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  • Are married couples happier than singles? Here’s what the research says

    Are married couples happier than singles? Here’s what the research says

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    (NEXSTAR) – Money may not be the key to happiness, but what about tying the knot?

    A July 2022 Pew Research study found that 69% of Americans say they are married, while 22% have never wed. While marriage can certainly be challenging, it appears to be correlated with increased levels of well-being among adults in the U.S., according to recently released data from Gallup and the Institute for Family Studies.

    Gallup surveyed more than 2.6 million adults, mostly via phone, from 2008 to 2023 to examine the relationship between marital status and happiness.

    Using the Cantril ladder — a measure of subjective well-being — researchers assessed participants’ current and anticipated future life satisfaction.

    Married people, particularly those aged 25 to 50, consistently reported higher levels of well-being compared to singles, regardless of race, age, and gender.

    The data suggests that marital status is a stronger predictor of well-being than demographic factors like education, income, political affiliation, and religion. Even when researchers controlled these variables, married people remained significantly more likely to be thriving than their single counterparts. For instance, a married person who didn’t attend high school was more satisfied with life, on average, than an unmarried person with a graduate degree.

    On a broader scale, the connection between well-being and marriage may extend to entire communities. The study found that people living in metropolitan areas with higher marriage rates, such as Provo, Utah, tended to have higher levels of subjective well-being.

    Other places with notable well-being and marriage rates included Ogden, Utah, and the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California metro area.

    Big cities like Honolulu, Washington, D.C., Austin, and San Francisco also had high rates of happiness. Even though these metros attract a lot of young people who are unmarried, they still have a high percentage of children raised by married couples, ranging from 72% to 78%.

    Jonathan Rothwell, lead author and principal economist at Gallup, theorized that “communities are happier when more married people live there and when children are being raised in married households.”

    So, should you get married to be happier? Not exactly.

    “This does not mean that marriage — as an institution or relationship — is necessarily the cause of a better life, though that certainly may be true,” Rothwell wrote.

    “People who are persistently happier … may be more likely to seek out marriage and may be more likely to receive marriage proposals. Marital status is not randomly assigned,” he continued. “Still, the effect of marriage is high.”

    Rothwell also pointed out that we shouldn’t overlook the significance of friendship. Many people nowadays argue that marriage is not essential for happiness due to the emergence of the concept of “chosen family,” where a close-knit group of friends can serve as a substitute for traditional relationships.

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    Ashleigh Jackson

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  • A year after Jimmy Carter’s entered hospice care, advocates hope his endurance drives awareness

    A year after Jimmy Carter’s entered hospice care, advocates hope his endurance drives awareness

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    Since Jimmy Carter entered hospice care at his home in south Georgia one year ago, the former U.S. president has celebrated his 99th birthday, enjoyed tributes to his legacy and lost his wife of 77 years.Rosalynn Carter, who died in November, about six months after the Carter family disclosed her dementia diagnosis, lived only a few days under hospice supervision, with her frail husband at her bedside.Experts on end-of-life care say the Carters’ different paths show the range of an oft-misunderstood service. Those advocates commend the Carter family for demonstrating the realities of aging, dementia and death. They express hope that the attention spurs more Americans to seek out services intended to help patients and families in the latter stages of life.“It’s been massive to have the Carters be so public,” said Angela Novas, chief medical officer for the Hospice Foundation of America, based in Washington. “It has shed hospice in a new light, and it’s raised questions” for people to learn more.The Carter family released a statement ahead of Sunday, the first anniversary of their announcement that the 39th president would forgo future hospital stays and enter end-of-life care at home in Plains.“President Carter continues to be at home with his family,” the statement said. “The family is pleased that his decision last year to enter hospice care has sparked so many family discussions across the country on an important subject.”To be clear, the family has not confirmed whether Jimmy Carter remains in hospice care or has been discharged, as sometimes happens when even a frail patient’s health stabilizes.Here is a look at hospice and the Carters’ circumstances:HOSPICE SERVES EVERYONE, EVEN THE RICH AND POWERFULMollie Gurian is vice president of Leading Age, a national network of more than 5,000 nonprofit elder-care agencies. She described hospice as “holistic care … for someone who is trying to live the end of their life as fully as possible” but no longer seeks a cure for a terminal condition.Hospice offers multiple practitioners for each patient: nurses, physicians and social-service professionals like chaplains and secular grief counselors. Home hospice features in-home visits but not round-the-clock or even full-shift care.Initial eligibility requires a physician’s certification of a terminal condition, with the expectation that a person will not live longer than six months; there are also disease-specific parameters.For-profit businesses or nonprofit agencies typically provide the care and employ the providers. Medicare pays those agencies a per-day rate for each patient. There are four levels of care and daily rates. The concept was developed after World War II and has been part of the Medicare program since the early 1980s. Private insurance plans also typically cover hospice.In 2021, 1.7 million Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in hospice at a taxpayer cost of $23.1 billion, according to the federal Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). Almost half of Medicare patients who died that year did so under hospice care.HOSPICE IS MORE THAN THE ‘MORPHINE MYTH’Hospice can elicit images of “someone doped up and bedridden,” but it is not “just providing enough morphine to make it through the end,” Gurian said.Indeed, patients give up curative treatments and many medicines. Cancer patients no longer receive radiation or chemotherapy. Those with late-stage Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or another degenerative neurological disease typically ditch cholesterol and blood-pressure medication — and eventually, drugs that regulate their acute condition.But Novas and Gurian said treatment is case-by-case. Some agencies might allow someone with end-stage kidney disease to get dialysis or take regulatory medication. They simply have to absorb the cost, because Medicare almost certainly does not pay separately for those treatments.Further, hospice does not necessarily mean forgoing treatments for certain complications that threaten comfort: antibiotics for a urinary tract infection or infected bed sores, for example. That said, patients or families may forgo such treatments, especially in cases of end-stage neurological disease.Chip Carter, one of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s four children, confirmed to The Washington Post that his mother was suffering from a severe urinary tract infection at the time of her hospice admission and death. In those cases, Novas explained, patients are administered pain management drugs.Video below: Jimmy Carter arrives at Rosalynn Carter’s tribute service in November 2023JIMMY CARTER’S ENDURANCE IS NOT UNUSUALIn 2021, the average stay of hospice patients who died was 92 days, MedPAC calculated. The median was 17 days — about two weeks longer than the time between when the Carters’ announced the former first lady had entered hospice and when she died.About 10% of enrollees who die in hospice care stayed more than 264 days. Extended cases drive a majority of costs. In 2021, $13.6 billion of the overall $23 billion paid was for stays exceeding 180 days before death. Of that, $5 billion was for stays longer than a year.Patients are sometimes discharged from hospice if their condition stabilizes, especially if they have reached the six-month mark in the program. In 2021, 17.2% of the patients were discharged. The MedPAC report to Congress noted that for-profit agencies have higher average length of stays than nonprofits and added that living patients’ discharge rates raise questions about admission standards.Novas offered explanations. She said hospice has seen an uptick in patients with dementia, conditions in which “a patient can wax and wane for months or even years.” Another factor — one she said could explain Jimmy Carter’s endurance — is sheer grit.“We cannot measure the human spirit,” she said. With many conditions, “somebody who wants to be here is going to stick around for a while.”ADVOCATES WANT CHANGES AND EXPANSIONMedicare does not include a long-term care insurance provision, something that Leading Age and other advocates argue the U.S. needs, especially as the Baby Boomer generation ages.That kind of care, she said, would help patients and families absorb significant burdens of care that hospitals do not provide and that hospice does not cover — or at least should not cover. A long-term care benefit, for example, could become a more common route of insured care in some dementia cases.Legislation has been introduced in Congress in recent sessions to create a long-term care plan under Medicare. But it is politically difficult, if not impossible, because it calls for an increase in payroll taxes to finance a new benefit.Separately, Gurian said Leading Age would like Congress to increase hospice payments structures so more agencies might admit patients and still cover certain treatments they now typically forgo. For example, she said some cancer patients could ratchet down cancer treatments as part of pain management rather than give up treatment altogether and advance more rapidly to heavy drugs like morphine that eliminate quality of life.JIMMY CARTER STILL OFFERING LESSONSGurian said the U.S. health care system and American society too often see just two choices for someone with a grave diagnosis: “fighting” or “giving up.”“Hospice is not giving up,” she said, even if it means “accepting our mortality.”Novas said Jimmy Carter has proven those distinctions with his public announcements and, in November, his determination to attend Rosalynn Carter’s funeral, physically diminished, reclined in a wheelchair, his legs covered in a blanket.“That was such an important moment,” Novas said, for the world to “see what 99 looks like,” even for a former president. “He still has lessons for us. I think, on some level, he must be aware of what he’s doing. … Hospice is just a partner in that journey. But it’s his journey.”

    ATLANTA —

    Since Jimmy Carter entered hospice care at his home in south Georgia one year ago, the former U.S. president has celebrated his 99th birthday, enjoyed tributes to his legacy and lost his wife of 77 years.

    Rosalynn Carter, who died in November, about six months after the Carter family disclosed her dementia diagnosis, lived only a few days under hospice supervision, with her frail husband at her bedside.

    Experts on end-of-life care say the Carters’ different paths show the range of an oft-misunderstood service. Those advocates commend the Carter family for demonstrating the realities of aging, dementia and death. They express hope that the attention spurs more Americans to seek out services intended to help patients and families in the latter stages of life.

    “It’s been massive to have the Carters be so public,” said Angela Novas, chief medical officer for the Hospice Foundation of America, based in Washington. “It has shed hospice in a new light, and it’s raised questions” for people to learn more.

    The Carter family released a statement ahead of Sunday, the first anniversary of their announcement that the 39th president would forgo future hospital stays and enter end-of-life care at home in Plains.

