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On a Sunday evening in March this year, Akiba Ekpeyong, a community leader in Akpap-Okoyong, received a text message that made him drop everything he was doing in the community, a cluster of farming villages in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State, South-South Nigeria.

The message came from another chief nearby, warning of a brewing argument between two youths at a football match in Mbabam. The tone was urgent and frighteningly reminiscent of how many communal crises begin.

“I went there immediately,” Akiba recalled. “Before it turns to something else, we have to talk to the boys.”

That message was part of a growing network of peace responders linked through an early warning system created by the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND). In this system, the first step to preventing violence could be as simple as sending an SMS. In many communities across the region, this system has been deployed by the non-profit to end conflicts before they escalate. 

The many faces of conflict 

Cross River, fondly known as “the people’s paradise”, may be best known for its colourful annual Calabar Carnival and its vast forest reserves. However, unending land disputes, cult clashes, political rivalries, and resource competition that often turn deadly, are also a constant in the state, said Professor Rapheal Offiong, a geographer and peace scholar at the University of Calabar.

Between 2020 and 2023, communal and boundary disputes claimed more than 400 lives in the state, including that of a 10-year-old child, while over 300 houses were destroyed. A report also indicated that at least 15 of the state’s 18 local government areas have experienced one form of conflict or another during the period.

According to Professor Raphael, these crises stem from far deeper issues: Poverty, the quest for land, stress for survival, and lack of understanding, all worsened by a disconnect between the political class, traditional rulers, and the youth. “That gap in leadership and trust is what I see as the major disturbance,” he said. 

The peace scholar also blamed greed and speculative land buying in poor communities. “It’s the landmongers,” he said, “those deep pockets who want to expand their cocoa or oil palm farms. They bring money, and because of poverty, people sell. Then everyone becomes territorial, and in trying to protect their territory, they must fight.”

Cocoa and oil palm are central to Cross River’s economy, providing livelihoods for thousands of smallholder farmers and driving both local and export revenue. The state is Nigeria’s second-largest cocoa producer, exporting about 80,000 metric tons annually. With so much economic value tied to these crops, land has become a fiercely contested resource — and when speculators or large investors seek expansion, tensions often erupt among communities struggling for ownership and survival.

Climate change, Professor Raphael added, is compounding the problem. As farmlands yield less, people move in search of better land to farm and to graze, opening new fronts for conflict. “The land is shrinking as population grows, and poverty and lack of basic social structures make it worse.”

He believes the persistent conflict is also tied to weak governance and the failure of social systems to provide stability. “When the system works, people have hope,” he said. “Everybody struggles to survive. The quest to provide for yourself and your family is not easy, and that desperation drives conflict.”

The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) similarly notes that environmental and land-use issues are increasingly among the most common triggers of rural conflicts in southern Nigeria, particularly boundary disputes.

From just a text message 

The early warning system was developed by PIND in 2015 to monitor the country’s signs of violence during the general election, before it was later deployed to communal conflicts. 

Through the platform, anyone can report incidents by sending a text message to 080 9936 2222 or 0912 233 4455, including details such as the location, date, and a brief description of the event. Once submitted, the report appears instantly on a web-based dashboard at PIND’s headquarters, where analysts verify and map signals across the Niger Delta. These reports help identify emerging hotspots, track patterns of unrest, and guide long-term peace interventions. 

These reports are shared with Partners for Peace (P4P), a PIND-run conflict management and peacebuilding network of grassroots volunteers spread across all nine Niger Delta states. Each report helps P4P chapters plan their local peace activities, which include mediation, dialogues, and sensitisation. 

“We now prepare our interventions based on the prevailing types of conflict in a given year,” Ukorebi Esien, P4P’s Cross River State Coordinator, said. “For instance, if in 2024 most of the signals we received from Cross River State indicated cult clashes or communal disputes, then in the following year, 2025, our interventions may be focused on addressing those issues.”

Several of these text messages have been sent since it was launched a decade ago.

But in Cross River, P4P went a step further.

They saw how quickly a quarrel could escalate and began training local peace actors, such as chiefs, youth leaders, and women’s groups, on how and why they should send that text message, but also on how to respond. 

That network helped Akiba and his colleagues to build an internal communication mechanism that allows them to alert one another instantly and intervene early.

“It has helped us to identify the signs of early tension and respond before any violent escalation in our communities,” said Akiba. He added that his community is grateful for it. “We in Akpap-Okoyong have a boundary issue with Okonotte, and we also house some persons from Ikot Offiong, which has made us look like a hostile community to the people of Oku Iboku.” The longstanding conflict between Oku Iboku in Akwa Ibom State and Ikot Offiong in Cross River State has been fueled by competing claims over land and fishing rights, leading to cycles of violence for over a century.

Akiba said Akpap-Okoyong now has about 40 trained responders who monitor early warning indicators like hate speech, sudden gatherings, or disputes across the over 60 villages, and report them through SMS while also engaging directly with village elders.

It was that system that alerted him that Sunday evening.

In Ikom, on the border with Cameroon,  similar outcomes are taking shape. Clement Nnagbo, the Traditional Head of Okosora Clan, said the training has transformed how people now seek justice. “More than twenty cases have been transferred from various courts, and within less than a month, each matter is resolved,” he said, noting that their alternative dispute resolution process is faster and far less expensive than going through the formal courts.

In Ugep, Yakurr Local Government Area, Usani Arikpo, a religious leader, has seen how easily tensions can spiral, and how sometimes, conflict starts from one thing and leads to another.  He recalled a recent incident that began as a cult clash but nearly turned into a communal crisis. “We saw the signs early,” he said. “Some cult boys from Ugep had gone to Idomi to support their faction there, but along the line, they were killed. The Ugep people felt it was deliberate, and things almost got out of hand. We had to step in, meet with the chiefs, women, and other stakeholders, and from that time, there has not been anything like that again.”

Tradition as strategy 

Sometimes peace is restored by dialogue and sealed with cultural rituals that carry moral weight.

In 2023, a long-brewing conflict between Ofatura and Ovonum in Obubra LGA reignited after years of distrust. “We went to assess the level of the conflict,” recalled Ukorebi, the P4P Coordinator in Cross River. “We met youth leaders, traditional rulers, and women groups, and after several discussions, both sides agreed to a peace pact.”

Both community heads signed an accord and embraced publicly, the first time in years they had sat together. “When you hold meetings like that, you must leave a memory that resonates,” Ukorebi said. “We wanted them to understand the depth of what they were involved in and the cost of violence.”

It was the same method that Akiba and his fellow chiefs deployed in Akpap-Okoyong. “We took both sides to the Ekpe shrine. There, they swore an oath never to fight again,” Akiba said. 

Not without challenges

Yet, sustaining peace is not without limitations. Volunteers often fund their own logistics, and  “transportation is expensive”, said Usani, stating that more could be achieved if they had the means to quickly mobilise and move into areas with conflict.

PIND did not respond to HumAngle’s messages regarding some of these challenges.

Government response has also been slow. “We have found out that the government is rather reactive and not proactive,” Ukorebi said, adding that some communities they had helped bring peace to are back to fighting. “I mentioned the Ofatura-Ovonum crisis: since 2024 till date, the state government has not seen any reason to revisit that document, despite all the efforts by P4P.”

“In that document, there are responsibilities: there is a part to play by the government, there is a part to be played by the communities, there is a part to be played by partners for peace to ensure that that peace we had worked for will remain permanently,” he told HumAngle. “But that has not been the case.”

Still, there are signs of resilience: Across the Niger Delta, P4P’s volunteer peace agents, now over 11,200 strong,  have documented more than 1,148 emerging conflicts that were nipped before turning violent.

Back in Akpap-Okoyong, Chief Akiba watches a group of children play in an open field in front of his compound, hopeful that they will grow up in a community where disputes are settled on a table of negotiation rather than with machetes.

This story was produced under the HumAngle Foundation’s Advancing Peace and Security through Journalism project, supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

Hebden Bridge has always buzzed with female energy. As a child I remember the feisty women behind the bar at the pubs where my dad used to drink, the punk-haired cafe owner and the redoubtable librarian always up for a noisy chat when we checked out our books. That was before it became known as the lesbian capital of the UK (my gay cousin from Australia once told me she was coming to Europe: “Hebden Bridge?” I asked. “How did you know?” she gasped).

Now the lass spirit of the West Yorkshire town is on display again, this time in Sally “Happy Valley” Wainwright’s new BBC One drama Riot Women, which tells the story of a group of women in their late 50s who set up a rock band.

