The president of the San Francisco Federal Reserve on Wednesday said the central bank is likely to raise a key interest rate to as high as 2.5% by year end in a bid to help douse raging US inflation.

“I see an expeditious march to neutral by the end of the year as a prudent path,” Mary Daly said in a speech at the University of Las Vegas.

Her remarks suggest the Fed would raise rates at least a few times in half-point increments, perhaps as soon as the central bank’s May strategy meeting.

The central bank views 2.5% as neutral for its short-term fed funds rate, meaning it neither helps nor hurts the economy. The cost of borrowing for a house, car or business loan are influenced by the Fed’s benchmark rate.

The Fed last month lifted its short-term rate for the first time since the pandemic after keeping it near zero during the crisis in an effort to stimulate the economy.

While the Fed’s actions helped shield the US from an even deeper recession, its easy-money strategy also contributed to the worst bout of inflation in 40 years. The cost of living jumped 8.5% as the 12 months ended in February, the consumer price index shows.

A sharp recovery and the return of millions of people to work, however, means the Fed no longer has to support the economy, Daly said. “Moving purposefully to a more neutral stance that does not stimulate the economy is the top priority.”

Daly and other senior Fed officials have signaled they plan to raise rates quickly to try to ease upward price pressures and assure Wall Street DJIA, +0.67% investors and the public that the central bank won’t let inflation continue to run rampant.

“Across the country, Americans are waking up and going to bed worried about whether their incomes will keep up with the rising cost of rent, food, and fuel,” she said.

“Businesses are also worried, thinking twice about committing to long-term
contracts that may become too costly to fulfill if prices continue to rise.”

Yet Daly, viewed as one of the Fed’s more dovish officials, also cautioned that the central bank has to make sure it doesn’t go too far too fast.

“If we slam the brakes on the economy by adjusting rates too quickly or too much, we risk forcing unnecessary adjustments by businesses and households, potentially tipping the economy into recession,” she warned.

By early next year, the Fed will be able to gauge the effects of higher rates, she said. and adjust as necessary. She blamed most of the increase in inflation on disruptions caused by the coronavirus that she expects to fade in time.

More recently, she noted, the war in Ukraine has added to inflationary pressures by pushing up prices of oil and grains such as wheat.

“All of this means that it’s hard to fully know what next year will look like,” she said.

Still, Daly insisted that inflation would eventually subside and return close to the Fed’s 2% target within the next few years.

“I have it at 2%,” she said. “That’s where I think it’s going.”

Daly is not a voting member this year of the Fed’s interest-rate setting panel known as the Federal Open Market Committee.

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SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) – Union leaders and members joined hundreds of San Francisco city workers in a march down Market Street on Wednesday, saying more needs to be done to fill the city’s staffing gaps.

Participants in the event called “Staff Up SF” insisted that the city is critically understaffed in so many areas. They pointed to more than 3,800 openings in positions across the city.

READ MORE: Finally Exonerated, Joaquin Ciria Says Hearing News Was Like Being ‘Born Again’

Workers said the vacancies in areas like the Department of Public Works and the San Francisco International Airport are making it harder to do their jobs safely.

Mike Casey, the president of the San Francisco Labor Council, spoke at a rally outside City Hall.

READ MORE: Poole, Curry, Thompson Too Much For Denver To Handle In Game 2

“This is not our building. This is the public’s building. And when they don’t staff up and when the staffing doesn’t happen, the services affect citizens across the city,” Casey said.

Heather Bollinger is a Registered Nurse and called on increased staffing at her hospital, saying the matter had reached critical levels.

“We can’t provide patient care without the resources to do it. It’s a really simple equation, when you come to the hospital, you need a nurse,” Bollinger said. “And they’re dropping like flies. It’s getting worse by the day in our departments.”

MORE NEWS: Chase Center Neighborhood Comes Alive With Warriors Fever; ‘Energy Was Fantastic’

KPIX 5 reached out to Mayor London Breed’s office for comment, but she is currently traveling in Europe to promote the city of San Francisco as a place for tourism and commerce.

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the no 7 seed Murray State Racers (30-2) will aim to beat the No. 10 seed San Francisco Dons (24-9) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Watch this matchup at 9:40 PM on CBS.

