SpaceX Tests Crew Capsule in Flight to Space Station
VOA News/AP CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. — America’s newest capsule for astronauts rocketed Saturday toward the International Space Station on a high-stakes test flight by Space XThe only passenger was a life-size test dummy, named Ripley after the lead character in the “Alien” movies. SpaceX needs to nail the debut of its crew Dragon capsule before putting people on board later this year. This latest, flashiest Dragon is on a fast track to reach the space station Sunday morning, just 27 hours after liftoff. Five day round trip It will spend five days docked to the orbiting outpost, before making a retro-style…
LA Showcases Quake Alert System
VOA NEWS/Mike O'Sullivan LOS ANGELES — California is earthquake country, and residents of Los Angeles can now get some critical warning, when conditions are right, after a quake has started and seismic waves are heading their way. The long-delayed system, called ShakeAlertLA, is the first of its kind in the United States. Earthquake alert systems like this save lives, said Jeff Gorell, deputy Los Angeles mayor for public safety, as he demonstrated the application on his smartphone. A mobile phone customer looks at an earthquake warning application on their phone in Los Angeles, Jan. 3, 2019. The app, called ShakeAlertLA, is…
Northern California Wildfire Claims 7th Victim
VOA News A seventh person has died in the wildfire burning 600 kilometers northeast of San Francisco, as twin fires burning father south exploded in size, forcing hundreds more to evacuate. The Carr fire, which has been burning near the city of Redding for two weeks, killed a power company lineman. It has also killed two firefighters and four residents, including two children. As of Sunday morning, the fire was 41 percent contained, according to Cal Fire. But it has already destroyed more than 1,600 buildings, including 1,080 homes. Farther south, the twin fires burning in Mendocino and Lake Counties…
Strange Purple Orb Spotted in Deep Waters off California
VOA News Deep-sea researchers aboard the Nautilus have found a strange creature lurking in the waters off the Channel Islands near California. "This unidentified purple orb stumped our scientists onboard,” according to the Nautilus website. “After sampling, it began to unfold to reveal two distinct lobes. This could possibly be a new species of nudibranch." Nudibranchs, sometimes called sea slugs, can be quite colorful. Some look like slugs, while others look almost spiny. The “purple blob,” as the scientists on the research vessel Nautilus called it, remains a mystery, but the researchers captured the sample and plan on analyzing it…
Hot, Dry Weather Hampers Firefighters Battling California Wildfires
VOA News Extremely hot temperatures and low humidity are making it difficult for firefighters battling two major wildfires burning in drought-stricken California. About 3,000 firefighters are having a hard time bringing a blaze just outside the Angeles National Forest, northeast of Los Angeles, under control. Thermometers hit a steamy 39 degrees Celsius Tuesday in and around Los Angeles, with generally dry conditions. Authorities say the fire was just 25 percent contained Tuesday, but under control enough to let many of the 30,000 residents forced to evacuate return home. One fire-related death has been reported. Another fire has destroyed homes near…
Playboy Mansion Goes on Sale
VOA News The Playboy mansion is up for sale. If you are interested, all you need is only $200 million for the Holmby Hills estate in California, built in 1927. The iconic party house which sits on more than two hectares, has 29 rooms, a wine cellar, tennis courts, a gym, a zoo license, and, of course, the infamous grotto, the site of many lavish and hedonistic parties. There's one small catch to this deal, however. Hugh Hefner will continue to live and work in the mansion after it is sold. No word on how that arrangement will work. The…
Going After Terrorists Online, White House Meets With US Tech Companies
Molly McKitterick Fighting the battle against terrorism on the Internet, the White House and its top law enforcement officials met Friday with the nation’s biggest technology companies in San Jose, California. The list of government participants reveals just how seriously the Obama administration is taking the threat posed by Islamic State and others on social media. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, FBI Director James Comey and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper were there with President Barack Obama’s chief of staff and his top counterterrorism adviser. They were expected to brief executives from tech companies on how terrorists use technology, including…
Severe Weather Batters Americas
Lou Lorscheider Last updated on: December 28, 2015 Violent weekend weather battered large swaths of the southern and central United States, leaving at least 43 people dead. Tornadoes killed at least 11 people in Texas as other areas of the country braced for potentially crippling winter storms and flash flooding. One of several tornadoes that struck in and near the city of Dallas late Saturday carried winds of more than 320 kilometers an hour, leaving at least eight people dead. Three others died nearby, as a residential building in a northern suburb was destroyed and vehicles were blown from a…
Central Falls HS Selected as Breaking Ranks School
Central Falls High School is one of 20 schools from across the country selected to present at the Breaking Ranks 2015 National Showcase. A team of students, parents, teachers, and administrators will travel to San Diego, California to the National Association of Secondary School Principals 2015 Annual Conference February 19-21. Here the group from Central Falls will present the school's journey through transformation. To learn more about this recognition, please read the press releases below.
A Strong Quake Shakes Los Angeles
The city of Los Angeles was shaken on Monday morning by an magnitude earthquake, according to the US geological service. According to calculations, the epicenter of the movement, which was recorded at am, local time (1330 GMT), was located about 24 kilometers Northwest of the city center. There were no reports of damage so far, although residents of the area, consulted by the local press, said they were awakened by the blast. Los Angeles and other cities in the Pacific coast are built on a geological fault, known as the San Andreas fault,