Category: Bay Area

Can’t-miss deals for every shopper For tech enthusiasts, Black Friday is the ultimate shopping event. Whether you’re crossing off electronics gifts from your holiday list or finally grabbing that long-desired gadget, you’ll find unbeatable deals on everything from laptops to earbuds. We’ve compiled some of the best Black Friday deals to help you save time and money. This year, exciting offers include sought-after products like the Apple 2022 MacBook Air Laptop, SAMSUNG 75-Inch Class QLED 4K The Frame Series Quantum HDR Smart TV and Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Premium Noise-canceling Overhead Headphones. With such a variety of sales, you’re sure to find something that fits your budget. Last updated on Nov. 25, 2024, at 1:30 a.m. PT. Trending deals Apple 2022 MacBook Air Laptop 25% OFF This ultraslim, lightweight laptop is perfect for students and remote workers looking to work on the go. With up to 18 hours of battery life and a vibrant 13.6-inch display, it offers stunning visuals and lasting performance. Its high-quality camera and audio enhance FaceTime calls, while the durable aluminum design ensures longevity. INSIGNIA 32-Inch Class F20 Series Smart HD 720p Fire TV 46% OFF This smart

By BILL BARROW WASHINGTON (AP) — As a former and potentially future president, Donald Trump hailed what would become Project 2025 as a road map for “exactly what our movement will do” with another crack at the White House. As the blueprint for a hard-right turn in America became a liability during the 2024 campaign, Trump pulled an about-face. He denied knowing anything about the “ridiculous and abysmal” plans written in part by his first-term aides and allies. Now, after being elected the 47th president on Nov. 5, Trump is stocking his second administration with key players in the detailed effort he temporarily shunned. Most notably, Trump has tapped Russell Vought for an encore as director of the Office of Management and Budget; Tom Homan, his former immigration chief, as “border czar;” and immigration hardliner Stephen Miller as deputy chief of policy. Those moves have accelerated criticisms from Democrats who warn that Trump’s election hands government reins to movement conservatives who spent years envisioning how to concentrate power in the West Wing and impose a starkly rightward shift across the U.S. government and society. Trump

SUBSCRIBER ONLY Sharks’ first-round pick reportedly breaks hand, will not play in WJC San Jose Sharks prospect reportedly out for IIHF World Junior Championships run from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Ottawa.  San Jose Sharks forward Quentin Musty (13) and forward Reese Laubach (80) take part in a prospect scrimmage at Tech CU Arena on Thursday, July 6, 2023, in San Jose, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) San Jose Sharks prospect reportedly out for IIHF World Junior Championships run from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Ottawa.  Originally Published: November 25, 2024 at 9:14 AM PST

SUBSCRIBER ONLY Holiday travel: Tahoe’s Truckee is a magical, cozy winter destination The Sierra Nevada Mountain town sparkles this holiday season Cabona’s in Truckee first opened in 1908 as a general store. (Courtesy Erskin) A holiday jaunt to Lake Tahoe offers plenty of outdoor fun — via skis, snowshoes and ice skates — and indoor charm as well. Originally Published: November 25, 2024 at 9:00 AM PST

Injured starters Brock Purdy, Trent Williams and Nick Bosa are all captains. So are George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Kyle Juszczyk, Deebo Samuel and Fred Warner. Kittle is the only one who excelled Sunday. Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To login in, click here. Originally Published: November 25, 2024 at 9:00 AM PST

Trust our globetrotting readers to not only vacation in some spectacular locations, but share their travel tales and tips with us. So if you want to go to, for example, the Taj Mahal, hike glaciers in Alaska or explore Hadrian’s Wall — or in this case, hike Italy’s Dolomites — you’ve got advice from someone who was just there. Find even more reader travel inspiration at www.mercurynews.com/tag/wish-you-were-here/. Wish You Were Here ITALY: Los Altos residents Tom Shoup and his wife, Ellen Barker, visited Italy the first week of September on a trip that included stops in Milan and a hiking tour in the Italian Dolomites, a stunning, craggy mountain range in the northeastern part of the country. “We flew to Milan, where we took a tour of the rooftop terraces of the Duomo,” Tom says, “before taking the train to Bolzano, the gateway to the Dolomites.” TRAVEL TIPS: Winter comes early at such high elevation. “We had wonderful fall weather but learned it snowed the following week! The Dolomites are similar to the high Sierra in terms of terrain but much more accessible by car

