内容摘要：A top regional U.S. Customs and Border Protection official told reporters Wednesday that human smuggling along the border in the area has been holding “fairly steady,” with no sharp increases or decreases.

A top regional U.S. Customs and Border Protection official told reporters Wednesday that human smuggling along the border in the area has been holding “fairly steady,” with no sharp increases or decreases.

California farmers grow about 10% of the avocados eaten in the United States, Melban said, and account for nearly all of the country’s domestic avocado production. The fruit is largely grown in California from April through September, and Mexican imports arrive year-round to meet nationwide demand, which exceeds what the state’s farmers grow, he said.In Southern California’s Ventura County, many growers have shifted to avocados since lemon prices were walloped by

. As recently planted trees start bearing fruit in a few years, the region’s avocado production is likely to rise, said Korinne Bell, agricultural commissioner for the county northwest of Los Angeles.Avocado trees do not come without risks in a region prone to wildfires.Still, demand for the trees has jumped due to interest from lemon growers — and since the

charred Ventura County avocado orchards, said Rob Brokaw, whose family-owned nursery has supplied avocado trees to California growers for 70 years.“Right now we are sold out essentially for this year,” Brokaw said. “And we’re mostly sold out for 2026.”

Andreas Tompros tours Ridgecrest Avocados in Somis, Calif., on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Andreas Tompros tours Ridgecrest Avocados in Somis, Calif., on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes), where conference leaders are discussing everything from the

to complexities brought on by the transfer portal and name, image and likeness compensation.Baker discussed the idea of expanding from 68 teams to 72 or 76.

“We’ve had good conversations with CBS and WBD,” Baker said, referring to Warner Bros. Discovery, whose holdings include the Turner networks that air NCAA Tournament games. “Our goal here is to try to sort of get to either yes or no sometime in the next few months because there’s a lot of logistical work that would be associated with doing this. If we were to go down this road, you just think about the opening weekends, who has to travel the longest, it gets complicated.”The NCAA Tournament expanded from 64 to 68 teams in 2011. The change introduced the First Four round, a set of pre-tournament games in which the four lowest-seeded at-large teams and four lowest-seeded conference champions compete for spots in the traditional 64-team bracket.