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Quick Fix: Tortilla strips a colorful addition to taco salad

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:50 GMT

Linda Gassenheimer | Tribune News ServiceHere’s a new take on one of America’s very popular Tex-Mex dishes: the taco salad. It has the flavors of a handheld taco but with a new twist. Instead of using tortilla chips, I use tortilla strips. When I found multicolored ones ready-made at the market, I decided they would make a colorful, crunchy addition to a salad. A dressing made with salsa mixed with yogurt adds a little extra spice.I use shrimp in this salad, but you can use chicken, beef or even any leftover protein you might have on hand.Helpful Hints:— You can use broken tortilla chips instead of tortilla strips.— You can use any type of cheese.— If your chili powder or ground cumin is more than 6 months old, it’s best to buy new ones.— You can use any type of salsa.— Place frozen corn kernel in a strainer and run hot water over them to quickly defrost them.Countdown:— Assemble all ingredients.— Mix dressing together and set aside.— Make salad.Shopping List:To buy: 1 jar salsa, 1 ...

The Ravens need to draft a cornerback. Here’s who could be available when they pick.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:50 GMT

After finally resolving their long contract stalemate with quarterback Lamar Jackson on Thursday, the Ravens entered the NFL draft with two clear needs: cornerback and wide receiver.With some top cornerback prospects still on the board — including Maryland’s Deonte Banks, Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. and Georgia’s Kelee Ringo — at pick No. 22, the Ravens took Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers, adding a playmaker to an offense that wants to improve its passing game.That leaves a glaring hole at cornerback entering Day 2 of the draft, which includes Rounds 2 and 3 and begins Friday at 7 p.m. With just four more picks — Nos. 86 (third round), 124 (fourth round), 157 (fifth round) and 199 (sixth round) — after trading their second-rounder to the Chicago Bears last season for linebacker Roquan Smith, the Ravens have only a few chances to address their biggest remaining need.With the help of Pro Football Network’s industry consensus b...

2023 NFL draft tracker: Bryan Bresee, former No. 1 overall recruit at Damascus, picked by Saints at No. 29

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:50 GMT

Here’s a look at where the top local prospects have been picked during the 2023 NFL draft.This story will be updated.Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (No. 29 overall to New Orleans Saints)Bryan Bresee has a lengthy list of career accomplishments already at the age of 21. As a standout football player at Damascus High School, he was named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year, an All-American and, by some scouting services, the No. 1 overall recruit in the country. At Clemson, he was a freshman All-American and, despite an ACL injury, an all-conference player.He added another accolade Thursday: first-round NFL draft pick. The 6-foot-5, 298-pound defensive tackle was picked No. 29 overall by the New Orleans Saints.Bresee terrorized opposing teams on the hardwood and the gridiron in high school, averaging a double-double on the basketball court and racking up 35 career sacks on the football field. That continued in college, where he won Atlantic Coast Conference Defe...

See how COVID deaths are plummeting this spring

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:50 GMT

March saw one of the lowest death tolls since the virus first overwhelmed hospitals and intensive care units in early 2020. Nearly 8,800 Americans died in March, the lowest monthly death total since last summer. But the virus continues to be a significant health threat for the elderly and others with compromised health.Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California Department of Public Health (By Harriet Blair Rowan/Bay Area News Group)Across the country, an average of nearly 300 people died from the virus every day in March. Who is dying still?“They tend to be over 75,” said Dr. Chin-Hong, a UCSF professor of medicine who specializes in infectious diseases. “And they tend to have gotten the first two shots in December of 2020 but didn’t get a booster,” he said, reminding those who are over 65 or eligible to get the most recently available booster.“Age is the most powerful risk factor,” said Chin-Hong. “It’s still the same group in the hospital that I’m seeing, even ...

Timeline: Unfolding of the Nathan Fletcher scandal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:50 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Nathan Fletcher has been a prominent figure in the San Diego political sphere for nearly two decades, until last month when allegations of sexual assault were levied against him.Fletcher was first elected to office in 2008 to represent the 75th California State Assembly district. The then-Republican was re-elected in 2010, before mounting a failed bid for the San Diego mayorship in 2011. During that campaign, Fletcher announced that he was leaving the Republican Party to become an independent, citing shifting values in the party away from his core values.One day before then-Mayor Bob Filner’s resignation amid sexual harassment allegations, Fletcher, now a registered Democrat, launched a second unsuccessful mayoral campaign.In 2018, he ran for office again, this time for the District 4 seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. The district is composed of nearly 700,000 residents in areas such as Clairemont, La Mesa, Balboa Park, Hillcrest and Spring Valley....

Highest-rated restaurants for tacos in San Diego, according to Yelp

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:50 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Depending on who you ask, tacos are more than just a quick snack you can grab off a truck for lunch. They're an experience. One that allows the chef to layer flavor and textures—from the fresh crunch of the cilantro and onions to the smoked heat of roasted chiles cavorting with the savory delight of your protein of choice—all onto one delicious tortilla, freshly crisped over an open flame…sorry is anyone else hungry?Much like the food, the origin story has a fairly layered history. Both Mayan and Aztec civilizations were said to have eaten a food similar to what we know as a taco, but the modern iteration traces back to the 1800s in Mexico. Born of a need to ensure that miners had a means to easily consume hearty food while on the job, piles of meat would be rolled into corn tortillas and packed for the road. During hours upon hours of hard labor in horrible conditions, the ability to pull out a few taquitos (named for the gunpowder role the miners carried with them) was...

Jazz Fest – ‘one of the gems’ – cranks up in New Orleans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:50 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — This year’s New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival began its two-weekend run on Friday, filling the air with the sounds of R&B, rock ‘n roll, Zydeco, pop, blues, country, rap, gospel — and of course jazz.Music fans poured into the Fair Grounds Race Course when gates opened at 11 a.m. They wandered among 14 stages or tents, many spreading blankets or tarps and setting up folding chairs, laying claim to spots where their favorite artists were to perform.And some were dancing, particularly in front of the festival’s Fais Do-Do Stage, where Zydeco rang out, played Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie.Retiree Joe Hulsey of Seattle said he and his wife have spent the last four months in New Orleans. A music festival veteran, Hulsey said Jazz Fest is his favorite.“There’s just no comparison,” he said. “It’s just one of the gems about New Orleans that I love. It’s a whole vibe. “You can’t beat the music, the food, the music,” he said, smiling.Fo...

Army sends investigators after fatal Alaska helicopter crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:50 GMT

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) — Military investigators were making their way to Alaska’s interior on Friday, one day after a midair collision between two helicopters killed three soldiers and injured a fourth.The investigative team from Fort Novosel, Alabama, was expected to arrive at the scene of the crash near Healy, Alaska, by Saturday, said John Pennell, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army Alaska. Little new information about the crash was released Friday.The Army on Thursday said two of the soldiers died at the crash site, and a third died on the way to a hospital in Fairbanks. A fourth soldier was injured and taken to a hospital. That soldier was in stable condition on Friday, Pennell said. The names of those who were killed were not immediately released.The Army said more details would be released when they became available. Each AH-64 Apache helicopter was carrying two people at the time of the crash, Pennell has said. The helicopters were from the 1st Atta...

North Dakota’s abortion ban bill becomes veto-proof

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:50 GMT

North Dakota state senators overwhelmingly passed a bill that would ban abortion at all stages of pregnancy.Narrow exceptions would be granted for rape and incest up to six weeks of pregnancy under the bill passed April 19. Abortions for certain medical emergencies are allowed at any stage of pregnancy. The bill has passed the Senate and House with veto-proof majorities, so it could become law without Republican Gov. Doug Burgum’s approval. It would be one of the strictest abortion bans in the country.Supporters said the bill would further the state’s mission to protect all human life — aged, unborn and everything in between — whereas opponents said these abortion restrictions would have dire consequences for women and girls.“We talk about rape and incest, and those are horrific circumstances,” Republican Sen. Janne Myrdal, of Edinburg, said while speaking in support of the bill on the Senate floor. “We certainly want to encourage any child, any woman, that experiences a...

Mother of innocent man murdered in B.C. gang war devastated by high court’s ruling

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:50 GMT

Eileen Mohan was preparing for this day, knowing the Supreme Court of Canada would rule on a case involving one of the men found guilty of killing her son more than 15 years ago. Christopher Mohan was killed along with five others in Surrey, B.C., in October 2007. He was one of two innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire of a bloody gang conflict that set off a years-long legal saga.  The high court ruled Friday that one of the men found guilty of murder will have a chance to provide evidence of police misconduct and mistreatment in prison, potentially allowing him to walk free. In a unanimous decision, the top court agreed with the B.C. Court of Appeal that it was a mistake to dismiss applications to have all of that evidence heard.Eileen Mohan said in an interview after the decision that she had hoped the Supreme Court of Canada would “squash it all away” and uphold the convictions of gangsters Cody Haevischer and Matthew Johnston, who were found guilty of first-de...