SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Franciscans bared an unusual amount of skin for this time of year Tuesday, as a city better known for its chilly summers, drizzle and fog experienced its hottest March in at least two decades, part of a rare winter heat wave baking the U.S. West.

While the Bay Area flirts with nearly 90 degree (32.2 C) highs, Phoenix is expected to top 100 F (37.7 C) this week — something it usually does in early May and has never done before March 26. Las Vegas could see its hottest March stretch ever recorded. Records were also falling in Los Angeles and across Southern California.

It’s a stark contrast to the Midwest and eastern half of the country, which are digging out after powerful snow storms that led to thousands of flight cancellations this week.

Dogs and sunbathers flocked to Crissy Field’s shoreline on the north end of San Francisco, as the Golden Gate Bridge shimmered nearby. It’s unusual for San Francisco to get this hot this early, said Roger Gass, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the Bay Area.

It last happened in 2005, when downtown hit a record 87 F (30.5 C) on March 11, part of a two-day heat wave and its record high for the month. In March 2004, the city saw a nearly weeklong heat wave with temperatures around 80 F (26.7 C).

On Tuesday temperatures in the city looked to tie the record.

“It feels like summer already in March. That’s crazy, but I love it,” said dog walker Justyce Roliz.

But resident Jessica Ling noted one challenge for San Franciscans: Most don’t have air conditioning.

“We have our fans going, our windows open, but we try to be outside as much as we can,” she said.

Some tourists are enjoying the warm weather

Elsewhere, cities that are more accustomed to sweltering weather were hitting their own unusually high spring temps. In Las Vegas, there’s a chance temperatures could reach 100 F (37.7 C) Saturday, said meteorologist Brian Planz at the city’s National Weather Service forecast office. That would be the earliest Las Vegas has reached triple digits. Even if temps stay in the double digits, the city is poised to break its March all-time high of 93 F (33.8 C), set back in 2022, he said.

“If people are visiting Vegas this weekend, they just need to prepare for the heat, make sure they’re hydrating,” he said. “This is going to be unusual for this time of year.”

Mark Reeves was heeding the advice, drinking plenty of water, staying in the shade and occasionally dipping into the many air-conditioned casinos. The visitor from New Zealand, who was standing in front of the famous Fountains of Bellagio, said he didn’t think it would be this hot.

But the heat hasn’t dampened his trip.

“For me, this is the trip of a lifetime,” he said. “I’ve never been to the USA before and I may never get here again.”

Johnnie and Darien Anderson were happy to exchange the cold weather in Little Rock, Arkansas, for the dry heat in Las Vegas to celebrate their wedding anniversary. They noted it is less humid than Arkansas in the summer.

Meanwhile, some Western national parks that were preparing for spring break crowds urged people to check the forecast before heading out. High temperatures at White Sands National Park in New Mexico could reach the mid 90s F (around 35 C). Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona was under an extreme heat warning, with temperatures possibly hitting 104 F (40 C) in some places. The message from park officials: Avoid strenuous hiking during the hottest part of the day, which they identify as 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Some cities warn against water waste

Denver hasn’t seen three consecutive March days above 80 F (26.6 Celsius) since 1907, but it could happen again this week, the National Weather Service said.

The heat wave comes at the end of an unusually warm winter that has led to a lack of snow in Colorado’s mountains, which provides the water for millions of people. Water providers in the Denver area have already enacted or are considering limits on the number of days people can water their lawns. They’re urging people not to be tempted to turn on their sprinklers this month.

Shonnie Cline, a spokesperson for Aurora Water, which provides water to 400,000 people in suburban Denver, said it’s possible temperatures could still drop below freezing later, causing any water left in sprinkler systems to freeze and break the lines.

“The sooner you wake it up, it’s not necessarily better,” she said of lawns.

___

Associated Press journalists Jessica Hill in Las Vegas, Colleen Slevin in Denver and Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed to this report.

Ali Larijan was widely believed to be running Iran after the death of former Supreme Leader of Iran is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

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The man believed to have been running Iran since the death of the former supreme leader has been killed in an Israeli strike, according to reports.

