Category: Bay Area

By Lisa Respers France | CNN David Sanborn, an influential saxophonist, who found success across the genres of pop, R&B, jazz and more, died Sunday. He was 78. “It is with sad and heavy hearts that we convey to you the loss of internationally renowned, 6 time Grammy Award-winning, saxophonist, David Sanborn,” reads a statement on his social media accounts. “Mr. Sanborn passed Sunday afternoon, May 12th, after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications.” Sanborn’s publicist confirmed the accuracy of the post when reached by CNN. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018, but continued performing until recently. “Indeed he already had concerts scheduled into 2025,” the statement concluded. “David Sanborn was a seminal figure in contemporary pop and jazz music. It has been said that he ‘put the saxophone back into Rock ’n Roll.’” Born in Tampa, Florida, Sanborn grew up in Missouri. He began playing the saxophone as part of his recovery after contracting polio at age 3, according to his website. “By the age of 14, he was able to play with legends such as Albert King and Little

A popular stretch of road in Sunnyvale is getting a long-awaited upgrade. The City Council recently approved a $2.56 million contract with a South San Francisco-based graving and paving company to resurface Wolfe Road from Homestead Road to El Camino Real, part of a 2019 initiative to update the old pavement. “The city and contractor will be notifying residents in advance about the work and any construction-related impacts,” city spokesperson Jennifer Garnett said in a statement. “We’ll know specifics after we’ve met with the contractor and determined the schedule and construction plan.” The road, which is located south of El Camino and runs more than a mile through the suburbs, was last updated in 2001. An average of 24,354 vehicles travel on Wolfe Road between Homestead Road and El Camino each day. The city does not have available data on the number of pedestrians who use the road, according to Garnett. Money for the project comes from the city’s general fund and various county and state sources. At the end of June, workers are slated to replace the road’s damaged gutters and modify traffic signals

Associated Press PITTSBURGH — Dr. Cyril Wecht, a pathologist and attorney whose biting cynicism and controversial positions on high-profile deaths such as President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 assassination caught the attention of prosecutors and TV viewers alike, died Monday. He was 93. Wecht’s death was announced by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, which did not disclose a cause or place of death, saying only that he “passed away peacefully.” Wecht’s almost meteoric rise to fame began in 1964, three years after he reentered civilian life after serving a brief stint at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. At the time, Wecht was serving as an assistant district attorney in Allegheny County and a pathologist in a Pittsburgh hospital. The request came from a group of forensic scientists: Review the Warren Commission’s report that concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, assassinated Kennedy. And Wecht, with his usual thoroughness, did just that — the beginning of what became a lifelong obsession to prove his theory that there was more than one shooter involved in the killing. After reviewing the autopsy documents, discovering the president’s

330 Ramona Avenue – Google Street View The spacious historic property located in the 300 block of Ramona Avenue in Piedmont was sold on April 8, 2024. The $2,500,000 purchase price works out to $1,122 per square foot. The house, built in 1925, has an interior space of 2,228 square feet. The layout of this two-story house consists of three bedrooms and four bathrooms. Inside, there is a fireplace. Additionally, the home provides a one-car garage. The property’s lot measures 3,850 square feet square feet in area. These nearby houses have also recently been sold: In April 2023, a 2,831-square-foot home on Ramona Avenue in Piedmont sold for $2,500,000, a price per square foot of $883. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. On Bonita Avenue, Piedmont, in July 2022, a 1,766-square-foot home was sold for $2,050,000, a price per square foot of $1,161. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. A 2,594-square-foot home on the 100 block of Hillside Avenue in Piedmont sold in February 2024, for $2,540,000, a price per square foot of $979. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3

The Athletics placed starting pitcher Paul Blackburn on the injured list Monday as their previously durable five-man rotation was down to two healthy pitchers. Blackburn, the A’s most consistent starter with a 3-2 record and 4.14 earned run average, went to the 10-day IL retroactive to May 11 with a stress reaction of the fifth metatarsal on his right (or push-off) foot. “He’s pitched with it pretty much since spring training,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay told reporters Monday before the A’s (19-23) began a four-game road series against the Houston Astros (15-25). But after the outing on Saturday he felt it more, I think. The day after it usually kind of subsided but it didn’t go away so we had to get it looked at.” After two weeks in a protective boot, Blackburn will be re-evaluated for a potential return date. Blackburn has struggled in two of his last three starts. He gave up seven earned runs in four innings in an 8-1 loss to Seattle Friday and six earned runs in four innings against Baltimore on April 28. The A’s All-Star representative in 2022

