Latest news with #Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
16 hours ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
How Alex the Great's owners are honoring legacy of ‘Rally Rabbit'
Most rabbits never set foot in a ballpark. For Alex the Great, a therapy bunny who was rescued from a meat farm, he called Oracle Park home. 'He'd come up to the stadium, and you could see it in just his body language. He would get excited because he knows he's going to the game,' one of his owners, Josh Row, said in a phone interview with the Chronicle. 'The more people he got to see, the more wild the crowd got, the more he got excited, because he felt the energy and he knew where he was at.' Alex died Monday due to complications from cancer treatment, Row and Kei Kato said. He was 4. The rare Flemish giant will perhaps be most remembered by his sporting arena legacy, but according to his owners, Alex's talents were most felt in comforting those who needed him. Rally Rabbit, as he was colloquially called, immediately emerged as a local celebrity at Oracle Park, making Jumbotron appearances and greeting fans as they entered the ballpark. After going viral during his ballpark debut on April 21, 2021, the San Francisco Giants announced that Alex had a lifetime welcome at Oracle Park. Alex became an international sensation almost overnight, quickly finding himself on television broadcasts and in newspapers in countries such as the U.K., Japan, China and Peru. For a rabbit growing up during the pandemic, socialization — for animals in addition to humans — wasn't easily attainable. Row says Alex the Great came into the world 'at just the right time.' With slowly easing restrictions and mandated capacity limits, the conditions at Oracle Park in mid-2021 were just right: Alex could ease into unfamiliar sounds and faces, a far cry from the lively crowds that pack the 42,000-seat ballpark in normal years. Those who met Alex were astounded by his love for people, as he would encourage pets and snuggles in their laps. Row said that Giants president Larry Baer came by their section on several occasions to say hello to Alex. The team even designed shirts for Alex in 2021, and like true fans, many players wore them during practice. 'He was always a part of the team,' Row said. Kato continued, 'When he was on the screen, people chant his name, or if he wasn't, people shout, 'Show us the bunny,' or 'Rally Rabbit!' … People always say, you know, he brings so much joy, and they always look forward to seeing him.' After falling for the Rally Rabbit, Oracle Park employees each chipped in on a championship ring replica — perhaps unsurprising, but marking the first therapy bunny to receive a championship ring. The ring features a bunny design and has 'Alex the Great' printed on the head. When he needed a break, Alex had his own stool at the Gotham Club — a private club level exclusive to ticket holders — to relax for a moment and stretch his furry legs. During games, children brought their Alex the Rabbit stuffed animals, thrilled for a chance to meet the Rally Rabbit and, if they were lucky, get a signature pet and photo. After one game, Josh recalled a woman who chased the trio down outside of Oracle Park. 'This lady literally just broke down into tears, because, you know, she had just lost her mother and was dealing with a lot of medical issues. And just seeing him, burst her into tears,' Row said. 'But then it's like, just everything, everything he does. He just touched everybody.' This wasn't the first time Alex provided comfort to someone battling the throes of humanhood. At Bay FC's inaugural game, Alex and his owners were in a suite with celebrities including Kristi Yamaguchi. 'One lady, I cannot tell you her name, but her husband is very famous, and Alex just kept running up to him in between his legs and laying down. And he keeps coming to him. And then she said, 'Please don't tell anyone, but my husband just got diagnosed with cancer, and it seems like Alex knows that,'' Kato said. '(If) he smells something wrong, he will make sure you're comforted. That's his superpower.' Alex's owners live near Family House, a nonprofit organization in San Francisco dedicated to providing temporary housing for children undergoing serious treatment at the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. Alex became a source of comfort for the children. Kato recalled a young girl who was walking through Spark Social in Mission Bay, describing a light igniting within her when she saw Alex. The girl had just undergone a round of chemotherapy treatment at the children's hospital. Due to contamination concerns, therapy animals are not allowed in the wing where she was receiving care. 'She got to pet him, and then, we didn't know she was staying at the Family House. So every time she's back in town and staying at Family House, we come and visit her,' Kato said. 'She will let us know, 'Hey, can you come over and meet us?' Because she had a long day at the hospital.' This was the Rally Rabbit's superpower. Row and Kato have made it their mission to continue his legacy. The two are in the process of signing a lease for a storefront in Ghirardelli Square where they will open Bunny Cafe SF. The cafe will rescue bunnies from kill shelters, offering customers some bunny comfort alongside their food and drinks. Bunny companions will also be available for adoption, the proceeds of which will be donated to foundations dedicated to rabbit rescue and care. 'I don't know if we can ever have another bunny the way that we love Alex,' Kato said, voice cracking. 'But at least we can help other bunnies out there.'
