I read the article about “juice-jacked” USB ports (“Beware Public USB Ports,” On the Spot, by Catharine Hamm, Dec. 1). Although the focus was on ports we encounter when we travel, I assume we’re at risk at any public ports, as in the neighborhood coffeehouse or local mall. I must admit I should have recognized the risks these pose, but I didn’t until Hamm’s article.

One solution she offers is carrying our own battery chargers. But I thought many airlines reject these items now as fire risks.

Eric Wilks
Los Angeles

Editor’s note: The Transportation Security Administration’s website says, “Portable chargers or power banks containing a lithium ion battery must be packed in carry-on bags. For more information, see the FAA guidance on portable rechargers (faa.gov/hazmat/resources/lithium_batteries/).”

::
Airlines and airports may be passenger focused by providing charging stations and Wi-Fi. But protecting your privacy and data? That costs money many people just don’t want to spend.

Whenever you plug your device into a corded charging station or log on to public Wi-Fi, you give the provider carte blanche to use anything it wants with the information on your device. The providers at least give fair warning on Wi-Fi when they ask you to agree to terms of use before connecting. With corded chargers, it may not be so obvious.

I never have left a credit card number in their database. Many credit card issuers can help if you have a problem, but the process can be long and frustrating. It is all on you, and you must be vigilant.

Paul Brown
Santa Ana

::

I’ve read about this scary tactic, but it begs the question: Why hasn’t something been done about it? Surely, the changing ports hijacked by the “bad guys” — nobody saw them doing this with all the security around? — can be un-hijacked by security experts? How long can that take to make charging stations safe?

Come on, folks. We live in sophisticated times. Anything that can be done can be undone. Why should travelers have to buy extra items, unless that’s the idea in the first place? Yes, practicing safety is key; having the airport be safer is best.

Shelley Keith
Sherman Oaks

Kids need to be regulated

We recently flew from Bozeman, Mont., to Minneapolis with our official emotional support animal, documented by the Department of Veterans Affairs. She is an extremely well-behaved Australian Yorkie.

I wish I could say the same for the child who sat behind us. I had to cover my ears for 60% of the trip, because the child screamed constantly. I have young grandchildren and tolerate fussiness, but I did not understand the parents’ lack of control and the lack of empathy for people sitting around them.

Where were the earplugs or headsets that the airline should have offered us?

Let’s set some guidelines for unruly children. Emotional support dogs fill a real need. We understand parents’ dilemma, but let’s also have consideration for people who need emotional support dogs and physicians who recognize this need.

Sharon Kieffer
Bozeman, Mont.

::

I have had animals for more than 55 years, and I think we need to put regulations on these so-called emotional support animals. I have heard people say it’s a therapy dog, and it has behaved very badly. If it’s a trained animal for people with a medical condition, I support the person and the trained animal 100%.

My animals give me a lot of support, and I can always count on them for that, but not in restaurants or planes. They are pets, not animals trained to do a job.

Vickie Barbour
Los Angeles

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BOULDER, Colo. — 

When I studied at the University of Colorado in Boulder, I skied as often as I could. I usually headed for Aspen, Vail, Steamboat, Keystone or other big resorts because that was where friends with cars were going and had places to stay — even if it meant sleeping on the floor.

But I never made it up Colorado 119 through twisting, picturesque Boulder Canyon to Eldora Mountain, which was 21 miles from my modest basement room in a house a few blocks off campus.

So on a visit to Boulder and my old college haunts last December with my two youngest children we stayed at the lovely St Julien Hotel, a block off the public-art-filled Pearl Street Mall. When it came time to ski, we avoided the often backed-up Interstate 70 to the major resorts and had a great time carving turns at Eldora.

Eldora was purchased in 2016 by Powdr Corp., but retains something of a low-key, mom-and-pop feel. It has gentle terrain, ideal for beginners, as well as double-black-diamond runs for experts who like to challenge themselves. It also has a Nordic center where you can cross-country ski or snowshoe on about 25 miles of wooded trails.

Eldora is relatively small by Colorado standards (650 acres versus Vail’s 5,289) but it’s no slouch, with a 1,600-foot vertical drop, 300 inches of annual snowfall, seven chairlifts and 65 runs. Its 9,200-foot elevation may leave you wheezing on your first day. I was.

Because the resort is close to Boulder, you can ski and ride during the day to your heart’s content then stay overnight in a sophisticated college town and enjoy its myriad entertainment and restaurant offerings. Eldora also is less than 50 miles from Denver.

On our first afternoon at Eldora, my kids and I hopped on the new six-person Alpenglow lift with ski patrolman Richard Bartkowiak, a wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service when the snow melts.

Bartkowiak described Eldora as more laid-back than the better-known resorts he’s skied in Colorado and Utah.

“For the most part, it’s a Boulder locals’ mountain,” he said. “We get a lot of people from Denver and Fort Collins [about 70 miles away] who don’t want the hassle of Interstate 70. But we also have some folks from much farther afield. Just the other day I rode the chairlift with a girl from Texas who’d never been on snow before. She was loving it.

