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Wish Book: Understanding lupus is the first step in fighting the disease

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

You may have heard of lupus but probably don’t really know what it is. That was true of San Jose resident Jane Siebenmorgen in 2004, when she started feeling fatigue while on a family trip to Europe.Within a year, she was tired all the time and her symptoms had grown to include weight loss, hair loss and circulatory problems in her fingers, which would turn white, then dark blue and then red. Siebenmorgen went to her doctor — the same one who had stitched up her chin when she was 4 years old — who suspected she had lupus and referred her to a rheumatologist.The following Monday, Siebenmorgen wasn’t feeling well at work and co-workers called 911 after discovering her heart was racing at more than 200 beats per minute. That started a three-week hospital odyssey of tests, talks among specialists and scary moments for her family. While in the hospital, she suffered two grand mal seizures, a stroke and developed a bacterial infection.“At one point, a doctor ...

Kurtenbach: Doubt Brock Purdy all you want. His 49ers’ teammates and coaches won’t

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

Brock Purdy’s career-worst game against the Ravens was a Christmas gift to everyone out there who — for whatever misguided reason — had decided he wasn’t, in fact, a good quarterback.There was downright glee about Purdy’s come-to-earth game on ESPN, Fox Sports, and countless podcasts and YouTube streams (does everyone have one of those these days?).But you know who has zero doubt that the 49ers’ second-year quarterback is good enough to lead the team to the Super Bowl?His coaches and teammates.It would have leaked out on Monday if there were any doubts about Purdy’s abilities in the 49ers’ locker room.A small, passive-aggressive comment, a bit-to-effusive praise of backup Sam Darnold, or outright questioning of Purdy’s quality — we didn’t hear a peep of negativity from the Niners after Purdy’s four-interception game.And, trust me, there are too many recorders and cameras in that room postgame to have missed it.In fact, the only p...

The year’s 50 best wines under $50, from an expert who tasted 3,243

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

By Elin McCoy | BloombergI love drinking rare, expensive wine as much as anyone, but I’m a bargain hunter at heart. I’m always on the lookout for the reds, whites, rosés and sparklers that deliver top quality at a reasonable cost. So, as I reviewed my 2023 tasting notes, I was delighted to discover this was a banner year for good values, despite inflation.I culled my following 50 good buys from 3,243 wines from 21 countries that I sipped this year. I’ve tried to highlight what’s new, at least to me, but some are familiar labels that consistently deliver deliciousness—and they haven’t raised their prices, either. Sadly it gets harder and harder to find Champagnes that sell for $50 and under, but I did.So, where to look for bargains?For the past two years, my top country for value in almost every category is Italy.France is a close second. Look to the Languedoc in the south, as well as the Touraine region of the Loire Valley, and in Macon. Be sure to add in Bordeaux from smaller chate...

Powerball jackpot rises to $760 million after no winner Wednesday night

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

By Elizabeth Wolfe | CNNAn estimated $760 million jackpot will be up for grabs in the next Powerball drawing after no winning ticket was drawn Wednesday night.The lottery’s next drawing will be Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET.After more than two months with no grand prize winner, the jackpot now carries a lump-sum option estimated at $382.5 million.But Wednesday’s drawing didn’t leave everyone empty-handed. At least one ticket in Texas won $2 million and at least one other in California won $1 million, the lottery announced.Wednesday’s jackpot was initially set at an estimated $685 million but sales officials increased the prize by about $15 million due to strong ticket sales.The swelling prize is the fourth Powerball jackpot to exceed half a billion dollars this year.The Powerball jackpot was last won on October 11, when a ticket in California won a $1.765 billion grand prize. The odds of winning the grand prize are 1 in 292,201,338, according to Powerball. Tickets cost $2 per play and a...

Abcarian: Should large people get an extra airline seat for free?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

Kimmy Garris, who describes herself as a “fat solo traveler,” probably had no idea that her 30-second TikTok video was going to cause a sensation when she recorded herself in September politely asking a Southwest Airlines gate agent if she could avail herself of the airline’s “customer of size” policy.Her TikTok post went viral because of what happened next.The gate agent hands Garris an extra boarding pass, she walks onto the plane, asks for a seat-belt extender, takes a window seat and places the extra boarding pass in the middle seat.“If anyone tries to sit in it,” she wrote, “I kindly let them know I have two seats booked. To be honest, I almost never get approached because no one wants to sit in the middle seat next to a fat person on a plane.”You were expecting some kind of made-for-social-media airplane meltdown, right? The video went viral, I think, because people have been shocked and delighted that an airline can be so ...

