Category: Bay Area

Today is Thursday, March 13, the 72nd day of 2025. There are 293 days left in the year. Today in history: On March 13, 2013, Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina was elected pope, choosing the papal name Francis. He was the first pontiff from the Americas, and the first from outside Europe since Pope Gregory III’s death in the year 741. Also on this date: In 1781, the seventh planet of the solar system, Uranus, was discovered by astronomer William Herschel. In 1925, the Tennessee General Assembly approved the Butler Act, which prohibited public schools from teaching of the theory of evolution. (Gov. Austin Peay signed the measure on March 21; the bill was challenged in court later that year in the famous Scopes Monkey Trial. Tennessee ultimately repealed the law in 1967.) In 1946, U.S. Army Pfc. Sadao Munemori was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for sacrificing himself to save fellow soldiers from a grenade explosion in Seravezza, Italy; he was the only Japanese American service member so recognized in the immediate aftermath of World War II. In 1954, the pivotal Battle of Dien

San Francisco Peninsula Coast and Santa Cruz Mountains are included in an updated report for showers by the National Weather Service on Wednesday at 8:09 p.m. The alert is in effect until 8:45 p.m. Wind gusts of up to 40 mph and pea-sized hail (0.25 inches) are likely. “At 8:09 p.m., Doppler radar tracked a heavy shower 12 miles west of Boulder Creek, or 19 miles northwest of Santa Cruz, moving northeast at 30 mph,” according to the NWS San Francisco CA. “Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible.” Locations impacted by the alert include Palo Alto, Saratoga, Boulder Creek and Portola Valley. According to the NWS, “Monitor the weather situation closely and be alert for threatening weather conditions.” Navigating rainy roads: Safety tips for wet weather When heavy rain strikes, safety is paramount. Equip yourself with these guidelines from the NWS to navigate wet roads and avoid hazards: Beware of rapid water flow: During heavy rain, avoid playing near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a serious risk. Maintain

By Terry Hacienda, The Fresh Toast The administration has spent very mixed signals…will consumers turn to hemp if marijuana is outlawed again? It is unknown what direction the federal government is going do about cannabis, but if marijuana is banned will the public turn to hemp?  Some cabinet secretaries and definitely House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) are against it, but the direction is still murky. As the cannabis landscape evolves under potential policy changes, hemp emerges as a promising alternative that could revolutionize multiple industries. The potential of hemp offers a lifeline for cannabis enthusiasts and medical marijuana consumers alike. Hemp, a variety of the cannabis plant containing less than 0.3% THC, has already seen significant growth since its legalization under the Senator Mitch McConnell backed 2018 Farm Bill . This opened doors for a crop  prohibited for over 80 years, creating a massive market and new opportunities for farmers and businesses. Kentucky became a grow center and cannabis business leaders saw an opportunity. Hemp’s versatility is unmatched. From textiles to construction materials, this wonder crop offers sustainable alternatives to traditional products. Hemp fibers can be used to create strong forms of concrete

The Bay Area is growing again. Every county in the region saw an increase in population last year, a resounding reversal after a drop in population at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic that had some economists worried about an enduring exodus. Santa Clara County — a hub for the emerging artificial intelligence industry — grew the most, by 1.5%, from around 1,897,000 on July 1, 2023, to about 1,926,00 on July 1, 2024, according to population estimates released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau. Still, most Bay Area counties are home to fewer people now than before COVID-19 hit. The region has 91,000 fewer residents than the high of 6,409,000 in July 2020. But there were an estimated 68,000 more residents, a 1.08% increase, from 2023 to 2024. Contra Costa now has 6,400 more residents than it did in 2020, the previous high for the county. “We’re still in a funny in-between place,” said Russell Hancock, president and CEO of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, a nonprofit think tank. “We don’t know where we’re going yet. There are new forces acting on the Valley.