“There’s a strong [ski] racing culture here, and I sometimes see grade schoolers who are better than I am,” he said, exaggerating slightly. “But for the most part, this is a great family area with something for everyone. And there’s hardly anyone here weekdays.”

After a warm-up lap on the intermediate (blue) Hornblower run, we moved on to other blues, such as Windmill, Dream and Scream, Jolly Jug and Lower Ambush, most on the front of the mountain. When it came time to call it a day, we headed for Timbers Lodge, where the kids grabbed a hot chocolate and I sipped a Boulder-brewed beer in the Tap Room.

After a good night’s rest — and some needed altitude acclimation — we got back on the snow a little after 9 a.m. and did a few warm-up runs before heading to the backside of Eldora and mostly black runs such as Red Tail,Mule Shoe and Alpen Horn. If there had been a bit more fresh snow, I might have tried tree skiing in Brian’s Glades.

For lunch, we stopped at the Lookout, which serves gourmet pizzas, sandwiches, chili, hot chocolate and beer at 10,800 feet on the top of the Corona Bowl. Best of all, it has wonderful views stretching to the Great Plains to the east and the Continental Divide a metaphorical stone’s throw to the west.

On our final day, for a bit of a different experience, we rented snowshoes at the Nordic Center and tromped through the trees on a rolling trail that led to a rustic cabin that looked as if it might have been built in the 1800s. Along the way, we stopped to read small signs that told of the region’s history as a Native American and mining post.

I know Boulder will draw me back. And if it’s during the winter and the snow is good, I’ll do my best to make a side trip to Eldora for a few laps on Hornblower. And maybe I’ll even hop into Brian’s Glades.

If you go
THE BEST WAY TO DENVER

From LAX, American, United, Southwest, Delta and Frontier offer nonstop service to Denver; Southwest offers direct service (stop, no change of planes); and Delta, Southwest, United and American offer connecting service (change of planes). Restricted round-trip airfare from $287, including taxes and fees.

Eldora, 2861 Eldora Ski Road, Nederland, Colo.; (303) 440-8700. Lift tickets: Adult, full-day tickets, $129 ($99 early-season rate); kids 5-15, $79; senior, 70 and older, $79; children 4 and younger, $19. Ikon, which are good at Big Bear, Mammoth, June Mountain, Squaw Valley, Aspen Snowmass and other resorts, provide unlimited access to alpine skiing and snowboarding at Eldora.

WHERE TO STAY

St Julien Hotel, 900 Walnut St., Boulder, Colo.; (720) 406-9696. Opened in 2015, this upscale hotel offers afternoon tea; music some nights in its lobby by the fireplace and on the outdoor terrace in warm weather; Jill’s Restaurant & Bistro; and a spa and pool. Doubles from $300 a night.

Hotel Boulderado, 2115 13th St., Boulder, Colo.; (303) 442-4344. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Italian Renaissance/Spanish Revival Boulderado is in the heart of downtown. It appears in the Stephen King novel “Misery” and has a working 1908 elevator and a speakeasy-style bar in the basement. Doubles from $169.

Adventure Lodge, 91 Fourmile Canyon Drive, Boulder, Colo.; (303) 444-0882. The A-Lodge has regular rooms, a hostel and wooden decks for camping, which make it a popular hangout for skiers and other outdoor enthusiasts. Doubles from $139, hostel beds from $39.

WHERE TO EAT
Blackbelly Market, 1606 Conestoga St., Boulder, Colo.; (303) 247-1000. Blackbelly, the first restaurant by “Top Chef” winner Hosea Rosenberg, is in East Boulder and has a meat-centric menu from its in-house butchery. Entrees from $25, though you can get a beef burger for $16.

Corrida, 1023 Walnut St., No. 400, Boulder, Colo.; (303) 444-1333. Opened in 2017, Corrida’s meals are inspired by northern Spain’s Basque Country. Beef entrees from $40, though small tapas begin at $3.

Timbers Lodge, 2861 Eldora Ski Road, Nederland, Colo.; (303) 440-8700. Breakfast burritos and cheeseburgers from $10. The Timbers Tap Room serves regional microbrews, margaritas and gourmet pizzas.

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When SpaceX’s broadband service starts mid-2020, the initial experience will be “bumpy,” company President Gwynne Shotwell said Friday.

However, she said she expects SpaceX to mature as an internet service provider by 2021.

The company will take pre-sales for customer service, similar to what fellow Elon Musk-led company Tesla Inc. has done for new vehicles, Shotwell said during a media roundtable at the company’s Hawthorne headquarters. And early customers will be part of that learning curve.

“We’re not going to fib and say it’s going to be the best thing ever,” she said. “When you get service, it’s going to be great. But it’ll be bumpy for a while.”

SpaceX has already launched two rounds of 60 satellites each. The company expects it will need 24 launches, with about 1,440 satellites, to have enough to provide full global coverage. SpaceX has not yet determined customer pricing.

Shotwell said subsequent launches will see satellites with experimental coatings to reduce their brightness in the sky, which has been a concern for astronomers who fear the satellites could affect telescope images. The satellites are in low-Earth orbit and there could be a lot of them — SpaceX has asked an international regulatory group for permission to eventually operate as many as 30,000 satellites.

