Latest news with #AndrewSchwartz
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
Teen drowns near Coney Island Boardwalk: NYPD
An 18-year-old man drowned off of Coney Island Beach this week, the NYPD said. A lifeguard spotted a man Wednesday floating in the water near the Coney Island Boardwalk and pulled the unconscious and unresponsive teen out of the water, Gothamist reported. The teenager was pulled out of the water Wednesday by a heroic lifeguard but was unresponsive. Andrew Schwartz / Advertisement The unidentified 18-year-old was taken to Coney Island Hospital in critical condition and later pronounced dead, cops said. The victim was spotted not far from the Coney Island Cyclone, according to the Daily News. This is at least the third person to drown at a city beach this summer, according to the outlet. Advertisement The body was spotted not far from the famed Coney Island Cyclone rollercoaster. Andrew Schwartz / Last year, a pair of teenage girls also drowned at Coney Island Beach after they ran into the water during a rain storm. New York's Lake George ranks as the seventh most dangerous summer vacation spot, according to a recent study.
San Francisco Chronicle
7 days ago
- Climate
- San Francisco Chronicle
New lightning sensors could detect Tahoe wildfires in seconds. Here's how they work
When thunderstorms rolled across the Sierra Nevada in late July, officials warned that lightning could ignite wildfires in forested areas loaded with dry vegetation. Thousands of lightning bolts struck the Sierra Nevada and sparked dozens of small fires, but officials generally can't determine which strikes ignite wildfires unless people or webcams report smoke. A new network of sensors installed across the Tahoe basin could change that, letting firefighters deploy more rapidly. The network could allow firefighters to catch blazes before they burn out of control. Many of California's largest wildfires were caused by lightning, most notably in 2020 from a massive thunderstorm outbreak. Eight sensors were installed across the Tahoe basin, including at ski resorts, fire departments and the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab, which spearheaded the project. 'It sounds a bit like 'Star Wars,' but they sense a disturbance in the electromagnetic field and are able to map a lightning strike,' said Andrew Schwartz, director of the snow lab. The high-risk lightning detectors come from Fire Neural Network, a Florida company that has installed detection networks across the West, including San Bernardino County. Unlike other lightning detection technology, the network pinpoints where a lightning strike occurs while simultaneously analyzing meteorological and environmental data to determine which bolts have the highest risk of sparking a wildfire. The company says it can accurately map strikes within 100 feet of where they touch down. Not all lightning strikes are the same. Some release more energy than others, making them more likely to start wildfires. But these high-risk bolts make up only a small portion of all lightning, said Fire Neural Network co-founder Caroline Comeau. 'Our sensors are able to distinguish those lightning strikes that last extra long,' Comeau said. 'They last up to 1,000 times longer, creating a lot more heating than a regular strike.' Thunderstorms that rattled the Tahoe region from July 22 to 29 dropped 723 lightning strikes. Fire Neural Network determined that 41 of those bolts were most likely to start fires, according to Comeau. Wildfire detection technology in California is much more advanced than it was a decade ago. UC San Diego's webcam network utilizes artificial intelligence and has detected more than 1,200 fires across California since 2023. But Comeau says even more rapid detection is needed. Within 40 seconds, Fire Neural Network's algorithm calculates which strikes have a high probability of starting fires and alerts authorities. 'If a camera system picks up the smoke above the tree line, that's often too late,' Comeau said. Extra warning time for evacuations could be a game changer for Lake Tahoe. It could take up to 11 hours to flee South Lake Tahoe during a wildfire. 'There's effectively a higher risk around the Tahoe basin because it's a higher populated area and there's limited evacuation routes,' Schwartz said. 'There's a bit of anxiety about fires that start in the Tahoe basin, and these extra detectors could be useful there.' Still, some scientists are skeptical of Fire Neural Network's claims about pinpoint strike accuracy and efficiency. 'I would like to see validation of those claims,' said Chris Vagasky, a meteorologist and manager of the Wisconsin Environmental Mesonet. Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit chief Marcus Hernandez has not yet 'seen a correlation between what they determine to be a high-risk lightning strike and an ignition.' If the network is able to provide firefighters with proper early warning, it could help mitigate the growing number of megafires in a warmer, drier climate.
