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CIF Division III championship preview: After ousting its rival, Oakland sets sights on school’s first state title

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:54:10 GMT

Oakland standout Anthony Lacy, with a NorCal Division III championship medal draped around his neck, cautiously enjoyed his team’s 77-61 win over Oakland Tech, finally getting past the rival that had defeated the Wildcats by seven combined points in three previous matchups this season.Played at Laney College, the all-Oakland Section final filled the gymnasium’s 2,500 capacity well beyond that total.Yes, it was that packed.The matchup was the hottest ticket in town, with Oakland leaders such as mayor Sheng Thao, council member Noel Gallo and legendary Laney football coach John Beam – formerly of Skyline High – in attendance.Among the spectators were basketball coaches Lou Richie of Bishop O’Dowd and Frank Knight of Moreau Catholic – both Oakland guys – and Edgar Jackson, a graduate of Oakland’s class of 2001 whose son, Eric, is a guard on this season’s team.“It was lit in here, and it was exciting to watch,” Jackson said. “We’ve had great teams over the years, and it’s great to see t...

Demystifying the world of Oriental, Persian and other hand-knotted rugs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:54:10 GMT

The more I learn about hand-knotted rugs, the type we grew up calling “Oriental rugs,” the more complex they become. In my experience, choosing one is the single most difficult home design decision one can make. So many factors need to click: material, pattern, scale, quality, motif, colors and wiliest of all, cost.A hand-knotted rug can be the soul of a room, which is why many designers suggest when decorating a room, you start with the rug. I have several which I’ve collected over the years, but recently I learned they’re not from where I thought they were.Doubts surfaced while I was in an Uber. Discovering the driver was from Iran, where he had worked in the rug trade,I showed him a picture of a runner in my entryway.“Made in India,” he said, “in the Mamluk tradition, very common.”“The guy who sold it to me was from Turkey and implied it was from Turkey.”“Well, it might have come from Turkey, but it was made in India.”For clarification, I called Robert Mann, owner of ...

Bay Area storm updates: Road closures announced, ski resorts close

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:54:10 GMT

(KRON) -- Road closures are taking effect and several Tahoe area ski resorts will close Friday as the first in a series of atmospheric rivers is set to roll into the Bay Area Thursday. The storm is expected to bring widespread rain, wind and wet weather conditions with a flood watch set to go into effect for the entire Bay Area. Rainfall is expected to arrive by Thursday afternoon and intensify throughout the weekend.Officials advise residents to prepare for the next storm by securing any property and stocking up on sandbags to prevent flooding. Bay Area storm: Here’s what to do if your house floods Stick with KRON4 for the latest updates on the storm.Bay Area storm updates:2:40 p.m. -- City of San Carlos announces road closuresOld County Road between Harbor Boulevard and Quarry Road will be closed beginning at 4 p.m. Thursday, in expectation of heavy rain and expected flooding, the city tweeted. "Crews are currently working to proactively prepare for the flooding of Belmont Creek...

Parole denied for San Mateo County rapist

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:54:10 GMT

SAN MATEO, Calif. (KRON) -- A California prison parole board denied granting parole for a San Francisco Bay Area rapist on Thursday, prosecutors announced.Timothy Paul Layton, 65, of San Mateo, has served the past two decades behind prison bars for raping two young women on Skyline College's campus in San Bruno. "With one of our attorneys present for the hearing, Timothy Layton was denied parole today for three years. He also has a prior out of state conviction for attempted rape," the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office wrote. Layton was found guilty on all counts by a jury in 2003. When the jury's verdict was read, the San Mateo Daily Journal reported at the time, "Layton dropped his face into his hands, removed his spectacles, and began to weep, moan and shake convulsively until bailiffs led him to jail some 20 minutes later."Layton raped women who worked as prostitutes in March and April of 2002, according to the journal. He found his victims in San Francisco's Mission D...

SF marketing company that allegedly impersonated government officials faces lawsuit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:54:10 GMT

Direct marketing company Personnel Concepts is facing a lawsuit after allegedly impersonating the government to defraud small businesses, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu announced Thursday. Chiu's office alleges that the company and its partners designed solicitations for its products, which are workplace compliance posters, to look like government communications. VIDEO: Police protect paramedics in San Francisco UN Plaza According to the lawsuit filing, the solicitations informed businesses that they must buy the company's products to comply with labor laws or face fines of up to $37,000. The lawsuit alleges that their posters do not actually contain all of the state's required labor notices, including notifications about paid sick leave or wage orders, and deprive workers of their rights in the workplace. Chiu's office further alleges that once a business purchased a Personnel Concepts poster, they would be called repeatedly and told they have to buy more posters ...