    “President Carter continues to be at home with his family,” the statement said. “The family is pleased that his decision last year to enter hospice care has sparked so many family discussions across the country on an important subject.”

    To be clear, the family has not confirmed whether Jimmy Carter remains in hospice care or has been discharged, as sometimes happens when even a frail patient’s health stabilizes.

    Here is a look at hospice and the Carters’ circumstances:

    HOSPICE SERVES EVERYONE, EVEN THE RICH AND POWERFUL

    Mollie Gurian is vice president of Leading Age, a national network of more than 5,000 nonprofit elder-care agencies. She described hospice as “holistic care … for someone who is trying to live the end of their life as fully as possible” but no longer seeks a cure for a terminal condition.

    Hospice offers multiple practitioners for each patient: nurses, physicians and social-service professionals like chaplains and secular grief counselors. Home hospice features in-home visits but not round-the-clock or even full-shift care.

    Initial eligibility requires a physician’s certification of a terminal condition, with the expectation that a person will not live longer than six months; there are also disease-specific parameters.

    For-profit businesses or nonprofit agencies typically provide the care and employ the providers. Medicare pays those agencies a per-day rate for each patient. There are four levels of care and daily rates. The concept was developed after World War II and has been part of the Medicare program since the early 1980s. Private insurance plans also typically cover hospice.

    In 2021, 1.7 million Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in hospice at a taxpayer cost of $23.1 billion, according to the federal Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). Almost half of Medicare patients who died that year did so under hospice care.

    HOSPICE IS MORE THAN THE ‘MORPHINE MYTH’

    Hospice can elicit images of “someone doped up and bedridden,” but it is not “just providing enough morphine to make it through the end,” Gurian said.

    Indeed, patients give up curative treatments and many medicines. Cancer patients no longer receive radiation or chemotherapy. Those with late-stage Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or another degenerative neurological disease typically ditch cholesterol and blood-pressure medication — and eventually, drugs that regulate their acute condition.

    But Novas and Gurian said treatment is case-by-case. Some agencies might allow someone with end-stage kidney disease to get dialysis or take regulatory medication. They simply have to absorb the cost, because Medicare almost certainly does not pay separately for those treatments.

    Further, hospice does not necessarily mean forgoing treatments for certain complications that threaten comfort: antibiotics for a urinary tract infection or infected bed sores, for example. That said, patients or families may forgo such treatments, especially in cases of end-stage neurological disease.

    Chip Carter, one of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s four children, confirmed to The Washington Post that his mother was suffering from a severe urinary tract infection at the time of her hospice admission and death. In those cases, Novas explained, patients are administered pain management drugs.

    Video below: Jimmy Carter arrives at Rosalynn Carter’s tribute service in November 2023

    JIMMY CARTER’S ENDURANCE IS NOT UNUSUAL

    In 2021, the average stay of hospice patients who died was 92 days, MedPAC calculated. The median was 17 days — about two weeks longer than the time between when the Carters’ announced the former first lady had entered hospice and when she died.

    About 10% of enrollees who die in hospice care stayed more than 264 days. Extended cases drive a majority of costs. In 2021, $13.6 billion of the overall $23 billion paid was for stays exceeding 180 days before death. Of that, $5 billion was for stays longer than a year.

    Patients are sometimes discharged from hospice if their condition stabilizes, especially if they have reached the six-month mark in the program. In 2021, 17.2% of the patients were discharged. The MedPAC report to Congress noted that for-profit agencies have higher average length of stays than nonprofits and added that living patients’ discharge rates raise questions about admission standards.

    Novas offered explanations. She said hospice has seen an uptick in patients with dementia, conditions in which “a patient can wax and wane for months or even years.” Another factor — one she said could explain Jimmy Carter’s endurance — is sheer grit.

    “We cannot measure the human spirit,” she said. With many conditions, “somebody who wants to be here is going to stick around for a while.”

    ADVOCATES WANT CHANGES AND EXPANSION

    Medicare does not include a long-term care insurance provision, something that Leading Age and other advocates argue the U.S. needs, especially as the Baby Boomer generation ages.

    That kind of care, she said, would help patients and families absorb significant burdens of care that hospitals do not provide and that hospice does not cover — or at least should not cover. A long-term care benefit, for example, could become a more common route of insured care in some dementia cases.

    Legislation has been introduced in Congress in recent sessions to create a long-term care plan under Medicare. But it is politically difficult, if not impossible, because it calls for an increase in payroll taxes to finance a new benefit.

    Separately, Gurian said Leading Age would like Congress to increase hospice payments structures so more agencies might admit patients and still cover certain treatments they now typically forgo. For example, she said some cancer patients could ratchet down cancer treatments as part of pain management rather than give up treatment altogether and advance more rapidly to heavy drugs like morphine that eliminate quality of life.

    JIMMY CARTER STILL OFFERING LESSONS

    Gurian said the U.S. health care system and American society too often see just two choices for someone with a grave diagnosis: “fighting” or “giving up.”

    “Hospice is not giving up,” she said, even if it means “accepting our mortality.”

    Novas said Jimmy Carter has proven those distinctions with his public announcements and, in November, his determination to attend Rosalynn Carter’s funeral, physically diminished, reclined in a wheelchair, his legs covered in a blanket.

    “That was such an important moment,” Novas said, for the world to “see what 99 looks like,” even for a former president. “He still has lessons for us. I think, on some level, he must be aware of what he’s doing. … Hospice is just a partner in that journey. But it’s his journey.”

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  • ‘Better for everyone’: Coalition aims to reactivate Sacramento floodplains

    ‘Better for everyone’: Coalition aims to reactivate Sacramento floodplains

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    The Floodplain Forward Coalition is made up of nonprofit organizations, farmers and government agencies aiming to reactivate these floodplains for many reasons.

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A coalition of organizations is working together to reactivate the floodplains on the outskirts of Sacramento. It’s something they say will benefit everyone and everything in the area. 

    The Floodplain Forward Coalition is made up of nonprofit organizations, farmers and government agencies aiming to reactivate these floodplains for better flood control and ensure critical habitat for fish and wildlife. 

    “The name of the game now is actually building off our bypass system, which is about a century old,” said Wade Crawfoot, California Natural Resources secretary. 

    He says this system moves water outside of the rivers to ensure communities downriver are safe. Crawfoot says restoring these floodplains would “benefit people, our economy and agriculture.”

    Sacramento being the “farm-to-fork capital” has seemingly endless agricultural fields around throughout the county, those being the target of California Trout’s effort. 

    Floodplain habitat once covered millions of acres of California’s Central Valley, but now 95% of the Valley’s floodplains are cut off from the river by levees.

    “We have to figure out how to modernize our water management and our water infrastructure,” said Crawfoot. “Expanding floodplains is a really smart cost effective flood protection strategy… (and a) multi-beneficial investment in our future.”

    Some of those benefits include protecting communities under flood risks, restoring salmon populations and creating environmental habitats for birds, fish and other animals who are “more and more stressed from climate change.” 

    protects communities that are under flood risks, but then it also allows us to restore salmon populations and create environmental habitat as as birds and animals fish are more and more stressed from climate change

    Nonprofit California Trout is one of the groups aiding the charge, aiming to reconnect fish to their food.

    “With farmers and conservationists and people in government all working together we can show that a river valley that works, that functions, is better for people, for fish, for fowl, for everyone,” said Jacob Katz, California Trout lead scientist. 

    Some of their ideas have already proven to work and are in action today, like flooding rice fields. 

    “We can grow the nation’s sushi rice right here just north of Sacramento,” said Tim Johnson, California Rice Commission CEO. “In the wintertime we can also provide habitat for all these millions of ducks and geese, shorebirds, salmon and over 230 species of wildlife.”

    WATCH MORE: World’s biggest dam removal project changing a California river

    ABC10: Watch, Download, Read

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  • Police arrest Stanislaus County man for hit-and-run that killed a woman

    Police arrest Stanislaus County man for hit-and-run that killed a woman

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    (FOX40.COM) — A man has been arrested by Modesto police officers for his role in a homicide that happened on Friday night, according to the Modesto Police Department.

    The man, a 32-year-old from Ceres, turned himself in to police in the downtown area of the city around 3 p.m., the agency said.

    On Friday night around 9 p.m., police responded to the area of 6th Street at the Highway 99 offramp to assist California Highway Patrol officers with a vehicle crash involving a pedestrian.

    Police said that upon arrival, the involved vehicle fled the scene while the pedestrian was taken to a local hospital. The woman would later be declared dead by medical personnel.

    Detectives began to investigate and learned that an assault had taken place, police said. As the investigation continued, detectives were able to identify a suspect.

    “This is still an active investigation. The victim was known to [the suspect], and it appears they had been involved in a relationship. The details of the relationship are still being investigated,” police said on Facebook.

    The man was booked into a Stanislaus County jail for homicide and domestic violence charges, police added.

    No other information has been released, but police say that anyone with information about this investigation is encouraged to contact Detective Bolinger at 209-342-9162.

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    Aydian Ahmad

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  • Modesto police: Man arrested after deadly assault

    Modesto police: Man arrested after deadly assault

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    MODESTO, Calif. — A man was arrested Saturday after an assault that left a woman dead the day before, according to the Modesto Police Department.

    Officers were send to the northbound Highway 99 offramp at 6th Street around 8:53 p.m. Friday about a hit-and-run crash. The woman was taken to the hospital but later died from her injuries, according to police. An investigation into the crash found she had been assaulted in Modesto prior to being found and taken to the hospital. 

    Police identified 32-year-old Ruben Olvera as a suspect in the woman’s death. He turned himself in to an officer in downtown Modesto around 3 p.m. Saturday.