New York Post
24-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
What to know about NYC Mayoral Primary Election Day — and when to expect results
Democracy will be hot. Thousands of New Yorkers are set to head to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots in the hotly-contested mayoral primary election — but it'll be another week before voters learn who will be the Democratic nominee. Polls citywide are set to open at 6 a.m., with the temperatures reaching a sweltering 102 degrees before voting ends at 9 p.m. in what is shaping up to be the hottest day of a heat wave. 9 Thousands of New Yorkers are set to head to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots in the hotly-contested mayoral primary election. Getty Images A staggering 400,000 New Yorkers already cast their ballots during the early voting period of June 14-22. But the winner of the ranked-choice mayoral primary contest — pitting former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani — won't be announced until July 1, the city Board of Elections has said. When do polls close? 9 A staggering 400,000 New Yorkers already cast their ballots during the early voting period of June 14-22. Andrew Schwartz / The more than 1,200 polling sites around the city will open their doors at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Primary Election Day, and close at 9 p.m. Voters will have to brave the scorching heat to cast their votes, with temperatures expected to reach record-breaking levels. The scorching temps could handicap frontrunner Cuomo's comeback bid, as it might lower turnout among his supporters, who tend to be older and more moderate. 9 The more than 1,200 polling sites around the city will open their doors at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Primary Election Day, and close at 9 p.m. Getty Images The dark-horse hopeful, Mamdani, has cut into Cuomo's commanding lead over the past few months, narrowing the gap to about 10 points, according to recent polls. One poll from Emerson College Polling/Pix 11/The Hill released Monday even had him winning by a narrow 2-1 margin in the eighth round of ranked-choice voting. Also running for the Dem nomination are: City Comptroller Brad Lander, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, state Sens. Zellnor Myrie and Jessica Ramos, former comptroller Scott Stringer, the Rev. Michael Blake and businessman Whitney Tilson. When will we learn the results? 9 The dark-horse hopeful, Mamdani, has cut into Cuomo's commanding lead over the past few months, narrowing the gap to about 10 points. Andrew Schwartz / Once polls close, results should start pouring in every five minutes with updates coming from each of the voting locations. The Board of Elections says results should be in by 10 p.m. — sort of. New Yorkers will actually only learn how each candidate performed in the first round of voting on Tuesday night. It will take the BOE another week to tally up the rest of the ballot answers and ultimately declare a winner. What happens next? 9 Once polls close, results should start pouring in every five minutes with updates coming from each of the voting locations. Robert Miller Over the next week, BOE employees will collect the approximately 3,600 hard drives voting machines at each of the polling locations — and then run through the rank-choice voting results. A winner is selected once they nab more than 50% of the vote. That result is slated to be released on July 1, by 12 p.m., the BOE said. Under ranked-choice voting, New Yorkers list their top five candidates and the candidate with the lowest number of top picks is eliminated. 9 A winner is selected once they nab more than 50% of the vote. That result is slated to be released on July 1, by 12 p.m. Getty Images Their votes are then divvied up among the remaining candidates based on voters' second choices, and so on, until just one person remains with the majority of the ballots. The process could prove to be a boon for Mamdani, who has cross-endorsed with two of the other candidates, Lander and Blake, in an attempt to grow his voter base. Cuomo shockingly convinced Ramos to effectively end her own campaign and back his bid, though she had previously referred to him as an aging man with a failing memory. If candidates lose the primary, can they still run in the general election? 9 The process could prove to be a boon for Mamdani, who has cross-endorsed with two of the other candidates, Lander and Blake. Michael Nagle The winner of the Democratic primary will secure a prominent position come November, but some of the losers are expected to continue their campaigns, creating a chaotic, extended election season. If Cuomo fails to hold onto his lead, after being the frontrunner for months, the ex-gov has filed petitions to run on an unnamed independent line on the general election ballot. The left-wing Working Families Party is expected to ride the momentum of Mamdani's campaign and give him their line in the general election. 9 The winner of the Democratic primary will secure a prominent position come November. via REUTERS They will take on Republican presumptive nominee Curtis Sliwa, independent Jim Walden and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who has yet to iron out the kinks in his independent bid. Follow The Post's coverage of the NYC mayoral race 9 The left-wing Working Families Party is expected to ride the momentum of Mamdani's campaign and give him their line in the general election. Getty Images What else is on the ballot? Two other citywide offices will be on the ballot Tuesday, including primaries for comptroller and public advocate. The borough presidents, district attorneys and councilmember races will also be on the ballots, varying by location.
