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In SF Giants’ catching competition, Roberto Pérez separates himself with defensive acumen, veteran presence

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:35:28 GMT

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Inside his humble community college dorm room in Lake City, Florida, about as land-locked of a location as it gets in the state, midway between Jacksonville and Tallahassee, Roberto Pérez learned to swear.The room, which he shared with a teammate on the college’s pitching staff, was where Pérez found himself in 2006, after being drafted by Dodgers out of high school in Puerto Rico but opting not to sign. Just 17 years old, Pérez didn’t know a lick of English, despite courses in school, and knew that to achieve his goal — catching in the big leagues — communication was going to be essential.“I really wanted to go to college and test myself,” Pérez said. “Instead of rooming with a Latin player, I chose to room with an American guy. He would talk to me in English and I would talk to him in Spanish. We kind of helped each other out. I didn’t know at first what he was saying, but I got used to it. I would talk by pointing at things.”...

East Bay: Police say mom served as son’s getaway driver after shooting

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:35:28 GMT

OAKLEY — An 18-year-old Oakley man suspected of shootings in that city and Antioch has been arrested along with his mother, who authorities said served as his getaway driver after one of the incidents.Oakley Police Chief Paul Beard said in a statement that police believe the 18-year-old fired shots about 8:35 p.m. Feb. 19 outside a gas station in the 4500 block of Main Street. Officers responded for reports that a man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt was shooting at a vehicle that was fleeing the location.The shooting left a hole in the vehicle but did not injure the man. Oakley police investigators reviewed security footage, eventually identified the person in the vehicle and talked to him, Beard said.According to Beard, investigators believe the shooter and the victim stared at each other, which created an altercation. Beard said the suspect then pulled a gun and chased the victim as the victim ran to a vehicle. Beard said that after the suspect fired several rounds, he ent...

After COVID delay, former San Jose mayor’s play finally making its debut

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:35:28 GMT

Former San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery’s play, “A Statue for Ballybunion,” is all set for its San Jose Playhouse premiere at 3Below Theaters in downtown San Jose tonight  — just a day short of the third anniversary of when it was originally supposed to debut.The comedy play was on the cusp of its U.S. premiere on St. Patrick’s Day in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down during rehearsals just days before opening night. Everyone — and I mean everyone — has their fingers crossed that this opening goes off without a hitch.“I am thrilled that A Statue for Ballybunion will have its American debut in my hometown of San Jose,” McEnery said. “My play tells a tale about how a town on the edge of the wild Atlantic fights for its self-respect and very survival. As in all such stories, there is real humor in the lives of its people and an ever-present and sorrowful past.”Former San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery, photographed in 2020...

Larry Magid: Scammers get trickier in pursuit of your money

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:35:28 GMT

In the past few days I have received two separate text messages that appeared to come from both Amazon and Venmo, telling me that my account was locked because of “multiple failed login attempts to your account.” Each had a link to a webpage where I could “recover my account,” but in both cases, they were scams. Had I clicked on those links and provided my log-in information, the thieves would have had access to my accounts.Related ArticlesBusiness | Magid: Using tech to help with taxes Business | Magid: New tool helps young people remove explicit online images Business | Magid: Supreme Court grapples with definition of publisher Business | Larry Magid: Lenovo tablet challenges iPad, but so do cheaper tablets I’m immediately suspicious of any messages I get telling me about a lock-out or security issue because they are very often scams. In these cases, I knew for sure, because the weblinks ...

Shooting in East Oakland leaves man hospitalized

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:35:28 GMT

OAKLAND — A 32-year-old man was shot in the leg Wednesday night after he got into a confrontation with someone in a vehicle in East Oakland, authorities said.The man was in stable condition, authorities said. Police said he is an Oakland resident but did not say if he lived in the area where the shooting happened.The shooting happened about 8:06 p.m. Wednesday outside in the 1300 block of 102nd Avenue, a residential area south of International Boulevard.Police said the man got into a physical altercation with someone in a parked SUV and was shot. The vehicle fled before officers got to the scene.A motive for the shooting was under investigation.Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering up to $5,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest of the shooter. Anyone with information may call police at 510-238-3426 or Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572.

