Category: Bay Area

By Bill Barrow | Associated Press WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that he will nominate former White House aide Brooke Rollins to be his agriculture secretary. Rollins, who heads the Trump-allies America First Policy Institute, was the director of his office of American innovation in his first term. The nomination must be confirmed by the Republican-led Senate. Rollins would succeed Tom Vilsack, President Joe Biden’s agriculture secretary who oversees the sprawling agency that controls policies, regulations and aid programs related to farming, forestry, ranching, food quality and nutrition. Originally Published: November 23, 2024 at 1:38 PM PST

By Matthew Lee | Associated Press WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony Blinken is leaving Saturday on a diplomatic trip to Europe that includes a meeting of foreign ministers from the leading industrialized nations that will focus on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. The State Department said Blinken will participate in Group of Seven and bilateral meetings outside Rome on Monday and Tuesday as the Biden administration winds down amid concerns that President-elect Donald Trump’s team may substantially alter U.S. foreign policy. The G7 — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States — has been at the forefront of providing military and economic support for Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, and Democratic President Joe Biden is looking to ensure that backing is boosted and sustained. G7 members are particularly concerned about how Trump will change the U.S. approach. Trump has criticized the billions of dollars that the Biden administration has poured into Ukraine. Washington has recently stepped up weapons shipments ad has forgiven billions in loans provided to Kyiv. The incoming Republican president has said

By The Associated Press Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday signed into law a bill banning adoption of Russian children by citizens of countries where gender transitioning is legal. The Kremlin leader also approved legislation that outlaws the spread of material that encourages people not to have children. The bills, which were previously approved by both houses of Russia’s parliament, follow a series of laws that have suppressed sexual minorities and bolstered longstanding conventional values. Russian lower house Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, who was among the new bill’s authors, said in a Telegram post in July that “it is extremely important to eliminate possible dangers in the form of gender reassignment that adopted children may face in these countries.” The adoption ban would apply to at least 15 countries, most of them in Europe, and Australia, Argentina and Canada. Adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens was banned in 2012. Other bills approved Saturday ban what they described as propaganda for remaining child-free and impose fines of up to 5 million rubles (about $50,000). Its proponents contended that public arguments against having children are part of

BRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and the head of NATO have met for talks on global security, the military alliance said Saturday. In a brief statement, NATO said Trump and its secretary general, Mark Rutte, met on Friday in Palm Beach, Florida. “They discussed the range of global security issues facing the Alliance,” the statement said without giving details. It appeared to be Rutte’s first meeting with Trump since his Nov. 5 election. Rutte had previously congratulated Trump and said “his leadership will again be key to keeping our Alliance strong” and that he looked forward to working with him. Trump has for years expressed skepticism about the Western alliance and complained about the defense spending of many of its member nations, which he regarded as too low. He depicted NATO allies as leeches on the U.S. military and openly questioned the value of the alliance that has defined American foreign policy for decades. He threatened not to defend NATO members that fail to meet defense-spending goals. Rutte and his team also met Trump’s pick as national security adviser, U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz

SUBSCRIBER ONLY Takeaways from San Jose State’s loss to No. 23 UNLV as Spartans go scoreless after halftime San Jose State struggles to pass, run in rainy conditions on its home field, loses for second week in a row San Jose State quarterback Walker Eget looks to pass the ball in the rain during the first half of an NCAA college football game against UNLV, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez) San Jose State struggles to pass, run in rainy conditions on its home field, loses for second week in a row.

