Category: Bay Area

Since Caltrain has switched to electric all-electric trains, their retired diesel fleet will be sent to Lima, Peru, to serve passenger rail service there, according to a Caltrain press release. After seven years of electrification work, Caltrain switched to all-electric trains on their 51-mile corridor between San Jose, San Francisco and Gilroy on Sept. 21. With the majority of their diesel fleet retired, Caltrain offered 19 diesel locomotives and 90 retired silver gallery cars for sale. The municipal government of Lima, Peru, agreed to pay $6 million for the fleet to support a line between Lima and the district of Lurigancho-Chosica. “From every level, we’re really excited, because for 40 years, this equipment served the Peninsula very, very well,” said Sam Sargent, Caltrain director of strategy. “We put a lot of time and effort and, frankly, love into maintaining this equipment for almost 40 years, and for them to get a second life moving people, I think, is really gratifying.” Since switching to electric trains, Caltrain spokesman Dan Lieberman said Caltrain served over 750,000 riders in October, the highest reported numbers since the COVID-19 pandemic.

TODAY’S WORD — RAPTORIAL RAPTORIAL: rap-TOR-ee-ul: Of, relating to or being a bird of prey. Average mark 41 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 54 or more words in RAPTORIAL? The list will be published Monday. YESTERDAY’S WORD — CASHIER: care caries case cash chai chair chaise char chase chaser chia crash cries ache achier acre arch arches arise ashier sari scar scare sear search share shea shear shier shire sire hair hare hear heir hers hire each eschar race raise rash reach rice rich riches rise 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.

On Simple Saturday, we focus on basic technique and logical thinking. A friend of mine says he knows he has a lot of problems, but he isn’t sure how many because math is one of them. Many contracts fail because declarer omits a simple arithmetical process: counting the defenders’ hands. At today’s four spades, West cashed the K-Q of diamonds – East followed with the deuce and six – and shifted to the jack of clubs. Dummy’s queen lost to East’s king, and a club came back: eight, ten, ace. Declarer next drew trumps, took the ace of hearts and led a second heart, finessing with dummy’s jack. The jack won, but West’s Q-10 were worth a trick. Down one. LAST CLUB South succeeds if he takes time to dig for a count. After he draws trumps, he ruffs dummy’s last club. When West discards, South knows West had two clubs, three trumps and surely no more than six diamonds (since East followed low-high on the high diamonds). So South can place West with four hearts. South takes the ace and leads to dummy’s eight.

Dear Eric: When my mother passed away, her trust was split mostly between me and my sister, with a small percentage to my sister’s two kids. My mother and my sister lived together. My mother put the down payment on their house, and they split the mortgage and utilities. My sister covered most of the mortgage. I have always imagined gifting a percentage of my stake in the house to my sister because she has been responsible for providing care for our mother and shared the expenses. In general, I have no interest in forcing her to sell the house, pay me rent, or buy me out, but also do not want to be financially responsible for the mortgage or upkeep, considering that she lives there, and I don’t need to benefit financially until she decides it’s time to sell the house. My sister recently said she thinks she deserves more stake in the house. I don’t disagree; however, from my understanding, she has also received much more financial support than I have over the years (as well as a very affordable place to live).

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Kimberly J. Brown, 40; Maggie Gyllenhaal, 47; Dean McDermott, 58; Marg Helgenberger, 66. Happy Birthday: Traveling, researching or watching documentaries will help you gain insight into different cultures. Expand your mind and energize your body and soul by taking a leap of faith, engaging in spiritual awareness and becoming more in tune with nature and the universe. Personal growth will unleash new and exciting options to enhance your life and relationships with others and offer perspective into what you want to do next. Your numbers are 5, 12, 19, 25, 33, 44, 48. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Refuse to let anyone rush you into something you aren’t ready to do. Bide your time and do your research, and you’ll find a cost-efficient way to discover and reach your goal. Exercise will ease stress and encourage you to kick back, evaluate and conclude what’s best for you. 4 stars TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Stretch your mind, and you’ll devise a budget and a plan to help lower your debt while saving for something that can enhance your emotional well-being. Social events

