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Bay Area music community goes to bat for beloved ailing singer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:30 GMT

Tammi Brown hadn’t been feeling right for a while, when a persistent shortness of breath prompted her to visit her doctor for a checkup last September.She figured maybe she was getting out of shape, but the versatile Santa Cruz vocalist, who’s won faithful admirers amongst some of the greatest musicians in jazz, rock, gospel and soul, was quickly diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.The prognosis looked bleak. “The end date was days, not months,” she said. “I lost my brother last year from a heart attack and he was quite young, and I thought this was how it would end for me.”But a course of chemotherapy seems to have fought off the cancer, and Brown has even started singing again, including a performance last month with Bobby McFerrin’s Motion, the improvisational a cappella quintet that’s been holding Monday afternoon sessions at Freight & Salvage for the past two years.“I just did the oximeter and I’m back to normal,” Brown said on a recent phone call while walking around downto...

Should there be a mandatory retirement age from concerts for over-the-hill rock stars?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:30 GMT

BY GEORGE VARGA | San Diego Union TribuneIs my future all in the past? – “Tell Me Straight” by The Rolling Stones (2023)The still-rocking Rolling Stones aside, should there be a required or suggested retirement age for concerts by over-the-hill music stars whose best days as live performers are years behind them?The question is, admittedly, preposterous. Music is timeless. No one should have to retire unless their vocation poses a serious threat to others, or to themselves.But what if a veteran rock star’s reluctance to retire from the stage poses a threat to their artistic legacy? Not their recorded legacy, but as once-dynamic live entertainers who could ignite and inspire on a nightly basis?Specifically, what if the passing of time has led to an unmistakable decline in the quality of their performances, causing longtime fans to wince rather than cheer? And what if that decline means each successive concert and tour chips away at a performer’s previous accomplishments, simply becau...

Man fatally hit by BART train near Richmond station is identified

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:30 GMT

RICHMOND — Authorities have identified a man who died after being hit by a BART train last month.Luis Mata, 24, of Richmond, died at the scene after being hit by the train as it approached the Richmond station on Nov. 30. Authorities said there was no foul play involved.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Poll: Submit your vote for San Jose’s BART tunneling machine name contest Crashes and Disasters | Person fatally hit by train at East Bay BART station Crashes and Disasters | Man arrested in connection with BART service disruption Crashes and Disasters | BART service restored between San Francisco and Oakland Crashes and Disasters | 3 people found dead at BART stations in San Francisco, Oakland The Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office released Mata’s identity after locating his family and notifying them first of his death.The collision caused the closure of the station for about tw...

Bay Area 2023 holiday sweets: 10 panettone to try this season

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:30 GMT

Panettone, the Italian sweet bread with the plush texture, has become a true holiday tradition in California. Scores of Bay Area stores import versions from Italy, and more and more bakeries are making their own, whether the beloved traditional version studded with raisins and candied citrus or creations featuring hazelnuts, pistachios, chocolate, caramel, limoncello or other flavors.This year we are highlighting versions that are either locally made, locally inspired or new to the marketplace. We’ve also provided a list of shops that stock plenty of panettone, so you’ll never have to show up empty-handed at a holiday party.LA BISCOTTERIA: Baker and biscotti specialist Augustine Buonocore makes panettone year-round at his Peninsula shop, but he ramps up the offerings in December. Their bestseller is the 38-ounce Triple P (pineapple, papaya, pear). There’s also a 38-ounce festively wrapped Classic Panettone and a 24-ounce Classic. If you want to score one, you need ...

Two new casinos opening in Las Vegas, one in huge blue tower on the Strip

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:30 GMT

LAS VEGAS — After a hiatus of more than two years, Las Vegas is seeing two new casinos open back to back.Related ArticlesTravel | $3 billion grant OK’d for California-to-Vegas high-speed rail The Fontainebleau, at the north end of the Strip, will welcome its first guests on Wednesday, Dec. 13; last week, Durango opened just off the beltway in Spring Valley.The $3.7 billion Fontainebleau occupies an imposing 67-story blue glass tower that began construction in 2007 and sat unfinished on Las Vegas Boulevard for more than a decade. It’s just north of the convention center and a short walk from the Strip’s previous newest casino, Resorts World, which opened in June 2021.Several Las Vegas casinos have changed hands or rebranded in recent months, but Fontainebleau and Durango were built from the ground up.The Fontainebleau tower is billed as the tallest occupiable building in Nevada. The 25-acre complex includes 3,644 rooms and suites, 19 restaurants (with more...

These alternative investments are attracting millennials amid economic woes

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:30 GMT

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) may feel like it happened a lifetime ago, but a new survey analyzed by Moneywise reveals that it may be partly responsible for spooking investors, particularly millennials, into thinking twice about putting their money into traditional investment vehicles during times of high inflation.A recent survey by retirement resource company Retirement Living discovered that 43% of millennials made alternative investments between October 2022 and March 2023, right around the time of the SVB collapse. Since the bank's failure, 1 in 4 survey respondents reported an increased interest in alternative investments. Ex-First Republic Bank employee sentenced for sabotaging former employer’s computer network More than three-quarters (78%) of survey respondents made investments during that six-month period, but of those only one-third were alternative investments.The most popular alternative investments among survey respondents were in cryptocurrency, collect...

Security guard killed at Oakland 7-Eleven identified

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:30 GMT

(KRON) -- A security guard who was shot and killed at a 7-Eleven in Oakland Friday night has been identified as 59-year-old James Johnson, the Oakland Police Department said. Johnson was shot and killed while on the job Friday night at the 7-Eleven located at 2350 Harrison Street. Scott Fisher charged with murdering San Francisco tech worker Officers and paramedics responded to the 7-Eleven around 10:15 p.m. Friday. The victim, Johnson, was pronounced dead at the scene.An investigation revealed that Johnson was trying to prevent an individual from taking items from the store. That individual, police said, brandished a firearm and shot Johnson before fleeing the scene in a vehicle. Employees at the 7-Eleven where Johnson worked said he was well-known in the area and actually lived in a building behind the store. On Monday, members of the community, like Ana Quinones, left flowers outside the store to honor Johnson's memory."I miss him so much. I want justice for him," Quinones said...

Canadian police charge man accused of selling deadly substance with 14 new murder charges

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:30 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian police said Tuesday they are charging a man with 14 counts of second-degree murder along with the previously announced 14 charges of aiding suicide for allegedly selling lethal substances on the internet to people at risk of self harm.An international investigation is underway following the arrest in Canada earlier this year of Kenneth Law, who was initially charged with two counts of counseling and aiding suicide.Canadian police say Law, from the Toronto area, used a series of websites to market and sell sodium nitrite, a substance commonly used to cure meats that can be deadly if ingested. He is accused of shipping them to people in more than 40 countries. British police said they are investigating the deaths of 88 people in the U.K. linked to the websites. Authorities in the United States, Italy, Australia and New Zealand also have launched investigations.York Regional Police Inspector Simon James announced the new charges against Law, and said all charges...

Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini announces his playing retirement from LAFC at 39

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:30 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini has retired from professional soccer after a 22-year career.The 39-year-old Chiellini’s decision was announced Tuesday by Los Angeles FC, his club for the past 1 1/2 seasons following 17 years at Juventus. Chiellini also announced his decision on social media, calling his career “the most beautiful and intense journey of my life.”Chiellini won nine consecutive Serie A titles at Juventus and was named the Italian league’s top defender three times. His club won five Italian Cups and five Italian Super Cups during his tenure at the Turin powerhouse.Chiellini then played a major role at LAFC, which won the MLS Cup title and Supporters’ Shield in 2022 before reaching the MLS Cup championship game again last weekend, falling to Columbus 2-1. LAFC also reached the CONCACAF Champions League final this year.“Giorgio is the best defender of his generation and an even better person,” LAFC general manager John Thorrington s...

Charlotte FC names Dean Smith as its new head coach for the MLS team

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:30 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Charlotte FC owner David Tepper has hired new coach with a very familiar name as his Major League Soccer team’s new coach in Dean Smith.This Smith is an Englishman who brings more than a decade of managerial experience in the English soccer system. He is no relation to the late, national championship winning men’s basketball coach at North Carolina, according the team.Smith may be best known for leading Aston Villa back to the Premier League in 2019. Smith takes over for Christian Lattanzio on Nov. 8 after one season and the team’s first MLS playoff appearance.Smith said he was honored to take the job and is planning for the 2024 season.“Throughout the interview process, it was clear that this is an ambitious club with the right ingredients for success,” Smith said in a statement.Tepper said he was confident that Smith’s “leadership and experience will help elevate our club beyond its first playoff appearance into a championship team.”___AP M...