Category: Bay Area

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Jameela Jamil, 35; Rashida Jones, 45; Chelsea Handler, 46; Sean Astin, 50. Actress Rashida Jones  (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)  Happy Birthday: You’ll be looking for answers this year, questioning everything and considering what to do next. Your energy is in high gear, and your desire to bring about change will keep you moving full speed ahead. Look at your skills, talents, knowledge and what’s trending, and you’ll find a unique way to use what you have to offer to succeed. Your numbers are 8, 12, 19, 28, 30, 37, 43. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Attending virtual meetings, connecting with people who have something to offer and exploring new possibilities regarding your professional goals are favored. The information you receive should be verified before you commit to participating. Trust your intuition when dealing with pushy people. 5 stars TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Let others make the first moves. Don’t put yourself at risk or do something that will make you look bad or taint your reputation. Look inward and make personal changes that will build confidence and help you recognize what’s…

TODAY’S WORD — RAPTORS (RAPTORS: RAP-ters: Birds of prey.) Average mark 22 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 30 or more words in RAPTORS? The list will be published tomorrow. YESTERDAY’S WORD — PELLUCID pied pile pill pled plie plied puce pule pull epic lice lied lieu lucid ludic cell clip clue cued cull cupid iced idle deli dell dice diel dill duel dull dupe duple 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.

“I’m hanging a map of the world on my wall with colored pins to show all the places I’ve visited. But first I have to visit Alaska, the North Pole and Greenland — so I can hang the map.” — graffiti Test your own timing in today’s deal. West leads the ten of hearts against your 3NT, and you win and cash the A-K of diamonds. Alas, the queen doesn’t fall. Indeed, West discards a heart. What next? The actual South led a club to dummy’s ace and a spade to his queen. The finesse won, and when he continued with the ace and a low spade, the suit broke 3-3. DOWN TWO But South still went down: East led the jack of clubs, and the defense took three clubs, West’s ace of hearts and East’s queen of diamonds. At Trick Four, South must lead a low spade. Say East wins and leads the jack of clubs: four, six, ace. South then leads a spade to his queen and takes the ace. He forces out the ace of hearts and has four spades and nine…

Dear Amy: I’m in my 60s and undergoing cancer treatment, therefore immunocompromised. Amy Dickinson  At both of my appointments with my surgeon, she has worn a loose-fitting, thin, cloth mask. She has to get very close to me — face to face — to examine me. This has made me extremely uncomfortable, and frankly angry. She has unnecessarily caused me additional stress during the most stressful period of my life. I didn’t say anything to her either time, because it felt too awkward. In about a month she will have my life in her hands, and I don’t want her having any potential negative feelings toward me when I go under the knife. I’ve written an anonymous letter about this, which I haven’t sent. I want to report her primarily so she will use adequate PPE, but I don’t want repercussions. How should I handle this? Cautious in Colorado Related Articles Ask Amy: He says I’m his pal, until he wants to run my life Ask Amy: Should I tell these women what I know about their boyfriend? Ask Amy: Why didn’t she tell me…

DEAR HARRIETTE: I’m having second thoughts about how I ended my last relationship. Harriette Cole  It’s been a few weeks since we’ve spoken, so it seems a bit random to try to rehash anything now, but I feel that I didn’t say everything I wanted to say to my ex. I feel like I was too cold toward her. I don’t have any intention of getting back together, but I think it would be a good idea to have a talk with her and gain some closure. My female friends are telling me that it’s better to just cut off communication completely and let bygones be bygones, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I want to tell her that I’m sorry. What do you think? Closure DEAR CLOSURE: If you believe that you were unnecessarily unkind or rude or otherwise hurtful to your ex, offer to apologize. Be sure not to confuse your message, though. Reach out to her and request to meet or talk. Express your regret for being unkind to her. Be specific so that she knows what you…

The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office has formally charged a Stockton man with multiple criminal counts, including murder, shooting from a motor vehicle and assault with a semi-automatic firearm, authorities said Wednesday. In a statement, Contra Costa County sheriff’s spokesman Jimmy Lee said detectives joined Brentwood and Antioch police in filing cases against Darryon Williams, 26, after his arrest late last Saturday in connection with a Brentwood gas-station robbery, the shooting of two first responders in Antioch and the murder of a Discovery Bay man. “The Office of the Sheriff would like to thank the Antioch and Brentwood Police Departments for their assistance during our homicide investigation,” the statement said in part. “The three agencies worked together closely and collaboratively.” In total, Williams faces six counts of assault on a peace officer/firefighter with a semiautomatic firearm, three counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and counts of fleeing a pursuing peace officer’s motor vehicle while driving recklessly, second-degree robbery, shooting from a vehicle, and murder. Williams was in custody Wednesday night at Martinez county jail on $9.8 million bail. He faces arraignment at 1:30…

“PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” is expanding its slate of battle royale titles with a new entry to the franchise. Slated for release on iOS and Android devices in 2021, “PUBG: New State” sets its multiplayer experience in the future and drops players into new 8×8 maps. More importantly, the game is built from the ground up and optimized for mobile players. It takes advantage of more powerful smartphone hardware and introduces graphics that are on par with consoles. It will feature Global Illumination rendering technology to heighten the visual realism as well as provide stable and smooth gameplay, according Krafton. Because it’s set in 2051, players can expect futuristic touches to the combat. Players can drive high-tech vehicles and use fancy drones to apparently scout and attack adversaries. They’ll also find ballistic shields to create their own cover in a pinch. Krafton said players can expect a new in-game customization feature that lets players “make various weapons their own by obtaining customization kits.” They give guns performance enhancements, fire mode selection and even a grenade launcher in some cases. The new map that players will be exploring…

A week after the entire Oakley Union Elementary School board resigned after making disparaging remarks during a virtual meeting, county officials who have temporarily filled the vacant seats are deciding how to replace them. The fill-in trustees will meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday to discuss the process on whether to appoint new trustees or hold an election. The meeting is open to the pubic. The fallout began on Feb. 17 after three school trustees bad-mouthed parents who were eager to have their children return to in-person classes, saying they just “wanted their babysitters back,” or prefered to be home alone so they could smoke pot, while another used profanity to describe a parent who had criticized her. It all happened during a virtual session, which had inadvertently gone live early, as parents were logging in for a regular meeting to discuss a return to school. After board Preisdent Liza Brizendine resigned on Feb. 18 and trustees Kim Beede, Erica Ippolito and Richie Masadas a day later, Contra Costa County Board of Education President Annette Lewis appointed herself and fellow county board member Mike Maxwell and…

The Warriors entered Wednesday evening’s game against the Indiana Pacers expecting a physical affair and plenty of attention on Stephen Curry. And that’s exactly what they got, but they earned a gritty 111-107 win over the Pacers on the second night of a back-to-back to close out a four-game trip 2-2 and improve to 18-15 on the season. Though Curry (24 points on 7-for-21 shooting, 1-for-11 from 3-point range, eight rebounds and eight assists) saw his streak of scoring 25 or more points end at 13, he was helped by Kelly Oubre Jr. (17 points), Andrew Wiggins (15 points) and Draymond Green (12 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds). Here are three takeaways from the game. Warriors get it done in the paint Earlier in the season, the Warriors struggled to score in their Jan. 12 loss to the Pacers, eking out just 95 points — their second-lowest output of the season. So they entered Wednesday night prepared for the Pacers to overload on Curry with double- and triple-teams. And though the Pacers did a good job of blitzing Curry and running shooters off the…

SAN CARLOS – The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a stabbing that sent a 39-year-old man to the hospital Tuesday evening. Deputies were called to the 1100 block of Old County Road in San Carlos about 5:30 p.m. for a report of a possible stabbing, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. They arrived to find a man lying in a parking lot bleeding heavily from a cut to his right arm. The sheriff’s office said deputies gave the victim first aid until firefighters and paramedics arrived at the scene. The victim was taken to a hospital, where he was listed in stable condition Wednesday. The victim indicated he was acquainted with the suspect. Deputies, however, are searching for additional witnesses as well as surveillance video, the sheriff’s office said. Related Articles San Francisco man beaten, robbed of motorized wheelchair San Carlos gas station attack: knife, hammer, vehicle Thieves use stolen garage door remotes, keys to steal car from South San Francisco home Trio arrested on suspicion of robbing Peninsula bakery San Mateo County: Women robbed of bank deposit bags in separate…

OAKLAND — Police were investigating a fatal shooting in an East Oakland neighborhood, authorities said Wednesday. At 7:10 p.m., officers responded to reports of gunfire after a ShotSpotter alert for possible gunfire in the 2400 block of East 15th Street in the city’s Oak Tree neighborhood. When officers arrived, they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to his thigh, and provided him care until firefighters and paramedics arrived. The man, who had been described as conscious and breathing but not responsive, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead just after 7:45 p.m. Investigators shared few details, but believe the man may have been approached by two suspects who tried to rob him with a gun. No description of the suspects or an associated vehicle was immediately available. The death is the 22nd homicide investigation by Oakland police this year. At this time last year, Oakland police were investigating five homicides. Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering up to $10,000 in reward money in the homicide. Anyone with information may call police at 510-238-3821 or Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572..…

