By MICHAEL LIEDTKE

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — When JoeBen Bevirt was a boy within the Eighties, making long, tiring drives between his school and his wooded mountain home, he began dreaming of flying cars that might take him to his destination in minutes .

The aircraft – generally known as an “electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle” or eVTOL – lifts off the bottom like a helicopter before flying at speeds of as much as 200 miles per hour (322 kilometers per hour) and a spread of about 100 miles ( 161 kilometers per hour) flies kilometers). And these aircraft achieve this without filling the air with excessive noise brought on by fuel-powered helicopters and small planes.

“We are only a few steps away from the goal. “We want to turn what are now one- and two-hour rides into five-minute rides,” Bevirt, 51, told The Associated Press before a Joby air taxi took off for a test flight from Marina, California, about 40 miles south of where he took off in the grew up in Bergen.

Archer Aviation, a Silicon Valley company backed by automaker Stellantis and United Airlines, has tested its own eVTOLs over farmland in Salinas, California, where a prototype called “Midnight” glided over a tractor plowing fields last November could.

The tests are part of the journey being undertaken by Joby Aviation and other ambitious companies that have collectively raised billions of dollars to transform flying cars into more than just pie-in-the-sky concepts depicted in 1960s cartoons. were made popular over the years. “The Jetsons” and the 1982 science fiction film, “Blade Runner.”

Archer Aviation and nearby Wisk Aero, with ties to aerospace giant Boeing Co. and Google co-founder Larry Page, are also on the forefront of the race to bring air taxis to the U.S. market. Joby has already partnered to attach its air taxis with Delta Air Lines passengers, while Archer Aviation has a deal to sell as much as 200 of its aircraft to United Airlines.

Flying taxis have made a lot progress on the Federal Aviation Administration that a brand new category of aircraft called “flying taxis” was recently created “Powered Elevator” A step the agency had not taken for the reason that introduction of helicopters for civilian use within the Nineteen Forties.

However, there are still more regulatory hurdles to clear before air taxis are allowed to hold passengers within the US, making Dubai the almost definitely place where eVTOLs will fly commercially – possibly by the top of this 12 months.

“It's a delicate matter to develop an entirely new class of vehicles,” said Alan Lim, director of Alton Aviation Consultancy, an organization that tracks industry developments. “It will be like a crawl-walk-run situation. Right now I think we're still crawling. We’re not going to have a Jetsons-like reality in the next two to three years where everyone’s flying around everywhere.”

China can also be striving to make flying cars a reality, which is the case piqued the interest of President-elect Donald Trump by making the vehicles a priority for his latest administration over the subsequent 4 years.

If the ambitions of eVTOL pioneers within the US are realized, people will have the opportunity to hop on an air taxi to get to and from airports in New York and Los Angeles in the subsequent few years.

Because its electric taxis can fly freely at high speeds, Joby expects to hold as much as 4 Delta Air Lines passengers at a time from New York area airports to Manhattan in about 10 minutes or less. First of all, air taxi prices will almost actually be significantly higher than the price of a taxi or Uber ride from JFK Airport to Manhattan, however the difference could narrow over time as eVTOLs are expected to have the opportunity to hold more passengers to move as ground vehicles I'm stuck in traffic in every direction.

“You'll see highways in the sky,” Archer Aviation CEO Adam Goldstein predicted during an interview at the corporate's headquarters in San Jose, California. “There will be hundreds, maybe even thousands of these planes flying in these individual cities, and it will really change the way cities are built.”

Investors consider Goldstein is correct and helped Archer raise one other $430 million late last 12 months from a bunch that included Stellantis and United Airlines. The funding got here shortly after a Japanese automaker invested an extra $500 million in Joby, bringing its total investment in the corporate to almost $900 million.

According to Alton Aviation, these investments were a part of the $13 billion raised by eVTOL firms over the past five years.

Both Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation went public in 2021 through reverse mergers, opening one other avenue for fundraising and making it easier to recruit engineers with the allure of stock options. Both firms managed to poach employees from electric automobile maker Tesla and rocket maker SpaceX and, in Archer's case, raid the ranks of Wisk Aero.

The Wisk defectors triggered a lawsuit accusing Archer of mental property theft, and the dispute was also settled an agreement in 2023 This included an agreement for either side to collaborate on some features of eVTOL technology.

Before going public, Joby also acquired eVTOL technology developed by ride-hailing service Uber in an $83 million deal that also brought those two firms together as partners.

But neither the deals nor technological advances could prevent losses piling up amongst firms constructing flying cars. Joby, whose roots date back to 2009 when Bevirt founded the corporate, has suffered losses of $1.6 billion since its founding, while Archer has suffered losses of nearly $1.5 billion since its founding in 2018 US dollar recorded.

While they’ve transitioned to industrial air taxi services, each Joby and Archer are attempting to generate revenue by negotiating contracts to make use of their eVTOLs with the U.S. military for deliveries and other other short-haul missions. Archer has partnered with Anduril Industries, a military defense technology specialist founded by Oculus headset inventor Palmer Luckey, to assist it close deals.

The uncertain outlook has left each firms with relatively low market values ​​in comparison with the tech industry, with Joby's at about $7 billion and Archer at $6 billion.

But Bevirt sees blue skies ahead. “eVTOLs will change the way we move,” he said. “It’s a much better way to get around. Seeing the world from the air is better than sitting in traffic on the highway.”

Originally published: January 9, 2025 at 10:31 am PST

New England Revolution

One of probably the most promising players to return through the Revolution's academy is on his approach to a top European team.

Esmir Bajraktarević, a 19-year-old homegrown product from New England, is joining Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, the reigning Eredivisie champions, after the clubs agreed to a transfer deal for an undisclosed transfer fee (which, based on the team notice on Thursday, also features a percentage of “future resale rights”). According to the 's Frank Dell'WhatThe transfer fee is $6 million.

Bajraktarević's departure marks the primary time a New England Academy graduate has been sold on to an overseas club. PSV, who currently lead the Dutch top flight by six points over rivals Ajax through 17 games, are known for developing young players through the years. PSV also competes within the UEFA Champions League, widely considered the highest division of men's football on this planet.

A Wisconsin native, Bajraktarević joined New England's academy in 2021. He rose quickly and made his first team debut in 2022. In total, he played 45 games for the Revolution, ending with three goals and three assists.

“Thank you to all the Revolution fans who supported me during my time in New England. I am grateful [sporting director] Curt Onalfo, who took me to New England and there [head coach] Caleb Porter and all the coaches from the first team to the academy who helped me prepare for this next step,” Bajraktarević said in a team statement.

“This club has been a second family to me since I moved into the residence in 2021,” he added, “and I will remain a supporter of the Revolution wherever I go.” I can't wait, Revs fans see you again soon.”

At international level, Bajraktarević made his debut for Bosnia and Herzegovina (where he has dual citizenship through his parents) in 2024, assisting his childhood hero Edin Džeko.

From playing within the Edin Dzeko jersey to assisting the Bosnian national team.

What a debut moment for 19-year-old Esmir Bajraktarevic – born in Wisconsin, who now represents his parents' country pic.twitter.com/m1QHbzaTgO

— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) September 8, 2024

The move to PSV should help Bajraktarević proceed his development as a promising talent. From New England's perspective, that is a vital milestone for the club's academy system and represents a transparent success of the recent investment in a residency program that allowed Bajraktarević to transfer from Wisconsin.

Stanford lost two quarterbacks to the transfer portal and added a four-star recruit on the position on Wednesday, while Cal missed out on a top QB recruit on national signing day.

Ashton Daniels, the Cardinals' starting quarterback this season, announced Wednesday that he’s moving on from The Farm after substitute Justin Lamson walks out the door.

As a junior, Daniels rushed for 1,700 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while adding 669 yards and three touchdowns as a rusher. He debuted as a rookie in 2022 in a limited role in David Shaw's final season and began nearly all of the last two seasons under coach Troy Taylor.

Daniels, a three-star recruit from Buford, Georgia, may very well be heading closer to home for his next stop.

Lamson, the Cardinals' wildcat quarterback, announced his plans to enter the portal earlier this week after playing two seasons at Stanford, where he transferred from Syracuse in 2023. Lamson can be a graduate transfer and has accomplished 24 of 47 attempts for 804 yards, 4 touchdowns and 4 interceptions this season. He was used as a runner in short-yardage situations, running 68 times for just 94 yards but scoring eight touchdowns.

A brand new face coming to Palo Alto from Murietta, California is Bear Bachmeier, who’s a top-30 quarterback and is the brother of Cardinal wide receiver Tiger. (Another older brother, Hank, was Wake Forest's quarterback that season.)

Bear Bachmeier starred at Murrieta Valley, amassing 86 total touchdowns (30 rushing) as a dual threat in highschool. He may have to compete with former top recruit Elijah Brown, who will likely be a starter for the Cardinals next season after a disappointing 3-9 season.

The top recruit in Stanford's 19-player class is four-star wide receiver JonAnthony Hall from New Jersey, who’s ranked the No. 10 wideout within the country by 247Sports.

Cal, which went 6-6 overall and 2-6 in its first yr within the ACC, suffered a significant blow on Wednesday. The Bears had hoped to sign top-10 quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele from Hawaii after he had been committed to the Golden Bears since July. But Sagapolutele, Hawaii's top player, decided to sign with Oregon.

According to 247Sports, Sagapolutele is taken into account the No. 8 quarterback. He finished his profession with 10,653 passing yards, probably the most in Hawaii State history and surpassing Oregon's Dillon Gabriel (9,848).

Sagapolutele's loss to Oregon is especially painful for Cal because he was the one blue-chip prospect within the Bears' 14-man recruiting class.

Sagapolutele's commitment helped propel Oregon to the highest of the Big Ten recruiting rankings after starting Wednesday behind Ohio State and Michigan within the Big Ten recruiting rankings and was poised to finish Wednesday at the highest.

According to 247Sports, San Jose State University's well-balanced recruiting class ranks sixth among the many 12 teams within the Mountain West Conference as each of the Spartans' 12 newly signed players are 3-star prospects.

The highest-rated prospect for Ken Niumatalolo's program is San Marcos High (Ca.) wide receiver Jase Nix, who finished his four-year profession with 212 catches for 3,304 yards (15.6 yards per catch) and 48 touchdowns. The 5-9, 165-pound Nix is ​​considered the 109th-best prospect within the state and has been favorably in comparison with one other former San Marcos star receiver, Kyle Phillips of the Philadelphia Eagles.

San Jose State also signed intriguing Marin Catholic tight end Braiden Bachich-Dixon, a 6-4, 220-pound speedster who causes problems for defenses in matchups. Bachich-Dixon is California's 111th-rated candidate.

Another interesting addition for the Spartans is dual-threat quarterback Tama Amisone from Kapolei High in Hawaii. Amisone, San Jose's only quarterback on this class, threw for nearly 1,500 yards this yr, ran for greater than 750 yards and in addition had 72 yards receiving.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. men's national team star Christian Pulisic became the most recent skilled athlete to have a good time on the sector by doing the Donald Trump dance trend, moving his arms and hips much like the president-elect's signature moves after scored the primary goal within the United States' 4-2 win over Jamaica on Monday night.

“Of course, that’s the Trump dance,” Pulisic said when asked if he intentionally celebrated with viral moves. “It was just a dance that everyone did. He is the one who created it. I just thought it was funny.”

His teammates Weston McKennie and Ricardo Pepi also celebrated with Pulisic.

