Category: Bay Area

By LINLEY SANDERS, HUMERA LODHI and ANNIE NG WASHINGTON (AP) — The lead-up to the 2024 election was all about cat owners. But in the end, the dogs had their day. President-elect Donald Trump won slightly more than half of voters who own either cats or dogs, with a big assist from dog owners, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters. Dog owners were much more likely to support the Republican over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. Cat owners were split between the two candidates. About two-thirds of voters said they own a dog or cat, but pet owners don’t usually get much attention from politicians. This year, however, past comments by Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, about “childless cat ladies” briefly became a campaign issue — and Taylor Swift signed her Instagram endorsement of Harris in September as “Taylor Swift Childless Cat Lady.” Harris did end up decisively winning support from women who owned a cat but not a dog. Still, those voters were a relatively small slice of the electorate, and pet owners as a whole did

By WILL WEISSERT LUANDA, Angola (AP) — President Joe Biden on his visit to sub-Saharan Africa pledged another $600 million for a cross-continent rail corridor project Wednesday, telling regional leaders that “Africa has been left behind for much too long. But not anymore. Africa is the future.” Biden used the third and final day of his visit to Angola to showcase the Lobito Corridor railway, where the U.S. and allies are investing heavily to refurbish 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) of train lines in Zambia, Congo and Angola. The project aims to advance the U.S. presence in a region rich in cobalt, copper and other critical minerals used in batteries for electric vehicles, electronic devices and clean energy technologies. By the end of the decade, the rail line could even go a long way toward linking southern Africa’s west and east coasts. “It’s a game changer,” Biden said, and cited the transformational effect of building the transcontinental railroad in the United States. Cargo that once took 45 days to get to the United States — usually involving trucks to South Africa — will now take less

Dead & Company return to Las Vegas for another massive Sphere residency Dead & Co. to play 18 more Sphere shows Dead & Company perform on May 16 at the Sphere in Las Vegas. (Jim Harrington, Bay Area News Group) Here’s how to get tickets for Dead & Company concert dates at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Originally Published: December 4, 2024 at 9:12 AM PST

Disneyland is offering a wide range of freebies and discounts this Christmas holiday season that might come as a pleasant surprise to anyone who feels like the Anaheim theme park has become the Priciest Place on Earth. We’ve gathered together seven Disneyland deals that you can get right now if you know where to look and you have the right connections.

The Best of the West offers fans a candid assessment of the top teams in the western third of the country — a collection that includes the Mountain West and the former Pac-12 schools now scattered across the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and West Coast Conference. The rankings will be published on the Hotline weekly throughout the regular season. 1. Gonzaga (7-1) Last week: 1 Results: beat Indiana 89-73 and Davidson 90-65 NET ranking: No. 3 Next up: vs. Kentucky Comment: Three mammoth Saturdays await with the Wildcats (in Seattle), UConn (in New York City) and UCLA (in Inglewood). That’s 25 national championships staring back at the Zags from the opposite bench. 2. Oregon (8-0) Last week: 2 Results: beat San Diego State 78-68 and Alabama 83-81 NET ranking: No. 14 Next up: at USC (Wednesday) Comment: Fourth-year big man Nate Bittle (14.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game) is rewarding the Ducks for their patience — and showing why he was a five-star prospect. 3. Arizona State (8-1) Last week: 8 Results: beat New Mexico 85-82, Saint Mary’s 68-64 and San Diego 90-53

A Fairfax resident pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he drove while intoxicated and struck a 75-year-old pedestrian. Edward Raymond Bacci, 80, is charged with a felony count of causing great bodily injury while driving under the influence of alcohol and a felony count of injuring a person while his blood-alcohol level exceeded California’s legal limit of 0.08%. The criminal complaint does not say what his alleged blood-alcohol level was. The incident happened on July 23. Bacci, the owner of Nave’s Bar and Grill in Fairfax, was driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard when he hit the pedestrian, police reported. She was walking to her apartment at the Bennett House care home. Bacci was released on bail while authorities reviewed the case for criminal charges. The Marin County District Attorney’s Office filed its complaint against him on Oct. 17, and he was arraigned on Oct. 25. The plea hearing was set for Tuesday before Judge Geoffrey Howard. Howard scheduled the preliminary hearing, the proceeding to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to advance to a trial, for Jan. 27. Bacci remains