Q: There was yet another death caused by a driver going the wrong way on Highway 101 near San Francisco International Airport. What is Caltrans doing to stop these tragedies? Bryon B., Redwood City Like Mr. Roadshow’s Facebook page for more questions and answers about Bay Area roads, freeways and commuting. A: There was also a death caused by a wrong-way driver on Highway 1 near Watsonville last weekend. The state will begin to immediately place reflective markers on hundreds of miles of exit ramps to alert errant drivers that they are entering the freeway going the wrong direction. This will occur as Caltrans installs pavement markers on ramps for maintenance or repaving. The installation of two-way reflectors was tried in the wrong-way driving test conducted by Caltrans and UC Davis in Sacramento and San Diego several years ago. The number of wrong-way drivers decreased 44% after reflectors were installed. Also being added are two-way reflective pavement markers that say “Do not enter” with LED lights that flash 24 hours a day and send real-time alerts to Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol if someone…

By Maria Morava and Scottie Andrew | CNN A new poll shows that an unprecedented number of US adults identify as LGBTQ — and that young people, especially Generation Z, are driving the increase. Gallup reported a jump from 4.5% to 5.6% of Americans who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer since its last poll in 2017. The finding proves a steady rise in LGBTQ identification since the analytics company began tracking in 2012, and constitutes, based on the US Census Bureau’s most recent population count, nearly 18 million Americans. But LGBTQ advocacy groups aren’t surprised. Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign, told CNN that the data confirms what advocates have long suspected: There are more LGBTQ people in the US than statistics reflect. “We’ve always had LGBTQ people in this country,” he said. “The question is whether they identify as LGBTQ — meaning the label itself — and whether they’re comfortable publicly identifying.” Are people newly LGBTQ, or is it just safer to say so? The rising numbers raise the question of whether more identification reflects more LGBTQ people —…

SAN JOSE — Fry’s Electronics announced Wednesday that is stopping all operations and closing its remaining 31 stores in nine states after 36 years. It marks the end of a Bay Area institution, known for its massive themed-stores in which one could get lost while on a mission to buy the latest gadget or computer. Fry’s opened its first store in Sunnyvale in 1985. The company said its decision to shut down shop was fueled by the economic woes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. And while more recent memories of Fry’s entail empty shelves and few employees, some former Fry’s fans indulged in nostalgia as the news broke Wednesday, thinking back to the time when Fry’s reigned supreme. “This is so sad,” one Facebook user commented on The Mercury News Facebook page. “It doesn’t feel like it was very long ago that Fry’s was the coolest store in town.” Here’s what some had to say: “I can remember going there and having so much fun just wandering around the store and looking at all of the cool stuff. Even now, any time I need…

Quarterback Dorian Hale and defensive back Lu-Magia Hearns have changed their minds. They will play for De La Salle this spring. The seniors planned to sit out the truncated season to prepare for their freshmen college seasons in the fall. Hale plans to compete for the quarterback job at Sacramento State and Hearns is aiming to compete for playing time at Cal. But Wednesday they opted to rejoin their high school teammates for one last go-round. “Looking like one day of practice made two certain Spartans miss their friends so much they are returning full-time,” coach Justin Alumbaugh said in a text. Hale told the Bay Area News Group that it was easy to say he wouldn’t play when it looked as if there wouldn’t be a season. But once practice started, he changed his mind. “I don’t want to look back and have any regrets on not playing my senior year,” Hale said. “I am going to give it a go.” Hale said he planned to practice with the Spartans even before he decided to play. Hearns wasn’t going to practice with the team…

SAN JOSE — A man charged with brutally attacking a preschool’s beloved pet tortoise late last month and, after his arrest, returning to the school, was arraigned on animal abuse and other charges and ordered to stay away from the animal’s home for the foreseeable future. George Robles, 40, was charged earlier this month and made his first in-person court appearance Wednesday following a series of delays that involved him repeatedly refusing transport from the Main Jail to the adjacent Hall of Justice, starting with his initial arraignment date on Feb. 3. Robles was charged with six felonies covering animal abuse, commercial burglary, and vandalism. Deputy District Attorney Blake Hannah asked that Robles be remanded without bail, but Judge Vincent Chiarello said he could not grant that because the violence charged against Robles did not involve a human victim. Chiarello set Robles’ bail at $165,000. The judge also granted the stay-away order barring Robles from the Play ‘N’ Learn Preschool in East San Jose, where the tortoise, named Michaelangelo, lives. Chiarello said in court Wednesday “there’s an obvious danger to the staff or anyone else…