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Writers strike enters 2nd day with no sign of ending soon

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

The Writers Guild of America strike entered its second day on Wednesday, and as production begins to be affected, there are no signs of progress toward an agreement.Thousands of writers and their supporters are picketing Sony, CBS and other film and television companies. The writers are striking for better pay and job protections. "We're fighting for writers to make a living wage," picketer Liz Flahive said. "For a middle-class writer to be able to eke out a real living as a writer has become harder and harder."The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which negotiates on behalf of the studios, said in a statement to KTLA that they offered “generous increases in compensation for writers as well as improvements in streaming residuals.”The WGA disagreed, calling the proposal "wholly insufficient."In the meantime, late-night shows have shut down production, including "Saturday Night Live," which abandoned plans for a new episode this weekend. Its two remaining episodes f...

Fresh salads from a vending machine? Yep.

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

When I first saw Farmer's Fridge at the airport, I'll admit I was skeptical.The idea of a fresh salad from a vending machine didn’t seem right. But after I tried it, I was sold on the idea of healthy options in more places, 24/7."Really the idea is it’s the world's smallest restaurant," explained Farmer's Fridge founder and CEO Luke Saunders.We recently met up at Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center), where there are three of his refrigerated vending machines.I asked him how he feels when he sees his idea at one of the most iconic arenas in America."It feels amazing… the idea from the beginning has been how do you get fresh food everywhere," said Saunders.Very impressed with @FarmersFridge … picked one up on my way out of LAX this weekend and then on my way back in. It’s a vending machine filled with healthy foods like salads and wraps. My only complaint: the containers need more extra space in side to shake up the salad and… pic.twitter.com/FDrqLSJKKK— Rich DeMuro (@rich...

Mikey Lion is the Mane Man at Desert Hearts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

Mikey Lion is the Mane Man at Desert Hearts: Deserts Hearts “mane” man (geddit?) Mikey Lion got his start DJing when he was just 13.“I was obsessed with hip-hop and bought my first pair of Technic 1200s and a mixer,” he says. “I spent every day after school scratching vinyl in my room trying to emulate my favorite DJs and producers. Then when I was 17 I went to my first festival, Coachella 2006, and took my first ecstasy while witnessing the debut of the historic Daft Punk pyramid. That moment changed my life and I said goodbye to hip-hop and became a house DJ that night.”After graduating from college in 2010, Lion returned to his hometown of San Diego and started throwing parties with his Desert Hearts partner, Marbs. “I quit my job and we threw our first Desert Hearts Festival in 2012 and my career snowballed from there,” he says. “I started my record label Desert Hearts Records in 2014 and slowly started touring more and more ...

Scattered rain showers still lurking in Bay Area, light rainfall expected

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

Scattered and light showers hung around the Bay Area on Wednesday morning after a wet day on Tuesday, as cloudy skies and the occasional rainfall was expected to stick around until heading down south early Thursday morning.San Francisco took the brunt of the rainfall overnight with .41 inches of rain hitting the city between midnight and 6 a.m. Wednesday according to the National Weather Service. The northern sections of the East Bay and Contra Costa County took a soaking as well, with Oakland receiving .10 inches, .06 in Concord and .03 in Hayward.Morning showers mostly stuck to the coast, with .25 inches hitting Half Moon Bay over the six-hour period and .2 in Soquel.Look for scattered to numerous showers today with cool temps and cloudy skies. Plan on extra commute times with wet roadways. Travel safely! #cawx pic.twitter.com/tMlqJsct85— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) May 3, 2023While San Jose and virtually all of the South Bay remained dry Wednesday morning, the NWS forecast ...

Saratoga’s spring wine walk features established wineries, up-and-comers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

In Saratoga, warmer weather means the annual Spring Wine Experience is just around the corner.On Saturday, May 13 in the Saratoga Village, wineries from across the region will set up shop and offer wine tastings. Neighbors can walk in the historic village and try pours from established Santa Clara Valley wineries and some up-and-comers.Participating wineries include Saratoga-based Roudon Smith Vineyards and Los Gatos-based wineries like Wrights Station Vineyard & Winery and Byington Vineyards & Winery.The event, hosted by the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, runs 2:30-5:30 p.m. Check-in starts at 1:30 p.m. at the Chamber office, 14460 Big Basin Way. Tickets are $55 at eventbrite.com or $65 at the event. and a ticket includes a wine glass, wristband and map to the various tasting locations.Here’s a look at some of the wineries participating this year.Cooper-Garrod Estate VineyardsSaratoga-based Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards offers chardonnay, pinot noir, merlot, cabernet franc,...

