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Pac-12 bowl picks: Washington, Oregon, Arizona cover in marquee games; UCLA, Utah and OSU struggle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:59 GMT

The most successful Pac-12 regular season in years hasn’t resonated with the postseason oddsmakers.Combine several difficult matchups with significant quarterback attrition (hello, USC and Oregon State) and the conference is favored in just half of its eight bowls.This, after it posted a 29-7 record in non-conference games from September through November.But the underdog role creates the opportunity for upside surprises, especially in the matchups against marquee foes Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Texas.Our picks …Season: 42-38-1Five-star special: 7-6All picks against the spreadLines taken from BetMGM (via VegasInsider.com)*** Games listed in chronological order.LA Bowl: UCLA vs. Boise StateKickoff: Dec. 16 at 4:30 p.m. (ABC)Line: UCLA -4 (total: 48.5)Comment: Things only got worse for the Bruins after the season-ending loss to Cal with substantial player and staff departures. As a result, we’re avoiding them at all costs in the LA Bowl. (Star edge rusher Laiatu Latu, f...

Video captures man cutting down pro-Gaza banners in San Jose

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:59 GMT

SAN JOSE — A Muslim civil rights organization is calling for an investigation into a hostile interaction caught on video between two unidentified men in San Jose, where one man was seen slashing down two banners that called for an end to Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip.The video taken on Sunday and posted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, begins in the middle of an-already heated argument between two people. One man stands in front of the camera, next to a large banner hung on a freeway overpass. The exact location was not immediately clear, though a CAIR news release said the incident happened in San Jose.In the 3 minute and 19 second video, a man is seen on video engaging in political argument with the man holding the recording device. The discussion centers on the two banners, which both appear to say “End Israeli Occupation. Save Gaza.”About 30 seconds into the video, the other man pulls out a knife and begins to cut and tear down the first banner. H...

Oakland man gets no additional jail time for biting off cousin’s earlobe during drive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:59 GMT

OAKLAND — A 31-year-old man was sentenced to time he’s already served in jail for biting off his cousin’s ear while they were driving to buy cannabis, according to court records.Charles Atkinson-Rodgers, of Oakland, was originally charged with mayhem and attempted robbery. But in a plea deal with Alameda County prosecutors he pleaded no contest to an assault charge in exchange for a three-year prison sentence. But factoring in credit for good behavior, Atkinson-Rodgers had already served that much time since his May 27, 2022 arrest, court records show.The plea deal was finalized Nov. 22, and Atkinson-Rodgers was ordered to report to his parole agent that same day, according to a minute order from the sentencing hearing.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | One person killed in East Oakland shooting Crime and Public Safety | Police arrest suspect in Berkeley double stabbing Crime and Public Safety | East Bay hit-and-run...

One person killed in East Oakland shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:59 GMT

OAKLAND — A man was fatally shot Tuesday morning in East Oakland, authorities said.Authorities were trying to confirm the man’s identity in order to notify any relatives.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Police arrest suspect in Berkeley double stabbing Crime and Public Safety | East Bay hit-and-run victim from January dies; police seeking harsher charge against suspect Crime and Public Safety | Investigation underway into Castro Valley road-rage shooting Crime and Public Safety | Shooting near Oakland high school triggers lockdown Crime and Public Safety | Motorist arrested on suspicion of DUI after East Bay crash The shooting was reported about 6:34 a.m. Tuesday in the 9900 block of International Boulevard, which contains a mixture of residences and small businesses.The man was pronounced dead at the scene.A motive for the shooting is under investigation. No arrests were immediately...

After mysterious death, toy’s sale is halted

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:59 GMT

Amazon, Target and Walmart have voluntarily stopped selling water beads marketed for children after government officials, lawmakers and public health professionals called for a ban on the toys.Water beads are tiny balls made of extremely absorbent polymer material. When exposed to liquid, they can expand to 100 times their initial size and weight, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.Because they can grow in the stomach or intestine — becoming golf-ball-size or larger —  these toys pose immense health risks to young children, say experts. They can also cause injury if inserted in an ear or nostril, and can even be inhaled into a lung.And, because they’re mostly made up of water, typical X-rays often do not pick them up. In a safety alert in September, the CPSC reported that these beads “can cause severe discomfort, vomiting, dehydration, intestinal blockages and life-threatening injuries” and may require surgery to remove.The reported emergencies following...

