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7 awesome Bay Area things to do this weekend, June 30-July 2

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

Whether you’re getting an early jump on Independence Day or are a purist who’d rather enjoy this weekend on its own terms — we salute you! And we’ve got lots fun stuff to toss your way, so let’s get to it, shall we?As with everything these days, be sure to double check websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines. Meanwhile, if you’d like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.com/newsletters or www.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.1 WATCH: Indiana Jones is backHarrison Ford’s swashbuckling archaeology professor (and how often does one get to use that phrase?) returns for what is likely his last adventure in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” It tops our list of new movies and shows you should know about.2 COOK & EAT: It’s barbecue timeYou may not be aware of it, but it is federally mandated that on Fourth of July weekend, you...

REAL ID options if the name you’re using is not what’s on your birth certificate: Roadshow

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

Q: I am loving all the DMV information in your column these days, as I’m about to do the big 7-0 renewal. I am also going to get a REAL ID. I obtained a copy of my birth certificate for the REAL ID. I learned that, after a lifetime of being Gayle, my birth certificate says my name is Gail.When I filled out the online form to start the process, I was asked if there’s a name difference between the birth certificate and current name on the license. They also asked, “If so, how did it occur?” I checked the “legal change” box, but really, it was just honest parental oversight.Will this minor spelling discrepancy cause problems at renewal/REAL ID time?Gayle GoldblattA: The DMV responded and said that a REAL ID must reflect the customer’s legal full name. If a customer has another acceptable identity document, such as a U.S. passport, with their first name spelled the preferred way, they can use that instead of a birth certificate when applying for a REAL ID.If a customer does ...

Overstock.com is changing its name. It’s one you may recognize

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

New York  — Overstock.com, one of the biggest names in e-commerce, is ditching its name for something just as recognizable: Bed Bath & Beyond.The change comes following a judge’s approval of Overstock’s purchase of the bankrupt brand’s name, domain and loyalty program assets earlier this week for more than $21 million. However, the acquisition doesn’t include the Bed Bath & Beyond brick-and-mortar stores, which are closing.Calling the acquisition a “significant and transformative step,” Overstock CEO Jonathan Johnson said in a press release that “combining the strengths of the Overstock operational model and the Bed Bath & Beyond brand will create a powerful synergy.”Related ArticlesRetail | Costco is cracking down on sharing membership cards Retail | Bankrupt David’s Bridal gets tentative bid to keep most stores open Retail | PetSmart to pay more than $1 million to settle Bay Area multi-county lawsuit Retail | K...

CHP investigating shooting on I-580 in Dublin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

(KRON) – The California Highway Patrol is investigating a shooting that occurred on Interstate 580 near El Charro Road in Dublin Wednesday afternoon. Major collision involving four cars in Vallejo, one extracted CHP says a blue Nissan SUV may have been involved in this incident. No injuries were reported. KRON On is streaming news live now.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }This incident comes as multiple freeway shootings have recently striked the East Bay. Last week, there were five shootings on multiple freeways in the East Bay within the span of a week.

3 South Florida men charged in insider trading case related to taking ex-President Donald Trump’s media company public

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Three Florida men were arrested Thursday and charged with illegally making over $22 million by insider trading ahead of the public announcement that a special purpose acquisition corporation was going to take a media company owned by former President Donald Trump public.The charges were outlined in an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court.According to the indictment, the men were invited to invest in Digital World Acquisition Corp. and were provided confidential information that a potential target of DWAC and another acquisition corporation, Benessere Capital Acquisition Corp., was Trump Media & Technology Group.Authorities said the defendants bought millions of dollars of DWAC securities on the open market before news of the Trump media business was made public.After the public announcement, the men were accused of dumping their securities for a significant profit, according to the court papers.The men who were arrested were identified as Michael Shvart...

South Florida man turns life challenges into passion at Delray Beach pizza shop

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — In Delray Beach, there is a pizza shop that stands out not for its square shape, but for the man behind the pan. Meet Jordan Thomas, the mastermind behind Twisted Tomato, where slices are cuts and pies are trays.Inspired by his Pennsylvania hometown, where he tied the knot with his high school sweetheart, Adrienne Thomas, Jordan created this unique Old Forge-style pizza. However, his journey to culinary success was not without immense challenges.A month after their wedding, Jordan lost his sight due to a battle with large non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma, crushing his optic nerve permanently.A former firefighter dedicated to saving lives, Jordan had to resign from his beloved profession when he became legally blind. Adrienne, his wife, had to step in to assist with his chemo treatments, putting her own dreams on hold.But Jordan’s fighting spirit prevailed, and he emerged victorious in his battle against cancer. Fueled by determination, he decided to purs...

Supreme Court strikes down affirmative action in college admissions, says race cannot be a factor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action in college admissions, forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.The court’s conservative majority overturned admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation’s oldest private and public colleges, respectively.Chief Justice John Roberts said that for too long universities have “concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”Justice Clarence Thomas, the nation’s second Black justice who had long called for an end to affirmative action, wrote separately that the decision “sees the universities’ admissions policies for what they are: rudderless, race-based preferences designed to ensure a particular racial mix in their entering classes.”Justice S...

Wagner is off the battlefield, Ukraine’s spy chief says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

The Wagner paramilitary group, now in disarray after an aborted mutiny forced its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin into exile in Belarus, will no longer fight in Ukraine, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence said Thursday.“Wagner will no longer participate in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine,” Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Directorate, told Ukrainska Pravda, without providing details about how he had obtained that information.“And this is the most effective Russian unit, which was able to achieve success at any cost,” said Budanov. Under Prigozhin’s leadership, the Wagner Group has been been involved in some of the bloodiest fighting of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted for the first time that the Wagner Group was funded by the Kremlin, just days after facing the biggest threat to his rule in his 23 years in power.The private militia is now...

Supreme Court rules that colleges must stop considering the race of applicants for admission

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action in college admissions, forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.The court’s conservative majority overturned admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation’s oldest private and public colleges, respectively.Chief Justice John Roberts said that for too long universities have “concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”Justice Clarence Thomas, the nation’s second Black justice who had long called for an end to affirmative action, wrote separately that the decision “sees the universities’ admissions policies for what they are: rudderless, race-based preferences designed to ensure a particular racial mix in their enterin...

The Worst-Case Scenario: An immersive survival experience at Balboa Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Put your survival skills and escape tactics to the test in this new immersive experience at Balboa Park. Based on the internationally acclaimed Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook series, this interactive affair at the Fleet Science Center is intended to equip participants with essential skills for unexpected real-life scenarios.Called The Worst-Case Scenario, this experience includes mind-pending puzzles and thrilling challenges that will require those involved to work under pressure while using both logic and creativity. How the drying Salton Sea could be fending off California’s next ‘big one’ This family-friendly activity includes 13 challenges like jumping off a moving train to survive an avalanche and scaling a tricky ledge on a wall to escape a flood, among other things."Everyone has their own worse-case scenario, whether that's going to a meeting and speaking in front of a bunch of people or, you know, whether that's landing a plane without a pilot," says G...