Category: Bay Area

By NICOLE WINFIELD | Associated Press ROME  — A European court on Thursday upheld Italy’s right to seize a prized Greek statue from the J. Paul Getty Museum in California, ruling that Italy was justified in trying to reclaim an important part of its cultural heritage and rejecting the museum’s appeal. The European Court of Human Rights, or ECHR, determined that Italy’s decades-long efforts to recover the “Victorious Youth” statue from the Malibu-based Getty were not disproportionate. “Victorious Youth,” a life-sized bronze dating from 300 B.C. to 100 B.C., is one of the highlights of the Getty’s collection. Though the artist is unknown, some scholars believe it was made by Lysippos, Alexander the Great’s personal sculptor. The bronze, which was pulled from the sea in 1964 by Italian fishermen and then exported out of Italy illegally, was purchased by the Getty in 1977 for $4 million and has been on display there ever since. The Getty had appealed to the European court after Italy’s high Court of Cassation in 2018 upheld a lower court’s confiscation order. The Getty had argued that its rights to the

TODAY’S WORD — OFFENDER (OFFENDER: uh-FEN-der: One who transgresses; violator.) Average mark 25 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 29 or more words in OFFENDER? The list will be published tomorrow. YESTERDAY’S WORD — TAMPER tame tamer tamp tape taper tare tarp team tear temp term tram tramp trap aper mare mart mate meat meta pare part pate pear peat perm pert pram prate ramp rape rapt rate ream reap 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.

I found Cy the Cynic in the lounge, writing an alimony check — “feeding hay to a dead horse,” he says. Cy’s least favorite holding is a doubleton K-Q; it reminds him of his lack of marital success. In a team match, Cy bid to six spades. When he saw dummy, he muttered that he was doomed. Cy took the king of hearts and the A-K of trumps. When East threw a heart, the Cynic cashed his three high diamonds — and East threw another heart. Cy ruffed dummy’s last diamond, took the ace of hearts and A-K of clubs and exited with a trump. If West’s shape had been 3-4-4-2, he would have been end-played; but West cashed the queen of clubs. “I had no chance,” Cy growled. OTHER TABLE At the other table, South made the slam. He took the king of hearts and the A-K of trumps, but then cashed the ace of hearts and exited with a trump. West had to guess: Either a diamond or a club lead could have been best. When West misguessed by leading a diamond, South’s

Dear Amy: We live on a street with curb parking in front of the houses, as well as private driveways. We have lived here for more than 10 years and basically park peacefully wherever we want to, including using the available on-street parking. We all do that. We just got new neighbors who seem to want to claim the two curb spaces in front of their house. They have posted notices on Facebook and NextDoor, including photos of our cars. This is really nervy, in my opinion, and I’m not sure how to react. I don’t want to be a bad neighbor. – Unsure Neighbor Dear Unsure: In my opinion, your neighbors are the ones who should worry about being a “bad neighbor.” They are nervy and entitled, and perhaps you should let them know how you feel about these directives by parking wherever you want to park – as long as it is legal and allowable. Dear Amy: I grew up in the same town as my wife. Her older sister “Susan” and I were in the same class in high school. Susan and

1573 Camino Monde – Google Street View A house located in the 1500 block of Camino Monde in San Jose has new owners. The 1,056-square-foot property, built in 1948, was sold on April 18, 2024, for $2,900,000, or $2,746 per square foot. This single-story house has two bedrooms and one bath. Inside, a fireplace adds character to the home. Additionally, the house features a two-car garage, providing ample room for vehicles and storage needs. The property encompasses a generous 7,200 square feet of land. These nearby houses have also recently been purchased: A 2,884-square-foot home on the 1300 block of Weaver Drive in San Jose sold in November 2023, for $2,380,000, a price per square foot of $825. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. In October 2023, a 3,290-square-foot home on Willow Street in San Jose sold for $2,610,000, a price per square foot of $793. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. On Britton Avenue, San Jose, in July 2022, a 1,890-square-foot home was sold for $1,600,000, a price per square foot of $847. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2

211 Helado Road – Google Street View A 1,569-square-foot house built in 1975 has changed hands. The property located in the 200 block of Helado Road in Fremont was sold on March 11, 2024. The $2,285,000 purchase price works out to $1,456 per square foot. The layout of this single-story house includes three bedrooms and three baths. On the exterior, the house is characterized by the use of wood shake roofing / shingles. Inside, there is a fireplace. Additionally, the house is equipped with a two-car garage, accommodating vehicles and storage needs efficiently. The lot of the property is substantial, measuring 7,130 square feet. Additional houses that have recently changed hands close by include: On Rosado Road, Fremont, in September 2023, a 1,759-square-foot home was sold for $2,380,000, a price per square foot of $1,353. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. In October 2022, a 2,095-square-foot home on Las Palmas Avenue in Fremont sold for $2,225,000, a price per square foot of $1,062. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. A 2,588-square-foot home on the 40700 block of Ondina Place in Fremont

