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Alleged leader of Bay Area drug ring, caught after DEA went through his garbage, sentenced to six years

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:50:30 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — A Bay Area man has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for conspiring with four others to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine in San Mateo County, court records show.Raudel Macias, 58, was sentenced last month after pleading guilty to conspiracy and heroin sales charges. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen ordered him to report to prison by June 23, court records show.Federal prosecutors allege that Macias led a “a street-level drug trafficking organization” that was staffed by his own sons, who stockpiled large amounts of drugs at a home on Birkdale Way in Hayward, and made deliveries to various customers. Macias’ attorney denied Macias was the leader of the drug ring and wrote in court papers that there was plenty of evidence all the members, save one courier, shared responsibilities equally.The evidence against Macias and his sons included recordings from phone wiretaps, surveillance of drug deals, and one instance where ...

EXCLUSIVE: San Jose: Mexico City culinary star named to head Copita restaurant in Willow Glen

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:50:30 GMT

He’s opened two dozen restaurants in Mexico’s gastronomic capital, notably Litoral and Balmori, been heralded as the “new face” of the country’s culinary world and cooked in Michelin-starred kitchens in Europe. He’s taught at several culinary schools. Won a reality TV chef’s competition. Written a cookbook. Headed a prestigious association of chefs.And now he’s brought that rich culinary background to the Bay Area.Azari Cuenca-Maitret, 49, has been named executive chef for the eagerly anticipated Copita Willow Glen, the second cantina from celebrity chef Joanne Weir, who opened the award-winning Copita in Sausalito in 2012. Weir and business partner Michael Mindel, an industry veteran, met Cuenca when they were traveling in Mexico in search of inspiring ideas and a chef for their latest venture.After moving his family — wife Paola and three children — to San Jose, Cuenca started working with Weir early in January on recipe ...

Russia opens drill as it stops sharing missile test info with US

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:50:30 GMT

By Vladimir Isachenkov | Associated PressMOSCOW — Russia will no longer give the U.S. advance notice about its missile tests, a senior Moscow diplomat said Wednesday, as its military deployed mobile launchers in Siberia in a show of the country’s massive nuclear capability amid fighting in Ukraine.Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russian news agencies that Moscow has halted all information exchanges with Washington envisioned by the last remaining nuclear arms pact with the U.S. after suspending its participation in it last month.Along with the data about the current state of the countries’ nuclear forces routinely released every six months in compliance with the treaty, the parties also have exchanged advance warnings about test launches. Such notices have been an essential element of strategic stability for decades, allowing Russia and the United States to correctly interpret each other’s moves and make sure that neither country mistakes a test launch ...

What to watch: ‘Thousand and One’ a powerful look at a system gone wrong

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:50:30 GMT

Two Sundance Film Festival favorites debut this week along with Apple TV+’s “Tetris.” So does a Netflix spy series and a surreal art-house flick.Are they worth watching?Read on.“A Thousand and One”: New York in the ’90s, with its broken-down foster care system and gentrification run amok, plays a critical role in A.V. Rockwell’s award-winning feature debut, a gritty, shattering portrait of a tight bond born out of a desperate act. A fiery ex-con Inez (Teyana Taylor, a force throughout) occupies her time shadowing and then approaching her 6-year-old son Terry, whom she was forced to surrender to the foster care system. That’s a no-no, but it’s easy to figure out that the volatile Inez has never had a break in life, and not a lot of positive feedback, either. True to what many expect of her, she impetuously nabs Terry and then later comes up with a plan to create a new identity for him and a home for them both. They hide out from the law with friends until she makes ...

James Beard 2023 finalists: The Bay Area’s Lazy Bear, SingleThread, Bugtong remain in the running

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:50:30 GMT

The James Beard Foundation on Wednesday narrowed the list of nominees for its coveted 2023 awards of excellence, with three of the Bay Area’s 18 semifinalists honored as finalists.For the nationwide awards, Vince Bugtong of Abaca in San Francisco (formerly of Oakland’s dessert and cocktail bar, Viridian) is one of the five finalists for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker and Lazy Bear in San Francisco is a finalist for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program.In the Best Chef: California category, in which 20 chefs from Mendocino to San Diego were originally vying for the award, the chef-owners of SingleThread in Healdsburg — Kyle and Katina Connaughton — are among the five finalists.The winners will be announced June 5.Related ArticlesRestaurants, Food and Drink | EXCLUSIVE: San Jose: Mexico City culinary star named to head Copita restaurant in Willow Glen Restaurants, Food and Drink | All-day restaurant Jack’s opens at Wes...

Foot Locker is closing 400 stores. Why they may become an eyesore

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:50:30 GMT

By Nathaniel Meyersohn | CNNTwo major retail chains are closing roughly 800 stores. One company’s spaces likely will be filled, while the other’s may become empty, and unsightly, zombie stores.Retailers are already lining up to take over the approximately 400 shuttering Bed Bath & Beyond stores in strip malls, where customers can easily park in front. But 400 Foot Locker stores set to close in middle and lower-tier regional enclosed malls around the country will stay vacant for much longer, say retail landlords and real estate experts.The diverging outlooks for Foot Locker and Bed Bath & Beyond real estate reflect shopping trends and the troubled state of the retail property market in the United States. The future of these spaces matters because they impact local tax bases, jobs and the economic conditions of communities across America.Will they get a second life?Foot LockerFoot Locker said earlier this month that it will close nearly 200 stores in class C and D ...

Bay Area storm: Video shows hail in Berkeley

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:50:30 GMT

(KRON) -- The rain will continue on and off through Wednesday with much of the Bay Area experiencing possible 30-mile-per-hour winds and pea-sized hail. San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley are under a special weather advisory, according to the National Weather Service, while the mountain communities should expect more snow.Previously saturated soil could lead to downed trees and branches and power outages, as the area has seen from recent storms. More rain means more money for East Bay MUD customers Stay up to date with the latest storm-related news.Wednesday, March 2911: 40 a.m. -- Hail reported in Berkeley Video sent to KRON4 shows hail coming down in Berkeley Wednesday morning. The National Weather Service issued a special weather statement for much of the Bay Area warning of high winds and the potential for pea-sized hail.11:10 a.m. -- VTA lines down in San JoseVTA service between San Antonio and Convention Center in San Jose is interrupted due to downed VTA lines, ...

Oakland firefighters knock down house fire on 39th and West

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:50:30 GMT

(KRON) -- Crews with the Oakland Fire Department are on the scene of a two-story residential fire at 39th and West streets, according to a tweet from Oakland Firefighters. The fire is reportedly under control, according to the Oakland Fire Department. Spike strips deployed in arrest of Cupertino catalytic converter thieves A photo from the scene showed a lot of smoke billowing from a two-story house in a residential neighborhood with several fire vehicles outside.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

FAQ: Everything you need to know about 2023 Washington Nationals season opener

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:50:30 GMT

The Washington Nationals will begin their 2023 MLB regular season Thursday afternoon at Nationals Park.The team is coming off a down 2022 — they finished with 55 wins and 107 losses, including a 26-55 home record.Here are some things to know about the team for opening day.More Washington Nationals News Source

Vatican: Pope to be hospitalized for several days for pulmonary infection, had difficulty breathing in recent days

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:50:30 GMT

ROME (AP) — Vatican: Pope to be hospitalized for several days for pulmonary infection, had difficulty breathing in recent days.Source