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Changing lives, one gift at a time: Wish Book readers make wishes come true

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:52:32 GMT

The spirit of giving is shining brightly in the Bay Area. Now celebrating 40 years, Wish Book readers are stepping up to help their South Bay neighbors in need. As of Dec. 18, your generous donations have reached a heartwarming $400,346!We’d like to express our deepest gratitude to our amazing Wish Book donors. Your contributions will fuel essential programs that support countless families struggling in our local communities. Every dollar you give goes directly to work in the South Bay and will make a difference for so many. It is readers like you that make Wish Book a success year after year.We are still counting contributions, and there is still time to bring joy to families featured in our news sections and online this holiday season. To learn more about these families and discover how you can donate, visit wishbook.mercurynews.com. Below is a partial list of generous contributors; we will publish a full list in January.  We are also grateful to the many anonymous donors wh...

Fake kidnappers are trying to scam Oakland families, school district warns

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:52:32 GMT

OAKLAND — Oakland school district officials are warning parents they may receive calls from scammers claiming to have kidnapped their children — and even playing audio in the background of fake pleas for help.The district has warned the parents not to take these calls seriously, even though in some cases the scammers have known the names of the students. Oakland Unified reported several instances of the scam playing out during the fall semester, including two last week. But the students, invariably, were safely at school.In all cases, the callers are after money, demanding a ransom from parents in hopes they’ll pay up in a moment of fear.“Unfortunately, this scam shows the heartlessness of some scammers, and the lengths to which they will go to squeeze money from unsuspecting people,” Sondra Aguilera, the district’s chief academic officer, said in a community email. “This is where being alert and prepared for any possible scenario can help p...

Lawsuit accuses former Santa Clara County sheriff of retaliating against key witness in gun-permit corruption probes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:52:32 GMT

SAN JOSE — An employee of former Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith has filed an explosive whistleblower lawsuit against her old boss, accusing Smith of repeatedly harassing and intimidating her as she served as a key witness in a corruption probe that led Smith to step down last year after more than two decades in office. The lawsuit, filed last month by one-time Smith staff member Lara McCabe, contends the sheriff’s office continued alienating her even after a new administration assumed command, and that the county staff failed to protect her against the retaliation even after she reported their conduct.McCabe, whose attorneys declined comment, makes several damning claims in the lawsuit, mostly against Smith. She attests that Smith, feeling the pressure of a criminal and later a civil grand jury investigation, openly demeaned, belittled and defamed her after she was summoned multiple times to testify in proceedings over Smith’s issuance of concealed-carry weapons...

Why are Comcast and AT&T trying to block millions in state money to boost Oakland’s high-speed internet?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:52:32 GMT

OAKLAND — Internet giants Comcast and AT&T are trying to prevent Oakland from receiving $14 million to build out its capacity for high-speed internet, the latest obstacle to the city’s efforts to close longstanding gaps in online access for its residents.In objections to Oakland’s latest share of a $3.87 billion California spending package, the two companies argued to the California Public Utilities Commision (CPUC) that the neighborhoods slated for enhanced fiber-optic infrastructure already enjoy faster internet speeds.Their evidence for that assertion has been kept confidential to everyone but the CPUC, which will review the objections and then decide if the $14 million — a spending plan known locally as “Oakland Connect” — can move forward.The companies’ claims run counter to speed tests run by the Oakland Unified School District, with help from the tech company HubbleIQ — that indicate over a third of 8,000 tested addres...

Share the Spirit: Stepping out of the darkness and into the light

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:52:32 GMT

Life had grown so painful for Michelle Walker by early 2022 that she felt like she wanted to just end it.“I definitely was suicidal,” remembers the 41-year-old Richmond resident. “I felt like I lost everything.”She had gotten to this place after years of drug addiction, which led her to leave her young son behind, and focus squarely on getting high.“I stopped coming home,” Walker says. “I would just stay out for months at a time. Eventually, I moved into a tent on the train tracks, because I thought I could get comfortably high there.”She was wrong. The result turned out to be anything but comfortable, as she spent most of her time trying to score methamphetamines to feed her towering addiction.Somewhere along the way, Walker stopped showing up for work and eventually lost her job. With no source of income to draw from, Walker says she felt like she “had to do things degrading to myself” in order to get the money for drugs.Her life had gotten dark – real dark. And it was getting har...