    Police are still investigating and say the victim knew Olvera and may have been in a relationship.

    Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged by police to contact them at 209-342-9162.

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  • Black man operated printing press for New Hampshire’s first newspaper

    Black man operated printing press for New Hampshire’s first newspaper

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    I’M AMY LU ALL RIGHT, AMY, THANK YOU. AS PART OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH, WE ARE TAKING A LOOK AT SOME OF THE SPOTS THAT YOU CAN VISIT ALONG THE BLACK HERITAGE TRAIL OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. THE NEW HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE, FOUNDED IN 1756, USED TO SIT ON THE CORNER OF HOWARD AND WASHINGTON STREETS IN PORTSMOUTH. THE ORIGINAL BUILDING IS NO LONGER THERE. NOW. A MAN NAMED PRIMUS WAS AMONG A GROUP OF SKILLED AND ENSLAVED PEOPLE WHO WORKED FOR THE OWNER OF THE GAZETTE, PRIMUS OPERATED TH

    Black man operated printing press for New Hampshire’s first newspaper

    As part of Black History Month, WMUR is showcasing spots people can visit along the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire.The New Hampshire Gazette, founded in 1756, used to sit on the corner of Howard and Washington streets in Portsmouth.However, the original building is no longer there.A man named Primus was among a group of skilled enslaved people who worked for the owner of the Gazette.Primus operated the printing press for New Hampshire’s first newspaper.

    MANCHESTER, England —

    As part of Black History Month, WMUR is showcasing spots people can visit along the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire.

    The New Hampshire Gazette, founded in 1756, used to sit on the corner of Howard and Washington streets in Portsmouth.

    However, the original building is no longer there.

    A man named Primus was among a group of skilled enslaved people who worked for the owner of the Gazette.

    Primus operated the printing press for New Hampshire’s first newspaper.

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  • Dates set for 2024 Farm-to-Fork events in Sacramento

    Dates set for 2024 Farm-to-Fork events in Sacramento

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    (FOX40.COM) — It’s been 12 years since California’s capital city was declared America’s Farm-to-Fork capital and 11 years since the Farm-to-Fork events were introduced to Sacramento.

    And on Thursday, it was announced that the popular events that residents of Sacramento and people around the country have come to love will be returning in September 2024.
    •Video Above: Thousands attend the 10th annual Farm-To-Fork Festival

    “Mark your calendars, Visit Sacramento’s Farm-to-Fork events are headed back to downtown Sacramento this Sept. 5-21,” an Instagram post from the festival’s organizers.

    While a lineup has yet to be announced, a schedule of events has been released by Visit Sacramento.

    The Legends of Wine, an annual event that allows attendees to “explore varietals from regional wineries that were exclusively selected,” will be held on Sept. 5.

    The next event is the Tower Bridge Dinner, which will be held on Sept. 8. The nationally recognized event serves as a fundraiser, and during last year’s event, nearly 30 local chefs provided guests with an “unforgettable dining experience” filled with various appetizer and dessert options.

    Finally, the Farm-to-Fork Festival will be held on Sept. 20 and 21. The two-day celebration in 2023 included performances from musical acts like Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals and Jean Dawson and saw thousands of visitors walk through the festival grounds.

    “We can’t wait to go! We loved both the Legends of Wine and the Farm-to-Fork [Festival.] Both were incredible and [we] just can’t wait,” read one Instagram comment. “Looking forward to this year!! See y’all there,” read another.

    To plan out your Farm-to-Fork Month, you can visit the festival’s website here.

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    Aydian Ahmad

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  • Modesto Police investigate deadly assault as homicide

    Modesto Police investigate deadly assault as homicide

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    MODESTO, Calif. — Police in Modesto are investigating an assault that left a woman dead Friday evening.

    At the scene, officers found a woman who was assaulted. Police say the assaulters left the area before police got there.

    Medics took the woman to a hospital where she died. Police are investigating the killing as a homicide. Witnesses and people with information are asked to call detectives at 209-342-9162.

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  • Lefty Driesell, folksy, fiery coach who put Maryland on college basketball’s map, dies at 92

    Lefty Driesell, folksy, fiery coach who put Maryland on college basketball’s map, dies at 92

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    Lefty Driesell, the coach whose folksy drawl belied a fiery on-court demeanor that put Maryland on the college basketball map and enabled him to rebuild several struggling programs, died Saturday. He was 92.Maryland announced Driesell’s death. His grandson, Ty Anderson, told The Washington Post that Driesell died at his home in Virginia Beach.Driesell finished with 786 victories over parts of five decades and was the first coach to win more than 100 games at four NCAA Division I schools. He started at Davidson in 1960 before bringing Maryland into national prominence from 1969-86, a stay that ended with the cocaine-induced death of All-American Len Bias.Driesell then won five regular-season conference titles over nine seasons at James Madison and finished with a successful run at Georgia State from 1997 to 2003.”His contributions to the game go way beyond wins and losses, and he won a lot,” former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said after Driesell finally made the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. “It’s an honor he’s deserved for a long time.”Driesell launched the college basketball tradition known as Midnight Madness on Oct. 15, 1971. At three minutes after midnight on the first day of practice as sanctioned by the NCAA, Driesell had his players take a mandatory mile run on the track inside the Maryland football stadium.The lighting was provided by the headlights of a few cars parked at one end of the stadium. The motivation came from Driesell’s prodding and the estimated 800 students who gathered to watch the unpublicized event.”I’ve done a lot of crazy things to get attention, but that wasn’t one of them,” Driesell said years later. “I was just trying to get an early jump on practice. I had no idea what it was going to lead to.”Driesell also helped knock down racial barriers in the college game. He made George Raveling the first Black coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference by hiring him as an assistant in 1969. Driesell’s effort to recruit Charlie Scott to play at Davidson helped make the future NBA star become the first African American scholarship athlete to attend North Carolina.Scott initially committed to Davidson before choosing UNC but acknowledged that Driesell paved the way.”I think if there had never been a Lefty Driesell, there would never have been a Charlie Scott attending North Carolina,” said Scott, who joined the Hall of Fame in 2018 with Driesell. “My commitment to go to Davidson really opened up all the other schools in the recruiting process.” Race played no factor in Driesell’s effort to recruit the best players.”He did so many great things in marketing the game and opened up so many doors for many African Americans players and coaches like myself,” said Len Elmore, who played for Driesell at Maryland from 1971-74. “Lefty was a trailblazer and an innovator.”

    COLLEGE PARK, Md. —

    Lefty Driesell, the coach whose folksy drawl belied a fiery on-court demeanor that put Maryland on the college basketball map and enabled him to rebuild several struggling programs, died Saturday. He was 92.

    Maryland announced Driesell’s death. His grandson, Ty Anderson, told The Washington Post that Driesell died at his home in Virginia Beach.

    Driesell finished with 786 victories over parts of five decades and was the first coach to win more than 100 games at four NCAA Division I schools. He started at Davidson in 1960 before bringing Maryland into national prominence from 1969-86, a stay that ended with the cocaine-induced death of All-American Len Bias.

    Driesell then won five regular-season conference titles over nine seasons at James Madison and finished with a successful run at Georgia State from 1997 to 2003.

    “His contributions to the game go way beyond wins and losses, and he won a lot,” former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said after Driesell finally made the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. “It’s an honor he’s deserved for a long time.”

    Driesell launched the college basketball tradition known as Midnight Madness on Oct. 15, 1971. At three minutes after midnight on the first day of practice as sanctioned by the NCAA, Driesell had his players take a mandatory mile run on the track inside the Maryland football stadium.

    The lighting was provided by the headlights of a few cars parked at one end of the stadium. The motivation came from Driesell’s prodding and the estimated 800 students who gathered to watch the unpublicized event.

    “I’ve done a lot of crazy things to get attention, but that wasn’t one of them,” Driesell said years later. “I was just trying to get an early jump on practice. I had no idea what it was going to lead to.”

    Driesell also helped knock down racial barriers in the college game. He made George Raveling the first Black coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference by hiring him as an assistant in 1969. Driesell’s effort to recruit Charlie Scott to play at Davidson helped make the future NBA star become the first African American scholarship athlete to attend North Carolina.

    Scott initially committed to Davidson before choosing UNC but acknowledged that Driesell paved the way.

    “I think if there had never been a Lefty Driesell, there would never have been a Charlie Scott attending North Carolina,” said Scott, who joined the Hall of Fame in 2018 with Driesell. “My commitment to go to Davidson really opened up all the other schools in the recruiting process.”

    Race played no factor in Driesell’s effort to recruit the best players.

    “He did so many great things in marketing the game and opened up so many doors for many African Americans players and coaches like myself,” said Len Elmore, who played for Driesell at Maryland from 1971-74. “Lefty was a trailblazer and an innovator.”

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  • ‘Cannot stay quiet’: Vigil held for 4 people who died from ‘drug-related causes’ in South Lake Tahoe

    ‘Cannot stay quiet’: Vigil held for 4 people who died from ‘drug-related causes’ in South Lake Tahoe

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    “We really look at this the majority of our community as a poisoning, not as a drug overdose,” said Mayor Cody Bass.

    SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — The South Lake Tahoe Community came together Friday evening to remember four lives lost in what law enforcement is calling a suspected drug-related overdose.

    Four people were found dead Monday morning in a South Lake Tahoe home.

    “They loved love. They are good people,” said a friend to one of the people who died.

    The tragedy impacting three families of 32-year-old Abraham Lemus, 33-year-old Keely Pereira, brothers 35-year-old Adam Joy and 37-year-old Clifford Joy.

    The Joy brother’s mother told friends and other families Clifford never partied or did drugs, but decided for the first time that night.

