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Digging deeper: Homebuilders are adding basements under the garage to maximize space

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:00 GMT

For homeowners building new homes in neighborhoods with limited square footage, the space under the garage is blank canvas for fun uses — but it doesn’t come cheaply.Jeff Englund, president and owner of Denver-based builder Larsen, said a basement under garage differs from a typical basement because it requires structural support and waterproofing designed to withstand vehicle weights.“We do a typical exterior foundation and waterproofing on the foundation walls but integrate steel support beams and a metal decking system to disperse the loading,” Englund said. “On top of the metal decking is a 4-inch layer of concrete with a waterproofing membrane applied on top, wrapping all perimeter walls and then an additional 4-inch layer of concrete.”Depending on the size, including a basement under garage could cost $50,000 to $100,000 for the structural components, Englund said. Finishing the space could cost another $50,000 to $250,000, depending on the planned use.The company has be...

2 people shot at in parked car in Whittier, woman kidnapped

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:00 GMT

Authorities in Whittier are launching an investigation into a shooting that led to the abduction of a woman. According to the Whittier Police Department, officers responded to the parking stalls of Penn Park shortly after midnight on Sunday after a man reported that an armed suspect approached his vehicle -- occupied by him and a female passenger -- and fired gunshots in their direction. “The male witness ran from the location and upon his return, discovered blood near his vehicle and [that] his female companion was missing,” Whittier PD said.  The missing female was identified as 19-year-old Andrea Vasquez. According to police, she is 5 feet, 3 inches tall, weighs 103 pounds and has brownish red hair and brown eyes. Andrea Vasquez as seen in an undated photo. (Whittier Police Department)She was last seen wearing a black long-sleeve crop top, khaki pants and black low top Converse shoes.  Teen shot during high school football game in Rancho Cucamonga Vasquez has a tattoo of t...

Gov. Newsom declares state of emergency as Tropical Storm Hilary approaches

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:00 GMT

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for most of Southern California in order to enact emergency response and recovery efforts. Hilary, currently a Category 2 hurricane, is expected to bring “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding” to Baja California and the Southwestern U.S., Newsom said in the news release announcing the state of emergency.  Bracing for Hilary: Live updates Forecasters are calling for the eye of Hilary to make landfall in Southern California Sunday evening as a weak Category 1 or a tropical storm with rainfall amounts ranging from 2 to 10 inches. The governor signed the emergency proclamation in San Diego on August 19, 2023 while visiting with California National Guard troops. (Gov. Gavin Newsom)No tropical storm has made landfall in Southern California since Sept. 25, 1939, according to the National Weather Service. Forty-five people were killed and property losses were estimated to be $2 million in that storm,...

US pulls off big rally and tops Germany 99-91 in final World Cup tuneup. Edwards scores 34

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:00 GMT

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — USA Basketball dug deep to head to the World Cup with an unbeaten exhibition record.Anthony Edwards scored 34 points, Austin Reaves and Tyrese Haliburton each added 16 off the bench and the U.S. rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to beat Germany 99-91 on Sunday night in its final tuneup game before heading to the Philippines for the World Cup.An 18-0 run in the final minutes saved the Americans, who finished the exhibition season 5-0.“What I like is that we know now they’ve got guts,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr said. “But we can get a lot better because we have a higher ceiling than a lot of teams — because most of these teams have been together. (Germany) has been together. They’re really good. We feel like we’ve got more room for growth. And we’ve got to keep working and getting better as we head to Manila.”Edwards was brilliant, making 11 of 21 shots and going 8 of 8 from the line. The rest of the U.S. starters scored a combined 25...

FEMA pide a los residentes de California que tomen en serio la tormenta Hilary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:00 GMT

CALIFORNIA – Hilary, que este domingo se degradó a una tormenta tropical, enfila hacia el suroeste de Estados Unidos con el riesgo de “catastróficas inundaciones” a causa de las fuertes lluvias que producirá, dijo el Centro Nacional de Huracanes (NHC).Hilary, que tocó tierra a primeras horas de este domingo en Baja California (México), se mueve sobre terreno firme con dirección nornoroeste y se prevé que en el transcurso de esta tarde alcance el sur de California, donde ya se registran lluvias, al igual que en Nevada y Arizona.Si bien llegará al suroeste estadounidense más debilitada, los meteorólogos del NHC alertan sobre condiciones de tormenta tropical y de posibles “inundaciones catastróficas” como consecuencias de las fuertes lluvias en esta área, en donde las autoridades han pedido a la población mantenerse en casa. Se forma la tormenta tropical Emily en el Atlántico Hilary toca tierra sobre el norte de la ...

