By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ and JULIE WATSON

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Search and rescue crews were looking for multiple backcountry skiers feared missing Tuesday after a reported avalanche in Northern California as a powerful winter storm moved through the state, authorities said.

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The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at about 11:30 a.m. reporting an avalanche with people buried, said Ashley Quadros, a department spokesperson.

The sheriff’s office, the sheriff’s Search & Rescue team and a crew with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection responded to the area of Castle Peak, which is northwest of Lake Tahoe, Quadros said.

“It has been reported that a group of back country skiers was involved in the incident, with several members of the party missing at this time,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a Facebook post.

California is being walloped this week by a powerful winter storm carrying treacherous thunderstorms, high winds and heavy snow in mountain areas.

According to the Sierra Avalanche Center based in Truckee, the area in the Central Sierra Nevada, including the Greater Lake Tahoe region, was facing high avalanche danger in the backcountry with large slides expected to occur Tuesday and into Wednesday.

Several ski resorts around Lake Tahoe were fully or partially closed due to the extreme weather.

Snow falls on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 in Truckee Calif. (AP Photos/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

The dangerous conditions were caused by rapidly accumulating snowfall, weakening snowpack layers and gale-force winds. Ski areas or highways where avalanche mitigation programs exist were not expected to be at as high of a risk, the center said.

Castle Peak, a 9,110-foot peak in the Donner Summit area of the Sierra Nevada, is a popular backcountry skiing destination. In the nearby town of Soda Springs, at least 30 inches of snow had fallen in the last 24 hours, according to the Soda Springs Mountain Resort.

Forecasters said the western slope of the Sierra Nevada in northern Shasta County — including portions of Interstate 5 — and parts of the state’s Pacific Coast Range could see up to 8 feet of snow before the storm moves through late Wednesday.

Snow falls on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 in Truckee Calif. (AP Photos/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

The storm wreaked havoc on roadways spanning from Sonoma County to the Sierra Nevada. Traffic was halted temporarily in both directions on I-80 near the Nevada state line due to spinouts and crashes, the California Department of Transportation reported.

In January, an avalanche in the region buried a snowmobiler in snow and killed him, authorities said. Each winter, 25 to 30 people die in avalanches in the U.S., according to the National Avalanche Center.

Watson reported from San Diego.

Lawmakers and state leaders opened up Minnesota’s 2026 legislative session on a somber note Tuesday, gathering in the House chamber to honor the memory of former Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.

For the first time on Tuesday, members of the public had to pass through metal detectors and send bags through x-ray machines to access the Capitol on the first day of a session — new security measures that came in the wake of last summer’s violence against state lawmakers.

The Hortmans were killed at their home in Brooklyn Park, just days after leaders passed a state budget. State. Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot at their home in Champlin but survived.

Hortman’s family, as well as Hoffman and his wife, attended the opening day of session along with senators, representatives and Gov. Tim Walz, who praised the late former House speaker for her dedication to public service and compromise.

Sen. John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin, center, walks up the steps to the Senate chambers on the first day of the legislative session at the state Capitol in St. Paul on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Another session requiring compromise

As the narrowly-divided Legislature prepares to enter yet another session that will require hard-earned compromises, Walz called on elected leaders to look to the late speaker’s example by recognizing the humanity in colleagues across the aisle.

“The way you honor Melissa and Mark is how we conduct ourselves afterwards. It’s one thing to be reflective on the past, and to tell stories of the past, it’s another to (ask) what did we learn from that?” Walz said. “She cared so deeply about this institution that it’s all of our responsibilities to continue to carry that out.”

Gov. Tim Walz and First Lady Gwen Walz pay their respects to Melissa Hortman at her desk after a remembrance for former Speaker of the House on the first day of the legislative session in the Minnesota House chambers at the state Capitol in St. Paul on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth praised her Democratic-Farmer-Labor colleague for her ability to keep her caucus focused and disciplined when they held a narrow majority. Even when the DFL controlled Minnesota government, Demuth said Hortman maintained continuous dialogue. And over the past year in a House tied between the parties, Hortman showed what was possible when lawmakers “remember what public service is about,” Demuth said.

“Melissa and I worked hard to show that you can fiercely debate policy and process while still respecting the person on the other side of that debate. You can be principled and civil. You can deeply disagree and still be kind,” Demuth said. “Melissa never dismissed my perspective, and I never dismissed hers, so that made room for real conversation.”

Polarized political climate

This year’s legislative session comes after a year of major trials for Minnesota. After attacks on lawmakers in June, a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis took the lives of two children and injured more than 20 others.

A surge in federal immigration enforcement — which the Trump administration said was tied in part to allegations of significant government fraud — led to clashes between protesters and federal agents in Minneapolis, resulting in the fatal shootings of two activists.

Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, called for lawmakers to focus on governing the state and to resist extreme or divisive rhetoric in a highly polarized political climate.

“We return here together altered — some terrorized, fearful — but determined,” she said. “We have a choice. Will we devolve into the familiar and increasingly dangerous partisan divide? Or will we do what I believe Melissa would want us to do, to lead with conviction and a plan for Minnesota?”

Flowers left at Hortman’s desk

The final speaker during Tuesday’s memorial was Rep. Zack Stephenson, a Coon Rapids representative who became the House DFL Caucus leader after Hortman’s death.

Stephenson, who at 17 met Hortman when she was first running for office and managed her first successful campaign in 2004, said future generations would “look back favorably” on the former speaker’s tenure. He pointed to recent DFL-backed legislative achievements like an expanded child tax credit, paid family and medical leave and universal free school meals.

“Melissa didn’t have patience for fancy words or symbolic victories,” he said. “She wanted progress, and she got it. Since her death, many folks have described Melissa Hortman as the most consequential speaker in Minnesota history.”

Hortman’s former seat in the Minnesota House will remain a memorial for 2026, according to a DFL caucus spokesperson. Members left flowers at her desk as they exited the chamber.

Fraud, immigration crackdown, bonding

The Legislature did not hold any hearings on its first day. This year’s session is sure to see debates on how to best address fraud in state government programs and federal immigration enforcement in the wake of the Trump administration’s crackdown.

Neither party is in full control of state government, and highly partisan issues like gun control are unlikely to see any significant action. Any bill that makes it to the governor’s desk will be the product of compromise.

Since the state passes its two-year budget in odd-numbered years, lawmakers technically don’t have to pass anything this year. Even-numbered years are traditionally known as bonding years, where the Legislature passes a large public infrastructure borrowing bill. The Legislature did not pass a bonding bill in 2024, but did do a $700 million bonding package last year.

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Meanwhile, Vance Boelter, the man accused of killing the Hortmans and attacking the Hoffman family on June 14, faces federal as well as state charges and who may face the death penalty in the federal case. He pleaded not guilty to those charges in August.

Also in August, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty secured a grand jury indictment against Boelter, including first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder charges. Boelter has yet to enter a plea on those charges.

“New York City is facing a growing pet affordability crisis, one that is threatening to get worse,” writes Will Zweigart, director of the nonprofit Flatbush Cats. “Mayor Mamdani has an opportunity to make affordable vet care for all New Yorkers part of his affordability platform.”

A cat adoption event at City Hall in 2022. (Violet Mendelsund/Mayoral Photo Office)

Like many New Yorkers, Mayor Zohran Mamdani is currently undergoing allergy shots to bring a new feline family member into their new home. However, more than the exciting prospect of having animal lovers in Gracie Mansion, what New Yorkers actually need are staunch advocates to deal with an underlooked but critical aspect of the affordability crisis: New Yorkers can’t afford their pets.  

New York City is facing a growing pet affordability crisis, one that is threatening to get worse. Already, millions of New Yorkers can’t afford basic veterinary care, driven by a broader housing and cost-of-living crisis which the mayor made the centerpiece of his campaign. Taken together, it’s no surprise that 50 percent of New Yorkers can’t afford a pet. 

Shelters are overwhelmed by animals looking for homes, and the crush is not easing. New York spends far less on pet care than other cities: about $2.89 per resident, compared to $13.70 in Miami, and $14.78 in Dallas. The good news is, we know how to tackle this issue.

Mayor Mamdani has an opportunity to make affordable vet care for all New Yorkers part of his affordability platform. We can do this with proven, cost-saving policy solutions.

First, we must strengthen the city’s animal welfare infrastructure by appointing new leadership to the Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare. Think of this person as a “Pet Czar.” Next, we need to make basic vet care affordable for more New Yorkers by using additional funding and capital projects for new clinics. Finally, we must expand community support and prevention with pet food pilot programs across the boroughs.

I didn’t set out to run a nonprofit. I was a neighbor trying to help a few cats on my block by trapping, fostering, and paying out of pocket for basic veterinary care. What I quickly realized was that the hardest part wasn’t convincing people to care. It was that care wasn’t accessible. Appointments were hard to get, prices were out of reach, and by the time help became available, small problems had multiplied into crises.

Over and over, I saw how good intentions collided with a system that intervenes too late and costs too much. Flatbush Cats grew out of that reality: not as a rescue reacting to emergencies, but as an effort to prevent them by expanding access to affordable, timely veterinary care.

Flatbush Vet, a program of Flatbush Cats, provides low-cost veterinary care every day and free monthly vaccine clinics for those who need them most. The clinic demonstrates what the city has failed to invest in: prevention that costs less than crisis response. This affordable care model is not theoretical. It is operating now, and it can be scaled across the city.

There are many, many serious crises that Mayor Mamdani will have to tackle in his term, and we understand the difficulty in prioritizing affordable pet and veterinary care at a time when people are struggling to make ends meet. However, pets are family. And the wealthiest city in the world should be able to afford care for beloved members of the family, whether they are fur covered, or not. 

Mayor Mamdani has an opportunity to not just rescue one pet—he can build a better system for millions of four legged New Yorkers and their families. 

Will Zweigart is the executive director of Flatbush Cats.

The post Opinion: The Mayor Wants to Adopt a Cat. Half of New Yorkers Can’t Afford One. appeared first on City Limits.

Mamdani emitió una orden ejecutiva que añade otra capa a la lista de leyes santuario de la ciudad de Nueva York, que limitan la colaboración de la policía y organismos municipales con las autoridades federales de inmigración.

El alcalde Mamdani anuncia medidas para defender las leyes de ciudad santuario de Nueva York el 6 de febrero de 2026. Crédito: Ed Reed/Oficina de Fotografía de la Alcaldía.

El pasado 6 de febrero, el alcalde Zohran Mamdani emitió una orden ejecutiva que añade otra capa a la lista de leyes santuario de la ciudad de Nueva York, que limitan la colaboración de la policía y organismos municipales con las autoridades federales de inmigración, como el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas, o ICE por sus siglas en inglés.

Los defensores de los inmigrantes y grupos de defensa aplaudieron la medida. “Si bien estas órdenes ejecutivas afirman en su mayoría las políticas santuario existentes de la ciudad y promueven las mejores prácticas para proteger a nuestras comunidades, el alcalde Mamdani está tomando una postura firme y utilizando su autoridad ejecutiva para reafirmar la identidad de Nueva York como un hogar acogedor para los inmigrantes”, dijo Jodi Ziesemer, directora de la unidad de protección de inmigrantes de New York Legal Assistance Group.

Entre los puntos clave se incluye la creación de un Comité de Respuesta Interinstitucional (Interagency Response Committee) presidido por el primer vicealcalde, Dean Fuleihan, quien ocupó ese mismo cargo para el exalcalde Bill de Blasio.

El comité estará a cargo de desarrollar e implementar políticas de respuesta de la alcaldía, explicó Bitta Mostofi, asesora especial para la coordinación estratégica y operaciones para la Oficina del Alcalde para Asuntos del Inmigrante.

“También [incluye] cualquier otra posible interacción, el establecimiento de prioridades y, por supuesto, la recopilación de datos y documentación, para que estemos preparados para hacer frente a cualquier crisis, entre otras cosas”, dijo Mostofi.

“El Comité de Respuesta Interinstitucional también está estudiando nuevos cambios en las políticas santuario y dando prioridad a la respuesta a las crisis”, agregó Ziesemer. “Este es el primer paso en un esfuerzo meditado y mesurado por fortalecer y mejorar la protección que nuestras ciudades brindan a las comunidades de inmigrantes y a todos los neoyorquinos”.

Otro de los cambios anunciados en la orden es la prohibición del uso de lotes de la ciudad (como aparcamientos, garajes) para cualquier fin de aplicación de la ley federal. Esta medida se parece a una orden ejecutiva firmada en Chicago el año pasado, que prohibía a las autoridades federales de inmigración utilizar propiedades pertenecientes a la ciudad o controladas por ésta.

En Nueva York, la orden también reitera que los agentes federales no pueden entrar en propiedades municipales —como escuelas, refugios, hospitales y espacios públicos— sin una orden judicial.

Otro de los cambios incluye desarrollar una auditoría de los departamentos y agencias de la ciudad para revisar sus políticas en lo que respecta al cumplimiento de las leyes de santuario vigentes en la ciudad de Nueva York y publicar un informe para el 7 de mayo.

Por último, en un esfuerzo por reforzar las medidas de protección para los inmigrantes neoyorquinos en la propia alcaldía, la orden pide la formación interna de los empleados municipales y hace hincapié en la protección de la privacidad. Y pide nombrar inmediatamente a directores de privacidad para que revisen los protocolos de recopilación de datos.

Más detalles en nuestra conversación a continuación.

Ciudad Sin Límites, el proyecto en español de City Limits, y El Diario de Nueva York se han unido para crear el pódcast “El Diario Sin Límites” para hablar sobre latinos y política. Para no perderse ningún episodio de nuestro pódcast “El Diario Sin Límites” síguenos en Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Pódcast y Stitcher. Todos los episodios están allí. ¡Suscríbete!

The post PODCAST: ¿Qué cambia con la nueva orden ejecutiva sobre leyes santuario de Mamdani en Nueva York? appeared first on City Limits.