California, Mexico agree to open new border crossing by late 2024
OTAY MESA, Calif. — The governments of California and Mexico signed an agreement Monday committing to work together to deliver on time a new border crossing at Otay Mesa by late 2024.
Unlike other ports of entry, such as San Ysidro and the one operating in Otay Mesa, this new gate would require a toll fee that would offer an average wait time goal of 20 minutes to cross the border.
Currently, passenger vehicles and commercial trucks crossing the border between Tijuana and San Diego can endure tedious waits, harming business and the environment, officials said.
“This new port of entry will not only spur economic activity, but it will also improve the quality of life for the millions of Californians and Mexicans who frequently cross one of the busiest borders in the world,” said California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis.
“A great example of California’s leadership in combating climate change. The project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve mobility in the region.”
Otay Mesa East, also known as the Otay II project, will help reduce wait times at existing border crossings and is projected to provide an economic boost of $1.8 billion annually, officials said.
With the signing of the memorandum of understanding, both countries commit to meet their respective construction projects, quickly resolve policy issues and establish a framework to share toll revenues for project funding.
—The San Diego Union-Tribune
Whitmer calls for action on climate change while on flood tour
DETROIT – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer toured a flooded Detroit freeway by air and on the ground Monday, calling it "a devastating moment" for many Metro Detroit residents.
"We saw there is a lot of standing water," Whitmer said. "We saw there are people who cleaned out their basements and put the debris on their front lawn because it's overwhelming."
Whitmer spoke with reporters Monday on Interstate 94 near the Martin Street overpass, a section of the freeway still closed and flooded with water. The roofs of several submerged vehicles were still visible from the weekend rain.
She urged residents cleaning up to be safe and to document their losses and file claims with local municipalities.
She blamed the flooding on climate change and a lack of political will to fund needed infrastructure repairs.
"This is a moment and a need for us to help one another but also for to do the hard work of protecting ourselves going forward," Whitmer said. "And that is doing everything we can to address climate change and building resilient infrastructure that will keep us safe and keep our economy going."
Whitmer said the long-term solution won't be found in President Joe Biden's $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan and urged lawmakers to come together.
—Detroit Free Press
People keep riding friendly dolphin in Texas. Experts warn against it
FORT WORTH, Texas — Texas wildlife experts are urging people to steer clear of a dolphin with a friendly reputation, out of concern for its safety.
The dolphin first started getting human attention over a year ago when it made the canals near a North Padre Island neighborhood just south of Corpus Christi its home, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) fisheries division.
“Over the past year the public has become more and more interested in the animal —even showing up to swim with, ride, jump on and pet the dolphin,” NOAA said.
People have recorded their interactions with the dolphin, sharing them on social media and with friends, spurring even more residents and visitors to seek out the animal and interact with it.
“These actions could be dangerous — even fatal — for the dolphin,” according to NOAA.
By interacting with the dolphin, it becomes comfortable around people, drawn to them, and even more likely to approach things it associates with humans, such as boats. This can lead to dolphins being hit by boats or getting stuck in fishing equipment.
Experts say the seemingly extroverted dolphin was recently spotted with a wound along its left side that appears to be from a boat propeller.
“It is clear that the dolphin is already in danger from the human interactions that are occurring,” officials said.
NOAA is working with the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network (TMMSN) to keep tabs on the dolphin, monitoring its behavior and the severity of its injury.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Fireworks injuries hit 20-year high during pandemic
PHILADELPHIA – Emergency rooms saw a record number of fireworks injuries in the pandemic year of 2020, when the cancellation of most professional pyrotechnics displays may have prompted more amateurs to set off the dangerous devices, U.S. officials said Tuesday.
An estimated 15,600 people were treated in hospital emergency departments during the year, most of them in the weeks before and after July 4, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said. The year's total represented an increase of more than 50% from 10,000 such cases in 2019.
The total for 2020 includes at least 18 deaths from fireworks-related incidents, up from 12 the previous year, the agency said.
The number of injuries in 2020 marked the highest total since at least 2001, the earliest year for which data are available on the agency's web site, www.cpsc.gov.
The findings came as no surprise to physicians in Philadelphia, where police received more than 8,500 fireworks complaints in just 30 days last year, between May 29 and June 29.
—The Philadelphia Inquirer
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