Author: CaliNews

Halloween last year was scary mostly because the pandemic was ramping up again, causing many local seasonal events to be cancelled. This year, though, South Bay residents can get back to their usual fright night activities, as Halloween is by and large back on. Monster Mash Cupertino is celebrating Halloween a little early with Monster Mash on Oct. 29. From 7-8:30 p.m., parents and children ages 12 and younger can dress in their favorite costumes and head to the Quinlan Community Center, 10185 N. Stelling Road, where they’ll spend the evening playing games, trick-or-treating and making spooky crafts. Registration includes one child and two adults and is $10 for Cupertino residents and $12 for non-residents until Oct. 24. After that date, it’s $15 for residents and $17 for non-residents. Register at https://www.cupertino.org/our-city/departments/parks-recreation/community-events/monster-mash. Pet parade After last year’s virtual version, the Sunnyvale Pet Parade will once again be a live Halloween event. At 9 a.m. on Oct. 31, pets and their caregivers will walk, hop or slither down Murphy Avenue in downtown Sunnyvale. Prizes will be awarded to both animals and pet owners whose costumes stand…

Serra looked great in the first half against Valley Christian but had to hold on late to stay undefeated. Clayton Valley coach Tim Murphy, who rarely punts, chose to do so against San Ramon Valley and it paid off for the Ugly Eagles. Shorthanded De La Salle still had plenty in its tank to roll past California. El Cerrito, amid a school district investigation after a two-year-old video recently surfaced showing players participating in a dangerous drill, blasted Salesian. We have all the details on those games, and much more. If you missed something, here is our complete Week 8 coverage. Enjoy. PREP FOOTBALL WEEK 8 COVERAGE Roundup: Best of Week 8 action Results: Weekend scoreboard, how Top 25 fared El Cerrito overcomes turbulent week, routs previously unbeaten Salesian Top-ranked Serra holds off Valley Christian Shorthanded De La Salle too powerful for California Clayton Valley’s decision to punt against SRV pays off Amid outrage over dangerous drill, El Cerrito coach absent from game Photos: Best of our staff’s Week 8 images Week 8 preview: Top matchups, schedule DLS coach, some players will miss Friday’s game…

The COVID-19 pandemic has wrought what appear to be permanent social and economic changes and nowhere is that more evident than in California. Its disproportionate impact has laid bare, and even deepened, its socioeconomic fault lines — particularly ever-widening gaps between a mostly white and Asian overclass and a mostly Black and Latino underclass — that belie its conceits about mobility and inclusion. Low-income workers in sectors that required physical presence, such as agriculture and logistics, ran a much-greater risk of infection, and many of them lost their jobs altogether. Meanwhile, workers in jobs that could be done remotely via computer safely used home offices and saw their incomes continue. The state’s clumsy, politics-saturated handling of public education during the pandemic left millions of poor, non-white students to largely fend for themselves while schools serving affluent communities adjusted more adroitly. California’s endemic housing shortage worsened, driving rents and home prices ever-higher and eroding the ability of Californians to house themselves and their families. The state is still hundreds of thousands of jobs short of returning to pre-pandemic employment levels. Our unemployment rate is one of the nation’s…

In the club lounge, Cy the Cynic told me how he deals with tasks that are exceedingly difficult. “It’s a four-step process,” Cy said: “(1) struggle, (2) give up, (3) justify having given up, (4) repeat steps one, two and three until convinced.” Cy’s dummy play is suspect even at contracts that aren’t difficult. Cy adopts the first line of play he sees, but the fastest play and the best play are seldom the same. The Cynic was declarer at today’s five diamonds. East, a passed hand, had doubled for takeout at his second turn, showing spades and clubs, and West had leaped to five clubs. West led the nine of spades: ten, jack, deuce. East shifted to a trump. Cy took the ace, cashed his ace of clubs, ruffed his last club in dummy, returned a trump to his hand and led a second spade: seven, three, six. West then led a heart, and when Cy finessed with dummy’s queen, East took the king. Down one. “I give up,” the Cynic growled. For once, I had to sympathize with Cy: East could have held…

TODAY’S WORD — IMPALED (IMPALED: im-PALED: Pierced with something pointed.) Average mark 42 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 55 or more words in IMPALED? TODAY’S WORD — IMPALED idea ideal idle impel made maid mail male maple mead meal medal media medial meld mild mile paid pail pale palm peal pedal pied pile plaid plea plead pled pleiad plie plied aide ailed aimed amid ample aped lade laid lame lamp lead leap lied lime limp dale dame damp deal deli dial dime dimple 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…

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Michelle Ang, 38; Felicity Jones, 38; Alan Jackson, 63; Michael McKean, 74. Alan Jackson  (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for ACM)  Happy Birthday: Discipline will lead to new and exciting opportunities. Engage in activities and events geared toward advancement, knowledge and connecting with advantageous people. Position yourself to advance, and you will outmaneuver any competition you encounter this year. Embrace life wholeheartedly, and you will attract upbeat individuals who have something to offer. Make peace of mind and home improvements priorities. Your numbers are 5, 12, 24, 35, 42, 44, 47. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Nurture essential relationships. The discussions you have will open your mind to various ideas and encourage you to make a positive change that offers financial opportunities. Romance will bring you closer to someone you love. 3 stars TAURUS (April 20-May 20): It’s OK to be different, but not OK to be disruptive or take chances with your money or your health. Do what’s right and best for everyone, and you’ll avoid problems that can affect your reputation, position and relationships. 4 stars GEMINI (May 21-June…

Dear Amy: Recently, my family and I attended a church that was not our home parish, and we did not know the members. Amy Dickinson  The family in front of me was sitting on their pew as I knelt from behind. The position I was in gave me a close-up view of the long blond hair of the teenage girl sitting in front of me. She clearly had two lice nits affixed to her hair, shining from the bright overhead lights. In my experience as a teacher for 37 years, I have encountered this situation numerous times, but on those occasions, I had sent the child to the nurse without having to discuss the reason (a phone call was made to the nurse prior to child’s arrival). Related Articles Ask Amy: Were they right to boycott their own baby shower? Ask Amy: My brother’s wife sent us insulting letters after he died Ask Amy: She’s not the grandmother I want for my kids Ask Amy: I found out something about my new husband, and I don’t know if I can trust him Ask Amy: I…