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Theater reviews: One play has no shortage of antics, another no paucity of ambition

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:07 GMT

This past weekend offered two shows that are expertly performed, skillfully designed and directed with a terrific sense of what their ensembles are capable of. They also offered something of a “three bears” dilemma, without (for this theatergoer) a “just right” solution.Downtown, the Denver Center Theatre Company was making them laugh with the antics of Patrick Barlow’s parody play “The 39 Steps,” based on a 1915 novel and Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 spy thriller. In Lakewood, Benchmark Theatre was challenging its audience with “A Great Wilderness.” The drama is the work of Samuel D. Hunter, author of “The Whale” (and its big-screen adaptation), which won Brendan Fraser a Best Actor Oscar in March.Quick-change pleasuresMarco Alberto Robinson, Amelia Pedlow, Henry Walter Greenberg and Nate Miller are quick-change artists. For the demands of “The 39 Steps” — directed by Meredith McDonough — they must be. All told, the four play more than 50 characters in this espionage c...

Growing but slowing: Colorado records one of nation’s lowest growth rates in hiring

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:07 GMT

Growing but slowing is how a new report describes Colorado’s economy. The state’s 1.2% growth in employment in March was the country’s second-lowest, just behind West Virginia, and the state’s slowest since late 2021.Although revised numbers are expected to nudge the growth rate up, possibly to about 2%, Colorado will likely rise to only the 40th spot nationally in terms of new jobs, said Brian Lewandowski, executive director of research at the University of Colorado-Boulder’s Leeds School of Business.However, the quarterly report on economic indicators released Thursday by the Colorado secretary of state’s office also showed a record number of new business filings. And Lewandowski said Colorado was one of only nine states to report an increase in job openings.“Even though we have a slowing employment growth rate, we still have a very high number of job openings in the state,” Lewandowski said.Colorado’s high rate of participatio...

Miss hiking during mud season? These Colorado desert destinations are perfect for spring

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:07 GMT

Spring in Colorado is colloquially known as shoulder season (or mud season), as folks come off the slopes and wait for the snow to melt and alpine wildflowers to bloom. When it comes to hiking, however, we’re making the case that this time of year should be rebranded as desert season.For some, it likely already is. Tourists flock to enjoy the stunning desert scapes in Moab, Utah, this time of year before temperatures rise to nearly 100 degrees in the summer months. But if you can’t make it that far, Colorado also offers locations where you can hit the trails, enjoy the rock formations and (mostly) avoid trekking through mud.When it comes to desert hiking, prepare for prolonged exposure to the sun with sunscreen, hats, sunglasses and lots of water since the terrain doesn’t typically offer much shade. Some canyons have flowing water, though others don’t, so if you’re bringing a dog make sure to pack enough for everyone to stay hydrated.Here are four desert destinations to check out th...

Man who saved baby in runaway stroller had been homeless, now has new job

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:07 GMT

A Good Samaritan who saved a baby from rolling into speeding traffic in Hesperia, California just says he happened to be in the right place, at the right time.Video of the heart-stopping ordeal has since gone viral on social media.Security video shows the stroller suddenly rolling backward outside of the A1 Hand Car Wash on Monday around 3:30 p.m. as the baby’s great aunt was rummaging through her car.When the woman notices, she runs toward the stroller, but trips and falls down. She gets up again, only to fall down once more.Just as the stroller is seconds away from hitting traffic, a man suddenly dashes over and grabs the handle just in time.The quick-thinking hero, Ronald Nessman, recalls the moment he spotted the runaway stroller."I start hearing the lady screaming and she had already fallen down,” recalls Nessman. “I see a baby stroller being blown by the wind and before I knew it, I took off after it and the wind was blowing it so fast."The stroller was gaining speed by the se...

Benefit held for 5 teen ballet dancers injured in Seal Beach hit-and-run

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:07 GMT

A special benefit performance was held Thursday night in Long Beach for five ballet dancers severely injured in a violent hit-and-run crash in February that was captured on surveillance cameras.  Footage released by the Seal Beach Police Department showed the moment a man in a gold 1987 Mercedes Benz 300 blew through a red light on Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street on Feb. 11, striking the sedan carrying five teenage girls.  All five of the girls, members of Premier Dance Arts of Los Alamitos, had been dancing together earlier in the day and were on the way to a dinner reservation when they were hit. After the crash, they were all rushed to the hospital. Four of the girls had been knocked unconscious by the sheer force of the impact. Thursday night’s benefit performance in the auditorium at Millikan High School was hosted by Los Alamitos Ballet Theater and titled “Ballet in Bloom.” The funds raised at the event will help to offset medical and recovery ex...

