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3+ min ago (204+ words) From holiday concerts and cocktails to a great TV show and a very funny movie, there are a lot of reasons to smile this weekend, so let's get to it, shall we? From the revered Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir to San Jose's jubilant "Holiday Spectacular," the Bay Area is full of concerts brimming with the holiday spirit. Nothing says yuletide cheer like a pop-up holiday bar, and the Bay Area is packed with them. "The New Years" " a 10-part series following a couple's ups and downs " has a compelling concept and an even better delivery. Here's how to see it. A Healdsburg favorite was just named one of the best restaurants in the world by the prestigious La List online dinging guide. Shows that dwell on British aristocracy " we're looking at you, "Downton Abbey" " are ripe for parody. And now…...

4+ min ago (354+ words) Teachers with the West Contra Costa Unified School District are set to go on strike Thursday. (Dec. 4, 2025) Hundreds of teachers in the East Bay are going on strike Thursday as talks stall over better pay and benefits. Thousands of students in the West Contra Costa Unified School District are going to feel the impact as about 1,400 teachers walk off the job. The teachers are expected to picket outside dozens of schools located in El Cerrito, Hercules, Pinole, Richmond and San Pablo. The union and school district are at impasse after 10 months of negotiations for a new contract. The teachers union authorized the strike Monday. It seeks a 10% pay raise over the next two years, better health care and smaller class sizes. The district is offering a 3% raise and increased health benefits. Union leaders say their low pay makes it difficult…...

17+ min ago (489+ words) DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband and I have taken our grown children, their children and friends on several nice vacations. We planned another trip to surprise them at Christmas. Now we have learned from our daughter that her husband does not want to go. He didn't offer an explanation, and now our daughter isn't going. We are out big bucks for nonrefundable tickets, and they haven't offered to reimburse us. Why would someone refuse a free vacation? GENTLE READER: Even if Miss Manners' clairvoyance were functioning, it is her experience that the answers to such questions are seldom welcome. Nor, generally, are surprises that commandeer adults' schedules. DEAR MISS MANNERS: I was at the head of a line to vote; the precinct wasn't crowded, and no one's wait was long. The precinct volunteer encountered a problem that prompted her to…...

29+ min ago (866+ words) By SEUNG MIN KIM, Associated Press The administration is betting that its push to expedite visa processing for visitors and the excitement about the matchups for next summer's tournament " hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico " will outweigh concerns that Trump's immigration messaging undercuts the theme of global unity that the World Cup is meant to represent. Critics say the dueling messages are jarring. "The Cup is supposed to be a moment when the world comes together, puts aside the differences to celebrate sport, and while it symbolizes the world coming together, you have a president of the United States who is trying to keep the world out, to keep people out," said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "Right there at the most fundamental level, you have a president who represents…...

33+ min ago (1023+ words) It is that time of year again: The Baseball Hall of Fame's hand-picked committee is set to perform its annual ritual of pearl-clutching, moralizing, and hair-splitting that is electing players to the Baseball Hall of Fame. And, once again, Barry Bonds will be left on the outside looking in. Bonds was denied admittance to the hall by the writers for a decade, and now the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee " whatever that is " will deny him admittance. Bonds shares a ballot with Jeff Kent, Roger Clemens, Gary Sheffield, and four others this time around. Their vote will be announced on Sunday. And so we have another opportunity to rehash the debate we've had since 2013. "Is he the greatest? Is he a cheater? Do the cream and the clear negate the 762 home runs?" But as we drift further away from the steroid…...

33+ min ago (809+ words) From a storied Mexican band to an exhibit on rave culture to a quirky film fest and a holiday stage show devoted to "The Golden Girls," there is a lot to see and do in the Bay Area this weekend and beyond. Here is a partial rundown. Mana is setting up shop at SAP Center for two nights. The legendary Mexican pop-rock band, led by vocalist Fher Olvera and featuring bassist Juan Calleros, drummer Alex Gonz'lez and guitarist Sergio Vall'n, is set to perform Dec. 5-6 at the home of the San Jose Sharks in downtown San Jose. Having formed in 1981 in Guadalajara " initially performing under the moniker Sombrero Verde before changing its name to Mana " the band found massive success in the early "90s with the release of "D'nde Jugar'n Los Ni'os?" The record'sold more than 10 million copies around the world…...

41+ min ago (602+ words) The FBI arrested a man on Thursday who investigators believe planted pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters the night before the 2021 US Capitol riot, according to two law enforcement sources. The arrest follows an almost five-year investigation to uncover the identity of the bomber who has only been seen in grainy surveillance video shrouded in a hoodie, gloves and a face mask. Video clips previously released by the FBI showed an individual placing a bomb outside the DNC headquarters and another in an alley behind the RNC building, both just a few blocks away from the US Capitol. Then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris came within 20 feet of the bomb at the DNC the next morning, and its discovery diverted police away from the violence unfolding at the Capitol. The FBI has said the bombs were viable and…...

48+ min ago (913+ words) Nikki K. Lopez still remembers one of the first moments that sparked the idea for Caregiver OneCall. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Lopez flew back to her native Jamaica to take care of her grandmother, Beryl Gordon. Lopez had long referred to her grandmother as her "favorite person in the world," but caregiving created an entirely new dynamic. Lopez was tasked with a laundry list of responsibilities for her bed-bound grandmother while juggling her day job. By the end of the first day, Lopez thought to herself that she couldn't handle everything that caregiving entailed. By the end of the first week, Lopez had gone three days without a shower and was neglecting her own personal needs. "I remember one night she called out to me, and I was so tired that my first instinct was to ignore…...

1+ hour, 3+ min ago (918+ words) SANTA CLARA " The dunk was full of power. The response was full of vitriol. With roughly a minute left in regulation, Santa Clara guard Brenton Knapper connected with forward Allen Graves, who was already streaking to the rim. Graves took one dribble, leapt, cocked back his right arm and unfurled a one-handed slam on the head of Utah Tech's Chance Trujillo. It was the type of dunk that elicited every viable adjective, from mean to vicious to nasty. The first wave of oohs and'aahs'was for the dunk. The second wave was for Trujillo's response, a punch that connected with Graves's face that ignited a late-game kerfuffle and ended with Trujillo being ejected. It was the defining moment of Santa Clara's 90-80 victory over Utah Tech, a victory that gives the team an 8-1 record for the first time since the 2019-20 season. The…...

2+ hour, 3+ min ago (1286+ words) The Chicago Bears celebrated their Black Friday win over the Philadelphia Eagles as if they'd won the Super Bowl. Players celebrated wildly and coach Ben Johnson danced shirtless in the postgame locker room, his team having ascended to the top-seeded position in the NFC. Hard to fault the Bears, given they're 9-3 and better than anyone expected. And it's not like their celebration was as brazen as 1985, when Chicago celebrated the impending arrival of the Lombardi Trophy six weeks before Super Bowl XX was actually played in the Louisiana Superdome when they released the iconic video "The Super Bowl Shuffle." Those Bears beat the New England Patriots 46-10 with a team most everyone considers to be among the top single-season teams in NFL history. And here come the Patriots, who have been a big surprise themselves as the top seed in the…...