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Squatters, BASE jumpers take over Yosemite National Park amid shutdown: report
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Squatters have moved into Yosemite National Park’s campgrounds and rule-breakers are pushing boundaries as ranger patrols are stretched thin during the prolonged federal shutdown, according to a park employee who described growing disorder inside the park.
“There are lots of squatters in the campgrounds,” the employee told SFGATE. “There are lots of people that truly believe they can do whatever they want because of the lack of rangers. They’ve told us.”
The employee said only one wilderness ranger is currently working the entire park — and that person is technically a volunteer, not a National Park Service (NPS) employee.
However, the Department of the Interior, which oversees the NPS, told Fox News Digital that those claims are inaccurate.
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Yosemite National Park has seen problems with the lack of rangers during the shutdown, according to a report. (Reuters)
“The National Park Service can confirm that the park remains appropriately staffed to ensure visitor safety and resource protection during the lapse in appropriations,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “Law enforcement rangers and campground personnel continue to monitor visitor use, respond to incidents, and enforce park regulations.”
The department added that “reports suggesting that campgrounds are unmonitored or that widespread squatting is occurring are inaccurate.”
“Suggesting there is only one ranger is ludicrous,” officials said. “While we have sighted several individuals for camping in non-designated sites, it has been adequately addressed and those camp sites have been removed.”
The department also confirmed that it is “aware of reports” of escalating violations and is investigating.
“We are aware of reports of BASE jumping in Yosemite and investigate all reports,” a department spokesperson said. “BASE jumping is illegal in all national parks, including Yosemite, due to the significant safety risks it poses to participants, the public and first responders.”
Despite the shutdown, the department said the National Park Service “will continue to keep parks as accessible as possible during the lapse in appropriations.”
“Critical functions that protect life, property and public health will remain in place,” the statement continued. “Law enforcement officers remain on duty and will respond to violations, trespassing or resource damage.”
The enforcement gap has coincided with a visible rise in risk-taking behavior.
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El Capitan stands in Yosemite National Park, California, on Jan. 14, 2015. (Ben Margot, File)
Videos and images circulating on social media show BASE jumpers leaping from El Capitan, unauthorized campers occupying closed campgrounds, and climbers scaling Half Dome’s cables without permits — all in violation of park regulations.
Though Yosemite was once a hub for the sport in the 1970s, BASE jumping has been banned in national parks since the 1980s.
BASE, an acronym for Building, Antenna, Span and Earth, is described by the department as “the recreational sport of jumping from fixed objects, including artificial structures and natural features, using a parachute to descend to the ground.”
Officials note that violators face fines up to $5,000 or jail time under federal regulations. Enthusiasts have continued to participate in secret over the years, typically jumping at dawn or dusk to avoid detection.
An eyewitness has documented the illegal activity since the shutdown began.
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A motorist passes through the Tioga Pass fee station at the eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park, which had no employees on hand to collect fees that help fund the park, on the first day of the government shutdown on Oct. 1, 2025. (David McNew/Getty Images)
“You hear them before you see them,” Charles Winstead, who witnessed a dozen illegal BASE jumps in the park last week, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Then the parachute pops and there’s no more noise.”
Winstead shared a video on Instagram capturing one of the BASE jumpers, noting it was the second group he had witnessed that day.
“More base jumpers! Definitely feeling some freedom to flout the rules due to the shut down. Second group today,” the caption read.
Conservation advocates say these incidents are part of a larger pattern of disorder when national parks operate without proper staffing. During the 2018–19 shutdown, Yosemite and other parks suffered vandalism, illegal off-roading, and waste accumulation that took months to repair, according to park advocates.
“This is exactly what we warned about. And this is why national parks need to be closed until the government re-opens,” Emily Thompson, executive director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, said in a statement on Friday. “This shutdown is making an already bad situation at national parks and public lands far worse. And the longer this goes, the worse it is going to get. The situation is dangerous and reckless for our parks, public lands and the visitors who love them.”
