Category: Bay Area

A day after heavy winds blew through the Bay Area and a tornado touched ground in Scotts Valley, crews were still working to restore power to thousands, reopen roads and repair other damage. In Scotts Valley, where a tornado flipped cars and downed powerlines Saturday afternoon, power was fully restored and all roads were opened thanks to crews who worked through the night, Scotts Valley Police Department said in a press release and on Facebook on Sunday. Five people were reportedly injured, including three who were transported to a medical facility, one of whom was admitted for continued treatment, according to the press release. No fatalities were reported. “We want to take a moment to thank the community for its patience, understanding, and cooperation as we worked through this challenging and impactful situation. We know the disruption caused was significant, and your support throughout the process has been invaluable,” read the press release. “The collaborative effort from everyone involved reflects the strength and resilience of this community and those who serve it.” The tornado created a path of damage down Mount Hermon Road, around the

By Lindsey Bahr | Associated Press The Spider-Man spinoff “Kraven the Hunter” got off to a disastrous start in North American theaters this weekend. The movie starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson earned only $11 million, according to studio estimates Sunday, making it one of the worst openings for a Marvel-adjacent property. Its box office take was even less than the film “Madame Web.” The weekend’s other major studio release was Warner Bros.’ animated “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” which made $4.6 million. Made for about $30 million, the movie is set 183 years before the events of “The Lord of the Rings” films and was fast-tracked to ensure New Line did not lose the rights to Tolkien’s novels. Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have been working on future live-action films for the franchise. Meanwhile, the top of the charts again belonged to “Moana 2″ and “Wicked.” “Moana” added $26.6 million to its domestic total in its third weekend and $57.2 million internationally, bringing its global tally to $717 million. It’s now the fourth highest grossing film of the year, surpassing

By Paolo Santalucia and Silvia Stellacci | Associated Press AJACCIO, Corsica — Pope Francis on the first papal visit ever to the French island of Corsica on Sunday called for a dynamic form of laicism, promoting the kind of popular piety that distinguishes the Mediterranean island from secular France as a bridge between religious and civic society. Francis appeared relaxed and energized during the one-day visit, just two days before his 88th birthday, still displaying a faded bruise from a fall a week ago. He frequently deviated from his prepared homily during Mass at the outdoor La Place d’Austerlitz, remarking at one point that he had never seen so many children as in Corsica — except, he added, in East Timor on his recent Asian tour. “Make children,″ he implored. ”They will be your joy and your consolation in the future.” Earlier, at the close of a Mediterranean conference on popular piety, Papa Francescu, as he is called in Corsican, described a concept of secularity “that is not static and fixed, but evolving and dynamic,” that can adapt to “unforeseen situations” and promote cooperation “between

By BIANCA VÁZQUEZ TONESS and DAVE COLLINS BOSTON (AP) — After weeks of fear and bewilderment about the drones buzzing over parts of New York and New Jersey, elected officials are urging action to identify and stop the mysterious flights. “There’s a lot of us who are pretty frustrated right now,” Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said on “Fox News Sunday.” “’We don’t know’ is not a good enough answer,” he said. National security officials have said the drones don’t appear to be a sign of foreign interference or a public safety threat. But because they can’t say with certainty who is responsible for the sudden swarms of drones over parts of New Jersey, New York and other eastern parts of the U.S. — or how they can be stopped — leaders of both political parties are demanding better technology and powers to deal with the drones. Sen. Chuck Schumer called Sunday for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to deploy better drone-tracking technology to identify the drones and their operators. “New Yorkers have tremendous questions about it,”

General Motors has used the Chevrolet Blazer nameplate for more than 50 years. The versatile moniker has worked — at least for marketing purposes — for the automaker’s trucks and sport utility vehicles and in several countries. The Chevy Blazer and the smaller, newer Chevy Trailblazer names are embedded in automotive lexicon. The latest addition is the Chevy Blazer EV, a battery-electric midsize crossover produced since late 2023 and debuting as a 2024 model. A few changes were made for 2025. But the new Blazer EV primarily remains the same as Chevrolet seeks a market share in a tough field. Competitors include the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Honda Prologue, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and the Tesla Model Y. The Blazer also has a sibling rivalry with the less expensive Chevy Equinox EV. What’s new in the second year for the Blazer EV includes black or white roof options and a midnight/sport edition. A few former optional safety features are now standard on all trims and features were adjusted on various models. The 2025 Blazer EV, with seating for five, is offered in LT, RS and

