Category: Bay Area

Breaking News Travel | What we know about Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the apparent second Trump assassination attempt Things To Do Travel News News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. SUBSCRIBER ONLY Travel | Spa at Séc-he promises Palm Springs visitors a place rooted in tradition, healing and tranquility The spa showcases the original source that gave Palm Springs its name The Spa at Séc-he was part of the first opening phase of the Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza. (Courtesy of Agua Caliente Casinos) By Maggie Downs PUBLISHED: September 16, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. The spa showcases the original source that gave Palm Springs its name. Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To login in, click here.

SUBSCRIBER ONLY If you love ‘The Great British Bake Off,’ here are 7 more cooking and baking shows to watch ‘Bake Off’ returns Sept. 24 Get ready for new seasons of foodie TV, from cooking competitions to Halloween-themed desserts. (Getty Images) If you can’t get enough “Bake Off,” here are seven other shows you might enjoy, including a few Halloween-themed shows to debut this month.

Breaking News Restaurants, Food and Drink | What we know about Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the apparent second Trump assassination attempt Things To Do Restaurants, Food and Drink News News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. SUBSCRIBER ONLY Channel your inner Great British Baking Show contestant with this show-inspired dessert recipe. This recipe for a pear, hazelnut and chocolate tart uses frangipane made with hazelnuts rather than almonds. It’s included in last year’s Great British Baking Show cookbook, “Kitchen Classics: Signature Bakes from the Heart of the Home” (Mobius, $35). (Courtesy Ant Duncan) By Kate Bradshaw | kbradshaw@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: September 16, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. Channel your inner Great British Baking Show contestant with this show-inspired dessert recipe. Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To login in, click here.

SUBSCRIBER ONLY Bake these sweet, nutty shortbread cookies — a childhood favorite of 2023 season competitor Amos Lilley This recipe for white chocolate, pistachio and cranberry shortbread comes from Amos Lilley, a baker on the Great British Baking Show’s 2023 season. (Courtesy Ant Duncan) Ready, set, bake! This recipe for sweet, nutty shortbread cookies comes from Amos Lilley, a contestant on the 2023 season of the Great British Baking Show.

Our readers include some very avid travelers. They’ve circled the world this year, exploring everything from icy Antarctica to England’s Highclere Castle — although you may know it better as “Downton Abbey.” This week, we’re hearing from Walnut Creek friends whose trip to Germany included some especially memorable sights. Read on for details, then find more travel inspiration at www.mercurynews.com/tag/wish-you-were-here/. Wish You Were Here Walnut Creek residents Gail Murray and Nan Siegel’s visit to Potsdam, Germany, in May included a visit to the Bridge of Spies. (Courtesy Gail Murray)  GERMANY: Walnut Creek residents Gail Murray and Nan Siegel traveled to Germany and Belgium in May. A highlight, they say, was the day spent with German locals in Potsdam, where they visited the Glienicke Bridge — known as the Bridge of Spies — which connects Potsdam with Berlin. It was the site, Gail says, “where Russian and Western spies were exchanged during the Cold War. The scene is memorialized in Tom Hanks’ movie ‘Bridge of Spies,’ a true story of the rescue of American pilot Francis Gary Powers, (whose) U2 spy plane was downed in 1962

DEAR JOAN: Can catnip be calming to cats? Our cats often seek out their catnip fish or catnip banana to sleep on. One cat, when he’s stressed by the other cat eating his food or bullying him, seems to seek out his fish to lie down and put his head on. The catnip seems to calm and reassure our kitties. Is that common? — Liz Fisher, Pleasant Hill DEAR LIZ: Catnip can have a calming effect on cats, but typically only when they eat the nip. Otherwise, the smell usually sends them into a frenzy. Catnip’s effect is caused by nepetalactone, which stimulates brain receptors and releases endorphins. Cats react by rolling on the catnip, and some become hyperactive or aggressive. When eaten, however, the nepetalactone has sort of an opposite effect. Endorphins are released, but they leave the cat feeling calm and content. A small percentage of cats are immune to catnip. To them, it’s just another herb. It could be that your cats fall into this category, and the comfort and contentment they find is centered around a much loved toy. The effects of the catnip