By Amy Hansen, The Fresh Toast Even a planned sacrifice can use a little help, here is how marijuana can help you during Lent The start of Lent is a time observed in many Christian traditions, including Catholic, Lutheran, Moravian, Anglican, United Protestant, and Orthodox.  It  is usually a 40-day period, which echoes the time Jesus spent fasting in the desert.  The time is thought to symbolize testing, trial, and renewal. In addition to donating time, talent and treasure along with self reflection, the true believer believes you should give us something you love. For some it is wine or alcohol, for others it could be more.  Here is how cannabis can help you during Lent. Cannabis use during Lent, a traditional Christian period of fasting and spiritual reflection, is a complex and controversial topic requiring careful consideration. While some may view cannabis as incompatible with Lenten practices, others argue it can potentially aid in spiritual growth and personal reflection when used mindfully. Done correctly, it can help you reach your goals. Studies suggest cannabis can be used as a replacement for alcohol and can improve

OAKLAND – A multi-day crackdown on illegal casinos earlier this month in Oakland resulted in nine arrests and the seizure of more than a dozen guns, police said. From March 1 to March 5, officers served warrants at several locations, including the 1400 block of 17th Avenue, the 1900 block of 17th Avenue and the 9200 block of Plymouth Street, Oakland police spokesperson Paul Chambers said in a news release. In addition to making arrests and seizing firearms, officers also recovered gambling machines, suspected methamphetamine and ammunition, Chambers said. The crackdown followed an uptick in violence related to illegal casinos last month. Anyone with information related to the case can contact the General Crimes Unit at 510-238-3728.

OAKLAND – A 21-year-old Brentwood man is accused of possessing a device capable of converting a semi-automatic handgun into a machine gun, authorities said. Noah Bauer was arrested Tuesday and made his first appearance in federal court Wednesday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He is charged with one count of transferring or possessing an unregistered machine gun. If convicted, Bauer faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, prosecutors said. Bauer drew the attention of authorities when he showed up to a Brentwood grocery store with a firearm on Sept. 6, 2024, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday. Police allegedly found a 3D-printed Glock-style firearm tucked into his waistband. During a search of Bauer’s home, authorities found a 3D printer, three 3D-printed pistol frames and a 3D-printed machine gun conversion device, also known as a “switch” or “sear,” according to the complaint. The devices are used to turn semi-automatic Glock-type pistols into fully automatic machine guns. A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives officer tested the device to see if it could turn a semi-automatic handgun into a machine

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – If facing its biggest rival and making its debut in the ACC tournament didn’t provide enough motivation for the Stanford men’s basketball team on Wednesday, Jaylen Brakes pointed to one more impetus to beat Cal. “Nobody wants to go home, especially with that long travel back to California,” Blakes said. “Nobody wants to go on that flight back home.” The Cardinal isn’t going anywhere. Maxime Raynaud scored 23 points and Blakes added 21 as Stanford outlasted the Bears 78-73 in the second round at the Spectrum Center. Stanford guard Oziyah Sellers passes to forward Maxime Raynaud during a game against Cal at the 2025 T.Rowe Price Men’s Basketball Tournament in Charlotte, NC. Wednesday March 12th, 2025 (Photo by Allie Lawhon/ACC)  The Cardinal (20-12) face second-seeded Louisville (25-6) in the quarterfinals Thursday with a chance to improve its outside shot at an NCAA tournament at-large bid. Stanford has been on the road for nearly two weeks, capping the regular season with a trip that included a 68-48 loss at Louisville on Saturday. The same had been true for the Bears, battle-weary from playing