SUBSCRIBER ONLY A Bay Area holiday countdown: 31 awesome things to do Chris Riley — (Vallejo) Times-Herald archives Ryan Cisneros, 2, runs through a color-changing lighted tunnel this past winter during Glowfari at the Oakland Zoo. From ice tubing slides in Walnut Creek to tootling trains, holiday putt-putt and giant animal lanterns, here’s an entire month of holiday-centric things to do, eat, sip and play. Originally Published: November 25, 2024 at 6:30 AM PST

SUBSCRIBER ONLY Getty Images Two hummingbirds fight over territorial rights to a feeder. Hummingbirds can be ruthless when it comes to protecting what they think is their property. (Getty Images) One reader wonders about hummingbirds’ eating behavior, while another ponders ways to walk a dog when its owner uses a walker. Originally Published: November 25, 2024 at 6:30 AM PST

Screenshot from video, with identifying detailed blurred to protect privacy  Second in a series. See Part 1, Addicts came to Southern California from afar to get sober but wound up dead The video captures her bare feet scurrying toward a commotion by the door. “What are y’all doing?” she asks. Two men wrangle tools. “Changing the locks,” a muffled voice says. Christine Hand, the erstwhile house manager of this sober living home in Los Angeles, knew she’d incur the wrath of her employer. She and her boyfriend had complained, in writing, about all manner of alleged transgressions in Nathan Young’s addiction treatment empire, from insurance fraud to prescribing unneeded medications to instant evictions and “forced homelessness,” they said in missives that landed at police stations and in government email boxes from Los Angeles to Sacramento, signed by both Hand and Anthony Morrison. Was it just last year that Hand and Morrison were in Oklahoma, struggling with their demons? The clouds promised to clear when friends recommended almost-free addiction treatment in sunny Southern California, through companies associated with Young. They had a strong desire to turn

SUBSCRIBER ONLY New college program seeks to reinvigorate Livermore Valley as a Bay Area winemaking hotspot Las Positas Community College open a new viticulture and winery facility at Las Positas Community College Viticulture and Winery Technology professor David Everett stands in a vineyard on the campus of Las Positas College on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Livermore, Calif. Campus Hill Vineyard is a 4 acre site at the Livermore college. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) Las Positas Community College opened a new Viticulture and Winery Facility to build on its program and support the next generation of winemakers in Livermore Valley. Originally Published: November 25, 2024 at 6:15 AM PST

TODAY’S WORD — HEBDOMAD HEBDOMAD: HEB-doh-mad: A group of seven or a period of seven days. Average mark 14 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 18 or more words in HEBDOMAD? The list will be published tomorrow. SATURDAY’S WORD — NECTARY: nacre nary near neat nectar earn enact entry cane caner cant canter care caret cart cater cent crane crate cyan tare tarn tear teary tern trace trance tray trey acne acre aery ante antre arty race racy rant rate react recant rent yarn year yearn 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

Dear Eric: My girlfriend and I have been together for some time. She has a wide circle of friends. Some of the closer ones we see regularly, and I always enjoy myself. But several times a year we’re invited to large parties, and I’m invariably uncomfortable there. I simply don’t find them conducive to easy conversation, so I mostly stick to myself, sometimes making a discreet exit and walking around the neighborhood. I recently fessed up to my girlfriend, and she seemed very disappointed. How should I handle this? – Party Pooper Dear Party: Your girlfriend may be disappointed that you don’t enjoy the things she enjoys, but I hope she’ll also realize that you made the healthy choice to talk about your needs instead of wallowing in discomfort. While she may envision you joining her wide circle of friends, she also knows you and, one presumes, gets that you’re more introverted. Assure her that you’re perfectly happy sitting some gatherings out. If there are some gatherings that she would rather not attend solo, talk it through in advance and see if you can compromise.

