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Him Again: Ville Valo is back with a solo project and familiar sound

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:16 GMT

Him Again: There was a period in the mid-naughts when Finnish gothic rock band HIM broke, and it felt like people basically melted. Every human being who was attracted to men, and a few who previously didn’t know that they were, seemed to gush over impossibly charismatic frontman Ville Valo and the music that he and his band tagged “love metal.”The band was about more than a handsome goth frontman though, that “love metal” was really a contemporary take on poetic goth, with some crunchy riffs. It was sweeter than bands such as Paradise Lost or Type O Negative that were floating around at the time, but heavier than old vamp faves like Bauhaus and the Mission. When Kat Von D and Jackass’ Bam Margera publicly professed their love for HIM, it all clicked.Valo rode that wave with his bandmates for a while. 2013’s Tears on Tape was HIM’s eighth and final studio album, a full decade ago now. Valo has been keeping busy between that and Neon Noir, his new solo album (released under the monik...

Bay Bridge commute a mess after deadly crash, crisis situation

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:16 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Commuters trying to cross the Bay Bridge from the East Bay into San Francisco found traffic at a crawl early Thursday after a two separate incidents hours apart, one of them a crash that killed two people, the California Highway Patrol said.At 6:30 a.m., the two far right lanes of the westbound direction on Interstate 80 of the bridge were closed, because a person on the upper deck of the bridge was in distress, according to the agency.The CHP said just after 6:30 that the crisis situation had been resolved. They had no other details.The crash happened about 11:20 p.m. Wednesday, just east of Treasure Island, also on the upper deck, the CHP said. That crash involved a big rig and another vehicle, they said.There was no information available immediately on the two people who died in the wreck.The fatal crash and the crisis situation were not believed to be related, the CHP said.The commute from the bridge’s toll plaza into the city was taking approximately...

Builders break ground on Saratoga’s Quito Village housing development

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:16 GMT

Builders have broken ground on Quito Village in Saratoga, kicking off the first phase of the controversial housing development.The mixed-use center, located on Cox Avenue between Paseo Presada and Saratoga Avenue, is slated to have 17 buildings with more than 90 new housing units and 5,000 square feet of commercial space.The city of Saratoga issued building permits for 63 of the 90 townhomes to be built on site, which include both for sale and rental units in 17 buildings. About 10% of the 90 units would be affordable housing for very low-income households.Developer Pulte Homes purchased the vast majority of Quito Village from Sand Hill Property for $5.4 million last September. Sand Hill originally purchased the site in 2013 for $20.9 million.Bill Sadler, division director for Pulte Homes, said the homes are slated to be open for sale in June, with closing dates falling in September or October.Sand Hill used Senate Bill 35, a law meant to streamline development in cities not meeting...

Thousands still without power in South Bay, Peninsula; most schools reopen for in-person classes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:16 GMT

Thousands remained without power Thursday morning across the Bay Area, a day after Pacific Gas and Electric Company saw its most outages in a single day since 1995.The utility said about 367,000 of its Bay Area customers were without power at the outages’ peak yesterday, with most coming in the South Bay and on the Peninsula. The region was rocked Tuesday by massive wind storms that saw gusts up to 97 miles per hour, damaging at least 217 power poles and 157 transformers according to the utility.As of the most recent update from 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, 76,815 customers remained in the dark, with most located in Santa Clara, San Mateo and Contra Costa Counties. As of 6 a.m. Thursday, the PG&E outage map appears to show outages affecting at least 500 customers in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Campbell, Saratoga, Los Altos, Menlo Park, Redwood City, San Mateo and San Ramon.Most schools were announced to reopen for in-person classes Thursday, with the exception of  Cupertino’s...

Kurtenbach: Andrew Wiggins’ absence from the Warriors is too big to ignore anymore

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:16 GMT

Andrew Wiggins’ absence isn’t the sole reason the Warriors lost to the Clippers in Los Angeles.Nor is it the reason the Warriors haven’t won a road game since January.But the Dubs’ wing has been on an excused absence for family issues for 13 games now, and the team has no idea when he might return.And my goodness, they could have used him Wednesday.That game was a playoff-like matchup.Both teams brought intensity and focus both teams. Both coaches were using tailored defensive game plans. Steph Curry went and scored 50 points.But the truth about the postseason — or games that feel like the postseason — is that the wings determine the outcomes.Wednesday, the Clippers had Paul George (24 points) and Kawhi Leonard (30) as their top two wings.The Warriors had Klay Thompson (15 points) and Moses Moody (3).Is it any surprise the Clippers won?(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Related ArticlesGolden State Warriors | Steph Curry drops 50 points but Warriors lose ...

