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7 fantastic Bay Area things to do this weekend, May 19-21

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:09 GMT

Got your weekend all planned? We have some cool ideas, from great shows and movies to yummy chowder and a South Bay brewery excursion.As with everything these days, be sure to double check websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines. Meanwhile, if you’d like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.com/newsletters or www.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.1 SEE & HEAR: Great shows are all overFrom the sensational pianist Hiromi to the beloved Scottish Fiddlers, there are all kinds of fun and exciting shows to catch in the Bay Area this weekend.2 PLAY & SIP: A Silicon Valley beer runOK, campers, check your pocket protector jokes at the door, and join us a Silicon Valley day trip that includes some terrific breweries.Ansel Adams captured this image, “The Golden Gate Before the Bridge,” from the Sea Cliff, San Francisco, community in which he resided, in 1932. Ansel Adam...

NCS softball playoffs: Castro Valley stifles Amador, defending champion Heritage survives

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:09 GMT

Division INo. 10 Castro Valley 2, No. 7 Amador Valley 0Gabriella Tavares shut down one of the hottest teams in the Bay Area on Wednesday afternoon, allowing just two hits and striking out nine Amador Valley batters in a North Coast Section Division I upset.“It is the most confident I’ve ever seen her be on the mound,” Castro Valley coach Nicole Manley told the Bay Area News Group on Wednesday night. “It’s almost as if she’s been in this position before, but oddly enough due to the pandemic affecting her high school career, she hasn’t.”The game was scoreless until the fifth inning, when an Ava Thomas double drove in Jaidyn Torres. Katrina Longoria added an emphatic insurance run in the top of the seventh by hitting a solo home run over the right field wall. “She has been due for a big hit like that, and the timing of it couldn’t have been any better,” Manley said.Amador Valley pitcher Kaylee Davis was otherwise superb, allowing just two hits and striking out seven in a pitcher’s duel...

Could Oakland teacher strike cost district millions for lost instruction time?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:09 GMT

The Oakland Unified School District has settled a week-long strike with its teachers union — a deal that will boost pay a total of $70 million. But as the administration figures out how to pay for those raises, could it also face stiff fines for the time its 34,000 students went without teachers?District officials had no answers early this week, but the experience of another large Northern California school district’s lengthy strike last year is sobering: The Sacramento City Unified School District expects to be hit with a hefty $47 million in penalties after a two-week strike left it short of the state’s required 180-day instruction time.“It’s significant,” said Brian Heap, Sacramento City Unified’s chief communications officer. “It’s not a small amount of money.”At Oakland Unified, eight days of regular classes were lost, and although campuses were not officially closed, teachers were absent, and the few students who show...

Berkeley: Man arrested as suspect in downtown bank robbery attempt

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:09 GMT

BERKELEY — An unhoused 35-year-old man was in county jail Wednesday after his arrest in connection with an attempted bank robbery, authorities said.Around 9:40 a.m., police dispatchers received a call from Chase Bank, 2150 Shattuck Ave., saying that a person passed a note to a teller demanding money.When the teller walked away from the counter, the person, who did not use or show any weapons, left the bank. No one was injured during the attempt, and no money changed hands, police said.Officers arrived at the bank and canvassed the area, but did not initially find a suspect matching a preliminary partial description of a blue shirt, pink shirt and black heels. But around 12:20 p.m., an officer found a person matching the description, and arrested him shortly after 1 p.m. on suspicion of the robbery attempt after a positive identification, police said.The man was taken to Santa Rita Jail and held on $100,000 bail, and faces arraignment Friday at an Oakland courtroom, according t...

Water whiplash: See how California’s drought disappeared in a few months

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:09 GMT

California has been on an amazing roller coaster of drought and floods recently.The three years from 2020 to 2022 were the driest three-year period in the state’s recorded history, breaking the old record set during the previous drought from 2013 to 2015, according to the state Department of Water Resources.But after a deluge this winter, reservoirs are full. Wildfire risk has dropped. Groundwater tables in many areas have risen. The Sierra snowpack, the source of 30% of California’s water supply, was at 324% of normal on Thursday, the highest level in 40 years.The extreme swings have been documented each week in color-coded maps issued by the U.S. Drought Monitor, a weekly report by the NOAA, the USDA and the University of Nebraska.Here’s how it unfolded: The drought began with below-average rain and snow in the winter of 2019-2020. It worsened the following winter as high-pressure ridges off the West Coast relentlessly blocked storms. By the summer of 2021, 95% of California...

What is 'revenge travel' and how could it impact your summer travel plans?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:09 GMT

(KRON) -- Memorial Weekend unofficially kicks off the summer travel season, but if you've been gearing up to enjoy summer travel, be prepared for crowds. Park officials list best ‘super bloom’ hot spots in South Bay Revenge travel could still impact travel costs this year, according to travel website The Vacationer. "Revenge travel" is a term coined in 2021 to describe the desire to travel after years of pandemic lockdowns, according to Alan Fyall, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Visit Orlando Endowed Chair of Tourism Marketing at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management. Fyall says the desire is a normal one. Though most pandemic-era restrictions have since ended, many people have still had limited ability to travel over the past several years. However, that is quickly changing. Almost 85% of respondents said they intend to travel at least once this summer, according to a survey of 1,017 American adults conducted by travel company The Vacationer. (Photo by Matthew Hatc...

Man dead after ride-share vehicle strikes deer in Fairfax County

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:09 GMT

The driver of a ride-share vehicle is dead after colliding with a deer along the Dulles Airport Access Highway in Fairfax County, Virginia, on Wednesday night.The deadly collision happened in the westbound lanes of the Dulles Airport Access Highway, a mile after Interstate 495 at around 8:30 p.m., according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Department.The man who was driving the car died at the scene. A passenger was transported to a hospital for treatment by the Fairfax County Fire Department, police said.Dulles Airport-bound traffic was redirected to the Dulles Toll Road for about four hours, as police conducted an accident investigation.Source

Stephanie Beatriz of ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ to serve as Indy 500 grand marshal

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:09 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Stephanie Beatriz, who starred as Detective Rosa Diaz on the TV show “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and voiced Madrigal on the Academy Award-winning film “Encanto,” will serve as the grand marshal for the Indianapolis 500 later this month.The track announced Tuesday the award-winning actress, who will star in the upcoming show “Twisted Metal,” will walk the Indy 500 red carpet on May 28 before giving the command for drivers to report to their cars.“Stephanie brings a fresh energy and excitement to pre-race ceremonies that both spectators at the track and everyone watching on NBC and Peacock will appreciate,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles said.Practice for the race began Tuesday and continues throughout the week, with qualifying on Saturday and Sunday. The annual Carb Day festivities include a final practice and concerts by Bryan Adams and Soul Asylum before the race-day events culminate with the 107th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”C...

Youngkin endorses 6 candidates in contested Republican primaries

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:09 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Gov. Glenn Youngkin is set to issue a third round of endorsements Thursday in Virginia legislative races, backing 19 more Republican candidates, including six who are in contested primaries. Among those set to receive the governor’s nod are Emily Brewer and Tara Durant, both members of the House of Delegates facing spirited challenges for the GOP nomination in state Senate races. Youngkin is also backing Senate candidate Bill Woolf and House of Delegates candidates John Stirrup, Lee Peters and Buddy Fowler, an incumbent, over other GOP opponents, according to details provided to The Associated Press ahead of a formal announcement.“I know this group of candidates – which includes experienced legislators, law enforcement officials, small business leaders and business executives – are committed to making Virginia the best place in America to live, work, and raise a family. Together, we will strengthen the spirit of Virginia and deliver results,” Youngki...

‘Drag is something to celebrate’: San Francisco to name 1st-in-nation drag laureate

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:09 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Anti-trans legislation is roiling the nation. Bills prohibiting drag performances are cropping up in statehouses. Violence and vitriol are turning children’s drag story hour events into headline-news protests.San Francisco is fighting back Thursday by naming the nation’s first drag laureate, an ambassador-style position designed to represent the city’s famous LGBTQ+ community at a time when rights are under attack.In a city known for its support of LGBTQ+ rights, San Francisco Mayor London Breed says it was a natural step to create a position that not only embraces drag culture but puts government resources toward it. D’Arcy Drollinger, a well-known drag performer and nightclub owner, will receive a $55,000 stipend in her 18-month role as the city’s inaugural drag laureate.“My goals are to make San Francisco sparkle. I think drag performers bring a lot of sparkle and humor and glamor and silliness to the world. I think that is part of why drag is so ...