Category: Bay Area

Editor’s Note: This article was photographed for Mosaic, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists. Before the orchestra launches into Mozart’s overture, before the curtain rises and the first aria, the cast and staff of “The Magic Flute” rush around with last-minute preparation. All this flurry ensures that what audience members at San Jose’s California Theater behold is a smooth-running production. But more goes on in the wings than even faithful opera lovers might think. As a Mosaic photographer looked on, from the stresses of stage managers to the packed schedule of make-up artists before the shows, Opera San Jose’s performance this fall had it all. From costumes to staging to music, an opera production like “Flute” has a myriad of details to tend to. In the thick of rehearsals before the show opened, the performance seemed like an impossible job to pull off. Cast members rushing in and out of scenes, detailed instructions from production stage manager Jennifer Hsu — which included everything from scene directions to lighting directions, to orchestra

A motorcyclist died on Nov. 3 in an accident in the Santa Cruz Mountains near La Honda. The accident happened Sunday afternoon on Skyline Blvd., part of State Route 35, just north of Page Mill Road. The deceased is an approximately 36-year-old male, said Officer Sophie Lu, a spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol division in Redwood City. It appeared to be a solo incident with no other vehicles involved. “At the moment, we don’t see any debris in the roadway” to suggest another driver at the scene, said Lu. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. There was no immediate information on the make and model of the motorcycle. The accident temporarily closed both northbound and southbound lanes of Skyline Blvd. Details were hard to come by initially, due to the lack of phone reception in the area. The stretch of road is in a scenic area on the ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains, near the Monte Bello Open Space Preserve and the Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve. Originally Published: November 3, 2024 at 8:38 PM PST

UPDATE Nov. 3, 8:45 p.m.: The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search for the four remaining boaters on Sunday evening “pending the development of new information,” according to the agency. “The decision to suspend a search is always difficult to make and never done lightly,” U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Michael Zapawa said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the missing boaters during this incredibly difficult time.” ORIGINAL: Authorities are searching for survivors after a boat with reportedly six people aboard went missing Nov. 2 off the coast of Sonoma near Bodega Bay. So far, one person has been found dead and another was rescued and received medical treatment. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office received a call Saturday night for a recreational boat that was overdue and whose occupants were last heard from around 3 p.m. that day. A cell-phone ping placed it in the area of Carmet Beach, just north of Bodega Bay, the sheriff’s office said Sunday on Facebook. The 21-foot white Bayliner reportedly had six occupants — three adults and three juveniles — and had

California Congressman Eric Swalwell has filed a government tort claim against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, who is facing a recall effort, in the wake of alleged “defamatory statements.” Joseph Goethals, of Burlingame’s Goethals & Stone, PC, said on Sunday that he filed the tort claim in Alameda County. The claim is a formal requirement before launching an actual lawsuit. Alameda County now has 30 days to respond, said Goethals, either saying it accepts the claim and will compensate Swalwell or reject the claim and possibly see a defamation lawsuit filed against it in state court. “There have been false allegations made intentionally by Pamela Price,” Goethals said. “She is retaliating because of the congressman’s endorsement of the recall effort. This is an attempt to distract people from her gross incompetence that is putting Alameda County residents in danger.” The D.A.’s media representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday. Swalwell, who represents California’s 14th congressional district, has been a vocal critic of Price, whose recall effort goes before voters on Nov. 5. After the congressman held a press conference in

The cause of the fire is under investigation A flag is reflected on a San Jose Fire Department truck before a police procession for fallen CSO Officer Long Pham at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) A fire early Sunday morning displaced 10 residents from a multi-family residential building in San Jose. The San Jose Fire Department said in a post on social media platform X that it responded to a two-alarm fire at 4:31 a.m. on the 100 block of Coy Drive, near Oak Grove High School. Crews extinguished the flames by 6:35 a.m. One resident was transported to the hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries, while the American Red Cross is assisting the 10 residents displaced from four units in the two-story building. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

