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5 great places to see California’s wildflower season, possibly the best in 20 years

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:00:20 GMT

Love wildflowers? Boy, you’re in for a treat this year.“I think this is going to be the best spring in terms of diversity and flowers in Northern California – and probably the entire state – in 20 years,” says Seth Adams, land conservation director for the nonprofit Save Mount Diablo.Back up for a second. What is this “spring”? All we’ve seen so far is rain, more rain, snow, a lot more snow, rain, flooding, hail, snow and some rain. Well, it turns out wildflowers love that stuff – they thrive on the ecological adversity California’s recently encountered.“Three years ago, we had giant fires on four sides of the Bay Area and almost no rain. The next year, we had really heavy, early rains that then stopped, and now we have so much rain it’s record-breaking and flooding,” says Adams. “Now, a lot of the areas that have the best wildflower blooms are places that’ve burned or have disturbed ground from erosion. So the state’s taken a big drink of water, ...

Tech layoffs widen: Semiconductor maker trims scores of Bay Area jobs

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:00:20 GMT

SANTA CLARA — A big Silicon Valley chipmaker intends to slash scores of jobs in the Bay Area, layoffs that are poised to deal a fresh blow to the region’s wobbly tech industry.Marvell Technology, a Bay Area semiconductor company, has decided to cut nearly 100 jobs in Santa Clara, the company reported in an official filing with the state Employment Development Department.The chipmaker has cut 96 jobs at one of its principal office sites in Santa Clara, a review of the details of a company WARN notice filed with the EDD shows.Marvell is laying off 133 workers throughout California, the company stated in three WARN notices it sent to the state EDD.Besides the Bay Area cutbacks, Marvell also aims to eliminate 33 positions in Southern California. The tech company has decided to chop 29 jobs in Irvine and four in Westlake Village, according to state WARN notices.The company said the layoffs affect employees who work at or are affiliated with the three offices.Marvell didn̵...

Quick Cook: Snap Pea Hummus with Warm Pea Shoot and Mint Salad

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:00:20 GMT

When you want to celebrate spring with something other than strawberries and rhubarb, turn to this recipe that showcases the season’s other celebrity couple, peas and mint. Sugar snap peas add some verdant sweetness to a creamy hummus that is mounded with a warm salad of sliced snap peas and pea shoot tendrils, all with a fresh burst of mint leaves. Spoon it onto blistered pita bread wedges as part of a memorable brunch spread or Mediterranean mezze.The hummus can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until use — just be sure to bring it back to room temperature before serving. The pea shoot and mint salad must be made just before serving or it will over-wilt. Thankfully, that takes just 90 seconds, which is more than manageable, even with hungry diners standing by.Snap Pea Hummus with Warm Pea Shoot and Mint SaladMakes 2 cups hummus, serves 6-10 as an appetizerSNAP PEA HUMMUS:15-ounce can chickpeas, drained6 ounces sugar snap peas, sliced (about 1½ cups)½ cup tahini1...

Pedestrian dead following collision on Highway 4 in Brentwood

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:00:20 GMT

BRENTWOOD — A pedestrian on a highway died Thursday morning after apparently being hit by a vehicle, the California Highway Patrol said.The incident involved a red Toyota Camry and happened about 3:50 a.m., according to the CHP. The pedestrian was down on the Lone Tree Way on-ramp to eastbound state Highway 4, the agency said.The CHP said it shut down the on-ramp to investigate.No other information was available immediately.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | ‘Stuck foot’ crash into Apple store now called murder; driver’s lawyer ‘astounded’ by indictment Crashes and Disasters | Contra Costa DA charges suspect in fatal East Bay chase, collision that killed a mother and her 6-year-old son Crashes and Disasters | Woman, 27, arrested in San Jose hit-and-run crash that killed mother, dog Crashes and Disasters | 11-year-old dies after...

Man sentenced to 96 years in prison for 2018 road rage shooting

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:00:20 GMT

A 34-year-old defendant has been sentenced to 96 years in prison for a 2018 road rage shooting in Parker.Abraham Paquet, a repeat felon, was convicted in February by a Douglas County jury of attempted first-degree murder and assault seriously bodily injury with a deadly weapon, both felonies, among other charges, according to a Douglas County District Attorney’s Office news release.During the evening commute of May 22, 2018, Paquet shot another driver near Parker Road and E-470, according to the release. The injured driver was able to get to Parker Adventist Hospital for treatment and had surgery on his hand. Multiple bullets that hit the victim’s vehicle, a witness account and video surveillance footage led investigators to Paquet.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | CHP sergeant, 6 officers and a nurse charged in 2020 death of man Crime and Public Safety | California woman hospitalized after being target of apparent TikTok ‘bucket challenge’ Cr...

