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Christie calls Trump 'Donald Duck,' DeSantis knocks former president and other debate takeaways

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:36 GMT

Seven Republican presidential hopefuls gathered at the Reagan Library in California on Wednesday for the second of the party’s primary debates. The contest's dominant front-runner — former President Donald Trump — skipped the event again.With less than four months until the Iowa caucuses officially jumpstart the GOP nomination process, the pressure is building on Trump's rivals to show they can emerge as a genuine alternative. Here are some takeaways from the debate:DeSantis hits TrumpFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis had an aggressive start, using his first answer to criticize Trump for skipping the debate and for adding to the national debt while serving as president.“Donald Trump is missing in action," DeSantis said. “He should be here on this stage tonight. He owes it to you to defend his record.”The Florida governor has been slow to attack Trump for most of the campaign. But as he’s struggled to make inroads against the former president, he’s started slowly sharpening his critiques of ...

Larry Magid: EV range anxiety is real, but is it based on reality?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:36 GMT

Like many electric vehicle owners, I have range anxiety. It rarely keeps me up at night, but it does occupy my thoughts before and during road trips like the one I just took from Silicon Valley to Yosemite Valley.Related ArticlesBusiness | Magid: Apple’s new iOS 17 increases safeguards for children and teens Business | Magid: Apple unveils new iPhones, ditches Lightning connector Business | Magid: Cleaning up your internet browser Business | Magid: Managing privacy on Facebook I drove a 5-year-old Tesla Model 3, which had a 264-mile range when I bought it, but now has only 232 miles, according to its display. That nearly 14% reduction in range is likely due to battery degradation, which is a factor in nearly all cars and devices that rely on rechargeable batteries, though some could be measurement error. The car’s range estimates are sometimes called “guestimates” because they are based on algorithms that are not ...

Powerball ticket worth nearly $800,000 sold in East San Jose

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:36 GMT

SAN JOSE — A lottery ticket matching all five numbers from Wednesday night’s draw — just lacking the Powerball number — was sold at an East San Jose gas station, earning a lucky winner nearly $800,000 but getting them tantalizingly close to a jackpot worth 1,000 times that.The Powerball ticket was sold at the Quik Stop on 5 Stewart Avenue, just off of Alum Rock Avenue. The drawing took place Wednesday night, revealing the numbers 1, 7, 46 47 and 63, with a Powerball of 7.Related ArticlesCalifornia News | Powerball jackpot swells to $925 million after no winner snagged the prize Wednesday night California News | Monday night’s $785 million Powerball jackpot is 9th largest lottery prize. Odds of winning are miserable California News | Letters: Oil companies | Self-driving cars | Dyslexia skills | Lottery owes | Spending here | Pride flag bans California News | Scratchers ticket worth $2 million sold at East Bay gas stati...

Wildfires can make your California red wine taste like an ashtray. These scientists want to stop that

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:36 GMT

By ANDREW SELSKY | Associated PressALPINE, Ore. — The U.S. West Coast produces over 90% of America’s wine, but the region is also prone to wildfires — a combustible combination that spelled disaster for the wine industry in 2020 and one that scientists are scrambling to neutralize.Sample a good wine and you might get notes of oak or red fruit. But sip on wine made from grapes that were penetrated by smoke, and it could taste like someone dumped the contents of an ashtray into your glass.Wine experts from three West Coast universities are working together to meet the threat, including developing spray coatings to protect grapes, pinpointing the elusive compounds that create that nasty ashy taste, and deploying smoke sensors to vineyards to better understand smoke behavior.The U.S. government is funding their research with millions of dollars. Wineries are also taking steps to protect their product and brand.The risk to America’s premier wine-making regions — where wildfires caused bi...

Retail theft attempt at San Mateo Target ends in four arrests

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:36 GMT

SAN MATEO – Police on Wednesday announced the arrests of four people in connection with the attempted theft of nearly $2,000 worth of merchandise from a Target store in San Mateo.The news came a day after Target Corp. said it was closing three stores in the Bay Area due to organized retail theft and the threat the crime poses to employees and shoppers.Around 8:40 a.m. Monday, officers were called to the Target at the Bridgepointe Shopping Center for a report that a person had entered the store wearing a ski mask and carrying a backpack, while an accomplice parked a red Honda CR-V at the rear of the business, the San Mateo Police Department said in a news release Wednesday night.Officers arrived minutes later to find the Honda parked next to a delivery door. All three occupants – identified as a 32-year-old San Francisco resident, a 31-year-old Vallejo resident and a 32-year-old Hayward resident – were wanted on multiple warrants.As officers were detaining the trio, another suspect, ...

