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Bay Area arts: 11 shows and exhibits to see this weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

There is a lot to see and do in the Bay Area this weekend and beyond, from holiday shows and concerts to a photo exhibit on Black cowboys.Here is a partial roundup.Holiday dance: 2 revered ‘Nutcrackers’Here are two time-honored productions of “The Nutcracker” available this weekend.San Francisco Ballet: The fledging San Francisco Ballet Opera (as San Francisco Ballet was originally known) presented the first full-length American production of “The Nutcracker” in 1944, and it’s entirely fitting that Helgi Tomasson’s version has become an institution itself since premiering in 2004. Set in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights around the conclusion of World War I, the ballet employs Tchaikovsky’s complete score in the composer’s intended sequence. It’s a showcase for the company’s exceptional dancers, but the entire production is an irresistible confection, with lavish décor, sets and costumes that are a marvel unto themselves.Details: Through Dec. 30; War Memorial O...

Cal’s Jaydn Ott details his Heisman Trophy aspirations for next season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

A running back hasn’t won the Heisman Trophy since Alabama’s Derrick Henry did it in 2015 after rushing for 2,200 yards on a national championship team.LSU’s Jaylen Daniels last weekend became the 20th quarterback since 2000 to take home college football’s biggest individual honor.But Cal sophomore running back Jaydn Ott, who will try to add to his 1,260-yard season on Saturday when the Bears face Texas Tech at the Independence Bowl, wants to be part of the Heisman conversation a year from now.“That’s definitely in my head when I’m working out and I’m practicing. I just use it as extra motivation,” he said.Certainly he would be a long shot to win it, right?“Nah, it’s not a long shot,” Ott said.So exactly what would it take to become a Heisman contender?“Quote-unquote, you would have to go stupid.”In other words, compile crazy numbers. Ott had five games this season of at least 150 rushing yards. “Get some of those up to 200,” he said, outlining a strategy to be relevant in the...

Alleged ‘Irish Mafia’ member pleads guilty to distributing heroin and meth for the Aryan Brotherhood

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO — A California woman has accepted a plea deal on charges that she conspired with incarcerated Aryan Brotherhood members and an allegedly crooked lawyer to distribute heroin and methamphetamine inside and outside of prison, court records show.Jeanna Quesenberry pleaded guilty on Monday to two federal drug distribution charges. She is scheduled to be sentenced in late February, around the same time that several of her co-defendants are set for trial on charges that they conspired to commit murders within the California prison system to further the Aryan Brotherhood’s interests.Quesenberry’s plea deal says her attorneys are “absolutely precluded” from arguing for a sentence of less than seven years in federal prison. She technically faces up to life in prison, though federal sentencing guidelines will almost certainly recommend a much lower prison term.Quesenberry was indicted in 2019 on two separate cases, both of which accused her of working w...

What do hotel guests really want in 2024? You might be surprised by the answer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

Are you ready for the latest hotel gimmick? It’s giving you what you want. I know, it’s revolutionary.But that’s the surprising discovery Eric Stone recently made when he booked a room at a Holiday Inn property in Las Vegas. It promoted daily cleaning and no resort fees — two things Stone says every hotel should have, anyway.“I couldn’t believe it,” Stone says sarcastically.The idea that price transparency or daily room cleaning is worth promoting shows how far the hotel industry has drifted from what should be the norm. It comes at a time when the government is fighting junk fees with a proposed rule that would effectively ban resort fees in the United States.And in a business with near record-high rates, guests love the simple idea that hotels would give them what they want. It’s far better than giving them what they don’t want, which is a troubling trend I identified a few weeks ago.“Travelers have sent a clear message,&...

Woman killed, two people injured in West Oakland traffic collision

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

OAKLAND — A woman was killed and two other people were injured Tuesday morning in a traffic collision in West Oakland, authorities said.The woman’s identity was not immediately released, pending confirmation and notification of her next of kin.The collision happened just before 11 a.m. Tuesday at the intersection of 16th Street and Mandela Parkway. Police said that according to initial reports, a Ford Fusion driven by a man was speeding eastbound on 16th Street when it struck a Honda sedan that was going northbound on Mandela Parkway.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | East Bay hit-and-run victim from January dies; police seeking harsher charge against suspect Crashes and Disasters | Man fatally hit by BART train near Richmond station is identified Crashes and Disasters | Teen driver was involved in collision that killed San Jose pedestrian Crashes and Disasters | Pedestrian hit, killed by driver in South San...

