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5 niche Japanese grocery stores to explore in the Bay Area

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:17:58 GMT

Got an urge to cook some udon or sukiyaki? Or maybe to just pick up a fresh rice ball or sashimi plate? You won’t have to travel far, thanks to a little Pacific Rim of Japanese groceries stretching around the Bay perimeter.We’re not talking major operations like Mitsuwa or Osaka Marketplace. We’re talking smaller, often mom-and-pop stores like what you might find on a Tokyo back street. Each has their own charm and specialties to discover. In no particular order, here are five such places to visit in the Bay in 2023:Yaoya-San, El CerritoThe sign on this unassuming shop beckons you in with a basket of smiling, anthropomorphic vegetables. And inside will make you smile, with its wealth of snacks, beverages and packaged meals you won’t find many other places. There’s sushi and bento boxes from Berkeley restaurant Musashi (these items typically sell out by early afternoon), grilled fish entrees and side dishes like fried eggplant with ginger or okra in sesa...

Experienced autobahn drivers explain why it works: Roadshow

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:17:58 GMT

Q: I’m responding to Joe Rudnicki’s question about the autobahn. I lived in Germany for five years and drove on their very fine autobahns. There is no speed limit in some areas between cities, though there are limits in or near cities. You would think this results in vast carnage, but it doesn’t. Fatality rates are similar to the U.S., although their speed is much higher. The autobahn works for three main reasons:It is forbidden to pass someone on the right.The most serious infraction is tailgating. The fine can be extreme because it can be based on your income. $30,000 fines are not unheard of.If you are driving in the No. 1 lane and a guy who wants to go faster comes up behind you, he will not tailgate. He will flash his lights. You must move over to let him pass. There is a big fine for not moving over.German pavement is twice as deep as on American freeways. Roads are maintained much better. You will not hit a huge pothole at 120 mph because there are no huge p...

Too many hot dogs at Oakland Coliseum? Lonely vendor at Oakland A’s game disagrees

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:17:58 GMT

OAKLAND — On many nights, the Coliseum’s vast concrete parking lots are crowded by hot dog vendors offering, for a few bucks, the bacon-wrapped indulgences that Bay Area sports fans often find impossible to resist.They’re so popular, in fact, that stadium officials claim the situation has gotten downright dangerous. Vendors that fill the lots after A’s games and Oakland Arena concerts next door — and even crowd the tunnel bridge between the stadium and its BART station — are creating a safety hazard for fans trying to enter and exit, they say.“If a fire broke out, there would be a crisis,” said Henry Gardner, executive director of a joint powers authority that oversees the Coliseum complex. “We have got to do something — maybe point them to a certain area where they can sell.”Gardner and other Coliseum officials aren’t sure how to address what they describe as a problem of excess vendors — the rare headach...

COVID Q&A: Can I use an expired test? Time to get boosted? How to cope with California’s sneaky summer surge

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:17:58 GMT

California’s COVID positivity rate has topped 10% and is still on a steep upward path, nearly tripling since June, according to new data from the state’s Department of Public Health.“Anecdotally, I feel like everybody I know has been getting COVID,” said Dr. Errol Ozdalga, a clinical associate professor of medicine at Stanford.But unless your social circle has been hit by the virus recently, this wave might have caught you by surprise. The public health emergencies are over, testing has become harder to find, and data monitoring has been largely abandoned. But the virus is still among us, and more so now than in May or June.Once again Bay Area residents are scrambling to do the right thing when a family member tests positive, or they start feeling a tickle in their throat. What are the best practices these days for handling this persistent virus? What have we learned with three years of pandemic practice under our belts? We checked in with the experts.Q: I’m feeling sick...

Collision along Hwy 101 in San Martin leaves 1 dead

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:17:58 GMT

(BCN) -- The California Highway Patrol reported a man died after being hit by a vehicle Thursday night on U.S. Highway 101 in Santa Clara County. At about 10:51 p.m., a vehicle hit a pedestrian along southbound U.S. Highway 101 near the East San Martin Avenue offramp in San Martin. Mountain lions seen eating deer outside Peninsula home According to the CHP, the man was crossing to the right hand shoulder of the southbound lane from the freeway's center divider when the accident happened. Patrol officers attempted CPR on the victim but failed to revive him, the CHP said. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

2 hospitalized following Woodbridge stabbing

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:17:58 GMT

A man and a woman were stabbed early Friday morning, according to police in Prince William County, Virginia.The attack happened east of Interstate 95 in the 1800 block of Gableridge Turn, near Summerland Drive, in Woodbridge around 4 a.m., Prince William County police said.INCIDENT: Stabbing | Woodbridge; #PWCPD is investigating a man & a woman who were stabbed by a known party in the 1800 block of Gableridge Turn. Both were flown to an area hospital. Suspect fled on foot. Police K-9 & helo assisting in search. Expect police activity in the area. pic.twitter.com/c3UkG1NMV3— Prince William County Police Department (@PWCPolice) August 11, 2023The two victims — “who were stabbed by a known party” — were transported by helicopter to a hospital, according to police.Police said officers are searching for the suspect who ran from the scene.A map of the area is below. Source

Harry Kane close to sealing transfer to Bayern Munich from Tottenham

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:17:58 GMT

MUNICH (AP) — England captain Harry Kane’s transfer from Tottenham to Bayern Munich is “imminent,” Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou said Friday, in a deal that will reportedly be worth more than 100 million pounds ($110 million).“My understanding is it has progressed to the point where it looks like it’s going to happen,” Postecoglou said of what would be a record transfer for the Bundesliga and one of the biggest deals of the summer transfer window.The 30-year-old Kane is expected to undergo medical tests in Germany on Friday and could potentially make his debut Saturday, when Bayern hosts Leipzig in the German Super Cup.However, British broadcaster Sky Sports reported he had not yet flown to Germany and still wanted some reassurances.Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said his club is still “working hard” to sign Kane.“We are working with the highest pressure and highest focus and highest priority to sign Harry Kane,” Tuchel said. “And this shows the importance. I mean, we...

Check those lottery tickets — one sold in the DC area is worth $1 million

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:17:58 GMT

A Powerball ticket bought at a Loudoun County, Virginia 7-Eleven for last Wednesday’s lottery drawing is worth $1 million.And so far, nobody has come forward with the winning ticket, according to the Virginia Lottery.It said the winning ticket was sold at the 7-Eleven at 42870 Truro Parish Drive in Ashburn.While the ticket in question matches the correct winning numbers of 10-15-21-67-69 for the Aug. 9 drawing, it missed the Powerball number of 3.The Ashburn 7-Eleven that sold the ticket — one of only three tickets across the United States to match the first five numbers for $1 million — is due a $10,000 bonus from the Virginia Lottery.No ticket matched all six numbers to win Wednesday’s estimated $170 million jackpot.This means the jackpot for Saturday’s Powerball drawing has grown to an estimated $194 million (estimated cash value of $95 million).Another beneficiary from last Wednesday’s Powerball drawing will be Loudoun County Public Schools, as the Virginia Lot...

Australia pulling for Matildas to advance in Women’s World Cup. Only 1 host has ever won the title

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:17:58 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Australia will try to avoid the host team curse by avoiding elimination in the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup. The Matildas have co-hosted this tournament with New Zealand, but the Football Ferns failed to advance out of group play. Australia is still playing and faces France on Saturday in Brisbane, Australia, for a spot in the semifinals. But tournament hosts have always struggled to make it past the quarterfinals, starting with China in the inaugural 1991 tournament, then Sweden in 1995, Germany in 2011, Canada in 2015 and finally France in 2019. France was eliminated by the United States in front of 45,000 spectators in Paris, and the sting carried with Les Blues for quite awhile. Aside from the United States, which won the 1999 tournament in America, all other World Cup hosts have failed to advance past the quarterfinals.France can now kick Australia out of its own tournament, and French coach Herve Renard said his players are familiar...

Britain’s barge for asylum seekers faces new setback as legionella bacteria found in water system

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:17:58 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Britain is removing 39 asylum seekers from a barge moored in southern England after environmental samples showed legionella bacteria in the water system.The move came just days after the men were moved to the floating hostel amid government efforts to reduce the cost of sheltering the growing number of people seeking asylum in Britain. The government expects the Bibby Stockholm to house up to 500 adult males.“As a precautionary measure, all 39 asylum seekers who arrived on the vessel this week are being disembarked while further assessments are undertaken,’’ the Home Office, which deals with immigration issues, said in a statement. “No individuals on board have presented with symptoms of Legionnaires’ (disease), and asylum seekers are being provided with appropriate advice and support.”Plans to use the Bibby Stockholm as accommodation for asylum seekers has been plagued by controversy and delays, with opponents expressing concern about safety and whether it was a...