Political cartoons: Wishing us all a better 2024

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

2023 is a year many of us would rather forget. War in the Mideast and Ukraine. A former president indicted. Record illegal migration across the U.S. southern border. A dysfunctional Republican-led House of Representatives. The vote to remove a member of Congress. More gun violence. More attempts in red states to limit abortion rights.Conservative cartoonist Lisa Benson and liberal Clay Bennett reflect on a year that is thankfully coming to an end.Perhaps a little humor will set the stage for a better 2024.Clay Bennett/Chattanooga Times Free PressLisa Benson/Counterpoint MediaClay Bennett/Chattanooga Times Free PressLisa Benson/Counterpoint MediaClay Bennett/Chattanooga Times Free PressLisa Benson/Counterpoint MediaLisa Benson/Counterpoint MediaClay Bennett/Chattanooga Times Free PressClay Bennett/Chattanooga Times Free PressLisa Benson/Counterpoint MediaClay Bennett/Chattanooga Times Free PressClay Bennett/Chattanooga Times Free PressLisa Benson/Counterpoint MediaLisa Benson/Counter...

Thursday one of the busiest days to hit the road

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (KRON) -- The number of people expected to be moving around by car between Thursday and next week is over 100 million people, and a good chunk of them are right here in California.In total, the number of Californians traveling is around 15 million and nationwide that number is 115 million. Chick-fil-A to open another East Bay location Almost 104 million will be traveling by car and at least 50 miles from home, according to AAA. That’s an increase of almost 2 percent compared to last year.The worst time to hit the roads will be both Thursday and Friday between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., with the best time to leave being before noon.When it comes to gas prices, they are similar to last year, AAA said. In the Bay Area, San Francisco has the highest price of $4.85 a gallon and the lowest being $4.59 in Solano County.

Hercules police arrest man suspected of multiple business burglaries

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

(BCN) -- Hercules police over the weekend arrested a man they suspect shattered glass windows and broke into three businesses and was responsible for at least four burglaries last week.At 3:43 a.m. Sunday, police were notified of an alarm activation at a business located at 844 Willow Ave. A K-9 unit from Pinole police also responded.An arriving Hercules officer saw a man standing in front of Mountain Mike's Pizza wearing a dark puffy-style jacket and dark pants. The person was gone by the time the officer entered the parking lot, police said. Shots fired during robbery at Pinole gas station Wednesday Starbucks, the restaurant El Cuscatlan and Mountain Mike's had their glass doors shattered and appeared to have been broken into.Shortly afterward, another officer saw a male running from Foxboro Downs across from Willow Avenue into the creek area. Officers located the male matching the description and detained him by the creek.Police reviewed video surveillance and arrested the 21-y...

3 suspects in San Francisco robbery arrested

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

(BCN) -- Three people from Vacaville were arrested in connection to a San Francisco robbery case earlier this month, the San Francisco Police Department said Wednesday.At approximately 1:34 p.m. on Dec. 11, a robbery with a gun was reported in the area of 18th and Kansas streets. Police dispatch sent out a description of the vehicle associated with the suspects in this case and an officer spotted one matching the description traveling eastbound on Interstate 80.A record check of its license plate showed that it had allegedly been stolen in a carjacking in another jurisdiction. A sergeant attempted to pursue the fleeing vehicle, but lost sight of it, police said.When a car matching the description was again seen by officers in the Tenderloin near Eddy and Polk streets around 5:21 p.m., officers said they attempted to stop the vehicle, but it again fled.The pursuit ended with the suspects' vehicle causing a collision in the 500 block of Franklin Street. The suspects allegedly tried t...

Deceased man found on San Francisco BART train was suspected overdose

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

(BCN) -- A man who was found dead on a BART train Tuesday may have died from an overdose, according to BART Police.BART radio transmissions initially said that an unresponsive person was found on a Dublin-bound train at the Embarcadero station around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Oakland Mayor Thao rejects list of police chief candidates According to police logs, Narcan was administered to attempt to reverse a suspected opiate overdose. Fire department personnel arrived and soon declared the man deceased. There was no sign of foul play, according to police, but the exact cause of death will be determined by a medical examiner.The station was closed for approximately eight minutes while crews responded, but the emergency created major backups in the BART system.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.