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High school softball rankings: Bay Area News Group season-ending Top 20

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:02 GMT

NEW: PREP SPORTS MAILBAGThe Bay Area News Group is introducing a high school sports mailbag in May. Get your questions in as soon as possible. Our debut edition is an open forum. Got questions about spring sports playoffs, coaching changes, an early peek at football season, etc.? Send questions to [email protected]. Please include “mailbag” in the subject line.Bay Area News Group season-ending softball Top 20(Mercury News & East Bay Times)No. 1 ST. FRANCIS (28-4)Regular-season-ending ranking: 1Final word: Lost to Hollister in the Central Coast Section Open Division final as the No. 1 seed, and lost to the Balers again in the NorCal Division I final as the No. 2 team. No. 2 WILLOW GLEN (23-7) Regular-season-ending ranking: 12Final word: Lost to St. Francis in the second round of the CCS Open Division playoffs, and then won the NorCal Division II championship on a walk-off over Notre Dame-Salinas. No. 3 CALIFORNIA (21-9) Regular-season-ending ranking: 14Final word: ...

Tech cluster emerges at huge revamped industrial complex in Oakland

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:02 GMT

OAKLAND — A long-time industrial center and former artists’ colony in West Oakland is being reimagined as a bustling hub for tech, advanced manufacturing, biotech and clean energy firms.The vast American Steel building and nearby industrial sites in Oakland have been reborn with a new mission as a cradle for an array of cutting-edge companies.Now, a marketing team consisting of JLL commercial real estate brokers Kristi Childers, Eddie Shuai and Charlie Sweeney is scouting for tenants for numerous spaces in the complex, which totals about 440,000 square feet.“This project is creating new energy in West Oakland,” said Childers, who is an executive vice president with JLL. “It’s creating jobs in the city. This center is helping emerging companies grow in Oakland.”Several tenants have flocked to the site so they can set up shop in the repurposed industrial sites, at least one of which dates back to the 1920s as the former Pacific Pipe building.A...

No survivors found after crash of plane that flew over D.C. and led to fighter jet scramble

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:02 GMT

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and ASHLEY THOMAS (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — A wayward and unresponsive business plane that flew over the nation’s capital Sunday afternoon caused the military to scramble a fighter jet before the plane crashed in Virginia, officials said. The fighter jet caused a loud sonic boom that was heard across the capital region.Hours later, police said rescuers had reached the site of the plane crash in a rural part of the Shenandoah Valley and that no survivors were found. The Federal Aviation Administration says the Cessna Citation took off from Elizabethton, Tennessee, on Sunday and was headed for Long Island’s MacArthur Airport. Inexplicably, the plane turned around over New York’s Long Island and flew a straight path down over D.C. before it crashed over mountainous terrain near Montebello, Virginia, around 3:30 p.m.It was not immediately clear why the plane was nonresponsive, why it crashed or how many people were on board. The plane...

Two dead in double homicide reported in Oakland

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:02 GMT

(KRON) -- Two people died on Sunday after being shot in what police are calling a double homicide in Oakland, the Oakland Police Department confirmed to KRON4. Police activity causes delays in Tenderloin OPD first received a call reporting a shooting just after 5:30 a.m. in the 800 block of 66th Avenue. Officers at the scene found one person suffering from a gunshot wound. When the Oakland Fire Department arrived, crews declared that the victim died. Police then learned of another person with a gunshot wound had been dropped off at a local hospital. That person later died. At first, police were unsure if the victims were connected. KRON On is streaming 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%; }Now, OPD is referring to the incident as a double homicide. Police did not rele...