Destruction of menorah at Lake Merritt being investigated as hate crime

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

(KRON) -- A menorah at Oakland's Lake Merritt has been destroyed by vandals, according to Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's office. The menorah at the lake was officially lit in a ceremony last weekend with Mayor Thao in attendance along with Rabbi Dovid Labkowski and members of the Oakland Jewish community, Mayor Thao said."I am outraged by this desecration and act of vandalism," Mayor Thao said. "The Lake Merritt Menorah is a long-standing and important symbol for Oakland's Jewish community and it breaks my heart that it was vandalized." Buster Posey suggests SF ‘crime’ and ‘drugs’ may have been factors in Ohtani going to LA "I want to be very clear that what happened was not just an attack on Oakland's Jewish community but our entire city and our shared values," Mayor Thao continued. "We stand together against hate, against antisemitism and against bigotry in any form."Photos from the scene showed the menorah had been destroyed and was now practically unrecognizable.Tyler Gregory, CEO...

Asamblea de El Salvador autoriza a medio millón de ciudadanos en el país a votar con documento vencido en las elecciones de 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

(CNN Español) — La Asamblea Legislativa de El Salvador autorizó este miércoles que más de medio millón de ciudadanos con documento vencido puedan participar en las elecciones presidenciales, legislativas y municipales de 2024, que los equipara con el derecho de la diáspora salvadoreña de participar con partidas de nacimiento, documentos únicos de identidad (DUI) o pasaportes vencidos.“Son más de medio millón de personas que no han logrado renovar ese carnet identificativo, sea por la razón que sea, pero pese a eso ellos tienen todo el derecho para elegir a sus gobernantes y es a ellos a quienes queremos darle esta oportunidad”, dijo la parlamentaria Ana Figueroa en el comunicado difundido por la Asamblea.¿Quién es Claudia Juana Rodríguez de Guevara, a quien Bukele designó en la presidencia de El Salvador mientras él busca su reelección?La autorización permitirá el voto a 569.921 personas, según los datos del Registro Nacional de las Personas Naturales (RNPN) de El Salvador, qu...

Abogados de Trump dicen que el fiscal especial es un Grinch que quiere dañarles la temporada navideña

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

(CNN) –– Los abogados del expresidente Donald Trump compararon al fiscal especial Jack Smith con el Grinch por tratar de acelerar el proceso de apelación en uno de los casos penales contra el expresidente. En documentos judiciales presentados este miércoles, el equipo de defensa de Trump señaló a los fiscales de intentar afectar sus planes de viaje durante las festividades navideñas y de “privar del derecho al voto” a los electores en 2024.Fiscal especial va directamente a la Corte Suprema para que defina si Trump tiene inmunidadA principios de esta semana, el equipo de Smith solicitó a la Corte de Apelaciones del Circuito de EE.UU. de Washington que acelerara su revisión sobre si Trump tiene algún tipo de inmunidad ante el procesamiento penal por presuntos delitos que cometió mientras estaba en el cargo. La cuestión surgió en el caso penal de subversión electoral de 2020 contra el expresidente, a quien también la oficina de Smith acusó de presunto mal manejo de secretos de segurida...

A Russian missile attack on Kyiv injures more than 50 as Ukraine pleads for more European support

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A barrage of Russian missiles targeted Kyiv on Wednesday, wounding at least 53 people, officials said, as the Ukrainian president sought more military support in Europe after a trip to Washington secured no new pledges.Loud explosions rocked Ukraine’s capital at 3 a.m. as the city’s air defenses were activated for the second time this week. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 10 ballistic missiles toward Kyiv and all were intercepted by air defenses, but their debris struck homes and a children’s hospital.The attack underscored the continuing threat to Ukraine from the Kremlin’s missile arsenal in the 21-month war. Russia has been stockpiling its air-launched cruise missiles from its heavy bomber fleet, according to a recent assessment by the U.K. Ministry of Defense.That may herald another heavy winter bombardment of Ukraine’s power grid. Moscow last year targeted energy infrastructure in an effort to deny Ukrainians heat, light and runni...

Hamilton, 20, scores for Man City in Champions League on senior debut. He was a ball boy 6 years ago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Six years ago, Micah Hamilton was operating as a ball boy at Manchester City when he was pictured getting instructions off Pep Guardiola to help speed up play.On Tuesday, he was scoring in the Champions League on his senior debut for the club.Hamilton, an attacking midfielder who turned 20 last month, demonstrated his potential by jinking inside then outside a defender before firing a rising shot into the roof of the net to give City a 1-0 lead at Red Star Belgrade in the 19th minute.He also won a penalty in City’s 3-2 win in the Serbian capital.Born and brought up in Manchester, Hamilton joined City at the age of 7 and has progressed through the age groups at the club.He has been an unused substitute this season for games against Newcastle in the League Cup and Young Boys in the Champions League.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerSource