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7 incredible Bay Area things to do this weekend, Sept. 29-Oct. 1

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

From the amazing Hardly Strictly Bluegrass to a buzzworthy AI thriller and an all-out Oreo snack attack, there is a lot of see, do and savor this weekend. So let’s get busy, shall we?But please be sure to double check websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines. Meanwhile, if you’d like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.com/newsletters or www.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.1 SEE & HEAR: A fabulous festivalHardly Strictly Bluegrass remains one of the Bay Area’s best events — three days of great tunes in Golden Gate Park. The lineup features scores of acts ranging from music legends to stars on rise — here are 11 performers you should not miss.2 PLAY: Treat yourself to a good scareOne of the best things about Halloween (besides keeping winter holiday decorations from going up even earlier) is that it reminds us we can have a blast spooking ourselves all year, li...

Powerball jackpot swells to $925 million after no winner snagged the prize Wednesday night

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

By Aya Elamroussi | CNNPowerball players will get another chance to become instant millionaires as the jackpot ballooned to $925 million following Wednesday night’s drawing that yielded no grand prize winners.Wednesday night’s winning numbers were 1, 7, 46, 47, 63, and the Powerball was 7, the lottery said.After no ticket matched the lucky numbers, the jackpot grew from an estimated $850 million to a whopping $925 million, a cash value of $432.4 million, for the upcoming drawing on Saturday.And although no one hit the jackpot Wednesday, there were some big winners.Four tickets sold in California, Kansas, Maryland and New York matched the first five numbers to win $1 million each, according to Powerball.The next Powerball drawing is Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET, and it’s viewable on the lottery’s website.Saturday’s jackpot, if won, would be the game’s second-largest jackpot this year and overall the fourth-largest jackpot in its history.Related ArticlesCalifornia News | Monda...

30+ Bay Area Halloween happenings, haunts and festivals for 2023

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

With October upon us, ghouls and ghosts are soon to descend on the Bay, and there’s no shortage of eerie events to brave. Here’s a spooky sampling of local ways to get your Halloween thrills and chills, from haunted houses to family-friendly frights and adults-only boos and brews.Fright Fest at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom: Sept. 23-Oct. 31, 1001 Fairgrounds Drive, Vallejo. Six Flags will be transformed this spooky season with a frightful array of haunted attractions, scare zones, entertainment shows and Halloween themed rides. $50-$99. bit.ly/SixFlagsFrightFest2023LEGOLAND ‘Brick-or-Treat’: Sept. 28-Oct. 31, 870 Great Mall Drive, Milpitas. Scary fun awaits as monsters take over LEGOLAND Discovery Center Bay Area. Get into the Halloween spirit for some monsterrific activities and an exclusive 4D Halloween movie, “The Great Monster Chase.” $26.99-$29.99. https://www.legolanddiscoverycenter.com/bayarea/‘Unhinged’ at Winchester Mystery House: Sept. 29...

Wish You Were Here: A cruise on the Mississippi

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

Summer is drawing to a close, but our intrepid readers have made the most of these last months, exploring Croatia’s wonders, seeing the towers of Tokyo and trekking through Portugal. And they’ve shared their travel tips and tales with us along the way.This time, we’re hearing from two Walnut Creek readers who opted for a cruise of a different kind.Wish You Were HereMISSISSIPPI RIVER: Pre-pandemic, Walnut Creek residents Sandy and Mike Heller took cruises to far-flung destinations around the globe. “But since COVID, we have been staying closer to home,” Mike says. That doesn’t mean they stayed put, though. A recent trip on the Mississippi River took them from St. Louis, Missouri, to St. Paul, Minnesota.“We discovered the northern part of the river isn’t as wide as down south, has 27 dams and locks, is less commercial and more recreational — few barges, but lots of speed boats, private homes along the river banks, etc.” Mike ...

Minnesota Twins rallied to beat the Oakland Athletics 6-4

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS  — Pinch-hitter Trevor Larnach broke an eighth-inning tie with an RBI double and the Minnesota Twins rallied to beat the Oakland Athletics 6-4 on Wednesday night.After Max Kepler opened the eighth with his fourth hit of the game, Larnach sent a 1-1 pitch from Dany Jiménez off the wall in right field that evaded a leaping Esteury Ruiz. Pinch-runner Andrew Stevenson scored from first. Designated hitter Ryan Jeffers, who hit a tying two-run homer in the sixth, followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Larnach and Minnesota won for the sixth time in seven games.It was the 41st come-from-behind win of the season for the AL Central-champion Twins (85-73).“That’s a pretty sweet moment for him and for us,” Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said of Larnach. “In that inning, we had some interesting things going on. We take Kep out of the game. Normally, we’re not going to take Kep out of the game. But when you have a chance to get him out, he’s got four hits, put in a very good bas...