By Kasparman Piliang | Associated Press PADANG, Indonesia — Rescuers recovered more bodies Monday after monsoon rains triggered flash floods on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island over the weekend, bringing down torrents of cold lava and mud that left at least 44 people dead and another 15 missing. The heavy rains, along with a landslide of mud and cold lava from Mount Marapi, caused a river to breach its banks. The deluge tore through mountainside villages along four districts in West Sumatra province just before midnight Saturday. The floods swept away people and submerged hundreds of houses and buildings, while forcing more than 3,100 to flee to temporary government shelters in Agam and Tanah Datar districts, said National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari. Cold lava, also known as lahar, is a mixture of volcanic material and pebbles swept by rainwater down a volcano’s slopes. Additional bodies were recovered Monday, bringing the death toll to 44, Muhari said in a news conference. At least 19 others were injured in the flash floods and rescuers were searching for 15 villagers, he said. Television reports showed relatives wailing as

OAKLAND — A former darling of the #MeToo movement was found guilty Monday of killing his fiancée inside their Pleasanton apartment and dismembering her in a bathroom with power tools. Joseph Roberts, 43, was silent as the jury’s decision was read in an Oakland courtroom. Jurors found him guilty of second-degree murder in the July 2023 killing of 27-year-old Rachel “Imani” Buckner, a recent law school graduate whose mangled torso was found wrapped in a plastic bag and bound with duct tape on an Alameda shoreline. In the gallery, Buckner’s relatives sobbed at a verdict that capped a grisly monthlong trial, which included a pained and detailed examination of Buckner’s mutilated corpse. The jury returned its verdict on its third day of deliberations. Roberts faces 15 years to life in prison when he’s sentenced on June 14. During the trial, prosecutors painted Roberts as a “master manipulator” who dodged numerous complaints of domestic violence in the year and a half before Buckner’s death, all before taking to Tinder and simply going on with his life after the July 2023 slaying. It was a portrayal that Roberts’ attorneys derided as a

809 Terra Bella Drive – Google Street View The spacious property located in the 800 block of Terra Bella Drive in Milpitas was sold on April 26, 2024 for $2,400,000, or $1,004 per square foot. The house, built in 1985, has an interior space of 2,390 square feet. This two-story home offers a capacious living environment with its four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Additionally, the house is equipped with a two-car garage, accommodating vehicles and storage needs efficiently. The lot, which encompasses 5,424 square feet, is further enhanced by both a spa and a pool. Additional houses that have recently been sold close by include: A 1,778-square-foot home on the 700 block of Valencia Drive in Milpitas sold in August 2023, for $1,565,000, a price per square foot of $880. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. In June 2023, a 2,496-square-foot home on Valencia Drive in Milpitas sold for $2,151,000, a price per square foot of $862. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. On Alcosta Drive, Milpitas, in December 2023, a 2,183-square-foot home was sold for $272,000, a price per square

Associated Press FORT NELSON, British Columbia — An intense wildfire could reach a town in western Canada this week, fire experts and officials warned, based on forecasts of winds that have fueled the out-of-control blaze which has forced the evacuation of thousands of people. The British Columbia Wildfire Service said the blaze was burning 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) northwest of Fort Nelson. More than 4,700 people have evacuated after an order was issued on Friday. Bowinn Ma, the province’s minister of emergency management, said drought conditions have persisted since last year and no rain is in the forecast. “We are extremely concerned,” she said. “It is extremely uncommon for us to have so many on a evacuation order.” Cliff Chapman, the service’s director of operations, said they were fortunate that stronger winds didn’t materialize over night but said winds are expected to continue to blow west over the next day or two. “We did not see the winds through the evening,” Chapman said. Fire crews and emergency workers were preparing for a “last stand” if the fire advances into the town, said Rob Fraser, mayor

By Kate Golembiewski | CNN This spring, billions of cicadas will emerge after more than a decade underground, ready to climb into the trees and make a ruckus as they sing to attract mates. But some of these insects won’t succeed in their goal of procreating — instead, they’ll be controlled like zombies into spreading a strange fungus that hijacks cicadas’ bodies and behavior. The details of the fungus’ attack on the bugs — destroying the insects’ genitals, replacing their abdomens with a cavity full of fungal spores, manipulating the bugs into hypersexual behavior to spread the fungus further and transforming the cicadas into what some scientists term “saltshakers of death” — may seem like they belong in a creature feature horror movie. But when it comes to the fungus Massospora cicadina, said Dr. John Cooley, an associate professor in residence of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Connecticut, Hartford, “the truth is actually much stranger than science fiction.” RELATED: California has cicadas, too. Here’s what they’re up to in this bumper year.  Periodical cicadas lay their eggs in tree branches, and when

Saint Mary’s is adding a player with a recognizable name via the transfer portal after losing two starters last month. Penny Hardaway’s son Ashton is heading to Moraga after his freshman season at Memphis, where his dad is the head coach. He shared the news of his commitment to Saint Mary’s on Instagram. Ashton Hardaway played in 30 games last year for the Tigers but he made only three starts and his playing time decreased as the season went along. Known for his shooting, Hardaway made 33% of his 3-pointers and averaged 2.3 points per game in his first collegiate season after being ranked No. 92 in ESPN’s Top 100 for the class of 2023. Saint Mary’s will be Hardaway’s fifth school in five years. The 6-foot-8 forward played his senior year of high school at Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth. His junior year was spent at Duncanville High in the Dallas area, where he transferred from Torrance’s Bishop Montgomery. The Gaels lost two-time first-team All-WCC guard Aidan Mahaney to the portal last month, and he later committed to join Connecticut, the back-to-back NCAA champion. Fellow

Trying to find a place to camp in the Bay Area on a sunny weekend can be exasperating enough to make you almost resent California’s outdoorsy nature — or at least, its outdoorsy residents who all want the same thing you do. Trawl the National Parks Service’s camping reservation system, recreation.gov, or the State Parks’ reservecalifornia.com for campsites of any kind — tent, trailer, RV or cabin — in Point Reyes, Big Sur and other popular spots, and it’s not uncommon to see every weekend sold out months ahead. It’s reached such a point that in December, California State Parks announced it was dropping traditional reservations for Mount Tamalpais’ popular Steep Ravine cabins and piloting a lottery system instead. But don’t give up on planning a great summer outing yet. The truth is, there are a ton of other amazing overnight opportunities around the Bay Area, from glamping in a Calistoga yurt in Wine Country to escapist backpacking on Angel Island. We also scouted out what may be the only dog-friendly backpacking opportunity in the region without having to schlep to a national forest (psst

DEAR JOAN: How can we get rid of rats without also harming the squirrels that visit our yard? My next-door neighbors and I have lemon trees. Rats are coming into our yards at night to eat the skins off the lemons. Other than trapping and relocating the rats, is there anything we can do to keep them away? — Gail K., San Jose DEAR GAIL: Pretty much anything you do to discourage the rats will also have some impact on the squirrels, as they are both rodents. But there are some things that could improve the situation. Squirrels and rats might share your yard, but their lives rarely intersect. Squirrels are active during the day, and rats, for the most part, are denizens of the night. Encouraging squirrels in your yard might slightly intimidate the rats, but your best option is to focus on your landscaping and remove things that might entice and support a rat colony. Changes made on the ground shouldn’t really bother tree-dwelling squirrels. If you have a compost pile or bin, make sure you maintain it, so the rats can’t get into it. Secure

SAN JOSE — A big San Jose office building has been seized by its lender through a foreclosure that serves up fresh evidence the Bay Area commercial real estate sector continues to wobble. The office building is located near the corner of North First Street and Montague Expressway, one of San Jose’s busy intersections and is perched next to a light rail line. East West Bank, the property’s lender, acted through an affiliate to seize ownership of the office building located at 3100 North First Street. The building, which once was leased to Nio USA, a unit of a China-based maker of electric vehicles, totals 99,400 square feet. Nio vacated the building in October 2023, documents on file in San Francisco Superior Court show. In 2018, East West Bank provided $25 million in financing  to Santa Monica-based Vista Investment Group, the real estate firm that defaulted on the loan and eventually lost ownership of the building in the foreclosure proceeding. Montague and First, an affiliate of East West Bank, paid $19 million for the empty building, according to documents filed on May 8 with the

Hearty farro replaces rice in this satisfying one-pot dish that looks to risotto for inspiration. Traditional risotto is made with Arborio rice, which is more neutral in flavor than farro. The rice releases its starch while constantly stirred and slowly cooked in a flavorful broth, resulting in a creamy risotto. Farro, in contrast, is a hearty ancient wheat grain with a nutty, wholesome flavor. It holds its shape when cooked and is not prone to overcooking and creaminess, resulting in a comforting, toothsome dish. Earthy mushrooms complement the rustic farro in this dish, adding rich umami flavor. You can use wild mushrooms, such as chanterelles or shiitakes, or cremini in a pinch. Sweet peas contrast and brighten the earthiness of the dish with color and pops of juicy sweetness. For the stock, use a good-quality chicken stock — or mushroom stock to amplify flavor and keep the dish vegetarian-friendly. Farrotto With Wild Mushrooms and Peas Serves 4 INGREDIENTS 4 cups chicken or mushroom stock Kosher salt 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 8 ounces wild mushrooms, such as shiitakes or chanterelles, cleaned and trimmed (halved or

KING CITY — Three suspects have been arrested in connection with a March shooting by masked men at a party in rural central California that killed four people and left seven others wounded, officials said Friday. The three people were arrested on multiple gang-related charges and included one juvenile, Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto said Friday. They face four counts of murder, four counts of criminal conspiracy to commit murder and seven counts of attempted murder. Officials said a group of men in masks got out of a car and opened fire at an outdoor party in King’s City, a community of about 14,000 in southern Salinas Valley farm country, and then sped off. Police declined to state whether they had identified a motive or provide other details about what happened, saying the investigation is ongoing.

In Gilroy Prep’s eighth-grade math class, there are no quiet rows of orderly desks facing an instructor. Instead, the room feels less like a classroom and more like the floor of a stock exchange, with the constant buzz of conversation as students sketch slopes and equations on tablets that project their stylus strokes onto nearby screens. All the while, a trio of clipboard-wielding students circulate among their classmates — huddled in groups of three on the periphery of the room — asking questions, gesturing at the screens and explaining algebraic concepts. Gilroy Prep is one of a small cohort of schools in the country experimenting with this method known as the Squads model — students in grades sixth through eighth educating each other under the purview of a teacher. Student teacher Paige Lott helps classmates in an 8th grade math class at Gilroy Prep in Gilroy, Calif., Thursday, May 2, 2024. Under the supervision of instructors, student teachers help their classmates at the charter school grasp their STEM and language arts studies. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)  Despite the novelty, the students seem to appreciate

I found Cy the Cynic, a chauvinist, and Wendy, my club’s feminist, arguing about wedding plans. The battle lines were drawn: Wendy favored long engagements; Cy was opposed to marriage. “Engagements,” Cy sniffed. “Showers for the bride, curtains for the groom.” Later, the two were North-South in a penny game. Cy doubled West’s preemptive three diamonds, and when Wendy bid three spades, Cy raised. West led a diamond, and Wendy surveyed the Cynic’s dummy with less than her usual distaste. “I’ll show him what a good woman can do,” she whispered to me. She took the ace of diamonds and led dummy’s queen of spades. LOUD CRASH East reflexively covered with the king, and there was a loud crash. Wendy later led a second trump toward her ten, losing two trumps and a heart. Wendy gave herself the only chance. She placed East with only two hearts — West would have led a singleton — so East had three trumps. “A woman,” Wendy told Cy, “wouldn’t cover the queen.” DAILY QUESTION You hold: S Q 7 4 3 H A Q J 6 D A

TODAY’S WORD — DECKHAND (DECKHAND: DEK-hand: A sailor who performs manual duties.) Average mark 17 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 21 or more words in DECKHAND? The list will be published tomorrow. SATURDAY’S WORD — PRIMROSE perm peso pier poem poise pome pore pose poser prier pries prim prime primer primo prior prism proem prom promise prose prosier repro rime ripe riper rise riser romp romper rope ropier rose rosier impose isomer mire miser miso moire mope moper mopier more mores osier semi semipro simper sire some sore sorer sperm spire spore sprier emir epos 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

Dear Amy: In 1964, I met my wife “Laura” and her infant baby “Beth.” (Laura had gotten pregnant with a married man.) Laura and I were married, and I adopted Beth when she was 1 year old. We raised Beth as my daughter and never heard a word from her biological father. We told Beth about her adoption when she was 8. Her mother invited her to ask questions, but Beth didn’t want to talk about it. We had a very loving family and never had one problem. I always considered Beth to be my own child. My wife recently died from breast cancer. Beth did a DNA test after my wife died and discovered that she has many biological relatives. Though her biological father died a few years ago, Beth contacted other members of her biological family. She then went on social networks announcing her newfound relatives. It has hurt me. I can understand her inquiry, but I am upset with her use of social media to announce the results. Many of my friends never knew that Beth was my adoptive daughter. Am I

470 Ruthven Avenue – Google Street View A 2,617-square-foot house built in 2011 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 400 block of Ruthven Avenue in Palo Alto was sold on April 22, 2024. The $4,450,000 purchase price works out to $1,700 per square foot. This two-story house boasts a generous living space with four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The property is equipped with forced air heating and a cooling system. In addition, the home is equipped with an attached one-car garage, allowing for convenient vehicle storage. The lot size of the property measures an impressive 7,000 square feet. Additional houses that have recently changed hands close by include: On Tasso Street, Palo Alto, in March 2024, a 1,302-square-foot home was sold for $2,925,000, a price per square foot of $2,247. The home has 3 bedrooms 1 bathroom. A 1,337-square-foot home on the 100 block of Tasso Street in Palo Alto sold in September 2023, for $3,400,000, a price per square foot of $2,543. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. In August 2022, a 2,418-square-foot home on Palo Alto Avenue in