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Starbucks’ 20th year of Pumpkin Spice Lattes starts today — with new drinks

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:52:52 GMT

If you’re a big fan of autumnal drinks. today is a day of reverence.Twenty years ago, back in aught-3, on a day that should go down in brand marketing history, Starbucks introduced the Pumpkin Spice Latte and set off a fall beverage revolution.The anniversary celebration starts this morning with the legendary drink’s return to Starbucks shops.Besides the PSL, the menu features two new seasonal drinks: Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte, based on customer and barista innovations, and Iced Apple Crisp Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, made with Starbucks’ Blonde Espresso. Returning to the menu are Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato.The new fall food item is the Baked Apple Croissant, which looks to us like a kouign amann. (Like Starbucks, we’re not sure all customers are ready to tackle that pronunciation.) Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins and Owl Cake Pops have returned.The PSL craze started by Starbucks has led to competitive launches. This year, 7-E...

Who is responsible for overseeing homeless housing in the Bay Area?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:52:52 GMT

Mold, cockroaches and security issues at two of the Bay Area’s largest homeless housing sites in San Jose have raised questions about the level of oversight of the desperately needed homes for the city’s most vulnerable residents.As San Jose works to double its total homeless housing stock under growing pressure to get a handle on the crisis, who exactly is responsible for making sure it’s safe and habitable? And are there similar levels of oversight for the rest of the Bay Area and California?San Jose officials say oversight efforts are shared among city and county agencies and nonprofits, which each own, operate and invest in local sites. Local officials contend that coordination, which extends to cities across the South Bay, makes Santa Clara County unique in California and puts it in a better position to manage and regulate homeless housing.State regulators also monitor many homeless housing sites across California. Their role varies from following up on self-r...

Could ‘smart’ stoplights cut fuel waste and carbon emissions? Roadshow reader runs numbers

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:52:52 GMT

Q: The time wasted when stopped at traffic lights should not be the concern. What should be a concern is the fuel wasted. This state burns roughly 14 billion gallons of gas per year. For each gallon burned, 20 pounds of carbon go into the atmosphere. If we could reduce the amount of fuel burned by just a little more than 7 percent, we could save roughly 1 billion gallons of gasoline and keep 20 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere. At 5 bucks a gallon that is also $5 billion in savings to motorists each year. I say this could easily be done by adjusting traffic light cycles. We don’t have to wait for smart lights.I know one intersection that constantly seems to have changing cycles, Los Padres and El Camino in Santa Clara. One recent morning at 7 a.m., the complete cycle took about a minute and a half. No cars went through the intersection for roughly one minute of this cycle, Southbound Los Padres was green for 30 seconds so one car could go through. Multiply this by the ...

Maui was criticized for not using sirens during wildfires. Does the Bay Area have a smarter approach?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:52:52 GMT

As Maui recovers from the deadliest U.S. wildfire in the last century, many have criticized Hawaiian officials for not sounding the island’s emergency sirens — prompted by fears of unintentionally sending residents towards the flames.That disaster led San Francisco leaders this week to reinvigorate long-overdue repairs to the city’s World War II-era siren system — an early warning service not every county across the Bay Area is equipped to offer.Instead, a patchwork of old-school and cutting-edge alert systems have been implemented across Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties — culminating in a hodgepodge of sirens, loudspeakers, social media, texts and even doorbells to warn residents of impending disaster.By 2008, emergency coordinators in San Mateo County had installed eight sirens along its low-lying coastline that are sounded exclusively for tsunami warnings, according to coordinators Rick Reed and Jeff Norris. Rather than set u...

St. Francis quarterback has already scored season’s biggest win by beating cancer

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:52:52 GMT

MOUNTAIN VIEW – When Aaron Knapp would close his eyes last spring, his hospital bed became a football stadium and the chemotherapy drip in his arm had no effect on his throwing motion.The St. Francis High School quarterback was not reliving past victories. Instead, he envisioned the day he would lead his team onto the field.That day will be Friday.Since the end of last season, Knapp successfully fought off lymphoma, going through nine weeks of chemotherapy to make it to Friday night’s home game in Mountain View against San Diego-area powerhouse Helix.When the St. Francis offense steps onto the field, Knapp, 17, will be under center.“It was definitely a journey, but there was never any doubt in my mind that I would be there,” Knapp said.St. Francis quarterback Aaron Knapp throws during practice at St. Francis High School in Mountain View, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) That journey began in November 2021, when Knapp was listening to a teach...

