CCS and NCS softball playoffs: Tuesday’s semifinal results, championship matchups

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:10:58 GMT

CCS and NCS softball playoffs: Tuesday’s semifinal results, championship matchups NEW: PREP SPORTS MAILBAGThe Bay Area News Group is introducing a high school sports mailbag in May. Get your questions in as soon as possible. Our debut edition is an open forum. Got questions about spring sports playoffs, coaching changes, an early peek at football season, etc.? Send them to [email protected]. Please include “mailbag” in the subject line.NCSDivision ITuesday’s semifinalNo. 3 California 9, No. 2 Granada 1Wednesday’s semifinalNo. 4 Freedom (18-9) at No. 1 San Ramon Valley (22-5), 5 p.m.Division IITuesday’s semifinalsNo. 5 Livermore 8, No. 1 Redwood 2No. 2 Casa Grande 5, No. 3 Alameda 0Friday’s finalNo. 2 Casa Grande (24-4) vs. No. 5 Livermore (15-11) at San Marin high school, 5 p.m.Related ArticlesHigh School Sports | NCS baseball playoffs: Clayton Valley rocks SRV early, punches ticket to NCS title game High School Sports | CIF track and field: Bay Area News Group’s top state meet contenders High...

Calif. A.G. Bonta to review Banko Brown case for 'abuse of discretion'

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:10:58 GMT

Calif. A.G. Bonta to review Banko Brown case for 'abuse of discretion' (KRON) -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta is getting involved in the Banko Brown case, his office confirmed Tuesday. "We can confirm that our office has agreed to review whether the San Francisco District Attorney’s decision not to file charges was an abuse of discretion," Bonta's office said. Brown, a 24-year-old transgender Black man, was shot by a Walgreens security guard after shoplifting from the store, surveillance video shows. San Francisco Mayor booed in UN Plaza, brick thrown in crowd San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins opted not to charge the security guard accused of shooting Brown. Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony, 33, was arrested after the shooting but not charged. "A second view by another set of prosecutors, I think it's important for credibility for the entire system that that review takes place because from our perspective, the DA's decision was totally contrary to the evidence," said attorney John Burris, who is representing the Brown family. Burris ...

A’s 10-40 start worst since 1932 Red Sox, Mariners win 3-2 behind Crawford, France

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:10:58 GMT

A’s 10-40 start worst since 1932 Red Sox, Mariners win 3-2 behind Crawford, France SEATTLE (AP) — J.P. Crawford and Ty France hit back-to-back home runs in a three-run fifth inning, and the Seattle Mariners beat Oakland 3-2 Tuesday night to send the Athletics to their sixth straight loss and 14th in 16 games.Oakland dropped to 10-40, which projects to a 32-130 record. That would the most losses for any team in a season since 1899 Cleveland Spiders went 20-134.The A’s matched the 1932 Boston Red Sox and 1897 St. Louis Browns for the fourth-worst 50-game start in big league history at 10-40, ahead of only the 1897 Louisville Colonels at 7-43, and the 1899 Spiders and 1904 Washington Senators at 9-41.A controversial fan interference call hurt the Mariners in the eighth. After France was hit on the left hand by a Trevor May pitch leading off and replaced by pinch-runner Sam Haggerty, Julio Rodríguez hit foul fly down the line near the right-field seats.Ramon Laureano settled under the ball and was about to catch it but a fan raised an arm out of the stands and o...

Stock market today: Asian stocks slide as debt worries mount

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:10:58 GMT

Stock market today: Asian stocks slide as debt worries mount BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets slid Wednesday as the U.S. government crept closer to a potentially disruptive default on its debt.Tokyo’s main market index lost more than 1%. Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul also declined. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index fell 1.1% after Speaker Kevin McCarthy of the House of Representatives said, “We’re not there yet” on a deal. That followed a meeting Monday with President Joe Biden that ended with no agreement.“McCarthy’s comments have thrown cold water” on sentiment, said Vishnu Varathan of Mizuho Bank in a report. He said the slide in prices is “paying back for premature optimism around a debt deal.” The Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.5% to 3,230.46 and the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo fell 1.1% to 30,619.21. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong shed 0.9% to 19,260.11.The Kospi in Seoul retreated 0.2% to 2,562.60 and Sydney’s S&P-ASX 200 lost 0.5% to 7,222.60. New Zealand and Bangkok gained while Singapore and Jakarta declined.Rep...

Wiemer, Miller homer, Brewers end Astros’ winning streak at 8 with 6-0 victory

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:10:58 GMT

Wiemer, Miller homer, Brewers end Astros’ winning streak at 8 with 6-0 victory MILWAUKEE (AP) — Joey Wiemer and Owen Miller homered, Colin Rea combined on a five-hitter and the Milwaukee Brewers stopped the Houston Astros’ eight-game winning streak with a 6-0 victory on Tuesday night.Houston second baseman Jose Altuve left in the bottom of the sixth inning because he was feeling ill. The 33-year-old, playing his fourth game of the season after recovering from a broken right thumb, walked off the field with athletic trainers during a pitching change.“He was feeling sick. That’s why he called us out there,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “We took him out because we thought it was the best thing to do, for precautionary reasons.”Rea (1-3) gave up four hits in 5 1/3 innings, struck out four batters and walked two. Joel Payamps finished the sixth, and Elvis Peguero, Peter Strzelecki and Bryse Wilson pitched an inning each in Milwaukee’s fifth shutout this season.Houston was blanked for the second time. The other was a 2-0 loss to San Franc...