EU top court says that Poland’s justice reform infringes EU law

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:02 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union stepped up its rule-of-law fight with member state Poland on Monday when the bloc’s highest court confirmed that Warsaw had refused to comply with EU rules on judicial independence for which it has already lost over half a billion euros in fines.The European Court of Justice ruled on Monday that Poland’s 2019 justice reform infringed EU law after the European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch, claimed that the Polish Supreme Court lacked the necessary independence and impartiality. “By today’s judgment, the Court upholds the Commission’s action,” a court statement said. Source

The European Union’s highest court rules that Poland’s 2019 justice reform infringes EU law

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:02 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s highest court rules that Poland’s 2019 justice reform infringes EU law.Source

Italian whole-hog cooking inspires herbaceous pork chops

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:02 GMT

At weekly markets across central Italy, ancient town squares fill with the aromas of spit-roasted pork slathered in rosemary, fennel pollen and garlic. The enchanting smell is porchetta, a delicious homage to whole-hog cooking that’s as revered as barbecue in the American South.The laborious roast, clearly, is off the table for midweek dinner. Instead, we kept the signature flavors in mind for this recipe from our book “Tuesday Nights Mediterranean,” which features weeknight-friendly meals from the region. Rather than overnight cooking, these pork chops are ready in just over half an hour.To further streamline the cooking, we narrowed the ingredients to those best suited for searing on the stovetop. A blend of rosemary, fennel seed, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper, blitzed in a spice grinder to a fine powder, seasons the meat with herbaceous flavor.We finish the chops with a simple lemon-accented, butter-enriched pan sauce. To balance the richness of the pork, we top it wit...

LOCALIZE IT: 10 States sue to halt jump in premiums under flood insurance revamp

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:02 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS: Ten states have filed a lawsuit against the federal government to block sharp increases in national flood insurance rates that are slated to be phased in over the coming years under new methods of calculating premiums for the National Flood Insurance Program.The Federal Emergency Management Agency has said the new formula it began implementing in 2021 means owners of lower-cost homes will no longer be subsidizing the flood risk for pricier, waterfront properties. But local government officials, business leaders and home owners in some flood-vulnerable areas say they are facing soaring costs in the coming years under the new program. ___AP’S LATEST COVERAGE Louisiana, nine other states file suit over methods used to calculate National Flood Insurance Program premiums ___THESE STATES ARE PLAINTIFFS IN THE LAWSUIT However, the policy affects people throughout the nation. LouisianaFloridaIdahoKentuckyMississipp...

NCAA champ Rose Zhang 1st LPGA Tour winner in pro debut in 72 years, wins Mizuho in playoff

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:02 GMT

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — Rose Zhang lived up to all the pre-tournament hype as the next great women’s golfer — at least in her first week as a pro.The two-time NCAA champion became the first player in 72 years to win on the LPGA Tour in her pro debut, capturing the Mizuho Americas Open with a par on the second playoff hole against Jennifer Kupcho on Sunday.Zhang arrived on the LPGA Tour with the most fanfare since Michelle Wie West in 2005, and she delivered in the shadow of the Big Apple. “I just can’t believe it,” Zhang said. “It was just last week when I won NCAAs with my teammates, and to turn pro and come out here, it’s just been amazing. I’ve enjoyed the journey.”The span was actually 13 days.The last female player to win as a pro in her debut was Beverly Hanson, who edged Babe Zaharias to take the Eastern Open in 1951.The performance was so impressive it drew the attention of fellow Stanford product Tiger Wood.“Incredible few weeks for Rose Zhang, defends her NCAA title...

Colorado has some of the best hiking cities in the nation

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:02 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — No surprise, but Colorado's cities are among the best in the nation when it comes to hiking. National Trails Day was on June 3, so LawnStarter ranked the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on five hiking-related categories: trail and supplies access, quality, climate and safety using data from AllTrails, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Disaster Preparedness, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NeighborhoodScout, ReserveAmerica.com, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Yelp. Each city got a final score out of 100. 10 breathtaking spring hikes to take in Colorado Colorado Springs ranks ninth in the nation. It has the third-best trail access, the fourth-best hiking quality and the 12th-best access to supplies. It scored lower for climate (63rd) and for safety (163rd). Predictably, western cities top the list. Portland claims the number one spot, followed by Phoenix, Los Angeles, Honolulu and Tucson. Salt Lake City...