What is an Enclave? An Enclave is a midsize SUV built in the General Motors Lansing, Michigan assembly plant and sold in North America by Buick. The Enclave is a good midsize SUV with a lengthy list of standard infotainment features, a cushioned ride and a powerful turbo engine. It also has some of the roomiest accommodations in the entire midsize SUV segment, with 3 rows of seats for 7 passengers and all their gear. The 2025 Buick Enclave Sport Touring is a sporty SUV that offers sophisticated features like a blacked out mesh grille and sleek 20″ styled alloy wheels with a glossy black finish that makes it a sharp looking SUV. And one that you can instantly recognize as a Buick, as the tri-shield Buick logo is on the hood, deck lid, steering wheel and on all 4 wheel center caps. The tri-shield red, white and blue colored logo and its American symbolism, came to represent Buick in 1960. It remains in place on every Buick they build today. The 2025 Enclave is offered in 3 trim levels: Preferred, Sport Touring and Avenir.

Power outage knocks out BART service between Coliseum, Oakland Airport By Bay City News BART is temporarily out of service between the Coliseum and Oakland Airport stations due to a power loss, the transit agency said Sunday morning. People who need to travel between the Coliseum and the airport can use AC Transit and take the 73 bus.

Bay Area high school football 2024: Where to find our complete Week 16 coverage Season ends with De La Salle, Pittsburg, Amador Valley falling short, Moreau Catholic winning in state title games De La Salle’s Dominic Kelley (21) is consoled by a teammate after being defeated by Mater Dei during their CIF open division state football championship game at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. Mater Dei defeated De La Salle 37-15. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Carmen Montano began her second term as Milpitas mayor at a Dec. 10 swearing-in ceremony by appointing city councilmember Garry Barbadillo as vice mayor. Montano, the city’s first Latina mayor, was sworn in along with councilmembers William Lam and Evelyn Chua. Incumbent Chua and newcomer Lam beat out Bill Chuan, Anu Nakka, Dipak Awasthi and Juliette Gomez for the two open seats on the council in the Nov. 5 election. Councilmembers Hon Lien and Anthony Phan ran against Montano for the city’s top spot, along with resident Voltaire Montemayor. While Lien’s first term on the council ends in 2026, Phan’s second and last term ends this year. “We are excited to begin this new term with leaders who represent the strength and diversity of Milpitas,” said Montano in a release. “Together, we will continue to build a vibrant, inclusive and thriving community for all our residents. As we close out (Milpitas’s) 70th anniversary, we also reflect on the contributions of those who have helped shape our city’s path forward.” City manager Ned Thomas expressed confidence in both the new and re-elected leadership. “We are fortunate

Bridging generations Saratoga High School sophomore Athena Zhang won a Cupertino-based nonprofit’s art contest for a design that uses natural elements to depict artificial intelligence. Zhang’s “Bridging Generational Currents” won the 2024 Art Design Contest held by the Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care (CACCC), which supports end-of-life care concerns in the Chinese community. Zhang’s design will be used in CACCC’s Compassion in Action, a fundraiser and a series of educational programs set for May 17-31, 2025. The student artist won $300 for her artwork, inspired by the importance of water in Chinese culture. “Water symbolizes the ability to overcome and adapt, which goes hand in hand with the concept of CACCC’s 20th anniversary theme, ‘Empowering Caregiving with Human-Centered AI,’” said Zhang in a release. Zhang’s design uses two koi fish to “illustrate perseverance and transformation. From an abstract perspective, the koi fish act as a ‘bridge’ for the human-centered AI to cross and reach the ones in need of caregiving,” Zhang added. “The elements she chose to use in her final artwork are symbolically and culturally meaningful, as well as personal,” said Sandy Chen

Famous fruit December is National Pear Month, not just because we hear about them in a famous Christmas carol, but because most of the varieties are in season. There are six main states in the U.S. that produce pears: California, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington. Of these states, California, Oregon and Washington make up the majority of production. In 2023, Washington led in pear production with 290,000 tons, Oregon produced 190,000 tons, and California produced 165,000 tons. Exports and imports During the 2022 market year, the U.S. exported 244.3 million pounds of fresh pears valued at $148 million, and exported 6.2 million pounds of prepared/preserved pears valued at $3.9 million. The top two countries for fresh and prepared/preserved exported pears are Mexico and Canada. The U.S. imports the most from Argentina (54.8%) and the second-most from China (15.6%). Bartlett pears change color from green to yellow as they ripen. Anjou and other varieties show little color change as the ripen. The Bartlett is one of the older pear varieties, first developed in the late 1700s in the U.S. Most canned and processed pears

Santa Clara County becomes first county in the nation to approve oversight committee for residential care facilities Employees told supervisors of poor working conditions, wage theft Community organizers from the Pilipino Association of Workers and Immigrants said that a residential care facility advisory council was necessary to represent caregivers and give them the opportunity to voice workplace concerns.

TODAY’S WORD — GERIATRIC GERIATRIC: jer-ee-AT-rik: An aged person. Average mark 49 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 61 or more words in GERIATRIC? TODAY’S WORD — GERIATRIC: gait gaiter garret garter gate gear girt grace grate grater great grit erratic race racer racier rage ragi rare rate rater react rear rerig retag rice ricer rite icier irate irrigate acre ager airier tare tear terra tier tiger tire trace tracer tragic triage trice trig cage cagier care carer caret cart carter cater cigar cite crag crate crater crier criteria 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

Dear Eric: I have a sister “Beth” who has treatment-resistant depression. I have another sister “Jo” who is physically and mentally healthy and had a really bad year. Jo typically hosts family events. A few weeks ago, Jo texted our group chat that she doesn’t have the spoons to host this year. I volunteered to do Thanksgiving, and our brother made reservations for Christmas. Beth took Jo to task for using the word “spoons” when she is not chronically or mentally ill. Beth told us that spoon theory belongs to mentally or chronically ill people the same way marginalized groups take back a former slur. Jo revised her comment to say she doesn’t have the bandwidth to host this year. Beth said, “See, now that you know better you can do better.” Even if Beth is right about this, her tone and phrasing really kicked Jo while she was down. I would like to talk to Beth about this. Before I do that, was she right in the first place? If she was, how do I explain to her that Jo isn’t depressed, but she

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married less than a year, and I’m pregnant with my first child. Our baby was planned, and we were thrilled. Something changed with my husband once I hit the second trimester. If I read something about pregnancy and try to share it with him, he instantly shuts me down, saying I shouldn’t believe everything I read or that I’m wasting my time. He doesn’t want to set up anything in the nursery, either. He keeps saying we don’t need to do it until a month before the baby is due. I’m trying to be patient and understanding, but friends have now taken a step back from talking to me and I’m feeling very isolated. The other night, my husband put me down at dinner with friends. One of them said being pregnant was the most selfish thing a woman could do, and my husband agreed! I am still hurt by the comment. While the person apologized for saying it and further explained their position on the subject (everyone had been drinking, except me), my husband hasn’t apologized.

Today is Sunday, Dec. 15, the 350th day of 2024. There are 16 days left in the year. Today in history: On Dec. 15, 2016, a federal jury in Charleston, South Carolina, convicted Dylann Roof of killing nine Black church members who had welcomed him into their Bible study gathering. Also on this date: In 1791, the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, went into effect following ratification by Virginia. In 1890, Hunkpapa Lakota Chief Sitting Bull and 11 other tribe members were killed in Grand River, South Dakota, during a confrontation with Indian agency police. In 1939, the Civil War motion picture epic “Gone with the Wind,” starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable, had its world premiere in Atlanta. In 1944, a single-engine plane carrying bandleader Glenn Miller, a major in the U.S. Army Air Forces, disappeared over the English Channel while en route to Paris. In 1967, the Silver Bridge between Gallipolis (gal-ih-puh-LEES’), Ohio, and Point Pleasant, West Virginia, collapsed into the Ohio River, killing 46 people. In 2011, the flag used by U.S. forces in Iraq was

CIF Open Division state football championship 2024: De La Salle comes back from huge halftime deficit against Mater Dei, but big rally comes up short Mater Dei’s Shaun Scott (24) and Nasir Wyatt (31) tackle De La Salle quarterback Toa Faavae (13) in the end zone for a safety in the second quarter of their CIF open division state football championship game at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) CIF Open Division state football championship 2024: De La Salle comes back from huge halftime deficit against Mater Dei, but big rally comes up short. Originally Published: December 14, 2024 at 10:46 PM PST

A Heisman Trophy race unlike any in recent memory ended Saturday evening with Colorado’s two-way star, Travis Hunter, winning the most prestigious individual award in college football. Hunter edged Boise State tailback Ashton Jeanty by 214 votes, the closest race since 2009, when Alabama’s Mark Ingram beat Stanford’s Toby Gerhart by 28 points. Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel finished third, followed by Miami quarterback Cam Ward. Hunter, a cornerback, is the first defensive player to win the award since Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson in 1997 — except the Colorado unicorn is more than a defensive player: He’s an elite receiver, too, which makes Hunter the first full-time starter on offense and defense to ever win the Heisman. Earlier in the week, Hunter became the first player in major college history to win both the Chuck Bednarik Award (best defensive player) and the Biletnikoff Award (best receiver). He joins the late Rashaan Salaam (1994) as the only Buffaloes players to win the Heisman. CU is one of 20 schools with multiple Heisman winners. Hunter’s presence on top wasn’t the only refreshing aspect of the 2024 race. It’s

By Michael R. Sisak | Associated Press NEW YORK — ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million toward Donald Trump’s presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit over anchor George Stephanopoulos’ inaccurate on-air assertion that the president-elect had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll. As part of the settlement made public Saturday, ABC News posted an editor’s note to its website expressing regret over Stephanopoulos’ statements during a March 10 segment on his “This Week” program. The network will also pay $1 million in legal fees to the law firm of Trump’s attorney, Alejandro Brito. The settlement agreement describes ABC’s presidential library payment as a “charitable contribution,” with the money earmarked for a non-profit organization that is being established in connection with the yet-to-be built library. “We are pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms in the court filing,” ABC News spokesperson Jeannie Kedas said. A Trump spokesperson declined comment. The settlement agreement was signed Friday, the same day a Florida federal judge ordered Trump and Stephanopoulos to sit for separate depositions

No. 2 Archbishop Riordan 52, No. 1 Salesian 51 In a rematch of last year’s NorCal Open Division title game, Riordan got its revenge.  Texas A&M-bound guard Jasir Rencher hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 12 seconds left to seal the win for the Crusaders, who won the 70th annual Gridley Invitational Tournament.  Riordan held a 12-point lead at halftime, but Salesian roared back in the third quarter. The Pride outscored the San Francisco school 18-4 to take a two-point lead going into the final period.  Salesian mostly controlled the game in the fourth quarter, but turnovers and missed free throws doomed the young Pride team.  The Pride had an opportunity with under a minute left to take a four-point lead, but missed both attempts at the free throw line. After Rencher’s three-pointer, Salesian was fouled with two seconds to go in the game, but missed another pair of free throws.  Salesian missed its final seven free throws it attempted.  Junior Andrew Hilman led Riordan with 18 points. Rencher finished with 12 points and John Tofi had six.  Isaiah Davis scored a team-high 13 points for

A Heisman Trophy race unlike any in recent memory ended Saturday evening with Colorado’s two-way star, Travis Hunter, winning the most prestigious individual award in college football. Hunter edged Boise State tailback Ashton Jeanty by 214 votes, the closest race since 2009, when Alabama’s Mark Ingram beat Stanford’s Toby Gerhart by 28 points. Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel finished third, followed by Miami quarterback Cam Ward. Hunter, a cornerback, is the first defensive player to win the award since Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson in 1997 — except the Colorado unicorn is more than a defensive player: He’s an elite receiver, too, which makes Hunter the first full-time starter on offense and defense to ever win the Heisman. Earlier in the week, Hunter became the first player in major college history to win both the Chuck Bednarik Award (best defensive player) and the Biletnikoff Award (best receiver). He joins the late Rashaan Salaam (1994) as the only Buffaloes players to win the Heisman. CU is one of 20 schools with multiple Heisman winners. Hunter’s presence on top wasn’t the only refreshing aspect of the 2024 race. It’s