In addition to the satellite broadband service, SpaceX is also continuing to work on its capsule, which is intended to begin carrying NASA astronauts to the International Space Station as early as February.

The next hurdle for the company’s Crew Dragon capsule is its in-flight abort test, scheduled for Jan. 4. The test will simulate what would happen if the crew needed to immediately blast away from the rocket in an emergency.

On the military side, the company is competing against Northrop Grumman Corp., billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co., for future national security launch contracts. Currently, only SpaceX and ULA launch spy satellites for the U.S. government.

The U.S. Air Force is expected to select the two winners next year. Though Shotwell said she hopes the company will win — SpaceX bid its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket and its larger Falcon Heavy rocket, both of which have been used to launch national security missions — she added that the company’s customer base is diverse enough to weather a loss.

“It will be a very unhappy day at the company for sure,” she said. “But we will survive.”

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1/16

Grammy-winning producer Philip Lawrence shelled out $10.55 million for the Encino home of former Dodger Jimmy Rollins. 

(Daniel Dahler)

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A grand domed entry leads into the mansion, which was built in 2017. 

(Daniel Dahler)

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The neoclassical-inspired home features 14,900 square feet of living space. 

(Daniel Dahler)

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A wine cellar inside the Encino mansion. 

(Daniel Dahler)

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The home sits behind gates on more than half an acre with a sports court, a resort-style swimming pool and a guesthouse. 

(Daniel Dahler)

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Set along the waterfront in Southampton Village, the onetime home of comic Mel Brooks and actress Anne Bancroft sold for the full asking price of $4.995 million.  

(Douglas Elliman)

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Clad in shingle siding, the two-story cottage features updated interiors, a brick fireplace and walls of windows in the living and dining rooms. 

(Douglas Elliman)

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The Bel-Air home of late romance novelist Judith Krantz, listed for $10.5 million, sits on about half an acre and has direct access to the Bel-Air Country Club driving range. 

(Jeffrey Ong / PostRAIN Productions)

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Built in the 1930s, the Italianate-vibe house features detailed wrought ironwork, a rotunda entry and a two-story library. 

(Jeffrey Ong / PostRAIN Productions)

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The 6,657-square-foot residence features grand common areas including a living room with a fireplace and a garden-view breakfast room. 

(Jeffrey Ong / PostRAIN Productions)

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A two-story library with walls of built-ins sits off the rotunda entry. 

(Jeffrey Ong / PostRAIN Productions)

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The home dates to the 1930s. 

(Jeffrey Ong / PostRAIN Productions)

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Walls of windows at the home of late comedian Robin Williams look onto a back patio with a swimming pool and waterfront views. 

(Jacob Elliott)

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The estate on a double lot in Tiburon’s Paradise Cay enclave features unobstructed views of San Francisco Bay. 

(Jacob Elliott)

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Listed for $7.25 million, the Mediterranean-style house features mesquite wood front doors, ceramic tilework and a stone fireplace in the living room. 

(Jacob Elliott)

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The roughly 6,500-square-foot house, built in 1987, has six bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms, a wood-paneled library/den and an office. 

(Jacob Elliott)

Former Major League Baseball star Jimmy Rollins has sold his home in Encino to Grammy-winning producer-songwriter Philip Lawrence for $10.55 million in a deal completed off market.

The gated neoclassical-vibe house, built in 2017, has 14,900 square feet of polished living space, a gym, a home theater and indoor and outdoor swimming pools. Two curving staircases bookend the entry, which sits under a gigantic dome skylight.

The two-story floor plan includes formal living and dining rooms, an office, a wine cellar, eight bedrooms and 12 bathrooms. Bi-folding doors in the open-plan kitchen and family room open to a patio for indoor-outdoor living. There’s also a sauna.

Outside, grounds of more than half an acre contain a sports court, a cabana/kitchen, lawn and landscaping. A detached guesthouse with a second kitchen sits across from the pool.

Rollins, who played for the Phillies, Dodgers and White Sox, bought the property roughly two years ago for $10.65 million, at the time a neighborhood record. Earlier this year, he bought another home in Encino for $8.7 million.

The 40-year-old Rollins won four Gold Glove Awards at shortstop and was the 2007 National League most valuable player. The three-time all-star spent the majority of his 17-season career with Philadelphia and won a World Series title with the team in 2007.

Lawrence, 40, has won eight Grammys including one for album of the year in 2016 for his work on Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic.” Adele, Lil Wayne and Wiz Khalifa are among other artists Lawrence has worked with as a producer or songwriter.

Marc Noah of Sotheby’s International Realty and Dennis Chernov of Keller Williams Realty were the listing agents.

Good morning, Tiburon

The Bay Area estate of late actor and comedian Robin Williams has come up for sale at $7.25 million.

Located in Paradise Cay, an enclave that hugs the Tiburon peninsula, the single-story Mediterranean residence sits on a double lot abutting San Francisco Bay.

