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‘We may be the last maskers’: COVID cases are rising. Here’s why health experts are masking indoors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:52 GMT

While much of the world has moved on from the COVID-19 pandemic, Santa Clara County Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody and her colleagues still wear protective masks to work and in other crowded indoor settings. And if you’ve noticed a lot of people you know coming down with COVID lately, you’ll understand why.Thrust into the national spotlight three years ago as an early voice of caution and protective orders as the then-deadly COVID pandemic took hold, Cody admits she and her public health colleagues stand out now among the mostly unmasked masses. But with cases rising again, and her own recent bout with the disease still in mind, she urges others to consider masking indoors.“Every single one of us masks every day, because we look at the data,” Cody said. “We may be the last maskers, but that’s what we do. I’d highly recommend people going to indoor gatherings with a lot of people mask. The chances you’d be exposed are very high....

49ers’ rookie kicker Moody aims to meet the Gould standard

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:52 GMT

SANTA CLARA — It’s the last play of practice Tuesday, and all eyes are on Jake Moody.The 49ers’ hand-picked successor to place kicker Robbie Gould did not disappoint, drilling a field goal attempt from 60 yards out in front of teammates and fans in the stands.As impressive as the kick was, it didn’t come as a surprise. Kickers aren’t selected in the third round of the NFL Draft unless they can convert field goal attempts long, short and everywhere in between.Leading up to the final kick, Moody had converted from 33, 38, 48 and 53 yards. Which was all well and good except for a miss from 43 yards out.“That’s one I want back and one where I want to prove that’s not what I’m about,” Moody said, adding that the 60-yarder was “a good way to end practice.”In reality, things are just beginning for Moody, whose selection was criticized in some quarters for being far too early with the 99th overall selection. Moody was t...

Editorial: End legacy admissions at California’s private colleges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:52 GMT

It’s time for California’s top private colleges to follow Occidental College’s lead and stop giving preferential treatment to children of alumni.The justification for legacy admissions is weak, at best. College administrators should be embarrassed if the main reason a wealthy donor gives money to a school is to win favor with the admissions department.Occidental ended the practice last week.“To ensure we are removing any potential barriers to access and opportunity, Occidental will no longer ask applicants about alumni relationships as part of the application,” President Harry Elam wrote in a statement.Some other private schools in California, including CalTech, University of San Francisco and Mills College, say they do not use the criterion in deciding which students to admit to their schools.Wesleyan University, a liberal arts college in Connecticut, ended the practice July 19 in the wake of the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling. Other selecti...

San Jose “entertainment district” plan dissolves, data center is eyed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:52 GMT

SAN JOSE — The proposal was nothing short of grandiose, an “entertainment district” set to be a game-changer for San Jose. That vision has dissolved and yielded to a project with a decidedly mundane mission: a data center.Shops @ Terra was the name of the ambitious entertainment district, that years ago was proposed for San Jose’s Alviso district on a huge site along North First Street near Liberty Street.The original plans called for restaurants, shops, two hotels and a Topgolf complex. Topgolf has become a unique entertainment hub that features golf, drinks and dining as its centerpiece. These plans were officially announced in 2018.Years later, neither hotel has been constructed. Stores, restaurants and entertainment centers have yet to materialize. Topgolf opened in 2021.Topgolf has been a steady draw as an entertainment, sports, and dining center. Topgolf operates high-tech driving ranges that allow people to hit golf balls equipped with microchips that ...

Mega Millions jackpot rises to $1.25 billion after no player wins Tuesday’s drawing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:52 GMT

By Aya Elamroussi | CNNThe Mega Millions grand prize grew further past the billion-dollar mark after no winning ticket claimed the jackpot at Tuesday night’s drawing.The winning numbers in Tuesday night’s drawing were 8, 24, 30, 45, 61 and Mega Ball 12.The estimated jackpot for the next drawing on Friday night – $1.25 billion – would be the fourth-largest prize in Mega Millions’ history, the lottery said in a news release early Wednesday.Friday’s anticipated drawing will be the 31st since the jackpot was last won in New York on April 18, according to Mega Millions.And while no one hit the jackpot Tuesday, the drawing proved lucky for some.One ticket sold in Texas won $4 million by matching the first five numbers and activating the Megaplier, an option available in most states with an extra $1 purchase, the lottery said.Six other tickets won $1 million each by matching the first five numbers without the Megaplier. Two of those tickets were sold in California, while the others were so...

Opinion: Can Kounalakis beat the odds and become California governor?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:52 GMT

Given that two of the last four California governors – Gavin Newsom and Gray Davis – acceded to the position after serving as lieutenant governor, some might assume that it is fairly logical and almost automatic for the No. 2 to advance to No. 1.Well, that would be wrong.In the entire 173-year history of the state, only three sitting lieutenant governors have ever been elected governor. The first time was in 1922 – fully 72 years into that history. The second time was 76 years later: Davis in 1998. And Davis was also the first-ever Democratic understudy to be elected governor. Newsom was only the second.Not only has it been a rare occurrence for lieutenant governors to become governor, but in modern times it has actually been more common for lieutenant governors to downsize themselves by running for and being elected to Congress, going from No. 2 in the largest state to one of 435.John Garamendi in 2009, in the middle of his first term as lieutenant governor, left to run successfull...

Monterey County cold case murder solved after 32 years, but suspect died in 2021

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:52 GMT

SALINAS – A cold case murder more than three decades old has been solved according to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, but the suspect will never be charged because he died before DNA testing confirmed evidence found under the victim’s fingernails matched his.On Jan. 3, 1991, Vicki Johnson, a 34-year-old mother of three from Seaside, was found dead in Sabado Park at Darwin Street and H Place in Seaside.Johnson had been strangled, asphyxiated, and her body had been set on fire, according to a press release from the District Attorney’s Office. The physical evidence indicated that Johnson had struggled with her killer. No eyewitnesses to the crime could be located, and no significant suspects were developed.No arrests were made in the initial investigation of Johnson’s murder and the case remained unsolved for more than 32 years.In 2021, the Johnson murder case was reopened when investigators with the DA’s Cold Case Task Force worked together with the Seaside Police Depa...

Carmel’s iconic Butterfly House sold for $29 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:52 GMT

CARMEL – One of the most recognizable homes along Carmel’s coastline with a profile that mirrors its name – The Butterfly House – has sold for $29 million.The house was built on an ocean-front promontory in 1951 by Frank Wynkoop and is one of only a handful of residential properties along Scenic Road in Carmel. Wynkoop was a commercial architect and original owner of the home.“We feel fortunate that we were able to help our clients acquire this iconic coastal property that they, and so many others, have coveted for years,” said Tim Allen of the Tim Allen Properties Team, Coldwell Banker Realty, in a press release, and who represented the buyers. “The Butterfly House is one of the most notable homes along California’s Central Coast with its midcentury modern design and architecture by Frank Wynkoop. The canted roofline that resembles a butterfly spreading its wings just feet from the sea has given it worldwide notoriety as an architectural treasure.”The Butterfly House is considered ...

Ditch the cob and put some Bay Area corn in your glass

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:52 GMT

Corn is king, especially in summer, because that’s when it’s fully ripe and tastes best. For those who don’t know, corn isn’t a vegetable, it’s an annual grass, technically classified as zea mays (maize). Corn fits into the scientific family Gramineae, along with wheat, barley, rye, rice and sugar cane, all of which are used somewhere in the production of whiskey.Prior to Prohibition, rye whiskey was the preeminent whiskey in the United States. When repeal came in 1933, the whiskey that returned in force was corn-based bourbon. Bourbon was king (and the Bourbons were kings, first of France and later of Spain) for a number of reasons, the most prominent being that it was cheaper to make. It’s still cheaper to make today, with corn at little more than half the price of rye on average.Savage and Cooke’s Second Glance American Whiskey features flavors of baking spice, graham cracker and butterscotch. Photo by Jeff BurkhartUnlike rye, wheat and malt whiskey, which are self-explanato...

San Rafael evicts homeless campers amid crime spike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:52 GMT

Citing a recent shooting and other criminal activity, San Rafael cleared a small camp of homeless people about a block from City Hall on Tuesday.City Manager Cristine Alilovich signed an administrative order prohibiting camping through Aug. 31 at the Falkirk Cultural Center and the Menzies parking lot on Mission Avenue. Officials estimated eight campers were living at the site.San Rafael police officers have responded to 107 incidents, including 74 calls for service, at the camp. Police have made six arrests at the site “for violations of non-camping criminal laws,” the city order says.Alilovich issued the order on Thursday, the same day police arrested a suspect in the shooting.“The incident with a firearm at the Menzies lot significantly escalated the public safety concerns at that location,” Genevieve Coyle, assistant city attorney, said in an email. “The City took this immediate action to ensure the safety of all residents in the neighborhood, as well as the individuals camping ...