Category: Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – With one swing, Patrick Bailey belted the ball over the right field wall and should have erased any doubts that San Francisco made the right choice when deciding to roll with Bailey as the everyday catcher. With onetime catcher of the future Joey Bart watching from the Pirates dugout in his return to Oracle, it was the man who supplanted him that gave San Francisco the 3-0 victory on the second walk off home run of Bailey’s career.  With the bases loaded and one out on the board of a scoreless ninth inning, closer Camilo Doval initiated the rare 1-2-3 double play.  He handled a short grounder and flipped the ball to catcher Patrick Bailey to get the force at home, and the catcher made the throw down to first to escape the jam.  Following the team’s first day off since April 11, the Giants handed the ball to 22-year-old Harrison for the eighth of a 10-game homestead.  He delivered, throwing six innings and striking out using a slurve, slider, changeup and a four-seam fastball that sat in the mid-90s.  Harrison’s big

SANTA CLARA — The 49ers finished out the NFL Draft’s second round Friday night by first swinging a trade — not involving one of their heralded wide receivers — before drafting defensive back Rendardo Green in the No. 64 overall slot. Their third-round pick is slated for the 94th-overall slot, with six slots ensuing before a break until Saturday’s final rounds. A run on offensive tackles presumably prompted the 49ers to ship the No. 63 spot to the Kansas City Chiefs, thus moving the Niners down one slot for Green. As part of that deal, the 49ers acquired a fifth-round pick (No. 173 overall) and sent a sixth-rounder (No. 211) to their two-time Super Bowl nemesis. Renardo Green, FSU  Green brings versatility and speed to the secondary, after five seasons at Florida State. A freshman cornerback in 2019, he spent the next two seasons at safety, then moved back to cornerback the past two seasons. He has one interceptions in 52 career games. The 49ers initially listed him as a cornerback. Earlier this afternoon, first-round pick Ricky Pearsall Jr. arrived at Levi’s Stadium with his

By Tara Copp | Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two U.S. military officials told The Associated Press. The U.S. agreed to send 31 Abrams to Ukraine in January 2023 after an aggressive monthslong campaign by Kyiv arguing that the tanks, which cost about $10 million apiece, were vital to its ability to breach Russian lines. But the battlefield has changed substantially since then, notably by the ubiquitous use of Russian surveillance drones and hunter-killer drones. Those weapons have made it more difficult for Ukraine to protect the tanks when they are quickly detected and hunted by Russian drones or rounds. Five of the 31 tanks have already been lost to Russian attacks. The proliferation of drones on the Ukrainian battlefield means “there isn’t open ground that you can just drive across without fear of detection,” a senior defense official told reporters Thursday. The official spoke on the condition of

By Jocelyn Noveck | Associated Press NEW YORK — #MeToo founder Tarana Burke has heard it before. Every time there’s a legal setback, the movement is declared dead in the water. A legal success, and presto, it’s alive again. So Burke, who nearly two decades ago coined the phrase “Me too” from her work with sexual assault survivors, found herself again declaring after New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction: The #MeToo reckoning is greater than any court case. It’s still there, and it’s working. The most obvious proof, Burke said: “Ten years ago we could not get a man like Harvey Weinstein into the courtroom.” The movement, she said, was responsible for that huge cultural shift — regardless of the Hollywood mogul’s ultimate legal fate. Also seeking to take the long view, following a legal setback that stunned many survivors and advocates, was Anita Hill, who famously testified against Clarence Thomas during his 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearing, becoming the face of the fight against sexual harassment more than a quarter-century before the Weinstein case launched the #MeToo movement.

Mystery, sniping and challenged ballots — all swirl around the extraordinary recount in the Congressional District 16 race as it drags into its third week. Who will emerge the victor — if anyone — between Assemblymember Evan Low and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian who are in a dead heat for second place? There may be no hanging chads in this ballot counting, but the much awaited outcome is still very much unknown. On April 15, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties began the ambitious task of recounting the more than 182,000 votes cast in the March primary race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo. Since then, nearly 175,000 ballots have been pulled out of storage boxes and rescanned by machines. As of Friday afternoon, Low had a one vote lead on Simitian. The political veterans ended the primary with 30,249 votes each behind former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo. While there was no trigger for an automatic recount in this race to break the stunning tie, Jonathan Padilla, a 2020 and 2024 Biden delegate and former Liccardo staffer requested it and has been