Bay FC’s opening-season struggles continued Wednesday as it fell behind by two early in the first half and then gave up the winning goal in the 78th minute in a 3-2 loss to the Portland Thorns before an announced crowd of 10,611 at PayPal Park in San Jose. With the game tied 2-2, Portland’s Sophia Smith scored her second goal of the game on a dazzling individual effort in the 78th minute. With defender Alyssa Malonson in front of her just inside the penalty area, Smith darted to her left and then rifled a left-footed shot that Bay FC goalie Lysianne Proulx got a hand on but couldn’t fully stop as the Thorns (3-3-1) took the lead for good. Smith also scored in the seventh minute, converting a breakaway chance and giving Portland a 2-0 lead. Her teammate, Payton Linnehan, scored 90 seconds into the game. The two-goal game was Smith’s third of the season. She is the NWSL’s leading scorer with seven goals and three assists in seven games and also leads the league with 26 shots. In March, Smith signed a contract extension

Public art installations pepper cities across the Bay Area, and as the rain clears and the weather warms up, there’s no better time to enjoy them. California Avenue — one of Palo Alto’s two primary business districts — alone boasts at least 14 public art pieces installed since 1996, earning it the nickname “Palo Alto’s Avenue of the Arts.” Permanent and temporary installations adorn building walls and alleyways. For a map of Palo Alto’s public murals, check it the website. A pedestrian walks past a 2002 mural by Christopher Johanson located in an alleyway near the intersection of California Avenue and Birch Street in Palo Alto, Calif., on April 15, 2024. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)  A mural adorns the side of the vacant building that used to house the iconic Palo Alto dive bar, Antonio’s Nut House, near the intersection of California Avenue and Birch Street in Palo Alto, Calif., on April 15, 2024. The bar closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)  A pedestrian walks by a 1979 mural, “Mayfield Train Station,” by Noel Consigny located near the intersection of

Several worker unions, college students and community organizations marched, sat-in and continued to camp out throughout the Bay Area during May Day protests on Wednesday. In the East Bay, Oakland Sin Fronteras, a coalition of organizations that support workers and immigrant rights, held a march to recognize and celebrate International Worker’s Day and in solidarity with Palestinian people. Nearly a thousand or more protesters marched down Telegraph Avenue and Broadway on their way to a rally at City Hall’s Frank H. Ogawa Plaza. The Port of Oakland shutdown, which was organized by several groups including Bay Resistance, Anti-Police Terror Project and Palestinian Youth Movement ended up not taking place as the port shut down in advance of the protest. A smaller group did gather at the West Oakland BART station in the late afternoon. Protests also place in San Jose, San Francisco and at college campuses including UC Berkeley and Stanford, where tent cities have been erected in solidarity. — by Nollyanne Delacruz Protesters in front of the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building for a May Day rally on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Oakland

Photos: May Day Gaza protests sweep the Bay Area Several worker unions, college students and community organizations marched, sit-in and continued to camp out throughout the Bay Area during May Day protests on Wednesday. In the East Bay, Oakland Sin Fronteras, a coalition of organizations that support workers and immigrant rights, held a march to recognize and celebrate International Worker’s Day and in solidarity with Palestinian people. Nearly a thousand or more protesters marched down Telegraph Avenue and Broadway on their way to a rally at City Hall’s Frank H. Ogawa Plaza. The Port of Oakland shutdown, which was organized by several groups including Bay Resistance, Anti-Police Terror Project and Palestinian Youth Movement ended up not taking place as the port shut down in advance of the protest. A smaller group did gather at the West Oakland BART station in the late afternoon. Protests also place in San Jose, San Francisco and at college campuses including UC Berkeley and Stanford, where tent cities have been erected in solidarity. — by Nollyanne Delacruz Protesters in front of the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building for a May

Protests over the war in Gaza erupted in violence and clashes with authorities at some college campuses across the nation Wednesday but continued peacefully at universities in the Bay Area where demonstrators also held May Day rallies in Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose. A brawl erupted at UCLA after a pro-Palestinian encampment was “forcefully attacked,” the school’s chancellor said Wednesday, while activists at the University of Wisconsin in Madison clashed with police officers who destroyed their tents, and close to 300 protesters were arrested in protest crackdowns at Columbia and The City College of New York, officials said. An encampment at UC Berkeley that popped up April 22 doubled in size over the weekend to an estimate of 150 tents but the protest remained peaceful Wednesday. University administrators have taken a restrained approach with demonstrators who continued Wednesday with activities including poetry readings, question and answer sessions and speeches. At Stanford University, where students reestablished a protest encampment on White Plaza, university officials continued to monitor the demonstration and protesters reported receiving warnings and citations from the Office of Community Standards for participating in