By CHARLOTTE GRAHAM-McLAY | Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Perched on two fingers on the roof of an art gallery in Wellington, New Zealand, the giant sculpture of a hand has loomed over the city for five years. Named Quasi, the 16-foot creation of Australia-based sculptor Ronnie van Hout bears an unsmiling human face, because why not? Now, after five years of provoking controversy and myriad emotions — from horror and revulsion to delight — Quasi was removed from the roof of City Gallery last week. It will be taken to a new home, the gallery said. “This is either a great day for Wellington or a terrible day for Wellington, and there’s not much view in between,” said Ben McNulty, a Wellington city council member. Personally, McNulty told The Associated Press he felt “devastated” by the sculpture’s departure. Quasi is made of steel, polystyrene and resin, and was based on scans of van Hout’s hand and face. It was named in part for Quasimodo, the bellringer in Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.” Quasi first graced — or haunted —

NEW YORK (AP) — Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance on “Saturday Night Live” in the final days before the presidential election, playing herself as the mirror-image double of Maya Rudolph’s version of her in the show’s cold open. The first lines the candidate spoke as she sat across from Rudolph, their outfits identical, were drowned out by cheers from the audience. “It is nice to see you, Kamala,” Harris told Rudolph with a broad grin she kept throughout the sketch. “And I’m just here to remind you, you got this.” At the end of the sketch, the two, in sync, said supporters need to “Keep Kamala and carry-on-ala,” declared that they share each other’s “belief in the promise of America” and delivered the signature line, “Live from New York it’s Saturday night!” Harris made the surprise trip to New York before Tuesday’s election, taking a brief break from the battleground states where she has been campaigning. With the appearance on NBC’s sketch comedy show, the Democratic nominee was hoping to generate buzz and appeal to a nationwide audience. Harris had left Charlotte, N.C., and

By Lindsey Bahr | Associated Press “Venom: The Last Dance” enjoyed another weekend at the top of the box office. The Sony release starring Tom Hardy added $26.1 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. It was a relatively quiet weekend for North American movie theaters leading up to the presidential election. Charts were dominated by big studio holdovers, like “Venom 3,” “The Wild Robot” and “Smile 2,” while audiences roundly rejected the Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Robert Zemeckis reunion “Here.” Thirty years after “Forrest Gump,” “Here” opened to only $5 million from 2,647 locations. “Venom 3” only fell 49% in its second weekend, which is a notably small drop for a superhero film, though it didn’t exactly open like one either. In two weeks, the movie has made over $90 million domestically; The first two opened to over $80 million. Globally, the picture is brighter given that it has already crossed the $300 million threshold. Meanwhile, Universal and Illumination’s “The Wild Robot” continues to attract moviegoers even six weeks in (and when it’s available by video on demand), placing second with

PACIFICA — A Pacifica man faces multiple counts of sexual assault involving at least three women he met through a rock climbing business, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office. Jason Crist, 38, was arrested last Wednesday on a $500,000 warrant, the Pacifica Police Department said in a news release. Authorities say the alleged assaults took place in San Mateo County and various U.S. National Parks around the state. “All met him through the rock climbing business,” San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe said. Crist was charged with nine counts of sexual assault for each of the three victims and has since posted bail, but has not yet appeared in court. The investigation was launched in 2022 by Pacifica Police detectives, in collaboration with the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. National Parks Police Service. The Pacifica Police Department encourages anyone with additional information to contact its tip line at (650) 359-4444.

OAKLAND — The same Piedmont hedge-fund manager who helped finance recall efforts against two prominent East Bay leaders is leading a fresh late-game charge along with two outside groups seeking to swing Oakland’s politics in a more moderate direction on Nov. 5, recent campaign finance records show. Philip Dreyfuss, a partner of the San Francisco firm Farallon Capital Management, had never spent money on Alameda County politics before this year. But following October, his total spending in the region ahead of this week’s election has topped $1.9 million, according to the campaign filings. Combined with large influxes of cash by two other political action committees — one based in San Francisco, the other in Marin County — the spending represents a new group of power players in the East Bay. It appears to be countering the deep pockets of progressive labor unions, while largely supporting candidates that, while holding varying policy views, share a distinct tougher-on-crime approach to governing. The latest beneficiaries of this late-game spending splurge include Oakland City Council at-large candidate LeRonne Armstrong, District 3-West Oakland candidate Warren Logan, District 7-East Oakland candidate

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By Jill Colvin and Jonathan J. Cooper, Associated Press GASTONIA, N.C. (AP) — Donald Trump says he will be the “protector” of women, whether they like it or not. He’s campaigned with men who use sexist and crude language. He’s expressed alarm at the idea that wives might vote differently from their husbands. And the former Republican president has suggested that Democrat Kamala Harris, who is trying to become the first woman to win the White House, would get “overwhelmed” and “melt down” facing male authoritarian leaders he considers tough. In the final days of his campaign, Trump has stuck to a gendered worldview that his critics consider dated and paternalistic, even as he acknowledges that some of that language has gotten him “into so much trouble” with a crucial group of voters. Trump and some of his most prominent allies have peddled outright sexism. Supporters react to Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump as he wraps up a campaign rally at First Horizon Coliseum, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Greensboro, NC. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)  Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, at an event

Nearly a decade into its current generation, the Mazda MX-5 Miata retains the roadster’s enduring appeal. Despite a few caveats, it’s the most driving fun available for the lowest price. A small, two-seat convertible, the 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata is available in Sport, Club and Grand Touring trims. All choices are rear-wheel drive and powered by 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engines with 181 horsepower. A six-speed manual transmission is standard; a six-speed automatic is optional with the Grand Touring trim. Mazda also offers a retractable hardtop RF. The Miata debuted in 1989 and it didn’t take long to attract attention. A model year later, the sports car achieved its still-best annual sales of 36,000. Since the fourth generation was unveiled in 2016, annual sales have remained a mystery, a wicked downturn one year, a surprising surge in sales the next year. Nearly 19,000 Miatas sold in 2006, but only half as many three years later. In 2014, a record-low of 4,745 Miatas were purchased. Last year, 8,973 were sold, a 32 percent increase from 2022. Many manufacturers have offered Miata rivals, but not many remain. Consider the

Man dies in crash on Highway 101 in San Benito County By Bay City News A man died in a crash on northbound U.S. Highway 101 near state Highway 129 early Sunday morning, the California Highway Patrol said. The man’s vehicle spun around and flipped over, leaving the roadway, around 5:55 a.m., according to the CHP. The man died in the crash, the CHP said.

La vie ‘Bohème’ Puccini’s “La Bohème” returns to Opera San José Nov. 16-Dec. 1 in a production set in Paris at Christmastime in the aftermath of the Great War. tenor WooYoung Yoon, an Opera San José artist in residence, stars as the poet Rodolfo, with sopranos Kearstin Piper Brown and Mikayla Sager alternating as Mimì. The opera follows the doomed lovers and their coterie of artist friends chasing happiness against impossible odds. Performances are at the California Theatre in downtown San Jose. Tickets are $58–$215 at operasj.org or 408-437-4450. Finding a niche Niche, a national college and school search platform, recently ranked Notre Dame San Jose as the best Catholic high school in Santa Clara County and the 30th in the nation. Niche analyzed schools’ academic performance, co-curricular opportunities, data from sources like the U.S. Department of Education and input from students, alumni and parents. Notre Dame is an all-girls Catholic high school in downtown San Jose. Neighborhood Notes ROSE GARDEN>>Santana Row is hosting a Fall Wine Stroll on Thursday, Nov. 14, 5-7 p.m. Enjoy wine and light bites inside 15 Santana Row shops and restaurants. Tickets include a signature Santana Row wine glass, wine tastings from

