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Holiday getaway: Cut down your own Christmas tree in Plumas National Forest

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

Cutting down a Christmas tree is a tradition for many families — and a staple outing in nearly every Hallmark holiday movie. Christmas tree farms offer plenty of Douglas firs and Monterey Cypress, of course, but for those who crave the nostalgia of chopping down an imperfect pine in the wilderness, there’s another option.Tucked away in the Lost Sierra in Plumas County, the cozy town of Graeagle sits along the Middle Fork Feather River about an hour north of Truckee. With a population of less than 1,000, the small town offers all the wintry, holiday charm of a movie — you know, the kind where a big city exec falls in love with a lumberjack trying to save his family business.The tree-sourcing experience requires nothing more than a $10 permit from the Plumas National Forest, a hand saw and a sense of adventure. A four-wheel drive vehicle helps, especially when the weather is a bit wet. Consult a map and you’ll find several places where you can get off the main ...

Super-rare white American badger spotted in Marin County

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

David Kramer was hiking on Nov. 26 in the Point Reyes National Seashore when he came across a startling sight: an American badger as pale as a bar of soap.“I was on a 5-mile out-and-back (in Olema Valley) and just after I turned around at my halfway point, I noticed something on the trail ahead,” says Kramer, a nature photographer who lives in West Marin. “Once it came into full view, I realized what I was seeing. It was coming towards me on the trail and didn’t notice me at first, as I had stopped moving.”Kramer just had time enough to whip out his phone and capture the above image of the white badger, which in his shot looks a little cranky. (Although badgers naturally seem to have resting-cranky faces.)“It seemed like it was just traveling,” he says. “It came padding towards me at a good clip, and when it turned around, it kept going at the same speed until it got off into the bushes.”Is this the Moby Dick of the badger world ...

Share the Spirit: Woman’s career goal back on track thanks to Rubicon Programs

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

RICHMOND — Warnisha Smith knew she had to dramatically change her life — not only for herself but for her children, ages 4 and 6.Hampered by an incorrectly listed criminal charge on a pre-employment background check, the 28-year-old single mother was having trouble finding permanent work. Her hopes for the future were fading: She once dreamed of being able to open her own care facility for the elderly and disabled.She heard about Rubicon Programs from a family friend and went to the Richmond-based organization in 2019 to get back on her feet and connect to resources that would help her move forward.Warnisha Smith worked with attorneys from Rubicon Programs to help remove a mistake from her criminal record. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) Smith was a bit unsure at first, she said, and her attendance was spotty. But she finally realized how much her life needed to change and “dedicated my time” to what the agency offered her.She has no regrets and realizes how ...

Prefab homebuilder Veev to shutter after funders abandon former ‘unicorn’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

Bay Area prefabricated construction startup Veev, which promised to slash the time and costs required to build new homes, has announced to its employees that it plans to shutter operations after acquiring unicorn status just last year.The company, with offices in Hayward and Israel, said in a statement that the closure comes because the startup, which launched in 2008 and was once valued at more than a billion dollars, failed to close a recent financing round. This week, the company laid off most of its 250 employees, according to LinkedIn posts from employees. Veev had only recently finished construction on its first single-family home, which the company intended to bring to market in 2024.With Bay Area land and construction costs soaring, the company promised a way to build infill housing faster and cheaper. Rather than building a home entirely on-site, Veev built panels, which included electrical wiring, plumbing and other components, in their Hayward factory. The panels could th...

Israeli airstrikes on Gaza resume after weeklong truce with Hamas ends

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

By WAFAA SHURAFA, BASSEM MROUE and JULIA FRANKEL (Associated Press)DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel’s war with Hamas resumed in full force Friday, with airstrikes hitting targets in the Gaza Strip minutes after a weeklong truce expired. Black smoke billowed from the besieged territory, and Israel dropped leaflets over Gaza City and southern parts of the enclave, urging civilians to leave their homes to avoid the fighting.In Israel, sirens warned of incoming rockets at several communal farms near Gaza, a sign that militants also restarted attacks. The renewed hostilities heightened concerns for Palestinians — many of whom have been displaced by the war — as well as about 140 hostages still in Gaza, after more than 100 were freed during the truce.Qatar, which has served as a mediator along with Egypt, said negotiators were still trying to restart the cease-fire. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry singled out Israel’s role in the resumption of fighting and said it “complicates mediation e...