A woman accused of stealing more than $50,000 from a Greenbrae resident was ordered back to jail Tuesday, just 10 days after she was released on bail. The prosecution said the defendant, Qingyun Chen, had been released in error. Chen, 30, of San Leandro was charged last month with grand theft, grand theft by false pretenses and theft from an elder or dependent adult. The alleged victim is 79 years old. RELATED: Bay Area duo charged with defrauding 80-year-old man out of $250,000 in mortgage fraud scheme Marin County sheriff’s detectives arrested Chen on allegations of scamming victims via the internet. She’s accused of misleading the Greenbrae resident into paying large amounts of money to couriers who were sent to her home. Chen’s initial bail amount was set at $2.5 million because of the significant amount of money she was believed to have defrauded from victims online, according to the Marin County Sheriff’s Office. During a hearing on Nov. 22, Judge Kelly Simmons ordered the bail amount to be reduced to $100,000. As a condition of the bail reduction, Simmons ordered Chen to prove that

New production’s Scrooge on why the Muppets – and so many others – lied to us about Dickens’ classic character New Santa Cruz Shakespeare production of ‘A Christmas Carol’ walks a fine line in its faithful adaptation Iconic Santa Cruz actors Julie James, top, and Mike Ryan play the Ghost of Christmas Present and Ebenezer Scrooge in Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s staging of “A Christmas Carol” playing at the Santa Cruz Veterans Memorial Building through Dec. 24. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel) Everything you thought you knew about Ebenezer Scrooge is … wrong?? Apparently, the Muppets lied to us. Now, a new Santa Cruz Shakespeare production of the Dickens classic tells the tale.

Antioch mayor reflects on achievements amidst challenges Hernandez-Thorpe navigated APD racist text scandal Antioch Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe addresses the first Antioch Police Oversight Commission at its inaugural meeting on March 18, 2024. (Judith Prieve) Outgoing Antioch mayor talks about the challenges and achievements during his four years as mayor. Originally Published: December 4, 2024 at 6:15 AM PST

San Jose content creator Gina Lee works on recent Screen Smart Meta event in San Francisco on Nov. 19. (Photo courtesy of Meta) By Ryan Macasero | rmacasero@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: December 4, 2024 at 6:10 AM PST Meta has launches new accounts for teenagers Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To login in, click here.

TODAY’S WORD — MENORAH MENORAH: men-OR-uh: A candelabra with seven or nine lights that is used in Jewish worship. Average mark 28 words Time limit 35 minutes Can you find 36 or more words in MENORAH? The list will be published tomorrow. YESTERDAY’S WORD — REFUTED: reed reef refed refute rude etude feed feet fete feud free fret teed tree true turf deer deet defer deft deter duet 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: How do you stay friends with someone who puts zero interest in maintaining an adult friendship? My best friend from high school (of more than 20 years) had kids a few years ago. The kids are young but out of the baby stage. My friend constantly asks to hang out but never offers anything that is not totally kid-focused. Think story time at the library, watching their soccer practice or just inviting me over to play with the kids. I have suggested meeting for coffee before work or dinner after work, but my friend does not want to spend any time away from the family. Over the years, I have read columns about people who claim their friends disappeared once they have kids. I always said I would never do that but now I am seeing a possible other side to that story. It sounds so selfish to say I do not enjoy hanging out with the kids for hours on a Saturday but that’s how I feel. I need tools to have a conversation. How do I talk about this with my