Former president Donald Trump’s threat to withhold firefighting aid to California if he’s re-elected is drawing criticism from the president of the California Professional Firefighters union. As three large-scale wildfires continued to burn across Southern California, Brian K. Rice, president of the California Professional Firefighters union, said Trump should be “ashamed” about comments he made regarding firefighting funds during a speech on Friday at his golf course on the cliffs of Ranchos Palos Verdes. Trump tied the aid to the willingness of California Governor Gavin Newsom to enact Trump’s policy priorities. “As of today, thousands of firefighters are on the front lines responding to wildfires throughout the state, and countless Californians are in harm’s way as they heed evacuation orders,” Rice wrote in a statement released late Saturday. “Nevertheless, former President Trump expressed that he would play with their lives and their homes if he doesn’t get what he wants. He would rather watch our state burn in the name of his political games, then to send help if he were to become president again.” According to a New York Times report, Trump during his

With Milpitas City Councilmembers Evelyn Chua and Anthony Phan reaching the end of their first term, six candidates including Chua will face off to fill the two open seats as the city develops more affordable housing units, experiences a growing budget deficit and grapples with public safety concerns. Residents can expect to see a mix of newcomers and familiar faces, as several candidates ran unsuccessfully for a spot on the five member council seat back in 2022. Phan is running for mayor in the upcoming election. Here’s who is running Evelyn Chua Vice Mayor Chua is seeking reelection because she believes there is more she can do for the city. Her first few years in officer were a “learning curve,” but now she has the experience and insight to lead the council in the right direction. “I feel there is a lot more work to do,” she said. “There’s got to be consistency in the council.” Her priorities include strengthening the city’s fire and police department and collaborating with community members and developers to make affordable housing “actually affordable.” She also wants to build more thriving

RIVERSIDE — A 51-year-old former church pastor suspected of sexually abusing two brothers between 2009 and 2015 while their family was living with the cleric at his Riverside home was taken into custody, police said Thursday. Detectives received a report from one of the alleged victims in late May, detailing allegations of sexual misconduct by the suspect starting when the victim was 9 years old and continuing into his mid-teenage years, according to the Riverside Police Department. The victim’s younger brother also reported similar alleged actions by the same suspect, who was once their pastor at Iglesia de Dios Israelita in Fullerton, police said. Detectives later identified the suspect as Juan Barrios, who was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of multiple sexual abuse offenses. Anyone with information regarding the alleged crimes or other possible additional victims wanting to come forward can contact Officer Kimberly Coronado at 951-353-7949 or KCoronadoRiversideCA.gov, or Detective Christian Wilcox at 951-353-7133 or CWilcoxRiversideCA.gov In another case announced Wednesday, Ontario Police said they arrested a pastor suspected of sexually assaulting girls at his former residence in Ontario. Jose

TODAY’S WORD — DIATONIC (DIATONIC: dye-uh-TON-ik: A musical scale comprising intervals of five whole and two half steps.) Average mark 19 words Time limit 35 minutes Can you find 25 or more words in DIATONIC? The list will be published tomorrow. SATURDAY’S WORD — SHAMBLES sable sale same sash seal seam shale sham shamble shame slab slam slash smash hale hassle heal helm able ahem alms amble ashes male mash mass meal mesa mesh mess bale balm base bash bashes bass beam blah blam blame blase bless lamb lame lase lash lashes lass leash less 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

A club player told me his train of thought derailed when he was declarer at today’s slam. “And there were no survivors,” he said grimly. North-South had 33 high-card points and duly reached 6NT after North checked for a 4-4 heart fit via Stayman. West led the queen of spades. “I won with the ace,” declarer told me, “and took four clubs. East threw three spades. Then, I’m ashamed to say, I led the A-K and a third heart. East took the jack and queen for down one.” DIAMOND TRICK “My partner was kind enough to say that diamonds had split 4-2, so I couldn’t get a diamond trick anyway. I suspect he was thinking that my play was a train wreck and I deserved a kick in the caboose.” After South cashes the clubs, he should play a low heart from both hands. If East returns a heart, South wins and takes the king of spades, pitching a diamond from dummy. East must discard, and South wins his 12th trick in the suit East discards. South also succeeds if either red suit breaks 3-3.

