A powerful late-February storm battered the Sierra Nevada around Lake Tahoe from Feb. 16–20, 2026, leaving some locations with more than 10 feet of new snow and severely reduced visibility. UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Laboratory recorded 111 inches over five days, the snowiest five-day stretch there in more than 40 years. Ski areas also … Read more
Federal Judge Charles Breyer removed more than a third of a 93-person jury venire in San Francisco on Thursday after many prospective jurors signaled they could not set aside preexisting views about Elon Musk. The voir dire took about five hours and produced a nine-person civil jury for a March trial over Musk’s 2022 purchase … Read more
Lead: A GoFundMe campaign has been opened to help cover medical and daily-care costs for Miss J Alexander after the longtime model and TV personality suffered a debilitating stroke in 2022. The fundraiser, started by talent manager and close friend Steven Grossman, seeks to raise $100,000 to support ongoing treatment, specialized care, rehabilitation and daily … Read more
Conor Benn has formally departed Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom stable to sign with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, a move that immediately reshapes his path toward a world title and intensifies a budding promotional rivalry. Benn arrives at Zuffa with a record cited as 24 wins in 25 professional fights and is positioned as a leading contender … Read more
Updated Feb. 20, 2026 — A powerful nor’easter forming off the Southeast U.S. coast is forecast to impact Boston and eastern Massachusetts late Sunday into Monday, potentially producing a foot or more of snow and blizzard conditions. Forecast models show the low tracking near the 40N/70W benchmark and intensifying rapidly through bombogenesis, bringing heavy, wet … Read more
Lead Sony Pictures is developing the studio’s first animated feature centered on Marvel’s anti-hero Venom, and has tapped directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein to helm the project. The move follows the pair’s commercial and critical success with Final Destination: Bloodlines. Key producers who worked on the live-action Venom films are likely to be … Read more
On Feb. 18–20, 2026, an avalanche near Castle Peak in the Sierra Nevada killed at least eight people and left a ninth missing and presumed dead, officials said. The group was on the final day of a three-day backcountry trip to the Frog Lake huts; the dead included three experienced guides from Blackbird Mountain Guides … Read more
At the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday, Switzerland beat the United States 7-4 in the women’s curling semifinal, sending the Swiss to the gold-medal game and moving the U.S. into the bronze-medal match. Switzerland’s vice-skip Alina Patz produced near-flawless play — shooting 100% on draw shots, 98% on takeouts and 99% on game shots — … Read more
Feb. 20, 2026 — As reports warned the United States could be in military conflict with Iran “as soon as this weekend,” several senior figures in the Trump administration instead drew public attention with shirtless gym clips, bench-press footage and a video featuring musician Kid Rock. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted a workout clip showing … Read more
Motorola has begun rolling out Android 16 to its 2025 foldables in the United States, weeks after the software first reached stable channels and days after Google released the first Android 17 beta. The update targets the Razr 2025 and Razr Ultra 2025 (marketed outside North America as the Razr 60 and Razr 60 Ultra) … Read more
On Feb. 17, 2026, a large avalanche on a north-facing slope near Castle Peak above Donner Summit swept a guided backcountry group, killing eight people and leaving one missing. The Blackbird Mountain Guides party of 15 was descending or traversing near Perry’s Point when an enormous slab released; six members survived. Two days earlier, a … Read more
On Feb. 19–20, 2026, a distressing video of Punch, a baby macaque at Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, circulated widely after showing a larger monkey dragging him in the enclosure. Born on July 26, 2025 and abandoned at birth, Punch was raised by zoo staff and given a stuffed orangutan for comfort. The zoo issued … Read more
Lead San José State University graduate Colin Kang, 21, was found dead on Thursday morning on a black diamond run at Northstar California Resort in Truckee, California, after he did not return from a Tuesday ski outing. Placer County search teams located his body near the Martis Camp Express lift; his car was discovered in … Read more
Lead: Multiple attendees of last weekend’s Utah state wrestling championships at Utah Valley University were later confirmed to have measles, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services reported. Health officials say the infections add to an outbreak that began in June and is spreading across the state, particularly among unvaccinated students involved in schools … Read more
Lead Charles Leclerc ended the second and final 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain as the quickest driver, topping the timesheets on the last day ahead of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. Leclerc set the session benchmark of 1m 31.992s at the Bahrain International Circuit on Friday, finishing 0.879 seconds clear of Norris. The final afternoon … Read more