By Clare Foran, Haley Talbot and Kristin Wilson | CNN The House voted on Wednesday to pass the bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act, a vote that comes amid heightened concerns over antisemitism with Israel at war with Hamas and as pro-Palestinian protests have sprung up on college campuses across the country. Supporters of the legislation say it will help combat antisemitism on college campuses, but opponents say it overreaches and threatens to chill free speech. The bill would mandate that when the Department of Education enforces federal anti-discrimination laws it uses a definition of antisemitism put forward by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Critics of the bill argue that definition is overly expansive and could lead to censorship issues. The House vote was 320 to 91 with 70 Democrats and 21 Republicans voting against the bill. The GOP opposition largely came from the right flank of the conference. The bill would next need to be taken up by the Senate. New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who introduced the legislation, said in a statement, “it’s critical that we crack down on antisemitic hate within our own country.” “I’m thankful for the bipartisan support of the

The Oakland city auditor blasted Mayor Sheng Thao’s administration and Oakland Police Department leaders this week for their collective failure to apply for a grant that could have netted the city $15.6 million to combat organized retail thefts. Calling their work “disjointed” and a “missed opportunity,” the auditor spread blame throughout the city’s government for the blown deadline that kept the city from receiving a share of the $267 million offered by the state. As a result, the auditor recommended the city adopt a policy that would help leaders in different city departments better coordinate their efforts to receive grants in the future. “To assign blame for missing the application deadline on an administrative or technical failure overlooks deeper organizational problems with this particular grant application process,” read Acting City Auditor Michael C. Houston’s report, which was dated Tuesday. The report comes in the wake of a blown July 2023 deadline to submit an application to the Board of State and Community Corrections, which sought to hand out millions of dollars to 34 police departments, seven sheriff’s offices and 13 district attorney’s offices for theft

The Silicon Valley congressional race that has captivated political onlookers nationwide after it ended in a historic tie and headed to a subsequent recount is finally over after two months, and Assemblymember Evan Low is heading to the November election, knocking competitor Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian off the ballot. It’s an astounding May end to the March primary and an ensuing April recount that dragged out nearly three weeks — and started with Low trying to halt it before it even began. The Congressional District 16 race to replace longtime U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo kicked off in November when the 81-year-old lawmaker announced her retirement, setting off a sort of political domino effect in the South Bay as 11 candidates jumped at the rare chance to vie for an open Bay Area congressional seat. It was competitive campaign from the start, as early data signaled it was the most expensive House race in California, with candidates collectively spending $5.7 million through the first half of February. The first count wound up in a tie for second place, with 30,249 votes each for Low

SAN JOSE — After two months, four generators and three closures — against the backdrop of a quiet clash with PG&E — the Family Justice Center Courthouse has fully restored its electricity service. Equipment connecting the North First Street courthouse to a PG&E transformer failed March 4, and a string of generators has kept operations going since, albeit with some notable interruptions. Officials announced Wednesday that permanent power has been reestablished. “With power now restored by PG&E, the Court reaffirms its commitment to serving the community with stability and reliability,” reads a statement from the Santa Clara County Superior Court. “The Court extends gratitude for the patience and understanding shown by downtown San Jose residents, businesses, and organizations for their patience during this difficult situation.” After the March 4 equipment failure, the court learned that parts to repair the damage were estimated to take four to six weeks to arrive. As a stopgap, a generator was installed March 7; it experienced a failure that resulted in a 30-minute court closure April 3. Then on April 15, the generator failed again, prompting court officials to fully close

Cameron Drummond | Lexington Herald-Leader (TNS) LEXINGTON, Ky. — This year’s historic 150th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville will, once again, be absent of the biggest name in modern horse racing. Bob Baffert — the 71-year-old trainer who is tied for the most Derby wins by a trainer (six) in history — is once again barred from saddling a horse in the sport’s biggest event. This will be the third straight Kentucky Derby without Baffert being the trainer of record for any horse in the field. But Baffert’s name has been ever present in horse racing while he’s been suspended from Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) tracks for the last three years. For anyone who could have possibly forgotten, here are the highlights from the last few years: — In June 2021, Baffert was suspended from CDI racetracks through the end of Churchill’s 2023 spring meet after his horse, Medina Spirit, tested positive for a substance banned on race day after winning the 2021 Kentucky Derby. Medina Spirit was disqualified, and the 2021 Derby was awarded to the second-place finisher, Mandaloun.