7 incredible Bay Area things to do this weekend, March 17-19

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:16 GMT

We have all kinds of ideas for how to have fun — rain or shine — this weekend, from great concerts and dance recitals to an awww-inducing Marin day trip and a new take on a St. Patrick’s Day staple. 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: Great concerts and shows are all overThere’s always a lot going on in the Bay Area, but this weekend seems especially promising. From the famous S.F. Girls Chorus to all-world pianist Jon Nakamatsu to the Dance Theatre of Harlem, here’s a partial rundown of your options.Farm owner Tamara Hicks holds a 3-day old lamb at Tomales Farmstead Creamery & Toluma Farms in Tomales. (Jose Carlos Fajardo...

Earthquake reported southeast of Livermore

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:16 GMT

LIVERMORE, Calif. (KRON) -- A 2.9-magnitude earthquake was reported about 12 miles southeast of Livermore early Thursday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey. The earthquake reached a depth of nearly two miles, USGS reported.The earthquake struck around 5:35 a.m. No injuries have been reported.This story is developing and may be updated.

Player of the Week: Kettle Run’s Jordan Tapscott

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:16 GMT

 This week’s WTOP Player of the Week is senior Jordan Tapscott of Kettle Run High School in Virginia. (Courtesy Jessica Tapscott)This week’s WTOP Player of the Week is senior Jordan Tapscott of Kettle Run High School in Virginia.Jordan was a four-year varsity starter in both football and basketball.  He helped his football team reach the State Championship for the first time ever, while setting every school record at wide receiver.  The post season awards came pouring in as he was named first team All-State on both offense and defense. He also won All-Region Player of the Year along with All-District Player of the Year.On the basketball court, Jordan’s father took over the varsity basketball program this year and was able to coach his son during his senior season.  Jordan earned first team All-region in basketball this winter as well.He has excelled in the classroom maintaining a 3.2 GPA and will continue his education at Virginia Tech this fall, where he will...

KVH: Q4 Earnings Snapshot

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:16 GMT

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (AP) — MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (AP) — KVH Industries Inc. (KVHI) on Thursday reported fourth-quarter net income of $591,000, after reporting a loss in the same period a year earlier.On a per-share basis, the Middletown, Rhode Island-based company said it had net income of 3 cents. Earnings, adjusted for stock option expense and non-recurring costs, came to 8 cents per share.The maker of mobile communication and navigation equipment posted revenue of $36 million in the period.For the year, the company reported net income of $24.1 million, or $1.29 per share, swinging to a profit in the period. Revenue was reported as $138.9 million._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on KVHI at https://www.zacks.com/ap/KVHISource

Ohtani leads Japan over Italy 9-3, into WBC semifinals

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:16 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani pitched shutout ball into the fifth inning and sparked a four-run third with a bunt single, leading Japan over Italy 9-3 Thursday night and into its fifth straight World Baseball Classic semifinal.Boston’s Masataka Yoshida homered and drove in the go-ahead run with a grounder, giving him a tournament-leading 10 RBIs. Kazuma Okamoto hit a three-run homer for Japan, which has outscored opponents 47-11 in five games.Japan travels to Miami for a semifinal on Monday against Puerto Rico or Mexico. Cuba plays the other semifinal against the United States or Venezuela.Pitching before an adoring crowd of 41,723 at the Tokyo Dome, Ohtani threw his fasted pitch since he joined the Los Angeles Angels in 2018, strlking out Vinnie Pasquantino on a 102 mph fastball in the second. That topped a 101.4 mph pitch that struck out Houston’s Kyle Tucker last Sept. 10.Ohtani (2-0) allowed two runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings with five strikeouts and a walk and went 1 for 4 wi...