The roughly 6,500-square-foot house, built in 1987, has six bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms, a wood-paneled library/den and an office. Walls of windows in the living room and kitchen look out toward the bay.

A swimming pool with a spa and stone patios fill out the grounds.

Williams, who graduated from Redwood High School in Marin County, bought the property through a trust in 2008 for $4.05 million. After his death in 2014 at age 63, the property was transferred to a trust tied to his widow, Susan Williams.

Among the world’s most successful entertainers of his time, the comic rose to fame in the late 1970s with his starring role on the sitcom “Mork & Mindy,” a spinoff of the popular “Happy Days.” As a film actor, Williams is remembered for prominent roles in “Good Morning, Vietnam” (1987) and “Dead Poets Society” (1989). He won an Oscar for his supporting role in “Good Will Hunting” (1997).

Compass’ Wright-Mulligan Team holds the listing.

New keep for ‘Purge’ actress

Actress Paola Núñez, known for her roles in Mexican telenovelas and TV series “The Purge,” must have liked what she saw in this Hollywood Hills home. She recently paid $1.349 million — or $100,000 over the asking price — for a scenic property in Laurel Canyon.

Designed for loft-style living, the split-level pad makes good use of its space. Rolling ladders ascend to a bookcase and lounge, and a lofted living room overlooks the skylighted floor plan below.

Lumber pops up plenty in the common spaces, where intersecting beams hang over hardwood floors. Wood covers the cabinetry and breakfast bar in the kitchen, which extends to a dining room under tall ceilings.

Within 1,500 square feet of space are two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Vaulted ceilings and a fireplace accent the master suite, which opens outside to one of two spacious patios. A rooftop deck with sweeping canyon views completes the scene.

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Marissa Faith of Deasy Penner Podley held the listing. Jason Paukovits of Dream Realty Asset Management represented the buyer.

Núñez, 41, had leading roles in “Las Juanas,” “Amor en custodia,” “Pasión morena” and “Reina de corazones” in the 2000s before more recent roles in the English-language shows “The Son” and “The Purge,” which is currently airing its second season on USA Network.

Estate to start a new chapter

The longtime Bel-Air home of late romance novelist Judith Krantz has come up for sale as a pocket listing for $10.5 million.

The Italianate-vibe house, dating to the 1930s, sits on a gated lot of more than half an acre that abuts the Bel-Air Country Club. Views from the site, which is surrounded by hedges and mature trees, take in the greens and fairways as well as the surrounding canyons.

The 6,657-square-foot residence features grand common areas including a living room with a fireplace and a garden-view breakfast room. A two-story library with walls of built-ins sits off the rotunda entry. There’s also an elevator.

Set beneath vaulted ceilings, the master suite has dual bathrooms, walk-in closets, a fireplace and a terrace. There are six bedrooms and six bathrooms in all.

Outside, box hedges frame stone pathways and formal gardens. The grounds also have a swimming pool, a detached guesthouse, lawn and landscaping. At the far end of the property, a private gate provides direct access to the Bel-Air Country Club’s driving range.

Krantz, who died in June at age 91, had owned the property since 1986.

The author was born in New York City and worked in Paris and New York as a fashion publicist before beginning her career as a magazine journalist for Good Housekeeping. Her first two novels were the New York Times bestsellers “Scruples” and “Princess Daisy,” the latter of which set the record at the time for the highest price ever paid for a novel. Many of her books have been adapted as TV miniseries including “Secrets” and “Torch Song.”

Stefan Pommepuy, Jonathan Ruiz and Mauricio Umansky of the Agency hold the listing.

Quick sale for comedy legend’s haunt

A coastal New York cottage once owned by comedy icon Mel Brooks and his late wife, actress Anne Bancroft, has sold roughly two months after hitting the market.

Set on a waterfront lot in Southampton Village, one of the largest summer colonies in the Hamptons, the 1960s house came up for sale in September and sold for the full asking price of $4.995 million.

Past a wood-shingled exterior, the two-story opens to renovated living spaces overlooking Shinnecock Bay. The floor plan fits four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms into 2,400 square feet. Walls of glass line the living and dining rooms, and the kitchen adds stainless-steel appliances and splashes of marble.

Upstairs, a brick fireplace anchors the master suite. The bedroom overlooks the bay, as does the spa tub in the bathroom.

A grassy landscaped yard sits off the front, while rear decking spans the length of the home. The grounds encompass about 1.33 acres.

Michaela Keszler of Douglas Elliman held the listing. Mary Quatroche of Morley Agency represented the buyer.

Mel Brooks, 93, starred in “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Spaceballs” and “The Producers,” for which he won an Oscar. A musical adaptation of the film ran on Broadway from 2001 to 2007. He’s one of 15 people to win Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards, a feat otherwise known as an EGOT.

Bancroft, who died in 2005 at age 73, is remembered for her roles in “The Graduate,” “The Miracle Worker” and “Agnes of God,” among others. She won an Oscar for her lead role in 1962’s “The Miracle Worker.”

