Category: Bay Area

Keith Reckdahl breathed a sigh of relief this week after an automatic recount, certified last week, confirmed his narrow 10-vote victory for a seat on the Palo Alto City Council. “There’s a lot of relief — it was a long grind, and the county process was lengthy on top of the recount,” Reckdahl said. Reckdahl, a planning and transportation commissioner, initially led fellow commissioner Doria Summa by just 12 votes, 11,539 to 11,527. However, last month’s recount tightened the race even further, leaving Reckdahl with a razor-thin 10-vote lead, 11,561 to 11,551, according to the official count from Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters. The Palo Alto race was one of several nail-biters in the region, including contests in Fremont, Cupertino, and Newark. In Newark, Julie Del Cantancio narrowly edged out Jacinta Arteaga by just three votes. Incumbents Greer Stone, the current mayor, and Pat Burt, along with newcomer George Lu, secured their seats on the council early in the race. With two new members joining the council, Reckdahl emphasized the importance of fresh perspectives. “The council has a few new people, and that’s good,”

Over the weekend, Alec Baldwin’s influencer wife Hilaria Baldwin was slammed for once again using one of the couple’s seven young children to get publicity, this time by promoting their 11-year-old daughter as a skincare visionary who has co-authored a book filled with her own recipes for “natural” beauty products. But critics of the Baldwins’ attention-seeking ways can take heart from a new report that revives Hilaria Baldwin’s Spanish “culture appropriation” scandal from 2020. That report comes from the satirical news site The Onion, which has published a scathing faux news story, headlined “Hilaria Baldwin Deported.” “In a stunning end to the 40-year-old media personality’s rise to fame, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Monday that Hilaria Baldwin had been deported to Spain,” the story begins. The story touches on some real elements of the Hilaria and Alec Baldwin saga, including how the couple have been preparing to star in a TLC reality show about their hectic family life with so many young children. Doing reality TV has been seen as a come-down for Baldwin, a long acclaimed, Emmy-winning TV and film actor. However, the

The San Jose Sharks traded goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, forward Givani Smith, and their own 2027 fifth-round pick on Monday to the Colorado Avalanche for goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, forward Nikolai Kovalenko, Colorado’s 2026 second-round selection, and a conditional fifth-round draft selection in 2025. Blackwood had been the Sharks’ top goalie since he was acquired from the New Jersey Devils in June 2023. In 63 games with the Sharks, Blackwood had a record of 16-34-7 and a .902 save percentage. After beginning the season with a 0-2-2 record, Blackwood had a record of 6-6-1 in his last 14 appearances with a .916 save percentage. The 28-year-old Georgiev, a pending unrestricted free agent, has struggled mightily so far this season. Although he has an 8-7-0 record in 18 games, he has a .874 save percentage and one of the worst marks in the NHL in goals saved above expected. Georgiev is in the final year of a three-year, $10.2 million contract with a $3.4 million cap hit. As part of the deal, Colorado will retain 14% of Georgiev’s contract, so the cap hit for San Jose is $2.924

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders could be the first player selected in the 2025 NFL Draft but was not the best player on his own team or, arguably, the best quarterback in the region. In fact, he might not have been one of the three or four top players in the western third of the country. That’s no knock on Sanders, who was sensational. Rather, it’s a reflection of the depth of high-end talent across the region, from Colorado receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and Boise State tailback Ashton Jeanty to Arizona State tailback Cam Skattebo, Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan. The Hotline attempted to corral that talent and craft the first annual Best of the West all-region team. We couldn’t pack the deserving players into one lineup, so we created a second team. First team Offense QB: Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel RB: Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo RB: Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty WR: Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan WR: Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson WR: San Jose State’s Nick Nash TE: Boise State’s Matt Lauter OL: Oregon’s Josh Conerly OL: Oregon State’s Joshua Gray OL: Arizona State’s Leif Fautanu