SUBSCRIBER ONLY Senior Brayden Rosa and sophomore Elijah Vallejo stepped up offensively to power Wilcox past Santa Teresa in the opening round of the CCS playoffs Wilcox High’s Brayden Rosa (2) runs the ball in for a touchdown in the first quarter of their Central Coast Section quarterfinals football game against Santa Teresa High in Santa Clara, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group) PUBLISHED: November 16, 2024 at 12:45 AM PST Senior Brayden Rosa and sophomore Elijah Vallejo stepped up offensively to power Wilcox past Santa Teresa in the opening round of the CCS playoffs

SUBSCRIBER ONLY Tristan Tia, an Oregon State commit, threw for four touchdowns and ran for another to lead Amador Valley to the NCS Division II semifinals. Amador Valley’s Tristan Tia (3) throws the ball against Las Lomas in the second quarter at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) Prep football: Amador Valley crushes Las Lomas behind five touchdowns from Oregon State commit Tristan Tia Originally Published: November 15, 2024 at 11:21 PM PST

Sports High School Sports Analysis, News Analysis, News Based on factual reporting, although it Incorporates the expertise of the author/producer and may offer interpretations and conclusions., Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. SUBSCRIBER ONLY Kingston Keanaaina rushes for 219 yards, two touchdowns to lead St. Francis to title game against St. Ignatius St. Francis’ Kingston Keanaaina, shown here in a file photo, ran for two touchdowns on Friday night to help the Lancers beat Valley Christian 24-14 in the first round of the CCS Open/Division I playoffs. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group By Glenn Reeves | Correspondent PUBLISHED: November 15, 2024 at 11:20 PM PST Kingston Keanaaina rushes for 219 yards, two touchdowns to lead St. Francis to title game against St. Ignatius. Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To login in, click here.

Sports High School Sports Analysis, News Analysis, News Based on factual reporting, although it Incorporates the expertise of the author/producer and may offer interpretations and conclusions., Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. SUBSCRIBER ONLY Granada vs. Livermore: Estevan Duarte rushes for two touchdowns as the Matadors hold the Cowboys scoreless in the second half LIVERMORE – Granada offensive lineman Tayen Farfan celebrates a touchdown in the second quarter. Livermore and Granada played in a NCS Division IV playoff game at Granada High School on Friday, Nov. 15 2024. Granada won 28-14 (Joseph Dycus/Bay Area News Group) By Joseph Dycus | jdycus@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: November 15, 2024 at 11:17 PM PST Granada vs. Livermore: Estevan Duarte rushes for two touchdowns as the Matadors hold the Cowboys scoreless in the second half Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To login in, click here.

SUBSCRIBER ONLY De La Salle opens the North Coast Section playoffs with dominant victory over North Bay school. Spartans will seek 32nd consecutive section crown next week. De La Salle quarterback Toa Faavae, shown here in a file photo, ran for a touchdown and threw for another in the first half Friday night as the Spartans rolled to a victory over San Marin in the first round of the North Coast Section Open/Division I playoffs. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) De La Salle opens the North Coast Section playoffs with dominant victory over North Bay school. Spartans will seek 32nd consecutive section crown next week.

Democrat Josh Harder is heading back to the U.S. House following his defeat of Republican Kevin Lincoln in California’s 9th Congressional District, according to election results released Friday. With 94 percent of votes counted, Harder had received 123,553 votes compared to Lincoln’s 114,580, the Associated Press reported. The news agency also called the races for state Senate Districts 5 and 7. In the former, Democrat Jerry McNerney bested Republican Jim Shoemaker, and in the latter, Democrat Jesse Arreguin prevailed over Democratic Socialist Jovanka Beckles. Propositions 32 and 34, meanwhile, had yet to be called with 93 percent of votes counted. The first measure would raise the minimum wage from $16 per hour to $18 per hour for all businesses by 2026. The tally showed 7,054,565 in favor compared to 7,292,492 against, according to the AP. The second measure would require certain health care providers to spend 98% of revenues from the discount prescription drug program on direct patient care. The tally showed 6,962,507 in favor compared to 6,766,655 against, the news agency reported. Check back for updates.

