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TODAY’S WORD — ALLERGY (ALLERGY: AL-er-jee: An abnormally high sensitivity to a certain substance.) Average mark 30 words Time limit 35 minutes Can you find 37 or more words in ALLERGY? The list will be published tomorrow. YESTERDAY’S WORD — IMPASSIVE impasse ivies mass massive mesa mess miss missive pass passe passive pave pima amiss apse apsis same save seam semi sepia spam spasm spies vamp vase visa vise To purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last! RULES OF THE GAME: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed. Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at kzsaxe@gmail.com.

Dear Amy: This is a little bit strange, perhaps. But every year my (Protestant) church hosts a “Blue Christmas” service. This service has always had a big impact on me, allowing me to basically unleash the sadness that seems to overtake me every Christmas. Our pastor just announced that he will not conduct a Blue Christmas service this year. The reason? He has endured several personal losses of his own this year, and he quite honestly told the congregation that he doesn’t feel able to lead this service. Ironic, right? Anyway, I’m not sure how to react to this, and I’m wondering if you have any ideas? Am I Blue Dear Blue: This situation is a reminder that clergy members are people, too. Sometimes, even they cannot rise above their own vulnerable humanity in order to serve others. Related Articles Advice | Ask Amy: I want my wedding guests to wear yellow and not speak. My fiance won’t back me up. Advice | Ask Amy: His mom didn’t even smile at our engagement. What do we do about the wedding? Advice | Ask Amy: I

All these years later, after 351 field goals and 410 extra points over 11 regular seasons in Baltimore, after another 14 field goals and 27 extra points over five postseasons, Justin Tucker still remembers his first. “Yeah, that was a 46-yarder,” the Ravens kicker recalled Thursday, reciting the facts of his first kick as if the team’s 2012 season opener had happened only days ago. The spot between the hash marks? “Left middle.” The game itself? “‘Monday Night Football.’ First drive of the game against the Bengals.” The most accurate kicker in NFL history hasn’t missed many since. Heading into Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tucker is two points away from breaking kicker Matt Stover’s franchise scoring record (1,464 points). He might not remember all of his kicks as a Raven, but some of the biggest ones are hard to forget. Just days away from a potentially historic afternoon inside Acrisure Stadium, Tucker broke them down with The Baltimore Sun. 2012, Week 1: 46-yard FG vs. Bengals The first kick of Tucker’s NFL career wasn’t easy. But then, winning the starting job hadn’t been

SAN JOSE – Maria Del Rosario Marcelo Brito had hoped to bring people closer to Jesus Christ by leading a Rosary procession through San Jose. Now, the 47-year-old San Jose resident is the face of a grim milestone for the city. Marcelo Brito was hit and killed by a driver Wednesday evening near the Plant Shopping Center, bringing the city’s traffic death total for the year to 61, a new modern record. She served as the community engagement director at Healing Grove Health Center in San Jose and was president of Madre-A-Madre, a Latina empowerment program. At the time of her death, Marcelo Brito was leading day eight of the Virgen de Juquila, an Oaxacan traditional Christmastime celebration of Maria, the mother of Jesus, her colleague, Brett Bymaster, wrote in a letter to the health center community. Bymaster, the executive director of the health center, said he and Marcelo Brito had been planning the event for months, adding that it was Marcelo Brito’s “vision that people would grow closer to Jesus Christ.” Hundreds of people attended the celebration. “For more than a decade, Maria has

75 Wildwood gdns. – Google Street View A 2,400-square-foot house built in 1975 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the first block of Wildwood gdns. in Piedmont was sold on Oct. 31, 2022 for $2,050,000, or $854 per square foot. The property sits on a 7,083-square-foot lot. Additional houses have recently been sold close by: A 2,184-square-foot home on the 100 block of Oak Road in Piedmont sold in September 2022 for $2,200,000, a price per square foot of $1,007. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. In July 2022, a 2,194-square-foot home on Park Lane in Piedmont sold for $2,125,000, a price per square foot of $969. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. On Oakmont Avenue, Piedmont, in August 2022, a 1,696-square-foot home was sold for $2,100,000, a price per square foot of $1,238. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.  

Observations and other notes of interest from Thursday’s 115-110 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers: – OK, exhale. – Because, face it, it’s never easy with this team. – Even when the result is positive. – As it was this time. – When such a result was very much needed. – This time, the decision to go shorthanded was by design. – With Kyle Lowry held out for the first time this season. – Even with backup point guard Gabe Vincent also sidelined. – And that’s been an issue all along. – The volume of pressure on the starters. – Because the support system hasn’t been there. – So in the middle of a desperate moment, the Heat started Dru Smith. – Yes, the Heat have counted on their two-way players before. – Most notably Caleb Martin last season. – But this is a rookie two-way player. – Smith entered with 35 minutes of career NBA experience. – By contrast, he had played 131 in the G League this season. – So, again, the burden elevated elsewhere in the rotation. – One that coach Erik

Four years ago, almost to the day, it would’ve been virtually impossible to predict Jaelan Phillips would have the NFL career he has built — or that he would even have an NFL career. That’s because on Dec. 15, 2018, Phillips, then at UCLA, decided to retire from the sport due to multiple injuries sustained over two years of college football while playing for the Bruins. Deciding to get back into the game early in 2019, his journey brought him to Miami — first with the Hurricanes and then, after a standout 2020 season, as a 2021 first-round pick of the Dolphins. Deep into Phillips’ second professional season, the promising edge defender has 13 1/2 career sacks, 8 1/2 of them last year when he set the franchise rookie record for sacks. His coast-to-coast trek to get him into this position now leads him back to where it all started. The Dolphins play the Chargers in Los Angeles on Sunday night. As the team just came off a road game against the San Francisco 49ers, it decided to stay in California for the week in

A house in Los Gatos that sold for $3.8 million tops the list of the most expensive real estate sales in Los Gatos in the past week. In total, 9 real estate sales were recorded in the area during the last week, with an average price of $2.6 million. The average price per square foot was $1,338. The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of Nov. 28., even if the property may have been sold earlier. 9. $1.2 million, single-family home in the 24700 block of Glenwood Drive A sale has been finalized for the single-family house in the 24700 block of Glenwood Drive in Los Gatos. The price was $1,200,000 and the new owners took over the house in November. The house was built in 1951 and the living area totals 1,122 square feet. The price per square foot ended up at $1,070. The house features 2 bedrooms and 1 bathrooms. Glenwood Drive 8. $1.7 million, condominium in the 100 block of Boyer Lane The sale of the condominium in the 100 block