By Arthur Allen | KFF Health News The availability of safe, effective COVID vaccines less than a year into the pandemic marked a high point in the 300-year history of vaccination, seemingly heralding an age of protection against infectious diseases. Now, after backlash against public health interventions culminated in President-elect Donald Trump’s nominating Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the country’s best-known anti-vaccine activist, as its top health official, infectious disease and public health experts and vaccine advocates say a confluence of factors could cause renewed, deadly epidemics of measles, whooping cough, and meningitis, or even polio. “The litany of things that will start to topple is profound,” said James Hodge, a public health law expert at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. “We’re going to experience a seminal change in vaccine law and policy.” “He’ll make America sick again,” said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of public health law at Georgetown University. State legislators who question vaccine safety are poised to introduce bills to weaken school-entry vaccine requirements or do away with them altogether, said Northe Saunders, who tracks vaccine-related legislation for the SAFE

Amazon strikes big Mountain View deal as South Bay office sector perks up Silicon Valley office sector is returning to life (Colliers) 401 San Antonio Road, an office building in Mountain View. Amazon has struck a deal to rent a big office building in Mountain View in a hopeful sign of an office market rebound. Originally Published: December 9, 2024 at 12:15 PM PST

Simple in design yet versatile in use, the mortar and pestle is a popular piece of kitchenware that has been in existence for millennia. It allows users to grind, crush and pulverize contents, such as grains, spices and even some fruits and vegetables. These durable tools are made from various materials and may serve an aesthetic purpose as much as a functional one. Our favorite is this HiCoup Kitchenware Granite Mortar and Pestle, though there are many options. What to know before you buy a mortar and pestle Function The mortar is a sturdy bowl that ranges in depth and width, while the pestle is an equally strong handheld instrument, often rounded at one end. The combined design allows the user to exert an amount of force to create their ideal consistency and results. Unlike a grinder or blender, using a mortar and pestle is a manual operation. Many users prefer this option, and some recipes benefit from it. You can use a mortar and pestle to grind fresh herbs and spices, chop nuts, or even crush pills. It can be a muddler for cocktails

By GARY FIELDS WASHINGTON (AP) — While the election was over a month ago, voters in some parts of the country are discovering that having their say at the ballot box is not necessarily the final word. Lawmakers in several states have already initiated or indicated plans to alter or nullify certain results. Republican lawmakers in North Carolina are moving to undercut the authority of the incoming Democratic governor, Republicans in Missouri are taking initial steps to reverse voter-approved abortion protections, and Democrats in Massachusetts are watering down an attempt by voters to hold the Legislature more accountable. The actions following the Nov. 5 election continue a pattern that has accelerated in recent years and has been characterized by critics as undemocratic. “I think certainly when you’re a voter and you’re voting on the issue, you’re not thinking about whether someone’s then going to overturn or just ignore the things that you voted on,” said Anne Whitesell, an assistant professor of political science at Miami University in Ohio. The strategies range from outright reversals to “slow walking” the implementation of voter-approved ballot initiatives, such as

“Enough,” Katie Holmes declared Sunday, in a rare, unprecedented response to yet another tabloid report about her, her daughter Suri, and Suri’s complicated relationship with her mega-star father, Tom Cruise. In an Instragam post, Holmes took issue with a Daily Mail report, which alleged that her 18-year-old daughter, Suri, has become a millionaire after a trust fund, reportedly set up by her estranged father, has “kicked in.” “Completely false,” Holmes wrote over a screenshot of the article in the U.K. tabloid, headlined, “Suri Cruise the millionaire! Tom Cruise’s trust fund has ‘kicked in’ and mom Katie Holmes has one for her too.” “Daily Mail you can stop making stuff up,” Holmes added. With her post, Holmes has finally, after many years, spoken out publicly in response to a gossip or news report about her and her daughter and her famous ex-husband. Tom Cruise, with Katie Holmes and their daughter Suri, in 2007, after Holmes finished the New York City Marathon in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, file)  While Holmes is clearly disputing this specific report about a Cruise trust fund, it appears that the “Dawson’s

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has announced that he is appointing one of his defense attorneys in the New York hush money case as counselor to the president. Alina Habba, 40, defended Trump earlier this year, also serving as his legal spokesperson. Habba has been spending time with the president-elect since the election at his Florida club Mar-a-Lago. “She has been unwavering in her loyalty and unmatched in her resolve — standing with me through numerous ‘trials,’ battles and countless days in Court,” Trump posted on his social network Truth Social. “Few understand the Weaponization of the ‘Injustice’ System better than Alina.” Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes when a New York jury in May found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex. In Trump’s first term, the position of counselor was held by Republican strategist Kellyanne Conway. Habba has Iraqi ancestry and is Chaldean, which is Iraq’s

