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7 fantastic Bay Area things to do this weekend, June 16-18

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:29 GMT

Got your weekend plans? We have some scintillating ideas, from fun with sharks and Pixar’s heartwarming new movie to ice cream/candy bar magnificence.As with everything these days, 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 PLAY: Hang out with new & improved sharksOK, the sharks themselves aren’t new and improved (though we hear they are big on the self-help circuit); we’re talking about the Shark Experience at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, which has just reopened after a major makeover.2 SLURP: Ice cream heavenSure, on paper, it seems like a brilliant idea to turn favorite candy bars like Snickers and Heath Bars into ice cream treats. But does it really work in practice? After strenuously detailed research, we ...

Let the Oakland Zoo’s black bears show you why to secure a campsite

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:29 GMT

Want to know why it’s always a good idea to secure your camp in bear territory? Look no further than this demonstration provided by the Oakland Zoo – turns out its black bears are world-class educators when it comes to campsite safety (also in destroying campsites).“For the second year in a row we created a mock campsite to demonstrate to guests how exposed food and more can attract bears,” the zoo writes on Facebook. “Human-wildlife conflict is the reason these black bears are at Oakland Zoo. In June 2017, when they were just cubs, these bears got into trouble coming into contact with humans. Per state policy, mother Cambria was deemed a public safety threat. After this incident, California Department of Fish and Wildlife considered the unique circumstances of the bear family and made an exception that resulted in giving the bears a second chance to live by allowing them to be permanently placed at Oakland Zoo.”RELATED: Marin County neighborhood gets r...

Preview: ‘Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown’ adds fighting game twist to Metroidvania genre

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:29 GMT

Although one “Prince of Persia” has been delayed, another one is closer to reality. Ubisoft revealed that a new entry is on the way, and this offering adds a Metroidvania twist. Titled “Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown,” it follows the exploits of Sargon, a fearless dual sword prodigy who is one of the Immortals tasked with rescuing the kidnapped Prince Ghassan who was taken to the cursed city of Mount Qaf.In the short demo I played at the Ubisoft Forward event, I got a sense of the gameplay. Combat has a rhythm to it as players have a melee attack button and a ranged attack one. With a limited health bar, players can only take a few hits so knowing enemies’ attack patterns and anticipating their strikes is important.DIGGING INTO COMBATThey can dodge out of the way with a dash, but a better move is a parry, which players will need to time. If done correctly, players will build up their Athra’s Glow meter for more powerful attacks. It takes a while...

Taco Bell to pay $85.5K in settlement: Sonoma County District Attorney

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:29 GMT

(BCN) -- Taco Bell agreed to pay $85,500 to settle a complaint about gift card violations, according to an announcement Wednesday from the Sonoma County District Attorney's office. The complaint against Taco Bell Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiary, GCTB LLC, alleged that Taco Bell, its franchisees, and its corporate agents unlawfully denied California consumers the right to cash out Taco Bell gift cards worth less than $10. Marin County controlled burns set for Thursday, Friday The complaint was filed in Ventura County on behalf of the District Attorney's Offices in Ventura, Los Angeles and Sonoma counties. Under the terms of the settlement, Taco Bell Corporation will pay $45,000 in civil penalties, $30,500 in investigative costs, and $10,000 in restitution. In addition, it requires Taco Bell's corporate and franchise stores to post a visible notice near each store's cash register advising consumers of their right to gift card redemption and the proper method to o...

East Bay MUD rate hikes begin next month

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:29 GMT

(KRON) – East Bay Municipal Utility District customers can expect to see increases in their water bills starting July 1 after the district’s board recently approved to increase rates in a six-to-one vote. $50K in damages after fire on church property in Santa Rosa The price hike will continue on for the next two years as officials begin a new infrastructure plan. The plan includes upgrades to water treatment plants, pipeline replacements and rebuilding neighborhood reservoirs.KRON On is streaming news live now.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }The rates will increase by 19 cents a day this year and 21 cents a day next year, averaging an increase of just under $70 a year per customer.

