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Letters: Conserve water | Save our kids | Group effort | Crisis of morality | Seize chance

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:11 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Drought or not, statemust conserve waterRe: “Newsom denies obvious: State no longer in drought” (Page A6, March 28).George Skelton’s column saying that the governor denies that the state is no longer in a drought is meaningless. Skelton seems to want the governor to officially proclaim it’s over. But why do that and what will that accomplish?We had a deepening-water crisis even before the drought. If the governor declares what Skelton wants that could signal a return to the past practice of waste. Our crisis is of a magnitude that, in my opinion, we seem to need a four- to five-year water reserve to make it through the next drought, which could return next year.We are in no position to declare anything. This abundance of rain is just a reprieve. If the governor should say anything, it is that we are changing practices, policies and starting new projects to sustain California’s future.Ma...

Oakland: Four suspects arrested in East Oakland robbery spree

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:11 GMT

OAKLAND — Four men have been arrested in at least 15 armed robberies since late February of men and women throughout the city, authorities said Wednesday.In a press conference Tuesday at Oakland police headquarters, Oakland police Lt. Seth Neri praised investigators’ efforts that led to arrests and warrant services Tuesday afternoon at addresses in Oakland and Hayward.“These suspects (were) committing an average of three to five robberies a night,” said Neri, who runs the felony assault and robbery section within the department’s criminal investigative division. “They began the robbery spree earlier this year, and committed the last one six days ago.”The suspects, identified only as one Oakland and three Hayward residents ranging in age from 18 to 24 years old, targeted mostly male and at least three female Latinos on foot in multiple East Oakland neighborhoods. The victims’ ages ranged from 18 to 65 years old.The suspects, who were ar...

Beloved giraffe dies unexpectedly at Maryland Zoo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:11 GMT

By Josh Starkey | WBAL via CNNBALTIMORE (WBAL) — The Maryland Zoo is mourning after the unexpected loss of a giraffe, Willow.The zoo said Willow began showing a sharp decrease in appetite on Friday. They said gastrointestinal issues are not uncommon in giraffes, so they began treating her and monitoring her health. But after seeming stable, her health suddenly deteriorated Monday.Willow, 6, was born at the Maryland Zoo in 2017. The zoo held a naming contest that year that returned over 26,000 responses. They released a statement about her passing:“This is a tremendous loss, and we know our members, guests, and friends feel it too. Since her birth, Willow has inspired joy and compassion in thousands of people. She grew from an awkward calf with ossicones that looked like pigtails, to a beautiful icon of the Zoo and her vulnerable species. Willow’s presence at the Giraffe Feeding Station in particular, is something everyone will miss.“We could go on about Willow’s go...

Knyzhov gets new deal from Sharks after return from injuries that cost him nearly 2 years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:11 GMT

Nikolai Knyzhov has played only nine games for the Sharks this season, but that was enough for San Jose to give him an extension and a raise.The 25-year-old forward signed a two-year contract Wednesday that will keep him in San Jose through the 2024-25 season.Knyzhov missed all of last season and much of this year with a string of lower-body injuries, returning to the Sharks earlier this month for his first game since May 2021.In his rookie year of 2020-21, Knyzhov shined for the struggling Sharks, earning time alongside star defenseman Erik Karlsson. After that breakout season, he underwent two sports hernia surgeries and an adductor repair and suffered from a bone infection along the way, missing last season. In offseason training last summer, he then his right Achilles tendon.Related ArticlesSan Jose Sharks | Sharks’ Reimer makes incredible save, hears cheers, but faces uncertain future in San Jose San Jose Sharks | Sharks update: Injured wingers ...

Google ‘not truthful,’ tried to ‘subvert’ court process by deleting evidence in monopoly case, judge rules

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:11 GMT

A federal court judge has lambasted Google for deceptive tactics in a high-stakes court case, with California Attorney General Rob Bonta also attacking the technology behemoth for “egregious behavior.”The judge’s excoriation came in a multi-lawsuit legal action involving dozens of states, including California, accusing the Mountain View-based digital advertising giant of monopolizing the distribution of apps that use Google’s Android operating system.Judge James Donato found Google broke federal court rules, and potentially weakened the antitrust case against the company, by auto-deleting internal employee messages the firm was obligated to hand over to the states and other plaintiffs as evidence.“Google has tried to downplay the problem and displayed a dismissive attitude ill tuned to the gravity of its conduct,” Donato wrote in his decision Tuesday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.The plaintiffs, in a court filing Monday, had claimed Goog...