BRENTWOOD — Two decades after it was first proposed, a regional amphitheater and event center project in southern Brentwood is on hold, with a smaller, outdoor community-oriented performance venue now planned. With costs having skyrocketed from $8 to $14.5 million in the first phase of The Vineyards at Marsh Creek amphitheater/event center, the City Council at a special meeting on Tuesday was asked by staff whether to continue, pause or revisit the scope of the project in south Brentwood. In January, the City Council directed staff to move forward with a subsequent environmental review and examine scaling and phasing options to cut costs and serve as alternatives for the 30-acre site nestled within the Trilogy at the Vineyards community. Originally envisioned in 2004 as the site of a regional event center, a 1,000-seat amphitheater and winery, the project was part of the Trilogy at Vineyards housing development plan. Subsequent development agreements over the years, though, have altered the plans into a smaller venue with no vineyards, according to Allen Baquillar, city director of engineering. Baquillar said the $9.4 million budgeted for the project included $4

A condo in San Jose that sold for $520,000 tops the list of the most affordable real estate sales in San Jose in the past week. For comparison, the overall average price of real estate in the area during that time was $1.7 million, or $986 per square foot. A total of 65 home sales were recorded for the period with an average square footage of 1,748 square feet, 3 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms. The top 10 list below includes the best deals on real estate priced between $10-$10,000,000. Please note that the prices in the list below are for real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of April 22, even if the property may have been sold earlier. 10. $836K, condominium in the 1100 block of Weyburn Lane The property in the 1100 block of Weyburn Lane in San Jose has new owners. The price was $836,000. The condominium was built in 1962 and has a living area of 814 square feet. The price per square foot is $1,027. The condominium features 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Weyburn Lane 9.

Amoeba Music – you don’t have to be a microbiologist to recognize that name. Started in Berkeley in 1990 by music-loving record collectors Marc Weinstein, Dave Prinz and Mike Boyder, Amoeba sprouted locations in San Francisco and Hollywood and soon became the biggest independent music store in the world. Amoeba sells and trades records, sure, but it has also delivered legendary in-store concerts with Valhalla-level artists like Patti Smith and Paul McCartney. Downloading, streaming and the pandemic took their toll in recent years, and Amoeba was forced to temporarily close its L.A. store. But it’s since reentered the good times, surging on a wave of vinyl demanded by a new generation of vintage record lovers. Step into the Berkeley location, and you’ll be overwhelmed by the delightful things on offer. There are sections for jazz, metal, New Orleans, soundtracks and spoken word (like “Allen Ginsberg Reads Kaddish,” which the poet wrote on Dexedrine and LSD). There are $100 sealed Miles Davis LPs and $1 cassette tapes, T-shirts for The Germs and Public Enemy and clothing patches for James Brown and the Sex Pistols. Dave Prinz

MARTINEZ — Two years after prosecutors charged an Antioch man with murdering his wife and son inside their apartment, a third victim has been added to the case: the unborn child of the woman who authorities now say was at least seven weeks into a pregnancy. John Henderson Walton Jr., 36, now faces three murder charges and special circumstances enhancements for allegedly bludgeoning to death 30-year-old Alexis Parson and 15-year-old Malik El-Ameen. At the time of Walton’s arrest in 2022, Antioch police specifically noted in a news release that an autopsy determined Parson was “not pregnant.” Prosecutors now say that was wrong. To establish that Parson was pregnant, prosecutors hired Dr. Jeffrey Traynor, an expert in maternal and fetal medicine, to review the autopsy and other evidence, and draft a report. It was Traynor’s work that helped convince Judge Rebecca Hardie to hold Walton to answer on all three murder counts at Walton’s April preliminary hearing, according to authorities and court records. Walton is next due in court on May 23 for an arraignment. He remains jailed without bail, court records show. Walton was arrested

By TERRY TANG (Associated Press) It has been almost 50 years since the U.S. government established that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and their accomplishments should be recognized annually across the nation. What started as just one week in May has evolved over the decades into a monthlong tribute of events in cities big and small. The nature of celebrations also evolved. Asian American and Pacific Islander or Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is not just about showcasing festive fare like food and fashion, but hard subjects like grief and social justice. The rise of anti-Asian hate during the pandemic only heightened that effort. “I think the visibility and the level that the increased participation of organizations in Asian Pacific Heritage Month activities is also an indication of the increasing voice of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in civic life more generally,” said Karen Umemoto, director of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. “And also an indication of the spaces that we’ve come to collectively enter to be able to create those.” Indeed, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage