Category: Bay Area

SANTA CLARA — No Brock Purdy. No Nick Bosa. No chance for the 49ers on Sunday in Green Bay? “We’re missing two good players definitely but we’ll have a lot of good players out there,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan countered. “By no means do we not have a chance to win. We’ll fight our tails off. We’ll expect a real good game.” Purdy’s throwing-shoulder soreness will force him to miss his first game due to injury since becoming the 49ers’ starting quarterback nearly two years ago, and that thrusts ninth-year journeyman Brandon Allen into his 10th career start and first since 2021 with Cincinnati. Bosa’s oblique and hip injuries will sideline him for his first game of this wobbly season. Also ruled out were cornerback Charvarius Ward (personal), return specialist Jacob Cowing (concussion), defensive tackle Kevin Givens (groin) and linebacker Tatum Bethune (knee), while left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) is questionable as a game-time decision for a second straight game. Tight end George Kittle (hamstring) and running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) are good to go for an offense that must make do without Purdy at

By MICHAEL R. SISAK NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs tried for a third time Friday to persuade a judge to let him leave jail while he awaits his sex trafficking trial, but a decision won’t come until next week. Judge Arun Subramanian said at a hearing that he will release his decision on Combs’ latest request for bail after Combs’ lawyers and federal prosecutors file letters addressing outstanding issues. Those letters are due at noon on Monday, Subramanian said. Combs’ lawyers pitched having him await trial under around-the-clock surveillance either his mansion on an island near Miami Beach or — after the judge scoffed at that location — an apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Their plan essentially amounts to putting Combs on house arrest, with strict limits on who he has contact with. But prosecutors argue that Combs has routinely flouted jail rules and can’t be trusted not to interfere with witnesses or the judicial process. “The argument that he’s a lawless person who doesn’t follow instructions isn’t factually accurate,” Combs lawyer Anthony Ricco argued. “The idea that he’s an

By JILL COLVIN and STEPHEN GROVES WASHINGTON (AP) — After several weeks working mostly behind closed doors, Vice President-elect JD Vance returned to Capitol Hill this week in a new, more visible role: Helping Donald Trump try to get his most contentious Cabinet picks to confirmation in the Senate, where Vance has served for the last two years. Vance arrived at the Capitol on Wednesday with former Rep. Matt Gaetz and spent the morning sitting in on meetings between Trump’s choice for attorney general and key Republicans, including members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The effort was for naught: Gaetz announced a day later that he was withdrawing his name amid scrutiny over sex trafficking allegations and the reality that he was unlikely to be confirmed. Thursday morning Vance was back, this time accompanying Pete Hegseth, the “Fox & Friends Weekend” host whom Trump has tapped to be the next secretary of defense. Hegseth also has faced allegations of sexual assault that he denies. Vance is expected to accompany other nominees for meetings in coming weeks as he tries to leverage the two years he

SANTA CLARA — A campus is in mourning after an 18-year-old Santa Clara University student was killed in a car collision Thursday in front of the school grounds, according to authorities and college officials. Kephas Pope, a member of the college’s Class of 2027, was near El Camino Real and Accolti Way just before noon when he was hit by a southbound driver, Santa Clara police said in a news release. In a GoFundMe page established by Pope’s father, he wrote that his son was riding his bicycle to class when the collision occurred. Responding police officers and firefighters found Pope seriously injured. He was taken to a hospital where he died, police said. Police said the driver stopped at the scene, and there is no indication that anyone was arrested or cited, or that the driver was impaired by drugs or alcohol. No additional details, including the exact circumstances of the collision, were released by police Friday. On Thursday afternoon, SCU President Julie Sullivan sent out a campus email confirming Pope’s death and describing him as a sophomore majoring in neuroscience and biochemistry. He

