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COVID and flu in the Bay Area: What you need to know this fall

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:59:25 GMT

As we enter November — the month that in the past three years has seen the start of a spike in COVID hospitalizations — the Centers for Disease Control is recording minimal or low levels of respiratory illness in most states but notes an increase in jurisdictions with moderate or high levels.Here’s what to know about protecting yourself:• Vaccinations for COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus: A guide to the current vaccine options, including whether you should get two (or three) at once. ••• Plus: Is it too late for a flu shot?• Masking requirements in the Bay Area: Santa Clara County and Marin County are requiring everybody to wear a mask in public areas of hospitals and other health-care facilities. Four other counties have requirements for employees only.• At-home COVID tests: You can get four more at-home test kits mailed to you free. ••• Plus: Can I use an expired test?• How to know if you’re contagious: A doctor’s advice on timelines and ...

Homer Simpson apparently won’t be choking Bart anymore

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:59:25 GMT

By Lisa France | CNNTimes really have changed.Homer Simpson has, according to the animated character, stopped strangling his son Bart – bringing to an end a long-running (and outdated) gag on the show.It’s one of many set pieces on the beloved animated series. In this recurring interaction, Homer, the family patriarch, begins vigorously choking Bark after yelling, “Why you little …”A recent episode of the show went viral after the character of Homer shakes the hand of a new neighbor and is complimented on a strong handshake.“See, Marge, strangling the boy paid off,” Homer tells his wife, Marge.He then says, “Just kidding, I don’t do that anymore. Times have changed.”Related ArticlesEntertainment | Evan Ellingson dies at 35; child actor had roles in ‘CSI: Miami,’ ’24’ Entertainment | Disney to acquire remaining stake in Hulu for expected $8.6 billion Entertainment | What to watch: ‘The Holdovers’ could be ...

Brooks on Beer: How to pick the perfect beer to pair with your pizza

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:59:25 GMT

Is there a better combination than pizza and beer? The answer is an unequivocal “no.”Here’s my scientific and sensory explanation for why these two are the perfect pairing. Pizza’s crust, cheese and sauce components each offer something special to connect to the fermentation, textures and flavors of beer, mingling to create magical mouthfuls that, as Mary Poppins would say, are practically perfect in every way.Both pizza and beer are products of fermentation and are both made with grains. Yeast makes the dough rise by eating up the wort — a mixture of water and malted grains, like barley or wheat — to create alcohol, carbonation and beer’s complex flavors.Pizza needs cheese — and cheese also pairs remarkably well with beer. While many argue that it’s wine and cheese that pair best together, many sommeliers I know will admit that the best a wine can do is not get in the way. Beer with cheese, however, is magical. The bitterness and crispness in beer easily cut...

Orinda home invasion suspect barricaded in neighborhood, police on the scene

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:59:25 GMT

ORINDA, Calif. (KRON) -- Police in Orinda are searching for a home invasion suspect who is barricaded in a neighborhood on Lloyd Lane off Moraga Way Tuesday morning. Units from the Orinda Police Department and Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department are on the scene.A drone has also been deployed overhead. Police are using an audio loop recording to warn the suspect to come out with nothing in their hands or they will be bitten by a canine. Witnesses at the scene say two other suspects were arrested. One of the suspects was reportedly taken away by stretcher after being bitten by a police canine. Series of violent robberies leaves Walnut Creek residents on edge Video from the scene showed Orinda police officers using a K-9 to search for the suspect.The activity has resulted in the temporary closure of Moraga Way, according to the City of Orinda. The activity is also causing transit delays, according to a tweet from the County Connection transit agency. The activity is...

Woman in wheelchair struck and killed by car

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:59:25 GMT

(KRON) – A woman in a wheelchair was struck and killed by a car in San Jose on Monday night at around 9:40 p.m. The woman was allegedly crossing the street against a red light, according to the San Jose Police Department. The incident occurred between Chesbro Avenue and Blossom Hill Road. Series of violent robberies leaves Walnut Creek residents on edge This is San Jose's 24th pedestrian death of the year. The woman was taken to the hospital, where she passed away.Police say the driver of the SUV that struck her remained at the scene and is cooperating with investigators.Bay City News contributed to this article.

