‘El Greco. Santo Domingo el Antiguo' Review: Awe-Inspiring Altarpieces
Madrid
The conventual church of Santo Domingo el Antiguo in Toledo, Spain, played a crucial role in the life and work of Doménikos Theotokópoulos, better known as El Greco. It was there that the painter received his first major Spanish commission, a complex series of altarpiece paintings. Thirty-seven years later, he was buried there, watched over by one of his final works.
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Axios
3 hours ago
- Axios
Portuguese is the third most-spoken language in Utah
Portuguese, Chinese and German are the three most commonly spoken languages in Utah, other than English and Spanish, per new census data. Why it matters: The myriad languages spoken across the state reflect the settlement and colonization of centuries long past, as well as more modern immigration patterns. By the numbers: Just over 13,800 people speak Portuguese in Utah, followed by 9,100 Chinese speakers and 8,500 German speakers, per the census data. That is a fraction of the 310,300 Spanish speakers in the Beehive State. The survey data represents the languages spoken at home from 2017 to 2021 among people five years and older in the U.S. The intrigue: Portuguese is prevalent in Utah in part because the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has ties to Brazil. The South American country is home to 1.5 million church members, according to church statistics. As of 2022, about 7,700 foreign-born residents of Utah hailed from Brazil, according to Portuguese is the top language after English and Spanish in four other states: Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Between the lines: Nationally, many multilingual people speak one language at home with family, but use English at work, school and elsewhere. Just over 60% of people who speak a language other than English at home also say they speak English "very well," per the census data. Zoom out: Chinese, Tagalog and Vietnamese are the three most common languages spoken in the U.S. after English and Spanish, per the census data.
Miami Herald
17 hours ago
- Miami Herald
‘They eat everything': Wild pigs increase around the Bay Area, causing headaches for homeowners, parks and water agencies
The wildlife you see on your next hiking trip? The rustle in your backyard at night? It might not be a raccoon or a deer. A steady increase in the population of wild pigs - a marauding, non-native animal that can grow sharp tusks and weigh 250 pounds or more - is causing growing problems for parks, water districts and homeowners across the Bay Area. The hogs wallow in streams, dig up lawns and gardens, eat endangered plants and animals and occasionally charge at people. They carry diseases like swine fever and can spread pathogens like E. coli to crops in farm fields. "We've seen the impacts increasing," said Doug Bell, wildlife program manager at the East Bay Regional Park District in Oakland. "They are omnivores. They vacuum up California quail, Alameda whipsnakes and other wildlife. They eat everything. They'll come in and destroy lawns and all your landscaping overnight. Sometimes people can be hurt by them. We had a hiker who was run over by a wild boar and injured her leg. A firefighter was knocked down by one in 2020. They can be frightening." Hoping to slow the spread of the ravenous razorbacks, several large public land agencies are expanding their efforts to trap and kill the animals. Last month, the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, an agency in San Jose that has preserved 30,000 acres of land for hiking, biking, horse riding and wildlife, approved spending $243,000 to hire a contractor, Full Boar Trapping and Wildlife Control, based in Contra Costa County, to trap and shoot wild pigs over the next three years on its properties. Typically, trappers set up circular net pens and bait them with fermented corn. The pigs enter and can't get out. Sometimes temporary metal corrals are used, with gates that can be observed on video cameras and closed remotely. Trappers also use smaller cage traps. Because it's illegal in California to release trapped wild animals elsewhere, the pigs are shot and often taken to landfills or rendering plants. "We are seeing a lot more pig damage," said Aaron Hébert, natural resources manager with the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. "Trying to control the population and not just trying to haze them is now part of the strategy." Domestic pigs first came to California in 1769 with Spanish explorers. But things went hog wild starting in 1924. That's when George Gordon Moore, an eccentric Canadian millionaire, purchased Rancho San Carlos, a 22,000-acre ranch in Carmel Valley. He held polo matches and hosted lavish parties with movie stars and wealthy Jazz Age captains of industry. To hunt with guests, he introduced Russian boars. Not surprisingly, some escaped. They bred with local pigs and spread far and wide. Now they are in 56 of California's 58 counties. The animals are legal for sport hunters to shoot, like deer or ducks. Last year, 3,327 wild pigs were reported killed by hunters in California, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. But their population keeps growing. Females can have up to two litters per year, with as many as 10 piglets per litter. There aren't exact population totals. But from 2013 to 2017, 489 pigs a year on average were killed by the East Bay Regional Park District, East Bay Municipal Utility District, and state parks in Contra Costa and Alameda counties, according to a study by East Bay Parks. That number doubled to 944 between 2018 and 2022. In December, East Bay Parks published a plan it compiled with other agencies to do more. The study showed that the animals, found commonly around Mount Diablo, Calaveras Reservoir and the Dublin Hills, would grow tenfold without a hunting and trapping program. It recommended