Ex-West Indies captain Kieron Pollard to join England coaching staff for 2024 T20 World Cup

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:52:32 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Former West Indies captain Kieron Pollard will join the England coaching team for the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, the ECB announced on Sunday.Pollard becomes part of the England set-up specifically as an assistant coach for the June tournament.The 36-year-old former Somerset all-rounder from Trinidad and Tobago will provide expertise of Caribbean conditions when the competition is co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States.Pollard helped the West Indies win the T20 World Cup in 2012 and has played a record 600-plus matches in the format.The ninth edition of the T20 World Cup will be held between June 4 and June 30, with the final to be staged at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.England will defend the title they won for the second time in Australia 13 months ago in a tournament expanded from 16 to 20 teams.___AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricketSource

EEUU informa de ataques con misiles y drones posiblemente hutíes en aguas del mar rojo

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:52:32 GMT

El Comando Central Naval de los EEUU informó este domingo del disparo de dos misiles antibuque hacia las rutas de comercio marítimo en el sur del mar Rojo desde zonas controladas por los hutíes en Yemen, así como ataques de drones a petroleros y buques militares que se saldaron sin daños materiales ni personales.En un comunicado publicado en la red social X (antes Twitter), el Comando Central informó que en la jornada del sábado detectó el disparo de “dos misiles antibuque hutíes” hacia la zona de tránsito marítimo, sin que “ningún barco reportara recibir el impacto de los misiles balísticos”. Así mismo, indicó que el barco USS Laboon, que forma parte de la operación militar liderada por los EEUU para proteger el transporte marítimo de los ataques hutíes desatados en represalia por el ataque indiscriminado de Israel sobre el territorio palestino de Gaza, derribó cuatro drones “que habían salido de las zonas controladas por los hutíes del Yemen” en...

El premio mayor del Powerball llega a los US$ 638 millones para el sorteo de Navidad

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:52:32 GMT

(CNN) — El premio mayor del Powerball llega a los US$ 638 millones justo a tiempo para su próximo sorteo la noche de Navidad.En el pasado, ha habido tres premios mayores de Powerball el día de Navidad, según un comunicado de prensa de Powerball. La última vez fue hace 10 años, cuando un individuo en Missouri ganó US% 71,5 millones.“Esta podría ser una muy Feliz Navidad para un jugador de Powerball”, dijo el presidente del grupo de productos de Powerball, Drew Svitko, “no es frecuente que tengamos un sorteo de Powerball que coincida con las vacaciones de Navidad y con un premio mayor de esta magnitud”.Compañeros de trabajo se reparten US$ 50.000 después de que su jefa les regalara boletos de lotería por NavidadEl valor en efectivo estimado para este gran premio es de US$ 321,1 millones, según un comunicado, y las probabilidades de ganar son de 1 entre 292,2 millones.Los horarios límite para la venta de boletos varían, pero generalmente son entre 1 y 2 ho...

Inside the $760m restoration of Notre Dame cathedral

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:52:32 GMT

Paris (CNN) — The spire of Notre Dame, crowned by a brand new golden rooster, regained its place in the Paris skyline last week.As tourists and Parisians gathered outside the UNESCO-listed cathedral to admire the return of one of its most emblematic features — for now, still encased in scaffolding — the Notre Dame worksite remained in full swing. Nearly 500 craftspeople are busy with rebuilding efforts, working to ensure the Parisian landmark is ready for its grand reopening to the public less than a year from now.“It’s fascinating to see how something of such historical value is being restored,” said Stephan Book, a tourist visiting Paris from Sweden with his daughter and 80-year-old father. “And the ambition to do it all in five years,” he added, “It’s like when Kennedy said (humans) were going to the moon.”On a recent visit to the construction site, President Emmanuel Macron promised works were “on schedule” for Notre Dame to open to the public on December 8, 2024, five years and...

How to see the Christmas ‘cold moon’ — the last full moon of the year

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:52:32 GMT

(CNN) — The final full moon of 2023 will peer over the horizon on Monday, the night of Christmas, and reach its peak the following evening — offering a warm lunar glow during the cool holiday nights.December’s full moon could appear wholly round to the naked eye as early as Sunday and will continue illuminating the night sky for a few evenings after it reaches its maximum fullness on Tuesday at 7:33 p.m. ET, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.Naming winter’s first full moonThis month’s full moon is also known as the “cold moon,” a term coined by Native Americans — specifically the Mohawk people — in reference to the cooler temperatures typically associated with December in the Northern Hemisphere. (Though climate change is quickly making the winter months warmer.)Other names for the final full moon of the year include the “Snow Moon,” the “Winter Maker Moon,” and even the “Moon When the Deer Shed Their Antlers,” a nod to the fact that the antlers of many deer species — including ...