Several other athletes across sports have done the viral dance in recent days, including UFC fighter Jon Jones, who was ringside for his match with Trump, Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, and several other other college and NFL football players, including Tennessee Titans wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Detroit Lions defensive players Za'Darius Smith and Malcolm Rodriguez.

“I saw everyone do it yesterday in the NFL, I saw Jon Jones do it,” Pulisic said after the sport. “We're just having a little fun, so I thought it would be a pretty fun dance.”

Since this trend has spread across sports, it’s unclear whether the celebration is a political endorsement or simply a dance that players find amusing. Although Pulisic said he was just having “a bit of fun”. His celebration quickly garnered attention on social media platforms, including from former U.S. men's national team defender and Fox analyst Alexi Lalas and Outkick founder Clay Travis.

But the US goalscorer said he didn't care if people on social media reacted to the dance more strongly than he intended.

“No, not at all,” Pulisic said. “It’s not a political dance. It was just for fun. I saw a lot of people doing it and I thought it was funny, so I enjoyed it. At least I hope some people did.”

Following a shocking victory on the state championship, the Dublin 12s Little League softball team has now won nine games in a row – including the postseason – after defeating Southern California's Quartz Hill 7-3 on the Little League West Region Tournament in San Bernardino on Saturday.

Dublin will proceed to challenge the West Region's top powers in Sunday morning's second game against Utah's Washington Little League. If they win this week's tournament, Dublin will secure a spot within the World Series in Greenville, North Carolina in August.

According to the league's website, the team is the one softball program within the league's Tri-Valley district. DLL founded the softball division in 2022, and that is the league's first 12-man team to qualify for the West Region tournament. Last 12 months's 12-man team got here close, placing second behind Almaden Little League of San Jose.

While Little League International covers the prices of the young athletes’ participation within the World Series, Vanessa Cahee, the mother of certainly one of the players, has GoFundMe to finance travel expenses in the course of the competition in San Bernardino.

Almost the entire team's players attend Wells Middle School in Dublin, while one other attends Christensen Middle School in Livermore.

You can see Dublin play Utah tomorrow at 9am. survive ESPN+or follow the live broadcast on Game changer Smartphone app. Games will proceed each day until Thursday, July 26.

Six teams are participating within the Western Region tournament:
Arizona-Wilcox Little League
Hawaii – Little League in Honolulu
Nevada-Washoe Little League
Northern California – Dublin Little League
Southern California – Quartz Hill Little League
Utah-Washington Little League

Originally published: July 20, 2024 at 20:16

Three days after being displaced from their gathering place near Susanville, members of the Rainbow Family were establishing a brand new site 25 miles away, the U.S. Forest Service said.

The second campground is near Dixie Creek, about 12 miles north of Beckwourth. Like the primary, it’s positioned within the Plumas National Forest.

As of Monday, Rainbow Family campers were still refusing to use for the permit the Forest Service requires for all groups of greater than 75 people, the agency said.

The original venue on the headwaters of Indian Creek was closed to the general public on Wednesday, June 26, about per week after participants began preparing for the event the primary week of July, with the Forest Service citing public safety and natural resource concerns.

At a town hall meeting the evening before the closure, residents of the Susanville area reiterated their concerns about fire hazards, damage to natural and cultural resources, and crime because of the massive influx of individuals into rural areas.

A forest service update on Monday said about 80 people were still on the Indian Creek site.

Forest Service officials learned of the brand new camp on Saturday, June 29, and imposed a 15 mph speed limit in the world on Monday. Level 1 fire restrictions have been in effect within the Plumas National Forest since June 23, which include a ban on campfires except in designated fire pits at some recreation areas.

Since 1972, the Rainbow Family of Living Light has met every summer on undeveloped public land for a “non-commercial wilderness camping experience where we practice living in peace,” as one member's website describes it. The venue was announced this yr on June 17, and visitors began flocking to the event shortly thereafter.

More than 10,000 people attended the 2022 gathering in Colorado, in comparison with about 3,000 in New Mexico last yr.

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