But for a broken leg from a surfing mishap, Diana Abruscato of Huntington Beach might never have picked up a pickleball paddle. “I found I couldn’t cover the tennis court like I used to after my accident,” said Abruscato, 54, who is an “ambassador” for the USA Pickleball Assn., teaches classes and runs the annual Surf City Pickleball Tournament that’s held each July in Huntington Beach.

“Now I’m out spreading the gospel,” said Abruscato, who described the game as a combination of tennis, pingpong and badminton that’s played in a space about a third the size of a tennis court. The plastic ball is something akin to a Wiffle ball. A starter set of four paddles and balls can start at $25, while a more expensive composite or graphite paddle could set you back $150.

The rapidly growing sport had more than 3.1 million players in 2018, up 12% from 2017, according to USA Pickleball Assn. spokesman Drew Wathey. Scores of new courts are being added around the country each month. No specific figures are available for California, but it is one of the top five states in the nation for pickleball, along with Texas, Arizona, Nevada and Florida.

But it’s not just the older set playing pickleball.

Mark Florian, 14, of Simi Valley plays tennis and pickleball, and prefers the latter sport because it’s easier and more social. “It seems like you get to hit the ball more during a point in pickleball compared to tennis, because the pickleball court is smaller,” he said. “And it’s more fun because it helps me meet more people. You rotate positions more and get to play with other partners.” Florian can almost always find players in Simi Valley parks on any given morning. “And they usually applaud my hustle on the courts,” he said modestly.

Pickleball’s roots go back to 1965, when three dads on Bainbridge Island in Washington state invented the sport for their bored kids. Paddles were improvised and rules were kept simple. As the story goes, one of the families had a dog named Pickles, hence the name. Fast-forward half a century and middle schools in places such as Simi Valley are bringing the sport to a younger and more diverse audience.

Meanwhile, ambassadors like Abruscato keep recruiting newcomers. “It’s reached a critical mass now, and I think it’s here to stay because it’s not hard to learn, is easy on the joints, is relatively inexpensive and is very social,” she said.

Paddle tennis, which uses a solid racket and a depressurized tennis ball, is competing for court space. But pickleball is more popular because, in part, the racket is lighter, smaller and easier to wield, making the game open to a wider range of participants, Abruscato said.

Eighty miles north in Simi Valley, Ed “Fast Eddie” Florian, an assistant tennis coach at Royal High School, said he and his kids, ages 14 and 16, picked up the sport about four years ago after his son lost interest in running. “We’re lucky because the Simi Valley parks and recreation department has lots of dedicated courts for pickleball,” said Florian, 47.

“We don’t just play here in Simi Valley either,” he added. “Since we’ve picked it up, we take our tennis rackets and pickleball paddles and balls and play both sports on every vacation that we’ve gone on.”

Florian praised the city and its school district for promoting the sport. “All three of the middle schools converted their tennis courts, which were cracked, in disrepair and without nets, into pickleball courts. And now they have a tournament between the three schools, which is a nice way to bridge the gap.”

Florian said he believes pickleball is easier to learn and play than tennis. “If you have some basic hand-eye coordination, you can do it,” said Florian, who noted that Simi Valley has pickleball leagues that players can join. “You might be walking by a court and someone will lend you a paddle and ask you to play; it’s that easy.”

While the sport is growing among kids, Rand Corp. physician and researcher Deborah Cohen said it’s popular with seniors and helps get them outdoors. She said Rand recently did a national study on the use of neighborhood parks, which found that seniors are under-represented. “Park use is very disproportionate, with teens and kids over-represented,” she said. “Only 4% of the users were seniors. Even though they are 18% of the population, we hardly saw them in parks.”

One of the exceptions, she noted, was a park in the Midwest with a pickleball court.

“It’s not as taxing as tennis, so it would be great to promote it more for older adults. It takes some investment, but not a lot because you can convert existing tennis courts,” Cohen said.

She said pickleball also could be a good fit for low-income communities because equipment is not expensive. “Parks and rec departments could just loan out the paddles and balls, like they do now with basketballs,” Cohen said. “It would take some investment for nets and equipment, but not that much.”

Abruscato, who at one time was a top singles tennis player, said pickleball is growing among younger players. “It’s kind of been stereotyped as being mostly for older folks, and it’s true that the largest percentage of players is among the 50-plus set,” she said.

“But all age levels play, and there are youth programs that are growing. In fact, I teach kids and it’s part of after-school programs. It’s in three of our middle schools and three of our four high schools. So the sport is trending younger. And we’re trying to build up league play for kids.”

Abruscato said pickleball courts are popping up all over Orange County, with five dedicated facilities built in the past 18 months.

And if there aren’t any dedicated courts with posts and nets?

“You can simply tape the lines on tennis courts and use mobile nets,” she said. “Because the game is growing faster than our cities, schools, parks and country clubs can keep up, that’s what we are doing. We make do with the surfaces available, including basketball courts.

“Dedicated courts are costly to build, at around $65,000 to $75,000 per court,” Abruscato said. “Many cities are afraid to make this investment because they aren’t sure if this is a fad. But I’m sure we’ll be seeing more in the months to come. It’s a game that’s going to stick around.”