Visitors hike the Mist Trail toward Vernal Falls on Aug. 31, 2025, in Yosemite National Park, California. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
The coalition, which consists of more than 40 former NPS leaders, had previously urged Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to close all 433 national park sites if government funding lapsed, citing ongoing staffing shortages.
“Leaving national parks open without National Park staff to help protect visitors and resources is not only irresponsible—it’s dangerous. We don’t leave museums open without curators, or airports without air traffic controllers and we should not leave our National Parks open without NPS employees,” Thompson wrote.
According to the National Parks Conservation Association, nearly 25% of the Park Service’s permanent staff has been lost since January, leaving many parks, including Yosemite, without enough personnel to ensure visitor safety or respond quickly to emergencies.
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At the same time, the Department of the Interior has emphasized maintaining access where possible.
The department’s September 2025 contingency plan states that during a funding lapse, essential functions such as law enforcement and emergency response continue, and that most park areas “will generally remain accessible” with limited services.
Earlier this year, Burgum echoed that approach, directing that national parks “remain open and accessible,” underscoring a commitment to ensure “all Americans have the opportunity to visit and enjoy our Nation’s most treasured places,” even with staffing constraints.
Fox News Digital reached out to Yosemite National Park officials for comment.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
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SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — San Francisco Supervisor Jackie Fielder hosted her first community listening session Thursday night since returning from a three-month medical leave.
Dozens of District 9 residents packed the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center to welcome back Fielder and voice concerns about issues affecting their communities.
“We are thankful that you took time for yourself to equip yourself to be sitting here today,” one attendee told Fielder. “So I thank you and commend you for returning.”
Fielder returned to City Hall last month after taking a three-month medical leave.
“I’m just grateful for the outpouring of support that I had and glad to be back on the job,” Fielder said. “Mental health is really prevalent, and I’m not going to shy away from the fact that I had a mental health crisis. This is a challenging job, and I’m very privileged to be here.”
Fielder said she is hosting a series of town hall-style meetings to give residents an opportunity to voice their concerns.
“To me, the biggest issue locally is the homeless issue, and it’s citywide,” San Francisco resident Maggie Weis said.
Fielder was joined by members of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and San Francisco Police Department to answer questions about pedestrian safety, city budget cuts and other issues.
The supervisor said one of her priorities moving forward is expanding access to clean, well-maintained public restrooms.
“[We’re] still seeing a lot of feces around the district and city,” Fielder said. “Would love to see our city have more public bathrooms and be able to maintain them as well.”
The next listening session is scheduled for July 23 at 6 p.m. at La Fénix in the Mission.
Watch the full report from KRON4’s Sara Stinson in the video player at the top of the story.
DENVER — Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is launching a $100 million plan to boost the local economy and support 10,000 jobs over the next three years.
Johnston announced the four-part program Thursday morning, flanked by business leaders while praising downtown businesses like brunch eatery Snooze.
▶️ WATCH: Denver7’s Alex Dowd reports on the plan
Denver mayor promises to create 10K jobs in next 3 years
Snooze Co-Founder Adam Schlegel said his business benefited from a similar program when U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper was mayor in the early 2000s.
“The city really was the one that stepped up,” Schlegel said. “We wouldn’t have started if it wouldn’t have been for the economic development office. We ended up getting an incentive from the city to open up, particularly in this space [downtown]. It was a fiscal incentive to do it, in addition to coaching.”
Both of those are offered in the new four-part Denver Jobs Agenda. With funding from the Denver Downtown Development Authority and the Office of Economic Development and Opportunity, Johnston aims to develop start-ups in the city, grow existing businesses and draw in new companies while working to advance the Denver-area workforce across industries.
At the end of the last fiscal quarter, Denver’s unemployment rate hovered around 3.6% — under the national rate of 4.2% — according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, while office vacancy sits just under 40%, according to commercial real estate broker CBRE.