In its most recent game, Murray State won at home over Morehead State, 71-67. His top performers were Tevin Brown (23 PTS, 38.9 FG%, 3-11 from 3PT) and Justice Hill (21 PTS, 42.1 FG%, 3-6 from 3PT).

San Francisco fell to Gonzaga 81-71 on the road last time out, and were led by Khalil Shabazz
(27 PTS, 3 STL, 40.0 FG%, 5-15 from 3PT) and Julian Rishwain
(20 PTS, 8 REB, 63.6 FG%, 3-5 from 3PT).

Ahead of this matchup, here is what you need to get ready for Thursday’s college basketball action.

Murray State Racers vs. San Francisco Dons

• Game Day: Thursday, March 17, 2022
• Game Time: 9:40 PM ET
• TV: CBS
• live streaming: fuboTV (Watch for free)

NCAA Basketball Odds and Betting Lines

NCAA Basketball odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds updated Thursday at 1:40 PM ET.

• Spread: Murray State -1.5
• Total: 137.5

Want some action on college basketball? Place your legal sports bets on this game or others in CO, NJ at Tipico Sportsbook.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).

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California Unveils ‘CARE Court’ To Help The Unhoused Get Mental Health Care

For the first time, the state would require counties to provide comprehensive treatment to people suffering from debilitating psychosis — and risk sanctions if they don’t, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Los Angeles Times: Newsom Unveils New Homelessness And Mental Health Plan

As California cities struggled to address a homelessness and mental health crisis on their streets, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration on Thursday unveiled a proposal to push more people with severe psychiatric disorders and addiction issues into court-ordered care that includes medication and housing. The proposal, which Newsom is calling the Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Court, is the state’s latest effort to address one of California’s greatest struggles, and a recognition that something more robust is needed to solve the problem. Newsom allocated $12 billion for homelessness in the state budget last year and proposed an additional $2 billion in his January financial blueprint. (Wiley, 3/3)

San Francisco Chronicle: Gavin Newsom’s Bold New Mental Health Plan Was Inspired By The Misery On San Francisco Streets

The misery experienced on San Francisco’s sidewalks has long offered a case study in the failure of California’s mental health care system. Now, the dire situation is inspiring a proposal for a sweeping overhaul. gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan, to be unveiled Thursday, seeks to tackle two big flaws in the system: the shortage of desperately needed care and the strict limitations on compelling treatment for people who are too sick to understand they need help. (Knight, 3/3)

In news about the housing crisis in Utah —

Salt Lake Tribune: If Salt Lake County Can’t Agree On Winter Homeless Shelters, State Says It Will Step In

After years of conflict over where to put winter overflow shelters, a new proposal would require Salt Lake County’s cities to work together on finding extra beds for the unsheltered — or risk having the state step in and do it for them. Space shortages have plagued the region’s homeless resource centers in recent years, forcing providers to scramble each winter for stopgap solutions to keep people out of the elements. Now, Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, is trying to create a more structured process for opening these overflow shelters and compel more cities to contribute to solving a regional problem. (Rodgers, 3/4)

In news about transgender health care —

The Texas Tribune: Parents Of Trans Kids Are Preparing For Child Welfare Investigations

For the last two weeks, a mom in the Austin area has been vacillating between rage and panic. Some days, she’s so fired up she feels like she could take on the entire state of Texas by herself. Other days, she just crawls under her weighted blanket and lets the fear take over. The woman, who asked not to be identified to protect her family, has an 8-year-old transgender daughter. In late February, Gov. Greg Abbott directed the state’s child welfare agency to open child abuse investigations into parents that provide gender-affirming care to their children. This family hasn’t had a visit from Child Protective Services, but they know others who have and they’ve started preparing for the possibility that they could be next. (Klibanoff and Dey, 3/4)

The Washington Post: ‘Safe Folders’ For Transgender Children: What To Know

While there has been a wave of bills in the past two years aiming to curtail trans children’s access to health care and ban them from sports teams consistent with their gender identities, families of trans children across the country have long felt vulnerable to investigation and scrutiny, experts say. In response, many parents who support their trans children have relied on a network of organizations for help, sharing essential practices to protect their loved ones. These include “safety folders” (also referred to as “safe folders”), which some Texas parents urged others to compile in the wake of Abbott’s order. (Branigin, 3/3)

Dallas Morning News: UNT Students Protest Jeff Younger, Conservative Speech On ‘Transgender Child Abuse’