SANTA CLARA — Ricky Pearsall Sr. clutched an official NFL football in his right arm, an initial memento from the 49ers upon his son’s arrival Friday at Levi’s Stadium as this year’s first-round draft pick. “This came from the locker room,” beamed the proud father. “They said, ‘Go ahead, take it.’ I said, ‘Alright, a little present for dad.’ ” That Wilson football is supersized compared to what father and son played catch with 20 years ago: Skittles candy. “I have a funny story about that,” the elder Pearsall told this news organization after his son’s media meet-and-greet. Here is The Skittles Story: “So, he was pretty young. I saw him running around the backyard (in Chandler, Ariz.) and said, ‘This kid looks pretty fast, even in his diapers.’ I knew I wanted to have a son who played sports. Then it went to the point we’d throw the ball around and we’d play catch. “I wanted him to show him how to catch with his hands from the get-go. No body catches. “So I had a pile of Skittles. I told him, ‘Every time

BERKELEY — Berkeley residents living in District 7 have a new city council representative in Cecilia Lunaparra, whose victory in an election of fewer than 500 votes was certified Friday. Lunaparra, a UC Berkeley undergraduate studying history and urban studies and just weeks away from graduation, will be sworn into office next week after defeating James Chang, chief of staff for Councilmember Ben Bartlett and a graduate student at the Haas School of Business. Lunaparra, 23, will finish out the rest of former Councilmember Rigel Robinson’s term, ending in 2026. Robinson stepped down earlier this year, citing escalating harassment, burn out and a wish to focus on his family. His resignation led to the special election which ended last week. She becomes the first undergraduate student and the first Latina on Berkeley City Council. “I am honored to have been elected as the next City Councilmember for Berkeley’s District 7, which includes UC Berkeley’s campus,” Lunaparra wrote in a statement shared to her social media accounts. “As I complete my last few weeks as an undergraduate student here at Cal, my transition team and I are working hard

OAKLAND — East Bay Regional Park District police allegedly tased a man who was standing in knee-deep water at an East Oakland shoreline earlier this month, causing him to nearly drown after he fell face-first into the bay, the man’s family alleged in a legal claim this week. The Park District’s police department acted with a “reckless disregard for human life” during the April 5 encounter with Deontae Faison, a San Francisco father of two, who remained comatose Friday after falling unconscious during the incident, according to a statement from an attorney representing his family. Earlier this week, Faison’s family filed legal claims against the East Bay Regional Park District and Alameda County. Such claims typically lay the groundwork for lawsuits against government entities. “It’s sad. The fact that this continues to happen shows that there’s issues with policing,” the family’s attorney, Jamir Davis, said. “The fact that you have officers who were bold enough to tase a man in the back while in water — and not be brave or trained enough to jump in and save him — is pretty outrageous.” The encounter

RICHMOND — Ivan Gutzalenko was struggling to breathe in March 2021 as two Richmond police officers restrained him after stopping him for allegedly being intoxicated and bleeding from his hand. Gutzalenko told the officers they were hurting him, and bucked to try to get one of them off his back. A paramedic viewed Gutzalenko’s action as aggression, and went to his ambulance to get a 5-milligram dose of midazolam, a sedative. When he returned three minutes later, Gutzalenko lay motionless. “He’s faking like he’s unconscious,” an officer said, according to footage of the incident. The medic plunged the needle into his bicep. Gutzalenko’s heart stopped. The 47-year-old father was declared dead at a hospital. Gutzalenko was one of seven Bay Area men, including another in Richmond, who died after paramedics injected them with midazolam while police struggled to control them, according to an Associated Press investigation that is shedding new light on forced sedation of people restrained by police. The practice has spread quietly across the nation over the past 15 years. The AP investigation published Friday, in collaboration with PBS Frontline and the Howard Centers for Investigative Journalism

The first Bay Area location of Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream, a nearly 80-year-old national ice cream brand, has just opened in Walnut Creek. Handel’s began as a neighborhood scoop shop started by Alice Handel in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1945. It now operates franchise locations in 14 states, including a number in southern California and the Sacramento area. Known for its fresh-daily ice cream batches, the ice cream parlor serves up its spectrum of flavors in cones, dishes, pints, quarts, sundaes and shakes — plus hurricanes (vanilla ice cream blended with candy or dessert mix-ins) and Handel pops (ice cream dipped in chocolate and served on a stick). The Walnut Creek location, which opened April 25, currently has 45 flavors on offer, including options like chocolate cake batter, caramel pretzel crunch, vanilla raspberry chip, graham central station, horchata and buckeye, as well as vegan options and sherbet varieties like pink champagne. Details: Open daily at 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at 1273 Locust St. in Walnut Creek; handelsicecream.com/store/walnut-creek.