    “One night. Now he is gone and that is what I am saying, you cannot take chances anymore,” said Clifford’s mother.

    South Lake Tahoe Police say Monday morning they found two people dead at a home on Roger Avenue from an apparent fentanyl overdose. Two more would die after CPR and doses of Narcan failed to counteract the suspected fentanyl.

    The city says the substance at the scene tested presumptively as fentanyl, but autopsies and toxicology reports are pending.

    “We really look at this the majority of our community as a poisoning, not as a drug overdose,” said Mayor Cody Bass. “This was individuals had taken something that they did not realize they were taken.”

    Mayor Bass says this tragedy is nothing they have experienced before.

    “These were individuals who worked in our community that were born and raised,” said Bass. “They are unbelievably talented, amazing individuals.”

    More than a hundred family members and friends came to support and comfort each other. Narcan and testing strips were made available at the vigil.

    “We cannot stay quiet about it. The quieter we are, the more kids die,” said Tamara Wallace, South Lake Tahoe Council Member.

    Wallace knows the pain too well.

    “Two years ago today, I buried my son. He was 29 and he took a black-market Xanax pill that was laced with fentanyl. He went to sleep and never woke up,” said Wallace.

    A pain that is impacting even more families in this close-knit Sierra community.

    Family and friends hope if there is any takeaway from this week, it is that people take care of one another and do not hold it in and seek out for help.

    WATCH MORE: Drug-related deaths in South Lake Tahoe: Found substance tested presumptively as fentanyl

    ABC10: Watch, Download, Read

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  • Northern California Forecast: Rain, snow expected Saturday followed by heavy winds Sunday

    Northern California Forecast: Rain, snow expected Saturday followed by heavy winds Sunday

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    ESTRADA KCRA THREE NEWS KAROLINA. THANK YOU. WE GO NOW TO OUR WEATHER COVERAGE AND IT’S GOING TO BE STORMY FOR PART OF THIS HOLIDAY WEEKEND. AND THAT COULD MAKE YOUR TIMING IMPORTANT. IF YOU PLAN ON TRAVELING, THIS IS A LIVE LOOK RIGHT NOW OVER HIGHWAY 50 AND RANCHO CORDOVA I-5 AND SACRAMENTO AND INTERSTATE 80. IN SODA SPRINGS. SO WITH MORE ON WHAT WE CAN EXPECT FOR THE WEEKEND, LET’S CHECK IN WITH OUR CHIEF METEOROLOGIST MARK FINAN. AND TODAY WE HAVE SEEN A LOT OF CLOUD COVER IN THE AREA, BUT IT HAS BEEN DRY. BUT THIS AREA WILL BRING US SOME RAIN TOMORROW. AND THERE’S ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM THAT SHOULD BE MORE ROBUST. THAT WILL COME IN ON SUNDAY NIGHT AND INTO THE DAY ON MONDAY. BUT NOTICE THAT IN BETWEEN THERE ARE MANY AREAS WHERE IT’S DRY, SO THERE WILL BE SOME DRY TIMES THIS. THIS WEEKEND, LET ME LAY OUT JUST HOW THE WEEKEND IS GOING TO GO. SO FOR SATURDAY THERE WILL BE SOME AFTERNOON RAIN AND SNOW. SO USE THE MORNING HOURS TO TRAVEL THROUGH THE SIERRA, BUT ALSO TO DO ANYTHING YOU WANT IN THE VALLEY BECAUSE IT WILL BE CLOUDY LIKE IT WAS TODAY. BUT WE WILL START TO SEE SOME MODERATE RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ON SUNDAY, THE RAIN ALSO COMES BACK IN THE EVENING. MAYBE LATE AFTERNOON IN SOME SPOTS, BUT THAT ONCE AGAIN LEAVES THE MORNING. BUT THIS WILL BRING A LITTLE BIT MORE IN THE WAY OF WIND AS WELL AS MORE RAIN, ESPECIALLY OVERNIGHT SUNDAY AND INTO EARLY MONDAY. AND IF THERE’S ONE TIME THAT WE’RE MOST LOOKING AT OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS, IT WILL BE VERY EARLY MONDAY MORNING WHEN WE HAVE THE POSSIBILITY. OF SOME BANDS OF HEAVIER RAIN THAT COULD IMPACT SOME OF THE AREA ROADS. FIRST THING ON MONDAY MORNING, LIKE BEFORE THE SUN COMES UP. BUT THERE WILL BE SOME DRY TIMES THREE DAY WEEKEND AS WEL

    Northern California Forecast: Rain, snow expected Saturday followed by heavy winds Sunday

    Friday was another dry day, but rain and snow are expected to return this Presidents Day weekendOn Saturday, rain and snow showers are likely to arrive in the afternoon hours. The KCRA 3 weather team is calling Saturday an Impact Day because of how the weather could affect travel.Less than a half-inch of rain is expected to fall in the Valley. In the Foothills, anywhere from a half-inch to three-quarters of an inch could fall.Conditions on Sunday are expected to dry out after the morning hours. But Berg said rain will return Sunday evening lasting into overnight on Monday, with the potential of more than an inch of rain falling in the Valley.Because of the system coming Sunday evening and lasting into the next day, Monday is also going to be an Impact Day. Some gusty winds could happen Sunday night and Monday, but Chief Meteorologist Mark Finan said the winds do not appear like they will be strong enough for widespread damage.Timeline for snow in the SierraAccording to meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn, when the snow does hit the Sierra, it will mostly be at higher elevations.On Saturday morning, snow will begin at 5,800 feet, and that will rise to around 6,700 feet in the afternoon and drop back to 6,100 on Saturday evening.”Then things start to warm up,” “Verdoorn said. By Sunday afternoon, we’re up to around 7,000 feet, and then we see those snow levels start to steadily decrease as we make our way into Monday.”On Saturday, we are expecting anywhere from 3-6 inches of snow. And on Monday, Verdoorn said we could see up to a foot of snow.Because the systems coming through this weekend are warm, that is why more rain than snow is expected to fall.Get California storm-readyDownload our app for the latest breaking news and weather alertsTrack live California Doppler radarSee our live traffic mapSend us your weather videos and photosBe prepared for road closures: Download Caltrans’ QuickMap app or check the latest QuickMap road conditions here. This will also show chain control information.Follow our KCRA weather team on social mediaChief Meteorologist Mark Finan on Facebook and TwitterMeteorologist Tamara Berg on Facebook and TwitterMeteorologist Eileen Javora on FacebookMeteorologist Dirk Verdoorn on FacebookMeteorologist/Climate Reporter Heather Waldman on Facebook and TwitterWatch our forecasts on TV or onlineHere’s where to find our latest video forecast. You can also watch a livestream of our latest newscast here. The banner on our website turns red when we’re live.We’re also streaming on the Very Local app for Roku, Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV.

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

    Friday was another dry day, but rain and snow are expected to return this Presidents Day weekend

    On Saturday, rain and snow showers are likely to arrive in the afternoon hours. The KCRA 3 weather team is calling Saturday an Impact Day because of how the weather could affect travel.

    Less than a half-inch of rain is expected to fall in the Valley. In the Foothills, anywhere from a half-inch to three-quarters of an inch could fall.

    Conditions on Sunday are expected to dry out after the morning hours. But Berg said rain will return Sunday evening lasting into overnight on Monday, with the potential of more than an inch of rain falling in the Valley.

    Because of the system coming Sunday evening and lasting into the next day, Monday is also going to be an Impact Day.

    Some gusty winds could happen Sunday night and Monday, but Chief Meteorologist Mark Finan said the winds do not appear like they will be strong enough for widespread damage.

    Timeline for snow in the Sierra

    According to meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn, when the snow does hit the Sierra, it will mostly be at higher elevations.

    On Saturday morning, snow will begin at 5,800 feet, and that will rise to around 6,700 feet in the afternoon and drop back to 6,100 on Saturday evening.

    Predicted snowfall total for Presidents Day weekend

    “Then things start to warm up,” “Verdoorn said. By Sunday afternoon, we’re up to around 7,000 feet, and then we see those snow levels start to steadily decrease as we make our way into Monday.”

    On Saturday, we are expecting anywhere from 3-6 inches of snow. And on Monday, Verdoorn said we could see up to a foot of snow.

    Because the systems coming through this weekend are warm, that is why more rain than snow is expected to fall.

    Get California storm-ready

    Follow our KCRA weather team on social media

    Watch our forecasts on TV or online

    Here’s where to find our latest video forecast. You can also watch a livestream of our latest newscast here. The banner on our website turns red when we’re live.

    We’re also streaming on the Very Local app for Roku, Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV.

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  • Weekend storm in Northern California brings downpour of rain, snow, winds for days to come

    Weekend storm in Northern California brings downpour of rain, snow, winds for days to come

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    (FOX40.COM) –A beneficial storm that includes soaking rain, some snow, and gusty winds is making its way to Northern California, according to FOX40’s chief meteorologist, Adam Epstein.
    • First of two storms to hit Sacramento area on Saturday

    “A weak atmospheric river will impact our area on Saturday. It will begin with showers in the morning, then heavier rain in the midday/afternoon,” Epstein said.

    The heaviest rainfall is forecast from 3-8 p.m. on Saturday followed by tapers overnight.

    Epstein said there will be a “solid soaking of rain, but no flooding concerns,” with an estimate of .25 – .75 inches of rain forecast to fall on Saturday, however, things change on Sunday.

    Gusty winds are also in the forecast.

    “It will be breezy, but gusts should remain below a damaging threshold,” Epstein said. “Gusts will be near 30 mph.”

    A more impactful storm is forecast to last from Sunday to Tuesday. Showers are expected to return Sunday afternoon with heavy rain possible on Sunday evening, according to Epstein. A flood watch will be in effect for Sunday’s storm.

