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Prep roundup: James Logan beats Mission San Jose, improves to 11-0 in MVAL baseball standings

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

NEW: PREP SPORTS MAILBAGThe Bay Area News Group is introducing a high school sports mailbag in May. Get your questions in as soon as possible. Our debut edition is an open forum. Got questions about spring sports playoffs, coaching changes, an early peek at football season, etc.? Send questions to [email protected]. Please include “mailbag” in the subject line.BaseballAeryk Hernandez is in his sixth season as the baseball coach at James Logan, and his last three teams are a combined 34-23, including a 2-0 victory over Mission San Jose on Wednesday.What has eluded Hernandez is an outright Mission Valley Athletic League title. The Colts finished in a first-place tie in each of the last two years.There is no way the veteran coach wants that to happen again. So he’s making sure his players know they have to win at least one more game for an outright MVAL championship.At 11-0 in league play and 14-6 overall, the odds would overwhelmingly favor the Colts, ranked No. 19 in t...

Chico State cuts ties with therapist who counseled both faculty and professor who allegedly made gun threats

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

Chico State has ended a contract with a mental health counselor hired to help faculty and staff cope with allegations that a biology professor threatened to shoot campus colleagues after university officials learned from court filings that she was also treating that very professor, David Stachura.The counselor, Christina W.H. Wong, didn’t disclose the apparent conflict of interest to university officials, according to documents and interviews.  Wong’s “no longer active in our system and will not receive new referrals,” campus spokesperson Andrew Staples told EdSource.Wong, a Chico-based licensed clinical social worker, has treated Stachura regularly since October 2021 according to a declaration Stachura filed in Butte County Superior Court as part of his effort to stop the university from obtaining a permanent workplace violence restraining order barring him from campus. She began treating other faculty and staff affected by the alleged threats in January.Neither Wong nor Empathia, ...

PG&E first-quarter profits jump as company’s utility revenue surges

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

OAKLAND — PG&E’s profits jumped during the first three months of 2023, the utility reported Thursday, a rise that coincided with big increases in monthly bills that numerous PG&E customers had to endure.During the January-through-March first quarter of 2023, PG&E earned $623 million, an 18.2% jump in profits from the $527 million in company profits during the same quarter in 2022, PG&E stated in a quarterly report it filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.Operating revenue for both electricity and gas totaled slightly less than $6.21 billion during the first quarter of 2023, which was an increase of 7.1% from the January-through-March quarter of 2022, PG&E reported.Total revenue from electricity operations was $4.12 billion in the first quarter of 2023, which was a 0.9% decrease from the year-before quarter.Natural gas total operating revenue was $2.09 billion in this year’s first quarter, a jump of 27.4% from the same quarter the pri...

Cinco de Mayo 2023: Tacos, beer, margaritas and discounts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

Cinco de Mayo falls on a Friday this year, meaning that several restaurants will keep the party going all weekend.Chains from quick-service to full-service have discounts with beer, margaritas and tacos.Here are some of the specials announced on websites and in news releases.Black Angus Steakhouse: There will be all-day happy hour on May 5 with a Messy Michelada for $8.50, Chili-Lime Chicken Bites for $11.99, and $7 starters, according to a news release. blackangus.comBJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse: The Huntington Beach chain will introduce a new Mexican-style lager,  BJ’s CureVeza, on Thursday, May 4 to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. It will donate 25 cents per pint brewed to support research for a cure, according to a news release. May 5 happy hour deals will include $6 Brewhouse Margaritas. bjsrestaurants.comRELATED: 20+ Cinco de Mayo parties, parades, and celebrations happening in the Bay AreaChipotle Mexican Grill: The Newport Beach chain is partnering with e...

Oakland teachers on strike starting Thursday after no deal is reached with school district

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

(KRON) -- The Oakland Education Association will go through with its strike starting Thursday, the Oakland Unified School District said. OUSD said the strike will happen "despite great progress in negotiations." "OUSD has failed to come to the table in good faith," OEA said. "Educators will be on the picket line tomorrow, on strike for our students & for Oakland schools. Join us on the picket line. We will continue to negotiate in good faith & hope the district does the same." Person of interest in Davis stabbings detained, police say Schools will be open on Thursday, but teachers will not be in classrooms, per OUSD. The school district does not know how long the strike will last and says it will continue to bargain with teachers. "The end of the school year is always filled with milestone events for our students, so we want to ensure regular school resumes as soon as possible," OUSD said. Officials with the OUSD have scheduled a news conference Thursday morning on the fir...