Carquinez Strait and Delta, Southern Sacramento Valley, Northern San Joaquin Valley and Motherlode are the focus of an updated weather alert for strong thunderstorms issued at 4:07 p.m. on Wednesday by the National Weather Service. The alert is in effect until 4:45 p.m. Residents can anticipate wind gusts of up to 50 mph. “At 4:07 p.m., Doppler radar tracked strong thunderstorms along a line extending from near Karnak to near West Sacramento to Walnut Grove to near Discovery Bay. Movement was northeast at 50 mph,” says the NWS Sacramento CA. “Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects.” Locations impacted by the alert include Paintersville, Franklin, Laguna, Clarksville, Gold River, Foothill Farms, Waterloo, West Sacramento, Rio Linda, Pleasant Grove, Vineyard, Morada, Cal Expo, Rocklin, Rancho Murieta, Sacramento, Galt, Rosemont, Citrus Heights and Raley Field. The NWS said, “If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. Torrential rainfall is also occurring with these storms and may lead to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.” Staying safe as lightning approaches: Expert advice Each year, lightning strikes the United States

Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, well known for his violent war on drugs, was arrested this week after three judges from the International Criminal Court signed a warrant for his arrest on charges of crimes against humanity. The warrant lists Duterte’s alleged connection to at least 43 deaths during his presidency because of his encouragement of extrajudicial killings of suspected drug dealers and users. He is suspected of inciting the deaths of thousands of Filipinos across the country after rising to power in 2016. Upon arriving in Manila on Tuesday, he was arrested, put on a charter plane and sent to The Hague in the Netherlands. He was in custody there by Wednesday, according to media reports. “This will be a long legal proceedings, but I say to you, I willl continue to serve my country,” Duterte said in a video posted to his Facebook page from the charter plane taking him to The Hague. In the Bay Area, many celebrated his arrest, which was characterized as bittersweet because it represents a small semblance of justice following Duterte’s reign between June 2016 and June 2022.

OAKLAND — A jury must now decide whether ex-Antioch police Officer Morteza Amiri gleefully conspired to prey on residents in a racist “blood for blood” campaign across the city he was sworn to protect, or if he is an innocent victim of lying witnesses and “cherrypicked” text messages. Those vastly different portrayals took center stage Wednesday as jurors began deliberating the fate of Amiri, a former Antioch K9 officer accused of wrongfully releasing his dog on dozens of people and later lying about it in his police reports. Prosecutors say he wasn’t alone, but rather worked with other officers to maim as many people as possible — particularly Black residents — under the guise of being a “proactive” police officer. The jury’s deliberations cap a rollercoaster of a trial that saw a judge declare a mistrial against Amiri’s co-defendant, fellow ex-Antioch Officer Devon Wenger, just two days into testimony. Left to face trial alone, Amiri watched as several of his former colleagues — including a close friend who agreed to cooperate with prosecutors while facing similar charges — took the stand against him. For hours

SAN FRANCISCO — A group of Bay Area drug traffickers were worried federal authorities would soon be knocking at their door, but believed they’d found an ideal solution, according to court records. The group had reason to fret: one of their ex-boyfriends had recently been arrested by the FBI while working as a courier for shipments of drugs and cash at safe houses located between the Bay Area and Los Angeles. Fearing he would spill the beans, they offered the man $100,000 per year to do his prison time and keep his mouth shut, according to prosecutors. There was just one problem. At the time of this alleged witness pay-off attempt, in September 2022, the man was already working for the FBI. The result was federal charges against at least three members of the drug ring, and recent sentences for two of them, court records show. Christina Nguyen, 29, who dated the courier-turned-witness, was sentenced to time served and supervised release after pleading guilty to a federal witness tampering offense, records show. Her cohort, 31-year-old Elliot Leung was not so lucky. He receibed a three-year

Delta is included in an updated wind advisory issued by the National Weather Service on Wednesday at 12:57 p.m. The advisory is in effect until 11 p.m. “South winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 50 mph,” can be anticipated according to the NWS Sacramento CA. “Strongest winds expected through the afternoon today.” “Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result,” the NWS said. “Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.” The full list of affected locations includes: Carquinez Strait and Delta Northern Sacramento Valley Central Sacramento Valley Southern Sacramento Valley Northern San Joaquin Valley Mountains Southwestern Shasta County to Western Colusa County Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley Motherlode Originally Published: March 12, 2025 at 1:03 PM PDT Sourcing & Methodology This article was generated by software that analyzes National Weather Service warnings and advisories and creates an article based on templates created by humans. Our data comes from publicly available information. You can report errors to content@bayareanewsgroup.com

