Nancy Prado

Ayer durante una junta especial El Distrito Escolar Unificado del Valle de Coachella aprobó otra reducción de personal como parte del plan continuo de estabilización fiscal de 43 millones de dólares, en esta ocasión decidieron eliminar a puestos de trabajo.

La superintendente del distrito escolar la Doctora Frances Esparza, informó antes de la reunión que la propuesta era despedir a 33 empleados clasificados, no maestros.

Dijo que 16 de esos empleados regresarían a puestos anteriores, mientras que a otros tres se les reduciría el periodo laboral.

The post El Distrito Escolar Unificado del Valle de Coachella aprobó otra reducción de personal appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

Nancy Prado

Las autoridades están investigando un homicidio después que agentes del sheriff recibieran una llamada de una persona que reportaba el hallazgo de un hombre muerto en Salton City, carca de la Express Way 86, identificaron a la víctima como Pedro Montes Jr., de 34 años.

Los investigadores no han dado a conocer la causa de la muerte ni información sobre posibles sospechosos, solo mencionaron que la investigación continúa activa.

The post Se investiga un homicidio en Salton City appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Ashley Strickland, CNN

(CNN) — A NASA spacecraft bound for an unusual metallic asteroid recently made a strategic flyby of Mars — and its cameras captured a rare perspective of the red planet along the way.

The Psyche mission, launched in October 2023, is heading for Asteroid 16 Psyche in the outer part of the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

The space rock has never been seen up close, but ground and space-based telescope observations reveal that it has an intriguing, reflective metal surface. Scientists suspect the large metallic asteroid could be the exposed core of an early planetary building block, like the innermost layers of planets such as Earth, Mars, Mercury and Venus.

But the journey to reach the space rock is a long one. The spacecraft will travel 2.2 billion miles (3.6 billion kilometers), with an estimated arrival at Psyche in 2029.

To save propellant, boost the spacecraft’s solar-electric propulsion system and adjust its trajectory, Psyche’s mission planners included a Mars flyby during the journey. As the spacecraft flew around the red planet on May 15, Mars’ gravitational pull acted like a natural slingshot, increasing Psyche’s speed and setting it on a direct course to the asteroid.

“We’ve confirmed that Mars gave the spacecraft a 1,000 mile‑per‑hour boost and shifted its orbital plane by about 1 degree relative to the Sun,” said Don Han, Psyche’s navigation lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, in a statement. “We are now on course for arrival at the asteroid Psyche in summer 2029.”

During the flyby, Psyche came within 2,864 miles (4,609 kilometers) of the red planet’s surface. With all its science instruments and cameras turned on, the spacecraft carried out a practice run for when it reaches the asteroid — and captured spectacular images showcasing unique views of Mars.

A rare look at Mars

In the days leading up to Psyche’s closest pass of Mars, the spacecraft approached from a high angle that enabled a unique perspective of the red planet as an illuminated crescent.

“The thin crescent on approach and the nearly ‘full Mars’ view after we fly past create opportunities for the imaging team for both great calibration observations as well as just plain beautiful photos,” said Jim Bell, the Psyche imager instrument lead at Arizona State University, ahead of the flyby.

As Psyche drew closer, its cameras viewed nighttime and daytime across different regions of the planet including its south pole region and wind-scattered dust streaking across surface craters.

The spacecraft’s imaging instruments took thousands of photos, Bell said.

Calibrating Psyche’s cameras and instruments on a target like Mars ahead of its rendezvous with the metal asteroid is crucial for ensuring everything performs as expected in the space environment, Bell said.

After arriving at the Psyche asteroid in August 2029, the spacecraft will enter an orbit that shifts lower and higher in altitude to map the space rock fully.

If the spacecraft’s instruments capture data suggesting Psyche was once the metal core of an ancient planetary building block, the asteroid could provide an unprecedented look at the interiors of planets such as Mars and Earth.

The-CNN-Wire

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (KEYT) - Behind That Badge, a Central Coast non-profit, hosted a free First Responder wellness event at Grace Bible Church in Arroyo Grande. 

The organization is offering support for the wellness of first responders.

Attendees included active duty and retired law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs, corrections officers, dispatchers, Emergency Room medical staff and more, as well as their spouses and significant others.

Keynote speaker Dan Willis, author of “Bulletproof Spirit,” delivered a presentation focused on resilience and mental wellness for those in high-stress roles.

Each attendee and couple received a free copy of Willis' book and wellness vendors were on site to share information and resources.

Behind That Badge was founded by Ken and Ruby Wolff, two retired Santa Barbara County law enforcement officers with a combined 30 years of service on the Central Coast. 

Their organization is built on the belief that individuals behind the badge are personally impacted by what they encounter and experience on the job.

The Latest Breaking News, Weather Alerts, Sports and More Anytime On Our Mobile Apps. Keep Up With The Latest Articles by Signing Up for the News Channel 3-12 Newsletter.

The post First Responder Wellness Forum In Arroyo Grande Takes A Look “Behind That Badge” appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Caitlin Danaher, Larry Madowo, Niamh Kennedy, CNN

(CNN) — Protesters caused a blaze at a health facility treating Ebola patients in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Thursday, burning down two hospital tents, a local politician told CNN.

Tensions flared Thursday when the relatives of a young man who died of Ebola tried to take his body “by force” from the Rwampara Hospital, according to Luc Mambele, vice president of Congolese political party A2RC.

A lethal Ebola strain has ripped through local communities in the area, triggering a global health emergency. Tests show that the Bundibugyo strain — which has no specific treatment or vaccine — is behind the outbreak. The DRC said Wednesday that at least 148 deaths are thought to be linked to the disease.

After health authorities refused access to the young man’s body, family members responding by lobbing projectiles at the hospital tents, causing a fire to break out, the local official said.

Six patients were receiving treatment in the medical tents from the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) at the time of the attack and are now being cared for in the hospital, ALIMA said in a statement.

The medical humanitarian organization warned against the spread of “incorrect or unconfirmed information circulating on social media and the internet,” which is likely to fuel fear, misinformation and mistrust toward health facilities.

In a video shared with CNN, Mambele describes being locked down at the hospital as police fire warning shots to disperse protesters from the burning tents.

Video from Reuters news agency showed a large blaze engulfing the medical tents, with their scorched frames standing over blackened hospital beds in the aftermath of the attack.

Officers from the national police force who were deployed to the scene worked swiftly to restore order, Mambele told CNN.

A spokesperson for the Democratic Republic of Congo, Patrick Muyaya, condemned the attack, telling CNN that the locals responded by doing “exactly what they shouldn’t do.”

Mambele said the incident exemplified the dangers of rising misinformation within the community. Many residents in Ituri province believe that “Ebola is a lie,” he told CNN.

“The population is not sufficiently informed or made aware of what is happening. To members of the most remote communities, Ebola is a White man’s invention; it doesn’t exist,” Mambele remarked.

The World Health Organization has officially declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern,” but global risks remain low.

While only 51 Ebola cases have been officially confirmed, 575 cases are suspected, the DRC said Wednesday. Health officials are also tracking more than 800 contacts in the country.

The first suspected case involved a healthcare worker whose symptoms began on April 24 and who later died at a medical facility in Bunia, WHO reported. By May 5, the organization was notified of an “unidentified illness” associated with high mortality rates in the province. After an inquiry by a “rapid response team” on May 13, the outbreak was identified as the Bundibugyo virus on May 15.

One American who was working in the DRC has tested positive for the virus and is now being treated at a hospital in Berlin, Germany’s Health Ministry said Wednesday.

The virus has also reached neighboring Uganda, where health officials confirmed two laboratory-verified cases, including one death, in the capital, Kampala. The Ugandan Health Ministry has since said the female patient returned two negative tests for Ebola and is “currently out of danger.”

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