What can be done to make Highway 17 less hazardous?: Roadshow

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:07 GMT

Q: Having lived in the Bay Area for a number of decades, I have traveled on a number of highways. I believe one of the worst stretches, if not the worst, is Highway 17 between Los Gatos and Scotts Valley.Even though there has been improvement here by placing a barrier and/or increasing the height of the barrier between the opposing Highway 17 lanes, accidents continue unabated. To ameliorate this problem, I would like to recommend that a new three-lane highway be constructed in both directions, with a shoulder on both sides.Sheridan Mowrer, DublinA: The highway will not be widened in this area. However, in the next year or so, work will begin to improve the Highway 17-Highway 9 interchange.This is part of the implementation of a long-range plan, the Highway 17 Access Management Plan. Full implementation of the plan will take many years, and cost more than $300 million. The goals are to improve traffic flow, provide strategic accessibility, and maintain safety on 17. Three new interc...

Bay Area News Group boys athlete of the week: David Colon, Castro Valley baseball

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:07 GMT

NEW: PREP SPORTS MAILBAGThe Bay Area News Group is introducing a high school sports mailbag in May. Get your questions in as soon as possible. Our debut edition is an open forum. Got questions about spring sports playoffs, coaching changes, an early peek at football season, etc.? Send questions to [email protected]. Please include “mailbag” in the subject line.Castro Valley baseball player David Colon has been named the Bay Area News Group’s boys high school athlete of the week for April 24-29 after he had 32.17% of the vote at the 5 p.m. deadline Wednesday.Foothill baseball player Jackson Flora (24.13%) finished second and Skyline baseball player Isaac Okajima placed third.Congratulations to all the candidates for this week’s recognition.Colon, a sophomore, went 3 for 3 with a triple and three RBIs and scored three runs as Castro Valley defeated Piedmont 12-5 in West Alameda County Conference Foothill Division play. He also pitched five innings, allowing ...

Oakland teachers strike enters second day; State Superintendent offers to mediate discussions

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:07 GMT

The Oakland teachers’ strike has entered its second day Friday and a mediator is attempting to make progress in negotiations after both sides strongly maintained their positions throughout a tension-filled day Thursday.State Superintendent Tony Thurmond offered Thursday to step in as a mediator, just as he did in 2019. Thus far, neither the Oakland Educators Association nor Oakland Unified School District has publicly agreed to the mediation.“We are disappointed that the parties could not find an agreement in time to avert a strike,” Thurmond said in a statement. “We observed how hard both sides worked and will start immediately working with the parties in a formal mediation capacity. Our goal is to help the parties reach an agreement and to end the strike so that students can return to class as quickly as possible.”The teachers union, which is urging the district to raise teachers’ pay and provide better resources for students, is set to return to the ...

Photos: Mubadala SailGP Season 3 Grand Final practice in San Francisco

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:07 GMT

The Mubadala SailGP Season 3 Grand Final kicks off in San Francisco this weekend with some of the best sailors in the world from nine countries vying for the championship.The boats are known for high tech and high speed, and the identical hydro-foiling F50 catamarans can fly across the bay at speeds of up to 60 mph.The weekend’s racing will decide who will compete against Season 3 leader Australia in the Grand Final race, a winner-take-all, final sprint to claim the $1 million grand prize. The U.S. SailGP Team, helmed by sailing legend Jimmy Spithill, is mathematically unable to qualify for the Grand Final, but hopes to win the weekend Grand Prix on home turf.The event will also include onshore entertainment and activities for fans in the Marina Green Race Village, including live music, food and beverage vendors, and interactive exhibits. To purchase limited tickets and learn more, see their website here.Team USA practices on their F50 catamaran in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday...

Opinion: California health care providers’ retreat from COVID masking is shameful

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:07 GMT

When the California Department of Public Health last month lifted mask mandates in health care settings, it didn’t even cross my mind as a physician and CEO of Roots Community Health Center to drop masks in clinics I oversee in the East Bay and San Jose.Dr. Noha Aboelata, founder and CEO of the Roots Community Health Center, speaks during a 2021 news conference. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)The absence of a public health order never determined health care facility policy before, so I was shocked that several health systems dropped masks the moment they stopped being required. I did not need to be mandated to do the right thing for patients and staff at the onset of the pandemic, and the removal of a mandate did not erase my duty to protect and advocate for essential frontline workers and marginalized community members.With the swift unmasking, I was not surprised by the COVID outbreak within about two weeks at Kaiser Permanente’s Santa Rosa Hospital and the facility’s qu...