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Niles: Here’s how Knott’s, Six Flags and SeaWorld can compete with Disney and Universal

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:40 GMT

Ever since the lockdowns ended, it might seem that Disney and Universal have widened the gap between themselves and the rest of the theme and amusement park business. In both California and Orlando, Disney and Universal are coming off huge Spring Break seasons, drawing massive crowds that far overshadowed attendance at rival parks.Without access to billion-dollar parent companies with large archives of intellectual property, Six Flags, SeaWorld and Cedar Fair might not seem like they have a path forward to challenge Disney and Universal for theme park attendance and revenue. But just because other park operators do not access to the cash necessary to follow the same path as Disney and Universal does not mean that there is no way for them to succeed.Inspiring attractions do not have to cost billions of dollars. Disney and Universal have spent that kind of money to create immersive new franchise-driven lands such as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and mos...

Lake Tahoe's water clarity is the best it's been in four decades, study shows

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:40 GMT

(KTXL) — The famous blue water of Lake Tahoe is the clearest it has been since the 1980s, and it's all thanks to a tiny animal whose population has made a resurgence, according to a new report. The 2022 Lake Tahoe Clarity Report was released Monday, and it shows that the clarity of the water greatly improved from 2021, but the findings during the last five months of 2022 show that the water reached the clearest level in four decades. The clarity of the water is measured by the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center. Park officials list best ‘super bloom’ hot spots in South Bay Scientists attach a white, 10-inch disk called a 'Secchi disk' to the end of a rope and see how low that disk can go into the water before it can no longer be seen from the surface. In 2022, the average annual clarity was 71.7 feet, meaning that the disk was still visible when it was that deep in the water. In 2021, the average annual clarity was 61 feet. (UC Davis TERC)However, it was between August ...

Ukraine resumes electricity exports despite Russian attacks

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:40 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine began resuming electricity exports to European countries on Tuesday, its energy minister said, a dramatic turnaround from six months ago when fierce Russian bombardment of power stations plunged much of the country into darkness in a bid to demoralize the population.The announcement by Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko that Ukraine was not only meeting domestic consumption demands but also ready to restart exports to its neighbors was a clear message that Moscow’s attempt to weaken Ukraine by targeting its infrastructure did not work.Ukraine’s domestic energy demand is “100%” supplied, he told The Associated Press in an interview, and it has reserves to export due to the “titanic work” of its engineers and international partners. Russia ramped up infrastructure attacks in September, when waves of missiles and exploding drones destroyed about half of Ukraine’s energy system. Power cuts were common across the country as temperatures dro...

AUTO RACING: Bell emerging as a star; IndyCar to Long Beach

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:40 GMT

All Times Eastern NASCAR CUP SERIES NOCO 400Site: Martinsville, Virginia.Schedule: Saturday, practice, 4:35 p.m., and qualifying, 5:20 p.m.; Sunday, race, 3 p.m. (FS1).Track: Martinsville Speedway.Race distance: 400 laps, 210 miles.Last year: William Byron won after starting fifth.Last race: Christopher Bell held off Tyler Reddick until a caution flag on the final lap made him the winner on the dirt at Bristol.Fast facts: Bell became the sixth different winner through seven races and moved from third to first in the point standings, 13 ahead of Ross Chastain and 26 ahead of Kevin Harvick. … Bell leads all drivers with five top-five finishes and is tied with Alex Bowman with six top-10 finishes. … Bowman dropped to 11th in points and Byron, the only two-time winner this season, dropped to 14th after both were docked 60 points and five playoff points for illegal modifications to their cars at Richmond. … Chastain is the only driver in the top six who has been running...

Tasha Butts hired as Georgetown’s women’s basketball coach

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:40 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Longtime college assistant Tasha Butts was hired as the head coach of Georgetown’s women’s basketball team on Tuesday.Butts replaces James Howard, whose contract was not renewed last month after four consecutive losing seasons at the school.Butts joins Ed Cooley as new basketball coaches at Georgetown; Cooley took over the men’s team last month after Patrick Ewing was dismissed.Butts has been at Georgia Tech since April 2019, serving as an associate head coach and an assistant coach. Before that, Butts spent eight seasons at LSU. She also coached worked at UCLA and Duquesne. Butts played college basketball at Tennessee from 2000-04 and played professionally in the WNBA and overseas. Howard went 66-108, a .379 winning percentage, during six years at Georgetown. The team this season went 14-17 and lost by 30 points to UConn in the Big East Conference Tournament quarterfinals on March 4.___AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball...