Saratoga taking ‘swift action’ after group ‘Zoom-bombs’ council meeting with racist language

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:36 GMT

A group of people disrupted a Saratoga City Council meeting last week, making remarks that targeted racial and ethnic minorities and the LGBTQ community.A representative from the city of Saratoga said the comments were made by a group of participants  who virtually joined the the council meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 20, via Zoom. A copy of the meeting recording was shared with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office but had yet to be posted on the city’s website at press time.“The city of Saratoga values freedom of speech and the democratic process. However, hateful remarks and blatant disrespect towards the diverse members of our community and our city council, which is comprised of several different cultures and faiths, at our meetings are not acceptable,” Mayor Kookie Fitzsimmons said in an email. “We are taking swift action to ensure respectful discourse at city council and commission meetings as there is no place for racism, bigotry or discrimination in Saratoga.”Thi...

Cal keeping quiet about QB situation ahead of Arizona State showdown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:36 GMT

BERKELEY — Week 5 of the Cal football schedule has arrived and quarterback questions remain unanswered. Sam Jackson V and Ben Finley are continuing to vie for the starting job as the Bears seek consistency at the position.“We’re only going to be as good as our quarterback play,” Cal offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said.Finley started at Washington last Saturday but was picked off three times in the first half and ultimately knocked out of the game late in the third quarter with a sore lower back. Jackson, the starter when the season began, came on to direct Cal to three touchdowns but all of it came in garbage time as the Huskies rolled to a 59-32 victory.Jackson, more the dual-threat QB, has completed 57.4 percent of his passes for 426 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing for 63 yards. The Bears are 2-0 in his two starts. Finley, a pocket passer with something of a gunslinger mentality, has completed 62 percent for 533 yards, with three TDs and four pi...

A hidden climate danger threatens U.S. coastal communities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:36 GMT

By Todd Woody | BloombergA little-known climate threat lurks under our feet: rising groundwater that could release toxic chemicals from more than 132,000 contaminated sites in coastal areas of the US. In a first of its kind study, researchers estimated the number of polluted industrial sites and mapped them to areas likely to experience groundwater inundation due to rising seas.“A lot of  people don’t realize that the ocean actually extends under the land in coastal areas, so as the ocean rises, it pushes up the groundwater toward the surface,” said Kristina Hill, an associate professor at the University of California at Berkeley and the lead author of the paper, which was published last week in the journal Earth’s Future.Factories, fuel stations, military bases and other industrial facilities have left surrounding soil contaminated with carcinogenic chemicals and heavy metals. Some became Superfund sites whose cleanup is overseen by the federal government. Far more are managed by i...

North Bay gas prices shoot up 26 cents overnight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:36 GMT

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (KRON) -- Gas prices in the North Bay went up 26 cents overnight Wednesday, according to AAA. It’s the highest jump seen so far in the Bay Area.In San Rafael, gas prices are now sitting at a Bay Area high of $6.07 on average after jumping 26 cents between Wednesday and Thursday. One San Rafael gas station Thursday morning showed unleaded was selling for $6.39. San Francisco and Santa Rosa trail San Rafael in high prices. The lowest average price in the Bay Area is in San Jose, coming in at $5.88Since Monday, the state average has risen 21 cents and is now $6.03. The increase comes just days before California is expected to switch to a winter blend of crude oil, which normally drops prices. Overall, California sits more than two bucks higher than the national average of $3.85Experts say the increase comes from a surge in oil costs, with barrels now around $90. Refineries in California are also facing issues and maintenance, which means major markups at the pumps.Lo...

Girona leads Spanish league after surprisingly good start. Now it faces Real Madrid at home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:36 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Girona’s ceiling this season was expected to be another mediocre finish in the Spanish league. But after six straight wins and an undefeated start, the small club from Spain’s northeastern corner surprisingly sits at the top of the standings.Next up? Nothing less than a visit by Real Madrid on Saturday.“We have to enjoy this moment. The game against Madrid will be precious,” Girona coach Míchel Sánchez said after his team became the leader of Spain’s top league for the first time following a 2-1 comeback at Villarreal on Wednesday.Girona, which leads Madrid by one point and Barcelona by two, has only dropped points when it drew 1-1 at Real Sociedad in its opening match. Since then, the team that is partly controlled by Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi ownership has also beaten Getafe, Sevilla, Las Palmas, Granada and Mallorca.Girona was taken over by Abu Dhabi ownership in 2017 when it bought a 44.3% share in the Catalan club. Pere Guardiola, the brother of ...