agencies work together to use drones with thermal imaging to track the pigs at night, fit some with GPS collars, put fencing around sensitive areas - although that can cost $20,000 a mile and block other wild animals - collect better data, and enlist the public's help through a hotline or website to report sightings. "We are trying to go from being reactive to proactive in the wider region," Bell said. In the South Bay, the Santa Clara Valley Water District in December signed a five-year, $125,000 contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to trap and kill wild pigs on land it owns at Anderson Reservoir and Coyote Ridge east of San Jose. After the water district drained Anderson Reservoir in 2020 to replace its aging dam for earthquake safety, wild pigs began coming out of the Diablo Range. They would walk across the dry lake bed, and wreck lawns in the Holiday Lake Estates neighborhood and other residential areas between San Jose and Morgan Hill. "In some cases, there are 25 or more pigs at a time," said Sean Mulligan, a Holiday Lake Estates resident. "They are doing damage. People are building fences. They are causing hillside erosion, digging into lawns." For several years, water district officials told angry residents there was nothing they could do. The residents got a lawyer and argued the district was violating the California Environmental Quality Act by not dealing with the problem as part of the dam project. "We didn't have any activity until they drained the lake," Mulligan said. "Then the pigs started showing up." Since January, trappers have killed 24 wild pigs around Anderson Reservoir and at nearby Coyote Ridge, said John Bourgeois, a deputy operating officer of the district, "This is an effort to be a good neighbor," he said. "It's been in the works for a while." Multiple land managers said three wet winters in a row in Northern California have caused an increase in grasses, acorns and other food for wild pigs, which is believed to be why their numbers are growing steadily. "We do get complaints," said Bell, of East Bay Parks. "People will call up and say, 'Your pigs are destroying our property.' When 10 or 20 run through a neighborhood, it can be kind of frightening if you have small children and pets. We respond to that and increase trapping. But it's a constant effort." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Chicago Tribune
18 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
United Way officials encouraged by awareness of 211 services; ‘We're very excited about the results of the … survey'
Awareness of the 211 Lake County service offered by United Way of Lake County to help people with a variety of needs — from paying for rent or a utility bill, to escaping domestic violence, to mental health, to legal issues and more — is growing and exceeding expectations, officials say. Three years after it was started in 2019, a survey commissioned by United Way showed 21.5% of county residents were aware of the telephone service's existence. Three years later, Gale Graves, the organization's vice president of community impact, said people are substantially more aware. After the initial survey, Graves said a second study was ordered earlier this year to determine whether the efforts to let people know how the service can help were fruitful. 'We're very excited about the results of the awareness survey,' she said, 'In 2022, we were told 15% (awareness) would be good, and we did 21.5%. Our awareness in Lake County is increasing even more. With a third aware, we are drawing awareness across the county.' Awareness of United Way's 211 service grew 63.4% between 2022 and 2025, with 33.4% of residents surveyed cognizant of the assistance across Lake County. The organization is using the latest survey results to help it plan for the future. Though anyone in Lake County might need to call 211, Graves said a larger percentage are those living below the poverty level, 8%, or who do not earn a living wage, 26%, are knowledgeable. ''People who are not earning a living wage' means they are not earning enough to be able to afford basic needs like housing, utilities or healthcare,' Graves said. 'They are not able to afford all the basics.' Among people or families with income less than $50,000 a year, Jennifer Strom, United Way's director of marketing and communications, said in an email awareness is higher, with 43.5% of the subgroup knowledgeable. Strom said a large number of calls come from people dealing with homelessness and needing shelter, recovering from substance abuse, those with mental health needs or crime victims. They are referred to partner agencies specializing in their situations. 'Some of our partner agencies serve the Spanish-speaking and immigrant communities,' Strom said. For those not speaking English or Spanish, Graves said there are interpretation services for 150 languages including Polish, Korean, Hindi, Russian, Ukrainian, Tagalog, Urdu and Mandarin. Part of the reason for the growth in awareness exceeding expectations comes from United Way's outreach to the county's Spanish-speaking community. Newspaper and radio commercials were done in both languages, according to a press release. Materials are multicultural. Between Jan. 1 and March 31 of this year, 211 has reached 14,884 community contacts and 1,300 people have been trained to use the service, according to the release. The training is done in both English and Spanish. Graves said United Way regularly goes to community events and holds workshops to both increase awareness and teach people how to use the 211 service. There is also contact with community partners who specialize in particular needs. 'We talk to people to make them aware of 211,' Graves said. 'We do trainings with people to teach them how to use 211.' Community partners include Family First of Lake County, NIRCO, school districts, HACES, Mano a Mano, libraries, the YWCA and more.