Given Donald Trump’s history of making false or misleading statements — and his fixation on people’s physical appearance and size — it’s not a reach to think that he’d exaggerate his height. The president-elect has long claimed that he stands a commanding 6 feet 3 inches, the Daily Mail reported. But the 78-year-old didn’t appear to measure up to that height, not while standing next to Prince William, who also is said to be 6-foot-3. The height discrepancy of an inch or two was visible when Trump met the heir to the British throne at the reopening of Notre Dame in Paris on Saturday. Trump and William appeared to enjoy a cordial exchange as they shook hands inside the cathedral, though the prince had to bend his head to meet the shorter man’s gaze. Trump and William later posed for photos at the residence of the British ambassador to France, as an exercise of soft diplomacy. Trump, again, looked somewhat shorter than the son of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana. PARIS, FRANCE – DECEMBER 7: Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales meets

The Airport fire, accidentally ignited by an Orange County work crew, has sparked about $400 million in liability claims from more than 100 people seeking an array of damages and reimbursement, down to one evacuee’s $3 purchase of peanut M&Ms at an Arco station. Some of the claimants lost homes or personal belongings. Others sustained burns. Some were trapped by the flames. All were victims of a 23,526-acre fire that began Sept. 9 and burned for 26 days in Orange and Riverside counties after a public works crew used heavy machinery to move boulders in tinder-dry Trabuco Canyon. The crew had failed to follow department “best practices” and bring a water truck for fire suppression. Some evacuees called that a “terrible error” or “a mistake with horrible consequences.” Katie and Regis Saalfeld look through the remains of their cabin in Holy Jim Canyon on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. The cabin, in the Orange County portion of the Cleveland National Forest, was destroyed in the Airport fire. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG) 1 of 2 Katie and Regis Saalfeld look through the remains of

The mother of two boys killed during a San Diego police vehicle pursuit filed a lawsuit last week alleging negligence on behalf of the department and the officers involved. Malikai, 8, and Mason Orozco-Romero, 4, were killed Dec. 8, 2023, when a BMW allegedly driven by Angel Velasquez Salgado, 20, slammed into the car carrying the boys on an Interstate 805 onramp. The car went down an embankment and crashed into a tree, then caught fire. The boys’ mother, Victoria Hayes, and her front-seat passenger, Lisbeth Martinez, were severely injured. At the time of the collision, San Diego police had been pursuing Salgado in a high-speed chase that began after officers attempted to pull him over for a bad headlight. Salgado was arrested and charged with murder, gross vehicular manslaughter, hit and run, evading and driving without a license. He has pleaded not guilty. In the complaint filed Tuesday in San Diego County Superior Court, lawyers for Hayes and Martinez allege that police “never should have engaged (Salgado) in a high speed chase and negligently failed to terminate the pursuit prior to causing harm and death

About two weeks before state officials will vote on the future of the controversial Aliso Canyon underground natural gas storage facility, which became the site of a massive gas leak nine years ago, a group of 100 scientists sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom urging him to shut down the facility. For four months in 2015 the gas leak spewed nearly 100,000 metric tons of methane, the largest methane release in U.S. history. The disaster forced 32,000 residents in Porter Ranch, Granada Hills and Chatsworth —  and several other communities in the San Fernando Valley — to evacuate and many experienced nosebleeds, dizziness and respiratory issues. According to UCLA researchers studying the health impacts of the gas leak, pregnant women living near the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility during and after the blowout were more likely to have premature births and low-weight newborns compared to women in other communities. Former California Gov. Jerry Brown directed the CPUC in 2017 to draft a plan that by 2027 would shut down the facility located in an underground depleted oil reservoir in the Santa Susana Mountains

DEAR JOAN: I know that dogs sweat through their tongues and panting, but do cats do the same? I’m worried about my Maine Coon, Toby. He’s about 3 years old but ever since I’ve had him – a couple of years – he likes to find the warmest spot in the house to stretch out. In the winter, that hot spot is in front of the fireplace. He gets so close to gas flames, I’m afraid he’s going to burn himself. Is there something wrong with him? Should I stop using the fireplace? He never seems to react to the heat. I’ve never seen him panting. — Maria J., San Jose DEAR MARIA: Cats and dogs sweat in much the same way, but not in the way you think. Dogs don’t sweat through their tongues. Panting allows a dog to quickly take in a breath of air, humidify it and breathe it out. This has the effect of cooling the dog from the inside out. Cats also use panting to regulate their body temperature, but like dogs, they sweat through glands on their paws. The most telling

