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‘Silicon Valley’s Party Animal’ convicted on multiple fraud charges

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO – The man described as “Silicon Valley’s Party Animal,” who became infamous for his business philosophy of mixing work and fun and helped inspire the excess depicted in an HBO comedy, now has a new claim to fame — he’s the latest in a recent series of Bay Area business executives to be convicted on fraud charges.Michael Rothenberg, a 39-year-old San Francisco-based venture capitalist, was convicted by a federal jury on Thursday of wire fraud, money laundering, bank fraud and making false statements to a bank, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.The conviction followed a seven-week trial where prosecutors said that Rothenberg had lied to investors in his venture capital fund, using their money to prop up the virtual-reality company he owned, and that he had lied to a major bank to get a loan to keep his financial house of cards intact.Prosecutors said he founded and used Rothenberg Ventures Management Company between 2012 and 2018 to mana...

Thanksgiving 2023: These chain restaurants will be serving turkey dinners

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

Traditions matter to people on Thanksgiving, and several restaurant chains are willing to oblige, adding turkey dinners to their menus on Nov. 23.Here are some restaurants that have Thanksgiving menus. Details are drawn from their websites. Prices and hours at individual locations may vary. Check out your location before committing.Black Angus: Restaurants will be open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving and serving a traditional turkey dinner, according to a news release. The cost is $25.99 for adults and $11.99 for children. blackangus.comBlack Bear Diner: Restaurants will be serving turkey, ham and prime rib dinners for dine-in, takeout or delivery starting at 11 a.m. blackbeardiner.comClaim Jumper Steakhouse & Bar: Restaurants will be serving three-course dinners with turkey, ham, tri-tip or all three starting at 11 a.m. Prices are $28-$33. claimjumper.comCracker Barrel Old Country Store: Stores will be open regular business hours and begin serving traditional Thanksgiving mea...

Surprise! Giant pandas may return to San Diego

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

By Karen Kucher, The San Diego Union-TribuneStay tuned. The San Diego Zoo’s Panda Cam might be coming back for a new season.Giant pandas — the hugely popular beloved symbols of China which haven’t been here since 2019 — could be headed back to San Diego. That bit of news came in a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday night after he met with President Joe Biden in San Francisco, and the leaders pledged to reduce tensions.Xi signaled that pandas — which he called “envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples” — could be sent to a zoo in California. He did not share any details on when such a transfer might occur.“We are ready to continue our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation, and do our best to meet the wishes of the Californians so as to deepen the friendly ties between our two peoples,” Xi said during a dinner speech with business leaders. He said he learned the San Diego Zoo and people in California “very much look forward to w...

The top eight most expensive home sales in Hayward, reported the week of Nov. 6

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

A house that sold for $2.7 million tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Hayward in the past two weeks.In total, eight residential real estate sales were recorded in the area during the past two weeks, with an average price of $1.1 million. The average price per square foot ended up at $651.The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded from the week of October 30 to the week of Nov. 12 even if the property may have been sold earlier.8. $693K, single-family residence in the 400 block of Shirley Ave.The sale of the single family residence in the 400 block of Shirley Ave. in Hayward has been finalized. The price was $693,000, and the new owners took over the house in September. The house was built in 1951 and has a living area of 1,090 square feet. The price per square foot was $636. The house features three bedrooms and one bathrooms.Shirley Avenue7. $764K, detached house in the 25100 block of Del Mar Ave.The 1,081 s...

49ers’ Christian McCaffrey has another TD streak on the line

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Christian McCaffrey’s 17-game touchdown streak may be over, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming to town, and he’s scored more against them than any opponent in his career.He’s not taking them for granted, however.“I played against these guys a lot in Carolina. They’re well coached, and they play fast and physical,” McCaffrey said ahead of Sunday’s game between the 49ers (6-3) and Bucs (4-5).McCaffrey has scored two touchdowns in each of his past three games against Tampa Bay. In last season’s 35-7 rout at Levi’s Stadium on Dec. 11, he had rushing and receiving touchdowns while amassing 153 yards from scrimmage.What makes McCaffrey so menacing his ability to keep chugging along through defenders, according to Bucs coach Todd Bowles, who served as their defensive coordinator for three seasons before his 2022 promotion.“He and Deebo break so many tackles it’s unbelievable,” Bowles told Tampa-area reporters Wednesday. “You have to gang tackle him, get him down, l...

Cash bail policies are under fresh scrutiny across the U.S.

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

By Amanda Hernández, Stateline.orgStates can’t figure out what to do about cash bail.The system — in which an arrested suspect pays cash to avoid sitting in jail until their court date and gets the money back when they appear — is deeply entrenched in the nation’s history as a way to ensure defendants return to face justice.But cash bail is undergoing a reckoning as policymakers debate its disproportionate effects on underserved communities and people with low incomes who sometimes can’t afford bail — as well as just how much the system truly keeps the public safe.This year some states such as Illinois and jurisdictions such as Los Angeles County in California and Cuyahoga County in Ohio scaled back their bail systems, even eliminating cash bail entirely for low-level offenses in some cases.Policymakers in other places, meanwhile, are moving in the opposite direction.Republican lawmakers in at least 14 states — including Georgia, Indiana, Missouri and Wisconsin — introduced about 20...

Comedian Dex Carvey, son of Dana Carvey, dies at 32

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

(CNN) — Dex Carvey, the son of comedian Dana Carvey, has died of a drug overdose, his parents announced Thursday in a joint statement posted on social media. He was 32.“Last night we suffered a terrible tragedy. Our beloved son, Dex, died of an accidental drug overdose,” the Instagram post, signed by Dana Carvey and his wife Paula, said.Dana Carvey is best known for his years as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live.”He and his wife added their son pursued his talents passionately, from music and art to filmmaking and comedy.“It’s not an exaggeration to say that Dex loved life. And when you were with him, you loved life too. He made everything fun,” the statement continued. “But most of all, he loved his family, his friends and his girlfriend, Kaylee.”The Instagram post concluded by acknowledging the difficulties of addiction.“To anyone struggling with addiction or who loves someone struggling with addiction, you are in our hearts and prayers,” the post said.The-CNN-Wire...

Boy, 16, arrested for attempted murder in San Jose

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

(KRON) -- A 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after he intentionally drove his car through a crowd of people, according to San Jose police.Police said the boy's car struck multiple people outside a restaurant on Alum Rock Avenue. The incident began around 2 a.m. on September 23 when a "confrontation" broke out inside the restaurant, investigators said. One boy involved in the confrontation followed his victims outside, got into his car, and "intentionally ran them over," according to the San Jose Police Department. Surveillance cameras recorded a crowd of people spilling into the restaurant's parking lot. Several people in the crowd began running through an alley. A car speeds up and strikes several of the runners, surveillance video shows. (Watch surveillance video in the video player above).The boy then circled his car around and struck yet another victim. That victim suffered life-threatening injuries, police said. After several weeks of investigating,...

Oakland Roots sign Miche-Naider Chéry

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

(KRON) -- The Oakland Roots have signed forward Miche-Naider Chéry for the 2024 United Soccer League Championship season, the sports club announced Friday. Chéry scored twice for Violette Athletic Club in the Concacaf Champions League against MLS side Austin FC, knocking them out of the tournament.  MLB team owners approve Oakland A’s move to Las Vegas: reports “We have watched Miche in training now and know the impact he can have for us in 2024,” said Head Coach Noah Delgado. “We believe he will be a great fit to our style of play and team culture.” Chéry scored a total of four goals in the Champions League in 2023. 

Different Tactics, Same War: The Perils of Treating Israel’s West Bank Offensive as Separate From Gaza

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

On November 10, a couple of Israeli settlers, accompanied by a soldier, entered the Palestinian village Tuba in the rural south of the occupied West Bank, opened the residents’ water tanks — their only source of water — and watched the water spill to the ground before leaving, unfettered. A few weeks earlier, in the Bedouin shepherding community of Wadi al-Seeq east of Ramallah, an armed group of settlers assaulted and threatened the community, as they have been doing for months. The next day, the residents of the West Bank community, about 100 Palestinians, packed up their belongings and left. On October 28, an armed Israeli settler shot and killed Bilal Muhammad Saleh while he was harvesting olives near Nablus.These are the kinds of incidents that typify life in the occupied West Bank and have only intensified and increased since the October 7 Hamas attack, in which thousands of Palestinians raided Israel and killed 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, and took over 200 hostages. As ...