Sunny skies on Saturday morning gave Bay Area residents a break from the two days of heavy rains that pounded the region, breaking daily rainfall records in cities from Santa Rosa to San Jose. “We still are going to have rain these next few days, but it’s nothing like what we went through,” said meteorologist Dylan Flynn, with the National Weather Service’s Monterey office. Downtown Santa Rosa broke a century-plus record for having the most amount of rain within a 72-hour period — 12,7 inches. The previous record was 9.72 inches. “We broke it by a healthy margin,” Flynn said. “We’ve never seen that much of rain over three days since we started recording.” Downtown San Francisco registered 2.97 inches of rain Friday, a total that broke the single-day record of 1.12 inches set more than 150 years ago. In the South Bay, San Jose recorded 0.72 inches of rain, breaking a daily record set in 1964 by 0.10 inches. Despite the break in weather, the storm’s aftermath is causing disruptions in traffic and flood advisories. This morning a fallen tree on Foothill Expressway in

SUBSCRIBER ONLY Bay Area high school football roundup 2024: Best of Week 13 action High school football playoffs: Amador Valley turns back Windsor. Campolindo keeps rolling, will play Acalanes for NCS Division III crown. Burlingame, Sacred Heart Prep win on road in CCS Division IV games. Amador Valley’s Tristan Tia, shown here in a game last week, led the Dons to a victory over Windsor on Friday night in an NCS Division II semifinal in Pleasanton. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) High school football playoffs: Amador Valley turns back Windsor. Campolindo keeps rolling, will play Acalanes for NCS Division III crown. Burlingame, Sacred Heart Prep win on road in CCS Division IV games. Originally Published: November 23, 2024 at 8:20 AM PST

SUBSCRIBER ONLY Sabedra on high schools: Teammates chanted Kelley’s name after the De La Salle running back denied Pittsburg’s bid to end Spartans’ NCS streak. De La Salle’s Dominic Kelley #21 celebrates a first down run in the final moments of a 10-7 victory over Pittsburg in the NorCal Open football championship, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) Sabedra on high schools: Teammates chanted Kelley’s name after the De La Salle running back denied Pittsburg’s bid to end Spartans’ NCS streak. Originally Published: November 23, 2024 at 7:05 AM PST

When more than 20,000 people hit the streets of downtown San Jose for the Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot, they’ll be part of a tradition celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Carl Guardino still remembers waking up with his wife, Leslee, to a KCBS radio report about how 20,000 people were starting their Thanksgiving morning with a run to support local charities. The only problem was that run was in Sacramento, not San Jose. ”We thought, ‘Why doesn’t somebody do that here?’,” said Guardino, who was CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group at the time. “Then we realized, maybe somebody was us.” From left, Carl Guardino, Leslee Guardino, Jake Guardino, Jessica Guardino and Siena Guardino pose in downtown San Jose wearing shirts for the Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot in 2018. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group) 1 of 11 From left, Carl Guardino, Leslee Guardino, Jake Guardino, Jessica Guardino and Siena Guardino pose in downtown San Jose wearing shirts for the Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot in 2018. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group) Expand There are Turkey Trots all over the

TODAY’S WORD — NECTARY NECTARY: NEK-tuh-ree: A plant gland that secretes nectar. Average mark 34 words Time limit 40 minutes Can you find 45 or more words in NECTARY? The list will be published Monday. YESTERDAY’S WORD — GRISTLE: gelt gest gilt girl gist glister grist grit relit rest rile rise rite isle islet istle silt sire site slier slit stile stir tier tiger tile tiler tire tries trig legist lest lier liger list lister lite liter litre egis 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 Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at kzsaxe@gmail.com.

Dear Eric: I eat at one restaurant a couple times a week and tend to get one of three meals. This one waitress asks me what I want to eat, but then interrupts me to make guesses or tell me my choice. I just put my head down and nod yes or no to the guesses. It’s frustrating, but not life-threatening. She enjoys it. I hate it. If I were to object, it would force her to make the choice of being herself — doing something she likes doing — or appeasing me so I can order the way I want to order. I don’t know if this is a big enough problem to have a “high road.” The answer will not change my life. She can easily change, and I can easily suffer. The question is who gets to be themselves? – Speaking Up Dear Speaking Up: I worked in the service industry for more than a decade. I loved it. I loved seeing regulars, meeting new people and carrying a lot of beverages in my hands at one time. The whole bit. I

DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend, who just got married, has been told by her in-laws that she should buy a brand-new car. They believe a new car is fitting for the couple’s new life together and have been insisting on it. My friend feels that a secondhand car is more realistic, especially since her husband just started a new job. She’s trying to manage their finances responsibly; her in-laws continue to pressure her. They seem to think that buying a new car will reflect well on the family, and they’re not considering the financial strain it could cause. My friend is feeling torn, caught between respecting her in-laws’ wishes and staying true to her own budget. She’s worried that saying no might strain her relationship with them. Should she stand by her decision, or is it better to try to please them? — In-Law Expectations DEAR IN-LAW EXPECTATIONS: This is what I would say to her: What’s most important is for you and your husband to be on the same page. Take a good look at your family budget. How much money are you two earning?

DEAR MISS MANNERS: A friend whom I very much treasured has ceased to be my friend. After 12 years of travel adventures, Saturday afternoons at markets, deep conversations over coffee, visiting each other several times a year (after she moved 1,000 miles away) and helping each other with projects, she started distancing herself from me. I asked her what was happening, and she would only say there was nothing wrong and that nothing had changed. She acted like I was imagining things. I received a card in the mail from her a few months ago where she mentioned, almost as an aside, that she had moved back here. I called her immediately and asked how I could have missed that she was moving back. She laughed and said she’d been here for six weeks already. I felt crushed, though I didn’t express that. The friend I had known would have called me the day the decision was made. Actually, she would have called me before that, to talk over the pros and cons. We would have seen each other at least a dozen times in

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Miley Cyrus, 32; Salli Richardson-Whitfield, 57; Robin Roberts, 64; Bruce Hornsby, 70. Happy Birthday: Control is the objective this year. Assess situations, analyze the potential outcomes and masterfully engage in the best way to continue with the most negligible fallout. Embrace change, innovate and replace what isn’t performing well with something better. Remember, life is a work in progress. It’s up to you to venture down paths that excite you and to tweak anything that doesn’t live up to its reputation. Your numbers are 8, 15, 24, 27, 31, 36, 48. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Communicate, participate and socialize, and you’ll meet someone who shares your concerns and beliefs. You have plenty to gain through the connections you make. A proposal will lead to a binding contract and a lifestyle change. Travel will be enlightening and prompt a move or change. 3 stars TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Step outside your comfort zone and do something that sparks your imagination. A shift in your appearance or lifestyle will help build enthusiasm and encourage you to expand your qualifications to fit changing

DANVILLE — Dylan Deitsch had no intention of trying to make a play. The night was cold, windy and wet — the perfect formula to muff a punt. During a game like this, scoreless deep into the fourth quarter, a fumble could end up being the ballgame. So, as the punt wobbled in Deitsch direction, the senior was content to let the ball hit the ground, roll until its momentum stopped and let his offense go to work. At least initially. That calculus changed when the punt landed on the turf and bounced straight up. The ball beckoned to be grabbed. Deitsch obliged. He found a gap. He found his blockers. He didn’t find the end zone, but he did find the red zone. Deitsch didn’t score the go-ahead, game-winning, fourth-quarter touchdown — that honor went to running back Sammy Avalos — but the senior’s daring punt return set the table for San Ramon Valley’s 7-0 win over Cardinal Newman in the NCS Division I semifinal. “I saw that ball and I was like, ‘This is the play,’” Deitsch said. “It ended up in my hands

Ambrose Carroll (22), Austin Mahoney (27), Deji Ajose (1), Julius Bolton (59) and OC Lehner (35) of Bishop O’Dowd celebrate their victory over Liberty after the NCS Division II semifinal at Liberty High School in Brentwood, Calif. on Nov. 22, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman for the Bay Area News Group) By Nathan Canilao | Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: November 23, 2024 at 12:02 AM PST Prep football: Bishop O’Dowd upsets top-seeded Liberty on road behind clutch play in second half to advance to NCS Division II title game Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To login in, click here.

