Authorities closed a Santa Barbara county beach after a surfer died in a shark attack on Tuesday. Francisco Javier Solorio Jr., 39, was surfing off Surf Beach near Vandenberg Air Force Base when he was bitten in the torso by what experts say was likely a great white. A friend who witnessed the attack brought him to shore and attempted to give him first aid, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Local authorities say there has been a recent increase in shark sightings in the area. "In the fa... Read More
A storm system traveling south from the Gulf of Alaska has brought good news to ski resorts across the Western United States and Canada. The snowstorm, which knocked out power in some parts of the Sierras, dropped 28 inches on Squaw Valley and 36 inches on Alpine Meadows. Snowfall is expected to continue at least through Wednesday, with the possibility of another six to nine inches by Thursday. Some resorts are even opening up early. Squaw Valley will be running its lifts on Thursday, nearly a... Read More
After being invited to a U.S. bobsled competition last month to “help boost team morale,” two-time Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones might actually make the team. On the opening night of the U.S. team-selection trials last Saturday, Jones, who is trying out as a push athlete, and her pilot Jazmine Fenlator finished in second place with a time of 1:57.01, only 0.05 seconds behind first. "I'm just trying to take it all in," Jones said of her competitive bobsled debut. "It's a new sport for ... Read More
Next month, Arizona residents will be asked to decide whether the Grand Canyon belongs to all Americans, or only to Arizonans. The controversial ballot measure put forth by Republicans in the state legislature is intended to wrest control of millions of acres of federal land, including Grand Canyon National Park. Proposition 120 asserts Arizona's right to complete control over "air, water, public lands, minerals, wildlife and other natural resources within the state's boundaries." The Sierra C... Read More
A judge has ruled that a Los Angeles real estate developer must allow hikers on the trail that cuts across his private property in Franklin Canyon. The popular Hastain Trail has been open to the public since before 1972, the last year that the law allowed private property to be presumed to be for public use if members of the public had been using it for five or more consecutive years. Mohamed Hadid, who purchased the 97 acres and has expressed interest in building luxury Mediterranean-style ho... Read More
