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Review: ‘Super Mario Bros. Wonder’ delivers by defying expectations

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:06:58 GMT

In a year of gaming epics, “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” arrives as a counterpoint. Not all titles need to be sagas that take weeks to finish. Excellence can come in many forms, and in Nintendo’s case, it’s a familiar one.“Wonder” is the first original 2-D platformer in the series since 2012’s “New Super Mario Bros. U,” and despite the genre being around for decades, the talented team at Nintendo continues to find ways to surprise and delight players.TWIST TO A FAMILIAR TALEThe latest project follows familiar beats. The Flower Kingdom’s Prince Florian invites Mario and the gang to his country to check out the Wonder Flower, a reality-warping treasure. To no one’s surprise, Bowser swoops in and steals the flower, merging with the royal castle and becoming a living building.It’s up to the Mushroom Kingdom crew to save the day as players choose from 12 characters who take on a mission to restore order and defeat King ...

One-car crash in Pittsburg is latest fatal wreck on Highway 4

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:06:58 GMT

PITTSBURG — A driver died early Monday after losing control of a car on an East Bay highway and slamming into a wall and center divide, the California Highway Patrol said.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Los Gatos motorcyclist dies in crash on Highway 1 Crashes and Disasters | Police: Man riding stolen motorcycle dies in fiery Oakland crash Crashes and Disasters | Man dies after being hit by BART train in Berkeley Crashes and Disasters | Pedestrian hit and killed by driver in South San Jose Crashes and Disasters | Passenger killed, driver critically injured in solo crash Sunday morning in Hayward The fatal crash happened about 3 a.m. on eastbound state Highway 4 near the Railroad Avenue exit, according to a statement from CHP spokesperson Officer Adam Lane.Authorities did not immediately identify the driver.The wreck was the 12th fatal crash of the year on Contra Costa County’s deadlie...

Older Walnut Creek apartment complex with 100-plus units lands buyer

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:06:58 GMT

WALNUT CREEK — A California real estate firm has grabbed an older apartment complex in Walnut Creek in a deal that shows residential complexes can still draw investors despite an uncertain economy.The apartment complex, located at 530 North Civic Drive in Walnut Creek, has been bought for slightly under $58 million, according to documents filed on Nov. 6 with the Contra Costa County Recorder’s Office.The just-bought residential property, known as The Boulders, consists of 164 units, which are primarily in two-story buildings on both sides of North Civic Drive near Walden Road in Walnut Creek, according to information posted on the apartments.com website.The transaction points to a purchase price of $353,500 a unit. That’s somewhat below the per-unit price of several apartment purchases in the Bay Area that occurred after the outbreak of the coronavirus.Granite Capital Group, a Santa Barbara-based real estate investment firm that acted through an affiliate, bought t...

49ers snap out of losing spell after Trent Williams returns. That’s no coincidence.

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:06:58 GMT

The 49ers were happy to see Trent Williams back on the field and a reasonable facsimile of his usual dominating self.The same cannot be said for at least one Jacksonville defensive back, who reacted to the sight of No. 71 bearing down on him Sunday as one would a runaway freight train.Williams, who often describes opponents as well as teammates by their uniform numbers, put it this way after a 34-3 road win over the Jacksonville Jaguars: “It’s kind of weird, because (No.) 31, turned around and ran. I ain’t never seen that.”That player, Darious Williams, highlighted what it meant for the 49ers to have Williams back after missing the last two games with a right ankle sprain. He was injured on Oct. 15 in a 19-17 loss to Cleveland but missed only two snaps before returning to battle Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, a front-runner for this season’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year.But it goes back further than that, with Williams at 35 fighting a running bat...

‘Best husband’ pays for dozens of strangers to join his wife at Taylor Swift movie

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:06:58 GMT

Casi Gerber was excited about seeing the Taylor Swift movie last weekend, but she was apprehensive, too.Related ArticlesEntertainment | Grammy nominations 2024: Here are the top nominees Entertainment | Taylor Swift urges voters to go to the polls in these states Entertainment | San Jose’s ICA taking annual art auction to a different level Entertainment | Taylor Swift is now a billionaire, Bloomberg says Entertainment | Swift bests Scorsese at box office, but ‘Killers of the Flower Moon” opens strongly “I was going to go by myself, but I didn’t want to be the only person dancing and singing,” said the 38-year-old Boulder, Colo., woman, who saw two concerts on Swift’s Eras Tour.Little did she know: Her husband had that taken care of.Greg Gerber had gone on social media to offer to pay for local Swifties to join them at the theater on Saturday night to watch “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.&...

Hawaii escapes: Exploring Oahu’s North Shore and windward East Side

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:06:58 GMT

Oahu’s verdant North Shore and windward East Side are just over an hour’s drive from busy Waikiki, but it feels like a world apart. This is the real Hawaii: beautiful lush mountains and valleys, pristine beaches and small towns with island-style cultures setting a subtly addictive, laid-back pace to daily life.We recently spent a week exploring these Oahu shores and, as the Hawaiians say, it was “no ka oi”—simply the best. We ziplined over the lush terrain of a working farm, swam off picturesque, world-famous surf beaches, and wandered through lush tropical gardens to a rushing waterfall.At the sprawling Polynesian Cultural Center, we soaked up entertaining and educational presentations on the native food, music and cultural traditions of six Polynesian island nations. We tackled red dirt roads in all-terrain UTV vehicles in lush, mountainous valleys made famous by Jurassic Park and many other films. And after the ride, we took a boat across an ancient fishpond to a hidden beach for...

The APEC summit is happening this week in SF. What is APEC anyway?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:06:58 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is hosting the annual APEC summit of world leaders this week for the first time since 2011. Leaders from the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group will gather in San Francisco to talk about how to better spur trade and economic growth across the Pacific region.But the main summit event will actually be on the sidelines: A face-to-face meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. This year's conference is happening against the backdrop of the frosty relationship between China and the U.S. and global turmoil from the Israel-Hamas war and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. APEC traffic, wet storms, protests: San Franciscans brace for rough week A look at what APEC is and how it works:What is APEC?APEC stands for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. It's a forum to promote trade, investment and economic development among nations around the Pacific Ocean.The group started with 12 members in ...

Timeline: Bay Area rain returns this week

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:06:58 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Partly sunny skies on Monday afternoon could give way to moderate chances of rain in the evening as a changing weather pattern brings periods of rain to the Bay Area this week. Widespread and prolonged periods of moderate rain are expected from late Monday through Friday this week, according to the National Weather Service.Expected rain totals forecast have decreased slightly, according to the NWS. Much of the region is expected to receive total rainfall in the 0.5-1.5 inch range this week. Rainfall should be locally higher in coastal mountain areas. APEC traffic, wet storms, protests: San Franciscans brace for rough week Despite the decrease in expected totals, this week's rain event could lead to ponding of water on roadways and minor nuisance flooding, the NWS said. In order to mitigate potential impacts of the storm, the NWS recommends:Cleaning gutters/drains of leavesPlanning on wet roadwaysAllowing for extra travel timeLeaving extra space between vehi...

Cal State leaders look to reduce tension, hate incidents on campus

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:06:58 GMT

(BCN) -- With tensions still high on college campuses over the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East, California State University officials are offering resources and engaging with more students to ease the mood on campuses. "The CSU condemns in the strongest terms terrorism, including the horrific acts committed by Hamas on Oct. 7," Cal State Chancellor Mildred Garcia said during a trustees meeting Tuesday last week. Body found at Crissy Field "They are hatred and senseless acts of violence, and they are antithetical to our core values. The loss of innocent life in Israel and the Gaza Strip is heartbreaking, and our deepest and most heartened sympathies are with all of those affected by this horrific tragedy."The chancellor's office also delivered a report Wednesday to the CSU board of trustees highlighting hate crimes and incidents that took place last year, while emphasizing the work it was doing to confront bias and extremism across the nation's largest public university s...

At least one dead after crash along Highway 4

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:06:58 GMT

(BCN) -- At least one person is dead after a two-vehicle crash along Highway 4 in Pittsburg early Monday morning, the California Highway Patrol said. Woman killed after shooting at Chili’s parking lot in San Leandro The accident was first reported at 2:57 a.m. on Monday, and resulted in the closure of eastbound Highway 4 at Bailey Road.The identity of the victim and other information regarding the circumstances of the crash were not immediately available.All eastbound lanes on state Route 4 at Bailey Road in Pittsburg have since reopened.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.