Dear Eric: I want to get rid of my junior and senior high school yearbooks. They take up space, I have not looked at them in at least 20 years, and I’m not planning on looking at them. The people are not in my life, and I have the memories. I was thinking I could cut out pages with my photograph before disposing of the books. My husband does not approve of this plan (either cutting the books or getting rid of them), insisting I should keep them. He doesn’t think they take up that much space and the kids can get rid of them when I’m gone. He argues I’ve kept them this long, what’s a little longer? We obviously differ on the significance of these books and I’m concerned when I try to eliminate other mementos or sentimental objects, he will make a fuss. Suggestions? – Moving On Dear Moving: Unless you and your husband were prom king and queen, voted most likely to succeed, and co-editors-in-chief of the yearbook, I don’t see what concern this is of his. Actually, even if all

DEAR HARRIETTE: I just dropped my daughter off at college last week, and she’s already asking me to come back and pick her up. She’s saying that college isn’t for her, but she hasn’t even started classes yet. This has been an emotional time for both of us as I am a single mom and she is my only daughter. She’s always been introverted and has struggled with making friends, so I knew the transition to college life would be challenging for her. She’s been texting and calling me constantly, saying she feels overwhelmed, lonely and completely out of place. Part of me wants to rush over there, bring her home and make everything better, but I also know that she needs to figure out this new chapter in her life. How can I best support my daughter during this tough time? What should I say or do to help her feel more comfortable and give college a fair chance? — Separation Anxiety DEAR SEPARATION ANXIETY: Your job as a mother is to teach your child how to be independent and take care of herself.

Trump was subject of apparent assassination attempt at Florida golf club, FBI says Uncategorized ‘Shogun’ wins best drama series at the Emmy Awards and sets a record for most Emmys in a season with 18 LOS ANGELES (AP) — ‘Shogun’ wins best drama series at the Emmy Awards and sets a record for most Emmys in a season with 18. Originally Published: September 15, 2024 at 8:01 p.m.

SANTA CLARA — Lizzie Boamah is never going to say no to scoring a goal. The Stanford freshman normally plies her trade as a defender, but on Sunday against No. 11 Santa Clara, she received a brief opportunity to play as a forward. Boamah took full advantage of her good fortune, scoring the No. 1 Cardinal’s lone goal in a 1-0 shutout win over the Broncos in front of about 2,000 fans at Stevens Stadium. “I mean, I’m never going to say I don’t like playing forward, just because I get to use my speed very close to the goal,” Boamah said afterward. “I think I’ll always be an outside back, but I love playing forward.” Boamah won a 50-50 ball sent into the box by teammate Charlotte Kohler, then poked the ball past Santa Clara keeper Marlee Nicolos in the 55th minute. The win improved Stanford to 8-0 this season — a perfect nonconference mark as the top-ranked Cardinal get ready to start Atlantic Coast Conference play later this week. Stanford’s Lizzie Boamah (7) scores a goal against Santa Clara in the second half

Firefighters battled a wildland blaze in Sonoma County on Sunday but said they were making progress against the fast-expanding flames. The Cougar Fire had consumed 40 acres as of 2:23 p.m. on Sunday, the state Forestry and Fire Protection Department, or CAL FIRE, reported on Sunday. No structures were reported to be threatened. No injuries were reported. “Forward progress of the fire was reported being stopped at 2:20 p.m,” CAL FIRE stated in post on its website. At about 2 p.m., the fire totaled about 15 acres. By 2:20 p.m., the blaze had reached 40 acres. The fire had yet to be contained as of 2:30 p.m., according to the CAL FIRE updates. The fire was located near Lakeville Highway just south of Cougar Mountain Road in the Sears Point, CAL FIRE reported. State and local emergency agencies dispatched 15 fire engines, two helicopters, two bulldozers and two hand crews to combat the blaze, the CAL FIRE reported. Marin County Fire, Petaluma Fire, Schell-Vista Fire, Gold Ridge Fire, Rancho Adobe Fire, Sonoma Valley Fire District, and the U.S. Coast Guard cooperated with CAL FIRE in

