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49ers’ draft boosts Super Bowl confidence, quarterback drama looms

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:19:11 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Kyle Shanahan got asked the inevitable, just before he could escape his post-draft press conference Sunday: What about those 49ers’ quarterbacks?No matter how the roster improves with a nine-man draft class, championship hopes here — and anywhere in the NFL — essentially hinge on the quarterback. Or, quarterbacks, in the 49ers’ case.Shanahan did not flinch Saturday at the perpetual state of uncertainty that revolves around QB1, or even QBs 2-3-4.All is well. Remain calm. Hut-hut-hike.Come Monday morning, Shanahan and his coaches can hit the practice field with their quarterbacks, although Brock Purdy won’t be among those throwing, since he’s not quite two months into his six-month elbow recovery.“We’ll be alright, though, in the offseason and when we get to training camp,” Shanahan said. “Hopefully we’ll get Brock back soon. Regardless, we’d love a fourth guy here. You never know how much you’ll end up doing i...

Hours without power is tough. One Bay Area community waited two weeks for the lights to return.

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:19:11 GMT

Hundreds of thousands of Bay Area residents tossed out perishable food and recharged cell phones when their lights finally snapped on this winter after multiple storms left them for hours without power. For one tiny mountain community, the outages lasted much longer.At the end of a long driveway off a narrow, twisty road through the redwood forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Betty Arnold, 75, endured outage after outage after outage. Twenty-two in total, she said, scrolling through the outage notifications PG&E sent to her phone.The final one, from March 21 to April 4, lasted two weeks and a day, affecting Arnold and 32 of her neighboring households a few miles above downtown Saratoga off Highway 9.“The last one has really been so upsetting to me,” she said. “I’ve been so stressed out.”Seven million PG&E customers in Northern and Central California endured power outages of 12 hours or more this year, as a series of winter storms PG&E calls ...

Gusty and gratifying: Big Sur International Marathon draws sellout crowd of 10,000

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:19:11 GMT

CARMEL – Ruben Magana has had a classroom of supporters spurring him on to the finish line on two separate coasts the past two weeks.The 55-year-old teacher from Salinas tackled his second Big Sur International Marathon Sunday, just two weeks after taking on the Boston Marathon.That’s a total of 52.4 marathon miles run over the course of 14 days. For motivation, Magana said, he looked to his students.“My kids inspire me,” he said. “That’s why I’m here.”One of thousands in Sunday’s sold-out field of not just marathoners but a roster of other distances, Magana is a longtime teacher at Gavilan View Middle School in Salinas. It’s there that he’s cultivated a knack for perseverance, something he’s passed on to his students for decades.“I actually started the cross-country program (at Gavilan) back in 1992 or 1993, something like that,” he said. “I know how hard it is to run. I feel for them when we have a tough workout, and I’m yelling at them to keep pushing, to pick up their knees or t...

Steve Kerr calls Kevon Looney a ‘flat-out winner’ after big Game 7

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:19:11 GMT

SACRAMENTO — Steve Kerr doesn’t think Kevon Looney gets enough credit.So after the Warriors series-clinching win on Sunday, the Warriors coach gave an unprompted shoutout to Golden State’s fierce iron man.“Kevon Looney just keeps doing it every game,” Kerr said before he opened his postgame press conference to questions from reporters. “Loon is one of the best centers in the league. I really do. And people don’t recognize it because he’s not dunking and shooting 3s and all that stuff. This guy is a flat-out winner and he’s a machine. And we wouldn’t be here without him.”Everyone will remember Game 7 of the Warriors’ first-round series against the Sacramento Kings for Stephen Curry’s 50-point masterpiece. But Looney deserves an award for best supporting actor in the 120-100 win that punched the Warriors’ ticket to the Western Conference semifinals.In a series defined by the battle of the boards, Loone...

Google's delay leaves San Jose funds in limbo

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:19:11 GMT

(BCN) -- The reported delay of Google's mega-development in downtown San Jose is shaking Silicon Valley, but one city advisory group tasked with overseeing millions in community funds from the tech giant is carrying on. The commission, comprised of 13 voting members who have lived or work experience related to the fund objectives, will have its first meeting on May 18. Regina Celestin Williams, executive director of housing advocacy group SV@Home, who serves on the commission, said she's received little information about the work that lies ahead. "From the outside, it's hard to know what's really happening and how it affects the city's plans for Downtown West," Celestin Williams said. "I just really don't know until we're meeting regularly and receiving that information directly." Google promised the city $155 million in community funds that will be used to pay for education, job training and trying to prevent displacement following Downtown West's construction. Now those m...

