West
Three US travel destinations land on National Geographic's 'Best of the World 2025' list
National Geographic released its annual “Best of the World” travel list for 2025.
Out of the 25 global destinations, three U.S. locations made the cut: Florida’s Ocala National Forest, Boise, Idaho, and Los Angeles, California.
Ocala National Forest received a shout-out for being one of Florida’s “last wild places,” NatGeo wrote in its list.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC REVEALS ITS 20 ‘BEST OF THE WORLD’ ADVENTURES TO CHECK OUT IN 2024
While most Florida tourists visit the theme parks and beaches, NatGeo called out Ocala National Forest, the southernmost forest in the U.S., for being a “green oasis.”
The sun rises over Ocala National Forest’s Juniper Prairie Wilderness, highlighting the diverse ecosystems that provide essential habitat for threatened species such as the scrub jays, red-cockaded woodpeckers and gopher tortoises. Nearby, the Florida National Scenic Trail is a popular backpacking destination for avid hikers and explorers. (Photo by Nick Conzone)
The 387,000 acres of Ocala is home to various wildlife like black bears, manatees and rare plants, as well as 600 lakes and natural springs, according to NatGeo.
The National Forest Foundation has expanded recreation opportunities in the area with new fishing piers and improved trails, NatGeo said, while also “working to restore the preserve’s longleaf pine ecosystem by removing invasive species and planting seedlings.”
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC RANKS TRAVEL DESTINATIONS FOR NEW ‘WORTH A TRIP’ SERIES: HERE ARE THE TOP SPOTS IN THE US
Los Angeles made the list for its new art offerings, as NatGeo described the city’s cultural scene as getting a “jolt of new energy.”
Specifically, LA’s largest public/private Black art program in the U.S., called Destination Crenshaw, has taken over 1.3 miles of Crenshaw Blvd with “landscaped community spaces” and more than 100 commissioned works.
“Hey Young World” — a mural painted on the side of a local business in the Crenshaw neighborhood in California — is just one of several artworks commissioned by Destination Crenshaw, the largest public/private Black art program in the United States. (Photo Courtesy of Dareon Grace, Destination Crenshaw)
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is also completing its David Geffen Galleries for its permanent collection, which is set to open for travelers in April 2026.
Also opening in 2026, in LA’s Exposition Park, is the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which will display works collected by Star Wars creator George Lucas.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
Boise, Idaho, was named on NatGeo’s list for its population of Basque people – the highest in the U.S.
The Basques descended from Spanish and French migrants in the late 19th century, and came to the region to herd sheep.
After a 10-year hiatus, Jaialdi, one of the world’s largest celebrations of Basque culture, returns to Boise, Idaho, in July 2025. The state of Idaho has the highest concentration of Basque people in the U.S. (Photo Courtesy of Visit Boise)
Now, Boise honors their heritage with one of the world’s largest celebrations of Basque culture called Jaialdi, which will take place in July 2025 after a 10-year-long hiatus.
“The city’s famed Basque Block downtown will host daily street parties, dancing, and music performances, while Sports Night features competitions in wood chopping and wagon lifting,” NatGeo said.
In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, Nathan Lump, NatGeo’s editor-in-chief, explained that the publication intended to feature destinations that might not usually be on travelers’ radars.
“We have amazing international adventures, but the three U.S. locations on our list prove you don’t have to travel far to find memorable experiences,” he said.
Read the full article from Here
(KRON)– San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa is asking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to step up protections at ports and Airports across the country, including San Francisco International Airport (SFO), after the recent hantavirus outbreak.
The outbreak began aboard a cruise ship in May 2026.
The ship outbreak has reached 12 cases, nine of which have been confirmed. So far, three people have died.
In California, five people, including one Santa Clara County resident, are being monitored for possible exposure. Another Bay Area resident is being monitored separately in Nebraska.
In the U.S., the CDC is monitoring 41 people for Hantavirus. That includes an additional 16 who were not aboard the cruise ship where the outbreak began, but were exposed on an April flight from Johannesburg with a woman who was infected on the ship and later died.
Canepa is fighting for concrete policies that would protect Californians, specifically calling out the CDC to create a clear process when outbreaks, similar to the recent hantavirus outbreak, begin.
Along with the CDC, the World Health Organization is emphasizing that the overall risk to the public remains low. So far, there’s been no evidence of ongoing transmission.
Two of the top three players in the NBA will face each other Monday. The other, according to MVP voters, will be watching from the couch.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic finished in second place in the 2025-26 MVP vote, the league announced Sunday night. In what was widely regarded as a three-horse race, Jokic was a distant runner-up but extended his streak of top-two finishes to six consecutive years, joining Bill Russell and Larry Bird as the only players to do so.
Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was crowned MVP for the second straight season. San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama, just 22 years old, placed third. He was also named Defensive Player of the Year last month. The Spurs and Thunder are set to compete in the Western Conference Finals starting Monday night.
The award is decided by a panel of 100 voters who cover the NBA and its teams for various local, national and international media outlets. Jokic appeared on all 100 ballots, earning 10 first-place votes and 48 second-place nods. He was third on 37 ballots, fourth on four, fifth on one.
Gilgeous-Alexander received the lion’s share of the first-place votes with 83. Wembanyama got five votes for first. Ballots are submitted before the playoffs begin, ensuring that only the regular season is taken into account — meaning that Denver’s first-round exit had no bearing on the tally this year.
Jokic averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game, marking the seventh time in NBA history that a player has averaged a triple-double. Jokic, Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson are the only players to accomplish the feat. Jokic has done it two seasons in a row.
He shot 56.9% from the field, 38% from 3-point range and 83.1% from the foul line, good for a 67% true shooting clip that ranked fifth in the league. At 66.5%, Gilgeous-Alexander was the only non-center to rank in the top eight. He averaged 31.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.6 assists for the defending champion and first-place Thunder.
Jokic’s season was split in two parts by a knee injury he suffered on Dec. 29, 2025, in Miami. Before he limped off the court with a bone bruise, he was averaging 29.6 points on 67% shooting inside the arc and 43.5% shooting outside it. After he returned a month later, his scoring dropped to 25.8 points per game at a 60.3% clip from 2-point range and an inefficient 31.9% mark from deep.
His shooting splits were even worse in the playoffs — 55.3% from two, 19.4% from three as the Timberwolves eliminated Denver in six games. The Serbian big man struggled to contend with four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert for most of the series. The Nuggets failed to advance to the second round for the first time since 2022.
Jokic has won three regular-season MVPs in his career, in addition to NBA Finals MVP in 2023 when he led Denver to its first championship. He’s eligible to sign a contract extension this summer.
Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis.
Brian Ray describes the process of photographing Caitlin Clark
Iowa director of photography Brian Ray describes how he captured Caitlin Clark’s deep 3-pointer during the Indiana Fever’s game at Carver-Hawkeye in 2025.
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever continued their 2026 WNBA regular season with an 89-78 victory against the Seattle Storm on Sunday, May 17.
Clark, a former Iowa women’s basketball star, and the Fever are 2-2 after the first four games of the regular season.
Here’s a look at how Clark fared in Sunday’s game in Indianapolis:
Caitlin Clark stats today in Indiana Fever vs Seattle Storm
- Minutes: 23
- Points: 21
- Rebounds: 7
- Assists: 10
- Blocks: 2
- Steals: 0
- Turnovers: 5
- FG shooting: 5-10
- 3-point shooting: 2-4
- Free throws: 9-9
Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever upcoming games
- May 20: vs. Portland Fire, 6 p.m. CT, USA Network
- May 22: vs. Golden State Valkyries, 6:30 p.m. CT, ION
- May 28: at Golden State Valkyries, 9 p.m. CT, Prime
-
New York57 minutes agoRead the complaint filed against a top militia commander linked to Iran.
-
Los Angeles, Ca1 hour agoLong Beach man arrested for murder in deadly hit-and-run crash
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoPistons’ playoff run ends in Game 7 blowout to Cavaliers
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoSan Mateo supervisor urges CDC to step up protections amid hantavirus outbreak
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoThe art of showing up: how two Dallas women paint a new vision for relief
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoMessi’s goal, assist lead Inter Miami to 2-0 win over Portland and first at new stadium
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoFire breaks out at East Boston home, spreads to neighboring buildings
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoNuggets’ Nikola Jokic finishes 2nd in MVP voting; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander repeats