Student protests over a conservative politician who promotes criminalizing sex reassignment surgeries for children escalated to police intervention during a Wednesday night event at the University of North Texas. Videos circulating online show dozens of students banging on desks, shouting and cursing at Jeff Younger, who will be in a May runoff in the Republican primary for Texas House District 63. He was involved in a yearslong custody battle for his child, whose mother says is a transgender girl. (Olivares, 3/3)

AP: Oklahoma House Passes Bill Targeting Transgender Girls

An Oklahoma House panel passed a bill Thursday to prevent transgender girls from playing on female sports teams at Oklahoma schools. The House Rules Committee passed the bill on a 6-2 party-line vote with Republicans in support. The measure now heads to the full house for consideration. Civil rights groups and the gay rights organization Freedom Oklahoma immediately criticized the bill’s passage. (3/3)

In other news from across the US —

The Texas Tribune, ProPublica and NBC News: Firefighter Disciplined After Delayed 911 Response In Texas Winter Storm

The Houston Fire Department reprimanded a firefighter for misconduct after an investigation into a delayed 911 response to a case in which a mother and daughter died of carbon monoxide poisoning. The department opened the investigation in July, following reporting from ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and NBC News, which revealed that first responders initially decided not to enter a Houston family’s home during the massive winter storm that hit Texas in February 2021, a decision that resulted in a couple and their two children being exposed to the lethal gas for an additional three hours. (Trevizo, Churchill and Hixenbaugh, 3/4)

Miami Herald: DeSantis Backs ‘Free Speech’ Protection For Doctors

gov. Ron DeSantis called on legislators Thursday to protect doctors’ ability to express themselves freely without fear of reprisal from the boards that regulate the medical profession. A federation of state medical boards warned doctors in July not to spread misinformation during the pandemic or risk losing their licenses. “You’re not going to have good medicine practice if people are fearful of doing things that the evidence is telling them to do, just because it may conflict with the narrative,” DeSantis said at Florida State University’s Panama City campus. (Wilson and Mahoney, 3/3)

Detroit Free Press: Report: Food Insecurity Is Ongoing Problem In Michigan

Health care expenses associated with food insecurity amounted to $1.8 billion a year in Michigan. It’s a cost that comes into sharp focus in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Michiganders struggled to put food on the table because of the pandemic’s economic upheaval, highlighting the close relationship among poverty, food insecurity and health. That’s according to a report released Thursday by the Food Security Council, created by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020 to look into the scope and reasons behind food insecurity in the state. The advisory group submitted its findings and recommendations to the governor last month. (Rahman, 3/3)

AP: Maine Backs Off Plan For New Medical Marijuana Rules

Maine marijuana regulators are backing off a proposal to change the state’s medical marijuana rules after disapproval from the industry. The rules included product tracking and other new security requirements. Members of the industry slammed the proposal as an overreach that would likely result in higher costs for consumers. (3/3)

AP: Maine Makes A Dent In State’s Nurse Shortage

A report commissioned by health groups in Maine found that the state has reduced its projected nursing shortage by more than half. The Maine Nursing Action Coalition and the Maine Hospital Association commissioned the report. The Portland Press Herald reported Wednesday an original projected shortage of 3,200 registered nurses by 2025 is down to 1,450. (3/4)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: What’s Working In Public Health? CDC Director Finds Reason For Hope In St Louis

The director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention got her fill of St. Louis Thursday in a uniquely extensive visit to a city that included speaking to medical students, meeting with the city’s health director, hearing from clinic leaders and touring one of those Clinics in one of the city’s most impoverished areas. “We in the CDC are only as good as our public health partners are in the community, and so as I travel, I really want to see what’s working in public health in the community and what’s not working, and I want to hear and learn ,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who became director just as COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out over a year ago. (Coin, 3/4)

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With one foot wrapped in a protective boot and “No uterus, no opinion” written across her upper body in red, Isabella Percy strolled slowly but surely through downtown San Francisco on Saturday to a rough soundtrack of drum beats and chants.

And the 17 year old wasn’t happy.

Women “shouldn’t be oppressed like we are. It’s not okay and it has to change, ”she said. “It’s 2021. It’s a modern time and we need that from our government.”

