Facing stadium woes, popular Oakland Roots soccer team heads to Hayward

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:00 GMT

OAKLAND — The city has become known for its sports franchises’ stadium woes, but Oakland Roots SC found itself in a unique situation — even by those standards — when the team had to scramble to find a new field just days before its season kicked off last weekend.The Roots, which have garnered a passionate fanbase in Oakland, played their home opener at Cal State East Bay in Hayward after determining their regular home field at Laney College was unusable due to heavy winter rains, which delayed the school’s plans to install a new organic field at its 5,500-seat football stadium.When the Roots tried to lay their own regulation soccer turf over the field, they found that the rubber-and-cork infill hadn’t yet fully settled, leaving the field uneven and forcing officials to postpone the team’s planned March 25 home opener. There’s currently no timeline for a return.“This is new territory for everybody,” said John Beam, a longtim...

Lennar’s 5 communities in Russell Ranch

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:00 GMT

Beautiful brand-new homes paired with world-class amenities and a great location near parks, noteworthy schools, endless recreation and Highway 50 for simple commutes to downtown Sacramento and San Francisco — this is the epitome of luxury living. Discover all this and so much more with five collections of new single-family homes by Lennar now selling at the Russell Ranch master-planned community in Folsom.Gold Cliff at Russell Ranch is now selling, offering up to five bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms. Five new communities by Lennar in Russell Ranch are complete. “Folsom is known for upscale, one-of-a-kind living and the Russell Ranch master-planned community is a great addition to this affluent neighborhood,” says Michelle Velky, division president of Lennar Sacramento. “With five collections of floor plans to choose from and incredible amenities like a resort-inspired pool and clubhouse, home shoppers of every lifestyle will be able to live in luxury in Folsom.”Russell ...

Prince Harry probably revealed drug use in visa application, report says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:00 GMT

As questions simmer over Prince Harry’s ability to remain in the United States, due to his public statements about using cocaine, cannabis and hallucinogens, people close to the Duke of Sussex suggest he probably revealed his drug use when he applied for a visa.The sources told The Telegraph that he was truthful on his visa application, meaning he probably disclosed his drug use, which has apparently continued since he moved to the United States in 2020.U.S. Immigration law says that any visa applicant who is determined to be a drug abuser or addict is inadmissible, though immigration officials can use their discretion to waive the rule.It’s likely that Harry must renew his visa this year, given that he arrived in the United States three years ago, eager to escape what he said was the repression of life in the British royal family. He and his American wife, Meghan Markle, settled in a mansion in Montecito and have been busy raising their children and building financially...

Warriors insist they can’t risk tanking for preferred playoff matchup

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Coach Steve Kerr has mulled all the possible scenarios for the last few games of the regular season.Donte DiVincenzo has also caught himself earlier in the week doing the math to see how the Warriors could secure a top-six seed in the Western Conference to steer clear of the feared play-in tournament.Both have come to the same conclusion.“The easiest thing to do is just to win two games,” Kerr said Thursday after practice. “Otherwise we’re going to need some help.”But nothing has been easy for this Golden State team that has struggled mightily outside the Bay.The Warriors have the third-worst away record in the West at 9-30. They will close out their 82-game slate this weekend, playing in Sacramento on Friday before heading to Portland for the regular-season finale on Sunday.If the Warriors win out, they could climb to fifth place but would certainly finish no lower than sixth. If they split or lose the final two, Golden State̵...

Berkeley newts get extra time to migrate without fear of being flattened

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:00 GMT

The newts of Tilden Regional Park now have a few extra days to make their way out of woods, free from the threat of getting flattened by passing car tires.The East Bay Regional Park District announced this week that South Park Drive, which is closed from November through April 1 each year because so many newts cross it during their annual wet-weather migration, will be re-closed through April 14, after the Bay Area News Group wrote about a park ranger’s fruitless attempts to keep the 1.5-mile roadway free from automobile traffic for one more week.The news comes just in time, as more rainy, cool weather — the newts’ preferred conditions for migration — is forecast to hit the Bay Area again.In an email to EBRPD staff, General Manager Sabrina Landreth said the delayed opening will allow more time for the small tributary streams within the upper Wildcat Creek watershed to dry up.Landreth added that their operations and stewardship departments will continue to refine road closure protoco...

2 injured after late-night shooting near Napa apartment complex

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:00 GMT

(KRON) -- Two people are injured after a shooting near an apartment complex Wednesday night, the Napa Police Department announced in a press release. The shooting happened around 11:30 p.m. on the 3000 block of Browns Valley Road near Charter Oak Apartments.The victims are an 18-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy; neither was identified. Both suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Elon Musk says violent crime in SF is ‘horrific.’ Is it? Location of Wednesday's shooting in NapaThe suspect(s) are still at large, and as of Thursday, no arrests have been made. The department's initial investigation has led police to believe this is a gang-related shooting. No other information about the shooting was immediately available.

Israel hits Gaza as Netanyahu vows to extract ‘heavy price’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:00 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military struck targets in the Gaza Strip early Friday, pushing the region toward a wider conflagration after a day of rocket fire along the country’s northern and southern borders following two days of unrest at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site. Gaza militants quickly fired off a new barrage of rockets, setting off air raid sirens across southern Israel.The Israeli airstrikes set off at least four loud explosions in Gaza. The Israeli military said it struck a pair of tunnels and two weapons-manufacturing sites.The sound of outgoing rocket fire could be heard in Gaza.It was the latest signs of rising tensions during a sensitive holiday period. Similar fighting in 2021 led to an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas.The airstrikes came after militants in Lebanon fired a heavy barrage of rockets at Israel earlier in the day, forcing people across Israel’s northern frontier into bomb shelters, wounding at least two people. In Gaza, milit...

Police: Texas boy, 6, not seen since last fall believed dead

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:00 GMT

EVERMAN, Texas (AP) — A 6-year-old Texas boy whose mother has given various stories to explain his absence since last fall is believed to be dead, police said Thursday.Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez was last seen around the time his mother gave birth to twin girls in October, Everman police Chief Craig Spencer said at a news conference. He said searches for the boy’s body have been focused near the family’s home in Everman, located just south of Fort Worth.Around the time that Noel was last seen, he was described as “appearing unhealthy and malnourished,” Spencer said. On March 31, arrest warrants on charges of abandoning and endangering a child were issued for the boy’s mother, Cindy Rodriguez-Singh, and her husband, Arshdeep Singh.They are believed to have flown to India on March 22 along with six children. Two days earlier, police had been asked by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to do a welfare check on the children at the couple’s home. Du...

England wins 1st women’s Finalissima in shootout vs. Brazil

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:00 GMT

LONDON (AP) — England’s Chloe Kelly scored the winning spot-kick to settle the first women’s Finalissima after a dramatic game against Brazil, watched by 83,132 fans at Wembley, ended in a 4-2 penalty shootout victory for the hosts on Thursday.Ella Toone looked to have secured the win for England in a match between the champions of Europe and South America. Her 23rd-minute strike was the game’s only goal going into the third minute of second-half stoppage time.But Andressa Alves exploited a mistake by England goalkeeper Mary Earps to force the shootout, where Georgia Stanway, Rachel Daly, Alex Greenwood and Kelly — who scored the goal at Wembley that made the Lionesses European champions last summer — got the job done for England.Coach Sarina Wiegman’s side is now undefeated in 30 matches, and will look to extend that streak when it hosts Australia in next week’s pre-World Cup friendly.England dominated the first half — and Brazil the second — with the home team going ahead in impre...