Like me, Wainwright grew up in Calderdale; like me, she’s 62. So she too must remember the days when Hebden Bridge was more famous for its flat-capped eccentricity than its edgy coolness. At university (and spookily, Wainwright and I were both at York, though we didn’t know one another), I would regularly boast that I lived close to where poet Ted Hughes grew up (he was born in Mytholmroyd, just along the valley) and near to where his erstwhile wife and fellow poet Sylvia Plath was buried (Heptonstall, on the hill above Hebden Bridge). But I certainly didn’t dwell on the smoky, cramped pubs or the greasy spoon cafes or the unremarkable warehouse-like unbranded store where my mum bought the groceries. The town felt deeply frumpy back then.

Things are different today. I name-drop the Nisa Local on Crown Street, where my mum buys her Guardian, because it’s where Catherine Cawood’s partner Neil worked in Happy Valley. More thrillingly, my mother’s flat is at the top of the street where Cawood (played magnificently by Sarah Lancashire) lived: the climactic final car park scene after James Norton’s character, Tommy Lee Royce, sets himself alight must have been visible from her balcony. And now the souped-up Albert, on Albert Street – one of my dad’s haunts in the 70s and 80s – has been transformed into the Duke of Wellington for Riot Women, with Lorraine Ashbourne, playing alongside Tamsin Greig and Joanna Scanlan, as the landlady.

Right now I’m having breakfast opposite the Albert, at a table in the sunshine outside Leila’s Kitchen, whose Iranian owner tells me it was the original vegetarian cafe of Hebden Bridge, set up in the 1980s. She’s run it since 2019, and her Persian breakfast – eggs, walnuts, feta cheese, salad and flatbread – is a renowned speciality, as is her noodle soup and saffron and pistachio ice-cream.

In a town with a penchant for revolving doors and pop-up shops, one of the joys of visiting Hebden Bridge regularly is that it’s never the same twice. In fact, there’s currently another top-class breakfast venue, with queues heading down Valley Road while they’ve still got buns to sell: Mother, home of just-baked croissants including the almond one I tried. “It’s a bit hefty,” the assistant said as I pointed to it; in the event, I didn’t need another meal for the rest of the day.

It’s quicker to say what has been constant rather than what’s changed since I was a child. The Town Hall, with its big green doors, is the same (though they certainly didn’t have art exhibitions and a cafe there when I was a kid). The rush of the river, fast-flowing through the town and whizzing under the packhorse bridge that gave the town its name, is a welcome constant. And the Picture House is still there: where once I watched Grease, Jaws and An Officer and a Gentleman, the BBC premiered Riot Women here last week, as a thank you to the locals who put up with weeks of filming last summer.

The shop I remember best from my childhood is Innovation – and it’s still here, the institution that relaunched this unfashionable Yorkshire market town into one of the quirkiest, and coolest, spots in the north of England. It was back in 1972 that a local legend called David Fletcher bought a disused mill in the centre of the town and turned it into the quintessential gift shop-cum-cafe, the business all the other shops that came after wanted to emulate (in terms of its longevity and success, anyway). The Trades Club was always there, and always a trades union club – but now, still owned by the Labour party, it’s one of the funkiest live music and comedy venues in Britain. Sadly, Riot Women are a fictional band, but the October lineup included Grace Petrie (“the British folk scene’s funniest lesbian”), DJ Red Helen and Josie Long.

The police station I knew on Hope Street is now an antique shop; the newsagent’s on the square (now pedestrianised) has become The Remedy, where you sit at high-up tables and taste a flight of wines, also available to buy. My sister’s old bank is Coin brasserie, where she and I recently reminisced, while sipping a delicious and reasonably priced bottle of fizz, about the ancient art of cashing cheques in the very room where she’d done just that. The cashier’s counter from my own former bank, round the corner on Market Street, has been moved to the shop next door which is full of rhubarb and ginger cake and strawberries and cream cupcakes: but they’re not baked goods, they’re bath time treats – it’s the Yorkshire Soap Company. They make scented candles too, and for Happy Valley they created a special edition – watch this space for a flaming Riot Women.

A few doors along is Heart Gallery, in what was a rambling antiques centre when I was a kid: today, its Scandi-style interior showcases locally produced artworks. Across Market Street is Earth Spirit: it’s the essence of Hebden Bridge, a place to buy spices and jams, colourful knitted berets and weave-your-own brooch kits. For the inner sanctum, head up the small staircase at the back for the incense-infused den of crystals and tarot cards, pictures of hares and goddesses, witches’ guides to hats and flowers, books of spells and handbooks on angels and sacred animals. And when you’ve chosen your tome, head to the Hermit on Hope Street, settle into the coven-like basement, dimly lit by strings of fairy lights, and enjoy a proper Yorkshire brew.

Riot Women is on Sundays, BBC One, 9pm.

A GHOST bridge that has stood unfinished for more than a decade between China and North Korea could finally be nearing completion.

The over pass stood abandoned for so long that farmers used the road to dry crops.

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The bridge – which was completely funded by China – was completed on the Chinese side in 2014, costing the nation $350 million.

China went all out on the project, developing a new city at its end of the road.

Despite Chinese productivity and complete financial aid on the project, the North Korean end remained untouched until 2019, leaving apartment complexes, stores and more lying vacant on the Chinese side.

The cash-strapped nation only needed to build about two miles of road to complete the inter-country link.

The incomplete over pass opened into a paddy field on North Korea’s side of the river, as neither side lifted a finger to complete the project, rendering the link between nations a bridge to nowhere for five more years.

Meanwhile, in downtown Dandong, on the Chinese side, buses and trucks have been forced to wait for hours to get across the original link between the two nations – the Old Friendship Bridge.

The Old Friendship Bridge was constructed in the late 1930s and was originally named the Sino-Korean Friendship bridge.

The US bombed the Friendship Bridge during the Korean War to stop Chinese forces from interfering and aiding North Korea.

The connecting road was patched up after fighting stopped, and still serves as a link between Beijing and Pyongyang to this day.

The narrow road and rail bridge connecting the downtown areas of Sinuiju and Dandong has been the busiest border port between the two nations over recent years, as bilateral trade has increased.

However, the new signs of construction on the New Yalu River Bridge signal that China and North Korea are preparing to boost trade.

North Korea embodied the full meaning of a hermit when it shut its doors to the outside world during the Covid pandemic.

Since the border closure eased in 2023, both nations have kept up appearances and increased trade and business exchanges.

Despite North Korea previously shutting its borders, the work on the bridge had largely been completed.

Construction on the Kim Jong Un’s side began in February 2020, but was halted the following August, after digging work took place across around 111 acres (45 hectares) of land.

Following the border closure, satellite imagery showed farmers making use of the unfrequented road by drying crops on the tar.

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Since hesitantly opening back up, the nation has also shown signs of strengthening its international relationships.

Despite this, uncertainty still bubbles below the surface, as North Korea has openly prioritised strengthening its relationship with Moscow.

Signalling the shift in international relations, tourism into the notoriously closed-off nation resumed with Russia, where it has not with China.

Fresh construction on the bridge is the latest signal of North Korea realigning to its closest neighbour.

Building has resumed on the North Korean side of the New Yalu River Bridge, marking the first movement on the development in five years.

New images from Planet Labs of the notoriously unopened bridge surfaced, showing evidence of new excavation.

Blue-roofed structures also popped up, believed to be related to long-term construction plans on the site.

NK News reported the size of the development could link it to a plan by Chinese company Five Continents International Development Corporation (FCIDC) to construct an economic park in North Korea’s Sinuiju region.

The exact location of this project, however, has not been confirmed.

The new construction on the bridge could be in preparation to connect to a planned large customs complex to match one built on the Chinese side of the bridge.

In 2018, FCIDC suggested that the Sinuiju “Heyuan” International Logistics and Trade City (SILTC) would be located close to a border connection point.

A spokesperson said the economic park would have: “its own customs and border inspection, where transit goods can directly enter … avoiding the congestion of Dandong-Sinuiju Port … and greatly improving cargo flow.”

Wang Ruoming, one of the lead project coordinators based in China, fuelled the rumours earlier in the year with a social media post hinted at the project’s revival.

He reposted a computer rendering of the economic park on his Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) profile in January, saying: “2025 is destined to be a year of good fortune”.

The New Yalu River Bridge features a four-lane road, while China’s sprawling new customs port appears ready to handle dozens of cargo trucks at a time. 

The border between North Korea and China runs in the direct centre of the river.

It is the Mourinho who spent an age talking to another long-term Chelsea employee Thresa Conneely on Monday, the one who chatted to his former player Joe Cole after arriving 90 minutes before kick-off, relaxed with his arm draped on the one-time England star’s shoulder as he engaged in easy conversation. The one who stopped and signed a young Chelsea fan’s shirt before he headed to the dressing room for his pre-match team talk.