National Philharmonic spring season includes Beethoven, NASA, violinist from Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:40 GMT

toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley previews the National Philharmonic (Part 1) $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); The spring season is blossoming with orchestral music around the nation’s capital.It’s the perfect time to enjoy the National Philharmonic in Maryland and Virginia.“People are coming back to the concerts,” National Philharmonic Music Director & Conductor Piotr Gajewski told WTOP. ...

Mid Atlantic Daybook

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:40 GMT

Associated Press Mid Atlantic Daybook for Tuesday, Apr. 11.The daybook is for planning purposes only and is not intended for publication or broadcast. You should verify any event you plan to cover.Please keep the AP in mind when news develops. The Mid-Atlantic bureau is reachable at 202-641-9660 and 410-837-8315. Send daybook items to [email protected] see your Daybooks and events for Mid Atlantic and other States up to 12 months ahead, speak to your bureau or sales rep about access to AP Planner, or visit http://applanner.com.——————–Tuesday, Apr. 11 9:00 AM Montgomery County Council meetingLocation: Montgomery County Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Ave, Rockville, MDWeblinks: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/Contacts: Sonya Healy, Montgomery County Council, [email protected], 1 240 777 7926——————–Tuesday, Apr. 11 10:00 AM George Washington University Resea...

Virginia Daybook

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:40 GMT

Associated Press Virginia Daybook for Tuesday, Apr. 11.The daybook is for planning purposes only and is not intended for publication or broadcast. You should verify any event you plan to cover.Please keep the AP in mind when news develops.To see your Daybooks and events for Virginia and other States up to 12 months ahead, speak to your bureau or sales rep about access to AP Planner, or visit http://applanner.com.——————–Tuesday, Apr. 11 7:15 AM Association of the United States Army Coffee Series event – Association of the United States Army Coffee Series event, with speakers including Under Secretary of the Army Gave CamarilloLocation: AUSA Conference & Event Center, 2425 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VAWeblinks: http://www.ausa.org, https://twitter.com/AusaNationalContacts: David Liddle, AUSA public affairs and communications, [email protected], 1 703 841 4300 x 213——————–Tuesday, Apr. 11 9:30 AM ...

General Assembly caps session that saw passage of top Democratic priorities, renewed partnership with governor

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:40 GMT

This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.An angry Republican walk-off in the House of Delegates and a photo finish in the Senate ended the 2023 session of the Maryland General Assembly on Monday night.As both chambers adjourned sine die, the legislature’s teenage pages dumped boxes of confetti and trash bags full of balloons from the galleries above onto the rostrums and floors of the Senate and House, sending flashes of color raining down on the president and speaker below, in the traditional celebratory close.When all was said and done, legislative leaders in the Democratically controlled houses, along with the state’s new governor, declared victory, taking bows for an exceptional session and ignoring their stumbles and defeats.“It’s not only the most successful first session for any new governor… [but] we’d argue that it’s the most successful … session for a governor, pe...

Free outdoor activities to do near Denver on a spring day

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:40 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Spring has sprung this week in Denver, and with temperatures in the 80s for the first time since last September, it's a perfect time to get outside. Looking for an activity outside that is not only fun but free? The Mile High City and the surrounding metro have plenty of options. The Pinpoint Weather team has been forecasting record-high heat this week with Tuesday and Wednesday reaching 80 degrees. How to track your Colorado tax refund If you are ready to get outside and enjoy the long-awaited warmth, here are free things you can do around the Denver metro area. Lariat Loop Scenic and Historic BywayThis is the perfect activity for transportation enthusiasts. The Lariat Loop Byway is a 40-mile scenic circle located in the foothills just west of Denver. The byway retraces the motoring adventures taken during the early 1920s. While traveling through the scenic route, you will also go through several popular Colorado landmarks like Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave, the C...