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Biden briefed on 'incredibly important' White House cocaine investigation

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:43 GMT

(AP) — President Joe Biden has been briefed on the investigation into the discovery of cocaine on the lobby floor of the White House West Wing, and thinks it is “incredibly important” for the Secret Service to determine how it got there, officials said Wednesday. U.S. Secret Service agents found the powder during a routine White House sweep on Sunday, in a small, clear plastic bag on the ground in a heavily trafficked area, according to three people, who were not authorized to speak about an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. On Wednesday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the White House had confidence in the Secret Service. “The president think it's incredibly important to get to the bottom of this,” she said. D.C. Fire Department vehicles are seen outside the White House grounds, Sunday night, July 2, 2023 in Washington. (Anthony Peltier via AP)Biden was at Camp David with members of his family for the holiday weekend when the...

The case of the missing bacteria in Bay Area poop

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:43 GMT

Our gut is experiencing its own extinction event.New Stanford research has discovered that the gut of the average Bay Area resident has only half as many species of bacteria as hunter-gatherers in remote northern Tanzania, a decline attributed to the industrialized world’s changing diets and lifestyles.And while it’s not yet proven what role these missing bacteria play, scientists know that our body’s complex inner ecosystem of bacteria, known as the microbiome, helps digest food, synthesize vitamins, and fend off infections.“It’s very clear that industrialization has impacted our gut microbiome in a profound way,” said microbiologist Justin Sonnenburg, co-author of findings reported this month in the journal Cell. “We have lost species that were part of human biology for most, or all, of our evolutionary history.”How are we different? The poop of a dozen Bay Area volunteers was home to an average of only 277 bacterial species, compared to 730 species in the ...

Person struck and killed by Caltrain in Mountain View

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:43 GMT

MOUNTAIN VIEW — A pedestrian died Thursday morning after they were hit by a Caltrain, according to a spokesperson.The deadly incident took place around 1:30 a.m. at the Rengstorff Avenue grade crossing in Mountain View, according to Caltrain. The southbound train was carrying 14 passengers, and no other injuries were reported.“No matter what the circumstances, it is always regrettable when a life is lost,” A Caltrain spokesperson said in a statement Thursday morning. “Caltrain reminds everyone to be safe around train tracks.”The victim’s identity was yet to be released by the Santa Clara County Office of the Medical Examiner-Coroner as of Thursday morning. Mountain View police were handling the investigation into the collision.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | India train collision photos: 83 bodies recovered still unidentified The death was Caltrain’s third fatal collision of 2023. The first was in January, when a person was...

How U.S. Women’s Open favorite Rose Zhang manages massive expectations at age 20

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:43 GMT

The weight of the golfing world is on Rose Zhang’s shoulders at Pebble Beach this week, just more than a month after the Stanford University sophomore sensation turned professional.The U.S. Women’s Open and its record $2 million first-place purse are Zhang’s to win.The 20-year-old is the favorite with 8-to-1 odds, according to Caesars Sportsbook, while the next-closest competitor is the top-ranked women’s golfer in the world, Jin Young Ko, with 12-to-1 odds.“I would have never expected myself to be in this position,” Zhang told reporters on Tuesday.She will tee off while holding the women’s course record of a nine-under 63, which she shot in September while she was becoming the most decorated amateur golfer ever.Zhang’s expectations for herself?“Just try to hit the ball,” she said. “Like, just get it up in the air, hit it in the fairway, on the green, and do your own thing.”Zhang said she just wants to make the cut, which is like Steph Curry saying he’s just hoping to make the...

Downtown San Jose apartment complex lands veteran real estate buyers

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:43 GMT

SAN JOSE — A downtown San Jose apartment, office and retail complex that’s next to the footprint of Google’s transit village has been bought by a joint venture that may seek to convert some of the spaces into live/work units.Vespaio, a building that features 162 residences, has been bought for $83.5 million by an alliance of real estate firms Windy Hill Property Ventures and Rockwood Capital, according to Cushman & Wakefield, a commercial real estate firm that arranged the purchase.The seven-story Vespaio building is located at 130 Stockton Avenue near the SAP Center and Diridon train station in downtown San Jose.The complex is also next to the footprint of a Google-proposed transit village that could become downtown San Jose’s newest mixed-use neighborhood. A bustling Whole Foods Market is just down the street from Vespaio.Cushman & Wakefield brokers Jason Parr, Scott MacDonald, Seth Siegel, John Hansen, Sydney Ladrech, Brayden Joel, Terry Daly and D...