More than a week after Election Day, the future makeup of the San Jose City Council has begun to take shape as two business- and two labor-backed candidates appear to have won the four competitive races, the latest results show. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan could now count on at least two more allies to the City Council, allowing him to advance more of his policy agenda in the coming years. In an interview with The Mercury News, Mahan said that he viewed the local and statewide results as a general sign of support for his “back to basics” approach to government. “Part of the message voters are sending to the establishment is they want government to stop expanding for a moment and figure out how to better leverage what we have to deliver better outcomes,” Mahan said. “We also need to be able to make government more efficient and more pragmatic and more focused. I think that we have had an answer of always being bigger government when we should be more serious about better government.” In District 10, which Mahan represented before becoming

Alameda County District 5 constituents inched closer to learning who their new supervisor will be after a ballot drop showing Oakland city council President Nikki Fortunato Bas taking a 106-vote lead over Emeryville councilmember John Bauters on Friday. The latest ballot drop from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters showed Bas with 50.04% of the vote to Bauters’ 49.96%, a remarkably tight race that will result in new leadership for the first time in more than a generation for District 5 after Supervisor Keith Carson announced he would not be seeking re-election last year. Bauters had held a slight lead in the race in past ballot drops. The remarkably tight race will be historic regardless of the winner. If victorious, Bauters would become the first gay supervisor in Alameda County history, while Bas would be part of the first female majority on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. The race has focused largely on the competing strategies to address the district’s most pressing concerns of homelessness, public safety and unaffordable housing. Bas has pushed for a holistic approach that seeks to use early intervention programs

BERKELEY — Nonprofit consultant Adena Ishii has pulled ahead of Councilmember Sophie Hahn in the race for Berkeley mayor with the two separated by just more than 1,000 votes, according to the most recent ballot update. As of 4:10 p.m. Friday, updated results from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters showed Hahn and Ishii divided by 1,145 votes – Ishii had about 51% of the vote with Hahn pulling in about 49%. Ishii said she’s grateful to have gained the first-place spot, meaning most voters placed her as their number one pick in the city’s ranked-choice voting system. She and her team are cautiously optimistic results will hold as more ballots trickle in, Ishii said Friday. “Our team put in a lot of hard work. We knocked on over 20,000 doors and we gained a lot of momentum at the end,” Ishii said. “I wasn’t sure how things would end up and to be leading in first place votes is really important because we want to show we have the full confidence in the city.” Hahn held an early lead beginning on Election Day but

By SCHUYLER DIXON ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Mike Tyson is set for his first sanctioned fight since 2005 as the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion takes on much younger YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Texas. The fight cards starts at 5 p.m. PDT with seven scheduled fights before Tyson-Paul, which is expected to start at 8 p.m. PDT. The eight-round bout Friday night at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys will be streamed on Netflix, which has more than 280 million subscribers globally. Texas regulators sanctioned the bout with limited rounds at just two minutes per round. Tyson and the 27-year-old Paul also will use heavier gloves, which in theory limits the power of punches. Tyson retired with a 50-6 record and 44 knockouts after losing to Kevin McBride 19 years ago. Paul debuted as a pro boxer about four years ago and is 10-1 with seven knockouts fighting mostly mixed martial artists and journeymen boxers. The fight was originally scheduled for July 20 but had to be postponed when Tyson was treated for a stomach ulcer after falling ill on a flight. Tyson said his

Winter rains have started. Temperatures are dropping. Is California’s fire season over? It depends where you live, experts say. Much of the northern part of the state, generally from Interstate 80 to Oregon, has seen multiple storms in recent weeks that have soaked dry landscapes and brought snow to the Sierra Nevada. But farther south, little rain has fallen. “Right now, the risk is really low for Northern California,” said Craig Clements, director of San Jose State  State University’s Fire Weather Research Laboratory. “We are getting cold fronts coming through and bringing rain. There’s some snow, which is really helping. We are coming out of fire season. If it stops suddenly and we get warm weather, things could change. But right now it’s looking good.” Farther south, the threat is far worse, he added. “Southern California is still dry,” Clements said. “They are going to remain at risk, especially if there is another wind event. The Mountain Fire was a wind-driven fire. The fuels were dry. It just ripped.” The Mountain Fire began in Ventura County on Nov. 6. A clear reminder of how October

