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7 amazing Bay Area things to do over Memorial Day weekend

Published Sat, 15 Mar 2025 11:00:48 GMT

Welcome to a nice, loooong Memorial Day weekend — time for some fun and delicious adventures, from giant dinosaurs and great shows to a quick jaunt to barbecue heaven.Related ArticlesThings To Do | 20+ Bay Area beer and wine events to enjoy this summer Things To Do | How to get deals for Hamburger Month 2023 and Hamburger Day, May 28 Things To Do | Study: Santa Clara County edges out Orange County in share of Vietnamese restaurants Things To Do | Falafel’s Drive-In co-owner explains origin of banana shake, restaurant’s name Things To Do | Fish taco favorite Rubio’s closes 1 San Jose restaurant, leaving 2 in the Bay Area As with everything these days, be sure to double check websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines. Meanwhile, if you’d like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.c...

Chronic financial woes for cannabis dispensaries have led this Bay Area city to consider a tax holiday

Published Sat, 15 Mar 2025 11:00:48 GMT

Molotov Cocktail, Bob Hope or Horchata? Sophia Seymens took her time inspecting the stems, leaves and nodes on the cannabis clones, deciding which strains to plant at home.Growing plants is the most cost-effective option for her marijuana use these days, Seymens said. While she doesn’t shop at dispensaries often, she still browses Berkeley Patients Group’s shelves for the sense of community and the knowledgeable staff.“Even though it’s legalized, there’s still not a lot of space for people to actually learn about the plant and how to use it properly,” Seymens said. “I feel like that’s why places like this are so important; they offer an opportunity for people who might not necessarily buy weed on the street to feel comfortable and find somebody here who can help.”But the modest shop at 2366 San Pablo Ave. that’s operated since 1999 — making it the nation’s oldest continuously operating cannabis dispensary — is struggling to keep its doors open.It has a ...

Alameda’s new downtown wine bar to showcase women vintners, owners

Published Sat, 15 Mar 2025 11:00:48 GMT

Maura Passanisi is opening Mo’s Wine Bar in Alameda in June to showcase wine from women in the industry. (Photo by Ella Bessette)Maura Passanisi pours wine at Della Donna, a festival she put on for women makers in 2019 in Oakland. Passani is now opening Mo’s Wine Bar in Alameda in June to showcase wine from women in the industry. (Photo by Ella Bessette)An artist’s rendering visualizes the under construction interior at Mo’s Wine Bar in Alameda. Owner Maura Passanisi plans to focus the business on wine from women in the industry and hopes it will become a community gathering place when it opens on Park Avenue at the end of June. (Photo Courtesy Maura Passanisi)Maura Passanisi, the owner of Mo’s Wine Bar in Alameda, is hoping her new business will become a community gathering place when it opens on Park Avenue at the end of June. She plans to focus on wines made by women. (Photo by Maura Passanisi)Show Caption of ExpandYou don’t have to like wine or be d...

San Jose city council approves $10M renovations to San Pedro Street

Published Sat, 15 Mar 2025 11:00:48 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- San Pedro Street is already closed for outdoor seating which started during COVID-19. In three years, it’ll officially be considered an outdoor mall with major upgrades costing nearly $10 million.San Jose city council approved the $9.5-million project earlier this week. It turns San Pedro Street in San Jose into a pedestrian-only area, re-paving the street into a sidewalk, re-routing parking garages and adding medical aid lanes and vibrant street decor. Ultimately, the renovation would give each business 10 to12 feet of outdoor dining area, which would cost them a $532 permit.Last summer the area fully closed to cars which allowed businesses to thrive and brough up infrastructure issues leading to these new plans that the city said will be a local financial success.The city still doesn’t know where the funds will come from but plans to absorb most of the construction costs and may seek out grants.

CHP reports fatal accident on eastbound 580 in Livermore

Published Sat, 15 Mar 2025 11:00:48 GMT

(BCN) -- The California Highway Patrol reported a fatal collision occurred Thursday morning on eastbound Interstate Highway 580 in Livermore. The collision, which involved two vehicles, occurred at the Springtown Boulevard off-ramp and was first reported at 3:31 a.m., according to the CHP. The collision closed all eastbound lanes of Interstate Highway 580 at First Street, and a Sig-alert was issued at 3:52 a.m. One lane of the highway was reported open at 5:13 a.m. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Stock market today: AI frenzy pulls Wall Street higher despite DC debt woes

Published Sat, 15 Mar 2025 11:00:48 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A monster financial forecast from one of Wall Street’s most influential stocks is helping to support the market Thursday, as worries worsen about political rancor in Washington.The S&P 500 was 0.4% higher in early trading after chipmaker Nvidia reported stronger profit and revenue than expected for the latest quarter, benefiting from the tech world’s rush into artificial intelligence. It helped the Nasdaq composite leap 1.3%, as of 9:40 a.m., while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 111 points, or 0.3%, at 32,688.Because it’s one of Wall Street’s most valuable stocks, Nvidia’s 22.5% surge was the strongest force pushing upward on the S&P 500. Its forecast of roughly $11 billion in revenue for the current quarter blew past analysts’ expectations for less than $7.2 billion. Nvidia’s stock has already more than doubled this year.Stocks of other chip makers also charged higher after Nvidia described a race by its customers to put AI “into every product, se...

Pakistani journalist, supporter of former Prime Minister Imran Khan goes missing, second in 2 weeks

Published Sat, 15 Mar 2025 11:00:48 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A prominent Pakistani television journalist known for his public support of former Prime Minister Imran Khan has gone missing, the police, his family and his employer said. Sami Abrahim’s disappearance was first announced in a police tweet late Wednesday, hours after he went missing. His family and the Karachi-based independent BOL television, where Abrahim works, claimed on Thursday that he had been abducted. Abrahim has long publicly opposed the government of Khan’s successor, Premier Shahbaz Sharif. Khan, a former cricket star turned Islamist politician, was in office in 2018-2022 and was ousted in a no-confidence vote in the parliament last year. In a news announcement, BOL TV said Abrahim was taken by unidentified men on Wednesday. Abrahim’s brother, Ali Raza, filed a police complaint claiming that eight people in four vehicles intercepted his brother’s car on his way back home from work in the capital, Islamabad, and took him away. His ...

FRENCH OPEN 2023: Alcaraz, Djokovic on same half of draw; Swiatek-Gauff could be in quarterfinals

Published Sat, 15 Mar 2025 11:00:48 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz and the man he just replaced atop the rankings, 22-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, were placed in the same half of the French Open field in Thursday’s draw and could face each other in the semifinals.Alcaraz is seeded No. 1 at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time and was automatically placed in the top section of the bracket. Djokovic is No. 3 and so could have ended up on either half — had he landed in the bottom, he and Alcaraz only could have met in the final at Roland Garros, where 14-time champion Rafael Nadal will be missing for the first time since he made his debut there in 2005.The draw set up potential women’s quarterfinals that would include defending champion and No. 1 Iga Swiatek against No. 6 Coco Gauff in what would be a rematch of last year’s French Open final. Other quarterfinals could be No. 4 Elena Rybakina, the reigning Wimbledon champion, against No. 7 Ons Jabeur, a two-time Slam finalist; No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, w...

NBA Playoffs: It’s going to be the best season from the foul line in league history

Published Sat, 15 Mar 2025 11:00:48 GMT

This season will be the best in NBA history when it comes to shooting free throws.Players have never been more accurate from the foul line than they have in recent years — and this year is the best of all. Including the regular season, teams are connecting on 78.2% of their free throws this season.That’s 0.4% better than the record, set two seasons ago.While that doesn’t sound like much — less than half a percentage point — it really is. Consider this: If Miami, Boston and Denver somehow combined to miss their next 329 free throws, the NBA would still be on pace for the greatest season ever from the line.Including playoffs, the NBA’s best season from the foul line was 1973-74, when teams combined to shoot 77.1%. That mark lasted more than 40 years, until the combined free-throw rate was 77.2% in 2016-17.And each of the last four seasons has been an even better clip than that: Teams shot 77.4% in 2019-20, 77.8% in 2020-21, dipped a bit to 77.5% last season, and are ...

Nikola Jokic ties wedding ring to shoe before every game

Published Sat, 15 Mar 2025 11:00:48 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Nikola Jokic has become a household name after he helped lead the Denver Nuggets to its first-ever NBA Finals. However, the two-time MVP is more than just a star on the court, he is quite the family man as well.According to the NBA, Jokic loves to have his family close and ties his wedding ring to his shoe before every game. Videos and photos of Jokic show how the silver band is always tied around the laces on his left foot.The 28-year-old center said he stole the idea from his old teammate back in Serbia, and he does it as a way to always carry his family by his side. Nuggets in the NBA Finals: Days and times for all games That silver ring honors his commitment to his high school sweetheart and wife Natalija Jokic. According to Natalija's Instagram, the two wed in October 2020 and are parents to their daughter Ognjena.Natalija and Ognjena are often spotted cheering on "The Joker," and during Game 2 of the semifinals, Ognjena stole the show. Nuggets fans frustra...