While the sport is most popular as a game with friends, she said it can be played all the way up to the professional level. “You can make it as easy and social as you want it to be — or as competitive,” said Abruscato.

“For most folks, it’s a fun recreational activity,” she said. “I like to play at a more intense level and compete in tournaments.

“After my surfing injury, I tried golf and even soccer. But I couldn’t find anything that replaced tennis for me,” Abruscato said. “It was a gap of about a decade, and that was tough. Pickleball was a godsend for me when I was introduced to it six years ago. I’d say it was absolutely life-changing.”

Jeaney Garcia, 57, another USA Pickleball Assn. ambassador, was a collegiate basketball player at Kansas State. She now teaches the sport as the lead instructor for the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department. She also teaches in El Segundo, where courts are being built, and in other cities in Southern California. Before moving to Los Angeles, she was a pickleball ambassador in Honolulu, where she continues to lead clinics at the Pacific Club.

“Friends asked me to play four years ago, and I’ve been addicted from the start,” said Garcia, a champion at the international level. “It’s now grown into a full-time gig, though a lot of what I do is as a volunteer. Really, it’s a labor of love.

“It was transformative for me to become a competitive athlete again with pickleball,” added Garcia, who took part in the recent Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships held Nov. 2-10 in Indian Wells, Calif.

“People with a background in racket sports probably pick up the game the quickest,” she said. “But it’s a great activity because it’s a fit for people who aren’t as mobile as they used to be. Someone who is 80 can show up because an acquaintance recommended it as a way to have fun, get a workout and make new friends.

“Anyone who’s over 50 is considered a senior, and over 60 is a super senior,” Garcia said.

Garcia wishes every public tennis court in Los Angeles could be striped for pickleball.

Los Angeles now has 16 dedicated pickleball courts. Recreation centers in Woodland Hills and Tarzana have courts striped as part of a refurbishment program of gyms funded by the Los Angeles Clippers.

She said she’s also talking with Leslie Richter, who is in charge of Los Angeles’ 29 senior centers, about striping lines on center tennis courts to make them dual-purpose.

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“Pickleball is a happening thing,” agreed Richter, 56, a former tennis player who has taken a lesson from Garcia. Richter describes herself as a beginner but has competed in two tournaments.

“It’s a great sport for all ages but is especially good for older adults who want to stay active,” Richter added.

Garcia said she looks north to Simi Valley as the “gold standard” for pickleball because of its numerous dedicated courts around the city of 130,000.

“That city got on the pickleball bandwagon a while back and has made a major commitment to the sport,” she said. “People from around the country go there to take part in their tournaments. I’d say we’re taking baby steps now in Los Angeles and I’d love to replicate what Simi Valley has done.”

Places to learn and play for free

Encino Community Center, 4935 Balboa Blvd.; four pickleball courts behind the community center, across the street from the elementary school

Granada Hills Park, 16730 Chatsworth St.; four courts south of the community center

Tarzana Recreation Center, 5655 VanAlden Ave.; two courts

Woodland Hills Rec Center, 5858 Shoup Ave.; four outdoor courts on Farralone Avenue

El Segundo Park, 401 Sheldon St.; four courts next to the volleyball area

Sinaloa Middle School, 301 Royal Ave in Simi Valley; 12 courts open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays

Worthy Community Park, 1801 Main St. in Huntington Beach; four lighted courts

SEOUL — 

North Korea says it has carried out a “very important test” at its long-range rocket launch site that will have a key effect on the country’s strategic position.

The Korean Central News Agency said the test was conducted at the North’s Sohae Satellite Launching Station on Saturday afternoon. It said Sunday that the result of the test was reported to the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party.

The test results will have “an important effect on changing the strategic position of [North Korea] once again in the near future,” the agency reported.

The report didn’t say what the test was about. But media reports say a new satellite image indicated North Korea may be preparing to resume testing engines used to power satellite launchers at the site.

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The reported test came as North Korea is stepping up pressure on the U.S. to make concessions in stalled nuclear talks.

The U.N. bans North Korea from launching satellites because it is considered a forbidden test of long-range missile technology.

After repeated failures, North Korea successfully put a satellite into orbit for the first time in 2012 in a launch from the same site. North Korea had another successful satellite launch in 2016.

At the United Nations, a statement released by North Korea’s U.N. ambassador, Kim Song, said that denuclearization had “already gone out of the negotiation table.” It said North Korea does not need to have lengthy talks with the United States. Leader Kim Jong Un had set an end-of-year deadline for substantial U.S. concessions in nuclear diplomacy.

The statement accused the Trump administration of persistently pursuing a “hostile policy” toward the country “in its attempt to stifle it.”

“We do not need to have lengthy talks with the U.S. now and the denuclearization is already gone out of the negotiation table,” he said.

Song’s statement was a response to Wednesday’s condemnation by six European countries of North Korea’s 13 ballistic missile launches since May. He accused the Europeans — France, Germany, Britain, Belgium, Poland and Estonia — of playing “the role of pet dog of the United States in recent months.” He called their statement “yet another serious provocation” against North Korea’s “righteous measures of strengthening national defense capabilities.”