    Periods of heavy rain are also forecast for Monday which will likely be accompanied by thunderstorms in the Valley and Foothills. One to three inches of rain is forecast in the Valley and two to five in the Foothills.

    For those in the Sierra, light snow is forecast to fall on Saturday.

    “Snow totals won’t turn many heads. I’m forecasting a modest two-eight inches of snow,” Epstein said. “There’s a ‘Winter Weather Advisory’ in effect above 6000 feet from 10 a.m. on Saturday to 4 a.m. Sunday, indicating difficult travel in that window.”

    A stronger snow storm will arrive late Sunday and last through Tuesday, according to Epstein. One to three feet of snow is forecast to fall from 4 p.m. on Sunday to 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

    “Snow level begins high near 7000 feet Sunday night and Monday morning,” Epstein said. “Drops to 5500 feet by the end of Monday and lingers near there through Tuesday.”

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    Veronica Catlin

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  • Sacramento a ‘front-runner’ to host Athletics before move to Las Vegas

    Sacramento a ‘front-runner’ to host Athletics before move to Las Vegas

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    Oakland officials have had discussions with Major League Baseball about the possibility of the city getting an MLB expansion team if it allows the A’s to play in Oakland for three more years, the city confirmed to KRON4 on Friday.

    Currently, the A’s new ballpark in Las Vegas is expected to open in 2028 at the earliest, but their lease at the Oakland Coliseum is set to expire after the 2024 season. Team officials have toured minor-league ballparks in other cities as they look for a home for the A’s from 2025-27.

    The Athletic reported Friday that Sacramento is the front-runner to host the team for those in-between years. The A’s would lose $70 million in television money if they played in a market outside of the Bay Area before moving to Las Vegas, which is an incentive for the team to get a deal done to stay in Oakland.

    The A’s also met with local officials on Thursday about an extension lease at the Coliseum. The meeting included A’s president Dave Kaval, Oakland city councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, City of Oakland Chief of Staff Leigh Hanson, and Alameda County supervisor David Haubert, KRON4 previously reported.

    “The City of Oakland had a productive conversation with the A’s and the County to discuss a lease extension at the Coliseum. We look forward to future discussions,” the city said in a statement to KRON4.

    If the A’s do make the expected move to Las Vegas, the East Bay will be without an MLB team for the first time since 1967. The discussed deal with MLB would bring a new team to the area. It is unclear when such a team would have its debut season and what its home stadium would be.

    “That’s a bit of a big ask and seemed impossible not that long ago, but the A’s are desperate. They could lose $70 million bucks a year if they have to play elsewhere, so they might convince MLB to guarantee Oakland that expansion team,” San Francisco Chronicle sports columnist Scott Ostler said on KRON4 News at 2 on Friday.

    Another possibility is that the A’s sell their 50-percent stake in the Coliseum to a local business group, which would then redevelop the stadium.

    MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred commented on the A’s leaving at a press conference on Thursday, implying that A’s fans can switch their allegiance to the Giants, Yahoo! Sports reported.

    “First of all, we do have a major-league team in the Bay Area,” Manfred said. “It’s not like there is not an available option. The Giants still play there.”

    Whatever happens, Ostler believes there will be a resolution “pretty fast” as MLB looks ahead to the 2025 season.

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    Phil Mayer

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  • Teen arrested in connection to Turlock crash that killed high school coach, injured others

    Teen arrested in connection to Turlock crash that killed high school coach, injured others

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    The crash happened in the area of West Christoffersen Parkway and Kilroy Avenue around 4 p.m. Dec. 29, 2023 and multiple cars were involved. Williams was heading to varsity basketball game at Pitman High School at the time of the crash.

    The teen was booked into the Stanislaus County Juvenile Detention Center on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, gross negligence, reckless driving and other charges, according to a press release. 

    Read more about Williams and what he meant to his community here. A GoFundMe was created to support his family and can be found here. 

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  • Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce donates $100,000 to 2 children hurt in Union Station shooting

    Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce donates $100,000 to 2 children hurt in Union Station shooting

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    Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce donates $100,000 to 2 children hurt in Union Station shooting

    NUMBER. WHEN YOU STOP BY. WE HAVE BEEN WATCHING THE EFFORTS TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE FAMILY OF THE WOMAN WHO DIED. THIS GOFUNDME PAGE HAS SAID. BEEN SET UP IN HONOR OF LISA LOPEZ GALVAN THIS MORNING. IT SKYROCKETED THAT THE DONATIONS DID TO NOW OVER $178,000. $100,000 OF THAT IS COMING FROM TAYLOR SWIFT, ACCORDING TO THE TWO WORDS OF SUPPORT MESSAGES SHE DID LEAVE A COUPLE OF IDENTICAL MESSAGES ON THAT GOFUNDME PAGE. LISA LEAVES BEHIND A HUSBAND AND TWO CHILDREN LAST NIGHT DURING CNN’S AC360, WE HEARD FROM LISA’S BROTHER LEE’S SUMMIT MAYOR PRO TEM BETO LOPEZ, ABOUT THE KIND OF PERSON LISA WAS. LISA ABSOLUTELY WAS AN AMAZING WOMAN, UH, GREAT MOTHER, GREAT SISTER, GREAT FRIEND. UH, YES. SHE SHE JUST LOVED HAVING FUN AND HELPING OTHERS. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS THAT SHE DID IN THIS COMMUNITY, UH, ARE GOING TO BE FELT, UH, AND, UH, BADLY. UH, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE HURTING FOR A WHILE WITH WITH HER LOSS, THREE OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS WERE HURT IN THE SHOOTING WEDNESDAY. AND I POSTED A LIN

    Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce donates $100,000 to 2 children hurt in Union Station shooting

    Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has donated $100,000 to two children who were injured in this week’s shooting at the team’s Super Bowl parade and rally. The two $50,000 donations were made to the Reyes Family’s GoFundMe account. According to the page, the gunfire injured their two daughters. “We ask that you continue to keep the family in your prayers as the girls work to recover,” the page says. “This fund will help provide vital financial support for their physical and mental recovery; any leftover funds will be saved for their college funds.” The donations were made under the name Eighty-Seven Running, which is the name of Kelce’s foundation. Taylor Swift, Kelce’s girlfriend, donated the same amount to the family of Elizabeth “Lisa” Lopez-Galvan, the woman killed in the shooting. “Sending my deepest sympathies and condolences in the wake of your devastating loss. With love, Taylor Swift,” a note read on the page.

    Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has donated $100,000 to two children who were injured in this week’s shooting at the team’s Super Bowl parade and rally.

    The two $50,000 donations were made to the Reyes Family’s GoFundMe account.

    According to the page, the gunfire injured their two daughters.

    “We ask that you continue to keep the family in your prayers as the girls work to recover,” the page says. “This fund will help provide vital financial support for their physical and mental recovery; any leftover funds will be saved for their college funds.”

    The donations were made under the name Eighty-Seven Running, which is the name of Kelce’s foundation.

    Taylor Swift, Kelce’s girlfriend, donated the same amount to the family of Elizabeth “Lisa” Lopez-Galvan, the woman killed in the shooting.

    “Sending my deepest sympathies and condolences in the wake of your devastating loss. With love, Taylor Swift,” a note read on the page.

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  • ‘Finally found the one’: Former King Scot Pollard receives heart transplant

    ‘Finally found the one’: Former King Scot Pollard receives heart transplant

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    (FOX40.COM) — After waiting over a week in the hospital, former Sacramento Kings player Scot Pollard has received a heart transplant.

    “He’s going to be in the OR (operation room) for another few hours but they are nearing the end of the surgery. Recovery is going to be crucial. This is just the beginning,” said Dawn Pollard, Scot’s wife, to FOX40.com.

    “Please keep the prayers coming for Scot, the surgeons, for the donor and his family who lost their loved one,” she continued. “This donor gave the most amazing gift of life and we are forever grateful.” 

    Scot Pollard, who played five of his 11 NBA seasons in Sacramento, announced on Feb. 8 that he was admitted to a hospital in the intensive care unit until there is a donor who is a match. 

    The former Kings big man, who stands at 6 feet and 11 inches tall, took multiple trips to the doctor for appointments before being admitted by medical staff. Pollard was admitted to the ICU following a test that determined he should stay and wait at the hospital for his heart. 

    “Our family has been inundated with a lot of love and support, messages, and people praying for us,” Pollard said on his X account on Feb. 8. “We appreciate it. I’m here at the Vanderbilt Hospital. I have the best in the world watching after me.”

    Pollard was diagnosed with a heart disease in March 2021 and remained quiet about his diagnosis until January when he revealed it publicly with a photo of himself in a hospital bed.

    He told FOX40 Sports’ Sean Cunningham that discussions of a heart transplant began in September after months of medication being unsuccessful.

    “I kept quiet for the most part because I was thinking I was going to get better,” Pollard said in the interview. “I kept thinking my heart would heal, the meds were going to work, the procedures were going to work and they’re not. Nothing is working.” 

    Pollard played for the Kings from 1999 to 2003 playing at the center and power forward positions. Before getting traded to Sacramento, Pollard played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks and was later drafted into the NBA by the Detroit Pistons. 

    He also played for the Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics and later retired in 2008. 

    After his playing days, Pollard was a contestant on “Survivor” during the series’ 32nd season in 2016.

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    Jeremiah Martinez

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  • Want to pretend to live on Mars? For a whole year? Apply now

    Want to pretend to live on Mars? For a whole year? Apply now

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    The mission involves a four-person crew working and living together in a 3D-printed, 1,700-square-foot base at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

    WASHINGTON — Calling all wannabe Martians! 

