Rain shuts Yosemite, threatens problems at tallest US dam
SAN FRANCISCO — A fierce Northern California storm Friday shut down Yosemite National Park, threatened mudslides in wildfire-ravaged wine country and could present the first test of a partially repaired offshoot of the nation’s tallest dam that nearly collapsed last year.
Recent heavy rainfall has led to problems for a state recovering from devastating wildfires, forcing people to flee their homes repeatedly for fear of debris flows tearing down hillsides stripped bare by flames. But the downpours also have provided relief as parts of California plunged back into drought less than a year after a historic dry stretch.
Rain was falling throughout much of Northern California on Friday, leading Yosemite National Park to ban all visitors as it expects flooding in its tourist-heavy valley. Visitors can no longer enter Yosemite Valley, and those already there will be asked to leave by 5 p.m.
The opener of the San Francisco Giants-Los Angeles Dodgers weekend series was rained out, the first at the Giants ballpark in 12 years.
A couple of hundred miles northwest in wine country scorched during October wildfires, the National Weather Service predicted 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of rainfall through Sunday.
7 killed, scores wounded by Israeli fire in Gaza protest
KHUZAA, Gaza Strip — Thousands of Palestinians protested along Gaza’s sealed border with Israel on Friday, engulfing the volatile area in black smoke from burning tires to try to block the view of Israeli snipers and cheering a Hamas strongman who pledged that the border fence will eventually fall.
Israeli troops opened fire from across the border, killing at least seven Palestinians and wounding 293 others — 25 of them seriously — in the second mass border protest in a week, Gaza health officials said. Hundreds more suffered other injuries, including tear gas inhalation, the officials said.
The deaths brought to at least 29 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since last week.
The latest casualties were bound to draw new criticism from rights groups that have branded Israel’s open-fire orders on the border as unlawful, after Israel’s defense minister warned that those approaching the fence were risking their lives.
The U.N. human rights office said Friday that it has indications that Israeli forces used “excessive force” against protesters last week, when 15 Palestinians were killed or later died of wounds sustained near the border.
An Israeli military spokesman defended the rules of engagement.
“If they are actively attacking the fence, if they are throwing a molotov cocktail that is within striking distance of Israeli troops or similar activities, then those persons, those rioters, become, may become, a target,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus.
Friday’s large crowds suggested that Hamas, the Islamic militant group that has ruled Gaza since a 2007 takeover, might be able to keep the momentum going in the next few weeks. Hamas has called for a series of protests until May 15, the anniversary of Israel’s founding when Palestinians commemorate their mass uprooting during the 1948 war over Israel’s creation.
‘Roseanne’ spurs new look at blue-collar, conservative fare
LOS ANGELES — The instant-hit status of “Roseanne” is triggering the enduring Hollywood impulse to copycat success.
Even with series pilots nearing completion for the 2018-19 TV season, producers are eagerly pitching revivals of sitcoms that, like “Roseanne,” had their day 20 or 30 years ago, according to an industry insider. There are networks and streaming services trying to figure out how to create projects that similarly resonate with viewers, said veteran movie and TV screenwriter Lionel Chetwynd.
The ABC sitcom is part of a still-expanding reboot trend that’s brought TV back to the future and includes revamped versions of “Will & Grace,” ”One Day at a Time” and “The X-Files,” and the upcoming “Murphy Brown.”
That doesn’t mean viewers should prepare for a wave of newcomers aping “Roseanne,” about a working-class family whose matriarch is a supporter of President Donald Trump — as is star and producer Roseanne Barr. Timing aside, there’s the challenge of deciphering and recreating a show’s appeal, especially one led by a brassy personality like Barr and the strong viewpoint she brings to her work.
Some outlets are trying. Chetwynd, an Oscar and Emmy nominee who counts himself among Hollywood’s rare political conservatives, said he received queries from cable channels and streaming networks about developing blue-collar series after Trump’s election and again when “Roseanne” debuted March 27 with exceptional ratings. Initial skepticism about whether viewers would welcome such fare “is now diminished significantly,” he said.