“We regard their behavior as nothing more than a despicable act of intentionally flattering the United States,” Song said.

NEW DELHI — 

At least 43 people died on Sunday in a devastating fire that broke out in a building in a crowded grain market area in central New Delhi, police said.

Firefighters fought the blaze from 100 yards away because it broke out in one of the area’s many alleyways, tangled in electrical wire and too narrow for vehicles to access, authorities said.

Dr. Kishore Singh of a government-run hospital said the victims were brought to the hospital by rescuers. An additional 16 people were being treated for burns or smoke inhalation. They are in stable condition, Singh said.

The cause of the fire, which erupted about 5:30 a.m., is being investigated.

Fire Services Chief Atul Garg said the blaze was put out by 25 firetrucks and the rescue operation completed.

About 60 people, including casualties, were taken out of the building, said police spokesman Arun Kumar Mittal.

The Press Trust of India news agency quoted Manoj, who uses one name, as saying that his 18-year-old brother Naveen was working in a handbag manufacturing unit in the building.

“I got a call from his friend informing that he has been injured in the incident. I have no clue which hospital he has been taken to,” he said.

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Manoj Tiwari, a Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker from New Delhi, said most of the casualties occurred on the third floor of the building.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the fire as “extremely horrific.”

“My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. Wishing the injured a quick recovery,” Modi tweeted. Authorities are providing all possible assistance at the site of the tragedy, he said.

Fires are common in India, where building laws and safety norms are often flouted by builders and residents.

In 1997, a fire in a movie theater in New Delhi killed 59 people. In February, 17 people were killed in a New Delhi fire in a six-story hotel that started in an unauthorized rooftop kitchen.

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (AP) — Three friends were waiting at a bus stop on the University of Maryland’s campus around 3 a.m. on a Saturday when a stranger approached them, screaming.

“Step left, step left if you know what’s best for you,” the 22-year-old white man told the friends, according to police.

“No,” one of the friends, a black man, said before the white man plunged a knife into his chest.

Police arrested Sean Urbanski at the bus stop, 50 feet from where 23-year-old Richard Collins III, was dying. After fatally stabbing Collins, Urbanski folded the knife, slipped it into his pocket and sat down on a bench until police arrived, a prosecutor has said.

When Urbanski’s murder trial starts this week, Prince George’s County prosecutors will argue Collins’ killing was a hate crime carried out by a man biased against black people. Urbanski liked a Facebook group called “Alt-Reich: Nation” and saved at least six photographs of racist memes on his phone, according to prosecutors.

Defense attorneys say there is no evidence of a racist motive for what occurred at the bus stop that night in May 2017. Witnesses told police that Urbanski was drunk and screaming incoherently when he approached the friends, one of his lawyers has said.

The killing coincided with a surge in hate on U.S. college campuses. Reports of white supremacists posting fliers and other propaganda on campuses more than tripled in 2017, according to a tally by the Anti-Defamation League. In August 2017, torch-toting white supremacists marched through the University of Virginia’s campus on the eve of a rally that led to violent clashes and bloodshed.

Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said it’s “unfortunate” that higher-education officials, including from the U.S. Department of Education, haven’t done more to combat hate on campuses.

“Much work remains to be done,” she said.

Urbanski is charged with first-degree murder and a hate crime. He faces a possible sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if he is convicted. Jury selection is scheduled to start Monday.

Defense lawyers failed to persuade Circuit Court Judge Lawrence Hill Jr. to exclude the racist memes and Facebook group as trial evidence. One of the memes “advocates violence against blacks,” while another has an image of a noose, a handgun and poison, a prosecutor has said.

During a hearing in June, defense attorney William Brennan cited a New York Times article in which an administrator of the Facebook group said it was satire.

Hunter College sociology professor Jessie Daniels, an expert in online racism, said pushing boundaries between parody and harmful hate is “baked into the far-right culture.”

“Just saying something is playing with humor doesn’t give it a free pass,” said Daniels, who is writing a book entitled, “Tweet Storm: The Rise of the Far-Right.”

Prosecutors wanted to call Daniels as an expert witness to testify about her research and the material from Urbanski’s phone.

The judge, however, ruled out any testimony by Daniels at the trial. Urbanski’s lawyers said prosecutors didn’t give them adequate notice of her testimony and argued Daniels would mislead the jury.

Daniels said some of the memes on Urbanski’s phone are somewhat hard to decipher because they contain “multiple layers of inside jokes.” Others are overtly racist, she added.

“Online white supremacy has real consequences,” Daniels said. “Words have power, and they can cause people real harm.”

Collins was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army shortly before his death. He was days from graduating from Bowie State University, a historically black college. Collins was visiting friends at the University of Maryland on the night of his killing.

Prosecutors say Urbanski, a former University of Maryland student, stabbed Collins because he was the only black person at the bus stop that night. His friends were a white male and an Asian female. Brennan has said there’s no evidence Collins was “selected” because he was black.

Dawn and Richard Collins Jr. created a foundation in their son’s name. In a video posted on the foundation’s website, Dawn Collins said they were proud to see their son receive his Army commission.