    NASA is searching for volunteers to take part in an isolation experiment simulating what it would be like to be alone on Mars. 

    Yes, just like in the Matt Damon movie. 

    The four volunteers selected would participate in the agency’s next simulated one-year Mars surface mission, which NASA says is designed to help them gather data for their plans to one day have humans explore the red planet. 

    This is the second year-long Mars experiment NASA is conducting. The first one kicked off in June 2023 (meaning the applicants are still in isolation for a few more months). 

    The second of three planned ground-based missions called CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) is scheduled to kick off in spring 2025.

    The missions involve a four-person crew working and living together in a 3D-printed, 1,700-square-foot base at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. 

    The base, called Mars Dune Alpha, is designed to simulate the challenges that will be faced by the first people on the actual planet: resource shortages, equipment failures, communication delays and other stressful situations. 

    If that all sounds familiar, there’s a chance you’re remembering the Andy Weir novel “The Martian” or the Matt Damon sci-fi movie based on it. In the novel and film, Damon’s character must face many of the same challenges NASA is presenting to its simulated Mars astronauts after he is left stranded and left for dead on the isolated planet. 

    How to apply for NASA’s Mars mission simulation

    Applications are open for the second CHAPEA mission until April 2. The mission itself is scheduled to begin sometime in 2025. 

    They’re looking for healthy, non-smoking U.S. citizens between the ages of 30 and 55, who are proficient in English, with a strong desire for “unique, rewarding adventures and interest in contributing to NASA’s work to prepare for the first human journey to Mars. 

    Although the mission is technically open to anybody, NASA does have some strict additional requirements to make it through the screening process – similar to what they require for astronaut candidates. 

    Crew members must have a master’s degree in a STEM field such as engineering, mathematics, biological, physical or computer science. They must also have at least two years of professional STEM experience or a minimum of 1,000 hours piloting an aircraft. 

    NASA will also consider candidates who have completed two years of work towards a doctoral program in one of the fields they’re looking for experience in, as well as applicants who have completed a medical degree or a test pilot program. 

    If an applicant has four years of professional experience, NASA will also consider them if they’ve completed military officer training or have a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field. 

    NASA hasn’t disclosed how much they pay the four almost-astronauts selected for the mission, but the agency says some compensation is available. 

    Potential recruits can apply here. 

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  • KCRA Today: Rocklin neighborhood shooting, retail theft response, Russian opposition leader dies

    KCRA Today: Rocklin neighborhood shooting, retail theft response, Russian opposition leader dies

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    KCRA 3 is rounding up all the information you need to know to get a head start on your day.Here, you’ll find what you missed overnight, what’s happening throughout the day, the forecast and how your commute is shaping up.You can also watch our morning newscasts live from 4-10 a.m. here.WHAT’S HAPPENING IN NORCALRocklin neighborhood in shock after suspects fire over 20 gunshots at a home in a gated community | Rocklin Police are investigating a shooting after two suspects shot over 20 times at a home inside a gated community Tuesday night. Surveillance video viewed by KCRA 3 shows at least two people firing multiple shots into a home on Pebble Beach Road. Read more.California lawmakers pitch proposal to fight retail theft that does not involve Prop 47 | Democratic leaders in the State Assembly on Thursday unveiled a sweeping set of law changes to crack down on organized retail without involving the controversial measure known as Proposition 47. The new proposal is called the California Retail Theft Reduction Act. Among many things, it would create a new crime targeting professional retail thieves with a penalty of up to three years for possession of stolen property with the intent to sell. Read more.San Joaquin County looks to expand behavioral health workforce with scholarships, paid internships | As San Joaquin County faces a shortage of behavioral health workers, a program aimed at helping reduce education costs and paying interns is luring students to finish their master’s degrees. “If you’re looking across the county and you’re looking across all behavioral health services, so mild to moderate through severe – I would not be surprised that it’s a couple hundred to several hundred,” said Christina Gilbert, the San Joaquín County director for Health Force Partners Northern San Joaquin Valley. Read more.Darrell Steinberg describes what he wants the next Sacramento mayor to prioritize | We are just 19 days away from the California primary election. While the top of the ballot will focus on the Presidential race and Senate race, some Sacramento City Council seats are also up for grabs, as well as the office of mayor. Outgoing Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg discussed the type of person he hopes would fill those vacancies. Read more.$25K cash reward offered for information on man wanted for 2012 Solano County murder | Federal officials are offering a cash reward for information that could help lead to the capture of a fugitive wanted for a Solano County murder that happened over a decade ago. Mario Guadalupe Vasquez, 31, is on the FBI’s most wanted list after an attempted robbery led to a deadly shooting along Hayes Street in Fairfield on Feb. 1, 2012. The victim of that shooting was 20-year-old Jesus Adrian “Jessie” Gutierrez Amaya, the FBI said. Read more.WHAT’S HAPPENING ELSEWHEREDispute may have led to the mass shooting after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade, police say | The mass shooting that unfolded amid throngs of people at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration, killing one person and wounding almost two dozen others, appeared to stem from a dispute between several people, authorities said Thursday. Police Chief Stacey Graves said the 22 people injured Wednesday ranged between 8 and 47 years old, with half under 16. A mother of two was killed. Read more.Russia’s prison service says that imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died | Alexei Navalny, the fiercest foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests, died in prison Friday, Russian authorities said. He was 47. Navalny, who was serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism, felt unwell after a walk, according to the Federal Penitentiary Service, and lost consciousness. An ambulance arrived to try to revive him, but he died. It said the cause of death was “being established.” Read more.Former FBI informant charged with lying about the Bidens’ role in Ukraine business | Special counsel David Weiss charged a former FBI informant with lying about President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden’s involvement in business dealings with Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings, undercutting a major aspect of Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into the president. Read more.House Intel Chairman announces ‘serious national security threat,’ sources say it’s Russia-related | The US has new intelligence on Russian military capabilities related to its efforts to deploy a nuclear anti-satellite system in space, according to multiple sources familiar with the intelligence. The intelligence was briefed to Congress and key US allies, and some lawmakers say it is serious enough that it should be declassified and made public. While the intelligence is concerning, multiple senior members of Congress briefed on the information on Wednesday emphasized that it does not pose an immediate threat to the US or its interests. Read more.In fiery testimony, Fani Willis hits back at misconduct claims that threaten future of Trump case | Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis took the witness stand Thursday and forcefully pushed back against what she described as “lies” about her romantic relationship with a special prosecutor during an extraordinary hearing over misconduct allegations that threaten to upend one of four criminal cases against Donald Trump. Read more.The record is hers: Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark breaks NCAA scoring mark | Caitlin Clark’s made plenty of remarkable buckets in her four seasons as an Iowa Hawkeye: wild, acrobatic drives to the hoop, pull-up jumpers with a hand in her face and deep 3-pointers from the halfcourt logo. But the one she made with 7:48 left in the first quarter Thursday against Michigan is the most memorable yet. Read more.REAL-TIME TRAFFIC MAPClick here to see our interactive traffic map.TRACK INTERACTIVE, DOPPLER RADARClick here to see our interactive radar.DOWNLOAD OUR APP FOR THE LATESTHere is where you can download our app.The Associated Press and CNN contributed to this story.

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

    KCRA 3 is rounding up all the information you need to know to get a head start on your day.

    Here, you’ll find what you missed overnight, what’s happening throughout the day, the forecast and how your commute is shaping up.

    You can also watch our morning newscasts live from 4-10 a.m. here.

    WHAT’S HAPPENING IN NORCAL

    Rocklin neighborhood in shock after suspects fire over 20 gunshots at a home in a gated community | Rocklin Police are investigating a shooting after two suspects shot over 20 times at a home inside a gated community Tuesday night. Surveillance video viewed by KCRA 3 shows at least two people firing multiple shots into a home on Pebble Beach Road. Read more.

    California lawmakers pitch proposal to fight retail theft that does not involve Prop 47 | Democratic leaders in the State Assembly on Thursday unveiled a sweeping set of law changes to crack down on organized retail without involving the controversial measure known as Proposition 47. The new proposal is called the California Retail Theft Reduction Act. Among many things, it would create a new crime targeting professional retail thieves with a penalty of up to three years for possession of stolen property with the intent to sell. Read more.

    San Joaquin County looks to expand behavioral health workforce with scholarships, paid internships | As San Joaquin County faces a shortage of behavioral health workers, a program aimed at helping reduce education costs and paying interns is luring students to finish their master’s degrees. “If you’re looking across the county and you’re looking across all behavioral health services, so mild to moderate through severe – I would not be surprised that it’s a couple hundred to several hundred,” said Christina Gilbert, the San Joaquín County director for Health Force Partners Northern San Joaquin Valley. Read more.

    Darrell Steinberg describes what he wants the next Sacramento mayor to prioritize | We are just 19 days away from the California primary election. While the top of the ballot will focus on the Presidential race and Senate race, some Sacramento City Council seats are also up for grabs, as well as the office of mayor. Outgoing Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg discussed the type of person he hopes would fill those vacancies. Read more.

    $25K cash reward offered for information on man wanted for 2012 Solano County murder | Federal officials are offering a cash reward for information that could help lead to the capture of a fugitive wanted for a Solano County murder that happened over a decade ago. Mario Guadalupe Vasquez, 31, is on the FBI’s most wanted list after an attempted robbery led to a deadly shooting along Hayes Street in Fairfield on Feb. 1, 2012. The victim of that shooting was 20-year-old Jesus Adrian “Jessie” Gutierrez Amaya, the FBI said. Read more.