Ladies and gentlemen, here are your three stars of the week: Dorks like me who have been begging the Warriors for an excellent alternate uniform (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)  » The Warriors, like every team in the NBA, have been overdoing it with the uniforms in recent years. I don’t know if it’s a post-COVID revenue play or a Nike mandate, but every season, teams have three new uniforms in addition to their standard fare, and lately, the Dubs’ alternate offerings have left me wanting more. There was the black-and-yellow rose jersey (too busy), last year’s (accidental) Cal homage, the strange “San Francisco” hill uniform, and the yellow “The Bay” joint — all misses, in my sartorial opinion. But I have to say that this season’s “City Edition” uniform — an homage to the Golden Gate Bridge — is a hit for me. Not only do I love the color scheme — red, blue, yellow, and gold — but the fonts and design elements hit. It’s hardly simplistic, but it’s not crowded. Being a 36-year-old chubby white guy, I will not literally buying one

For “Hysteria!” actresses Anna Camp and Julie Bowen, horror is harder than comedy. “Horror is really hard actually because there is a fine line you have to walk; you have to make it feel grounded and you’re put in these extreme circumstances: You’re being possessed or pulled through the air, there’s nothing you can do to relate to that,” explained Camp of “Pitch Perfect” fame. “With comedy, you can have a relatable situation and go, ‘I’ve been in situations like that.’ There’s nothing you can compare (horror) to, so you have to use your imagination. I find it harder. Your imagination goes home with you at the end of the day. You’re still thinking crazy thoughts.” Bowen, best known for playing Claire Dunphy on “Modern Family,” agreed. “Comedy’s pretty binary because it’s like either you can make people laugh or you don’t. I can’t watch horror. I’m terrified, terrified! I am the easiest scare in the world, so as far as doing (horror), I want to make it as real as possible. It was hard because I had to be really, really crazy. There were

By TERRY TANG Jimmy O. Yang once played “Chinese Teenager #1.” He’s now No. 1 on the call sheet in “Interior Chinatown” — despite playing downtrodden background actor Willis Wu in the new Hulu series. There’s no escaping the layers of meta around “Interior Chinatown,” an adaptation of Charles Yu’s award-winning satirical novel that jabs at how Asian American men have been treated by Hollywood — and in life — one trope at a time. “I feel like I have gone through every single number on the call sheet now,” Yang told The Associated Press. “And I’ve learned from a lot of other great No. 1s, you know? To carry yourself a certain way. It’s not just about showing up when you work, but it’s also about leading by example.” The dramedy, premiering Tuesday, is told from the view of Willis, a Chinatown restaurant server stuck in a police procedural show whose perspective starts to shift as he looks into the yearslong disappearance of his older brother. The 10-episode season has a mostly Asian cast including Ronny Chieng, Chloe Bennet, Archie Kao and Tzi Ma.

Feeling alone and adrift, an aging widower goes undercover to work as a spy who infiltrates a retirement community in the Netflix comedy “A Man on the Inside.” Played by Ted Danson, Charles is an elegant, charmingly awkward ex-professor whose days have become too empty. When his daughter suggests he find something to do, he answers a want ad from a private investigator. Next thing you know, Charles is moving into the very comfortable-looking Pacific View, where he is tasked (unbeknownst to anyone there) with finding out what happened to a fellow resident’s missing jewelry. Creator Michael Schur’s previous efforts, including “Parks and Recreation” and “The Good Place,” are fundamentally about yearning to connect — even, sometimes, with the crankiest among us. That’s true here as well, though “A Man on the Inside” (loosely based on the 2020 Chilean documentary “The Mole Agent”) has less of a sitcom quality in its look and rhythms, and especially in its willingness to tackle the tougher realities of aging. Before sending Charles out on assignment, his new boss (Lilah Richcreek Estrada) asks him: Are you ready? “Well, I

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge confirmed Friday that President-elect Donald Trump won’t be sentenced this month in his hush money case, instead setting a schedule for prosecutors and his lawyers to expand on their ideas about what to do next. Amid a flurry of filings in the case since Trump’s election win this month, it had already become clear that the Nov. 26 sentencing date wouldn’t hold. Judge Juan M. Merchan’s order Friday formalized that without setting a new one. He called for more filing from both sides over the next 2 1/2 weeks about how to proceed in light of Trump’s impending return to the White House. Trump’s lawyers want the case to be dismissed outright, and immediately. They have said that it otherwise will interfere with his presidential transition and duties. Prosecutors have indicated that they’re open to putting the case on hold, perhaps as long as he’s in office, but they don’t want it to be scrapped altogether. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, has said the solution needs to balance the obligations of the presidency with “the sanctity of

Your holiday shopping budget should contain a generous helping of “food-flation” in the mix. With significant dining expenses coming this festive season, my trusty spreadsheet peeked at high food prices crimping household budgets. By melding government pricing stats from four big California regions – Los Angeles/Orange County, the Bay Area, the Inland Empire and San Diego – we get a rough yardstick of food costs and their sharp swing higher in recent years. The typical Californian’s total food and beverage costs rose 3.4% in the year ending in October, according to my combined Consumer Price indexes. Yes, food-flation has slowed. This benchmark’s most recent peak was in February 2022, when various coronavirus contortions helped push food and beverage prices up 10% in a year. Yet, this statistical dip doesn’t dull the compounding smack to our savings. California food is 27% costlier than five years ago, according to CPI figures. Now, when household finances are tight, we might skip entertainment or vacations – or even holiday gifts. We’ll wear old clothes, drive a clunker or even consider do-it-yourself tasks instead of hiring somebody. Buying food can’t

SUBSCRIBER ONLY Antioch girl stops car thief with ‘onslaught of punches’ The incident happened Wednesday in the 3600 block of Delta Fair Boulevard The incident happened when the girl’s mother stopped to drop off some flowers at the Antioch Florist Originally Published: November 22, 2024 at 8:37 AM PST

ANTIOCH — A man shot to death earlier this week has been identified as a Brentwood resident, authorities said. Willie Richardson IV, 32, had a single gunshot wound and was down when police arrived to the 30 block of East 6th Street about 12:20 a.m. on Tuesday, Antioch police Lt. John Fortner said. Richardson died after being transported to a hospital. The homicide was the 15th investigated by Antioch police in 2024. The shooting also was one of four over a two-day period that police investigated. Police have not revealed many details about the latest homicide, saying only that they spoke to witnesses and gathered evidence. They were working to identify persons of interest. The fatal shooting happened less than 12 hours before a shooting on the 1200 block of Sycamore Drive. Police found a gun and several bullet casings there but not a victim. Those two shootings came after a shooting at 3:25 p.m. Monday in the 1000 block of Sycamore Drive injured a 27-year-old man. Police did not find any victims at that scene but later received word from a hospital that a

SUBSCRIBER ONLY 49ers GM Lynch says Purdy status ‘tenuous’ after MRI on shoulder injury Brock Purdy’s shoulder injury could prompt the 49ers to start Brandon Allen over Josh Dobbs on Sunday at Green Bay, John Lynch says San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Brock Purdy (13) is tackled by Seattle Seahawks’ Ernest Jones IV (13) in the third quarter at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) If Brock Purdy can not play Sunday in the 49ers’ visit to Green Bay, Brandon Allen would start over Josh Dobbs, general manager John Lynch says. Originally Published: November 22, 2024 at 8:24 AM PST

SUBSCRIBER ONLY Taste-Off: The best non-dairy eggnogs — and the terrible ones Craving that holiday favorite — eggnog — but you’re vegan, lactose intolerant or can’t handle the egg in the nog? There are plenty of alternatives out there made with coconut milk, almond, oats and soy. (Getty Images) Can’t do dairy? Or handle the egg in the nog? We tasted through the wide array of alternative nogs — made with oat milk, soy, coconut and almonds — to find the best of the bunch. And the ones to avoid. Originally Published: November 22, 2024 at 6:30 AM PST

SUBSCRIBER ONLY Kevin Kopjak stands at the PR epicenter for Bay Area theater Kopjak founded Prismatic Communications in 2021 Prismatic Communications founder Kevin Kopjak at San Jose Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) Kevin Kopjak represents some of the Bay Area’s most prominent and revered theater groups, as Broadway San Jose, Berkeley Rep, ACT, Center REP and BroadwaySF. Originally Published: November 22, 2024 at 6:30 AM PST