San Francisco woman dedicates life to rescuing dogs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:54:10 GMT

(KRON) -- It’s International Women’s Day, and KRON4 is recognizing remarkable women of the Bay Area. Here is a story of a woman who has dedicated her life to helping animals in need and finding them loving homes. Meet Pali Boucher. She has been answering every bark and call for more than 20 years."The phone starts ringing; it could start ringing in the middle of the night. I keep it under my pillow," Boucher said.Boucher founded "Rocket Dog Rescue" back in 2001. ‘Remarkable Woman’ of 2022 Megan Bull shares her experience It's a volunteer-based organization dedicated to saving homeless and abandoned dogs and other animals from the danger of abuse, neglect or euthanasia.It also has a 24-hour helpline. The organization fosters the animals, then finds them permanent homes."The animals that were pouring into these shelters will live and die without ever having been loved or treated with kindness," Boucher said. "I couldn't turn away from it."She also goes to overcrowded shelters throug...

NBA's Dame Lillard texts his support for Oakland High following Oakland Tech win

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:54:10 GMT

OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — On Tuesday, Oakland High School won the Northern California Championship game, defeating Oakland Tech 77-61 to advance to the State Championship. In addition to winning bragging rights to being tops in The Town, the team also received some support from a local NBA superstar. ‘Look no further than this idiot’: Draymond goes on rant towards Grizzlies player NBA star guard Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, who is an Oakland native and played for Oakland High, is following the team's run closely. Oakland High's Head Coach Orlando Watkins, who coached the Oakland legend, mentioned he received a text from Lillard after the game. "He texted me after the game, 'Congrats. Gone head and get a state chip!'" This is the furthest the Oakland High boys' basketball program has gone in the competition, according to coach Will Lew. "This is the furthest we've ever been in the program," said Oakland High Coach Will Lew in a video posted to Twitter.Oakland High ...

Split verdict for ex-Fox execs in soccer rights bribe case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:54:10 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A former Fox executive was convicted Thursday of paying tens of millions of dollars in bribes to nab broadcasting rights to the World Cup and other top soccer matches. A second ex-executive was acquitted.A Brooklyn federal jury deliberated four days before returning the verdicts. Hernan Lopez, the former CEO of Fox International Channels, was convicted. Carlos Martinez, who headed the Latin America affiliate, was acquitted.Prosecutors said the case revealed the corruption of international soccer. Defense lawyers said the former Fox execs were framed by an admitted criminal who was trying to minimize his own punishment.An emotional Lopez hugged supporters in the courtroom after hearing the verdict, while his attorneys appeared stunned. Martinez’s lawyer, Steve McCool, said “justice was served today for Carlos.” “The jurors heard that he was an innocent man, and that he should never have been here in the first place,” McCool said outside court. A Sout...

NCAA Men’s Basketball Top 25 Schedule

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:54:10 GMT

All Times ESTThursday’s GamesNo. 2 UCLA vs. Colorado, Pac-12 Quarterfinal 1 at Paradise, Nev., 3 p.m.No. 3 Kansas vs. West Virginia, Big 12 Quarterfinal 2 at Kansas City, Mo., 3 p.m.No. 6 Marquette vs. St. John’s, Big East Quarterfinal 1 at New York, NoonNo. 7 Texas vs. Oklahoma St., Big 12 Quarterfinal 3 at Kansas City, Mo., 7 p.m.No. 8 Arizona vs. Stanford, Pac-12 Quarterfinal 3 at Paradise, Nev., 9 p.m.No. 10 Baylor vs. Iowa St., Big 12 Quarterfinal 1 at Kansas City, Mo., 12:30 p.m.No. 11 UConn vs. Providence, Big East Quarterfinal 2 at New York, 2:30 p.m.No. 12 Kansas St. vs. No. 22 TCU, Big 12 Quarterfinal 4 at Kansas City, Mo., 9:30 p.m.No. 13 Virginia vs. North Carolina, ACC Quarterfinal 3 at Greensboro, N.C., 7 p.m.No. 14 Miami vs. Wake Forest, ACC Quarterfinal 1 at Greensboro, N.C., NoonNo. 15 Xavier vs. DePaul, Big East Quarterfinal 3 at New York, 7 p.m.No. 17 Tennessee vs. Mississippi, Southeastern Second Round Game 2 at Nashville, Tenn., 3:48 p.m.No. 20 San D...

North Korea’s Kim supervises frontline artillery drill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:54:10 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a frontline artillery drill simulating an attack on an unspecified South Korean airfield as he called for his troops to sharpen their combat readiness in the face of his rivals’ “frantic war preparation moves,” state media said Friday.The North Korean report came a day after South Korea’s military detected the North firing at least one short-range ballistic missile toward the sea from a site near the western coastal city of Nampo and raised the possibility that more missiles may have been launched from the area simultaneously. The launch came as South Korea and the United States prepare to kick off their biggest combined military training exercise in years to counter the growing threat of Kim’s nuclear arsenal, which he has aggressively expanded in recent years despite the North’s deepening economic isolation and pandemic-related difficulties. Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency said that Kim urged his ...