“Of course I thank them,” said Mourinho, when asked of the supporter reaction.

“I did it on the pitch. I live around here. I talk with them every day on the street.

“I hope to come back here [Stamford Bridge] in 20 years with my grandkids.

“They [Chelsea] belong to my history and I belong to theirs.”

Yet Mourinho wants to win. You could tell that as he challenged decisions and demanded more from his players, patrolling the touchline as he has always done.

It seemed odd to hear him talk about how well his team had played in defeat, even if the odds were stacked against them by the huge gap in income between England’s Champions League contenders and those from Portugal.

He sat in the same dugout as when he was manager, though it does make you wonder why the club waited for Mauricio Pochettino to change them given what is now the home dugout straddles the halfway line.

It did mean he was nearer the Benfica fans though, as he produced another classic Mourinho moment in the second half.

Chelsea might have paid the Lisbon club a British record £107m to sign Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez two years ago, but the money clearly has no bearing on how his old club’s supporters think about him.

As he went to take a corner, Fernandez was bombarded by missiles from the upper and lower sections of the stands around him.

Mourinho saw what was happening, bounced out of his seat and took off down the touchline – a reminder of when he was Porto manager at Old Trafford and celebrated knocking Manchester United out of the Champions League in 2004.

The knee slide is beyond him now. Instead, he kept himself to angry waves, telling those supporters to stop.

They might not all have acted as he wished but the bombardment at least reduced long enough for Fernandez to take the corner.

Jose the peacemaker. Jose the friend.

Benfica didn’t win – and Chelsea weren’t that good – but Mourinho’s return was memorable all the same.

There will always be mutual respect around here.

THE world’s tallest bridge has opened to the public — cutting journeys from a staggering two hours to just two minutes.

China‘s Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in Guizhou province is a whopping nine times higher than the Golden Gate Bridge and twice the height of the Eiffel Tower.

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It is almost as tall as the 632-metre, 128-story Shanghai Tower, China’s tallest building.

As well as breaking world-records, the bridge has increases connectivity in the region.

Locals were previously forced to spend almost two hours navigating the vast canyon.

But now, travel time is reduced to just two minutes.

The mighty structure took three years to build, requiring advanced technologies, such as satellite navigation and drones.

Soaring 2,050 feet over the Beipan River, travelling over the world’s tallest bridge will not be for the fainthearted.

The gargantuan structure features massive steel reinforcements weighing 215 metric tons.

These will help support the heavy loads going across the 0.9 mile-long structure.

Officials also believe the crossing will stimulate economic development in Guizhou, one of China’s lesser developed provinces. 

Chen Jianlei, deputy director of Guizhou Transport Department told China Daily: “The completion of the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge will strengthen economic ties between [neighbouring cities] Guiyang, Anshun and Qianxinan, fostering regional economic integration.”

The chief engineer of the record-breaking bridge has said that seeing his project come to life gives him “a profound sense of achievement and pride.”

The central element of the bridge, its primary load-bearing part, is made up of 93 segments weighing a collective 22,000 tons – or three times the weight of the Eiffel Tower.

Work on the £227 million project began in 2022.

Until it opens, the title of tallest bridge in the world will remain with the Beipanjiang Bridge in Guizhou province around 200 miles north of the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge.

The bridge with four lanes of traffic was finished in 2016 and stands 1788 feet over the Beipan River.

Meanwhile, construction has started once again on the world’s tallest skyscraper that was left half-built seven years ago.

Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower, once completed, will be three times taller than the Shard and will dwarf all other developments.

The enormous tower would stand 3,280ft high when completed.

The Jeddah Tower has long been touted as the next Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building in Dubai, at 2,723ft.

Following the unveiling of incredible plans for one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, which will include the highest nightclub and observation deck on the planet.

The Burj Azizi also set for Dubai will be a staggering 2,379ft tall.

Azizi Developments say construction of the £1.15 billion tower – twice the size of The Shard – has already begun and is expected to be completed in 2028.

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The beautiful beach has been described as the ‘perfect beach for families’ – and it’s not hard to see why

A “breathtaking” UK beach has left visitors so awestruck that they’re urging others to add it to their “bucket list.” The award-winning Porth Beach, tucked away on the Cornish coast between the bustling tourist hotspots of Newquay and Watergate Bay, is a must-see.

Praised as the “ideal beach for families”, Porth Beach also draws in walkers, swimmers, and paddleboarders. For locals, this is old news – but for those living further inland, Porth Beach could be just the ticket for a day trip.

The sandy beach is cosily nestled between headlands, and to the north, there’s a quaint footbridge leading to Porth Island. TikTok user @cornwall_lover posted a video showcasing the ‘breathtaking’ beach, reports the Express.

The caption read: “If you’ve not yet visited Porth beach in Newquay, get it on the bucket list. Perfect for paddleboarding at high tide, families who want to play in shallow streams and for those that love exploring, walk the coast path and step over the bridge to Porth Island, currently adorned with vibrant sea pink flowers”.

In the video, the blogger gushed: “The dreamiest beach in Cornwall with a bridge to its very own island.” The post quickly racked up comments from viewers.

One person said at the time of the post: “So beautiful. I’m hoping to visit it this summer.” Another added: “Ooh this looks delightful.”

A local reminisced: “I grew up just up the road from here. Many happy memories of this beach.” Yet another said: “Porth Beach, my local & favourite place to be.”

Porth Beach is a hit on Tripadvisor, where it’s ranked as the top attraction in Newquay. One reviewer praised: “Beautiful, clean beach and cliffside. We had a nice walk along the cliff side and the views were beautiful.

“The locals are very friendly and we had a nice chat with some of them. There’s a holiday park in front of the beach, we didn’t stay here but seems like an ideal location if you want to be close to the beach!”.

Another visitor said: “Lovely clean beach with stunning views. Depending on the tide it can be a short walk to the sea. The beach can be very busy on hot days between 10am-5pm. The water is clean and clear.”

A third added: “Fantastic beach and amenities as always. We have been coming here for the last 12 years and have never been disappointed on our visit.”

Visit Cornwall states: “Porth Beach is an award-winning Newquay beach, and a popular narrow stretch of golden sand and turquoise water situated between the town of Newquay and Watergate Bay. Flanked and sheltered by two vast headlands, the spectacular beach welcomes visitors, locals, and surfers year-round.

“As of 2024, Porth Beach has been awarded the Seaside Award which celebrates the commitment to environment, water quality, and safety of the beach.”

Porth Beach, located in Newquay, Cornwall with the postcode TR7 3NH, is a mere 30-minute stroll from the nearest train station, Newquay Train Station. For those opting to drive, there’s also paid parking conveniently located near the beach.

Even in picturesque California, few landscapes are as stunning – or as fragile – as Big Sur. The constant storms and seismic activity that forged its dramatic cliffs and canyons also make its infrastructure a nightmare to maintain.

The primary road through the region, world-famous Highway 1, which clings to cliffs high above the Pacific Ocean in postcard worthy fashion, is almost constantly closed by landslides, isolating communities and stranding weary travelers.

Local hiking trails don’t fare much better.

The Pfeiffer Falls Trail intersects with the Valley View Trail, a lovely loop that provides gorgeous views of the state park clear out to the Pacific.

(Lisa Winner / Save the Redwoods League)

So, as if they had just taken a deep breath and crossed their fingers, California State Parks officials announced this week that one of the region’s most beloved hikes, the Pfeiffer Falls Trail, will finally reopen after a towering redwood collapsed in a 2023 storm taking out its signature pedestrian bridge.

The trail, a .75 mile stroll that cuts through Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and ends with a stunning view of a 60-foot waterfall, is one of the prime draws for a park that attracts roughly 750,000 people each year.

For such a short walk, the trail has a long history.

In 2008, the 162,818-acre Basin Complex Fire devastated much of the route and surrounding forest. It took $2 million and nearly 13 years to complete a renovation project — removing aged and damaged concrete, rerouting the trail and constructing the bridge — to finally reopen the hike in June 2021.

About 18-months later, that storm arrived and a towering redwood crashed the party.

The Pfeiffer Falls Bridge in 2023 after a giant redwood fell on part of the structure, closing the trail.

(California State Parks)

The tree splintered a 15-foot section of the bridge. Crews salvaged much of the original structure but replaced the damaged section with fiber-reinforced polymer in the hope of making the span stronger and more resilient to its unforgiving environment.

“It’s unfortunate that the trail had to close so soon after our original renovations,” said Matthew Gomez, senior parks program manager for Save the Redwoods League, a non-profit that helped with the repairs. “But our close partnership with California State Parks allowed us to rebuild the bridge better than ever.”