    WHAT’S HAPPENING ELSEWHERE

    Dispute may have led to the mass shooting after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade, police say | The mass shooting that unfolded amid throngs of people at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration, killing one person and wounding almost two dozen others, appeared to stem from a dispute between several people, authorities said Thursday. Police Chief Stacey Graves said the 22 people injured Wednesday ranged between 8 and 47 years old, with half under 16. A mother of two was killed. Read more.

    Russia’s prison service says that imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died | Alexei Navalny, the fiercest foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests, died in prison Friday, Russian authorities said. He was 47. Navalny, who was serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism, felt unwell after a walk, according to the Federal Penitentiary Service, and lost consciousness. An ambulance arrived to try to revive him, but he died. It said the cause of death was “being established.” Read more.

    Former FBI informant charged with lying about the Bidens’ role in Ukraine business | Special counsel David Weiss charged a former FBI informant with lying about President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden’s involvement in business dealings with Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings, undercutting a major aspect of Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into the president. Read more.

    House Intel Chairman announces ‘serious national security threat,’ sources say it’s Russia-related | The US has new intelligence on Russian military capabilities related to its efforts to deploy a nuclear anti-satellite system in space, according to multiple sources familiar with the intelligence. The intelligence was briefed to Congress and key US allies, and some lawmakers say it is serious enough that it should be declassified and made public. While the intelligence is concerning, multiple senior members of Congress briefed on the information on Wednesday emphasized that it does not pose an immediate threat to the US or its interests. Read more.

    In fiery testimony, Fani Willis hits back at misconduct claims that threaten future of Trump case | Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis took the witness stand Thursday and forcefully pushed back against what she described as “lies” about her romantic relationship with a special prosecutor during an extraordinary hearing over misconduct allegations that threaten to upend one of four criminal cases against Donald Trump. Read more.

    The record is hers: Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark breaks NCAA scoring mark | Caitlin Clark’s made plenty of remarkable buckets in her four seasons as an Iowa Hawkeye: wild, acrobatic drives to the hoop, pull-up jumpers with a hand in her face and deep 3-pointers from the halfcourt logo. But the one she made with 7:48 left in the first quarter Thursday against Michigan is the most memorable yet. Read more.

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  • ‘A hero’ | Brother dies protecting his sister from suspected stabber in Stockton

    ‘A hero’ | Brother dies protecting his sister from suspected stabber in Stockton

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    Family and friends grieved Thursday night after Roger Holmes was killed in his home in front of his family.

    STOCKTON, Calif. — A Stockton family is remembering their son as a hero after he was killed trying to protect them in a stabbing Tuesday night.

    The Holmes are still coming to grips with why their 31-year-old son Roger Eugene Foy Holmes was killed at their east Stockton home.

    “He was just a great guy to be around,” said Breanna Homles, the victim’s sister. “He was so fun. He was so loving. He was just overall just a great man.”

    “I would have given him whatever he (the suspect) wanted,” said Tracy Holmes, the victim’s mother. “If he wanted money, I would have gave it to him. He could have anything; he did not have to take my son!”

    Family and friends grieved Thursday night after Holmes was killed in his home in front of his family. Tracy said a man, the Stockton Police identified as 27-year-old Colbrin Mahan, came on their property and threatened to kill them.

    “He told my daughter, ‘I am going kill you,’” said Raymond Holmes, the victim’s father. “My son pushes her out of the way.”

    The Stockton Police Department said a few moments later, Mahan delivered a fatal stab wound and then stabbed Holmes’ 57-year-old father Raymond as he tried to wrestle the knife away.

    “I got stabbed, but my wounds superficial,” said Raymond Holmes, who suffered a nonlife threatening injury. “My son is gone, over senseless violence.”

    Holmes was remembered as a hard worker, who always took care of his family, specifically his mother and grandmother. But now, he’s also remembered as a hero.

    “He is the hero,” said Raymond Holmes. “He protected his sister as the hero. Not me, not me. He is a hero.”

    Mahan is facing several felony charges, including a charge to revoke a Post Release Community Supervision, a form of probation.

    “Why let all these crazy people out,” said Tracy Holmes. “I do not understand it – when they are not ready to come out. They got problems, and they need more help.

    The family said they do not know who the suspected stabber is. But they now hold onto the memories as their son was robbed of a future.

    “He always said that if he had to die, he would die to protect his family,” said Tracy Holmes. “And that is exactly what he did.”

    The Stockton Police Department says this is an ongoing investigation and has not released a motive for the stabbing.

    Mahan remains in jail and is not eligible for bail. He will make his first court appearance on Friday Feb. 16 in Stockton.

    Father killed protecting his son from attackers at Fairfield party, wife says

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  • Greece just legalized same-sex marriage. Will other Orthodox countries join them any time soon?

    Greece just legalized same-sex marriage. Will other Orthodox countries join them any time soon?

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    Greece has become the first majority-Orthodox Christian nation to legalize same-sex marriage under civil law. At least for the near future, it will almost certainly be the only one.Eastern Orthodox leadership, despite lacking a single doctrinal authority like a pope, has been united in opposing recognition of same-sex relationships both within its own rites and in the civil realm. Public opinion in majority Orthodox countries has mostly been opposed, too.But there are some signs of change. Two small majority-Orthodox countries, Montenegro and Cyprus, have authorized same-sex unions in recent years, as did Greece in 2015 before upgrading to this week’s approval of full marital status.Video above: The world’s most welcoming places for 2024Civil unions may become more common among Orthodox countries gravitating toward the European Union. They remain off the table in Russia, which has cracked down on LGBTQ+ expression, and countries in its orbit.Following is a summary of church positions and public opinion in the Orthodox world, followed by the situation in individual majority-Orthodox lands. Eastern Orthodoxy is a socially conservative, ancient church with elaborate rituals and a strict hierarchy. Churches are mostly organized along national lines, with multiple independent churches that share ancient doctrine and practices and that both cooperate and squabble.Roughly 200 million Eastern Orthodox live primarily in Eastern Europe and neighboring Asian lands, with about half that total in Russia, while smaller numbers live across the world. Like other international church bodies, Orthodoxy has confronted calls for LGBTQ+ inclusion. A 2016 statement by a council of most Orthodox churches called marriage between a man and a woman “the oldest institution of divine law” and said members were forbidden from entering same-sex unions.In countries where they are a majority, Orthodox believers overwhelmingly said society should not accept homosexuality or approve same-sex marriage, according to surveys conducted in 2015 and 2016 by the Pew Research Center, a Washington-based think tank.Greek Orthodox showed relative tolerance, with half of Orthodox saying homosexuality should be accepted and a quarter favoring same-sex marriage. In more recent polls, Greeks overall narrowly supported the marriage law.The Greek law validates marriage in the civil realm but doesn’t require any church to perform such rites.Nevertheless, Greece’s Orthodox leadership unanimously opposed the law in January, saying the “duality of genders and their complementarity are not social inventions but originate from God.”Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis acknowledged the church’s position but said, “We are discussing the decisions of the Greek state, unrelated to theological beliefs.”Civil unions may be in some Orthodox countries’ near future, said George Demacopoulos, director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University in New York. “In terms of civil marriage, I think the countries that are in the European Union will eventually all do it,” Demacopoulos said. “My guess is the assemblies of bishops in those countries will offer some resistance to the measure, and depending on where you are, that may or may not delay it.” In Ukraine, same-sex couples cannot register their status legally.In 2023, the issue became acute as many LGBTQ+ people joined Ukraine’s armed forces. That year, a bill was introduced in Parliament to establish civil partnerships for same-sex couples, providing basic rights such as compensation if one of the partners is killed in action.The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations — which includes Ukraine’s two rival Orthodox churches — opposed the draft law, contending that some international entities are using the country’s current vulnerability to force unwanted changes.The legislation remains pending.The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2023 that Ukraine violated the rights of a same-sex couple who sought legal protections provided to married heterosexual couples.Ukraine is majority Orthodox, with various religious minorities. In increasingly conservative Russia, President Vladimir Putin has forged a powerful alliance with the Russian Orthodox Church and has made “traditional family values” a cornerstone of his rule, juxtaposing them with “perversions” of the West.Putin effectively outlawed same-sex marriages in the 2020 constitutional revision that added a clause stipulating that marriage is a union of a man and a woman.In 2013, the Kremlin adopted what’s known as the “gay propaganda” law, banning any public endorsement of “nontraditional sexual relations” among minors.After sending troops into Ukraine in 2022, Russian authorities ramped up a campaign against what it called the West’s “degrading” moral influence, in what rights advocates saw as an attempt to legitimize the war.Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has assailed LGBTQ+ rights. As head of the Russian Orthodox Church, he oversees the world’s largest Orthodox flock. He depicted his country’s invasion of Ukraine as part of a metaphysical struggle against a liberal agenda that included “gay parades.”In November, Russia’s Supreme Court effectively outlawed LGBTQ+ activism, labeling what the government called the LGBTQ+ “international movement” as an extremist group and banning it in Russia. In 2021, a survey by Russia’s top independent pollster, the Levada Center, showed that only 33% of Russians completely or somewhat agree that gay men and women should enjoy the same rights as heterosexuals, a decrease from earlier years. Belarus’s Family Code defines marriage as a “union between a man and a woman.” There is also no legislation prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.Homosexuality was decriminalized in Belarus in 1994, but the LGBTQ+ community faces heavy stigma and high suicide rates, advocates say.Human rights groups report hundreds of cases of the KGB – the country’s main domestic security agency – trying to recruit gay people and threatening to out them. Serbia and Montenegro, two conservative Balkan nations where the Serbian Orthodox Church holds huge influence, have had mixed results addressing LGBTQ+ rights as part of efforts to join the European Union.Tiny Montenegro passed a bill in 2020 allowing same-sex partnerships — not marriage and with fewer rights. In Serbia, a similar draft law never made it to a parliamentary vote.The Serbian Orthodox Church, which maintains close relations with the Russian church, has opposed the idea of same-sex marriages.Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic has said he would not sign off a bill on same-sex marriages, although Serbia has had an openly lesbian prime minister for years. Activists have been campaigning for legal partnerships.Pride marches in Serbia are routinely banned or held under tight security. In Montenegro, though same-sex partnerships are allowed, the highly male-oriented society of 620,000 people remains divided over the issue. Romania is one of the few European Union members that allows neither same-sex marriage nor civil unions, despite a growing social acceptance of LGBTQ+ people.In 2023, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Romania had failed to enforce same-sex couples’ rights by not legally recognizing their relationships. In early February in Romania, LGBTQ+ activists were allegedly assaulted while holding a peaceful protest outside the Bucharest headquarters of the country’s far-right AUR party.In 2018, Romania held a referendum — backed by the Orthodox Church — on whether to narrow the constitutional definition of marriage from a ″union of spouses″ to a ″union between one man and one woman.”Rights campaigners urged Romanians to boycott the vote, which failed due to low turnout.In neighboring Moldova, which isn’t an EU member but has official candidate status, neither same-sex marriages nor unions are allowed. Large majorities in both countries are Orthodox. Public opinion in Bulgaria is mostly hostile to gay people and more so to same-sex marriages. In the Balkan country, patriarchal family traditions still predominate.The European Court of Human Rights last year found that Bulgaria’s government was violating European human rights law in failing to legally recognize same-sex couples. The court also ruled that Bulgaria is obliged to adopt legal recognition for same-sex couples, but Bulgaria shows no signs of implementing the decision.Leaders of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, which includes about 80% of Bulgarians, condemned the ECHR ruling and called on the government not to give in.Bulgaria’s constitution explicitly prohibits the recognition of same-sex marriage. Amending the constitution requires a two-thirds majority in parliament on three consecutive votes. Such a scenario seems remote. Smith reported from Pittsburgh and Litvinova from Tallin, Estonia. Associated Press writers Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia; Yuras Karmanau in Tallin; Stephen McGrath in Bucharest, Romania; Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine; and Veselin Toshkov in Sofia, Bulgaria, contributed to this report.

