Tag Archives: California

Western Wildfires Threatening Homes; Disrupting Tourism

Tourists and residents around Montana’s Glacier National Park were fleeing a wildfire that is shutting down tourism in the area.

Officials say that most of the part’s major attractions are still open but that flames drove away campers because of the smoke rising over the ridge tops.  Over six square miles of the park have burned during what is considered the height of the tourist season.

Over 600 campers fled the St. Mary Glacier Park KOA Campground and were replaced by fire officials that have turned the camp into a makeshift staging area for fighting the fire.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Meanwhile, a wildfire in California shot flames more than 100 feet into the air and is threatening 200 homes and ranches in the Napa Valley area

The flames had spread to 10 1/2 square miles and the smoke from the fire could be seen in Sacramento and San Francisco.

El Nino Could Be Strongest In 50 Years

Meteorologists say that El Nino could be one of the strongest in the last half century and could bring significant amounts of rainfall to California.

The forecasters say the storms might not break the drought that has gripped the Golden State.

“Current rain deficits are way too large,” stated AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bernie Rayno to Fox News. “Even if California receives the rain that fell in 1997-98, it will not come close to ending the long-term drought.”

California currently has 71 percent of the state in “extreme to exceptional drought” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

The forecasters at AccuWeather say that the heavy rains could be problems for California.

“A strong El Niño could be good news for the extreme drought in California,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said. “Unfortunately, a sudden turn to a stormy winter could also result in dangerous mudslides and flash flooding for the state.”

However, it’s not just California officials and forecasters that are concerned about El Nino.  Texas officials say the change to El Nino could bring significant flooding to the Lone Star State.

“The latest global model shows that in August, we’re dry in the lower Mississippi Valley and the Southeast, but wet in the Four Corners with the monsoon kicking,” Paul Pastelok, chief long-range forecaster for AccuWeather said to the Dallas Morning News. “Then you look at September, and the upper high breaks down. The Four Corners region is still wet, but some of that moisture starts to leak out. And when we get to October, the model has northern Texas with moderately above-normal rainfall.”

“After that, we’ll see a bull’s-eye for precipitation just east of Dallas into Louisiana.”

Freak Rainstorm Washes Away California Highway Bridge

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) confirmed that heavy rains in a remote desert area of California has washed away an elevated part of Interstate 10 including a highway.

The CHP told the Los Angeles Times that 30 feet of the eastbound highway “is washed away and bridge is gone.”

The highway, the most direct route between Los Angeles and Phoenix, averages more than 20,000 cars a day.  Now the vehicles will have to travel hundreds of miles out of the way Interstate 8 or Interstate 40.

Forecasters say the storm was a foreshadowing of what could be striking California later this year with a strong El Nino season.  Tropical Storm Dolores, which roared far off the Mexican and California coasts, allowed for muggy and rainy weather to reach an area decimated by crippling drought.

“Even though Dolores is a pretty good wake-up call for us, we should start preparing for late August or early September,” Stuart Seto, an National Weather Service specialist, said to the Los Angeles Times.

The storms that blew through Southern California brought flash flooding in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.  The storms brought dangerous lightning, hail and high surf to the region.

The storm was so rare for this time of the year that the Anaheim Angels baseball team had a game against the Boston Red Sox rained out…the first rainout for the team in 20 years and 1,609 consecutive home games.

Wildfires Ravage California

The years-long drought in California is causing the perfect conditions for wildfires like the two currently raging in Southern California.

A fire in Santa Clarity has burned over 350 acres so far and has forced more than 1,000 people to flee their homes.

“I saw a fire in my neighbor’s backyard. That’s when I said, ‘Okay, it’s time to go,'” one resident said. “The next thing you know, they’re banging on my door, get out, get out!”

Officials say that this year’s fire season is starting months ahead of schedule.

“Our fuel moisture is running about where we would typically see it in August. So right now we’ve got pretty volatile conditions, and as we start getting into drier weather, we’re gonna see a lot more fire activity,” Los Angeles County Fire Department public information officer Tony Imbrenda told CBS.

The largest fire, the “Lake Fire”, has burned almost 26,000 acres since June 17th and is burning into the forest toward Heartbreak Ridge.  The fire is about 19% contained and according to the U.S. Forest Service has cost $17.6 million to fight to this point.

Fire officials say they have been hampered by residents flying drone aircraft to get images of the fire.  Because of those drones, officials had to suspend flights dropping water or flame-retardants.

Woman Fined $2,000 For Feeding Homeless

A Christian woman is facing a fine of $2,000 for feeding the homeless in San Antonio.

