The post Luis Esparza for Superior Court Judge appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

By Brenda Goodman, CNN

(CNN) — Several Americans who were exposed to a rare strain of hantavirus on board a cruise ship this spring have returned home to finish the second half of their mandatory six-week quarantine.

Five passengers have been released from the National Quarantine Unit, which is overseen by the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Thirteen others remain in the unit, although some will leave in the coming weeks to complete their monitoring at home, according to a statement from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“These people remain symptom-free and have met the criteria established by public health officials to safely continue monitoring at home,” the CDC said Monday.

State health departments will continue to conduct daily symptom monitoring, as well as 24/7 continuous oversight of each person, and provide guidance through the remainder of the 42-day monitoring period, which will end June 21.

A sixth passenger was supposed to leave the Quarantine Unit on Monday, but their state has not agreed to the federal government’s monitoring requirements, so they were required to remain at the facility.

The CDC urged the public to avoid stigma directed at the people being monitored.

“Public health monitoring is a precautionary measure designed to support the health of those potentially exposed and protect communities. CDC is grateful to the people who were affected and who recognized the importance of this public safety measure during this challenging time,” the statement said.

Two passengers have returned to New York after the state agreed to provide full-time monitoring, according to the State Department of Health

One passenger, who asked not to be named for fear his family might be harassed, told CNN that he was taken home in a chartered plane with two pilots and three medical staff.

He said he was told that a state trooper was posted outside his residence in an unmarked vehicle.

“It is important to emphasize that there is no immediate risk to the public,” Dr. James McDonald, the health commissioner for New York, said in a statement.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they become available. Under protocols established to monitor their health and protect the community, a quarantine order is in place. Both passengers have agreed and are required to remain at their residences, have no contact with other people, and participate in daily monitoring activities conducted by local health officials. Plans are in place to transport them to appropriate medical facilities in the unlikely event they develop symptoms or need any other medical care,” McDonald said.

Two others are bound for California. One returned Monday, and another will return later. The state’s Department of Health said in a statement that it and its local partners are “fully prepared to receive two California residents who were passengers aboard the MV Hondius and have completed quarantine in Nebraska, and to monitor them for illness for the remainder of their monitoring period.” The state also said it has continued to monitor seven other people exposed to the Andes strain of the hantavirus, including another passenger from the cruise ship, for several weeks.

California is taking a “tailored approach” to monitoring “taking into account the situation of each exposed person as well as relevant public health guidance,” the statement said.

CNN’s Leigh Waldman contributed to this report.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

The post Read more

Por Kristen Holmes y Adam Cancryn, CNN

El Gobierno de Trump indicó a líderes republicanos del Congreso que planea abandonar el fondo de US$ 1.800 millones contra la “instrumentalización”, aunque se desconoce cuán firme o permanente es ese plan, según dos fuentes familiarizadas con el asunto.

El presidente de EE.UU. Donald Trump no se ha comprometido públicamente a tomar ninguna medida sobre el controvertido fondo de dinero, y una tercera fuente familiarizada con las discusiones indicó que el Gobierno solo suspendería las labores para impulsar el fondo, pero no abandonará esos planes por completo.

Esa caracterización coincide más con una declaración pública del Departamento de Justicia el lunes, que dijo que “acataría” un fallo de un tribunal federal que suspendió el fondo hasta al menos el 12 de junio. Una cuarta fuente familiarizada con el asunto dijo que el propio Trump todavía cree en el fondo, incluso cuando reconoce una fuerte reacción en contra del concepto.

El plan de dar marcha atrás con el fondo por ahora se produjo después de que Trump mantuviera una larga reunión con el presidente de la Cámara de Representantes, Mike Johnson, en la que el fondo “antiinstrumentalización” estuvo entre los temas que ambos discutieron. Pero se desconoce si el mensaje del Gobierno de Trump será suficiente para los legisladores republicanos, debido a que la furia por el fondo ha frenado la agenda más amplia del Partido Republicano.