It is a truly spectacular hike. Enjoy it while it lasts.

From the outside looking in, Gov. Gavin Newsom unofficially announced he was running for president on Thursday, March 30, 2023, the day he transferred $10 million from his state campaign funds to launch his PAC, Campaign for Democracy, along with a nationwide tour. Newsom unofficially suspended his campaign a month later, on April 25, the day President Biden announced he was seeking reelection.

This timeline is important when it comes to talking about Kamala Harris. Newsom, like Harris, has been in the wings for years as part of the next generation of Democratic national leaders — and, like Harris, he was ready for the spotlight when Biden decided to stick around instead.

The title of Harris’ upcoming book, “107 Days,” is in reference to the amount of time she had to launch a campaign, write policy, secure the nomination and fundraise after Biden bowed out in the summer of 2024. An excerpt from the memoir titled “The Constant Battle” was published this week in the Atlantic. In it, Harris suggests some of the foes she was battling during her time in the White House were Biden loyalists who did not want to see her succeed as vice president.

It’s a rather scathing critique given the stakes of the 2024 election. The excerpt in its entirety is an uncomfortable glimpse into one of the most chaotic moments in American politics. Unsurprisingly there have already been reports of pushback from former Biden aides with one being quoted as saying: “No one wants to hear your pity party.”

Which is why it is important to remember the timeline.

In March 2020, while campaigning in Detroit, a 77-year-old Biden stood next to Harris, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and told his party that he viewed himself “as a bridge, not as anything else,” adding: “There’s an entire generation of leaders you saw stand behind me. They are the future of this country.” Recognizing his age was a concern for voters back then, the message Biden sent that day suggested he was running for only one term.

And then more than three years later, Biden changed his mind and his message. In doing so, he did not just go back on a campaign promise, he prevented the future of his party — like Newsom, Whitmer, Booker and Harris — from making a case for themselves in a normal primary.

That’s why the book is called “107 Days.” That’s how much time he gave his would-be successor to win the presidency.

Biden was a tremendous public servant whose leadership steered this nation out of a dark time. He also was conspicuously old when he ran for president and considered a short-timer. The first woman to be elected vice president didn’t decide to run for the top job at the last minute. But Biden went back on his word in 2023 and drained all the energy out of his party. It was only after the disastrous debate performance of June 2024 that the whispers inside the Beltway about his ability to win finally became screams.

“Joe was already polling badly on the age issue, with roughly 75 percent of voters saying he was too old to be an effective president,” Harris writes. “Then he started taking on water for his perceived blank check to Benjamin Netanyahu in Gaza.”

That’s not slander against Biden; that’s the timeline. It may not be what some progressives want to read, but that does not mean the message or messenger is wrong.

Legend has it James Carville, key strategist for Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential run, once went to a white board at the campaign’s headquarters in Arkansas and wrote three key messaging points for staffers. The catchiness and humor of one, “the economy, stupid,” elevated it above the other two: “change vs. more of the same” and “don’t forget health care.” Clinton’s victory would later cement “the economy, stupid” as one of the Democratic Party’s most enduring political quips — which is really too bad.

Because the whole point of Carville going to the white board in the first place wasn’t to come up with a memorable zinger, it was to remind staffers to stay on the course. The Democrats’ 2024 chances were endangered the day Biden changed direction by running for reelection, not when he stepped aside and Harris stood in the gap.

That’s not to suggest her campaign did everything right or Biden staying in for as long as he did was totally wrong. But there’s a lot to learn right now. Democrats are extremely unpopular. Perhaps instead of dismissing the account of the party’s most recent nominee, former Biden aides and other progressives should take in as much information as they possibly can and consider it constructive feedback.

In 2020, Biden had one message. In 2023, it was the opposite. I’m sure there are things to blame Harris for. Losing the 2024 election isn’t one of them.

YouTube: @LZGrandersonShow

FRANKIE Bridge has broken down in tears on the tube amid her ongoing feud with Myleene Klass.

Loose Women panellist Frankie, 36, took to her TikTok page this weekend to share a teary video where she looked incredibly sad.

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The former star of The Saturdays was seen breaking down in tears while standing on the mode of public transport.

“When you start crying on the tube…

“But it’s okay, because now you get to pretend you’re in a music video,” Frankie penned over the top of the video.

In the caption, she also wrote, “Anyone else like to pretend they’re in a music video on the train?”

The music that played over the top of the video was Too Little Too Late by JoJo.

Fans flocked to the comments section, with many seemingly concerned for Frankie.

“What are you crying for?” asked one.

“Are you ok?” quizzed another.

A third person wrote: “If I was there I would have give u a hug.”

“Life is tough just remember Frankie you are doing your best and tomorrow is another day,” penned a fourth.

“Things will improve these moments are here to make you feel stronger,” said a fifth.

A sixth person then touchingly penned: “I feel so sorry for you at the moment Frankie, every video you’ve put up lately, you can literally see the sadness in your eyes.

“Hope you work through it and get back to yourself which I know is easier said the done as I know from experience.

“Stay strong and try and focus on all the good things in your life.”

Myleene’s shock feud explained

Myleene Klass has found herself embroiled in a bitter feud.

It all kicked off when she made shock claims about her ex-husband Graham Quinn.

The former Hear’say star claimed that she walked in on her ex and a famous woman in the industry “unzipping” each other’s clothes.

Myleene said the heartbreaking moment happened in her home at her own birthday party.

Speaking on We Need To Talk podcast, Myleene said: “It was in my house, it was my party.

“They weren’t having sex but they were unzipping each other. ‘It’s not what you think,’ but it is what I think. It’s the first thing they both said.

“I kicked everybody out of the party including his mum and dad.”

Graham is yet to respond publicly to the accusations.

However, it has ignited a feud with fellow noughties popstars, Rochelle Humes and Frankie Bridge.

The two Saturdays stars are both former clients of Graham, and have remained friends with him.

Friends told The Sun that Myleene’s claims about Graham have caused tension between her, Rochelle and Frankie.

Shortly after she dropped the cheating bombshell, Frankie then posted a cryptic video, which said that somebody was “dead to me”.

Rochelle then shared a cosy snap with Graham, along with husband Marvin Humes.

In a further twist, sources claim that Rochelle gave Myleene’s ex a place to stay when she dumped him.

This comes as the mum-of-two is embroiled in an awkward fall-out with her The Saturdays band member Rochelle Humes and Myleene Klass.

This follows a row over Hear’Say singer Myleene’s “cheating” ex.

We previously reported how ITV has stepped in to manage strained relations between Frankie, Rochelle and Myleene.

The Saturdays pair now appear to have mended their feud with each other – but not with Pure and Simple singer Myleene, 47.

And with the National Television Awards taking place this week, it has been revealed Myleene will skip the event to avoid any awkward run-ins with the two women.

A source told The Sun: “There has been wild speculation lately that the women don’t get on after falling out years ago.

“Fortunately, they will avoid a public clash as Myleene, who has been a regular at the glitzy event over the years, is swerving it this year as she has work commitments.”

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The Namnai River has become a graveyard. Where an old bridge once carried farmers, traders, and travellers across with ease, fragile boats now wobble under desperate crowds. Each crossing is a risk, and for three members of Badaru Badawi’s family, that risk ended in death.

That evening on July 25, Bara’atu Bala, Yusuf Badawi, a heavily pregnant Aisha Rilwanu, two other relatives of theirs, alongside other travellers, paid ₦500 each to board a locally made boat at the Namnai river bank in Gassol Local Government Area, Taraba State, in northeastern Nigeria. 

Midway across, the boat capsized. Some passengers struggled to get ashore, but Bara’atu, Yusuf, and Aisha never made it. They drowned in the river. 

For Badaru, the grief is unrelenting. All three were close to him: Yusuf, his son; Bara’atu, his elder sister; and Aisha, his sister-in-law. 

His wife and mother survived the accident by swimming to safety. But his family’s search for the missing three lasted all night, combing the waters by canoe. By dawn, they recovered only Bara’atu’s body. To this day, Yusuf and Aisha remain unaccounted for.

“Even if they were destined to die that day, it shouldn’t have been through such a means,” he told HumAngle. 

Their loss is part of a wider tragedy that began a year earlier, when the Namnai bridge collapsed after torrential flooding. Since then, the community has been forced to rely on makeshift ferries, canoes, and fragile boats. Accidents have become routine, claiming lives and wrecking livelihoods.

HumAngle learnt that these crossings have led to recurring mishaps, claiming lives and destroying property valued in the hundreds of thousands of naira.

“Most of the mishaps were due to overcrowding in the boats. Apart from the properties that were lost, people also lost their lives,” Ibrahim Isa, a boat operator in the community, said. 

A vital link broken

Until August 2024, the Namnai bridge was a major transit route connecting Taraba to other parts of the North East, North Central, and the country’s South. Farmers used it to reach their fields, traders to sell their goods, and commuters to travel for work and family. Its sudden collapse severed all of that. 

“We have a waterfall around the area, which usually empties itself into the river. I think the water flow was so intense that day, and coupled with the flood, the river could not contain it, so the bridge broke,” Ibrahim recounted. “When the bridge broke, livelihood came to a standstill because people could no longer access their farms or the market for days.”

In the days that followed, residents were stranded. Those with canoes on the River Benue quickly brought them to Namnai, offering a temporary solution. But demand soon overwhelmed supply. With only two motorboats and a handful of canoes available, passengers waited anxiously, scrambled for places, or boarded the overcrowded ones.

Ibrahim had started working as a boat operator since the collapse of the bridge, drawing on his experience in rowing. “We started using the canoes to help people and their belongings cross to the other side before one member from the house of representatives representing our constituents brought a boat, and a week later, a senator deployed another boat to the riverbank,” he said.   

“Boats and canoes were never designed to carry large crowds or heavy loads, but people were desperate to access farm lands, markets, and places of work,” Ibrahim noted. 

He further explained that as the mishaps reoccurred, people started abandoning their farms due to fear. Traders could no longer cross to the other side to buy and sell, and the flow of goods into Namnai slowed. 

“The situation impacted the community and its environs negatively, especially traders and farmers,” Ibrahim emphasised, adding that the prices of food items in the community have gone up since then. 

Unfulfilled promises

In November 2024, after the floodwaters receded, Agbu Kefas, the Taraba State governor, visited the site to assess the damage. 

“He assured us that they were going to fix the bridge. He even promised to expand the bridge, saying that money would be approved soon,” Ibrahim said. 

But nearly a year later, nothing has changed. Commuters continue to take the risk through fragile canoes and small boats to reach their destination. 

For others, it is an opportunity to make money, as commercial boat operators have deployed locally-made ferries that carry both vehicles and passengers at the riverbank. 

“They charge between ₦3,000 and ₦4,000 per car, depending on its size, and ₦500 per passenger,” Ibrahim said. This means anyone crossing with a vehicle pays a total of ₦6,000 to ₦8,000 for a round trip. 

As one of the boat operators, he said they sometimes take pity on residents who cannot afford the full fare, accepting as little as ₦300 or even ₦200.

In April 2025, Uba Maigari, Minister of State for Regional Development, announced that the federal government had listed the Namnai bridge among eleven slated for repair in the North East, assuring that “in a week” the bridge will be fixed. 

Residents’ hopes were briefly reignited, but work has yet to begin. 

Meanwhile, each rainy season makes crossings deadlier. Cars ferried across, sometimes sinking into the swollen waters.

‘We are waiting’

On Aug. 18, tragedy struck again. A commercial bus operated by the Adamawa Express transport agency plunged into the Namnai River while attempting to cross the collapsed bridge. Several lives and properties were lost, reinforcing fears that the broken crossing remains a constant danger.

For Badaru, whose family is still grieving, the government’s inaction is unbearable. “I  don’t think I have to call on the government. They swore an oath after assuming office to cater to the people, so I’m sure they know their duties to the people. I don’t think we have to beg them when it comes to matters like this,” he said, sounding frustrated. 

Ibrahim, too, is losing faith. “People from [nearby] Ardo Karla used to farm in Namnai, but since the bridge broke, some people abandoned their farms. I know someone who vowed never to set foot on his farm since the bridge broke because of the tussle of going back and forth on water that is unsafe,” Ibrahim said, adding that the community recently learnt that the Federal Executive Council has approved the repair of the bridge.

 “We are still waiting for it to commence,” he said.  

As residents wait for bulldozers and builders, Badaru continues to search for the bodies of his son and sister-in-law. He admits, however, that he may one day have to surrender to fate.

Aug. 18 (UPI) — An explosion occurred Monday evening aboard a 751-foot bulk carrier in Baltimore’s Patapsco River, near where the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in March 2024.

The explosion was reported to the Baltimore City Fire Department at around 6:30 p.m. EDT, the fire department said in a statement. Officials have identified the craft as the W. Sapphire, which, according to marine traffic website MarineTraffic.com, is a Liberia-flagged Class A bulk carrier that was to depart Baltimore, Md., shortly before 6 p.m. Its destination was Port Louis in the East African nation of Mauritius.

Unverified video of the incident published online shows an explosion on the vessel ejected a large fireball into the air. Once the smoke cleared, a fire on deck could be seen.

The Baltimore fire department said the vessel sustained damage “consistent with a fire and explosion.” It remained afloat and was being assisted by tugboats.

All 23 people onboard the vessel when the explosion occurred have been accounted for and were uninjured, officials said.

“Fireboats remain on scene as the Coast Guard and other agencies begin their investigation,” the Baltimore City Fire Department said. “The vessel will be moved to a designated anchorage area and held there until cleared by the Coast Guard.”

UPI has contacted the U.S. Coast Guard for comment.

The Maryland Department of Emergency Management said in a statement online that it is “aware of the cargo ship fire” and is “monitoring.”

“At this time, there are no reports of injuries or property damaged beyond the ship,” it said.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore similarly said his office is closely monitoring the situation.

“State agencies are responding to the situation near Baltimore Harbor,” he said in a statement. “My office is in touch with local and federal authorities.”

The incident occurred not far from where about 510 days ago the Francis Scott Key Bridge across the Patapsco River collapsed after a commercial vessel, the MV Dali, crashed into it.

The Port of Baltimore is crucial to the economy of not only Baltimore and Maryland, but also the United States, with 45.9 million tons of international cargo with a value of $62.2 billion transiting through it in 2024, the second highest on record.

The collapse blocked the port, resulting in its 11-week closure.

Frankie Bridge has landed a brand new role with ITV as she takes on the role of a judge of an upcoming series, following her reported rift with her Loose Women co-stars

Former Saturdays singer Frankie Bridge has landed a new ITV role following a reported feud with her co-star Myleene Klass. Frankie, 36, has been involved in a rumoured feud with Myleene and also her former bandmate Rochelle Humes in recent weeks, and ITV reportedly had to step in to ensure the panellists didn’t cross paths.

Frankie has now bagged a new role on ITV and will be appearing as a judge on the upcoming series of ITV’s M&S: Dress The Nation. The singer is known for her style and has regularly shared her fashion outfits and tips online in recent years.

Her sense of style has been noted since she first stepped into the spotlight with The Saturdays, and when she had her iconic pixie haircut. The show was announced earlier this year with presenters Vernon Kay and AJ Odudu back on our screens. It comes after David Beckham speaks ‘as a father’ in ‘family’ announcement after latest Brooklyn snub.

READ MORE: Katie Price left unable to complete basic functions after latest facial surgeriesREAD MORE: Vogue Williams quits drinking after blacking out drunk at lavish showbiz wedding

A source revealed to the Daily Star: “Producers think Frankie is perfect for the show because she’s so fashionable.” The Mirror has contacted Frankie’s representatives for comment.

Despite the reported rift between Frankie and the ladies, they appeared to shut down the rumours as Rochelle and Frankie have both been interacting with one another on Instagram and showing their support for one another.

After Frankie shared a glimpse into her holiday, Rochelle liked the post, and vice versa, after Rochelle went on holiday. However, neither of the ladies has interacted online with Myleene and doesn’t even follow her online.

The three Loose Women stars were once thought to be good friends, as Myleene and Frankie attended Rochelle’s hen do back in 2012, however, Rochelle and Frankie have remained friends with Myleene’s ex-husband Graham Quinn.

A source previously said: “Myleene seemed to take that as Frankie taking sides with Graham because of their working relationship.”

It comes as Frankie took to social media to share a cryptic message amid speculation of the rift between herself and Myleene. Frankie posted on TikTok as she enjoyed her latest getaway, and in the clip, she is filmed at a beach resort miming along to Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter.

The video was captioned: “Taking 36 years to realise being a people pleaser doesn’t please anyone.”

She went on: “Fad diets are a waste of time. Turns out it’s all about balance?! Who knew?! Only you can make yourself happy.”

And Frankie added: “You can do the hard thing! You’ve got this.” She then added a red love heart emoji to her post. Fans were quick to agree with her comments, letting their feelings be known on the post.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

FRANKIE Bridge made a very cryptic comment about her stress levels being ‘at an all time high.’

This comes amid her feud with both Rochelle Humes and Myleene Klass.