DEAR HARRIETTE: After the presidential election, I learned that my roommate and I do not share political views. I am sad now, and she is elated, and it is really hard to move forward. We argue whenever we talk. We have such different opinions about our world and our politics. I feel like it isn’t safe to be in my house because the way we think is so different. When I come home, I want to be able to relax. I want to move out, but it can’t happen for a few months. How can I deal with her until that time, and is it even worth it to talk to her since we have such different beliefs about the future? — Political Differences DEAR POLITICAL DIFFERENCES: I appreciate your conundrum, and I believe you can live through it. The great news about living in the United States is that we are supposed to be able to agree to disagree. No matter how heated things may become, we are supposed to be able to live side by side with people who don’t share our views.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have an online shop and am able to keep a high rating due to reviews from customers who are, thankfully, very kind. It’s important to keep the highest rating, as that attracts buyers to my shop. I am also rated by the selling platform in several areas, one of which is how quickly I answer the messages sent to me on that platform. I can usually figure out something kind to say to my customers. However, every once in a while, I get someone who just wants to rant, mostly about the prices of goods in my shop. I guess these people don’t understand that I have to buy the things I sell, and can only sell them cheaply when I can buy them at a very reasonable price. When that doesn’t happen, some people want to unload their anger on me. I get hateful messages asking who I think I am to ask such outrageous amounts. I would just ignore them, but to keep my top rating, I have to answer. I want to be polite, but I am sometimes

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Katie Cassidy, 38; Jerry Ferrara, 45; Christina Applegate, 53; Bruno Tonioli, 69. Happy Birthday: Take the initiative and pour your energy into your health and financial wellness. Step outside your comfort zone and utilize new connections and insights to add stability and security to your life. Living within your means and fixing instead of replacing possessions that need extra attention will help you budget your bank accounts and encourage you to take better care of yourself. Your numbers are 3, 12, 17, 22, 29, 37, 44. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Refuse to let uncertainty disrupt your plans. Reflect on similar events, and you’ll devise a system or strategy that gives you the freedom to move forward. Build a future based on what you know, and progress and expansion will follow. An unexpected situation will offer a unique change. 3 stars TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Slow down, accumulate your thoughts and digest the possibilities that depend on how you press forward. The desire to expand your ideas and take a risk will backfire. Take a moment to rethink your strategy. Today

No Brock Purdy, no Nick Bosa and no Trent Williams. Not that it mattered with the amount of mistakes the 49ers made Sunday, desecrating Lambeau Field with penalties, turnovers and missed tackles in a 38-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers. The 49ers could have had all three of their big names as well as Charvarius Ward, Javon Hargrave, Talanoa Hufanga and the 2023 vintage Christian McCaffrey in the lineup and been hard-pressed to even keep it close with the kind of performance they put forth in falling to 5-6. It was a day the 49ers needed to be buttoned up, execution-oriented and mistake-free to beat a Packers team on their home field that is 8-3 and bound for the playoffs on a day in which they were without some of their most important players. Instead, it was a clinic in how to take a game that could have been competitive and make it an embarrassing blowout loss — the third-worst point spread defeat since coach Kyle Shanahan arrived in 2017. Quarterback Brandon Allen, subbing for the sore-shouldered Purdy, had an interception that went off

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Kyle Shanahan and his first-year defensive coordinator, Nick Sorensen, covered their faces with playsheets for a sideline chat. Shanahan was hot. There was no hiding why. The 49ers’ disheveled defense drew back-to-back penalties for having 12 men on the field from its own 10-yard line. That set up an inevitable touchdown by the Green Bay Packers: the first of Josh Jacobs’ three 1-yard touchdown runs in their 38-10 rout at Lambeau Field. It was the 49ers’ most lopsided road loss in Shanahan’s eight seasons, and it was the Packers’ biggest margin of victory in their 74-game history with the 49ers. Beyond the penalty doubletake, a lot else went wrong Sunday for the 49ers (5-6) as they lost a second straight game, with another road game looming next Sunday night in Buffalo. With quarterback Brock Purdy (shoulder) and left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) unable to suit up, it wasn’t in the 49ers’ best interest to force Purdy’s fill-in, Brandon Allen, into a high-scoring affair with the host Packers (8-3). And with Nick Bosa missing his first game, the 49ers’ defense figured to

By Jake Coyle | Associated Press NEW YORK — With a combined $270 million in worldwide ticket sales, “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” breathed fresh life into a box office that has struggled lately, leading to one of the busiest moviegoing weekends of the year. Jon M. Chu’s lavish big-budget musical “Wicked,” starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, debuted with $114 million domestically and $164.2 million globally for Universal Pictures, according to studio estimates Sunday. That made it the third-biggest opening weekend of the year, behind only “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Inside Out 2.” It’s also a record for a Broadway musical adaptation. Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II,” a sequel to his 2000 best picture-winning original, launched with $55.5 million in ticket sales. With a price tag of around $250 million to produce it, “Gladiator II” was a big bet by Paramount Pictures to return to the Coliseum with a largely new cast, led by Denzel Washington and Paul Mescal. While it opened with a touch less than the $60 million predicted in domestic ticket sales, “Gladiator II” has performed well overseas. It added $50.5 million internationally.

The 49ers face one of their longtime conference rivals Sunday in an important game for their quest to shake off a so-so start and return to the playoffs early in 2025. Brandon Allen will quarterback the Niners (5-5) against the Packers (7-3) Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field after Brock Purdy missed practice Thursday and Friday with a sore shoulder suffered sometime during last week’s loss to the Seahawks. Nick Bosa is also out for the 49ers after injuring his left oblique against Seattle. The Niners will hope to get more out of Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey, who has not leapt off the screen since he returned from an Achilles injury two games ago. Trent Williams will also miss Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, but George Kittle is back for the 49ers after missing last week with a hamstring issue. Despite the dark cloud over the 49ers and the Bay Area this week, San Francisco enters Sunday just one game behind Arizona in the NFC West lead, though the Niners are tied for last in the division with the Rams and Seahawks. They sit

More rain is in the forecast early this week after a brief reprieve Sunday, but dryer weather is expected to return for much of the region by Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. About an inch of rain is expected to fall on the East Bay, San Francisco Peninsula and South Bay and up to two inches expected in Napa, Santa Rosa and San Rafael starting Sunday evening into Tuesday according to NWS forecasts. Strong winds and up to 3 inches of rain are in the forecast for Monterey, Santa Cruz, Boulder Creek and Corralitos, NWS said in an update Sunday. The agency also warned of minor nuisance flooding in those areas. “The real chance for the heavier stuff is Monday and Tuesday, but not like what we went through Friday,” said meteorologist Dylan Flynn, with the National Weather Service’s Monterey office. “We may end up with a similar amount of rain as Friday, but that’s spread out over two days.” Skies are expected to clear across the region leading up to Thanksgiving Day, Flynn said, noting the main concern is for people traveling

The 49ers face one of their longtime conference rivals Sunday in an important game for their quest to shake off a so-so start and return to the playoffs early in 2025. Brandon Allen will quarterback the Niners (5-5) against the Packers (7-3) Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field after Brock Purdy missed practice Thursday and Friday with a sore shoulder suffered sometime during last week’s loss to the Seahawks. Nick Bosa is also out for the 49ers after injuring his left oblique against Seattle. The Niners will hope to get more out of Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey, who has not leapt off the screen since he returned from an Achilles injury two games ago. Trent Williams will also miss Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, but George Kittle is back for the 49ers after missing last week with a hamstring issue. Despite the dark cloud over the 49ers and the Bay Area this week, San Francisco enters Sunday just one game behind Arizona in the NFC West lead, though the Niners are tied for last in the division with the Rams and Seahawks. They sit