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Your winter holiday travels may finally cost less this year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:39 GMT

By Daryl Austin | BloombergIf last year’s holiday vacation sticker shock was too much for you, you might find winter travel in 2023 more appealing—though an unusual Christmas break schedule could upend your plans.“Room rates have rebounded a bit from the 2022 holiday season—when they rose 50% from pre-pandemic levels—but they are still up considerably from 2019 in many places,” explains Patrick Scholes, managing director for lodging and leisure equity research at Truist Securities, an investment firm based in Atlanta.Also affecting holiday travel this year is the fact that Christmas and New Years Day will both fall on a Monday, something that happens roughly every seven years. “When this happens, it pushes the holiday into a very short window because it’s not clear when the second week of Christmas vacation should be,” says Paul Tumpowsky, chief executive officer of Skylark, a travel agency based in New York. As a result, booking consolidates into the obvious week, sending prices hi...

Hollywood writers strike is not over yet with key votes remaining on deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:39 GMT

By ANDREW DALTON | Associated PressLOS ANGELES  — The deal is made, the pickets have been suspended, and Hollywood’s writers are on the verge of getting back to work after months on strike. Actors, meanwhile, wait in the wings for their own resolution.Crucial steps remain for the writers, who technically remain on strike, and for other workers awaiting a return to production of new shows. The next phase comes Tuesday, when the governing boards of the two branches of the Writers Guild of America are expected to vote on the tentative agreement reached by union negotiators with Hollywood studios.Following the approval from the boards — which is likely — comes a vote from the writers themselves, whose timing is uncertain. The guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios, streaming services and production companies in the negotiations, were still finalizing language Monday on their agreement.That could prompt a delay of Tuesday’s voting and ...

Tens of thousands of Costco-exclusive mattresses recalled for mold risk

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:39 GMT

By Ramishah Maruf | CNNNew York — Costco customers are going to the mattresses over mold.The US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of 48,000 mattresses sold exclusively at Costco due to risk of mold exposure.Manufacturer FXI is recalling the Novaform ComfortGrande 14-inch and Novaform DreamAway 8-inch mattresses, which were sold exclusively at Costco stores in the Northwest United States and in the San Francisco Bay area from January 2023 through June 2023. The mattresses were also sold online at Costco.Customers reported 541 instances of mold, the CPSC said. The agency warned mattresses could have been exposed to water during the manufacturing process. Mold could have developed, leading to health risks for consumers with compromised immune systems, damaged lungs or a mold allergy.The CPSC said only mattresses with the model and item numbers listed on its website are included in the recall. These mattresses were also manufactured at FXI’s San Bernardino, Califor...

3 ‘Top Chef’ stars are designing coffee drinks at this Oakland cafe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:39 GMT

Want to try a coffee creation that a “Top Chef” star calls a “true masterpiece that’s the result of my passion for flavors”? Then head to Oakland’s The Caffè by Mr. Espresso, which is featuring not one but three specialty drinks designed by “Top Chef” alums beginning now.Related ArticlesRestaurants, Food and Drink | Indian Rasoi takes over Cafe Colucci space in Oakland Restaurants, Food and Drink | Photos: Bay Area’s Oktoberfest season now in full swing Restaurants, Food and Drink | Some older customers are staying away from Olive Garden and Cracker Barrel Restaurants, Food and Drink | With roots in Silicon Valley, this century-old fruit business has ties to your cereal bowl Restaurants, Food and Drink | Asian-themed mall in East Bay lands veteran buyer Mr. Espresso is an Italian immigrant-founded coffee enterprise that has been part of the East Bay s...

Taste-Off: The best Oreo flavors and the ones they really shouldn’t make

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:39 GMT

First came the Oreo, the classic dark chocolate rounds sandwiched with sugary white frosting. A cookie so beloved, they’re sold all over the world.The first Oreos were launched in 1912 and eight years later, the company introduced Lemon Creme Oreos. In the decades that followed, the company began introducing more new flavors — many, many more. To date, the company has served up 198 variations on the Oreo, including such unexpected flavors as apple cider doughnut, matcha and hot chicken wing (not kidding, but only available in China). Nabisco, the parent company of Oreo, confirms that while many Oreo flavors have come and gone, new ones will continue to appear.Curious to find out what the flavor fuss is all about, we rounded up 13 fun, interesting Oreo flavors and tasted. The take-away? Some are much better than the original, and others are perfectly awful.A great flavored Oreo is a welcome treat. It’s crispy and sweet and infused with pleasant, complementary flavors that mesh ...