Johnston and other speakers made multiple references to more jobs bringing more people downtown.
“Denver has so many things going for it, so it will come back,” Schlegel said. “It’s not coming back as fast as I want, or as much as anyone will, but will it have a long-term future? 100%. It’s things like this, though, that I think give us a lot of hope that it can happen sooner than waiting it out.”
▶️ Watch the full press conference
Press conference: Denver mayor announces Denver Jobs Agenda
Chris Berthiaume, the city’s director of workforce industry initiatives, says the three workforce development centers across Denver serve around 20,000 people each year. He’s confident this new initiative will help more of those visitors find employment.
“We want to focus on things like aerospace, cybersecurity, green construction,” Berthiaume said. “This new initiative really just tightens the focus on sectors that we know are growing. Colorado is home to a huge aerospace culture. Quantum technology is emerging and coming. Green workforce are jobs that we know drive around Denver. Construction is everywhere. We need to make sure we have a skilled workforce that’s ready to take on those jobs.”
While also finding employers to hire them and stay within the community for the long haul.
“I think the reason businesses work — certainly restaurants work — is that you are integral to the community specifically where you are,” Schlegel said. “There are so many people in our community that really believe in Denver and want to see what it can be, and so it will get there.”
It’s well on the way. Denver’s Economic Development Corporation says they’re working with 52 active prospects that could bring more than 12,000 jobs to the area.
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Global entertainment company Webtoon is returning to the hallowed halls of San Diego Comic-Con with a larger-than-life slate of panels featuring top talent and fresh announcements.
They will be shining the spotlight on some of today’s most engaging webcomic creators, including Derek V. Song (Fantasy High) and Punko (Cinderella Boy).
Let’s take a look at their schedule:
Thursday, July 23 – 10am – Room 29AB
Creature Craft: Visionaries of Horror Comics Share Their Secrets
This panel features Punko, creator of Stagtown and Cinderella Boy on WEBTOON; Cullen Bunn, creator of Ripcord and Deluge for Ignition Press; and Cat Staggs, co-creator of Death Mask, and artist on Tales for a HalloweeNight for Storm King Comics. Rotem Rusak, Editor-in-Chief at Nerdist, will moderate.
Friday, July 24 – 10am – Room 32AB
Love in Every Universe: The Great Romance Trope Debate
Join ROSEOAK, creator of Not So Silent on WEBTOON, Alessandra Ferreri, Head of Content at Wattpad, E.M. Wilson, author of Situationship, and Becca Erin Title, founder of Meet Cute Romance Bookshop. The panel is moderated by Crystal Bell, the Culture Editor at Mashable.
Friday, July 24 – 1pm – Room 32AB
Adapting Fantasy High for WEBTOON with Derek V. Song
Featuring Derek V. Song, writer of Fantasy High. Fans will get a behind-the-scenes look at adapting the beloved Dimension 20 series for WEBTOON and learn more about bringing the world of Fantasy High to a new visual format.
Saturday, July 25 – 11:30am – Room 24ABC
What’s Next from WEBTOON Entertainment
Featuring Ryan Lee, Head of Content at WEBTOON; Sydney Bright, Head of Global Animation at WEBTOON Productions; Erik Kozura, Producer at WEBTOON; ROSEOAK, creator of Not So Silent; Derek V. Song, writer of Fantasy High; Punko, creator of Stagtown and Cinderella Boy; and Ucheomaaa, creator of Vibe Check! on WEBTOON. Journalist, comic critic, and 2026 Eisner judge, Tiffany Babb, will moderate. his panel will deliver a slew of announcements, exclusive first looks, and Creator appearances from its platform and entertainment businesses. Additionally, the panel will give fans a window into what’s next from WEBTOON’s most exciting stories and projects, with news from WEBTOON Originals, WEBTOON Productions, WEBTOON Unscrolled, and more.
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