As one of hundreds of people who participated in a march from City Hall to Embarcadero, she was also among the tens of thousands of people campaigning for reproductive rights across the country a month after the US Supreme Court passed the strictest anti-abortion law in the country Nation had confirmed. The controversial ruling by the conservative court made abortion virtually impossible in Texas, banning the procedure six weeks after conception before most women know they are pregnant.

The Supreme Court is also due to review a restrictive Mississippi bill that many legal scholars predict could lead to the repeal of Roe vs. Wade and federal abortion law, allowing states to pass a patchwork of abortion laws that marginalize Meeting women is the hardest.

Protesters, including Isabella Percy, who carry a sign that reads “If you can’t have a period … shut up on my body,” gather for the reproductive rights march in San Francisco.

Clara Mokri / Special on The Chronicle

“We need to emerge for our communities in Texas, the black and brown people who are affected and the marginalized people who are affected,” said Sophia Andary, co-founder of Women’s March San Francisco and one of the main organizers of the event on Saturday.

At least 16 marches and rallies were scheduled across the Bay Area and the Sacramento region that weekend, and more than 600 across the country. In San Francisco, the participants varied according to age, race and gender – and the mood was split between fear of the future and solidarity in the present.

“It’s crazy that we’re still fighting for the rights of our own bodies,” said Harmony Vonstockhausen, a third-year student at San Francisco State University. “It’s crazy that government can still have that effect on women.”

This was the first march from Vonstockhausen. She and a friend carried signs that read, “Texas will not force a twelve-year-old to wear a mask, but she will force her to have a baby,” and “Que ser madre sea una decisión y no una obligación,” which translates to : “Being a mother is a choice, not an obligation.”

Lisa Zimmer-Chu, of Oakland, said the march went back to January 2017 when more than 3 million people flocked to the streets for women’s marches across the country protesting President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Zimmer-Chu’s daughter had just come out as trans at the time, which motivated her to take part in her first protest at the time.

“There is definitely a parallel between treating women, the earth, and treating other groups who had no voice,” she said. “I’m crazy as hell.”

“It’s about raising young people to have hope,” added her friend Louise Chegwidden. “I’m here for you.”

Others, especially younger participants, expressed anger and concern that public excitement would not be enough to overcome a simple math: the nine-member Supreme Court has appointed six Conservative judges, including three from Trump.

Protesters gather outside San Francisco City Hall to mark the start of the march for reproductive rights. Rallies are scheduled across the country this weekend, a month after the US Supreme Court upheld the nation’s strictest anti-abortion law, enacted by Texas.

Clara Mokri / Special on The Chronicle

President Biden’s administration is petitioning a federal court for an injunction against Texas law, and California Attorney General Rob Bonta is one of two dozen attorneys general who are petitioning the Supreme Court to maintain Roe, who is nearly half a century old.

Despite continued pressure from conservative governors and lawmakers to restrict access to abortion, 59% of American adults say abortions should be legal in all or most of the cases, a recent poll by the Pew Research Center found.

According to the UCSF’s Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health program, the vast majority of women who have an abortion have no regrets. Instead, research shows that denying an abortion can have negative consequences for the health and economic situation of women, “while an abortion does not lead to negative psychological or physical health outcomes in the future”.

A survey published in December found that women with lower incomes and abortion barriers were more likely to try to terminate unwanted pregnancies on their own.

Isabella Percy, 17, wears a message on her torso at the March for Reproductive Rights in San Francisco.

Clara Mokri / Special on The Chronicle

After the Texas ban went into effect, abortion providers in Oklahoma and Kansas reported an influx of inquiries from pregnant women in the state. Carole Joffe, professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at UCSF, said California should – and is – willing to do the same, especially if more states follow Texas’ lead.

“California will play a very, very important role” in protecting reproductive rights, she told The Chronicle on Friday. “California really is a template for how sensible abortion care should be administered.”

But even in a state with some of the strongest reproductive rights in the country, abortion is not equally accessible to all who aspire to it.

Protesters sing during the reproductive rights march in San Francisco.

Clara Mokri / Special on The Chronicle

Jessica Pinckney, executive director of Access Reproductive Justice, one of the organizers of the march on Saturday, said low-income and historically marginalized women can find it incredibly difficult to get through here for several reasons, including the need for financial aid and childcare , Transportation and leisure.

If even some Californians have difficulty accessing abortion treatment, how difficult is it for low-income women who have to travel across state lines to get the procedure?