SF 'feels post-apocalyptic,' Musk tweets in response to latest store closures

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Downtown San Francisco has taken on a "post-apocalyptic" feel due to closed retail establishments, according to a tweet from Elon Musk. Following the recent announcement that Nordstrom would be closing its longstanding Bay Area flagship store at Westfield San Francisco Centre and a nearby Nordstrom Rack location, the city's seemingly struggling retail economy has been back in the spotlight. Eighties rock anthem dropped as SF Pride’s theme after singer’s controversial tweet City leaders like Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who represents the district where Nordstrom is located, have lamented the closures, expressing disappointment and blaming the closures on "unsafe conditions." The right-leaning media has also been quick to seize on the Nordstrom closures as the latest evidence of San Francisco's detioration.Now, Twitter's owner has weighed in, tweeting "So many stores shuttered in downtown SF. Feels post-apocalyptic," in response to a tweet about car break-ins fro...

Best county to retire in every state

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

Retirement should be an exciting time, but for some retirees, the current economy with inflation rates sitting at 5%—well above the acceptable rate of 2%—has made for a belt-tightening experience.Many retirees have padded their retirement savings by relocating to a cheaper area. In 2019, those who leveraged this strategy were able to gain about $100,000 in home equity, according to Vanguard Group.While this strategy may not be for everyone, 40% of non-retired investors planned to relocate after they stopped working, with the cost of living and taxes being the top two factors for their desire to move, according to Nationwide.A financial situation may be one reason to move, but seniors aged 65 or older also have many other factors to consider when choosing where they want to live out their golden years. These include government services, health care facilities, climate, crime rate, recreational activities, eating establishments, cultural and entertainment opportunities, and more. Stac...

The Polarizing Prosecutor Trying to Nail Putin for War Crimes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

As a prosecutor in the Special Court for Sierra Leone rose to deliver the opening statement in the war crimes and crimes against humanity trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, Taylor’s attorney stood up to leave.“Mr. Khan, you have not been given leave to withdraw. You don’t just get up and waltz out of here,” the presiding judge warned the defense attorney, Karim Khan, according to a transcript of the 2007 proceedings in The Hague. Khan did just that.The walkout, following a dispute regarding the resources allotted to the defense, was a bold, spectacular move that angered many but successfully delayed Taylor’s trial by several months. Khan’s gesture became legendary in international law circles, earning him either admiration or disdain, depending on who you ask. Stephen Rapp, the prosecutor who Khan walked out on, wrote in an email to colleagues years later that Khan’s behavior had been “an act of profound disrespect for international criminal justice.”The court eventu...

IKEA to deliver more urban format stores to DC area

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

Furniture and housewares retailer IKEA will open new format stores in Fairfax, Virginia, this summer, and in Gaithersburg, Maryland, this fall.The stores, called “Plan & Order” stores, are much smaller than traditional IKEA stores and don’t actually carry inventory for sale.This is a rendering of the new IKEA location planned for Gaithersburg, Md. (Courtesy IKEA)Rather, customers meet with designers, choose their furniture, and, in the case of the Fairfax and Gaithersburg stores, return later to pick up what they’ve ordered. Customers can also arrange to have their orders delivered.The Fairfax IKEA Plan & Order will be at Fairfax Corner at 4206 Fairfax Corner Avenue. In Gaithersburg, the new IKEA store will be in Rio Lakefront at 1010 Boardwalk Place.“While the Plan & Order point and Plan & Order point with Pick-up are different from our traditional IKEA stores, we hope they better meet the needs of our local customers and provide an IKE...

NBA Playoffs: Celtics enjoy a rare rout in this postseason

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:52 GMT

Sorry, Philadelphia. The NBA was due for a blowout.It hasn’t had many of them in these playoffs.Boston’s 121-87 win over Philadelphia on Tuesday night was the 50th game of this year’s playoffs — and only the fourth to be decided by more than 20 points.The others: the Los Angeles Lakers’ 125-85 win on April 28 to clinch their series with Memphis in Round 1, Denver’s 109-80 win over Minnesota on April 16 and Miami’s 121-99 win over Milwaukee on April 22.That speaks to the competitiveness of this year’s tournament. Only 8% of this season’s playoff games, so far, have been decided by more than 20.That’s down considerably from 20% last year, 15% in 2021, 13% in the bubble playoffs of 2020, and 21% in 2019.WHAT’S NEXT?Golden State will aim to avoid falling into a 2-0 hole for the second consecutive series — this time, at home — when it plays host to the Lakers in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal matchup on Thursday night.Friday’s slate will see Denver seeking a 3-0...