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The Bay Area’s first pandemic class of 2023 is graduating. Here’s what it took to get here.

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:48:14 GMT

Joseph Bernardo was in the second half of his freshman year when the pandemic began. By sophomore year, everything was online — and Bernardo, like so many in his class, struggled to keep up. When he was a junior, Bernardo got used to people telling him he’d never get his diploma, and he started to believe it too. But by senior year, he decided he would prove them wrong.This week, he delivered a commencement speech to Thornton High’s Class of 2023 in Daly City, three months after graduating early.“I really lost myself during that COVID year,” Bernardo said. “So now, this is like I’m bouncing back.”Joseph Bernardo smiles after graduating from Thornton High School in Daly City, Calif., Tuesday, May 23, 2023. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) Bernardo isn’t alone. Across the Bay Area, thousands of students are finishing up a high school experience like no other — one that dovetailed exactly with the rise and fall of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite that, many in the Class of 2023 are...

One charged with murder, another in custody, for fatal shooting outside Pleasant Hill bar

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:48:14 GMT

PLEASANT HILL — Two people wanted in the killing of a man outside a bar last month have been arrested, and one of them has been charged with murder, authorities said.Mexican police handcuffed Andre Barocio Jr., 35, of Hercules, in Mexicali, Mexico, on Monday and returned him to U.S. law enforcement authorities, Pleasant Hill police Lt. Brian Leonard said in a statement.Contra Costa County prosecutors charged Barocio with murder along with a special allegation for purposely discharging a gun, and for possession of a firearm by a felon or narcotics addict, according to court records.Authorities believe Barocio fired the gun that killed 37-year-old Oscar Laredo-Arellano, of Concord, outside Farrington’s Bar in the 1900 block of Contra Costa Boulevard on April 3. Barocio and Laredo-Arellano had gone to the bar with their respective groups of friends when an argument inside the bar spilled outside, leading to the shooting.The shooting happened about 1:10 a.m. in the bar’...

Pac-12 recruiting: Utah lands a Wilson, Oregon’s second QB, Colorado’s big visit and ASU’s regional push

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:48:14 GMT

The Hotline is delighted to provide Pac-12 fans with a weekly dive into the recruiting process through the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the Seattle-based national recruiting editor for 247Sports.The following report was provided to the Hotline on May 25 …And on the fourth try, Utah finally lands itself a Wilson brother.Quarterback Isaac Wilson, the youngest of the four Wilsons, announced his commitment to the Utes on Wednesday night.Zach Wilson’s recruitment was well documented. He committed to Boise State and was never offered a scholarship by Utah, which instead signed Jack Tuttle.Of course, Zach Wilson would transfer to Brigham Young and become the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft.The other two brothers, Josh and Micah, both linebackers, played at Brigham Young.But the fourth, Isaac, a four-star prospect from Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah, is set to play for coach Kyle Whittingham’s program. His father, Mike, played on the defensive line for Utah in the 1990s.Th...

How the $35 monthly cap for insulin could work for Californians with diabetes

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:48:14 GMT

On a “bad diabetes day,” as Sammie Delaney Young calls it, her blood sugar level goes on a rollercoaster ride, even when she’s doing everything right.Young, 25, is one of approximately 3 million people in California living with diabetes, and she knows there’s nothing she can do to change the fact that she has type 1 diabetes, which requires insulin daily. The Los Angeles County resident also understands she’s faced with unique challenges as only about 5-10% of people with diabetes have type 1.“When I say I have diabetes, a lot of times people will say, ‘Well, you don’t look like you’re diabetic, or, why don’t you just not eat cake,’” Young said. “People don’t understand that it’s lifelong and chronic and affects my life every single day.”Before pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly implemented a $35 per month price cap on its insulin for insured customers in March, following a California lawsuit, Young was spending about $150 monthly for the needed insulin as well as hundreds of do...

Two arrested in killing of bartender outside Pleasant Hill bar

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:48:14 GMT

(KRON) -- Two men have been arrested as suspects in a homicide that took place in front of Farrington's Bar in Pleasant Hill in April, Pleasant Hill police said. The homicide was the first in Pleasant Hill since 2021, according to Pleasant Hill’s crime statistics.On April 3, police responded to reports of a shooting around 1:12 a.m. At the scene they found the victim, a bartender at Farrington's Bar, Oscar Lared-Arellano, 37, of Concord. He was declared dead at the scene. Police identified Andre Barocia, Jr., 34, of Hercules, as the main suspect in the shooting of Laredo-Arellano. Evidence in the investigation indicated that Barocio had fled the state and likely relocated to Mexico following the murder, police said. Officials arrested Barocio on Monday and transported back to the United States. He was booked into the Martinez County jail on Thursday.Barocia was charged with murder, possession of a firearm by a felon and use of a firearm causing great bodily injury. ‘He h...