By Karel Janicek | Associated Press PRAGUE (AP) — The death toll was rising in Central European countries on Sunday after days of heavy rains caused widespread flooding and forced mass evacuations. Several Central European nations have already been hit by severe flooding, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania. Slovakia and Hungary might come next as a result of a low pressure system from northern Italy dumping record rainfall in the region since Thursday. The floods have claimed six lives in Romania and one each in Austria and Poland. In the Czech Republic, four people who were swept away by waters were missing, police said. It’s not over yet Most parts of the Czech Republic have been affected as authorities declared the highest flood warnings at around 100 places across the country. But the situation was worst in two northeastern regions that recorded the biggest rainfall in recent days, including the Jeseniky mountains near the Polish border. In the city of Opava, up to 10,000 people out of a population of around 56,000 have been asked to leave their homes for higher ground.

By JILL COLVIN, COLLEEN LONG and LINDSAY WHITEHURST, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump was safe after gunshots were reported in his vicinity Sunday afternoon in Florida, his campaign and the Secret Service said. It was not immediately clear whether the reported shots were targeted at the Republican presidential nominee. The U.S. Secret Service said it was investigating and that the incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. “The former president is safe,” according to the Secret Service. Roughly two months ago, Trump was shot during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, and a bullet grazed his ear. Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast swing that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser. The campaign did not immediately provide any additional details. No injuries were reported, according to a spokesperson for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. The White House said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, had both been briefed and would be kept updated on the investigation. The White House added they were “relieved” to know Trump is

By ANDREW DALTON LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Shogun” could be in for an epic night, “The Bear” could clean up for the second time in less than a year, and “Baby Reindeer” has gone from dark horse to contender as the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards arrive on Sunday. Back in their traditional mid-September spot after a single strike-delayed edition in January, the Emmys will air live on ABC from the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles. The father and son duo of Eugene and Dan Levy, the winning stars of the 2020 Emmys with their show “Schitt’s Creek,” will host. This image released by FX shows Ayo Edebiri as Sydney Adamu in a scene from “The Bear.” (FX via AP)  Here’s a look at the how the evening could play out across the major categories. How to watch and stream the Emmys The show begins at 8 p.m. Eastern and is being shown live on ABC, which is available with an antenna or through cable and satellite providers. The Emmys can be also streamed live through live TV streaming services that include ABC in their

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Fafá Picault had a first-half goal, Stuart Armstrong scored late in his second career appearance and the Vancouver Whitecaps blanked the San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 on Saturday night. The Whitecaps grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute on a goal by Picault and took it into halftime. Picault used his head to score with an assist from Ryan Gauld off a corner kick. It was his ninth goal this season and the 11th assist for Gauld. It appeared the Quakes tied the game in the 68th minute when Ousseni Bouda scored off a feed from Cristian Espinoza, but he was ruled offside. Armstrong gave Vancouver a two-goal lead in the 86th minute with his first netter of the season. It came after he subbed in for Alessandro Schöpf in the 84th. Daniel De Sousa Britto had a career-high nine saves in his seventh start of the season for San Jose (5-21-2, 17 points), including one on a point-blank Picault header in the 21st minute and another on Ali Ahmed one minute later. Yohei Takaoka finished with two saves to

BERKELEY — Cal is 3-0 for the first time in five years, and coach Justin Wilcox isn’t taking any of it for granted. There were a lot of things he liked after the Bears’ 31-10 victory over San Diego State that closed out their pre-conference schedule. But Wilcox, whose program has not posted a winning record since 2019, also knows what’s coming. The Bears open their inaugural season in the Atlantic Coast Conference on Saturday at Florida State, and the Seminoles’ surprising 0-3 record won’t cause Cal’s coach to exhale. “We did just enough to win,” he said Saturday night after the Bears pulled away from a shaky 7-3 halftime lead against an SDSU team playing without its starting quarterback. “Is just enough, good enough? I would hope not.” At the heart of things, Wilcox said, is a simple but significant truth. “We all got to learn how to win. The team has to learn how to win, the program’s got to learn how to win,” he said. “And doing all those little things matters. It’s just got to be the standard for how you