Weekend closures ahead on 101 in Redwood City to replace bridge: Roadshow

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

Q: I heard closures are ahead on Highway 101 in Redwood City. What’s going on?AnonymousA: Two 55-hour weekend closures are ahead for Highway 101 in Redwood City to replace the Cordilleras Creek Bridge between Whipple Avenue and Brittan Avenue.Southbound 101 will be closed here from Sept. 29-Oct. 2. Northbound 101 will be closed from Oct. 13-16. Closures start at 10 p.m. Friday night and extend until 5 a.m. Monday morning. Detours will be in effect during the closures.To maintain a safe creek habitat with this project, work must be done from June through October. Caltrans is using an accelerated bridge construction process to complete the work within one summer/fall season, instead of spreading it over three years. Visit Caltrans’ page for the project for more information.Q: Could automated vehicle companies hire taxi drivers to sit behind the wheel of their cars for an eight-hour shift each day?They could be locked out of controlling the car until there was an emergency....

The slump in Bay Area home prices could be over

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

It’s unwelcome news for homebuyers: Bay Area home prices are back on the rise.The median sales price for existing homes in the nine-county Bay Area rose 5% in August from a year earlier, reaching $1.26 million, according to new data from the California Association of Realtors. Prices had been on the decline for 14 months, the longest such period since 2012.“We might have seen the bottom,” said Oscar Wei, an economist for the trade group. “It was short-lived, but it started coming back up because of tight supply.”With interest rates near 7%, homeowners who might have otherwise sought to move are staying put, contributing to the low inventory. The number of active listings in the Bay Area decreased from 4,887 to 4,324, a drop of 11.5% since last August.Homeowners aren’t moving unless they must, said Renée White, a real estate agent with Keller Williams in Walnut Creek.“Most of my sales are either death or divorce,” she said. “There’s none of that speculation — nobody’s treating ...

Overturned vehicle crash east of Dumbarton Bridge blocks lanes

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

(KRON) -- A severe traffic alert is being reported Thursday morning on eastbound CA-84 east of the Dumbarton Bridge in Fremont due to a traffic collision with injuries, according to the California Highway Patrol.One vehicle overturned in the collision, CHP said. All eastbound lanes east of the Dumbarton Bridge are blocked as of 6:17 a.m. There is no estimated time for reopening the lanes.CHP reported injuries were sustained in the crash. The number of people injured and the severity of injuries is unknown at this time.(Photo: Caltrans)Just after 6 a.m., the westbound lanes of CA-84 in the area were also closed. All lanes in the westbound direction have reopened.Motorists in the area should expect delays and are advised to use alternative routes.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Maryland Board of Education may change how the state tracks students’ college readiness

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.An analysis of Maryland’s current “college readiness” metrics meant to determine whether high school students are properly prepared for college may be improperly assessing a large percentage of students, according to a new report analyzing the state’s interim College and Career Readiness standards.In fact, as much as 35% to 53% may be inaccurately assessed as either ready for college or not ready for college, the American Institutes for Research’s report to the Maryland State Department of Education found.The College and Career Readiness (CCR) standard is a central goal for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, an education overhaul passed by the 2021 Maryland General Assembly, in order to determine if students are properly prepared to take on a 2-year or 4-year postsecondary education, and then ultimately enter the workforce.In 2022,...

Billionaire Ryan Cohen takes over as CEO at GameStop

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

Billionaire Ryan Cohen, the largest individual investor in GameStop, is taking over as CEO at the video game retailer. Cohen is already the board chairman and the company’s largest individual investor. GameStop said in a statement that Cohen won’t receive compensation for serving as its president, CEO and chairman.The CEO job at GameStop, which became one of the most well-known meme stocks to create a frenzy among retail traders on Wall Street, has become a rotating door with the company trying to survive as technology upends the gaming industry. In June, the company fired CEO Matthew Furlong, the former Amazon executive who was brought in two years ago to turn the struggling video game retailer around. Shares of Gamestop Corp. spiked 7% Thursday before the opening bell. Cohen’s holding company RC Ventures is the biggest investor in GameStop, holding about a 12% stake. Cohen co-founded Chewy, the online pet supply company, and had hoped to modernize GameStop, founded in ...