Former Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim is loving retirement. It doesn’t mean he is very far from the game

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:59:25 GMT

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — It’s a typical early November day in Syracuse. Gray skies. Light snow has dusted the area, a precursor for the months ahead when when many residents around here look for Syracuse basketball to get them through the winter. The season opener is just days away.The man sitting behind the desk, special assistant to the athletic director, is totally at ease in a standard-issue, middle manager’s office in the John A. Lally Athletics Complex. He is smiling, cheerful, funny, engaging. Gone are the decades of scowls, railing against officials, getting in the face of players, snapping at reporters.Retirement is going just fine, thank you, for Jim Boeheim, who stepped down in March after 47 years of coaching the Orange. The Hall of Famer, who amassed 1,116 wins, five Final Four trips and the 2003 national championship along the way, says he doesn’t miss the job one bit.“If you’re up 16 hours a day, you’re thinking about your team every minute of those 16 hours, every day, ...

Special counsel in the Hunter Biden case insists he was the ‘decision-maker’ in rare testimony

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:59:25 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The prosecutor overseeing the Hunter Biden investigation testified Tuesday that he had the ultimate authority in the yearslong case as he made an unprecedented appearance before Congress to rebut Republicans’ explosive claims that the probe has been plagued with interference. Weiss’ interview with the House Judiciary Committee marked the first time a special counsel has ever testified to lawmakers in the middle of a probe. He agreed to the unusual appearance under heavy pressure from House Republicans, who are looking to ramp up their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden and his family.In his opening statement, Weiss told lawmakers he would not answer questions that could jeopardize the investigation and would only talk about the scope of his authority. “I am, and have been, the decision-maker on this case,” he told lawmakers. “I do not, however, make these decisions in a vacuum.”He acknowledged being required to follow Justice Department guidel...

A man with a gun is arrested in a park near the US Capitol

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:59:25 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man with a gun was arrested in a park near the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, police said. The man was in a park outside Senate office buildings and across from Washington’s Union Station when he was arrested, the U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement posted online. Police said they searched the area where the man was arrested as well as his belongings out of an abundance of caution. Officers said they did not believe there was an ongoing threat.Openly carrying firearms in public is prohibited in Washington and on U.S. Capitol grounds.Source

Israel fights Hamas in ‘depths’ of Gaza City, foresees control of enclave’s security after war

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:59:25 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli army said Tuesday that its forces are battling Hamas fighters inside Gaza’s largest city, signaling a major new stage a month into a war that has claimed thousands of lives and leveled swaths of the territory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is likely to maintain control of security in Gaza once Hamas is defeated.The move into Gaza City risks a further escalation in casualties, while Netanyahu’s comments pointed to the uncertainty surrounding the endgame of a war that Israel says will go on for some time until it destroys Hamas rule.Already the war has brought a staggering cost.Memorial events were planned in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to mark the 30th day — a milestone in Jewish mourning — since the deaths of around 1,400 killed in Hamas’ Oct. 7 rampage in southern Israel that sparked the war. Some 240 people that Hamas abducted during the attack remain in the militants’ hands. More than 250,000 have evacuated homes near Gaza and...

Florida State receiver Johnny Wilson returns to practice and could play against rival Miami

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:59:25 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida State standout receiver Johnny Wilson returned to practice Tuesday, giving the fourth-ranked Seminoles more hope that he will be able to play against rival Miami.Wilson missed FSU’s last two games, lopsided road wins against Wake Forest and Pittsburgh, because of an undisclosed injury. The 6-foot-7 junior, widely considered a second-day NFL draft pick in April, has 25 catches for 415 yards and two touchdowns this season.The Seminoles (9-0, 7-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who already clinched a spot in the league title game next month, also played without star receiver Keon Coleman against the Panthers as well as backups Hykeem Williams and Deuce Spann. Coleman leads Florida State with 38 receptions for 538 and nine touchdowns. Williams and Spann have five catches combined.The status of that trio for Saturday’s game against the Hurricanes remains uncertain.FSU coach Mike Norvell expressed optimism Monday that his receiving corps would be closer ...