Pleasanton police reach tentative labor deal with city

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:39 GMT

PLEASANTON — Pleasanton police have reached a tentative labor deal with the city that appears likely to end months of bitter contract negotiations and establish an incentive program for police to stay with the department long-term.The agreement would give officers a general pay raise of 16% over the life of the three-year contract. Sergeants would get a 19% pay increase.The deal would also establish a career-incentive program in the third year of the contract for officers with at least 15 years of law enforcement experience who have completed several years of special assignment work such as SWAT or drone assignments. The “Master Officer/Sergeant Program” would provide pay equal to 2% of an eligible employee’s base pay.Brian Jewell, a police officer and president of the Pleasanton Police Officers Association, or PPOA, said members of the association have voted in support of the tentative deal.“Our members are ready to move on and get back to serving this...

Young biker’s tragic death renews calls for drivers to use ‘Dutch reach’ when exiting their cars: Roadshow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:39 GMT

Q: A four-year-old girl, riding as a passenger on her dad’s bike, died last month after suffering a head injury in Oakland when someone opened the door of their parked car without looking to see if anyone was coming. I seem to recall someone mentioning the “Dutch reach” in a prior post in your column. It is taught in the Netherlands, beginning in primary school. It dramatically reduces these accidents because you use your inside hand to reach across to operate the door handle. This tends to cause you to look to see what is coming from behind. Let’s include that in our school curricula and in our driving handbooks and written tests.Craig Foster, San JoseA: And…Q: Gary, could you post in your column about the “Dutch Reach” method for opening a driver’s door, especially when an auto is parked to the right of a bicycle lane? Every time I ride my bike, I encounter motorists who open their driver’s door without checking for oncoming bicyclists.I heard r...

Oakland businesses plan Tuesday strike to protest crime

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:39 GMT

(BCN) -- Over 200 Oakland businesses are preparing to go on strike Tuesday in a call for better public safety. Some will be closed all day and some from 10 a.m. to noon, according to Carl Chan, longtime local business advocate and former president of the Chinatown Business Association. They are planning to gather for a public press conference outside of Le Cheval restaurant at 10 a.m. The 38-year-old family business announced last week it will be closing because of a drop in business due to increased crime. Young mother slain at Bay Area Toyota service center identified "We need to get additional resources from the county sheriff, the California Highway Patrol and the FBI," said Chan. He also called for the involvement of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. "Crimes have gotten out of hand. All these repeat offenders keep targeting many businesses, but also people," said Chan.The strikers are also calling for financial resources from the city, county and governor to off...

Vallejo felon facing 10 years in prison for owning 'ghost gun'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:39 GMT

(BCN) -- A felon from Vallejo is facing 10 years in prison for owning a "ghost gun," federal prosecutors said Monday.Raykheem Andrew Guthery, 31, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of California said in a news release.Court documents showed that on June 9, 2022, officers pulled over Guthery, who was reportedly driving a car without license plates. He pretended to be unarmed and someone else, claiming he was not on parole or probation, federal prosecutors said. Father, daughter detained by Alameda County deputies after false gun report However, officers found out he was on probation for felony assault. Officers also discovered he was carrying a "ghost gun," or a non-serialized and privately manufactured firearm, loaded with one round of .40-caliber ammunition in the chamber and another 17 rounds in an extended magazine, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.At the time, Guthery was already prohibited from...

Oakland to lower speed limits at 11 key locations to increase street safety

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:39 GMT

(BCN) -- City leaders in Oakland on Monday announced several locations throughout the city that will see lowered speed limits in an effort to create safer streets, according to City Councilmember At-Large Rebecca Kaplan. The move comes in response to Assembly Bill 43, which is a new state law that enables cities to lower speed limits in high traffic areas. "It is a well-established fact that by lowering speed limits, the number of traffic fatalities are correspondingly lowered," said Kaplan in a statement released by the city. Man fatally struck by vehicle in San Jose The initiative was announced by Mayor Sheng Thao, Oakland Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, Councilmember Noel Gallo, Councilmember Janani Ramachandran, the Oakland Department of Transportation director Fred Kelley and other city leaders. Ramachandran said lowering speed limits is a way to begin to change driver culture. "I look forward to expanding this effort to every corner of the city," she said. Acco...