Fentanyl crisis: FDA expands access to Narcan, but barriers remain as California debates solutions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:11 GMT

The U.S Food and Drug Administration authorized the sale of the life-saving opioid treatment Narcan without a prescription on Wednesday, a major step forward in the nation’s fight against the deadly fentanyl crisis that claimed nearly 6,000 lives in California in 2021.The move by the FDA is expected to significantly expand access to the medication also known as naloxone, which can safely and quickly reserve the effects of a fentanyl overdose. Walgreens, which does not currently sell Narcan over-the-counter in California, immediately announced plans to make the drug readily available online and in stores nationwide as supply becomes available later this year.But the high price tag of the medication — $70 to $150 without insurance — could still deprive many of the people who need it the most.“The cost barrier is still very real,” said Rachel Sussman, who practices primary care and addiction medicine at O’Connor Hospital in San Jose. “How many ...

Storm updates: Hail in SF and around the Bay Area

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:11 GMT

(KRON) -- Hail fell in San Francisco and around the Bay Area as the latest in a series of storms soaked the region in rain. San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley are under a special weather advisory, according to the National Weather Service, while the mountain communities should expect more snow.Previously saturated soil could lead to downed trees and branches and power outages, as the area has seen from recent storms. More rain means more money for East Bay MUD customers Stay up to date with the latest storm-related news.Wednesday, March 293:25 p.m. -- SF streets coated in hailMore hail fell around San Francisco Tuesday afternoon, shortly after 3 p.m. Video showed the streets covered in a thick layer of hail and slush as cars carefully navigated the wet roadways. 2:45 p.m. -- Hail falls in Pleasant HillVideo shot in Pleasant Hill Tuesday showed hail falling around mid-day. 1 p.m. -- Accident reported on I-280 near Serramonte Boulevard(North County Fire Autho...

Mother robbed of baby diaper bag in San Francisco by armed felon

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:11 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A mother was with her two young daughters in San Francisco when a robber demanded the mother's baby diaper bag at gunpoint, police said. An armed man approached the 32-year-old woman just moments after she parked in the Richmond District and stepped out of her vehicle with her daughters, police said. "The suspect pointed a firearm at the victim and demanded her wallet. The victim told the suspect that she did not have a wallet. The suspect then took the victim’s diaper bag, which contained several items including her cellphone, jewelry, and house keys," the San Francisco Police Department wrote. The frightening robbery happened around 5:50 p.m. Friday. The robber fled in a nearby getaway vehicle driven by an accomplice. SFPD officers quickly tracked the victim’s phone to the area of Golden Gate Avenue and Jones Street. Officers found the getaway vehicle and initiated a traffic stop. The driver fled on foot and eluded arrest.The passenger, Darryl Robinson...

'Ebony Alert' system proposed in California to help find missing Black young adults and adolescents

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:11 GMT

(KTXL) — A bill aimed at creating a system similar to Amber Alerts but specifically for missing Black young adults and adolescents was introduced into the California Senate last month.Senate Bill 673, introduced by Senator Steven Bradford, would create the "Ebony Alert" system, which would have the California Highway Patrol take steps to assist local law enforcement agencies in finding missing people such as "issuing a be-on-the-lookout alert, an electronic flyer, or changeable message signs." Amber, Silver, Feather, Blue: What are the different emergency alerts in California? “The Ebony Alert would ensure that resources and attention are given so we can bring home missing Black women and Black children in the same way we would search for any missing child and missing person,” said Bradford.The bill lays out considerations for if an Ebony Alert should be issued, including if the missing person is between 12 to 25 years of age; if they suffer from a mental or physical disability; i...

Suspects behind recent Oakland crime spree arrested

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:11 GMT

(KRON) -- The Oakland Police Department announced the arrests of four suspects involved in a recent series of armed robberies across the city. Four adult males were arrested in connection to 18 armed robberies involving firearms or knives, OPD said. Oakland A’s ballpark ranked worst in U.S. The suspects allegedly used the weapons to pistol whip and intimidate victims before fleeing the area with their possessions, police said. The suspects would typically commit between three and five robberies in one night. The robberies began late last year with the most recent being committed just six days ago.Units with OPD's Violent Crime Operations Center served multiple warrants in connection with the robberies, police said. Warrants were served to four locations -- two in Oakland and two in Hayward.During the operation, officers recovered evidence associated with the crimes and items taken during the robberies. Items recovered included jewelry, purses, wallets and credit cards.The suspects...