Los líderes republicanos han estado luchando para aprobar financiamiento adicional para la aplicación de las leyes migratorias. Y el lunes, incluso el líder de la mayoría del Senado, John Thune, pidió al Gobierno que “lo cierre ellos mismos”, en referencia al fondo. Los esfuerzos continuos para sacar adelante esa legislación de gasto casi con certeza implicarán más intentos de eliminar de forma permanente el fondo contra la “instrumentalización”.

El senador republicano Rick Scott, de Florida, confirmó a los periodistas el lunes por la noche que un funcionario de la Casa Blanca le dijo que el fondo sería “eliminado”. No dijo con quién habló ni si la decisión de dejar de impulsar el fondo era temporal o permanente.

“He hablado con la Casa Blanca. Lo que me dijeron es que lo están eliminando”, dijo Scott.

No obstante, otros senadores republicanos no estaban convencidos.

“Si el Gobierno ha cambiado su posición sobre el fondo contra la instrumentalización, debería decirlo de manera definitiva, definitiva”, dijo el senador John Kennedy, de Louisiana. “Pero solo decir: ‘Vamos a acatar la orden judicial’, quiero decir, no puedo hablar por mis colegas, pero hablando personalmente, aquí no están hablando con el hermanito de Bambi. Decir que van a seguir una orden judicial no me dice nada. Tienen que seguir la orden judicial”.

La jueza federal fijó una audiencia para el 12 de junio para escuchar argumentos sobre si debería emitir una pausa más prolongada. Hasta entonces, le prohibió al Departamento de Justicia asignar dinero para crear el fondo, considerar cualquier reclamación o distribuir dinero a los solicitantes.

Se desconoce si el Gobierno de Trump seguirá luchando por el fondo en esa audiencia.

El controvertido fondo fue creado para resolver una demanda sin precedentes que Trump presentó contra el IRS por la divulgación no autorizada de sus declaraciones de impuestos hace años. Pero desde su anuncio, el fondo ha enfrentado semanas de rechazo implacable por parte del propio partido del presidente, tanto en público como en privado, y algunos dicen que es esencialmente un fondo discrecional para pagar a los aliados de Trump.

Al principio, altos funcionarios del Departamento de Justicia insistieron en que no cambiarían los detalles del fondo a pesar de la reacción en contra dentro del Partido Republicano, dijeron fuentes a CNN. Pero los republicanos del Congreso se han mantenido furiosos, y algunos al

The post Memories Beyond Barbed Wire appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

MONTECITO, Calif. (KEYT) - An unusual amount of oil, believed to be from a natural seep, ruined the ideal beach weekend for many people.

On Saturday, a significant amount was washing up at Butterfly Beach in Montecito. There were also reports at Hammonds to the south and nearby at Miramar Beach.

The Miramar Hotel also posted a sign for its guests to be aware of the excessive oil and tar in the water.

Sunday there was a report of a similar impact down the coast in the direction of the currents, with oil coming on the sand at Santa Claus Beach.

At the same time the non-profit, Heal the Ocean, set up a drone to take pictures of the oily mass which was clearly in the near shore waters.

Many people avoided the ways but the sand also had oil impacts that created a gooy situation.

Natural seeps are not unusual but large ones coming ashore is a messy situation for beach visitors, it is also unhealthy to the coastal environment.

Experts say a couple of weeks ago there was a large oil release from the offshore natural seep to the west of Isla Vista. That coated Sands and Coal Oil Point beaches.

Wind and wave data shows the currents went out and down the coast and now they have turned back to the shore.

The targets areas were Butterfly Beach across from the dormant Biltmore hotel and to the south near Carpinteria.

It's unknown if any marine life has been impacted.

(More details, video and photos will be added here later today.)

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 Large Blob of Oil Comes Ashore on Several South Coast Beaches appeared first on News Channel 3-12.