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Posting a full-length selfie in the gym, the Loose Women star flaunted her washboard abs in a black crop top and matching leggings.

However, the star made a somewhat pointed hint at the feud and her current mood with her captions.

“After being prescribed meditation and relaxation on holiday by @balancedboss I’m back at the gym today.

“My cortisol was at an all time high. Stress levels max. So we took it back to basics while I was away.”

“I’ve come back feeling so much calmer and ready to start again.”

Making another hint of needing recovery time, she added: “Closely followed by my travel recovery ritual.”

Rochelle Vs Frankie

This comes after The Sun revealed a secret feud behind the scenes with her former bandmate Rochelle Humes.

All five members of The Saturdays insisted there was no bad blood when they parted ways in 2014.

However, The Sun previously revealed that Rochelle and Frankie’s 24-year friendship may have hit the rocks.

The duo were invited to watch the tennis at Wimbledon as As guests of sponsor Evian.

They mingled with other celebrities and guests just yards away from one another in a suite.

However, they failed to actually interact with each other as they enjoyed the delights of the hydrangea building nearCourtOne.

An insider told The Sun: “It was clear the women were keeping their distance. They sat on opposite sides of the suite and kept to themselves. 

“While Frankie posed for pictures with S Club’s Rachel Stevens, Rochelle took selfies with her husband Marvin and his I’m A Celebrity campmate Sam Thompson.

“Even though they were pleasant to each other when they did brush shoulders, they didn’t spend any extra time together than they had to, in between being amicable while passing each other en route to watch the tennis.”

How is Myleene involved?

We also told how Myleene was locked in a feud with both Frankie and her Saturdays’ bandmate Rochelle. 

Before all the drama, Myleene and Frankie – who both appeared on Loose Women – attended Rochelle’s hen do in 2012.

But the former Hear’Say star claimed she saw her fiance Graham Quinn, 51, and an unnamed celebrity “unzipping” each other at her birthday party.

Both of the stars were clients of her now ex-husband, who worked as a showbiz security manager.

Their continued friendship is said to have caused a rift as Myleene, 47, reportedly believes Rochelle took Graham’s side.

But they have not been seen on-screen together on the ITV show since an awkward episode last year.

At the time of the first report, representatives for Rochelle and Myleene did not reply to a request for comment.

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When the fires this year upended Los Angeles and put into question what it even means to return to normal, I was reminded of a chapter in “California Against the Sea” that had expanded my own understanding of what it takes to truly adapt our built environment — and to reimagine the places that we have come to love and call home.

This chapter, which opens with a radical shoreline reconfiguration just north of San Francisco, came not without controversy, but it provided a glimpse into what compromise might need to look like for so many communities struggling to keep up with climate change. Rather than hold the line with increasing futility, here was a humbling example of what can be possible when we transcend the throes of politics — and when we choose to set aside our differences and think beyond just reacting to the same disasters time and time again.

Since the book was published in 2023, the bridge described in the following excerpt has been completed, and the creek is finally free. Accommodating nature in this way called for some tough and unfamiliar changes, but go out to the beach today, and you can see the marsh starting to recover and the entire ecosystem gently resetting with the rhythms of the sea.

So much of the climate debate is still framed around what it is that we have to give up, but does it have to be this way? Rather than confront these decisions as though it’s our doom, can we embrace change and reconsider each effort to adapt as an opportunity — an opportunity to come together and build more bridges to the future?

Excerpted from “California Against the Sea: Visions for Our Vanishing Coastline” by Rosanna Xia. Reprinted with permission from Heyday Books, © 2023.

A few winding turns past Bodega Bay, about an hour north of San Francisco, relentless waves pound against a stretch of coastline in dire need of re-imagining. Gleason Beach, once reminiscent of a northern version of Malibu, is now mostly just a beach in name. Sand emerges only during the lowest of tides. Bits of concrete and rebar are all that remain of 11 clifftop homes that once faced the sea. A graveyard of seawalls, smashed into pieces, litters the shore. Here along the foggy bluffs of the Sonoma coast, the edge of the continent feels more like the edge of the world — a window into the future if California does not change course.

Los Angeles knows how to weather a crisis — or two or three. Angelenos are tapping into that resilience, striving to build a city for everyone.

These wave-cut cliffs, a brittle mélange of ancient claystone and shale, have been eroding on average about a foot a year, exacerbated since the 1980s by a hardened shoreline, intensifying El Niños and, now, sea level rise. With the beach underwater, the seawalls destroyed and so many homes surrendered, the pressure is now on Highway 1 to hold the line between land and sea. Year after year, residents have watched the waves carve away at the two-lane road — their only way to get to work, their only way to evacuate, their only way to reach all the rocky coves, beaches and seaside campgrounds that make this coast a marvel.

Broken concrete is all that’s left of a number of clifftop homes at Gleason Beach on the Sonoma Coast, pictured here in 2019.

(Carolyn Cole/ Los Angeles Times)

So, with every storm and every knock from the ocean, officials have scrambled to save the highway, pouring millions of tax dollars into a vicious cycle of sudden collapses and emergency repairs. From 2004 to 2018 alone, state transportation officials spent about $10 million in emergency defenses and failed repairs. In 2019, almost half a mile had to be reduced to one lane.

This lifeline for the region now hangs inches from the edge. The once spectacular coastline had seemingly morphed overnight — an apocalyptic transformation, decades in the making, seen with stark clarity now that orange caution tape and makeshift traffic lights mark what’s left of the shore.

“This is what unmanaged retreat looks like, and it is quite frankly a hot mess of septic systems, old house parts and armoring that have fallen into the intertidal zone with no real mechanism for cleaning it up,” Sonoma County supervisor Lynda Hopkins declared. “If we don’t start planning ahead and taking proactive measures, Mother Nature will make the decisions for us.”

With the realities of climate change looming ever closer, California transportation officials agreed it was time to try something different: make peace with the sea and move the crumbling highway more than 350 feet inland. They knew nailing down the details would be fraught, but, if done right, this would be the first radical effort by the state to plan for a reimagined coast — a coast that could support California into the next century. It was the rare managed retreat proposal that intentionally sought to both raise and relocate critical infrastructure far enough from the shore to make room for the next 100 years of rising water.

Compromise wasn’t easy. Officials studied more than 20 alternatives that tried to balance safety codes, traffic needs, fragile habitats, public access to the coast and other competing requirements that were tricky to meet given the topography. There were also all the nearby property owners who needed persuading, not to mention a skeptical, conservation-minded community that was averse to saving a human-altered shoreline with more human alterations. They ran into every argument and counterargument that have tugged, pulled and paralyzed other communities.

At its heart this project, like so many attempts along the California coast, called for a reckoning over what was worth saving — and what was worth sacrificing — and whether it was possible to redesign a treasured landscape so that it survives into the future.

Book cover for “California Against the Sea” by Rosanna Xia

(Heyday Books)

“It seems daunting; it’s a lot of change to cope with, but it’s also an opportunity for communities to think about, ‘What are the coastal resources we want to have access to fifty, one hundred years from now?’” said Tami Grove, who oversees transportation projects for the California Coastal Commission and spent years reconciling all the emotional meetings, the disagreements, the many stops and stalls and hand-wringing compromises. “It gets lost, sometimes, when people are worried about everything that we’re going to lose to sea level rise — but there are things that we’re going to be able to choose and enhance and design into the future if we start planning now.”

In what many described as a major coup in government bureaucracy, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the coastal commission and county leaders set aside their differences to come up with a new solution together. By November 2020, they had hammered out a plan to relocate almost one mile of the highway — most notably with a new 850-foot-long bridge spanning Scotty Creek, a degraded stream that, choked for decades by the highway’s current configuration, rarely reached the ocean anymore. Rather than agonize over how to restore the landscape to some former, unobtainable baseline of “natural,” officials unanimously agreed that this bold re-imagining of the coast was the best way forward among no perfect options.

The concrete bridge (a monstrous overpass or a reasonable compromise, depending on who’s talking) will at least allow Scotty Creek to flow freely into the ocean again — making room for more red-legged frogs, Myrtle’s silverspot butterflies, and the passage of steelhead trout and coho salmon. Officials reasoned that elevating the highway would avoid paving over what’s left of the wetlands, which were already in desperate need of healing. By rerouting traffic onto a bridge, these drowning habitats would have the space to recover and migrate inland as the sea moved in.

State transportation officials also agreed, as part of the $73 million project, to pay $5 million to help clean up the mess of abandoned homes and failed road repairs. An additional $6.5 million will go toward wetland, creek and prairie restoration. Some of the old highway will be converted into a public coastal trail, and visitors will have access to a new parking area, as well as a beach that was once limited by private property.