Tom Cruise seen making out with daughter of Putin ally and ex-wife of oligarch: report

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:59 GMT

Tom Cruise supposedly has a new love interest, but she sounds like she’d be a risky proposition for his “Mission: Impossible” alter ego, according to reports.Elsina Khayrova is a 36-year-old Russian socialite and former model whose father is an ally of Vladimir Putin and whose ex-husband is a U.K-based Russian oligarch on a Kremlin “wanted list,” according to news reports. Khayrova’s recent divorce from her diamond merchant husband made her infamous when a London judge scolded her for “dishonesty” because she hid assets, including her $1.2 million collection of handbags.The Daily Mail reported that the thrice-married, 61-year-old Cruise was seen “canoodling” with Khayrova at a posh party in London over the weekend.“They were inseparable — clearly a couple,” one guest at the almost entirely Russian event told the Daily Mail. “He seemed to be besotted with her.”This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Hayley Atwe...

Jack Hanson, longtime Bay Area broadcasting stalwart, dies at 91

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:59 GMT

(BCN) -- Longtime local television personality Jack Hanson has died following a long illness. He was 91.Hanson, a San Francisco native, started his broadcast career in the KPIX mailroom after graduating from San Francisco State University and serving in the U.S. Air Force.Throughout his more than 60-year career, Hanson worked at KRON, KPIX, KTVU, KGO-TV and the Cable Health Network.He also hosted Comcast Newsmakers, a news interview show on CNN Headline News, according to a statement posted on the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences SF chapter website when Hanson was inducted into the organization's Gold Circle."He made everyone he interviewed feel as though they were fascinating to him, because they were. He took joy in learning people's stories," said family friend Maria Goodavage."He interviewed untold numbers of major celebs and politicians, but also made the humblest guest feel heard because he truly cared," Goodavage said. California establishes official state b...

Live updates | 9 Israeli soldiers killed as ground offensive continues in Gaza, despite US criticism

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:59 GMT

At least nine Israeli soldiers were killed during an ambush, marking one of the deadliest single attacks that Palestinian militants have carried out since the ground invasion of Gaza began, the military said Wednesday. The attack in a dense urban neighborhood came after repeated recent claims by the Israeli military that it had broken Hamas’ command structure in northern Gaza. It also came a day after Israel drew international outrage and rare criticism from the United States over the killing of thousands of civilians. The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to demand a humanitarian cease-fire, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, but the assembly’s message in favor of ending the Israel-Hamas war serves as an important barometer of world opinion.Just hours before the vote, U.S. President Joe Biden warned that Israel was losing international support because of its “indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza.The Israel-Hamas war has resulted in the death...

In hypochondria paradox, Swedish study finds a higher death rate in those who fear serious illness

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:59 GMT

A large Swedish study has uncovered a paradox about people diagnosed with an excessive fear of serious illness: They tend to die earlier than people who aren’t hypervigilant about health concerns.Hypochondriasis, now called illness anxiety disorder, is a rare condition with symptoms that go beyond average health worries. People with the disorder are unable to shake their fears despite normal physical exams and lab tests. Some may change doctors repeatedly. Others may avoid medical care.“Many of us are mild hypochondriacs. But there are also people on the other extreme of the spectrum who live in a perpetual state of worry and suffering and rumination about having a serious illness,” said Dr. Jonathan E. Alpert of Montefiore Medical Center in New York. People with the disorder are suffering and “it’s important to take it seriously and to treat it,” said Alpert, who was not involved in the new study. Treatment can involve cognitive behavioral therapy, relaxation techniques...

More people are using CBD products. There’s still little research on the benefits and risks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:59 GMT

CBD use increased 50% in the past four years, according to a new survey published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. About 1 in 5 survey respondents said they used CBD in the past year. People who use cannabis are more likely to report using CBD, CBG and other hemp-derived compounds, the survey, done by NORC at the University of Chicago, showed. Also, people who live in a state where marijuana is illegal are more likely to use delta-8 THC, a mildly intoxicating sibling of delta-9 THC, which is the psychoactive compound in marijuana.“Although there are a lot of survey studies out that show this increased use, we don’t have a lot of good data on what effects any of these things have, either harmful or beneficial,” said Angela Bryan, a University of Colorado-Boulder professor who has studied the public health implications of cannabis legalization for more than a decade. She was not involved in the JAMA study.CBD and similar compounds have boomed i...