Breaking News High School Sports | Live map: Where it’s raining in the Bay Area Sports High School Sports Analysis, News Analysis, News Based on factual reporting, although it Incorporates the expertise of the author/producer and may offer interpretations and conclusions., Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. SUBSCRIBER ONLY St. Ignatius completed one more comeback, as Jarious Hogan’s 17-yard TD gave the Wildcats their first Open Division title since 2012 St. Ignatius celebrates after winning against St. Francis during the CCS Open Division championship at San Jose City College in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) By Christian Babcock | cbabcock@bayareanewsgroup.com PUBLISHED: November 22, 2024 at 11:51 PM PST St. Ignatius completed one more comeback, as Jarious Hogan’s 17-yard TD gave the Wildcats their first Open Division title since 2012 Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To login in, click here.

SUBSCRIBER ONLY Armando Rodriguez provides winning points with his third-quarter field goal as Wilcox survives on a rainy night Wilcox’s Brayden Rosa (2), shown here in a file photo, scored his team’s only touchdown in a 10-7 victory over Menlo-Atherton on Friday night in Santa Clara as the Chargers advanced to the Central Coast Section Division II final. (Thien-An Truong for Bay Area News Group) Armando Rodriguez provides winning points with his third-quarter field goal as Wilcox survives and advances on a rainy night. Originally Published: November 22, 2024 at 11:05 PM PST

SUBSCRIBER ONLY San Jose State throws for only 81 yards, unable to hold a halftime lead as UNLV rallies for a victory San Jose State wide receiver Matthew Coleman, right, scores a touchdown while being tackled by UNLV defensive back Jodi DeCambra during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez) San Jose State throws for only 81 yards, unable to hold a halftime lead as UNLV rallies for a victory. Originally Published: November 22, 2024 at 10:51 PM PST

Central Coast Section Open/Division I Open final No. 1 St. Ignatius 10, No. 2 St. Francis 7 Division I semifinal No. 5 Los Gatos (9-2) at No. 3 Riordan (7-4), Saturday, 1 p.m. Next week’s Division I final Los Gatos-Riordan winner vs. St. Francis (9-3), TBA Division II Semifinals No. 7 Palma (6-5) vs. No. 6 Menlo (8-3) at Sequoia HS, Saturday, 7 p.m.  No. 1 Wilcox 10, No. 4 Menlo-Atherton 7 Final Palma-Menlo winner vs. No. 1 Wilcox (10-2), TBA   Division III Semifinals No. 7 Aptos 49, No. 3 Palo Alto 35  No. 1 Carmel 40, No. 4 Hollister 21 Final No. 7 Aptos (7-5) vs. No. 1 Carmel (12-0),TBA Division IV Semifinals No. 3 Sacred Heart Prep 28, No. 2 Branham 14  No. 4 Burlingame 14, No. 1 Piedmont Hills 12 Final No. 4 Burlingame (8-4) vs. No. 3 Sacred Heart Prep (6-6),TBA Division V Semifinals   No. 3 Leland 35, No. 2 Alisal 14 No. 4 Sequoia 21, No. 1 South San Francisco 6 Final No. 4 Sequoia (7-5) vs. No. 3 Leland (9-3), TBA North Coast Section Open/Division I Open

GILROY — A 28-year-old man was killed in a crash Thursday night in Gilroy, according to authorities. The solo-vehicle crash was reported around 8:50 p.m. on Holsclaw Road north of Highway 152, the California Highway Patrol said in a news release. Officers arrived to find a 2013 Toyota Tundra had veered off the roadway and struck a tree. The driver and sole occupant of the pickup truck — identified only as a Gilroy resident — was killed in the crash, according to the CHP. The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office will release his identity after it is confirmed and his next of kin is notified. As of Friday, the CHP did not know whether alcohol or drugs played a role in the incident. “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased,” CHP Capt. Noel Coady said in a statement. “As we continue to investigate the cause of the crash, this tragedy serves as a reminder for all of us to comply with traffic laws and take a safety-first approach to driving. Lives depend on it.” Anyone with information related to the