Caltrans also set aside money to negotiate and acquire land from three private properties, including oceanfront portions of a historic ranch that will be most impacted by the realigned highway. Once completed, much of the open space will be transferred to Sonoma County to manage on behalf of the public.

This all came as a shock at first for Philip and Roberta Ballard, who own and live on the ranch, but they said they’ve come to understand the necessity of this project. The bridge still feels way too big — especially for this rural stretch of paradise that first captured their hearts more than two decades ago — but after years of meetings, questions and debating each trade-off, the retired couple decided to turn their energies toward making sure Scotty Creek got restored as part of the deal.

The creek, the largest watershed between Salmon Creek and the Russian River, has needed help since before they purchased the ranch, they said. In a past life, steelhead trout and coho salmon thrived in this stream. The once-abundant fish disappeared after the concrete culvert, installed in 1952 to support the highway, blocked their ability to migrate between fresh- and saltwater. The brackish habitat drowned over the decades. Then the creek, swollen after a series of big storms in the 1980s, flooded the lower plain. The stream banks were denuded of vegetation and the riffle crests obliterated as the choked stream tried to reach the sea.

Since 2004, the Ballards, both professors emeriti of pediatrics at UC San Francisco, have been piecing together ways to restore the creek, one small project at a time. Full restoration would require grading and reshaping the riverbanks, bringing back the native vegetation, improving water flow and re-creating the pools that once provided shelter to juvenile fish. The $6.5 million that Caltrans promised as part of the final deal will go a long way, they said, to nursing this entire ecosystem back to life.

“A lot of our efforts have gone into trying to make the best out of something that is necessary,” Roberta Ballard said. “We’ve arrived at feeling reasonably good about getting the best mitigation we can get for this region and getting something reasonably positive out of it.”

Construction crews work on building a new bridge over Scotty Creek, as part of Caltrans’ Gleason Beach Roadway Realignment Project.

(John Huseby / Caltrans)

When we don’t understand and don’t allow for the ocean’s ways, we end up with homes perched on crumbling cliffs and seawalls still making a stand. Guided by a few mere decades of history and a narrow understanding of the California shore, many today know only how to preserve the version of the coast they learned to love. Rather than imagine a different way to live, we cling to the fragility of what we still have and account for only what we consider lost. Even remembering how wide a beach used to be, or how the cliffs once withstood the tide, glorifies the notion that resilience is measured by our ability to remain unchanged.

We fail to see how we’ve replaced entire ecological systems with our own hardened habitats, and then altered the shoreline even more once the shore began to disappear. Neither replicating the past nor holding on to the present is going to get us to the future that we need. Learning from the recurring cycles of nature, listening to the knowledge gained with each flood and storm, adapting and choosing to transform — this is what it means to persevere. Change, in the end, has been the only constant in our battle for permanence. Change is the only way California will learn how to live with, not on, this beautiful, vanishing coastline that so many people settled and still wish to call home.

Stefan Galvez-Abadia, Caltrans’s district division chief of environmental planning and engineering, is now attempting with his team to design a prettier bridge at Gleason Beach, one more fitting for the rural landscape. They’ve studied the arched columns of Bixby Creek Bridge on the Big Sur coast and other popular landmarks that have become iconic over time. They’ve conducted surveys on what color to paint the bridge — some shade of gray or brown, for example, or a more distinct hue like that of the Golden Gate Bridge. Donne Brownsey, who served as vice chair of the Coastal Commission at the time, remarked that the project reminded her of a concrete beam bridge in Mendocino County that spans the mouth of the Ten Mile River, just north of where she lives in Fort Bragg. “It was a new bridge, it caused a lot of consternation, but I didn’t know that the first few times I went over it — I would look forward to that part of the drive, because I could see the whole estuary to the west, and I could see the rivershed to the east,” she said. “You don’t even really see the bridge anymore because the swallows now all nest there, and it’s just part of nature.”

The bridge at Gleason Beach, facing similar design constraints as the Ten Mile Bridge, also has to be massive — a counter-intuitive twist to what one might think it means to accommodate the environment. Engineers had at first tried more minimal options — a shorter bridge, thinner columns, a less intrusive height — but many were not large enough in size or distance to outlast the coastal erosion projected for the next 100 years. And to give the wetlands enough space to grow back, the highway needed to be elevated at a landscape-wide scale.

The completed bridge and realignment of Highway 1 can now be seen at Gleason Beach, about an hour north of San Francisco.

(Caltrans)

Despite so many years of seminars and talks about climate change adaptation, turning an abstract concept like managed retreat into reality has been a delicate exercise in compromise, Galvez-Abadia said. There were few case studies to turn to, and each one he examined dealt with an increasingly complicated set of trade-offs.

“You don’t have many choices when it comes to sea level rise,” he said, flipping through almost two dozen renderings his team had tried. “Whichever way you choose, you’re going to have some kind of impact. These are the difficult decisions that we will all have to make as a region, as a community, for generations to come.”

As he filed away his notes and prepared to break ground, he reflected once more on all the years it took to reach this first milestone. The process wasn’t easy. A lot of people are still frustrated. Even more are disappointed. Many tough property negotiations still lay ahead, but he hoped, at least, to see the wetlands and creek recover beneath the bridge one day. If the native plants reemerge, the salmon return, and there still remains a coast that families could safely access and enjoy, perhaps this new highway — however bold, however different — could show California that it is possible, that it isn’t absurd, to build toward a future where nature and modern human needs could finally coexist.

ROCHELLE Humes appears to have offered an olive branch to Frankie Bridge amid the pair’s feud and Wimbledon snub.

The Sun previously revealed friction behind-the-scenes with This Morning anchor Rochelle, 36, and her The Saturdays co-star Frankie, 36.

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Mum of two Frankie, 36, recently posted a cryptic “you’re dead to me” upload after the pair kept their distance at Wimbledon.

Meanwhile, Rochelle – who was in The Saturdays band with Frankie since 2007 – uploaded an equally thought-provoking message about “choosing partners wisely.”

Frankie’s mystery message was also also posted after her feud with Myleene Klass came to light – after a row over the Hear’Say singer’s “cheating” ex.

We then reported how ITV has stepped in to manage strained relations between Frankie, Rochelle, and Myleene.

Yet now Rochelle has appeared to support Frankie in a rare move, hitting the heart-shaped like button on her recent Instagram upload.

It showed the Loose Women panelist stripping to a patterned bikini as she soaked up the sunshine in the Maldives.

While the pair still follow each other on Instagram, Rochelle’s like is a rare move amid their feud – as they rarely publicly support each others’ posts.

The Up singers haven’t liked each others’ uploads in years, and there have been no likes or comment exchanges between the pair since 2013.

This could mean they were wiped if one of them had blocked the other.

TOUGH TIMES

Recently, The Sun reported how ITV has stepped into manage relations between Frankie, Rochelle, and Myleene.

All three former pop stars now work as Daytime presenters at ITV.

They were all once close, with Loose Women hosts Myleene and Frankie attending Rochelle’s hen do back in 2012.

However, Rochelle and Frankie remained friends with their former bodyguard and Myleene’s ex husband Graham Quinn.

Rochelle even posted snaps with Graham in Ibiza earlier this week.

Marvin and Rochelle Humes Career Highlights

Singers and presenters Marvin and Rochelle Humes have enjoyed successes both together and individually. Here are some of their biggest highlights.

• S Club Junior/S Club 8: Early in her career, Rochelle was a member of this S Club 7 spin-off group. All of the original members were either early teens or younger when joining the band. They disbanded in 2005.
• VS: The brainchild of Blue singer Simon Webbe, a pre-JLS Marvin featured in this group from 2004 to 2005. Although not a member himself, Webbe also managed the band.
• The Saturdays: Rochelle joined the English-Irish girl band in 2007, along with Frankie Bridge, Vanessa White, Una Healy and Mollie King, following auditions. The group began an indefinite hiatus in 2014, although each of the members have moved on to other ventures.
• JLS: After leaving VS, Marvin met Oritsé Williams through mutual friends, forming the beginning of what became JLS. Adding Aston Merrygold and JB Gill, the group famously auditioned for The X-Factor in 2008. JLS finished as runners-up to Alexandra Burke and initially disbanded in 2013. They later reunited from 2020 onwards.
• This Morning: The couple were regular stand-in presenters on the ITV daytime show up until 2015.
• The Voice: Marvin hosted series three through five of The Voice alongside Emma Willis on BBC One. The show later moved to BBC One, without Marvin continuing on.
• The Hit List: Marvin and Rochelle began presenting this music-themed game show in 2019. The programme’s success has seen both civilians and celebrities take part.
• I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!: Marvin participated in the 2023 series of the beloved show. He starred alongside the likes of Josie Gibson, Tony Bellew, Nigel Farage and Fred Sirieix. In the end Sam Thompson was crowned King of the Jungle.