In one of their last conversations, her son said, “Mom, I made it, and the world is going to know my name,’” she recalled.

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NEW YORK  — 

Health officials investigating a nationwide outbreak of vaping illnesses have listed, for the first time, the vape brands most commonly linked to hospitalizations.

Most of the nearly 2,300 people who suffered lung damage had vaped liquids that contain THC, the high-inducing part of marijuana.

In a report released Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed the products most often cited by patients, noting that some of them said they vaped more than one.

Dank Vapes was the brand used by 56% of the hospitalized patients nationwide.

Dank is not a licensed product coming from one business. It is empty packaging that can be ordered from Chinese internet sites. Illicit vaping cartridge makers can buy the empty packages and then fill them with whatever they choose.

Other product names at the top of the list from the CDC were TKO (15%), Smart Cart (13%) and Rove (12%).

“It’s not likely that a single brand is responsible for this outbreak,” said Brian King, a senior CDC official on the investigation.

Some of the brands cited by the CDC are sold in states with legalized marijuana. But counterfeits of those legitimate brands have flooded the market around the country, forcing some to redesign their packaging.

Bill Loucks, co-founder of TKO Products, said his company sells only to licensed dispensaries in California, but the company gets emails asking about TKO-branded cartridges purchased elsewhere.

“If you bought them outside of California … you are the proud owner of fakes,” Loucks said in an email.

The CDC also said Friday that the worst of the outbreak may be over. Preliminary data indicate hospitalizations peaked in mid-September and have been declining since, officials said.

Investigators want more data until they feel certain the outbreak is waning. If it is, there may be more than one reason, including growing public caution about vaping or perhaps a change in what cartridge makers are putting into them, King said.

But cases are still coming in, with 2,291 reported this year — including 176 that joined the tally in late November. Every state has reported cases, and 25 states and the District of Columbia have reported a total of 48 deaths.

Symptoms include trouble breathing, chest pain, fatigue and vomiting. About half the patients are people in their teens or early 20s.

The outbreak appears to have started in March. CDC officials have gradually come to focus their investigation on black-market THC cartridges.

An analysis of about 1,800 of the hospitalized patients found about 80% said they used at least one THC product. Last month, CDC officials said they had narrowed in on a culprit — a chemical compound called vitamin E acetate that has been commonly found in the lungs of sick patients and in the products they vaped.

Vitamin E acetate is a thickening agent that’s been added to illicit THC vaping liquids. But it’s possible it also may have been added to vaping liquids containing CBD, another cannabis extract, King said. About 1% of the patients said they had vaped only CBD products.

The agency is recommending that people do not use any electronic cigarettes or vaping products that contain THC, especially those obtained from friends, family members or black market dealers.

However, 13% of patients said they vaped only nicotine. CDC officials are continuing to look at nicotine-containing vapes, and to advise caution about all types of vaping products until the investigation is concluded, King said.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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The Blues boss saw his side suffer a disappointing 3-1 defeat on Merseyside, with an error-strewn display showing how much work they still have to do

Frank Lampard was left less than impressed by the “sloppiness” of his Chelsea side during a 3-1 defeat at Everton.

Having secured a standing inside the Premier League’s top four and seen a transfer ban lifted, the mood among the travelling party from Stamford Bridge was buoyant heading into a trip to Merseyside.

Chelsea were, however, sent back to west London with their tail between their legs as Duncan Ferguson enjoyed a dream start to his reign as Everton’s interim boss.

The hosts opened the scoring inside five minutes on Saturday, with two goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin ultimately seeing them to a morale-boosting success.

Lampard admitted afterwards that his side, who have earned plenty of plaudits this season, were well short of their best and made life far too easy for the Toffees.

He told BT Sport: “We gave them three goals.

“I suppose the first goal will be seen as a good goal from their point of view but we know Richarlison’s good in the air, he scores a lot of goals and we didn’t deal with it.

“Then when you give Everton that goal to hang on to, we gave ourselves a problem.

“We didn’t create enough chances and we didn’t want to shoot enough, we dribble into their box and we try and beat someone else. We need to shoot more.

“And then the other two goals were just really poor from our point of view.

“You dominate a game with possession, you play a team that play with a lot of fighting spirit in the moment when they’re fighting for their interim manager and for themselves and we’ve got to do more.

“I think we matched them on the work rate. Work rate is one thing, I expect us to match everyone in this league on that, but sometimes physical contact is another.

“So if you’re not going to win headers or balls that bounce down and you’re not going to go through the ball and the man a little bit then at places like Goodison, especially, it’s going to be really hard to come and win.”

Chelsea will be in a position to bolster their ranks again in January, with a two-window embargo having been cut in half, and Lampard admits that they still have much to learn.

An exciting young side has enjoyed plenty of highs in 2019-20, but a disappointing showing at Goodison has given them food for thought.

Lampard added: “We can’t defend like that.

“If there is evidence in a game, in one little package, that shows how far we still need to go, I think it was today.

“We got in their box so many times and score one goal in the game. They get in our box a few times, but through our own sloppiness they scored.”