The Pacifica Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a person of interest in an arson investigation. Police in Pacifica said they were looking for a person of interest after an arson fire was set April 10 at an archery range. (Photo courtesy of Pacifica Police) Photo courtesy of Pacifica Police Around 1:30 p.m. on April 10, officers went to the SF Archers archery range on Rifle Range Road after a man was observed by a witness starting a fire, according to a press release from Pacifica police. The person fled before police arrived, but the witness took a picture of him. Police described the person as a 20 to 30 year old Asian male with long black hair. At the time of the incident, his hair was in a ponytail, and he wore sunglasses and a cloak or cape garment. He also possessed a Mongolian style horse bow, authorities said. Over the past month, the subject has attended the SF Archers archery range several times, police investigators found. Authorities asked that anyone with information contact Pacifica police at 650-738-7314 or the Silent Witness

HAYWARD — One man has been sentenced to 22 years and four others have been released from jail after accepting plea deals in a beating that one judge called a “brutal” and “ferocious” show of dominance by a local gang. Victor Lucero, 33, pleaded no contest to manslaughter in the beating death of 25-year-old Yeison Toroc, and was sentenced to 22 years in state prison. Four others — 21-year-old Christian Inocencio, of Fremont; 26-year-old Jonathan Delacruz, of Union City; 50-year-old Juan Navarro, of Hayward; and 29-year-old Kevin Gonzalez, of Hayward — all pleaded no contest to assault and were sentenced to time they’ve already served since their arrests in 2022, clearing the way for their release from jail. The attack occurred in October 2021. According to police testimony at the 2023 preliminary hearing, Lucero used a bottle to beat Toroc in front of a laundromat in the 400 block of West A Street, while the others, except for Navarro, punched and kicked him. Navarro was charged for being the alleged impetus behind the attack, which police say was motivated by his accusation that Toroc had

In February, Lynn Magnoli announced she was putting her Icing on the Cake bakery up for sale — after 39 years — with the goal of finding “a quality successor to keep this gem of a bakery thriving and evolving.” The search is over. South Bay resident Maggie Raye, who worked at the bakery for five years before taking a “stay-at-home-mom” break, has purchased the beloved Los Gatos business and its recipes. With Raye, “Icing on the Cake is in good hands,” Magnoli told customers in the big reveal this week on social media. “She is aware of the impact the bakery has in and outside of our community, what it has meant to our loyal customers and crew, our history and legacy.” Raye added a note of her own on the bakery’s Facebook page: “New owner … same delicious Banana Cake!” For customers and staff, that was a reassuring sign she’s devoted to maintaining the many traditions for which this bakery is known, from that banana best seller to the staggering array of cakes (classic, loaf, pound, cupcakes), fruit and cream pies, cookies, brownies

Choosing a bottle of wine can be a stressful task. Especially when that wine is meant for someone else. If you’re daunted by trying to decide what wine to bring to a party, the perfect bottle for a hard-to-please mother-in-law or something to entice a prospective paramour, consider some tried-and-tested tips from Chicago wine experts. Surefire party hits When selecting a wine to bring to a party, Chasity Cooper, a communications strategist and wine and culture writer, turns to trusted favorites. “Pinot noir from Oregon always delivers,” says Cooper, who recently published the “Wine Convo Generator,” a mix-and-match guide to describing wines like a sommelier. You’ll find pinot noir with this “twist of brightness” from cool-climate regions such as the Willamette Valley, she says. It’s an effortless, juicy choice that appeals to both novice wine drinkers as well as connoisseurs, whether you’re at a dinner party or a summer cookout, Cooper explains. For a go-to white wine, “it’s fine to keep hanging out in sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio-land,” Cooper says. But if you’re looking for something “a bit more next level” Cooper likes to

John T. Bennett | (TNS) CQ-Roll Call WASHINGTON — Joe Biden’s aviator sunglasses likely won’t be far away Saturday night when the president cracks some jokes at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. But not everyone will be laughing during Washington’s yearly spectacle — even if “Dark Brandon” makes another appearance. That’s Biden’s political alter ego, his team’s attempt to flip the conservative slogan “Let’s Go Brandon” on his foes. Biden ended his comedy set last year by slipping on his signature shades and pretending to morph into his edgier persona. Official Washington will do the same Saturday evening, with reporters and officials trading their wrinkled business attire of comfortable shoes and coffee-stained shirts and blazers for sleek tuxedos and shimmering gowns. As thousands of dinner attendees fill the Washington Hilton’s massive ballroom, the sound of the clinking of glasses and plates will be matched only by the polite — and sometimes boozy — chitchat around hundreds of round tables with bright white tablecloths. Much will be at stake as business deals are floated and potential sources are wooed. But the same will be

With just days until Florida’s six-week abortion ban takes effect on Wednesday, providers are rushing to perform as many abortions as possible while planning contingencies for a future where they will need to turn thousands of women away. Clinics have expanded hours, prioritized ultrasounds and added appointments in these final weeks. They’ve fortified their patient navigation efforts and strengthened relationships with abortion fund groups like the Florida Access Network that provide financial and logistical support to people seeking to terminate pregnancies. The ban has limited exceptions for rape, incest, human trafficking, the mother’s health and for fatal fetal abnormalities. “Planned Parenthood’s motto has always been ‘care no matter what.’ And we don’t turn patients away. So this is a very devastating and tragic situation for our staff, who have to say, ‘we can’t take care of you, we have to send you someplace else,’” said Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida’s interim CEO Barbara Zdravecky. Patient panic As medical providers race against the clock, many patients are unaware their time is running out, said Dr. Chelsea Daniels, a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health