Facing a barrage of complaints about homeless residents cluttering the downtown walkways, San Jose’s ban on sitting or lying down on public sidewalks just got tougher. City leaders added two more hours to the current ban — prohibiting those activities from 8 a.m. to midnight, with potential violators continuing to face misdemeanor charges — in a move aimed at bolstering safety and accessibility. The ban previously started at 10 a.m. “The reality is students are walking to class, people are opening their small businesses (and) everybody’s coming to work, typically a couple hours before them and so that’s why it’s really the time to say you can’t be laid out across the sidewalk,” Mayor Matt Mahan said. “I do believe that our sidewalk should be pretty clear for everybody, everywhere in the city, but we need to put extra emphasis in downtown, where it is dense.” City officials attributed the ordinance’s change to concerns raised by residents and business owners as well as an increase in quality of life crimes. The city is also seeing an uptick in foot traffic in the downtown core as

The year of Michelin honors is officially under way. The dining world’s prestigious Michelin Guide on Wednesday named 15 restaurants in the Bay Area, Central Coast and Southern California as “new discoveries” — a prelude to the release later this year of its California stars. These “culinary gems” include a seasonal California tasting menu in Oakland, a buzzy Cantonese hot spot in San Francisco, along with new Southern and French menus in the Bay Area and creative sushi specialists in Los Angeles. Michelin highlighted “new discoveries” for the first time in the summer of 2021, and has done so every year since. Of the 15 finds on this list — expected to be the first of many for 2025 — four are in San Francisco, one is in Oakland, two are in Wine Country, one is on the Central Coast and seven are in the Los Angeles area. On guide.michelin.com, these establishments are listed as “New.” Will the praise for these restaurants be elevated to Michelin stars when the guide is released later this year? Or become Bib Gourmand honors, the Michelin awards given to

Two gritty streaming series – Apple TV+’s “Dope Thief” and Netflix’s “Adolescence”–  are the must-sees of this week, along with Stephen Soderbergh’s just-about-perfect spy movie “Black Bag.” And should you have an overriding desire to attain celebrity status or you just worship stars, you might want to reconsider all that after seeing the horror satire “Opus.” Here’s our roundup. “Adolescence”: It’s a parent’s ultimate nightmare. The cops barge into your house early in the morning, demand to see your 13-year-old son and then take him away and accuse him of murder. In “Adolescence,” the soul-piercing four-part Netflix series by actor Stephen Graham (“Peaky Blinders,” “A Thousand Blows”), co-written with Jack Thorne (“This Is England”), the shocked Miller family reels from the news that Jamie (Owen Cooper in a performance that will shatter and haunt you) might have killed a 13-year-old girl. Each episode is shot in one take, and while that might sound gimmicky, it works and doesn’t call attention to itself, making it feel like we’re experiencing this live and with the same rawness and realness of its characters. The first episode centers on Jamie

SANTA CRUZ — At its meeting Tuesday, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors approved the first reading of ordinance amendments that allow for on-site cannabis consumption at local retailers and farms in unincorporated territory. The high-profile decision, narrowly passed with Supervisors Kim De Serpa and Monica Martinez casting “no” votes, gives existing cannabis retailers the option to establish an on-site consumption lounge under strict smoke-free workplace guidelines and air pollution regulations. Similarly, the majority of supervisors also agreed to create a three-year pilot program for on-site sales and consumption at cannabis farms. RELATED: A new state law opens the door for Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes. Why hasn’t one opened in the Bay Area? There is currently no place in the county that cannabis can be legally consumed outside of an individual’s private residence, and proponents hope the new policies will give the struggling industry some added appeal and a much-needed financial boost. In response to fears — voiced among the attending public and dissenting supervisors — about the new policy sparking a rash of intoxicated drivers on local roadways, Supervisor Manu Koenig, who has championed the

14817 Ronda Drive – Google Street View A house located in the 14800 block of Ronda Drive in San Jose has a new owner. The 1,161-square-foot property, built in 1950, was sold on Feb. 19, 2025, for $1,790,000, or $1,542 per square foot. This is a single-story house. In addition, the house is equipped with type not specified. Situated on a spacious 10,800-square-foot lot, the property offers ample outdoor space. These nearby houses have also recently been purchased: In December 2024, a 2,009-square-foot home on Branham Lane in San Jose sold for $2,210,000, a price per square foot of $1,100. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. A 1,249-square-foot home on the 4800 block of Sandy Lane in San Jose sold in April 2023, for $1,603,000, a price per square foot of $1,283. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. On Kenson Drive, San Jose, in December 2023, a 2,547-square-foot home was sold for $2,350,000, a price per square foot of $923. The home has 6 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. This article was generated by the Bay Area Home Report Bot, software that

It’s been an ugly few days in the stock market as investors suddenly grew nervous about brewing trade wars, federal job cuts, reheated inflation and overall economic anxieties. As a result, talk about a potential recession is percolating and share prices are tumbling. Could an extended bout of Wall Street turbulence toss California’s healthy economy into reverse? To see if there are significant links between stock price swings and the California economy, my trusty spreadsheet loaded up 47 years’ worth of data from the NASDAQ composite index, a good barometer of the tech industry’s fortunes that are critical to California’s success. It also looked at the Golden State’s unemployment rate, tracking that as a yardstick of statewide economy. To smooth out the stock market’s volatility, the spreadsheet tallied an unusual measurement of stock prices – the year-over-year change in monthly NASDAQ readings. The math is similar to how the real estate industry tracks home prices. For starters, you should know that as of Wednesday, March 12 the NASDAQ remains up 7% from the same time a year ago, despite the recent upheaval. However, that gain

By GRAHAM DUNBAR | Associated PRess GENEVA ( — Ski jumping’s cheating scandal escalated Wednesday with the suspension of two Olympic gold medalists. The admitted manipulation of ski suits by Norway team officials has shaken a national reputation for fair play and high-minded principles at their home Nordic world championships, where the host team dominated the medal table. The Olympic medalists, Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang, had denied involvement since the allegations emerged at the weekend but were suspended Wednesday and put under formal suspicion in an investigation overseen by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). They now cannot compete in a World Cup event in Oslo that starts Thursday. Lindvik and Forfang already had been disqualified from last Saturday’s large-hill event in Trondheim, days after Lindvik soared to become world champion on the normal hill. Though both athletes were backed by the Norwegian team insisting they knew nothing about altered ski suits, their head coach Magnus Brevig and equipment manager Adrian Livelten confessed and were stood down from their jobs. “FIS has provisionally suspended three Norwegian team officials and two athletes who

By Julia Love and Davey Alba | Bloomberg Alphabet Inc.’s artificial intelligence lab is debuting two new models focused on robotics, which will help developers train robots to respond to unfamiliar scenarios — a longstanding challenge in the field. Research unit Google DeepMind will release Gemini Robotics, a new branch of its flagship AI model aimed at developing robots that are more dexterous and interactive, it said Tuesday. Another model, Gemini Robotics-ER, specializes in spatial understanding, and will help robot makers build new programs using Gemini’s reasoning capabilities. By applying Gemini to robots, Google is moving closer to developing “general purpose robotics” that can field a variety of tasks, DeepMind engineer Kanishka Rao said in a media briefing. “Our worlds are super messy and dynamic and rich, and I think a general purpose intelligent robot needs to be able to deal with that messiness.” The Silicon Valley dream of building robots that can perform tasks on par with humans is attracting renewed attention and investment. Meta Platforms Inc., Tesla Inc. and OpenAI have ramped up their work on robotics, and startups are in talks to