Blue Shield of California members’ data stolen — ‘a gold mine for thieves’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

Sensitive data from Blue Shield of California vision policy holders — including Social Security numbers, birth dates and addresses — may be among confidential patient information accessed by criminal hackers, the Oakland-based health insurance giant announced this week.The breach, which may also have included diagnosis and treatment information, resulted from a cyberattack on a widely used software tool for sending and receiving data, Blue Shield said. The insurer is among thousands of organizations affected by the hack.Despite multiple requests, Blue Shield refused to say how many of its 4.5 million customers have vision plans and may have had their data taken.RELATED: Victim of Blue Shield hack? Here’s what company, feds say you should do“Blue Shield of California has followed all applicable State and Federal requirements in notifying members and regulatory agencies about data we believe to have been exposed,” the company said. Blue Shield said it had taken...

Victim of Blue Shield hack? Here’s what company, feds say you should do

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

Blue Shield of California members with vision coverage may have had highly sensitive personal information stolen in a hack, the insurer said.Blue Shield in letters to affected policy holders offered a year of free identity monitoring, and provided advice. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission also provides guidance for people worried they may have been victims of identity theft through stolen personal information.The credit monitoring from Sunnyvale-based Kroll includes alerts when a person’s credit data changes, for example when a new line of credit is opened in their name; or when someone’s data shows up for illegal sale; or when names, aliases or addresses become associated with a person’s Social Security number; or when a cash-advance or short-term loan is taken out using a person’s information. The service also includes up to $1 million for eligible out-of-pocket expenses related to an identity-fraud event, plus consultation with a fraud specialist, and if n...

A year after Katie Meyer’s death, still-grieving Stanford women on verge of ‘a storybook ending’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

This story includes reporting about suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with feelings of depression or suicidal thoughts, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free, round-the-clock support, information and resources for help. Call or text the lifeline at 988, or see the 988lifeline.org website, where chat is available.Twenty months since her dear friend, Katie Meyer, took her own life, and 13 months after she stepped away from soccer to deal with unbearable grief, Andrea Kitahata has started to dream again.She can see it now: Completing an undefeated season with a national championship on Monday, celebrating on the field, and hoisting the College Cup trophy with her Stanford teammates.“In our name and in her name,” Kitahata said. “That would be a storybook ending.”A team that prides itself on resilience, Stanford (19-0-4) plays Friday in Cary, North Carolina, site of the College Cup, the soccer equivalent of basketball’s final four. If the Cardinal defeat...

One person stabbed and killed, Oakland PD investigates 

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

(KRON) – The Oakland Police Department is investigating a stabbing that occurred in the 2600 block of 74th Avenue on Nov. 30 around 6:45 p.m.The OPD Communications Division was notified of the stabbing that occurred in the area and that the victim was self-transporting to an area hospital, police said. Hospital personnel provided medical treatment to the victim, police said. However, the victim died at the hospital.  SSF police arrest suspect in attack that left victim in critical condition According to OPD homicide investigators, they responded to the scene to conduct a follow-up investigation into the circumstances surrounding the stabbing. According to the police investigation, the victim was involved in a physical altercation with another individual. The altercation escalated when the individual stabbed the victim causing injuries, police said. The victim’s identity is being withheld at this time due to pending notification to the next of kin.  Th...

SSF police arrest suspect in attack that left victim in critical condition

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:49 GMT

(KRON) -- A Redwood City man was arrested in connection with an assault earlier this week in South San Francisco that left another man in critical condition, police said.The attack happened on Airport Boulevard about 5:10 p.m. Monday, when Kenneth Joseph Hamilton, 26, got out of his car and allegedly assaulted his passenger, a 27-year-old man, according to South San Francisco police. SF police arrest 17 adults at 1 store in 1 day during shoplifting ‘blitz’ operation The pair had been returning from a function and alcohol might have been involved, police said.Witnesses to the attack got out of their cars and tried to intervene as Hamilton allegedly assaulted the other man. The victim was taken to a local trauma hospital and was in stable but critical condition, police said Thursday.San Mateo County sheriff's deputies helped South San Francisco police by locating and detaining Hamilton.South San Francisco detectives also executed a search warrant at Hamilton's residence. The suspect...