California phases out diesel trucks. What happens next?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:19:11 GMT

(BCN) -- In a move that will transform California's economy and end diesel's decades-long dominance in goods movement, the Air Resources Board Thursday unanimously approved an ambitious, contentious mandate to shift big rigs and other trucks to zero-emissions. California's newest effort to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles is arguably one of the most meaningful steps the state has ever taken to clean up its severe smog and toxic diesel exhaust, reduce greenhouse gases and wean itself off fossil fuels. The mandate is the first in the world to ban new diesel trucks and require a switch to zero-emission big rigs, garbage trucks, delivery trucks and other medium and heavy-duty vehicles. The rules will dramatically change the commercial trucks that are driven on California's roads, affecting about 1.8 million trucks, including ones operated by the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, UPS and Amazon. "Ten years from now, when we look back to this day...we can say that Cal...

Del. Norton introduces resolution to make Monday ‘DC Statehood Day’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:19:11 GMT

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton brought a resolution to the House of Representatives that would recognize May 1, 2023, as “D.C. Statehood Day.”In a news release on Thursday, Norton said that “highlighting the District’s need for statehood, as early and as often as possible, only serves to help us reach statehood sooner, and I introduced this resolution to name May 1st, or 5/1, ‘Statehood Day’ for this very reason.”As a part of this resolution, Norton also reaffirmed her longstanding and passionate call for the passing of the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, which would make D.C. the 51st state in the union.“The single idea of ‘taxation without representation’ that gave rise to the American Revolution still resonates today,” Norton said. “D.C. residents pay the highest federal taxes per capita and more federal taxes than 23 states, and the District has a bond rating higher than 35 states. D.C. residents have fought and died in every war since the Revoluti...

May Day: World’s workers rally, France sees pension anger

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:19:11 GMT

PARIS (AP) — People squeezed by inflation and demanding economic justice took to the streets of cities across Asia and Europe to mark May Day on Monday, in a global outpouring of worker discontent not seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic sent the world into lockdowns.French unions pushed the president to scrap a higher retirement age. South Koreans pleaded for higher wages. Spanish lawyers demanded the right to take days off. Migrant domestic workers in Lebanon marched in a country plunged in economic crisis.While May Day is marked around the world on May 1 as a celebration of labor rights, this year’s rallies tapped into broader frustrations. Climate activists spraypainted a Louis Vuitton museum in Paris, and protesters in Germany demonstrated against violence targeting women and LGBTQ+ people.Celebrations were forced indoors in Pakistan and tinged with political tensions in Turkey, as both countries face high-stakes elections. Russia’s war in Ukraine overshadowed sc...

Franklin Resources: Fiscal Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:19:11 GMT

SAN MATEO, Calif. (AP) — SAN MATEO, Calif. (AP) — Franklin Resources Inc. (BEN) on Monday reported fiscal second-quarter earnings of $194.2 million.On a per-share basis, the San Mateo, California-based company said it had profit of 38 cents. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were 61 cents per share.The results beat Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 57 cents per share.The investment manager posted revenue of $1.93 billion in the period, also beating Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.83 billion.Franklin Resources shares have risen nearly 2% since the beginning of the year, while the S&P’s 500 index has increased roughly 9%. The stock has climbed slightly more than 9% in the last 12 months._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report ...

Melanoma Monday: DC-area dermatologist shares tips on skin cancer prevention, sun safety

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:19:11 GMT

Melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer, but it can often be found early, when it’s likely to be cured — and doctors say most skin cancers can be prevented.“‘Melanoma Monday’ is all about awareness and prevention — really we’re focused on early diagnosis,” said Allison Larson, chair of Dermatology at MedStar Health, and MedStar Washington Hospital Center in the D.C. region.As of 2023, the American Cancer Society estimates about 98,000 new melanomas will be diagnosed nationwide, and approximately 8,000 people will likely die.Larson said the goal is to prevent melanoma from developing: “The largest risk factor for melanoma is UV exposure — sunlight.”“The way to prevent melanoma is UV protection, which for most people comes in the form of sunscreen, but there’s also sun-protective clothing, which has UPF (ultraviolet protection factor),” said Larson.Certain people are at particular risk of developing melanoma....