All westbound lanes back open on Bay Bridge

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:52:52 GMT

(KRON) -- All westbound lanes are now open after previously being blocked Thursday morning on the Bay Bridge due to police activity, according to the California Highway Patrol. Traffic is expected near the toll plaza and police are asking the public to avoid the area. This is developing news. Stick with us for updates.

9 years since 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Napa

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:52:52 GMT

(KRON) -- Today marks 9 years since a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Napa. The earthquake hit at 3:20 a.m. back in 2014, just a few miles from American Canyon.The earthquake was felt widely throughout the Bay Area. Police, fire departments and radio stations immediately began receiving calls following the quake. Scientists solve deep-sea ‘Octopus Garden’ mystery off California coast One person died and at least 208 people were injured. In Solano County, at least 50 people were injured. Buildings and infrastructure were heavily damaged as fires began throughout Napa County. The earthquake caused more than $400 million in damages and was the largest to hit the Bay Area since the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989.

Health advisory issued for participants of 'Tough Mudder' race

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:52:52 GMT

SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. (BCN) -- Reports of rashes, fever, vomiting and other ailments following the Tough Mudder endurance race at Sonoma Raceway over the weekend have prompted Sonoma County officials to issue a health advisory. "The Tough Mudder race involved extensive skin exposure to mud. Most affected persons have pustular rash, fever, myalgias, and headache," according to advisory from the Sonoma County Department of Health Services on Wednesday. The symptoms could be from a minor illness called "Swimmers' Itch," according to the county, but they could also be from a staph infection or a more serious bacterial infection such as Aeromonas. Scientists solve deep-sea ‘Octopus Garden’ mystery off California coast "If you participated in the race and have a rash with fever or other symptoms, please see your medical provider or, if you do not have a medical provider, your local emergency department. You may wish to take this advisory with you. Incubation period is 12 to 4...

Pulisic looking forward to playing at San Siro for AC Milan after dream debut

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:52:52 GMT

MILAN (AP) — American standout Christian Pulisic came to AC Milan to revive his flagging club career.Its very early days but, having linked up with former Chelsea teammate Olivier Giroud, Pulisic has made an encouraging start.Pulisic enjoyed a dream debut for his new club on Monday when he scored a stunning goal and had a hand in the opener as Milan opened its season at Bologna with a 2-0 win.That was away. This Saturday he steps out on the San Siro turf for the first time in the Rossoneri colors when Milan hosts Torino.“I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like at home,” Pulisic said. “I was able to experience it last season when we played against Milan and it’s going to be nice to have the fans on my side this time.”Pulisic was an unused substitute last October when Chelsea played at San Siro in the Champions League group stage and beat Milan 2-0. That was a common position for Pulisic in his fourth season at Chelsea as he struggled for playing time.Pulisic scored 26 goals in 145...

Turkey’s central bank unleashes a big interest rate hike in another sign of an economic shift

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:52:52 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s central bank raised its key interest rate by an aggressive 7.5 percentage points on Thursday, a larger-than-expected boost that offers a new sign of a return to more traditional economic policies under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.The bank hiked its policy rate to 25% as it continues to backtrack from a rate-cutting course set by Erdogan, which has been blamed for inflaming a cost-of-living crisis. Many households have been left struggling to afford rent and basic goods as inflation has surged.The increase “will go a long way towards reassuring investors that the shift back to policy orthodoxy is on track,” London-based Capital Economics research firm wrote in an analyst note.It called the move a surprise as most analysts expected a much smaller bump in borrowing costs.“As far as Turkey’s macroeconomic outlook is concerned this could be a game-changer,” the firm said.Erdogan has long argued that lowering interest rates helps fight inflation, a theory...