Library survey Santa Clara County Library District has launched an online community survey for Santa Clara County residents who utilize its services and/or live in the nine cities within its boundaries, including Milpitas. The goal is to receive feedback on how people are using the collections, resources and facilities, as well as how the library can better serve them. The online survey is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and traditional Chinese and is open through Sunday, Nov. 24, at sccld.org/communitysurvey. “It’s important to hear directly from the patrons and residents of the communities we represent, including those individuals who are not currently using our services,” said County Librarian Jennifer Weeks. “We want to make sure that as we plan for the future, we do so with the priorities of all of our community members in mind.” This survey is completely anonymous and consists of two dozen questions that take less than 10 minutes for most to complete. Participants have the option of providing contact information for a chance to win a gift card. Personal information will be used only for the drawing and will not be

Hollywood Gov. Gavin Newsom announces plans to expand state tax credits for TV and movie productions from $330 million to $750 million a year, just as film producers and stars are donating big to Democratic campaigns. David DePape Far-right conspiracy theorist from Richmond is sentenced to life in prison without parole for nearly killing Paul Pelosi, husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with a hammer in 2022. Evan Low South Bay assemblyman secures Newsom’s endorsement in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto. But will it be enough to beat fellow Democrat Sam Liccardo, who has raised more money?

MILPITAS — At the Elmwood Correctional Facility, there is one color inmate Mayra sees everyday and everywhere: neon orange. And she’s sick of it. So when the opportunity came around to volunteer sorting and restocking civilian clothes on the racks of the facility’s first Goodwill store for incarcerated women — the fashion-lover jumped at the chance. “I work in the laundry (at Elmwood), and we sort through the same color outfit. Sorting through something different makes time go faster … it makes us feel normal.” Mayra said recently standing in the store, an arm’s length away from a row of hangers fitted with colorful shirts and sweaters. None of the inmates last name’s were disclosed by Santa Clara Sheriff’s office to protect their privacy. Goodwill of Silicon Valley recently opened its first-ever store inside Elmwood to help women get hands-on retail training and to provide inmates with free clothes upon their release. For store volunteers like Mayra and the women who get to shop, the space has become a place for them to feel connected to the outside world. The store is a converted facility

Long Beach Police body camera footage shows Trish Herrera Spencer intoxicated and unresponsive on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. Spencer was treated as a “medical emergency” by first responders and transported to the hospital. (Long Beach Police) By Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: November 3, 2024 at 6:15 AM PST “I’m good.” — Alameda City Council member Trish Herrera Spencer, in police body camera video made public last week, to Long Beach first responders who found her intoxicated and lying on the ground while she was visiting the city for a League of California Cities Conference on Oct. 18. Spencer said she was a crime victim, but could face a City Council reprimand this week.

TODAY’S WORD — WHEEDLING WHEEDLING: WEED-ling: Influencing or enticing by soft words or flattery. Average mark 61 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 71 or more words in WHEEDLING? TODAY’S WORD — WHEEDLING: wedge wedgie weed weeding weigh weighed weld welding wend whee wheel wheeling when while whine wide widen wield wild wile wind wine wing winged hedge heed heeding heel heeling held hewed hewing hewn hide hind hinge edge elide engild deign dele deli diel dine ding dinge dingle ledge legend lend lewd liege lien line ling idle ingle need neigh neighed newel nigh geld gelid gene genie ghee gild glee glen glide 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

In the club lounge, Wendy, our resident feminist, accosted me with today’s deal. “I had the misfortune to be playing with Cy,” said she. Wendy and Cy the Cynic, a chauvinist, are constantly at odds, even when they cut as partners in our penny game. “I couldn’t expect the man to make four spades,” Wendy told me grimly. “After all, it took a little forethought, and Cy’s style is to adopt the first line of play that occurs to him.” After his usual two seconds of intense thought, Cy had won the first heart with his king and took the ace of trumps. If East-West had followed, Cy would have drawn trumps, cashed the K-A of clubs and ruffed his last club in dummy for 10 sure tricks. But when East discarded on the first trump, Cy flinched. He led a second trump to dummy’s nine, took the top clubs and a club ruff, and cashed the queen of trumps. But then Cy was stuck in dummy. When he took the ace of hearts and tried to get back to his hand by ruffing a