Lake Mead’s decline may slow, thanks to winter’s wet start
LAS VEGAS — Hefty snowfalls from a series of atmospheric rivers have brought a slightly rosier outlook for the beleaguered Colorado River.
While not enough to fend off the falling water levels entirely, the snow that has dropped in recent weeks across the mountains that feed the river is expected to slow the decline at Lake Mead, according to the latest federal projections released last week. Forecasters now expect Lake Mead to finish this year around 1,027 feet elevation, about 19 feet lower than its current level. That’s about 7 feet higher than the 2023 end-of-year elevation in the bureau’s forecast from last month.
As for Lake Powell, the reservoir located on the Utah-Arizona border is now expected to finish 2023 at 3,543 feet, or 16 feet higher than last month’s forecast and about 19 feet higher than its current level.
While the projections have improved with the snowpack, the forecasted levels mean that Lake Mead would remain in shortage conditions for at least a third consecutive year.
“I think the big picture is that we’re dealing with some very long-term deficits along the Colorado River system,” said Steph McAfee, the state climatologist and a professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. “A good year is good news. And I don’t want to diminish that. But it’s not going to fix the problem.”
—Las Vegas Review-Journal
DHS sees huge drop in migrant arrivals at southern border
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security recorded a precipitous drop in encounters with migrants attempting to cross the U.S.- Mexico border illegally this month, the department said on Wednesday, putting January on track to see the lowest level of monthly border encounters since the beginning of the Biden administration.
The drop comes after migrant arrivals reached record levels for Joe Biden’s presidency in December.
In a statement, DHS officials credited its policy announced earlier this month that introduced a new parole program for Haitians, Cubans and Nicaraguans, offering potential migrants a new legal pathway to the United States while cracking down on illegal entries.
The program had been available to Venezuelans for several months, and led to a steep drop in Venezuelan arrivals at the U.S.- Mexico border.
Preliminary DHS numbers from January show that encounters of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans crossing unlawfully at the southwest border “declined 97% compared to December,” the agency said. “Encounters with individuals from these countries dropped from a 7-day average of 3,367 per day on December 11, to a seven-day average of just 115 on January 24.”
—Miami Herald
18 children injured in NYC house fire sparked by lithium-ion battery
NEW YORK — Eighteen children were injured in a Queens house fire sparked by a lithium-ion battery on Wednesday, officials said.
The blaze broke out in the basement of the two-story house on in Kew Gardens Hills around 2:05 p.m., according to the FDNY.
Firefighters removed the 18 children from the house. One was seriously injured; the others suffered minor injuries. One of the injured children was rescued from the basement, the FDNY said.
The fire was placed under control around 2:45 p.m., officials said.
On Friday in the same borough, a man was killed and 10 others were hospitalized when a charging e-bike sparked a fire.
The blaze was the first fatal fire of the year attributed to the batteries used in e-bikes and electric scooters. Last year, six people died in fires caused by the batteries.
—New York Daily News
California considers expanding phone use rules for young drivers
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In a bid to crack down on distracted driving, a California lawmaker has introduced a bill to ban young people from talking on the phone while behind the wheel — even if they are using a hands-free device.
Assembly Bill 276, by Assemblywoman Diane Dixon, R-Newport Beach, would prohibit drivers ages 18 to 20 from using a hands-free device to talk on the phone. Doing so would be a citable offense. California law already prohibits drivers younger than 18 from doing so.
In an interview with The Sacramento Bee, Dixon said the law came about because she had noticed a lot of people on their mobile devices while driving and did some research.
“And what jumped out at me was the under-21 age group is that’s where the accidents are happening,” Dixon said.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,142 people were killed in distraction-related vehicle crashes in 2020, including 186 teens aged 15 to 19 — 6% of all distraction-related fatalities. That same survey found that 7% of all teen motor vehicle crash fatalities in 2020 involved distracted driving.
“I just want to elevate this issue and bring attention to it,” Dixon said.
—The Sacramento Bee