Joan Cheever has been serving hot plates of food to the homeless in the city since 2005.  Cheever is well known for using her food truck and helping those in need.  She’s appeared on national TV shows like Rachael Ray, she’s been photographed with various city leaders and is known among the homeless as someone who reflects Jesus in her care for them.

Then earlier this month Cheever was shocked when some San Antonio police showed up to harass her and her staff for their act of charity.

Cheever said she asked the cops, “What’s the problem?” and they replied, “You.”

‘One of the police officers said, “Ma’am, if you want to pray, go to church,” and I said, “This is how I pray. When I cook this food and deliver it to the people who are less fortunate,’ Cheever told News 4 San Antonio.

While they were forced to leave that day, they didn’t let the intimidation stop them.

‘I came back to the park the following Tuesday and was met with 100 people who had candles and signs,’ Cheever said. ‘This isn’t only about The Chow Train. It’s about every non-profit and every person who wants to do a good thing, but are intimidated by the $2,000 fine and possible arrest. So we’re just going to keep rolling on.’

Cheever has hired a lawyer to help her fight the city.

Advocates for the homeless around the country are standing behind Cheever.

“We’re all human,” said Megan Hustings of the National Coalition for the Homeless. “Giving someone a sandwich at a park is not going to keep them in homelessness; it’s not encouraging anyone to remain homeless. This is just an act of charity, and do we really want to criminalize that in our society? This is a moral issue.“

“Real Housewives Of Orange County” Star Gets Baptized

Tamra Judge, one of the stars of the TV show “Real Housewives of Orange County”, has accepted Christ and been baptized.

She is proclaiming forgiveness for her ex-husband after a messy divorce and child custody battle.  She said during her baptism ceremony that she hopes they will be able to grow into a peaceful relationship for the benefit of their children.

She came to Christ after a friend invited her to church.

“I was never baptized as a kid, and I was never brought up in church and I haven’t raised my kids in the church, it was something that was very foreign to me,” she shared. “When I was going through everything I was going through, I was at work one day and this woman came up to me at my studio — she goes ‘would you like to go to church with me?’ and I said ‘yes.'”

“So I took my kids to church and [my husband] Eddie went with me and my life just kind of changed, it was very powerful. And I think that with religion and accepting the Lord into your life and your heart, it’s a personal journey.”

People who had watched the show over the years have been critical of Judge, saying that her conversion isn’t real and just for the show.

“I got baptized on the show and [Bravo] has been using that for all their commercials so I talked with my pastor about it and he said ‘listen, being on a reality show and showing this, you’re probably going to get a lot of negative feedback,'” Judge recalled. “And I said ‘I know; I don’t know if I want to do it, because there could be a lot of negative about it and people can say she’s just doing that because she had a bad year last year.’”

“I think in the past six months I’ve felt like a new person, but it’s just one of those things where I wanted to make it right with the Lord and I knew the journey I was on. I’m not saying like, I’m perfect and I’m not saying I’m at church every single Sunday. I try to go every Sunday, I’m joining a Bible study … as you know, your mindset changes [after being baptized].”

InterVarsity Allowed Back On California Campuses

A Christian student organization that was banned from official recognition on California state college campuses has been returned to full status.

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship had been banned from the CSU school system because of a decision by CSU that all student groups could not discriminate based on a list of items which included religion.  This meant the Christian organization could not require their leadership to be Christians.  When the group refused to sign an agreement to support the new regulations, they were removed from campus for the 2014-2015 school year.

InterVarsity announced that the school has now reversed course and will officially recognize InterVarsity as a student group.

“Following substantive and cordial ongoing conversations, CSU clarified the intent and reach of Executive Order 1068,” InterVarsity president Jim Lundgren said in the release. “We are confident we can choose leaders who are qualified to lead InterVarsity’s witnessing communities throughout the Cal State system.”

“InterVarsity’s Christian faith compels us to welcome all people,” Lundgren said. “We support CSU in its commitment to serve the diversity of students on its campuses. In fact, InterVarsity communities are some of the most diverse groups on Cal State’s campuses. At the same time, we maintain our commitment to provide campus communities that are clearly Christian, where all students can experience and learn more about Christian community, theology, and practice. We’re grateful for this development and are looking forward to continued ministry on CSU campuses.”

During their time of exile, the group could not recruit students at activity fairs and were banned from free use of school meeting rooms.

The group noted that the fight for Christians to have equal access to school facilities continues at places such as Grinnell College, Tufts University, SUNY Buffalo and Bowdoin College.  In addition, Vanderbilt University drove Christians groups off its campus with a similar policy as that of the CSU system.