    Greece has become the first majority-Orthodox Christian nation to legalize same-sex marriage under civil law. At least for the near future, it will almost certainly be the only one.

    Eastern Orthodox leadership, despite lacking a single doctrinal authority like a pope, has been united in opposing recognition of same-sex relationships both within its own rites and in the civil realm. Public opinion in majority Orthodox countries has mostly been opposed, too.

    But there are some signs of change. Two small majority-Orthodox countries, Montenegro and Cyprus, have authorized same-sex unions in recent years, as did Greece in 2015 before upgrading to this week’s approval of full marital status.

    Video above: The world’s most welcoming places for 2024

    Civil unions may become more common among Orthodox countries gravitating toward the European Union. They remain off the table in Russia, which has cracked down on LGBTQ+ expression, and countries in its orbit.

    Following is a summary of church positions and public opinion in the Orthodox world, followed by the situation in individual majority-Orthodox lands.

    Eastern Orthodoxy is a socially conservative, ancient church with elaborate rituals and a strict hierarchy. Churches are mostly organized along national lines, with multiple independent churches that share ancient doctrine and practices and that both cooperate and squabble.

    Roughly 200 million Eastern Orthodox live primarily in Eastern Europe and neighboring Asian lands, with about half that total in Russia, while smaller numbers live across the world. Like other international church bodies, Orthodoxy has confronted calls for LGBTQ+ inclusion.

    A 2016 statement by a council of most Orthodox churches called marriage between a man and a woman “the oldest institution of divine law” and said members were forbidden from entering same-sex unions.

    In countries where they are a majority, Orthodox believers overwhelmingly said society should not accept homosexuality or approve same-sex marriage, according to surveys conducted in 2015 and 2016 by the Pew Research Center, a Washington-based think tank.

    Greek Orthodox showed relative tolerance, with half of Orthodox saying homosexuality should be accepted and a quarter favoring same-sex marriage. In more recent polls, Greeks overall narrowly supported the marriage law.

    The Greek law validates marriage in the civil realm but doesn’t require any church to perform such rites.

    Nevertheless, Greece’s Orthodox leadership unanimously opposed the law in January, saying the “duality of genders and their complementarity are not social inventions but originate from God.”

    Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis acknowledged the church’s position but said, “We are discussing the decisions of the Greek state, unrelated to theological beliefs.”

    Civil unions may be in some Orthodox countries’ near future, said George Demacopoulos, director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University in New York.

    “In terms of civil marriage, I think the countries that are in the European Union will eventually all do it,” Demacopoulos said. “My guess is the assemblies of bishops in those countries will offer some resistance to the measure, and depending on where you are, that may or may not delay it.”

    In Ukraine, same-sex couples cannot register their status legally.

    In 2023, the issue became acute as many LGBTQ+ people joined Ukraine’s armed forces. That year, a bill was introduced in Parliament to establish civil partnerships for same-sex couples, providing basic rights such as compensation if one of the partners is killed in action.

    The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations — which includes Ukraine’s two rival Orthodox churches — opposed the draft law, contending that some international entities are using the country’s current vulnerability to force unwanted changes.

    The legislation remains pending.

    The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2023 that Ukraine violated the rights of a same-sex couple who sought legal protections provided to married heterosexual couples.

    Ukraine is majority Orthodox, with various religious minorities.

    In increasingly conservative Russia, President Vladimir Putin has forged a powerful alliance with the Russian Orthodox Church and has made “traditional family values” a cornerstone of his rule, juxtaposing them with “perversions” of the West.

    Putin effectively outlawed same-sex marriages in the 2020 constitutional revision that added a clause stipulating that marriage is a union of a man and a woman.

    In 2013, the Kremlin adopted what’s known as the “gay propaganda” law, banning any public endorsement of “nontraditional sexual relations” among minors.

    After sending troops into Ukraine in 2022, Russian authorities ramped up a campaign against what it called the West’s “degrading” moral influence, in what rights advocates saw as an attempt to legitimize the war.

    Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has assailed LGBTQ+ rights. As head of the Russian Orthodox Church, he oversees the world’s largest Orthodox flock. He depicted his country’s invasion of Ukraine as part of a metaphysical struggle against a liberal agenda that included “gay parades.”

    In November, Russia’s Supreme Court effectively outlawed LGBTQ+ activism, labeling what the government called the LGBTQ+ “international movement” as an extremist group and banning it in Russia.

    In 2021, a survey by Russia’s top independent pollster, the Levada Center, showed that only 33% of Russians completely or somewhat agree that gay men and women should enjoy the same rights as heterosexuals, a decrease from earlier years.

    Belarus’s Family Code defines marriage as a “union between a man and a woman.” There is also no legislation prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

    Homosexuality was decriminalized in Belarus in 1994, but the LGBTQ+ community faces heavy stigma and high suicide rates, advocates say.

    Human rights groups report hundreds of cases of the KGB – the country’s main domestic security agency – trying to recruit gay people and threatening to out them.

    Serbia and Montenegro, two conservative Balkan nations where the Serbian Orthodox Church holds huge influence, have had mixed results addressing LGBTQ+ rights as part of efforts to join the European Union.

    Tiny Montenegro passed a bill in 2020 allowing same-sex partnerships — not marriage and with fewer rights. In Serbia, a similar draft law never made it to a parliamentary vote.

    The Serbian Orthodox Church, which maintains close relations with the Russian church, has opposed the idea of same-sex marriages.

    Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic has said he would not sign off a bill on same-sex marriages, although Serbia has had an openly lesbian prime minister for years. Activists have been campaigning for legal partnerships.

    Pride marches in Serbia are routinely banned or held under tight security. In Montenegro, though same-sex partnerships are allowed, the highly male-oriented society of 620,000 people remains divided over the issue.

    Romania is one of the few European Union members that allows neither same-sex marriage nor civil unions, despite a growing social acceptance of LGBTQ+ people.

    In 2023, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Romania had failed to enforce same-sex couples’ rights by not legally recognizing their relationships.

    In early February in Romania, LGBTQ+ activists were allegedly assaulted while holding a peaceful protest outside the Bucharest headquarters of the country’s far-right AUR party.

    In 2018, Romania held a referendum — backed by the Orthodox Church — on whether to narrow the constitutional definition of marriage from a ″union of spouses″ to a ″union between one man and one woman.”

    Rights campaigners urged Romanians to boycott the vote, which failed due to low turnout.

    In neighboring Moldova, which isn’t an EU member but has official candidate status, neither same-sex marriages nor unions are allowed.

    Large majorities in both countries are Orthodox.

    Public opinion in Bulgaria is mostly hostile to gay people and more so to same-sex marriages. In the Balkan country, patriarchal family traditions still predominate.

    The European Court of Human Rights last year found that Bulgaria’s government was violating European human rights law in failing to legally recognize same-sex couples. The court also ruled that Bulgaria is obliged to adopt legal recognition for same-sex couples, but Bulgaria shows no signs of implementing the decision.

    Leaders of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, which includes about 80% of Bulgarians, condemned the ECHR ruling and called on the government not to give in.

    Bulgaria’s constitution explicitly prohibits the recognition of same-sex marriage. Amending the constitution requires a two-thirds majority in parliament on three consecutive votes. Such a scenario seems remote.

    Smith reported from Pittsburgh and Litvinova from Tallin, Estonia. Associated Press writers Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia; Yuras Karmanau in Tallin; Stephen McGrath in Bucharest, Romania; Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine; and Veselin Toshkov in Sofia, Bulgaria, contributed to this report.

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