Category: Bay Area

Associated Press DALLAS — Some flights were delayed or canceled in Texas on Thursday after a line of thunderstorms started moving across parts of the state in a system the National Weather Service predicted could bring high winds, hail and possible tornadoes. More than 100 flights were delayed and dozens more canceled at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Thursday. Delays and thunderstorm-related cancellations also were reported at Dallas’ Love Field and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, according to FlightAware, an aviation company that tracks flights across the world. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning late Thursday afternoon for parts of Texas northeast of Houston, meaning weather radar indicated there was a tornado in the area. There were no immediate reports of damage. A tornado watch remained in effect through Thursday night for several counties in southeast Texas, including the Houston area. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott activated state emergency response resources because of the increased severe weather threat. “As Texans and out-of-state visitors begin traveling after the Christmas holiday, it’s crucial that everyone regularly monitor road conditions, make an emergency plan and

The embattled head of Santa Clara County’s child welfare agency announced his resignation Thursday, a year after damning investigations by the Bay Area News Group and the state of California found numerous child safety failures that led to the death of an infant and put other vulnerable children in harm’s way. In a letter to staff, Damion Wright, director of the Department of Family and Children’s Services, said the recent death of his father prompted his decision to move back to Southern California to be close to family and accept another position. His resignation will be effective Jan. 17. “As I take on the responsibilities associated with coordinating my father’s affairs, I recognize that this is an opportune moment for me to transition out of my role,” he wrote. News of Wright’s resignation was greeted by relief — and frustration — by some social workers who had hoped for more accountability. “There’s no acknowledgement regarding the tragedy that took place,” said Alex Lesniak, a county social worker and union representative. Indeed, Wright’s resignation letter did not mention baby Phoenix Castro, who died last year of

SAN JOSE — A man was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking and operating a brothel out of a home, the San Jose Police Department announced Thursday. The suspect, a 44-year-old Fremont resident, was arrested in San Jose last Friday. He was booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of pimping and pandering. Police said they received multiple community tips, which led to a month-long investigation by the San Jose Police Department Human Trafficking Task Force. Police obtained a search warrant for a suspected brothel at a home near South 24th and E San Fernando streets. During the subsequent raid, police rescued two women who they said had survived human trafficking and provided resources for them. Police also found and confiscated around $10,000 in cash. The San Jose police investigation also involved the Diplomatic Security Service for the U.S. Department of State and the Santa Clara County Law Enforcement Investigating Human Trafficking Task Force. SJPD asked anyone with information about human trafficking in San Jose to contact the Human Trafficking Task Force at 408-537-1999. Originally Published: December 26, 2024 at 3:36 PM PST

MARTINEZ — Two homes here were raided after police learned of an alleged death threat by a 17-year-old boy whose younger brother had been suspended for fighting with the victim, court records show. The November raids turned up no weapons, and on the first try, police went to the wrong house. It all started when two boys, aged 14 and 13, got into a fight at Martinez Junior High School, resulting in the 14-year-old being suspended. After the suspension, police received a tip from the 14-year-old boy’s parent, alleging the 13-year-old boy’s older brother had sent a threatening Snapchat video to her son, and flashed a pistol in one of them, authorities said. Police say they recovered text communications where the 17-year-old allegedly told the 14-year-old that if his brother got hurt again, “u gon (sic) be in the hospital.” In a subsequent video, the 17-year-old allegedly flashed a pistol and said, “I’ll kill you,” according to authorities. Police searched one home on Camino Del Sol, then learned the 17-year-old boy had recently moved, resulting in a second raid of a home on Robinson Street

The Alum Rock Union School District became the latest in the Bay Area to turn to school closures to stay financially afloat when the district’s board of education voted earlier this month to close or merge 13 elementary and middle schools in the 2025-26 school year. The move comes as districts across the Bay Area, from San Francisco to Oakland, take similar steps. Persistent, continued declining enrollment and the end of temporary COVID-19 relief funding has left schools scrambling to plug gaping holes in school budgets. The Alum Rock district’s board voted earlier this month to close six schools, redesign three schools and consolidate four schools beginning in August — 13 out of the district’s 22 schools. The decision stems from a $20 million budget shortfall. The district — which was rocked in 2019 by a corruption scandal over construction contracts, allegations of mismanagement and misspending and a scathing state audit —  said without significant reductions, Alum Rock Union would have been bankrupt, risking a state takeover and loss of local control. California school enrollment dropped by nearly 15,000 students to 5,837,690 students for the 2023-24