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Thirteen named as class of 2023

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Missy Elliott, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Kate Bush, Rage Against the Machine, the Spinners and the late George Michael have all been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.The Cleveland-based institution announced Wednesday the artists and groups entering the hall as the class of 2023.DJ Kool Herc and Link Wray will be the recipients of the Musical Influence Award, while Chaka Khan, Al Kooper and Bernie Taupin have been selected to receive the Musical Excellence Award.This year’s Ahmet Ertegun Award recipient is “Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius.“When you can go from Link Wray, who was one of the early influencers, to Missy Elliott and Kate Bush and The Spinners and Rage Against the Machine and Willie Nelson, you have a very diverse body of work. What we are always trying to show is that rock ‘n’ roll is a big tent and a lot of people belong,” said Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation ahead of th...

Texas massacre: Wife of suspected gunman also arrested

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

By JUAN A. LOZANO and NOMAAN MERCHANT | Associated PressCLEVELAND, Texas (AP) — A day after the man suspected of killing five of his neighbors in a Texas shooting, the sheriff says his wife has also been taken into custody.Divimara Lamar Nava, 53, wife of suspect Francisco Oropeza, was in custody in connection with the Friday night shooting, according to Montgomery County Sheriff Rand Henderson.A four-day manhunt for Oropeza ended Tuesday when authorities, acting on a tip, said they found the suspect hiding underneath a pile of laundry in the closet of a house.Oropeza, 38, was captured without incident near the community of Conroe, north of Houston and about 20 miles from his home in the rural town of Cleveland. That’s where authorities say he went next door and shot his neighbors with an AR-style rifle shortly before midnight Friday.Oropeza had been shooting rounds on his property, and the attack occurred after neighbors asked him to go farther away because the gunfire was ke...

Who would have guessed? L.A. drivers are better, say many readers: Roadshow

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

Q: I agree with the reader who wrote last week that L.A. drivers are definitely better than Bay Area drivers. I have no idea why.Deborah Goldeen, Palo AltoA: You’re one of many who agree about L.A. drivers.Q: When I moved from the Bay Area to L.A. in the 1980s, I was very impressed with the skill of L.A. drivers. I drove A LOT for work and school and learned that while they drove faster, they were far superior at avoiding trouble, negotiating challenging situations and knowing the capabilities of their cars. I am back north now and driving defensively.Ann McClure, Castro ValleyA: A couple of decades ago, a Caltrans official was flying over Southern California traffic and told a radio audience that L.A. drivers were the most disciplined in the country.Q: It’s all those unprotected left turns! As a Bay Area driver, they freak me out, but maneuvering all those unprotected lefts in L.A. keeps me alert and engaged.Sandy McMasterQ: Arian Sarris, who detailed an experience with a slo...

Fremont driver killed in three-vehicle collision

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

FREMONT — The cause of a multi-vehicle crash Monday that claimed a resident’s life is under investigation, authorities said.According to a social-media post Tuesday afternoon, officers responded shortly after 1:15 p.m. Monday to a report of a three-vehicle collision at the intersection of Paseo Padre Parkway and Mowry Avenue.When officers arrived, they found one vehicle’s driver unresponsive behind the wheel. After Fremont Fire Department firefighters joined officers in providing emergency life-saving measures, the driver was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.It is the city’s fifth traffic fatality of the year, following an apparent hit-and-run collision last Friday.An Alameda County Sheriff’s Office coroner’s bureau deputy identified the driver Tuesday afternoon as Steven Barnes, 69, of Fremont.Drivers of the other two vehicles remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, who were still working to determine the c...

Richmond’s vice mayor violated term limits for elected officials, lawsuit alleges

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:08 GMT

Can a termed-out former Richmond mayor temporarily serve as a city’s mayor if the current one can’t fulfill their duties?This hypothetical civics conundrum has boiled into a real-life lawsuit, with council mainstay Gayle McLaughlin at the center of the controversy.McLaughlin won back-to-back elections to become Richmond’s mayor, ultimately serving a full eight years from January 2007 to January 2015. McLaughlin was elected again as a councilmember six years later, sworn in Jan. 2021 to represent Richmond’s newly formed District 5.But the issue at hand emerged in January, when she was also appointed by her peers to serve a one-year term as vice mayor, who is assigned to fill in whenever the elected mayor is absent, sick or dies.Consequently, McLaughlin once again took over responsibilities of the city’s top elected official when current Mayor Eduardo Martinez was too ill to attend the March 7 Richmond City Council meeting — the council’s first in-person gathering since the start of t...