U.S. MARINES providing assistance at an evacuation checkpoint in Kabul (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla).

The evacuation of Americans, other Westerners and Afghan allies from Afghanistan finished on Monday, writing the final chapter to the 20-year U.S. intervention in the remote Central Asian nation.

According to the Associated Press, the final airlift of American troops from Kabul met by several hours the Aug. 31 deadline for the conclusion of an expensive and deadly foreign campaign that began 20 years ago after U.S. and Afghan forces overthrew the Taliban regime that harbored the group responsible for the 9/11 attacks in America.

A “new” Taliban has seized control of the country after the rapid collapse of the Afghan National Army, which was funded and trained by the U.S. and other Western allies.

The last planes lifted off at 3:29 p.m. Washington time, said Gen. Frank McKenzie.

According to The New York Times, military triumph does not necessarily mean success for the Taliban. Opposition forces are gathered in the northern mountains and the new regimes’ promises of a more tolerant leadership will influence whether the impoverished land will be able to generate the kind of foreign assistance that may be required to maintain basic services such as water and electricity.

Ida knocked out power in Gulf area

LOUISIANA NATIONAL GUARD troops preparing water rescue vehicles as Hurricane Ida approached (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Duncan Foote)

The fast-moving and powerful Hurricane Ida has been downgraded to a tropical depression but not before it killed at least two people in Louisiana and knocked out electrical power for over 1 million homes in the New Orleans area and along the Gulf Coast.

According to Reuters.com, Ida is now moving northward into Mississippi, having flooded towns and cities and triggering rescues by local authorities, the state National Guard and private citizens.

Still, the event did not compare to a similar storm in 2005. “We didn’t have another Katrina and that is something we should be grateful for,” said LaToya Cantrell, mayor of New Orleans.

New levees built in the aftermath of Katrina have held up well, officials said.

Caldor blaze threatens Lake Tahoe area

A resort town near Lake Tahoe in northern California is in danger of being scorched by the huge Caldor fire, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Standing between the blaze and South Lake Tahoe is a tall ridge of granite. However, high winds could send fiery embers over that ridge and into the populated areas.

The danger is “urban conflagration,” a fire scientist from UC Merced told the Times.

Since starting on Aug 14, the fire has consumed 277 square miles and destroyed over 450 buildings in El Dorado County. As of today (Monday) it’s considered 14 percent contained.

Evacuation orders were sent out to area residents on Sunday.

Angels and Dodgers post victories

It was a good Monday for the area MLB teams, as both the Angels and the Dodgers won their games.

Angels 8, Yankees 7: Jack Mayfield hit a grand slam home run and Shohei Ohtani slammed his 42nd round tripper of the season as the Halos held off the Yankees in Anaheim. Ohtani leads MLB in homers.

The win improves the Angels’ record to 65-67. They remain in fourth place in the AL West and 9.5 games out of first place. They will host the Yanks again on Tuesday night with a 6:38 start.

Dodgers 5, Braves 3: The Blue Crew closed in on the NL West-leading San Francisco Giants as they won while the orange-and-black lost 3-1 to the Milwaukee Brewers. The win allowed the Dodgers (83-49) to close within 1.5 games of first place.

Starter Julio Urias improved his record to 15-3 and LAD got three home runs to power the win. Tuesday’s game has the Dodgers hosting Atlanta in Chavez Ravine for a 7:10 start.