Colorado Amazon drivers claim of 'dehumanizing' labor violations

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:10:58 GMT

Colorado Amazon drivers claim of 'dehumanizing' labor violations DENVER (KDVR) -- Three delivery drivers in Colorado filed a class action complaint against Amazon on Monday, citing violations of labor laws and discriminatory practices in not providing bathroom breaks.The complaint alleges that delivery drivers are forced to urinate and defecate in bags and bottles in the back of delivery vans, "all so Amazon can maintain its breakneck delivery schedules and record-breaking profits," according to a release from Towards Justice law firm. New Amazon palm readers to verify age, pay at Coors Field "I fought for this country in Iraq, but I had an easier time going to the bathroom in a combat zone than I did while working for Amazon," Ryan Schilling, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said in a release from the law firm.According to the lawsuit, he has had to use dog waste bags in the back of delivery vans to defecate on the job twice."I knew that if I tried to stop to go to a gas station, I'd get yelled at and maybe lose my job," Schilling said.The violatio...

Could empty Denver office space be turned into housing? City launches study

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:10:58 GMT

Could empty Denver office space be turned into housing? City launches study DENVER (KDVR) — Downtown Denver office spaces continue to struggle in a post-pandemic world, with the Downtown Denver Partnership placing vacancies at 21.6%. With more companies switching to remote and hybrid work, the demand simply isn't there, said Denver Community Planning and Development spokesperson Laura Swartz."We've seen a lot of employers adopt hybrid work policies," Swartz said. "We know they’re here to stay, and commercial office buildings are unlikely to return to the way they were.” Denver ranks in top 10 places people looking to leave The city is now paying outside firm Gensler $75,000 to study the feasibility of converting some of those spaces into housing units. "We’re looking at is this an opportunity to take our Central Business District and turn it into something more like a central neighborhood district," Swartz said. The study began in April with a focus on 30 different buildings in downtown Denver. Swartz said cost and practicality are two things the study wi...

Colorado has the 6th-highest resignation rate

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:10:58 GMT

Colorado has the 6th-highest resignation rate DENVER (KDVR) -- Colorado's turnover rate is one of the nation's highest. Americans left their jobs in record numbers in 2021 and 2022 in a pandemic-era trend dubbed the “Great Resignation." Labor management firm TimeForge analyzed U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data in each state to find job resignation rates, or quit rates, to keep an eye on the trend. Colorado is among the states with the top 10 labor resignation rates, with 29 resignations per every 1,000 people, tied with Delaware for the sixth-highest rate. Alaska and Wyoming lead the nation in resignation rates, with 34 per 1,000 each. Resignations happen more among industries with odd hours and lower pay. The accommodation and food services industry has the highest rate nationwide, twice the average among all other industries at 5.7. The leisure and hospitality industry has a similar rate, 5.3. Retail trade has the third-highest rate at 3.7.Colorado's resignation rate is high despite the economy being among the nation's bes...

POLITICO Pro Morning Health Care: WHA Ukraine resolution — Shaping healthy markets — Psychedelic MEPs

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:10:58 GMT

POLITICO Pro Morning Health Care: WHA Ukraine resolution — Shaping healthy markets — Psychedelic MEPs Presented by PPTABy HELEN COLLISwith ASHLEIGH FURLONG, SARAH-TAÏSSIR BENCHARIF and JOANNA ROBERTSPRESENTED BY View in your browser or listen to audioSNEAK PEEK— A majority of World Health Organization member countries are likely to send a political signal to Russia today that war is not acceptable.— Markets need to be proactively and collaboratively shaped to prioritize human and planetary health, says new WHO report.— MEPs join forces to form an action group on the medical use of psychedelics.Welcome to Wednesday’s Morning Health Care! Trying to eat less meat? Take a leaf out of this plant’s book. A rare species of vine found in West Africa is a part-time carnivore. Scientists have discovered it produces sticky nodules on its leaves to trap bugs — but only when nutrients in the soil are lacking. Get in touch: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected]. Tweet us @hcollis, @carlomartu, @a...

Hassen: Why the Hollywood writers strike matters

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:10:58 GMT

Hassen: Why the Hollywood writers strike matters Every television series or film begins and ends with writers. They pen the iconic lines that actors deliver, like “Just one more thing,” “There’s no crying in baseball!,” and “Rosebud.”Good stories, like good lines, can last for generations. But for the writers who create them, just making it to the next paycheck has become a struggle.Writers are facing an existential crisis. According to the Writers Guild of America (WGA), the median weekly pay for writers declined 23 percent over the last decade after adjusting for inflation.With the rise of streaming, the big studios are having no trouble maximizing their profits. But streaming productions tend to pay less than traditional film and TV, and with less stable employment due to shorter seasons. Streaming has also taken a huge chunk of revenue writers could once count on from broadcast TV reruns.That’s the context behind this spring’s WGA strike. With 11,500 writers walking out, it’s  Hollywood’s first strike in 15 years. If the studi...