora Police Chief Art Acevedo said. "Let’s just say we are not going to say what this business was, other than that juveniles should not be involved in what was going on that night."Witnesses told police they saw four to five male suspects leaving the scene in a black four-door sedan. Officers found the vehicle but have not arrested any suspects. 2 hurt in possible road rage shooting in Aurora On Monday, Acevedo said the department identified and has a warrant out for one of the suspects involved. "We have...

Demonstrators to gather in Aventura for Stand for Israel rally in wake of Hamas attack

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:59 GMT

Several South Floridians are taking to the streets to voice their concerns after terrorist group Hamas attacked Israel. The Stand for Israel rally is set to take place Monday afternoon at the Shoppes of Waterway, located at 3585 NE 207th St. where local and federal officials, as well as clergy members and several supporters, will gather to show their support for Israel. At the venue, there will be an outdoor stage for politicians and other dignitaries. After Israel declared war on Sunday following the attack by Hamas, several Floridians gathered in Fort Lauderdale for a mostly peaceful rally where supporters for both Israel and Palestine were in attendance. There was some clashing between the two groups, but law enforcement were able to keep the peace. Another demonstration, The Stand Strong rally, is set to take place in Miami Beach on Tuesday at the Holocaust Museum.

Support grows in South Florida for Israel amidst ongoing conflict

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:59 GMT

South Florida residents gathered at the Holocaust Museum in Miami Beach Monday in a display of solidarity to stand with Israel two days after Hamas launched an attack that caught Israel’s vaunted military and intelligence apparatus completely off guard and led to fierce battles in its streets for the first time in decades.While the turmoil in Israel may seem distant to many, the emotional impact is deeply felt. Miami-Dade County’s first Jewish Mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, expressed her heartfelt concern, emphasizing the need for peace in the Middle East.“My heart is is just overcome with emotion about this terrible situation,” she said. “Everyone in Israel knows somebody who has died or been kidnapped. It’s a small country and every one everyone is affected.”Despite the physical distance, the Israeli conflict has touched the lives of many in Miami. A police presence has been established outside the Jewish Museum of Florida to ensure the safety of ...