Injured woman sues Colorado ski resort after the rescue toboggan she was riding in crashed

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:00:20 GMT

A Connecticut woman is suing Vail Resorts because of injuries she allegedly suffered in the crash of a rescue toboggan as ski patrollers evacuated her after she was hurt in a fall while skiing.Kathryn Stoupas fell at the bottom of the Geronimo trail at Keystone Resort, which is owned by Vail, in February 2021, injuring her left shoulder, and called for ski patrol assistance.But the two patrollers who were navigating the toboggan in which she was riding were traveling at a “high rate of speed” and lost control, according to a lawsuit filed in Broomfield County Court last week. As a result, the Stoupas claims that the toboggan overturned, “dragging (her) on her left side and face along the snow until it came to rest.”The lawsuit claims she suffered further damage to her already injured left shoulder, along with a fractured humerus bone in her upper arm, nerve damage, abrasions and contusions to her face.“What we’re alleging is that this was certainly negligence on their part because t...

7 amazing Bay Area things to do this weekend, March 31-April 2

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:00:20 GMT

From awesome dance recitals to mouthwatering cookies to a homecoming bluegrass champ, we have got a lot of fun stuff on tap for this weekend, so let’s get to it, shall we?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.com/newsletters or www.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.1 SEE & HEAR: Molly Tuttle returnsThe Grammy-winning bluegrass star, a native of Palo Alto, is back in the Bay Area for two shows at The Guild this week, and she told us how tickled she is to be playing for hometown fans. The shows are sold out, but go here to get on a waiting list for tickets or sign up to live-stream the show.2 EAT: Pizza from a championWorld champion pizza-maker Laura Meyer has opened her hotly anticipated new restaurant, Pizzeria da Laura, in Berkeley’s Shattuck Square...

France rules against extradition of Ukrainian billionaire

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:00:20 GMT

PARIS (AP) — A French court of appeal ruled Thursday not to extradite to Ukraine the Ukrainian billionaire businessman Kostyantin Zhevago, who was temporarily detained in France in December.Ukraine’s National Bureau of Investigation had said Zhevago, who owns a majority stake in mining group Ferrexpo, was wanted on suspicion of embezzlement and money laundering related to the bankruptcy of Ukrainian bank Finance and Credit.Zhevago was detained in Courchevel, a ski resort in the French Alps. At the time, French judicial officials in Chambery said he was detained pending a formal request for extradition by Ukraine — which was ultimately refused.Zhevago was released under judicial supervision in France in January.The court in Chambery said Thursday it had “an unfavorable opinion” on the extradition request.Zhevago’s lawyers said in a joint statement that “beyond the respect of the human rights, this decision carries the mark of good sense.”The decision can be appealed at the Court of C...

Trinidad wins $100 million verdict in key corruption lawsuit

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:00:20 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — The government of the eastern Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago has won a multimillion-dollar verdict in a sprawling corruption lawsuit that began nearly 20 years ago and involves former high-ranking officials.A jury in Miami awarded the government more than $100 million in compensatory damages in a verdict late Wednesday. The civil case began in 2004 when the Trinidadian government sued a former finance minister, various businessmen and several companies in countries including Florida, Panama and Portugal.“This is a victory for the people of T&T,” Faris Al-Rawi, a former attorney general in Trinidad who represented the government in the case, told reporters in Miami.The lawsuit alleged that the defendants participated in a scheme beginning in August 1996 to illegally obtain consulting and construction contracts at hyper-inflated prices via bribes, bid rigging and money laundering linked to an expansion of the Piarco International Airport in the Trinidadian ca...

Takeaways from AP examination of Peru carbon credit program

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:00:20 GMT

SAN MARTÍN, Peru (AP) — In the nearly 15 years that a carbon credit program has been run to safeguard one of Peru’s most valuable national parks, more than 28 million credits have been sold to fossil fuel producers like Shell and TotalEnergies.The project was supposed to stop deforestation in the Cordillera Azul National Park, helping to stem carbon emissions contributing to climate change.But an analysis by independent experts and reporting by The Associated Press raises doubts about whether the project has delivered on its promise to counter-balance emissions by oil companies and others. And the tree loss has more than doubled, according to satellite analysis.Some takeaways from the AP’s investigation:LAUNCH OF THE PROGRAMCordillera Azul National Park covers more than 5,000 square miles (12,950 square kilometers) on the eastern flank of the Peruvian Andes. The national park designation in 2001 gave it legal protection, but the carbon credits program was launched in 200...