The Black Flag lineup has changed quite a bit over the decades. Most notably, it no longer includes one of the most iconic singers in punk rock history — the mighty Henry Rollins, who many readers best know these days for his film and television work as well as for his spoken-word performances. The band also no longer includes Keith Morris, another incredibly iconic punk vocalist. Yet, the heart and soul of this Hermosa Beach hardcore outfit has always been guitarist-songwriter-founder Greg Ginn. And as long as he’s still in the band then Black Flag will most certainly be worth seeing in concert. Ginn and company underscored that point during the terrific Black Flag performance at the Punk in the Park festival in Daly City last May. The show — which was held outside in the parking lot of the legendary barn-shaped Cow Palace — was absolutely filled with punk royalty, including the Vandals, Descendents, Adolescents and Dead Kennedys. Yet even among such stiff competition, Black Flag managed to put on the single best set of the day. (The DKs’ set was right up there

SAN FRANCISCO – The parents of a former OpenAI researcher known for recently blowing the whistle on the company’s business practices are questioning the circumstances of their son’s death last month. In an interview this week, Suchir Balaji’s mother and father expressed confusion and shock over his sudden passing, expressing doubt their son could have died by suicide, as determined by the county medical examiner. The family hired an expert to perform an independent autopsy, but has yet to release the report’s findings. “We’re demanding a thorough investigation — that’s our call,” said Balaji’s mother, Poornima Ramarao. San Francisco police found Balaji dead in his Lower Haight apartment on Nov. 26, less than a week after his 26th birthday. The San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office later told this news agency his death was ruled a suicide, though a final autopsy report has yet to be released while the office completes toxicology tests. Earlier this month, San Francisco police officials said there is “currently, no evidence of foul play.” Balaji’s death sent shockwaves throughout Silicon Valley and the artificial intelligence industry. He garnered a national spotlight in

MARTINEZ — An Antioch man who opened his home to children in need, then sexually abused them for years, was sentenced to 23 years in prison. Simon Chavez Sr., 69, pleaded no contest to child molestation counts and was formally sentenced on Dec. 19, records show. The sentence was the result of a plea deal between Contra Costa prosecutors and Chavez Sr., who was originally charged in 2019. The prosecution was upsetting and scandalous. Originally charged with dozens of offenses, Chavez Sr. — along with his son, a former prison corrections officer — were accused of molesting girls in Chavez’s care for years. At least one of Chavez Sr.’s alleged victims was younger than 10, and one said that molestation started when she was 11 and continued until she was 17. Adding to the outrage were revelations that Contra Costa County Children and Family Services found evidence of sexual abuse at the home, yet foster children continued to be sent there for another six years, until the victims began speaking up. Chavez Sr.’s son, Simon Chavez Jr., eventually took a six-year prison sentence after pleading

OAKLAND — Police here say they have identified multiple suspects and persons of interest in two shooting deaths that occurred 14 months apart. Yet, the killings of Henry Texada, in April 2020, and De’Shawn Rhoades, in June 2021, remain unsolved. Police say both men were friends, and both had ties to the same San Francisco-based gang, whose rivals are under investigation for possible involvement. Oakland police put out calls for assistance from the public in both homicides back in May, which led to the identification of a potential suspect, a 30-year-old man who was arrested in Oakland for alleged gun possession in August, court records show. Despite the leads, no charges have been filed in either shooting. The call for assistance included a statement from Texada’s mother, who described her son as a youth mentor who was part of Youth Radio and attended Laney College in Oakland. The investigations have led police to identify possible gang connections between numerous other shootings, including a prior attempt on Texada’s life. The gang motive was a common theme during both investigations, with one resident telling police that the