DUBLIN — Ten of the 11 Alameda County sheriff’s deputies and jail clinicians charged in the 2021 death of Maurice Monk have turned themselves in to authorities, Santa Rita Jail records show. All of the men booked at the Santa Rita Jail — the site of Monk’s death three years ago, amid a decade-long run of in-custody fatalities that numbered in dozens — have since been released from custody after posting $1,000 bail, the county’s online jail registry showed Friday morning, according to sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Roberto Morales. The only defendant whose status remained unclear Friday afternoon was Troy H. White, a former sheriff’s deputy who was fired by the sheriff’s office, and whose state law enforcement certification was temporarily suspended in August 2023 by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. In an email Friday afternoon, Morales said White “is aware of the charges and agreed to cooperate with the process,” but that he had not been booked at Santa Rita Jail. White and the 10 other defendants have all been charged with a single felony count of elder or dependent adult abuse.

By MATTHEW DALY and CHRIS MEGERIAN WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s choice to head the Interior Department, will also lead a newly created National Energy Council that will seek to establish U.S. “energy dominance” around the world. Burgum, in his new role, will oversee a panel that crosses all executive branch agencies involved in energy permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation and transportation, Trump said in a statement. As chairman of the National Energy Council, Burgum will have a seat on the National Security Council, Trump said. “This Council will oversee the path to U.S. ENERGY DOMINANCE by cutting red tape, enhancing private sector investments across all sectors of the Economy, and by focusing on INNOVATION over longstanding, but totally unnecessary, regulation,” Trump wrote. His new policies will help drive down inflation, win an “arms race” with China over artificial intelligence and even expand U.S. diplomatic influence around the globe, Trump claimed without explanation. He accused the “radical left” of engaging in a war on American energy, in the name of fighting climate change. His policy

In the first month of its electric train service, Caltrain saw over 753,000 passengers — a 54% increase from October 2023 and its best ridership numbers since the coronavirus pandemic, according to new figures released by the transit agency. Total ridership increased 17% between August — the last month of primarily diesel service — and October, the first month of all-electric. Weekend ridership — with service every 30 minutes rather than every hour — grew by 38%. That bucks the usual trends, which typically show ridership falling off in August. This year, though, it increased by more than 100,000 riders. “When we broke ground on the electrification project back in 2017, we set out to deliver a state-of-the-art modern rail system for the people we serve,” said Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard in a statement. “It is immensely gratifying to see our riders embrace our new service on this scale.” Compared to last October, the numbers are even more stunning — average weekday ridership rose 38% to 27,000, and current weekend ridership soared past pre-COVID levels, with Saturdays seeing a 169% increase and Sundays a

SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks assigned one of their top forward prospects, winger Kasper Halttunen, back to the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League on Friday. After attending training camp with the Sharks, Halttunen was assigned to the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL and had four points in six games. Halttuen, though, was injured last month and hadn’t played a game since Oct. 25. Halttunen, 19, was nearing a return to full health and had been practicing with the Barracuda recently. Halttunen, a 2023 second-round draft pick by the Sharks, rejoins a London team eyeing another OHL championship. The Knights, led by fellow Sharks prospect Sam Dickinson, carried a nine-game win streak into Friday and had an overall record of 13-4-0-0. On Monday, Dickinson, a defenseman, was named the OHL Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks after he scored four goals and four assists in three games. Before Friday, Dickinson had 25 points in 15 games. Last season, Halttunen and Dickinson led London to a league title and a spot in the Memorial Cup championship game.

OAKLAND — Special elections for flashy political jobs usually invite an especially crowded field of candidates — and that is proving no different as a growing list of names emerges to replace Sheng Thao as the mayor of Oakland. But current and former City Council members, perennial candidates and political insiders pondering runs for the city’s top elected office may quickly exit the conversation if a progressive heavyweight, Rep. Barbara Lee, adds her own name to the mix. Lee has publicly declined to even hint at whether she’s considering a mayoral run and had vocally opposed the recall of Thao, who last week conceded defeat in a recall election that will remove her from office by the end of this year. Behind the scenes, however, local political figures have been courting the 78-year-old congresswoman, who is said to be weighing her options upon retiring from Congress this year, a post she has held since 1998. “She’s getting calls from people who want her to run — and she’s thinking about it,” former Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente said of a phone conversation he had with