The old adage that “speed kills” is ringing true among the world’s fastest roller coasters that have been closing at an alarming rate — but fortunately for thrill seekers a new coaster king will soon arise in 2025. Kingda Ka at New Jersey’s Six Flags Great Adventure — the reigning champ for speed (128 mph) and height (456 feet) — became the latest of the world’s fastest coasters to fall. ALSO SEE: Six Flags to spend $1 billion on 11 coasters over next 2 years Six Flags announced last week that Kingda Ka would be removed and replaced by a new record-breaking launch coaster in 2026. “Kingda Ka has delivered more than 12 million rides since 2005,” Six Flags said in a statement. “What was cutting edge roller coaster technology 20 years ago has been surpassed by more modern advancements.” Top Thrill 2 roller coaster at Cedar Point in Ohio. (Courtesy of Cedar Point)  Four other coasters on Roller Coaster Database’s world’s fastest list are currently “standing but not operating.” Formula Rossa (149 mph) at Ferrari World in the United Arab Emirates Top Thrill 2

A pair of men deemed to be sexually violent predators were ordered to be conditionally released from a state hospital by two San Diego Superior Court judges Thursday despite the men having no permanent residences available to them. Alvin Ray Quarles (San Diego Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Task Force)  The rulings come after years of legal battles and unsuccessful searches for qualified permanent residences, an issue that has plagued the release program for people convicted of sex crimes who have served their prison terms but were diagnosed with mental disorders, classifying them as sexually violent predators. The program allows sexually violent predators, or SVPs, to be released from mental institutions after undergoing treatment to permanent residences that meet certain criteria — such as being located a certain distance away from schools. Those released remain monitored and supervised. On Thursday, Alvin Ray Quarles — dubbed the “bolder-than-most” rapist — and Merle Wakefield, both convicted of rape, were ordered released as transients, meaning that they will be living in temporary housing, possibly at multiple locations, until a permanent home can be located. Monitoring and supervision will still

The atmospheric river that has been stalled over the North Bay was expected to pick up speed Friday, bringing rain to the rest of the Bay Area. The updating radar map above shows current areas of precipitation in green, with greater intensities indicated by yellow and orange. The rain was expected to begin after sunrise Friday and continue into the night. A flood watch was in effect in the North Bay until Saturday morning. The Lake Tahoe area was under a winter storm warning until Saturday night, and the National Weather Service reported gusts over 100 mph on ridges and peaks. Originally Published: November 22, 2024 at 6:22 AM PST

TODAY’S WORD — GRISTLE GRISTLE: GRIS-ul: Cartilage. Average mark 30 words Time limit 40 minutes Can you find 40 or more words in GRISTLE? The list will be published tomorrow. YESTERDAY’S WORD — ARCHING: aching acing arch arcing racing rain ranch rang range rani rich ring cairn caring chagrin chai chain chair char chia chin china cigar crag hair hang inch nigh gain gnar grain grin grinch 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 have a widowed friend I’ll call Vivian. Since her husband died a few years ago, my husband and I have invited her to have dinner with us on several occasions. Recently, I invited her to join us on a certain Friday. I asked about 10 days in advance, and we then settled on a time and restaurant. Everything was fine until about three days before our date. I got a text from her saying that her nephew was coming to town, and she might have a family obligation on Friday. She would let me know whether or not she could make “our date.” I don’t understand. She makes a date with me and then decides it may not work? My husband said that Vivian values her family over our friendship. Your thoughts? – Dining Alone Dear Dining: While I understand the disappointment of canceled plans, I think your read of Vivian is a bit uncharitable. If her nephew doesn’t live in town, it stands to reason that she doesn’t have as many chances to see him as she does you. I’d hope

DEAR HARRIETTE: I noted the letter by “Make a Choice,” regarding a young person’s desire to go to college out of state rather than the more affordable in-state school. The letter didn’t say, but I assume the two schools are similar in reputation and offerings. I had the identical problem. My oldest daughter (the golden child) had qualifications that would have let her go wherever she wanted. She thought she needed to leave Virginia. One state school that accepted her was the University of Virginia. Although a state school, it ranks with the Ivy League. I let it play out, hoping she’d make the right decision on her own. It was not going that way. Finally, I told her, “You’ve been accepted to one of the finest schools in the country. We can afford to send you there without a lifestyle change. Here’s my offer: You go to UVA for your four-year undergrad degree. If you want or need to go anywhere else for further education, I will pay for it.” She went to and loved her state school — so much so that her