SF Giants trade deadline primer: What are their needs and who could fit?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:43 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Less than a month away from MLB’s Aug. 1 trade deadline, front office phone lines are heating up.The Giants have a few paths they can take.Last year, president Farhan Zaidi offloaded a handful of veteran reserves — Darin Ruf, Curt Casali, Matthew Boyd — but didn’t go full sell mode, opting to hold on to Carlos Rodón and Joc Pederson. In 2021, you’ll remember, Zaidi made a surprise splash by acquiring Kris Bryant for a pair of prospects.Are the Giants buyers or sellers?Although they have cooled off since their 10-game win streak, that run placed them firmly among the playoff contenders in the National League.Entering Wednesday, the Giants sat four games back of the first-place Diamondbacks in the NL West, in a virtual tie for the third and final wild-card spot. (Philadelphia leads by percentage points.)It’s more difficult to find the sellers in the current environment, with 40% of the league — 12 teams — making the playoffs each year. There are...

Barabak: Think California’s polarized politics stink? Look to Alaska

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:43 GMT

Last year, Alaska tried something unique.It became the first state to use an election system that placed all candidates on the same ballot, with the four top vote-getters, regardless of party, moving to a runoff where voters ranked their preferences.(Go ahead, impress friends at your holiday barbecue by using the technical terms, blanket ballot and ranked-choice voting.)One purpose of the system, approved by voters in 2020, was to weed out extremists by making it harder for candidates to be elected simply by appealing to the hard-liners of their party’s base.It worked splendidly.Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a relatively moderate mainstream Republican, won reelection in November by defeating a MAGA fundamentalist trying to avenge Murkowski’s vote punishing President Trump for the Jan. 6 insurrection.The state’s sole House seat was captured by Mary Peltola, a relatively moderate mainstream Democrat, who thwarted a comeback bid by the far-right pugilist Sarah Palin.Alaska is a place apart, bot...

Grand jury indicts Martinez man, 52, for pair of 2022 killings

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:43 GMT

After four days of testimony, a Solano County grand jury last week indicted a jailed 52-year-old Martinez man on two counts of murder committed last year, two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, committing murder while released on his own recognizance, and a special circumstance for committing multiple murders.The indictment, which came Wednesday, reflects charges that Richard Raymond Klein committed murder on April 21 at a gathering on Manzanita Avenue in Fairfield, then again, on Dec 15, while out of custody on the initial murder charges, committing another murder in Suisun City.In a press statement issued Thursday, Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams noted her office had filed a felony complaint on May 5 against Klein for the first murder. He also had been charged with an enhancement for personally discharging a firearm at the time, leading to the death of Anthony Fuimaono, 56.In that case, Klein was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 28 and wa...

U.S. Women’s Open: New venue, big purse, high expectations

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:43 GMT

PEBBLE BEACH — The U.S. Women’s Open, with its largest presence, biggest purse, vastly diverse field and debut on the Monterey Peninsula begins Thursday. It’s taken 77 years.A field of 156 professionals and amateurs from 30 countries and 20 states will begin at 7 a.m. at the hole No. 1 and No. 10 with a forecast for overcast skies and temperatures in the mid-50s.Started in 1946, the national golf championship for women has previously been held in California four times, including at the Olympic Club in San Francisco in 2021.Women’s golf championships have a long history at Pebble Beach, but the most prestigious event in the sport will unfold with network prime time television for the first time and an $11 million purse. It will be the most in the history of the sport. The $2 million winner’s share, an increase of $200,000 from last year, will also issue its largest individual paycheck.Twelve former U.S. Women’s Open titlists are competing including reigning champion Minjee Lee of Aus...

Marin County DA’s office swamped with murder sentencing relitigation

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:43 GMT

As Marin prosecutors struggle with a substantial backlog of criminal cases, they are dealing not only with the usual influx of fresh crimes, but relitigating many past convictions because of a new state law.Senate Bill 1437, which took effect in 2019, changed the circumstances under which people can be convicted of murder in California. The law also mandates that certain defendants who have been convicted under these circumstances may petition judges to vacate their murder convictions and impose new sentences.The Marin County District Attorney’s Office has had to respond to at least eight such petitions, and more are expected.“These cases have taken hundreds of hours of experienced attorney and investigator time and more will be required,” District Attorney Lori Frugoli wrote in an email.A Marin County Civil Grand Jury report in May faulted the District Attorney’s Office for the backlog of criminal cases, saying the organization is “in crisis” because of internal turmoil, employee l...