By David McHugh | Associated Press FRANKFURT, Germany — Finnish authorities detained a ship linked to neighboring Russia as they investigate whether it damaged a Baltic Sea power cable and several data cables, police said, in the latest incident involving disruption of key infrastructure in the region. Finnish police and border guards boarded the vessel, the Eagle S, early Thursday and took over the command bridge, Helsinki Police Chief Jari Liukku told a news conference. The vessel was being held in Finnish territorial waters, police said. The Eagle S is flagged in the Cook Islands, but was described by Finnish customs officials and the European Union’s executive commission as part of Russia’s shadow fleet of fuel tankers. Those are aging vessels with obscure ownership, acquired to evade Western sanctions amid the war in Ukraine and operating without Western-regulated insurance. Russia’s use of the vessels has raised environmental concerns about accidents given their age and uncertain insurance coverage. The Eagle S’s anchor is suspected of causing damage to the cable, Yle television reported, relying on police statements. The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said in

By Katheryn Houghton and Arielle Zionts, KFF Health News (TNS) Tescha Hawley learned that hospital bills from her son’s birth had been sent to debt collectors only when she checked her credit score while attending a home-buying class. The new mom’s plans to buy a house stalled. Hawley said she didn’t owe those thousands of dollars in debts. The federal government did. Hawley, a citizen of the Gros Ventre Tribe, lives on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana. The Indian Health Service is a federal agency that provides free health care to Native Americans, but its services are limited by a chronic shortage of funding and staff. Hawley’s local Indian Health Service hospital wasn’t equipped to deliver babies. But she said staff there agreed that the agency would pay for her care at a privately owned hospital more than an hour away. That arrangement came through the Purchased/Referred Care program, which pays for services Native Americans can’t get through an agency-funded clinic or hospital. Federal law stresses that patients approved for the program aren’t responsible for any of the costs. But tribal leaders, health

Chris Botti is one of the most successful instrumentalists in history. The immensely talented jazz-pop trumpeter has hit No. 1 on the Billboard jazz albums chart on multiple occasions and sold millions of records during a professional career that dates back to the mid-’80s. And after being nominated for multiple Grammy Awards, the Oregon native finally managed to win one when Grammy voters named “Impressions” the best pop instrumental album in 2013. Botti has also worked with a regular who’s who in the pop world, having collaborated with James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Sting, Shawn Colvin, Barbra Streisand, Aaron Neville, Rod Stewart and many others over the years. Oh, and did we mention he has also played with both Frank Sinatra and Aretha Franklin? Now, that’s impressive company. He’s currently out on the road supporting “Vol. 1,” which — incredibly — is just his first full-length studio outing since “Impressions” in 2012. It was produced by 16-time Grammy-winner David Foster and features violinist Joshua Bell, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, guitarist Gilad Hekselman and Bay Area pianist Taylor Eigsti. Botti performs Jan. 7-12 at SFJAZZ Center in San

VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. — Teenage actor Hudson Meek has died after he fell out of a moving vehicle in Alabama, authorities said. Meek, 16, was hurt on Dec. 19 while on a street in Vestavia Hills, a suburb of Birmingham. He died two days later, according to the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office. The Vestavia Hills Police Department, which is investigating Meek’s death, has not issued any public statements. Meek made his on-screen debut in 2014’s “The Santa Con,” and had roles in various TV series, including “MacGyver.” He was perhaps best known for his role in the 2017 film “Baby Driver,” in which he played a younger version of Ansel Elgort’s titular character. “His 16 years on this earth were far too short, but he accomplished so much and significantly impacted everyone he met,” a post on Meek’s Instagram page read. Meek played football at Vestavia Hills High School, enjoyed Bible study with his teammates and had traveled to all 50 states. He loved snow skiing, making music playlists for his friends and singing in the school choir, according to his obituary, His family plans

2024 wasn’t an earth-shaking year for new tech products, but it was significant when it comes to the tech industry’s impact on society and vice versa. Larry Magid columnist.  Tech titans had a big impact on the 2024 election, starting with Elon Musk, whose net worth exceeds $400 billion thanks to his work and investments at several tech companies, including Zip2, PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, SolarCity and Neurolink. He’s also the owner of Twitter, but that subtracted from his financial net worth while increasing his political clout.  Although you can’t point to one thing that turned the election, Musk’s endorsement and financial support were a major boon to the Trump campaign. Musk wasn’t the only tech billionaire to endorse the president-elect. Despite Silicon Valley’s liberal tradition, a number of other tech moguls did their share, including Oracle founder Larry Ellison, PayPal and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel, and Netscape author and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. Tech’s cozy relationship with the new administration didn’t end on Nov. 5. Since then, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos have donated to Trump’s inaugural fund.