Not surprisingly, California cities rank high in a new list of places where it is cheaper to rent vs. to own a starter home. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. ranked number six on the list behind San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, Calif. (4) and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Calif. (5), according to the Realtor.com study. Austin-Round Rock, TX took the top spot. In the South Bay, the median rent on a starter home was $3,206 in February 2024 compared to the median mortgage cost of $5,986, according to the study. That is a whopping 86.7 percent difference. This is despite that rents have creeped up and high home prices have slowed over the past year in the region. In the rest of the Bay Area, the median rent was slightly lower at $2,815 and the monthly buy cost was $5,504 — a 95.5 percent difference. Overall, the study found that it is more affordable to rent than to buy in all the top 50 U.S. metros compared to 45 last year. It cites high mortgage interest rates, lofty home prices and falling rents nationally for the increase. Here is the

SALT LAKE CITY (KSL) — A cat who mysteriously went missing from her Utah home was found to have been accidentally shipped with an Amazon return to California. Galena is now back home with Carrie and Matt Clark in Salt Lake City, after her weeklong adventure. The indoor-only cat disappeared on April 10, sending her distraught owners into a frenzy of searching. Despite missing posters plastered around town and on social media, she didn’t turn up. Then, on April 17, Carrie Clark received a text from a veterinarian who had scanned Galena’s microchip in a stray cat — in California. “I didn’t believe her at first and thought it was a prank,” Clark told TV station KSL. Galena had been found the previous day in a box with five pairs of work boots in an Amazon warehouse in Riverside County. “She must have jumped into an oversized box that we shipped out the previous Wednesday,” Clark said. “The box was a ‘try before you buy,’ and filled with steel-toed work boots.” Galena was trapped in the box for six days without food or water before

By RYAN J. FOLEY, CARLA K. JOHNSON and SHELBY LUM | Associated Press Demetrio Jackson was desperate for medical help when the paramedics arrived. The 43-year-old was surrounded by police who arrested him after responding to a trespassing call in a Wisconsin parking lot. Officers had shocked him with a Taser and pinned him as he pleaded that he couldn’t breathe. Now he sat on the ground with hands cuffed behind his back and took in oxygen through a mask. Then, officers moved Jackson to his side so a medic could inject him with a potent knockout drug. “It’s just going to calm you down,” an officer assured Jackson. Within minutes, Jackson’s heart stopped. He never regained consciousness and died two weeks later. Jackson’s 2021 death illustrates an often-hidden way fatal U.S. police encounters end: not with the firing of an officer’s gun but with the silent use of a medical syringe. The practice of giving sedatives to people detained by police has spread quietly across the nation over the last 15 years, built on questionable science and backed by police-aligned experts, an investigation led

As Ellen DeGeneres tried out a new comedy act Wednesday, she addressed the toxic workplace claims made against her in 2020 — a scandal that effectively damaged her reputation as the genial, “be kind” celebrity. The 66-year-old comedian, actor and TV personality also addressed whether she would “seek revenge” against those who “wronged” her, according to Rolling Stone. The people who “wronged” DeGeneres could be the executives in Hollywood who decided her fate, the employees who made the complaints, the entertainment media or anyone in American who joined the online backlash that led to her being labeled as “secretly mean.” Amid the scandal, DeGeneres also decided to give up her eponymous day-time talk show, which went off the air in May 2022, after nearly 20 years. “What else can I tell you?” DeGeneres mused to the crowd at the Largo at the Coronet in West Hollywood, “mock-reflecting on her recent past,” Rolling Stone said. DeGeneres said with sarcasm: “Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business. There’s no mean people in show business.” “I used to say that I didn’t care what other people

WATSONVILLE — A 44-year-old man was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail this week after allegedly stabbing a nursing home worker. Watsonville police took Kelvin Hernandez into custody after workers from the facility, on the 500 block of Auto Center Drive, reported the injury assault shortly after 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. According to a department social media post and arrest logs, Hernandez allegedly was visiting the nursing home when he stabbed the staff member in the shoulder using a pocket knife, an “unprovoked attack,” police said. Officers later located Hernandez with a knife. The injured nursing home worker suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene, according to the department’s post. Hernandez, of Watsonville, remained held Thursday without bail on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon. Shortly before the stabbing call, Watsonville police were out responding to a report of believed military ordnance found at a Westgate Drive storage unit. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad safely removed and disposed of a large 40 mm round, according to police.