Ron Cephas Jones, Emmy-winning actor in ‘This Is Us,’ dies at age 66

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:00 GMT

(CNN) — Ron Cephas Jones, who won two Emmy Awards for his acting on the hit television drama “This Is Us,” has died at age 66, according to his manager, Dan Spilo.Jones was best known for playing William Hill, a bisexual recovering drug addict with terminal cancer who reconnects with his son, played by Sterling K. Brown, in the multi-generational drama “This Is Us.” He was nominated for an Emmy four consecutive times from 2017-2020 for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, winning in 2018 and 2020.Jones appeared in the shows “Mr. Robot,” “The Get Down,” and “Luke Cage,” as well as in the movies “Half Nelson,” “Across the Universe,” “Dog Days,” and “Dolemite Is My Name.” In addition to his on-screen roles, Jones was a stage actor on and off Broadway, and he was nominated for a Tony Award in 2022 for his portrayal of Montrellous in the play “Clyde’s.”Jones was also a father who made Emmy history when his daughter, Jasmine Cephas Jones, won an Emmy for her performance in the ...

Springtime for Europe’s fascists

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:00 GMT

BERLIN — These are heady times for Europe’s far right.  Illegal immigration is spiking, the economy is anemic and the war in Ukraine has kept the conspiracy mill churning at capacity. Those developments have vaulted the parties to new heights — and in some countries into government — fueling fears in some quarters of a tectonic rightward shift in Europe’s political landscape. Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy are already in power, while France’s National Rally is only 1 percentage point from being the country’s top party in the polls. It’s tempting to dismiss this as a seen-this-movie-before moment. Europe’s most successful far-right parties, whether in the Netherlands, Austria or Scandinavia have a long history of electoral success followed by internal division and spectacular implosion.Yet there’s a fundamental difference this time around that should give anyone who cares about Europe’s political stability pause: Germany’s at the center of the storm.It’s on...

Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashes into moon

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:00 GMT

Russia said its robotic spacecraft crashed while attempting to land near the moon’s south pole, failing in a race with India to become the first country to reach the region.Luna-25 was meant to mark Moscow’s return to the moon nearly half a century after the last Soviet mission. The spacecraft spun into an uncontrolled orbit and “ceased to exist” when it collided with the moon’s surface, Russian space agency Roscosmos said Sunday in a statement, citing preliminary results of investigation.Communication with the craft was lost on Saturday, Roscosmos said.Meanwhile, India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is orbiting the moon and will likely attempt a landing near the pole this week.For Roscosmos, the Luna-25 failure is the latest in a series of setbacks, after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 cut off launch-service revenue from many foreign satellite operators. Luna-25 was due to land n the moon’s south pole as early as Monday, but Roscosmos said on Saturday that it wasn’t able to enter...

Tropical Storm Hilary carries deluge to California after making landfall along Mexico's Baja coast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Deadly floodwaters inundated streets across Mexico’s arid Baja California on Sunday as Tropical Storm Hilary moved ashore carrying torrential rain into Southern California, and concerns mounted that flash floods could damage places as far north as Idaho that rarely get such heavy rain.Forecasters said Hilary was the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, bringing the potential for flash floods, mudslides, isolated tornadoes, high winds and power outages.Hilary made landfall along the Mexican coast in a sparsely populated area about 150 miles (250 kilometers) south of Ensenada, on a path to hit mudslide-prone Tijuana Sunday evening, threatening the improvised homes that cling to hillsides just south of the U.S. border. At least nine million people were under flash-flood warnings as heavy rain fell across normally sunny Southern California ahead of the brunt of the storm. Desert areas were especially susceptible to flooding, along with hillsides ...

San Diego Unified delays first day of school due to Hilary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego Unified is delaying the first day of school "out of an abundance of caution" due to Tropical Storm Hilary.Superintendent of Public Education, Dr. Lamont Jackson announced the decision in a letter to parents and faculty Sunday. He says the decision is based on the latest storm-related information from local officials. MORE: Tracking Hilary The center of the storm is expected to hit the region between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., bringing with it strong winds and heavy rain that could cause major flooding in some areas. Dr. Jackson noted, potential power outages and road closures are also probable. He says the impacts of the tropical storm could also damage the facility. Due to these risks, the first day of school will be postponed until Tuesday, Aug. 22."As we continued to monitor the weather and the impact on our community, I remain hopeful that the storm will continue to decrease in its intensity as it move though our region," stated Dr. Jackson. "However, given th...