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A big free map of Little Free Libraries in the Bay Area (plus the world)

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

Sometimes you need a Tom Clancy thriller for the airport, a classic storybook to put the kids to sleep or a random guide to hiking the Pacific Crest Trail to kindle those dreams about quitting the office job. For that there are Little Free Libraries – baby-sized bibliotecas people put outside their homes to spread literacy among the community.The nonprofit organization Little Free Library – which is based in Minnesota and sports the motto, “Take a Book. Share a Book.” – has gone from a handful since its 2012 incorporation to more than 150,000 registered libraries in roughly 120 countries. You’ll often notice them on walks or bike rides, nestled in the neighborhood fabric like birdhouses stuffed with a Craigslist free-pile’s worth of old literature. But if you’re having trouble finding one around you – or just want to explore all the cool, hand-decorated libraries in the area – check out the Little Free Library World Map, which plots the entire galaxy of...

Here are tips to keep Halloween fun and safe: Roadshow

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

Q: Halloween can be a very fun holiday. It does bring increased risks for pedestrians and drivers. Distractions are high, more pedestrians are out, and drivers are hurrying home for trick-or-treating.Halloween is the day with the nation’s highest number of child pedestrian deaths and one of the holidays with the highest number of DUI deaths.Make sure you plan ahead and use extra caution to keep everyone safe.I’ve compiled tips from the California Office of Traffic Safety, the Journal of the American Medical Association, Consumer Reports, and more.A: First, tips for parents and trick-or-treaters:Talk to your kids before they head out. Safety officials say most parents don’t discuss the dangers ahead of time, but doing so can keep trick-or-treaters safer.Stay on well-lit streets. Avoid busy streets.A mask may keep kids from seeing well, so make sure kids take them off before crossing the street. Use makeup instead, if possible.Carry a flashlight.Have a parent or older sibl...

‘It’s competitive’: East Bay school offers first cannabis education courses in Cal State University system

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

Cal State East Bay is offering a new educational program to train people to be leaders in the cannabis industry.The university is the first school in the California State University system to offer the strictly online cannabis certificate program.“California is the nation’s top market for cannabis and top cannabis employer,” said Kate White, the school’s director of professional and continuing education. “When I saw that this was in demand — and the state is lacking in quality training programs — then it seemed like a great opportunity for us.”The 6-month courses begin in November and are separated into four disciplines: cannabis health care and medicine; cannabis agriculture and horticulture; the business of cannabis; and cannabis compliance and risk management.Students will earn a certificate — not a degree — upon completion of the coursework of their choice, and the classes are open to everyone older than 18. Each course...

‘A dedicated public servant’: former Santa Clara mayor dies

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

(BCN) -- Former Santa Clara Mayor and Councilmember Patricia Mahan died Saturday.Mahan, age 71, died from liver, kidney and heart failure. She fought cancer five times, according to her sister, Jeannie Mahan. After becoming a lawyer in 1980, Mahan opened a private practice, specializing in tax and estate planning, later becoming a consistent presence on the Santa Clara City Council beginning in 1994. Born and raised in Santa Clara, Mahan served as the second female mayor of the city. She was elected mayor in 2002 and re-elected in 2006. She had numerous stints as a city councilmember, serving from 1994 to 2000, and then again in 2010 and 2016. She resigned in 2020 for health reasons. THC gummies found in candy stash at Bay Area elementary school Mahan's husband, John Boyles, said she was a caring person, who was committed to her community. She went out of her way to do things for people, he said."She loved Santa Clara," he told San Jose Spotlight, "and always tried to do what was ...

Santa Rosa police arrest alleged 'runner' for drug trafficking ring

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

(BCN) -- Santa Rosa officers arrested an alleged "runner" for a drug trafficking ring on Monday morning, according to police.Around 9:45 a.m., Santa Rosa detectives and patrol officers served a search warrant in the 3500 block of Moorland Avenue in the city. They arrested a 37-year-old suspect, Antonio Ibarra-Mendoza, and found a pound of suspected methamphetamine allegedly packaged for sale. 15-year-old arrested in fatal San Jose hit and run that killed pregnant mother and her child According to police, Ibarra-Mendoza was an alleged "runner" or courier for a drug trafficking organization suspected of distributing large amounts of methamphetamine in Santa Rosa and surrounding areas. He also had an outstanding Sonoma County arrest warrant from 2014 for suspected drug sales.Detectives have been investigating the unidentified drug ring's activities since July, according to police.Ibarra-Mendoza was transported and booked into Sonoma County Jail for suspected possession of a controlle...