California Senate Approved Assisted Death Legislation

The California State Senate has passed a bill that will allow some elderly and disabled residents to seek assistance in killing themselves with an overdose of drugs.

The senate passed the bill 23-14 despite passionate opposition speaking out for the sanctity of life.

The bill was driven by legislators using the story of Brittany Maynard, the 29-year-old California woman who moved to Oregon so she could establish residency and qualify to be given drugs to kill herself.  Maynard promoted her death online for weeks before she ended her life.

Maynard’s family was in the Senate chamber and spoke to reporters on behalf of the legislators who supported the measure.

Critics were intense in their opposition.  Leaders with the Catholic Church said that “assisted suicide is against the will of God.”

Senator Jeff Stone, who opposes the measure, said that the state could become a haven for “death tourism.”

“What’s going to be the new theme of the state of California?” Stone asked. “Come play, live and die in California?”

The bill is modeled on Oregon’s law.

Pro-Abortionist Sympathizers In California Legislature Pass “Bully Bill”

A bill that pro-life organizations call the “bully bill” requiring pregnancy care centers to inform women about abortion and provide locations to obtain an abortion has passed the California Assembly.

AB 775, titled the “Reproductive FACT Act” was written by a Democratic assemblyman specifically targeting pregnancy care centers that do not provide abortion services or information.

“The author contends that, unfortunately, there are nearly 200 licensed and unlicensed clinics known as crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) in California whose goal is to interfere with women’s ability to be fully informed and exercise their reproductive rights, and that CPCs pose as full-service women’s health clinics, but aim to discourage and prevent women from seeking abortions,” the bill written by Assemblyman David Chiu reads.

Chin and fellow Democrats placed in the bill language that requires any pregnancy care center to give in print to clients a statement that reads: “California has public programs that provide immediate free or low-cost access to comprehensive family planning services (including all FDA-approved methods of contraception), prenatal care, and abortion, for eligible women. To determine whether you qualify, contact the county social services office at (telephone number).”

The Assembly voted 49-26 to pass the bill and send it to the Senate.

Republican Jim Patterson, who co-founded a pregnancy care center and adopted two children, spoke against the bill and voted against approval.

“It is an effort to force objectionable, state-mandated speech on pro-life pregnancy care centers which have freely formed in order to compassionately present alternative views—views which are rightly protected by the Constitution,” he said. “To force these centers to post and to distribute how to obtain free abortions cuts to the core of their founding purpose and their reason for being.”

“Two of my adopted children and all three of my grandchildren are the living witnesses of the profound and life-affirming options these centers provide,” Patterson continued. “Privately-funded pregnancy resource centers, and the compassionate people who volunteer at them, have a First Amendment right to freedom of speech. And it is our duty as officers of the state of California to protect that right, not to assault it.”

California Bill Would Overturn Government Mandate Churches Pay For Abortions

A proposed bill in California is aiming to overturn an order of the California Department of Managed Health Care that requires all insurance companies in the state to cover abortions, effectively forcing all churches and religious groups to pay for abortions.

“Abortion is a basic health care service,” Director Michelle Rouillard wrote to the seven insurance companies that refused to offer coverage.“All health plans must treat maternity services and legal abortion neutrally.”

The action of the CDMHC was widely believed to be in response to two Roman Catholic/Jesuit universities to no longer pay for abortions.

California Assembly member Shannon Grove has presented a proposal that would overturn the mandate along with making it illegal for entities to be punished in any way for not providing abortion coverage.

“Notwithstanding any other law, a health care service plan is not required to include abortion as a covered benefit. The director shall not deny, suspend, or revoke the license of, or otherwise sanction or discriminate against, a licensee on the basis that the licensee excludes coverage for abortions pursuant to this section,” A.B. 1254 reads.

Casey Mattox of the Alliance Defending Freedom testified in support of the bill.

“Assembly Bill 1254 would simply restore the status quo ante and ensure California’s continued compliance with its obligations under the Weldon Amendment,” he stated. “It would not prohibit insurers from covering any legal health service, but religious employers would remain free, as before, to contract for insurance plans that did not require them to pay for abortions.”

“Churches and other religious employers should not be coerced by the government into violating their fundamental beliefs by being party to elective abortion,” Mattox continued. “When Congress enacted the Weldon Amendment, it sought to ensure that the government could never strong-arm pro-life employers into paying for abortion coverage. California is blatantly ignoring federal law and pushing its abortion ideology on citizens while still receiving taxpayer money.”