In 2013, soon after Myleene’s divorce from Quinn, guests at the Glamour Women of the Year awards saw her storm over to Frankie after believing she had been blanked.

A source said: “Myleene seemed to take that as Frankie taking sides with Graham because of their working relationship.”

Meanwhile, Frankie and Myleene have not appeared on Loose Women together since an “awkward” episode last December.

Sources said that though they’d rather not be on together, they are professionals and do their best to make things work.

Tensions between the trio could well have heightened after Graham hit back at Myleene this weekend, blasting allegations of his “cheating.”

WIMBLEDON WOE

Frankie and Rochelle snubbed each other at Wimbledon last month, after a 24-year friendship.

Then this week, I’m A Celeb star Frankie shared a TikTok about falling out with a friend.

A caption written over the clip read: “You’re so quiet…

“Thanks, you said something five years ago and I’ve just realised you’re actually dead to me.”

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Residents are opposed to the bridge over its scale, earthquake threats, environmental effect, and mafia interference.

Thousands of people have marched in Sicily to protest against a government plan to build a bridge that would connect the Italian mainland to the Mediterranean island, and would be the world’s longest single-span bridge.

Some 10,000 demonstrators marched in the Sicilian city of Messina on Saturday to stage their opposition to the 13.5-billion-euro ($15.7bn) infrastructure project.

Residents are against the proposed Strait of Messina Bridge project over its scale, earthquake threats, environmental effect, and potential mafia interference.

The idea to build the bridge has been debated for decades. This week, however, it saw a major step forward when a government committee overseeing strategic public investments approved the plan.

Transport Minister Matteo Salvini called it “the biggest infrastructure project in the West”.

Salvini cited studies estimating the project would create up to 120,000 jobs annually and help stimulate economic growth in lagging southern Italy, as billions more are invested in surrounding road and infrastructure improvements.

Critics, however, are not convinced, and angered that about 500 families would have to be expropriated for the bridge to be built. Salvini says such families will be compensated.

“The Strait of Messina can’t be touched,” protesters shouted as they marched in Messina. Many carried banners that said “No Ponte” (No Bridge).

“They could offer me three times the value of my house, but that doesn’t matter to me. What matters is the landscape. They must not touch the Strait of Messina,” Mariolina De Francesco, a 75-year-old resident of Messina whose house lies near the site of one of the bridge’s planned 399-metre- (440-yard-)tall land towers, told The Associated Press news agency.

“Our lawyers will take action, and we will stop them. That’s guaranteed.”

The proposed bridge would span nearly 3.7km (2.3 miles) with a suspended section of 3.3km (more than 2 miles). It would surpass Turkiye’s Canakkale Bridge by 1,277 metres (1,400 yards) to become the longest suspension bridge in the world.

Preliminary work could begin in late September or early October, pending approval from Italy’s Court of Audit. Full construction is scheduled to begin in 2026, with completion planned between 2032 and 2033.

The bridge would reduce the time to cross the strait by ferry, usually up to 100 minutes, to 10 minutes by car. Trains would save 2.5 hours in transit time, Salvini said.

The project could also support Italy’s commitment to raise defence spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) targeted by NATO, as the government has indicated it would classify the bridge as defence-related. Italy argues that the bridge would form a strategic corridor for rapid troop movements and equipment deployment, qualifying it as “security-enhancing infrastructure”.

Environmental groups, however, have lodged complaints with the European Union, citing concerns that the project would affect migratory birds.

Italy’s president has also insisted that the project remain subject to anti-mafia legislation that applies to all large-scale infrastructure projects.

CHELSEA hardly needed to play like world-beaters to see off lacklustre Leverkusen.

But there was plenty for the Blues to feel positive about from their first game as world champions.

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Estevao’s goal and all-round first-half performance on his debut was the undoubted highlight, before Club World Cup hero Joao Pedro made it two late on.

And although boss Enzo Maresca regularly showed frustration with his team, this was a decent showing from a group of players with less than a week of training under their belt.

Maresca gave 10 outfield substitutes a run out without losing control of a game that at times had a bit more needle than he would have liked.

The way Cole Palmer linked up with Estevao will have pleased the Chelsea head coach.

The challenge which former Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah put in on Palmer will have had him wincing.

Especially after losing defender Levi Colwill to ACL surgery after a knock picked up in the very first training session since the CWC victory.

Palmer was incensed, and his team-mates backed him up in a brief outbreak of handbags.

Yet it was Chelsea who looked the fresher team.

Former Bundesliga champions Leverkusen had been working together for a full pre-season under new boss Erik ten Hag.

But they felt like one of Ten Hag’s old Manchester United teams: flat and toothless up front, having lost playmaker Florian Wirtz and wing-back Jeremie Frimpong to Liverpool.

Blues goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen made only a couple of routine saves and the visitors were unable to capitalise on the odd defensive error.

Otherwise it was all Chelsea.

Marc Cucurella and Estevao had shots blocked before the Brazilian started and finished the key move of the match.

After retrieving the ball near the halfway line, the right winger Cucurella, whose pass inside fell for Palmer.

The No 10s lob came back off the bar but Estevao volleyed it home.

Chelsea’s new No 9, Liam Delap, had two decent sights of goal but was denied each time by former Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken.

Delap might have done better, particularly with the first opportunity from Cucurella’s cross.

Estevao saw a shot blocked by Piero Hincapie’s head just before the break.

Palmer went off at half time, presumably as a precaution rather than because of any lasting damage from Quansah’s foul.

Estevao took his place in the No 10 position, leaving Pedro Neto to “follow that” on the right wing.

The young Brazilian had been less impressive in the second half yet had a chance to make the night even more special.

But he pulled a good chance wide before being replaced with 15 minutes to go to a loud ovation from the crowd.

Neto forced a decent save from Flekken and Chelsea were on the verge of settling for a scoreline that did not reflect their superiority.

But Joao Pedro put some extra shine on a night lit up by his fellow Brazilian Estevao with a last-gasp second.

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..

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Drone footage showed workers in India’s Uttarakhand state building a makeshift bridge across a gorge to reestablish ground access to communities cut off by deadly flash flooding and landslides earlier this week. Rescuers have been using helicopters to evacuate those trapped in the Himalayan region.

FRANKIE Bridge has raised eyebrows after saying “you’re dead to me” in a scathing post after appearing to ‘snub’ former bandmate and friend Rochelle Humes. 

The Loose Women panellist, 36, took to TikTok to share the damning video, showing her sipping on a glass of rosé wine. 

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A caption written over the clip read: “You’re so quiet…

“Thanks, you said something five years ago and I’ve just realised you’re actually dead to me.”

Frankie then added below: “Takes me a while, but once you’re dead you’re dead.” 

The Sun has contacted a representative for Frankie for comment.

Mum-of-two Frankie and presenter Rochelle, 36, shot to fame together at just 12-years-old in pop group S Club Juniors. 

Frankie and Rochelle then joined girlband The Saturdays in 2007, going on to enjoy a string of huge hits including Issues, Ego and What About Us. 

The Saturdays – also made up of Vanessa White, Una Healy and Mollie King – have always insisted their decision to go on indefinite hiatus in 2014 wasn’t down to them falling out. 

Speaking to HELLO! previously, Frankie explained: “We never fell out. We never really officially broke up or anything, so the option [to get back together] has kind of always been there.”

But last month The Sun revealed an apparent ‘feud’ between Frankie and Rochelle, after they gave each other the cold shoulder at Wimbledon. 

As guests of sponsor Evian, the pair were invited to watch the tennis in a suite in the sought-after hydrangea building nearCourtOne.

But while they mingled with other celebrities and guests just yards away from one another – they failed to actually interact with each other.

An insider told The Sun: “It was clear the women were keeping their distance. They sat on opposite sides of the suite and kept to themselves. 

“While Frankie posed for pictures with S Club’s Rachel Stevens, Rochelle took selfies with her husband Marvin and his I’m A Celebrity campmate Sam Thompson.

“It was a shame because having the two girls from The Saturdays together for a mini-reunion was exciting for everyone there.

“Even though they were pleasant to each other when they did brush shoulders, they didn’t spend any extra time together than they had to, in between being amicable while passing each other en route to watch the tennis.”

While Frankie has taken the “never say never” approach to a potential Saturdays return and Una, 43, has admitted several times she’s ready to perform with the girls again, Rochelle previously insisted she “highly doubts” it will happen. 

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