Saudi Arabia likely to host 2034 World Cup after Australia decides not to bid for soccer showcase

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Saudi Arabia is all but certain to host the men’s 2034 World Cup after the Australian soccer federation decided not to enter the bidding contest, which had been widely seen as shaped by FIFA to suit the oil rich kingdom.FIFA had set Tuesday as the deadline to formally declare interest in hosting the tournament, but Australia’s decision not to enter the race leaves Saudi Arabia as the only declared candidate — to the dismay of many human rights activists. “We have explored the opportunity to bid to host the FIFA World Cup and — having taken all factors into consideration — we have reached the conclusion not to do so for the 2034 competition,” Football Australia said in a statement.FIFA still needs to rubber stamp Saudi Arabia as the host — a decision that is likely to be made next year — but that now seems a formality. It would be the culmination of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious drive to become a major player in global sports, having already spent massive amounts...

Police reportedly capture gunman who held staff member hostage in a Japanese post office for 8 hours

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese police have captured a gunman who holed up at a post office and have rescued a member of staff who was held hostage, NHK television reported Tuesday. It followed a more than eight-hour standoff with the man, who entered the post office with a gun in Warabi, north of Tokyo, an hour after a hospital shooting in which two people were wounded in the nearby city of Toda.Police said they were investigating the two cases together because of a possibility they are related. They are also looking into a fire that broke out in a building near the hospital around the time of the shooting.Hundreds of police had surrounded the building housing the post office. Television footage showed officers wearing helmets and bulletproof vests squatting behind the doors of a patrol vehicle parked outside. The video also showed the suspect — an older-looking man wearing a cap and holding a gun — when he showed up briefly at the entrance. Earlier Tuesday, Saitama Prefectural Police said t...

Analysis: The James Harden saga in Philly has ended, and it makes sense for everyone

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

The Philadelphia 76ers are perhaps an uncalled travel away from being 3-0. They’re playing at a high pace, they’re moving the ball, they’re defending well, and reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid is off to a monster start.It’s a good beginning by just about any measure.And that showed it was time for James Harden to play elsewhere.The next step in the Harden saga came Tuesday, albeit with a slight deviation from what was believed to be the plan. The 76ers said he would be practicing with the team; instead, he was packing for Los Angeles, after getting traded to the Clippers for a slew of players and draft picks. Harden got what he wanted — a trade to the Clippers. The 76ers got what they needed — rid of a headache.Win-win.Somebody had to blink first to solve this Harden issue, and evidently, that was Daryl Morey. He didn’t get the player the 76ers were believed to be coveting most from the Clippers, guard Terance Mann, but made the deal anyway. Harden insisted that he wouldn’t ...

A continuing decline in sales of COVID-19 products clips revenue at Pfizer

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

Pfizer lost more than $2 billion in the third quarter as an expected COVID-19 product sales decline clipped revenue. Sales of the drugmaker’s COVID treatment Paxlovid and the vaccine Comirnaty slid 97% and 70%, respectively, as Pfizer, like its competitors, switched to selling on the commercial market instead of to governments. Both the company and analysts who follow it expected revenue from those key products to tumble this year before eventually rebounding as commercial sales take hold. But two weeks ago, Pfizer Inc. warned that sales of its COVID-19 drugs were weaker than it had expected, and it cut its annual revenue expectations by $9 billion. Falling sales of both Paxlovid and Comirnaty also trimmed sales in the second quarter, but Pfizer said in August that it expected a rebound in the second half of 2023. In the third quarter, the drugmaker booked a non-cash, $5.6 billion charge for inventory write-offs of the COVID products.Outside those products, the drugmaker said ...

Dabo Swinney angrily defends Clemson career to caller on radio show: ‘You can apply for the job’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:57:41 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A frustrated Dabo Swinney defended his Clemson career to a radio caller who questioned his performance as one of college football’s highest-paid coaches.The exchange took place Monday night during Swinney’s weekly, in-season call-in show when someone identified only as “Tyler in Spartanburg” asked why Swinney is being paid so much to go 4-4 this season.“You’re part of the problem,” Swinney told him. “To be honest with you, because that is part of the problem, it’s people like you. … The appreciation, the expectation is greater than the appreciation and that’s the problem.”“Is this a bad year? Yeah, and it’s my responsibility. Take 100% responsibility for it,” Swinney continued. “But all this bull crap you’re thinking, all these narratives you read. Listen, man, you can have your opinion all you want, and you can apply for the job. And good luck to you.”Swinney, who turns 54 in November, is in the second year...