One of Iran’s top security officials Ali Larijani, 67, was killed in an Israeli strike, Iranian authorities confirmed Tuesday. Israel said earlier in the day that it had killed Larijani, but it was several hours before Iran confirmed his death.

He was widely believed to be running Iran after the death of following the killing of former Supreme Leader of Iran is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The United States and Israel carried out joint strikes on Iran on February 28, targeting several key sites. Iran responded by hitting targets across the Middle East and plunging the region into conflict.

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Larijani had been appointed to advise Supreme Leader Khamenei on strategy in nuclear talks with the Trump administration and travelled to Oman to meet with mediators just two weeks before the war began.

He was not eligible to become supreme leader after Khamenei’s death because he is not a Shiite cleric, but was widely expected to serve as a top adviser, and many believed he was running the country US-Israeli strikes have driven Iran’s leadership underground.

The Supreme National Security Council said his son Morteza Larijani was also killed.

US President Donald Trump last week threatened to attack Iran “TWENTY TIMES HARDER” if Tehran stopped oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Larijani responded on X: “The sacrificial nation of Iran doesn’t fear your empty threats. Even those bigger than you couldn’t eliminate Iran.”

“Be careful not to get eliminated yourself.”

Man City  Donnarumma; Matheus Nunes, Khusanov, Dias, Aït-Nouri; Rodri; Cherki, Bernardo, Reijnders, Doku; Haaland. 
Substitutes  Trafford, Stones, Ake, Marmoush, Kovacic, Gonzalez, Guehi, Savio, O’Reilly, Semenyo, Foden, Lewis. 

Real Madrid  Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Francisco García; Valverde, Thiago, Tchouameni; Díaz, Guler, Vinicius Junior. 
Substitutes  Palacios, Angel, Mastantuono, Cestero, Aguado, Carreras, Gonzalo Garcia, Mbappe, Camavinga, Alaba, Carvajal, Lunin. 

Referee  Clément Turpin (France)

​A week after plans were publicly announced, North Yorkshire Council bosses have pushed through an ‘asset rationalisation’ plan that includes the purchase of Resolution House by the A64 and a move of staff from Scarborough Town Hall and Ryedale House.

​At a tense meeting in Malton on Tuesday (March 17), the scheme was presented as a way to avoid up to £19m of costs to upgrade “appalling working conditions” at the ageing coastal town hall site, and could see Malton’s Ryedale House office sold to make way for housing.

​​Anglo American, which previously had staff based at Resolution House, began marketing the site for disposal earlier this year, with a guide price of £4.5 million, but officers said the agreed price would be “substantially lower”.

​The in-principle approval of the plan is subject to finalisation of a contract between Anglo American and NYC.

​Local town and county councillors said they were concerned about an absence of engagement and the implications of the move on staff and residents’ access to local decision-making.

​Cllr Thomas Murray, town mayor of Scarborough, said: “Scarborough Town Council was not until yesterday meaningfully included in these discussions.”

​He called for “concrete changes to ensure meaningful engagement with town and parish councils”.

​Cllr Gareth Dadd, deputy leader of North Yorkshire Council (NYC), emphasised that a decision had to be made quickly to secure a favourable deal.

​He said: “We can’t allow our staff to work in the conditions that we’ve witnessed over the past six months.

​“The business case is robust and stacks up. I wish I could disclose everything in the business case, but that will become public when the deal is finalised.

​“The purchase price is substantially lower than the £4.5 million price that’s been mentioned, and we have a duty to protect the taxpayer, and the £15 million – £19 million of repairs needed is not in the public interest.”

​​North Yorkshire Council currently operates Scarborough Town Hall and Castle House in the town, which provide office space for employees as well as customer services.

​The office spaces in Scarborough were described as “appalling” by councillors who added that “windows are falling out” on the upper floors of Ryedale House.

​A provisional sum of up to £750,000 was also approved to support the establishment of new front-facing customer service points within Scarborough and Malton town centres, and to fund costs associated with the advancement of redevelopment proposals for vacated sites.

Gary Fielding, corporate director for resources, said: “The town hall is made up of four buildings and this council has inherited a considerable liability due to an absence of investment by SBC.

​“The town hall site is significantly underutilised – desk utilisation is low, ranging from 14 per cent on Fridays to 42 per cent midweek – and the current proposal is for customer services to remain in the town centre at Castle House.

​“We fully recognise the town hall as a heritage asset, and our aim is to ensure it is properly protected, preserved, and remains occupied and in meaningful use.”

​Cllr Keane Duncan, a former member of the executive who represents Norton, said: “My hope this morning is that colleagues will be mindful of the multimillion-pound gamble this could represent without essential further work being completed.

​”We should pursue efficiencies, absolutely, but we must do so responsibly, with proper scrutiny, meaningful consultation, care for our staff, respect for localism, and full confidence in a business case.”

​Cllr Richard Foster, executive member for managing the environment, said: “I think it’s a gamble worth taking.”

​​According to a report prepared for the executive committee, the scheme would create “minimum ongoing savings in property running costs of £400,000 per annum and savings of more than £20 million in backlog maintenance liabilities across Ryedale House and Scarborough Town Hall”.

​​It said that “the total investment proposed in this report would achieve a payback period of less than 10 years based solely on the ongoing savings in property running costs”.

​Officers said it was “entirely possible that NYC meetings could continue to be held in the town centre” and that, based on the £470,000 annual running cost of Scarborough Town Hall and the number of public meetings held there, each meeting “equates to a cost of £14,000”.

​“I’m disgusted,” shouted a member of the public as they left the council meeting before the decision was approved unanimously.

Carr Infant School, in Ostman Road in Acomb, has 211 pupils aged between three and seven and is currently working with Excel Learning Trust, with a view to academising and joining the trust in the near future.

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Leaders at the school, which was rated ‘good’ at its last inspection in 2022, have responded to the Ofsted inspection report, confirming that decisive action is already underway to address the areas identified for improvement.

Matthew Oxley, interim head of school, said: “We accept the inspectors’ findings, all of which we had already identified and begun to address through the school’s partnership with Excel Learning Trust.

“We are pleased the report recognises the ‘renewed energy’ within our leadership and the commitment of our staff.

“While there is significant work ahead to reach the standards our children deserve, we now have the right plans and the right support in place to drive these improvements rapidly.”

Matthew Oxley interim head at Carr Infant School (Image: Supplied)

The inspection which took place at the end of January and resulted in the school being placed into special measures.

Mr Oxley said that recognising the need for specialised expertise during a period of leadership instability, the governing body proactively sought the expertise of Excel Learning Trust, who started working with the school at the start of January 2026.

Ofsted noted that this strategic change has infused the school with a “renewed sense of energy, vision and drive.”

Crucially, inspectors highlighted that senior leaders had already identified the most urgent priorities and moved decisively to establish effective frameworks to address them.

The report confirmed that the school’s new plans for improvement are “appropriate, precise, and aligned with the school’s needs”.

Inspectors further recognised that staff feel well-supported, understand the need for change and are fully committed to securing further improvements for pupils.

The report also highlighted that “pupils feel safe, settled and happy. They enjoy coming to school and most attend regularly” and “pupils form positive, warm relationships with staff. They know who they can speak to if they have any worries or concerns. They say that there is no bullying here”.

In order to address the areas for improvement identified by Ofsted, Carr Infant School is embedding a Rapid Improvement Plan that builds on the work which had already started prior to the inspection. Key priorities include strengthening curriculum expertise, raising academic expectations, and improving attendance for all pupil groups.

As part of the Special Measures process, Carr Infant School will receive regular monitoring visits from Ofsted to track progress and provide assurance as improvements continue.

Carr Infant School in Acomb (Image: Google Street View)

The Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS) has been extended after concerns were raised by the SDLP

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The Education Minister, Paul Givan has announced that the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS) will continue into 2026-27.

The subsidy cap, which is the maximum amount that can be claimed per child will rise from April 2026 to reflect expected increases in childcare fees. In addition, the administrative payment provided to childcare providers participating in the scheme is being increased.