Home

Fatal shooting of Oakland police officer renews fears of crimes around Bay Area cannabis shops

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:15 GMT

The fatal shooting of an Oakland police officer responding to a burglary at a cannabis shop brought renewed calls Saturday for the city to confront a plague of violent robberies and other crimes that law enforcement officials and business owners say has spiraled out of control.In recent years, groups of armed burglars have targeted numerous cannabis dispensaries, grow operations and manufacturing plants in the city and across the Bay Area, leading to shootouts in Oakland, Martinez, San Leandro and Union City. Multiple people have been killed or wounded.Now, the slaying of undercover Officer Tuan Le — the first officer killed in the line of duty in Oakland in 14 years — is putting even more pressure on city officials to stem the break-ins.Yen Nguyen and Phuc Nguyen pay their respects for fallen Oakland police officer Tuan Le, leaving flowers on the Embarcadero in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 29, 2023. Le was shot and killed while responding as an undercover officer to ...

Here are the Bay Area mega housing projects to watch in 2024

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:15 GMT

The Bay Area’s largest planned housing projects — slated to add tens of thousands of new homes — are clouded with uncertainty heading into next year. Some face delays amid an uneasy post-pandemic economy, while others have been mired in litigation or held up by bureaucracy.How developers and local officials confront those challenges could be crucial to alleviating the region’s deepening housing shortage. Here are five of the major Bay Area developments with the most at stake in 2024.An “aggressive” new timeline for the Concord Naval Weapons Station projectAfter cycling through three different developers over the past two decades, Concord hopes the latest multibillion-dollar plan to transform the former Concord Naval Weapons Station into a new master-planned community with more than 10,000 homes signals the project is finally on the road to completion.Until recently, the push to develop one of the Bay Area’s most ambitious projects in one of its most sou...

A former Pittsburg mayor suffered in silence after his son was mortally wounded in a stabbing. His long journey ended with forgiveness, compassion

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:15 GMT

As mayor of Pittsburg, Dwaine “Pete” Longmire’s public persona was the easygoing, even-keeled city leader who smiled at ribbon cuttings and warmly greeted constituents who spoke up at public meetings, even if they came there to yell at him.But Longmire was keeping a secret that almost no one knew: Privately, he was consumed by grief. In 2012, just two years into Longmire’s tenure on the City Council, his son, Christopher Longmire, was stabbed in the neck, leaving him paralyzed, and expected to live just another six to eight years.Powerless to change his son’s fate, Pete Longmire watched him inch toward his eventual death, all the while overwhelmed by his sadness — and anger at the person who caused it all. But a journey that began with such tragedy came to a place that no one involved could have predicted: Longmire taught himself to forgive, culminating in a face-to-face meeting with the man who stabbed his son.A former police officer, Longmire has now ...

Golden State Warriors have on-court chemistry issues that may be too late to fix

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:15 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Steve Kerr had to try something new again.Saturday, that meant drawing up his 11th different starting lineup of the season. Chris Paul was back in for rookie Brandin Podziemski to get Steph Curry going early and Trayce Jackson-Davis got his first NBA start at center for Kevon Looney to add some size and athleticism defensively.The change hardly paid off. MVP hopeful Luka Doncic made a mockery of the Warriors’ defense, putting up 39 points and exploiting the many rotation miscommunications in a 132-122 Warriors loss on Saturday night. Chris Pauls 24-point night was short of filling the void left of Curry’s cold first half and Klay Thompson’s ice-cold game in which he went 1-of-11 from the field.The Warriors have enviable depth to try a new look every minute, but no group of five in the mosaic of lineups that hit the floor has any flow. Of the dozens of lineups Kerr has thrown out there, only one lineup — Curry, Thompson, Green, Andrew Wig...

Londynn Jones leads No. 2 UCLA to 71-64 win over No. 6 USC despite 27 points from JuJu Watkins

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:15 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cori Close went with one of the more challenging nonconference schedules so that UCLA would be prepared for what could be the most rigorous Pac-12 races in conference history.That certainly paid off Saturday in a battle of unbeaten crosstown rivals at a sold-out Pauley Pavilion.Londynn Jones scored 21 points, including five 3-pointers, as second-ranked UCLA defeated No. 6 Southern California 71-64, despite 27 points and 11 rebounds from JuJu Watkins in what was the conference opener for both teams in the final season of the Pac-12.Lauren Betts had 15 points and eight rebounds while Kiki Rice scored 12 for the Bruins (12-0, 1-0 Pac-12), who beat the Trojans for the ninth straight time.UCLA has won all four games this season when going against ranked opponents, but the first three happened on the road or neutral courts. “Today was like Sweet 16 match up. I think our nonconference schedule gave us a lot of experience,” Betts said. “I think we came in today know...