Bay Bridge incidents leave 2 dead, major traffic delays

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:35:28 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- There is heavy police presence on the Bay Bridge Thursday morning near westbound 80 and the Treasure Island offramp, according to the California Highway Patrol incident page. Traffic has been backed up since around midnight Thursday and is now impacting Thursday's morning commute.As of 7 a.m., CHP reported that all westbound lanes on the Bay Bridge have been reopened. Expect residual delays.As an alternate route, take the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Mateo Bridge, BART or the ferry to get into San Francisco. Around 10 p.m. Wednesday, someone climbed on to the railing of the Bay Bridge.CHP responded to the scene and said the person was on the westbound lanes just east of the center anchorage. Crews were able to safely remove the person around 6:26 a.m. Thursday and take them into custody.About an hour later around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday, CHP said there was a three-vehicle collision on the westbound incline with those i...

Nearly 68,000 PG&E customers remain without power

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:35:28 GMT

(BCN) -- PG&E reduced further the number of Bay Area customers without power to 67,999 as of late Wednesday, according to a company announcement. More than half of the total are still in the South Bay, where 43,842 are without power. 2 dead, traffic snarled following multiple Bay Bridge incidents Elsewhere those without power include 18,555 customers on the Peninsula, 5,329 in the East Bay, 190 in the North Bay and 83 in San Francisco. The total is down from nearly 160,000 as of 8 a.m. Wednesday. On Tuesday afternoon, after high winds and rain knocked down trees and wires around the region, about 300,000 were without power. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Newsom plans to build 1,200 tiny homes for homeless, none in SF

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:35:28 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom will announce plans Thursday to build 1,200 small homes across the state as part of an effort to help house the nation's largest homeless population and to address an issue that has persistently plagued the state during his time in office.The announcement, confirmed by the governor's office, will come in Sacramento on the first stop of Newsom's planned four-city tour, during which major policy announcements are expected on housing, health care and public safety. The tour is replacing the governor's traditional State of the State address. When will it stop raining in California? Here’s what meteorologists are saying Newsom dedicated his 2020 State of the State speech to homelessness, calling it a “ disgrace ” in a land of so much wealth. California, home to nearly 40 million people, has nearly one-third of the nation's homeless population, and their numbers are growing much faster than in other states, according ...

“Trauma Never Goes Away”: As America Forgets, Iraq War Stays With U.S. Veterans

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:35:28 GMT

Tim McLaughlin commanded a Marine Corps tank platoon that took part in some of the earliest fighting of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Like many veterans, the experience left him with post-traumatic stress and conflicted feelings about the war. In an attempt to process his experiences, after his service, McLaughlin left the U.S. and moved to Bosnia, where he lived for nine months in a home looking over the old city of Sarajevo — a place that, like Iraq, had been the site of terrible violence.“I just wanted to be able to go to a country that had experienced mass trauma and to see how people dealt with it,” McLaughlin said. “What I learnt is that for people who experience it, trauma never goes away.”Twenty years since U.S. troops first invaded, the U.S. war in Iraq has become a faded memory to many Americans. For Iraqis themselves, the consequences of the war are still an unavoidable part of their daily lives. But trauma also lingers for a group of Americans unlikely to forget the war as ...

Palestinians: 4 killed in Israeli army raid in West Bank

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:35:28 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli army raid killed four Palestinians, including a teenage boy, near the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Thursday, Palestinian officials said.It was the latest bloodshed in a year-long wave of violence in the region.The Israeli military confirmed its troops were operating in the Jenin refugee camp, but provided no further details. The area is known as a stronghold of Palestinian militants, and Israel frequently conducts military raids in the area. The Palestinian health ministry identified three of the dead as Youssef Shreem, 29, Nidal Khazim, 28, and Omar Awadin, 16. The identity of the fourth was not immediately known. Amateur video taken by people in Jenin appeared to show a crowd of Palestinians surrounding a car that people suspected carried undercover Israeli troops. Another clip appeared to show Israeli military vehicles towing the car away. Thursday’s deaths bring the number of Palestinians killed since the start of the year to 83 as Israel has s...