“It’s really upsetting to think about what’s going on in Texas, given how difficult it can be even here at times,” said Pinckney.

Danielle Echeverria is a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DanielleEchev

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P.Driving in San Francisco was a mesmerizing cheer and reunions this weekend. Be it in Castro or SoMa or in Polk Gulch – the city’s original gay town around the early 1970s – queerdos gathered to ponder and mingle with their relatives. The lively celebrations that spanned Saturday and Sunday in SF were undoubtedly the result of the release of the pent-up emotions of the past fifteen months.

This cathartic exhalation was no longer more evident than at Juanita MORE! S Pride Party at 620 Jones and at the People’s March and Rally. Although Juanita’s famous Pride Party was canceled last year, the People’s March and Rally celebrated their inaugural promenade last year.

And this year it went on – without masks and social distancing.

Flags and banners, capturing every letter and color of the LGBTQI + rainbow, waved as hundreds of people gathered behind co-host Juanita MORE! and Alex U. Inn, all known for their community activism. As part of the People’s March and Rally, the march led again into Polk Street towards the Civic Center. The demonstration reflected last year’s intentions and brought Pride back to its activist roots, bringing all kinds of messages around inclusivity and accountability to the San Francisco City Hall.

Juanita MORE !, co-host Alex U. Inn and activist Honey Mahogany march at the People’s Pride March and Rally 2020. (Photo: Courtesy of @ missmore8)

“Today’s event focuses on the voices of blacks, browns and indigenous peoples, generally in our queer spectrum we are getting lost and we have decided to do the people’s march to get our voices back,” Inn told a crowd of attendees.

More notable protesters in attendance included California Senator Scott Weiner, District 6 supervisor Matt Haney, and “World’s Most Photographed Nun” Sister Roma.

MORE! Says The Bold Italic that this event has become another meaning in her life. (When she and I have talked about these parades, we always come across the thought that for so many people … this is the “most powerful thing” they have ever done for Pride.

“Sometimes we forget how far we’ve come with our progress,” she adds, her black hair spun up modestly; like a croquembouche dyed with squid ink. “Let us definitely celebrate this progress. But we still have so much to do, especially for BIPOC members in the LGBTQI + community. “

Given the overwhelming success of the last two people’s marches and rallies, we have no doubt that there will be another next year – and perhaps amid the pandemic, a new, uniquely queer San Francisco tradition has been sewn.

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The promenade will follow the historic route that the city’s first gay liberation day parade took in 1972

Juanita MORE !, co-host Alex U. Inn and activist Honey Mahogany march at the People’s Pride March and Rally 2020. (Photo: Courtesy of @ missmore8)

E.The work ethic of mpress Juanita MORE! knows no limits. In addition to her beloved (and now sold out) Pride party at 620 Jones Sunday, the venerable queen of finger swagging will again host the People’s March and rally that debuted around this time last year amid the pandemic.

Unlike the 2020 iteration, this year’s strolling and collecting will be a largely mask-free affair.

MORE! teased the event would be again hapPening earlier this year, but plans to cement activism did not bear fruit until earlier this month. And just like the first People’s March and Rally, an impressive list of local talent and artists will be in attendance, giving speeches, and participants pondering. But to avoid unnecessary confusion, the 2021 event will stay at the Civic Center – and not travel to Castro, which leads to the adorable chaos of the gayborhoods also on Pride weekend.

“We will roar our voices out of solidarity with our black, brown and indigenous trans and queer families, friends, lovers and neighbors,” read a press release from the event. “We will emerge in droves with increased voices to stand up for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, denounce and condemn police violence against our communities, and raise awareness of the need to defuse police departments, which can reallocate funds to social services, Mental health providers and social justice organizations.

The People’s March and Assembly will begin on Sunday June 27th at
10:30 am, starting on Sacramento and Polk Streets, before heading down to City Hall – where DJ spins, performances by drag performers, and general glee continue until 6:00 pm.

For more information on the event, visit juanitamore.com/events/peoplesmarch.

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Here’s a sign of how overheated certain North Bay real estate markets can get: A 3,200-square-foot home in the hills east of Rohnert Park was on the market for just 21 days, received seven offers, and was for $ 1.615 million earlier this month sold sold, which was $ 315,000 above the offer price.

While that seller left North Bay for Hawaii in part from fatigue with forest fires and power cuts, Bay Area buyers are coming to replace them – if they can find a home to buy, according to Jeff Schween, a Compass agent who sold it At home.

“Markets are thickening, with more demand and less supply, so there’s a gap between the two,” he said.

And that gap is widening, according to Gerry Snedaker, agent for Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wine Country Group. The inventory of homes for sale in Sonoma, Solano, Marin, Napa, Mendocino and Lake counties was 1,450 last month, according to the BAREIS multiple listing service figures he cited. That offer is 41% below a year a year ago when the lockdowns at the beginning of the pandemic turned the market for new offers on its head and last month’s inventory was only 19 more than at the end of February.

Meanwhile, North Bay sales rose 34% last month (1,858) versus February (1,386) and were 72% above the March 2020 pandemic-trapped market (1,082).

Sonoma County had 0.9 months of listings of homes and condos for sale at the end of March, given 574 month-end listings and 667 sales this month, MLS data showed. The Napa County supply decreased from two months in February to 1.2 months in March. Marin County had a 0.7 month supply last month.

Snedaker likes to gauge where pricing is headed by following the proportions of homes selling below or above their asking prices. Nationally, about a third of MLS deals sell for less than asking price, but last month that percentage ranged from a low of 17.5% in Mendocino County to a high of 21% in the North Bay, like him based on the data. And last month’s sales-to-asking price ratio started at 37% of Mendocino County’s stores and rose to 54% of Sonoma County’s deals.

The North Bay real estate market is a reflection of what is happening across the country. Although total sales declined for the second straight month in March, prices remained under upward pressure, according to the National Association of Realtors. All regions in the country saw double-digit price increases, bringing the nationwide median price for existing homes to a new record of $ 329,000, up 17.2% from a year earlier, and the median for single-family homes soaring 18.4% to $ 334,500, too Record.

Robert Eyler, a regional North Bay economist from Sonoma State University, told the Business Journal that at this point in time, strong average home price growth in 2020 is expected to continue into this year.

“Low interest rates and maintaining high-income jobs (are) in the process of fueling demand,” Eyler wrote in an email.

As of the end of March, the national housing stock rose slightly to 1.07 million units, but fell by 28.2% year-on-year, reported the real estate trading group. The market time fell to 18 days, also a record low.

Schween worries about the “buyer fatigue” among all the potential buyers whose bids do not win the house keys. In this and previous boom markets, he has seen some being pushed out of the market for a while because of the emotional strain of competing for a dream home.

“I’m sure we will see this in the market, but whether it will be this year or next will be a factor in the amount of people who appear in the market,” he said.

Jeff Quackenbush covers wine, construction, and real estate. Prior to the Business Journal, he wrote for the Bay City News Service in San Francisco. He graduated from Walla Walla University. Reach him at jquackenbush@busjrnl.com or 707-521-4256.

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LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – An asteroid predicted to be the largest to fly past Earth this year will approach the planet closest on the first full day of spring, according to NASA.

But don’t worry, because there is “no danger” of it falling to earth, assures the space agency.

The asteroid, dubbed the 2001 FO32, will be within 1.25 million miles of our planet on March 21, NASA said in a statement.

While that’s roughly 5.25 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon, it’s still considered close in astronomical terms. For this reason, the space rock has been classified by NASA as a “potentially dangerous asteroid”.

The earth is spinning faster than in 5 decades, say scientists

It is expected to be the largest asteroid zoomed from Earth in 2021, with a length comparable to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, EarthSky reports.

Astronomers have been tracking FO32 in 2001 since its discovery 20 years ago, according to Paul Chodas, director of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

“We know the 2001 FO32 orbit,” Chodas said in the press release. “There’s no chance the asteroid will get closer than 1.25 million miles to Earth.”

In fact, according to NASA, there is no danger of an asteroid colliding with the planet in the centuries to come.

The near-Earth asteroid will fly by at about 77,000 miles per hour, faster than most that hit the planet. This is due to its “sharply inclined and elongated (or eccentric) orbit around the sun,” the agency said.

This diagram shows the elongated and inclined orbit of 2001 FO32 on its orbit around the sun (white ellipse). (NASA / JPL-Caltech)

The rocky body “like a skateboarder rolling down a half pipe” will pick up speed as it navigates further into the inner system, and according to Release it will only slow down after being thrown back into space. The asteroid then swings back into the solar system and towards the sun.

All in all, it will take 2001 FO32 about 810 days, or about 27 months, to complete orbit.

However, the asteroid will not come close to Earth again in another 31 years – until 2052 – if it passes at a distance of about 1.75 million miles.

So next weekend’s approach will offer astronomers a rare opportunity to better understand it, according to NASA. Some things you will be looking at are size, brightness, and composition.

“Little is known about this object at the moment, so the very close encounter provides an excellent opportunity to learn a lot about this asteroid,” said Lance Benner, senior scientist at JPL, in the press release.

For example, he noted that “20 years of observations have shown that approximately 15% of near-Earth asteroids comparable in size to 2001 FO32 have a small moon.”

The asteroid will appear brightest in the southern sky as it approaches, meaning those in the southern hemisphere and the lower parts of the northern hemisphere have the best views, according to Chodas.

But it won’t be visible to the naked eye.

To see the asteroid, Chodas recommends using a medium-sized telescope with an aperture of at least 20 inches on the nights before March 21. But those trying to see it will likely still need starting cards to find it.

Shut down

Suggest a correction Correct

Suggest a correction Correct

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Here’s a sign of how overheated certain North Bay real estate markets can get: A 3,200-square-foot home in the hills east of Rohnert Park was on the market for just 21 days, received seven offers, and was for $ 1.615 million earlier this month sold sold, which was $ 315,000 above the offer price.

While that seller left North Bay for Hawaii in part from fatigue with forest fires and power cuts, Bay Area buyers are coming to replace them – if they can find a home to buy, according to Jeff Schween, a Compass agent who sold it At home.

“Markets are thickening, with more demand and less supply, so there’s a gap between the two,” he said.

And that gap is widening, according to Gerry Snedaker, agent for Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wine Country Group. The inventory of homes for sale in Sonoma, Solano, Marin, Napa, Mendocino, and Lake counties was 1,450 last month, according to the BAREIS Multiple Listing Service figures he cited. That offer is 41% below a year a year ago when the lockdowns at the beginning of the pandemic turned the market for new offers on its head and last month’s inventory was only 19 more than at the end of February.

Meanwhile, North Bay sales rose 34% last month (1,858) versus February (1,386) and were 72% above the March 2020 pandemic-trapped market (1,082).

Sonoma County had 0.9 months of listings of homes and condos for sale at the end of March, given 574 month-end listings and 667 sales this month, MLS data showed. The Napa County supply decreased from two months in February to 1.2 months in March. Marin County had a 0.7 month supply last month.

Snedaker likes to gauge where pricing is headed by following the proportions of homes selling below or above their asking prices. Nationally, about a third of MLS deals sell for less than asking price, but last month that percentage ranged from a low of 17.5% in Mendocino County to a high of 21% in the North Bay, like him based on the data. And last month’s sales-to-asking ratio started at 37% of Mendocino County’s stores and rose to 54% of Sonoma County’s deals.

The North Bay real estate market is a reflection of what is happening across the country. Although total sales declined for the second straight month in March, prices remained under upward pressure, according to the National Association of Realtors. All regions in the country saw double-digit price increases, bringing the nationwide median price for existing homes to a new record of $ 329,000, up 17.2% from a year earlier, and the median for single-family homes soaring 18.4% to $ 334,500, too Record.

Robert Eyler, a regional North Bay economist from Sonoma State University, told the Business Journal that at this point in time, strong average home price growth in 2020 is expected to continue into this year.

“Low interest rates and maintaining high-income jobs (are) in the process of fueling demand,” Eyler wrote in an email.

As of the end of March, the national housing stock rose slightly to 1.07 million units, but fell by 28.2% year-on-year, reported the real estate trading group. The market time fell to 18 days, also a record low.

Schween worries about the “buyer fatigue” among all the potential buyers whose bids do not win the house keys. In this and previous boom markets, he has seen some being pushed out of the market for a while because of the emotional strain of competing for a dream home.

“I’m sure we will see this in the market, but whether it will be this year or next will be a factor in the amount of people who appear in the market,” he said.

Jeff Quackenbush covers wine, construction, and real estate. Prior to the Business Journal, he wrote for the Bay City News Service in San Francisco. He graduated from Walla Walla University. Reach him at jquackenbush@busjrnl.com or 707-521-4256.

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