New women’s professional hockey league, with hopes of staying power, ready to drop the puck

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:15 GMT

No longer a far-fetched notion, the Professional Women’s Hockey League is approaching reality and Sarah Nurse can’t help but pinch herself.On Monday, the 28-year-old Canadian national team forward will be on the ice in Toronto when her yet-to-be nicknamed team faces off against New York to open the new year and the PWHL’s inaugural 72-game season.“It means so much to me. It’s something that I had dreamed of and envisioned all those years ago, but I didn’t know it would actually come to fruition,” Nurse said. “It’s hard when you think of all the places that we’ve been over the last four years. And to be able to get here, with my Toronto team, has blown my expectations out of the water.”It wasn’t easy. It took time and patience for the moment to arrive after past start-up leagues lurched from one crisis to another before ultimately folding because they lacked money, vision and foundational support.Finally, the world’s best players have one place to showcase their talents outside...

Shrimp and Bean Stew / Belkys

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:15 GMT

Ingredients:1 tsp. fresh lemon zest and juice of one lemon1 tsp. paprika (sweet or smoked)4 garlic cloves, gratedSalt and pepper1-pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined and tail off2 tbs. unsalted butter1 tbs. olive oil1 large onion, diced1 15 oz. can Cannellini beans, rinsed2 cups chicken or vegetable stockspinach or kale- one handfulBread, toasted for servingMethod of Preparation:Mix lemon zest, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.Add shrimp and toss to coat.In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat.When butter is foaming add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally.When it turns pink (2-3 minutes) transfer shrimp using a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.Add onion to the pot, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until onions soften.Add beans and broth and bring to a boil.Lower heat and simmer 8-10 minutes.Add shrimp and juices back into the pot then add lemon juice and spinach. If needed, season again with salt and pepper to taste.Let simme...

Transit police nab man accused of trying to smash ATM with shovel

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:15 GMT

Transit police arrested a Boston man accused of tying to smash his way into an ATM with a shovel at Ashmont Station.Officers responding to a report of a person trying to break into an ATM with a shovel around 6 a.m. Saturday learned the suspect had fled in a vehicle, which was later spotted on Dorchester Avenue, according to transit police.The suspect, whose name was not released, was taken into custody. No additional information was immediately available.https://twitter.com/MBTATransitPD/status/1741115884544876594

Putin lauds Russian unity in his New Year’s address as Ukraine war overshadows celebration

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:15 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Russia’s “united society” in his prerecorded New Year’s address to the nation, the country’s state news agencies reported Sunday. Putin addressed Russians in a video that ran under four minutes long, significantly shorter than the New Year’s speech he gave last year, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. Millions of people were expected to watch the new address when it airs on TV as each Russian time zone region counts down the final minutes of 2023 on Sunday. The first to see it were residents of the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Chukotka region in Russia’s Far East, some nine hours ahead of Moscow. Returning to tradition after speaking flanked by soldiers last year, Putin delivered his address to the nation against the backdrop of a snowy Kremlin. In remarks carried by RIA Novosti, he described 2023 as a year marked by high levels of unity in Russian society.“What united us and unites us is the fate of the Fatherland, a deep under...

Sen. Fetterman says he thought news about his depression treatment would end his political career

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:15 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. John Fetterman acknowledges having “dark conversations” about harming himself before he hit “the emergency brake” and sought treatment for depression.He remembers thinking about his three school-age kids. “I can’t be a blueprint for my children. I can’t let them be left alone or not to understand why he would have done that,” the first-term Pennsylvania Democrat told NBC’s “Meet the Press” in a deeply personal and introspective interview taped before the broadcast that aired Sunday.So he checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, last Feb. 15. “There was nowhere else to go,” he said, describing how he often felt during his stay that “there wasn’t any hope sometimes and like, ‘What do I have left?’”He also wondered whether he would survive politically.“When it got released where I was and where it was going, it was a big story. And so, I had assumed that that would be the end of my career,” he said.When he sought tr...