Everyday people across the country skip medical care because of cost. Those who do seek medical help may end up with a balance they can’t pay off. That debt can hurt people’s credit scores, resulting in long-term financial burdens. Starting Jan. 1, a new state law will prohibit health providers and debt collectors from reporting medical debt information to credit agencies. That means unpaid medical bills should no longer show up on people’s credit reports, which consumer advocacy groups say is a boon for patients with debt. RELATED: 5 health bills impacting California patients in 2025 Here’s why: While the law will not forgive someone’s debt, by keeping it off credit reports, it might provide some reassurance that a hospital stay or trip to urgent care won’t later affect their credit standing. Lower credit scores usually result in higher interest rates and make it harder for people to qualify for a home rental, a car loan or even employment. During legislative hearings, the law’s author, Sen. Monique Limón, a Democrat from Santa Barbara, contended that because people don’t choose to have a medical emergency or illness

Book Society is a wine lounge with a curated book selection that opened in winter 2024 in Berkeley, Calif. (@booksocietysocial on Instagram) By John Metcalfe | jmetcalfe@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: December 26, 2024 at 6:30 AM PST Book Society features author talks and a nifty program pairing featured books with featured wines. Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To login in, click here.

How do you ‘grow’ an endangered starfish? Bay Area scientists are finding out Sunflower sea stars vanished from California a decade ago. Experiments are underway to breed them in local labs — and someday reintroduce them. Riah Evin, a biologist at the California Academy of Sciences’ Steinhart Aquarium, propagates endangered Sunflower Sea Stars, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2024, in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) The return of kelp forests in northern California will depend in part on the return of sunflower stars, a kind of starfish that were decimated by a disease in 2013 and never returned. Momentum is building to reintroduce these important predators of sea urchins.

A Chula Vista construction company that pledged to disrupt the local market for accessory dwelling units — the granny flats that so many homeowners want to expand their living space, and so many elected leaders have pushed to help solve a critical housing shortage — is being broadly accused of fraud. Instead of building the backyard homes known as ADUs, a new lawsuit says Multitaskr Construction collected at least $10 million from San Diego County homeowners and then did little more than plant portable toilets on the property. RELATED: San Jose makes it legal to sell your ADU separately from your home More than 60 property owners stretching across the region have joined the fraud and breach-of-contract case against Multitaskr, accusing company executives of using high-pressure sales tactics and demanding payment upfront but failing to see the jobs through. “Even though the plaintiff entered into the written contract and verbal agreement with Multitaskr in December of 2022, no work has been performed by Multitaskr,” says the lawsuit, which was filed in San Diego Superior Court in October. The legal complaint also accuses the company of

Bay Area home sales are up 14% from last year, as once-reluctant buyers return to market Prices remained steady in November even as sales climbed Rishabh Kumar, who works in marketing at a tech company in Menlo Park, and his wife have been searching for a home for the last three months around the East Bay. Kumar toured a home in Oakland’s Piedmont neighborhood on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Kate Talerico, Bay Area News Group) November sales in the Bay Area were up, while prices remained steady. Originally Published: December 26, 2024 at 6:00 AM PST

Sharks’ all-2000s team: Franchise icons dominate the first line, but who makes the second? Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, first Sharks to have jersey numbers retired, need a third forward to join them on top line San Jose Sharks’ Brent Burns (88) Dan Boyle (22), Joe Pavelski (8), Joe Thornton (19) and Patrick Marleau (12) celebrate a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, March 25, 2014, in Edmonton, Alberta. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jason Franson) Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, the first Sharks to have their jersey numbers retired, need a third forward to join them on top line.

TODAY’S WORD — UNCTIONS UNCTIONS: UNK-shuns: Acts of anointing as a rite of consecration or healing. Average mark 21 words Time limit 40 minutes Can you find 28 or more words in UNCTIONS? The list will be published tomorrow. YESTERDAY’S WORD — XENOLITH: exit extol neolith next noel note oxen lent lien line lint lion lite lithe loin lone ilex inlet into then thin thine thole tile tine toil toile tole tone toxin helix helot hilt hint hole hone hotel hotline 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.