Marin County controlled burns set for Thursday, Friday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:29 GMT

(BCN) -- Marin County officials have scheduled controlled burns Thursday and Friday in San Rafael as part of training for seasonal firefighters and to reduce fuel wildfires, according to an announcement Monday from county officials. $50K in damages after fire on church property in Santa Rosa Smoke is expected to be visible in Marinwood, San Rafael and Novato, and county officials are asking residents there to refrain from calling 911 if they see smoke from the burn area.The burn for the training site will be north of St. Vincent's School for Boys on the east side of U.S. Highway 101. KRON On is streaming news live now.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }Smoke will be prevalent from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

The FBI Groomed a 16-Year-Old With “Brain Development Issues” to Become a Terrorist

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:29 GMT

Last week, the Department of Justice announced the arrest of a teenager in Massachusetts on allegations of providing financial support to the Islamic State group.A flurry of reports picked up on the arrest of Mateo Ventura, an 18-year-old resident of the sleepy town of Wakefield, echoing government claims that an international terrorist financier and ISIS supporter had just been busted in the United States. The Department of Justice’s own press release on the case likewise trumpeted Ventura’s arrest for “knowingly concealing the source of material support or resources that he intended to go to a foreign terrorist organization.”The only “terrorist” he is accused of ever being in contact with was an undercover FBI agent who befriended him online as a 16-year-old.The only problem with the case and how it has been described, however, is that according to the government’s own criminal complaint, Ventura had never actually funded any terrorist group. The only “terrorist” he is accused of ...

Confidence in science fell in 2022 while political divides persisted, poll shows

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:29 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Confidence in the scientific community declined among U.S. adults in 2022, a major survey shows, driven by a a partisan divide in views of both science and medicine that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, 39% of U.S. adults said they had “a great deal of confidence” in the scientific community, down from 48% in 2018 and 2021. That’s according to the General Social Survey, a long-running poll conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago that has monitored Americans’ opinions on key topics since 1972.An additional 48% of adults in the latest survey reported “only some” confidence, while 13% reported “hardly any,” according to an analysis of the survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.The survey showed low confidence levels among Republicans as partisan gaps that emerged during the pandemic era have stuck around, said Jennifer Benz, the center’s deputy director.“It doesn’t look all that dramatic when you just look...

FIFA says Vinícius Júnior will help tackle racism in revived task force

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:29 GMT

ZURICH (AP) — Brazil and Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior has agreed to join a new task force to tackle racism in soccer, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Thursday.Vinícius has been the subject of sustained racist abuse by fans in Spanish stadiums throughout the season, with little done by referees or soccer bodies to protect him.That must stop, Infantino said in an Instagram post after he met the player at a Brazil training camp in Spain.“There is no football if there is racism! So let’s stop the games,” Infantino wrote.“We will also strengthen the engagement with players on this crucial topic so I am glad Vinicius accepted to be part of a task force which will include other important players and will elaborate concrete and efficient measures to end racism in football once and for all.”FIFA created an anti-racism task force in 2013 after a notorious incident of abuse suffered in Italy by AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng, who is Black.Boateng worked with the task force w...

Taylor Fritz starts grass-court season with win over Karatsev in Stuttgart

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:10:29 GMT

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Taylor Fritz held serve throughout as he started his grass-court season by beating Aslan Karatsev 7-6 (4), 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals of the Stuttgart Open on Thursday.Fritz had to save set point at 5-4 down in the first set, which later went to a tiebreak where Fritz raced into a 5-2 lead before sealing the set. Fritz broke Karatsev for the first time at 3-2 in the second set to put himself on course for the win.Fritz, the highest-ranked American on the men’s tour at No. 8, said he was “really happy” with the win and pleased with his serving and returning on grass. Last year was Fritz’s most successful season on the surface, where he won Eastbourne for the second time and reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.Fritz is seeded second and had a bye in the first round in Stuttgart. He goes on to meet Marton Fucsovics in the quarterfinals after the Hungarian won against Wu Yibing 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.Top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas takes on the experien...