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently started working out due to health and weight issues. I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and my doctor advised me to establish a routine alongside dietary changes. I joined a fitness group with friends, but I feel constantly judged because I can’t keep up with their pace. Although I know they mean well, their comments about my fitness level are starting to discourage me rather than motivate me. I don’t want to give up, but I also don’t want to feel this way every time I exercise with them. I feel the pressure to match their standards, which only makes it harder to stay motivated. — Fitness Frenzy DEAR FITNESS FRENZY: First, I want to commend you for taking action for your health and your life. It is not easy to lose weight, start an exercise regimen or keep it up. It takes discipline and time, and it helps a lot when you have encouragement. Do you think you can find another group to join that might be more positive? This group does not sound like the best fit for

DEAR MISS MANNERS: At a dinner party, the hostess had set a lovely table with flowers and candles. I complimented her on the setting. Later, as dinner started, I found the flowers blocking my view of the guest across from me, preventing any potential conversation. I was interested in talking with this guest, so I asked the hostess if we could move the tall flowers so we could see each other. (Some beautiful, shorter flowers and tall candles remained on the table.) She moved them, but muttered loud enough for everyone to hear that she had set a beautiful table and I was ruining the look. It was very embarrassing, but I thanked her for moving them and didn’t say anything else. Later, my husband told me I shouldn’t have said anything. I felt I handled it appropriately and the host should have been more gracious. GENTLE READER: If your husband was suggesting you did anything wrong, Miss Manners will disagree. But perhaps he was merely suggesting that, since you both know your hostess, her reaction was predictable: You were lucky she did not lower

Democrat Adam Gray wins election to U.S. House in California’s 13th Congressional District, beating incumbent John Duarte Republican Rep. John Duarte, left, and Democrat Adam Gray are in a tight race in California’s San Joaquin Valley district that could help determine control of the U.S. House in the 2024 election. (Fresno Bee file/TNS) WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Adam Gray won election to a U.S. House seat representing California on Wednesday, defeating Republican Rep. John Duarte. The race was a rematch of the 2022 midterm election, which was one of the closest House races in the country. Democrats bet on higher turnout in a presidential election year in this majority-Hispanic 13th Congressional District, which Democrat Joe Biden comfortably carried in 2020. The Associated Press declared Gray the winner at 12:51 a.m. EST. Originally Published: December 3, 2024 at 9:51 PM PST

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Amanda Seyfried, 39; Bruno Campos, 51; Holly Marie Combs, 51; Julianne Moore, 64. Happy Birthday: Get organized. Open discussions will help you resolve issues stopping you from moving forward. A change is overdue, and being the one pushing forward will help build the momentum necessary to reach your goal. Actions coupled with well-thought-out plans and putting together a team that can help will also build confidence and give you the strength and courage to redirect anyone who gets in your way. Your numbers are 8, 11, 23, 34, 37, 42, 48. ARIES (March 21-April 19): That you’re dealing with people, institutions or agencies that lack integrity is apparent. Do your due diligence and get what you want in writing before you commit. A physical outlet will ease stress and help you formulate a clear picture of a situation that makes you uncertain or nervous. 2 stars TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A change will help you get a glimpse of new possibilities. Put your energy into something that offers hope and concrete results. Balance is the key to positive movement. Assemble

DENVER — Had the Warriors held on against the Nuggets on Tuesday night in the Ball Arena, they would have hosted an NBA Cup quarterfinal game. Instead, Nikola Jokic sparked an 11-0 closing run as the Warriors’ late-game execution lacked. The Warriors lost, 119-115, for their fifth consecutive defeat. While the current slide is more relevant than any NBA Cup ramification, the result added a new, do-or-die game to their schedule. The Warriors (12-8) won their NBA Cup group, but will head to Houston to play the Rockets in the quarterfinal game on Dec. 11 at 6:30 P.T.. If they win, they’ll head to Las Vegas for the semifinals against the winner of Oklahoma City and Dallas. The Warriors have consistently stated their desire to win the NBA Cup — and the associated prize money. Getting back in the win column, though, is their most immediate priority. “We’re trying to get out of this hole any way we can,” Steph Curry said after the Nuggets loss. “Got to play a little desperate, try some different things.” A heightened, playoff-like setting could be a good opportunity

Which ice skates for kids are best? Ice skating is a fun hobby for children that’s great exercise to boot. Whether your child is hitting the rink for the first time or taking weekly lessons, the right pair of ice skates can make all the difference in helping them enjoy their experience. Many children’s ice skates are designed to grow with your child, which is great news, since ice skates can be expensive. Our shopping guide covers all the factors you’ll want to consider before making a purchase, like style, sizing, adjustability, and closures. We also share our top recommendations at the end, including the easy-to-wear Lake Placid Starglide Double Runner Figure Ice Skate. What to know before you buy ice skates for kids Size It’s important to know that ice skate sizes and shoe sizes don’t match. Measure your child’s feet (while they’re sitting down) and review a brand’s sizing chart before making a purchase. Resist sizing up when purchasing children’s ice skates — properly fitting skates should be snug, leaving just a finger’s length of space behind the heel before the closures are

Which snowboard pants are best? Whether you’re a hard-charging snowboarder or planning your first trip to the slopes, a good pair of snowboard pants is an essential aspect of having a good time and keeping warm. No one wants to take time off to sit in the lodge because they’re wet and cold. However, with so many different options on the market, choosing the right pair can be a hassle. If you’re interested in top-of-the-line pants you can rely on season after season, check out the Burton AK Cyclic Snow Pant. What to know before you buy snowboard pants Style While most snowboard pants are regular pants, some include a chest bib. Although some people find them uncomfortable, bibs add storage and warmth while keeping out the snow and improving the fit of your pants. However, bibs often cost more and aren’t necessary for infrequent snowboarders or people who tend to stay out of deep snow. Critically vs. fully taped seams Fully taped seams are completely waterproof, so you won’t have to worry about your phone getting damaged by moisture. Critically taped seams, on the

Far right activist Lynley Kerr Hogan is suing Los Gatos council members Rob Moore and Maria Ristow and Los Gatos Democracy Tent moderator Lee Fagot for defamation. Hogan alleges in the suit, filed on Nov. 14, that Moore, Ristow and Fagot conspired to defame her and prevent her from attending meetings hosted by the Democracy Tent – a group that encourages people to discuss public policy once a week. Hogan had been part of a far-right group that had for months disrupted town council meetings in 2021, and has recently attended several town council meetings this year espousing anti-LGBTQ rhetoric during the public comment period. Hogan is alleging in the lawsuit that Moore and Ristow defamed her to Fagot in saying that she went to a town council meeting and threatened to kill someone, and that Fagot defamed her by making a similar statement. She alleges that the three violated her First Amendment rights, in intentionally excluding her from Democracy Tent’s weekly public meetings and intentionally causing her “emotional distress.” Hogan began attending the weekly meetings in April 2023, according to the complaint, but was

Which ice hockey skate is best? Ice hockey is a great sport to watch and play, but it’s not always easy to get started because it requires so much equipment. And trying to figure out which products to buy can be overwhelming for a newcomer.   Choices may vary depending on your needs, but a top pick for the best ice hockey skate is the Bauer Unisex BTH20 Supreme S35 Senior Hockey Skate . What to know before you buy ice hockey skates Play level You not only want to consider how frequently you will use the skates when buying, but also consider the level you’re participating at since skates were designed with these considerations in mind.   Recreational: If you’re young, just starting out or a casual player, you want to look for recreational skates. They are less expensive and more comfortable but not ideal for elite performers. These are the best skates to purchase if you’re learning.  Performance: These skates are more supportive and have a stiffer boot than the recreational skates. They also last a little longer because they have exchangeable runners that allow