Crash of private Japanese moon lander blamed on software, last-minute location switch

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:48:14 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A private Japanese moon lander went into free-fall while trying to land on the lunar surface last month, company officials said Friday, blaming a software issue and a last-minute switch in the touchdown location. The spacecraft belonging to the company ispace was originally supposed to land in a flat plain. But the target was changed to a crater before December’s launch. The crater’s steep cliff apparently confused the onboard software, and the 7-foot (2-meter) spacecraft went into a free-fall from less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) up, slamming into the lunar surface. The estimated speed at impact was more than 300 feet (100 meters) per second, said the company’s chief technology officer, Ryo Ujiie. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photographed the crash site the next day as it flew overhead, revealing a field of debris as well as lunar soil hurled aside by the impact.Computer simulations done in advance of the landing attempt did not incorp...

Virginia entrega kits para identificación de niños desaparecidos

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:48:14 GMT

El fiscal general de Virginia Jason Miyares anunció el jueves la entrega de kits para identificar a menores desaparecidos en el estado, cifra que asciende a 500, según datos de la Policía Estatal. Mediante la iniciativa, en alianza con el Programa Nacional de Identificación de Niños, se distribuirán en las escuelas unas guías para que los padres guarden material genético que ayude a las autoridades a localizar a los menores en caso de que desaparezcan.El kit incluye un papel en el que los padres podrán escribir el nombre de su hijo, fecha de nacimiento, peso, estatura y registrar sus huellas dactilares. Asimismo, el estuche tiene la capacidad de almacenar saliva, mientras que en la parte trasera del papel, hay un espacio para escribir marcas corporales como lunares.Por último, es importante incluir una foto actualizada del niño o adolescente.“Esta información no se va a ir a ningún sistema. Los padres van a llenar esta información y se queda en su casa. Es más, estos paquetes los pu...

Thomas sees Giro lead cut slightly by Roglič; Buitrago wins 19th stage

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:48:14 GMT

TRE CIME DI LAVAREDO, Italy (AP) — Geraint Thomas maintained his bid to become the oldest Giro d’Italia champion although he saw his lead cut slightly by closest rival Primož Roglič on Friday on the toughest stage of the race.Roglič crossed the summit finish of the so-called “Queen Stage” three seconds ahead of Thomas at the end of the race’s final mountain road leg.There were no flat sections and five tough, classified climbs on the 183-kilometer (114-mile) route from Longarone to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, which had gradients of up to 18%.The 19th stage was won by Santiago Buitrago, who finished 51 seconds ahead of Derek Gee and 1 minute, 46 seconds ahead of Magnus Cort and Roglič, who just missed out on bonus seconds.The 37-year-old Thomas, who rides for Ineos Grenadiers, is 26 seconds ahead of Roglič going into what will be a decisive penultimate stage on SaturdayThird-place João Almeida lost more time and was 59 seconds behind Thomas.Roglič changed his bicycle shortly before the...

‘Dr. Beach’ names the top 10 US beaches for 2023

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:48:14 GMT

(CNN) — Half of the top 10 beaches in the United States for 2023 are in Florida and Hawaii.That’s according to the 2023 list of best US beaches released in May by “Dr. Beach,” aka coastal scientist Stephen Leatherman.Florida’s St. George Island State Park earns the top slot. The barrier island park offers nine miles of pristine beaches along the Gulf Coast. With nature trails for biking and hiking, plus birding, fishing, boating and camping, St. George offers more than just excellent swimming and sunbathing. It’s also a prime spot for stargazing with limited light pollution and an observation platform for night sky exploration.The beach has “some of the whitest, finest sand in the world,” said Leatherman, who is a professor in the Department of Earth & Environment at Florida International University. “The water is crystal clear and clean, far from any sources of pollution on this offshore barrier island.”Leatherman has been ranking America’s best beaches since 1991.He uses&...

‘Crunch’ time in debt ceiling talks, as McCarthy and Biden reach for a deal with deadline looming

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:48:14 GMT

By LISA MASCARO, SEUNG MIN KIM, KEVIN FREKING and STEPHEN GROVES (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his Republican debt negotiators hit “crunch” time Friday at the Capitol, straining to wrap up an agreement with President Joe Biden to curb federal spending and lift the nation’s borrowing limit ahead of a fast-coming deadline. They hope to end weeks of frustrating talks and strike a deal by this weekend. Treasury says the government could start running out of money as soon as next Thursday, sending the U.S. into a potentially catastrophic default with economic spillover around the world.Anxious retirees and social service groups are among those already making default contingency plans. The next batch of Social Security checks are due to go out next week.“We made progress last night, we’ve got to make more progress now,” McCarthy said. “We know it’s a crunch.”Democrat Biden and the Republican...