Santa Clara County is building a war chest for immigration fight against the Trump administration The county is moving $5 million out of its reserves to protect immigrants The county is moving $5 million out of its reserves to help protect immigrants. Originally Published: December 9, 2024 at 6:30 AM PST

TODAY’S WORD — RANKLE RANKLE: RANK-ul: To anger or irritate. Average mark 15 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 19 or more words in RANKLE? The list will be published tomorrow. SATURDAY’S WORD — EPHEMERAL: earl epee ephemera pale paler palm pare peal pear pearl peel peeler peer perm plea pram hale hamper hare harem harm harp heal healer heap hear heel helm help helper hemp here male maple mare marl meal melee mere rale ramp real realm ream reap reel repeal repel ahem alee ampere ample aper lame lamer lamp leap leaper leer leper 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

Dear Eric: I play mah-jongg with senior citizens several times a week at a Barnes & Noble. One day our group needed two tables. There were several open tables but the only one of the right size had stuff sitting on it, along with a backpack on the floor. I moved the stuff to another table and took the one we needed. When the young man finally came back, I apologized and said, “Sorry to move your stuff, but we needed this table, and you were nowhere around.” He then told me it was rude to touch his stuff. Many of the ladies agreed with him, so I wonder if I was wrong. But the way I look at it is, you can’t put your stuff on a table and then walk around for an hour and expect no one to want the table. Also, I have come many times early and sat at a table to “reserve” it rather than just leaving my stuff on it. What do you think? – Game Play Rules Dear Rules: I think you shouldn’t have touched another person’s

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a 30-year-old woman, and my parents are constantly pressuring me to get married. The truth is, I don’t want to — ever. I’ve made a conscious decision to focus on my own passions, dreams and personal growth instead of pursuing a traditional path. However, this choice has been met with disappointment from my family, especially since I grew up in a traditional household. As the eldest, I spent most of my childhood and teenage years helping to raise my younger siblings. I had to take on a lot of responsibility, including tasks that I felt should have been my parents’. It wasn’t just physically exhausting, but emotionally draining, too. I often felt like I didn’t have a childhood of my own. This experience shaped my mindset, and I made a vow to myself that once I was older and independent, I would never subject myself to the pressures of having a family of my own. This decision feels right for me, but I can’t help but wonder if it sounds selfish to others. My family sees marriage and children as essential

DEAR MISS MANNERS: A young couple moved in next door. When they get mail addressed to the former occupant, they don’t contact her, even though she lives in the same small town (and runs a store here). One recent package contained some marketing materials she had ordered from me, which I mistakenly sent to her old address. When we figured out the problem, I texted my new neighbor, and he then left the package on my porch. But he had had it for three weeks without doing anything about it. When these neighbors are on their deck and my husband goes into his vegetable garden nearby, they immediately go inside. What’s wrong with these people? GENTLE READER: Maybe they are on their honeymoon. Maybe they are on the lam. Who knows? But they do not have to socialize with you. In any case, they do not want to be good neighbors, which is their privilege — up to a point. Retaining someone else’s mail was beyond that point. Miss Manners hopes that the post office will be more responsive when your former neighbor requests her

SANTA CLARA — It’s nice knowing these 49ers didn’t totally fool us. It’s comforting to confirm that the kind of performance they put on the field Sunday — a 38-13 onslaught of the Chicago Bears at Levi’s Stadium — is, in fact, still possible for this team. We can take some solace now, having seen for the first time this season a Niners team that showed toughness, fight, and grit. They were aggressive and efficient, and they built momentum through complementary football. Yes, the 49ers might have waited 14 weeks to show it, but the team in red jerseys on Sunday was a good football team. Those Niners on the field Sunday were the Niners we expected to see all season — a team that went from offensive performances the past two weeks (losing by a combined margin of 73-20) to the right kind of offensive (319 first-half yards, 24-0 lead) on Sunday. The shame is that it was probably too little, too late for San Francisco. While they are not technically eliminated from postseason contention, the 49ers’ only realistic route to the playoffs is