San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
UC Berkeley professor slaying: Ex-wife accused of plotting killing to remain in custody before trial
A judge in Greece ruled that Konstantina Michelidaki will remain in jail ahead of her trial for allegedly killing her ex-husband, UC Berkeley professor Przemyslaw Jeziorski. Michelidaki is accused of taking part in a plot to kill Jeziorski. Four other men allegedly involved in Jeziorski's killing were also ordered to remain behind bars ahead of trial. Alexandros Pasiatas, Michelidaki's attorney, confirmed the judge's ruling in a text exchange with the Chronicle. Pasiatas previously asserted that Michelidaki had no involvement in orchestrating Jeziorski's death. Michelidaki faces moral accomplice charges. Two Albanian nationals and a Bulgarian national were charged with being accomplices. A fourth man, Christos Dounias, was charged with carrying out the killing. Dounias allegedly confessed to the crime, according to CNN, citing a leaked police report. The Chronicle could not independently verify the contents of that report. A masked gunman shot and killed Jeziorski in Athens on July 4, while he was on his way to pick up his children from Michelidaki's house. Jeziorski traveled to Athens for a custody case over whether he could take his children on vacation. On July 3, he won the right to take his children out of Greece, according to Robert Kowalski, a close friend of Jeziorski. Jeziorski and Michelidaki shared custody of 10-year-old twins who, as of last week, were under the care of the state in Athens, according to Pasiatas. Jeziorski and Michelidaki divorced in 2024, but were embroiled in a child custody and property battle at the time of his death, court records show. Jeziorski sought a restraining order against Michelidaki, saying he feared for his life, records show. Jeziorski alleged that Dounias assaulted him twice in the summer of 2024 in the restraining order petition.
San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Daniel Lurie's approval rating may be sky high, but new poll reveals vulnerabilities
Despite the resounding approval San Francisco voters gave Mayor Daniel Lurie this month in the Chronicle's first poll of his tenure, the survey also suggested he has some vulnerabilities. Lurie's remarkable 73% overall favorability rating was not matched when the poll dug into specific areas of his job performance. Asked how well the mayor was doing at providing enough reasonably-priced housing, for instance, just 36% of respondents approved of his handling of the issue, versus 47% who disapproved. On providing shelter to homeless people and managing the overdose crisis, Lurie's approval was below 50%. But those ratings still represented pluralities of respondents due to the number who said they didn't know. The mayor performed strongest on his efforts to revive downtown, keep neighborhoods clean and keep residents and businesses safe from crime — all subjects that were central to his campaign and his messaging in his early months in office. Taken together, the poll results show that Lurie is enjoying a robust honeymoon a half-year into his term, even as voters harbor concerns about his ability to solve some of San Francisco's most entrenched problems. 'Mayor Lurie is delivering results on the issues San Franciscans care about,' mayoral spokesperson Charles Lutvak said in a statement to the Chronicle. 'Our administration will continue to deliver on what we've been working on relentlessly since day one: tackling the fentanyl crisis and providing safe and clean streets for everyone in our city.' Still, the mismatch between voters' sentiment about Lurie broadly and their feelings about his work on key issues suggests his rapport with the electorate could deteriorate over time if he is blamed for not making enough progress. 'I would certainly say that the challenge for the mayor and his team is to demonstrate real improvement on housing and the number of visible homeless (people),' said Jonathan Brown, president of Sextant Strategies & Research, which conducted the poll for the Chronicle. The survey respondents did not perfectly align with San Francisco's demographics. Notably, 53% of the respondents were non-Hispanic white, 16 points higher than the city's population. But Brown noted that Asian voters, who were underrepresented in the survey, gave Lurie even higher marks than the broader electorate. Corey Cook, a political scientist at Cal Poly's Solano County campus, said the fact that Lurie's approval is not as strong on the issues as it is overall is 'absolutely expected' at this point in the mayor's tenure. 'People are really anxious about these issues, but they understand the complexity of them, and it's more than just their sense of how the mayor is doing,' Cook said. 'The opportunity is that the support for the mayor can bring those numbers up. The risk is that the concern about those issues can bring the mayor's numbers down.' Over time, voters could begin to blame Lurie if they feel continued discontent around homelessness, housing and drug overdoses, Cook said. 'Or they could start to say, 'Actually, the mayor is fighting for us and doing what we want from him and there are other reasons for this, and that's who I'm mad at,'' Cook said. 'That could be anybody.' Lurie has introduced policies that seek to address the frustration San Francisco residents feel about these core issues. He released a zoning plan that would allow taller and denser buildings along certain transit corridors, seeking to pave the way for tens of thousands of new homes from the Marina to the Richmond and Sunset districts. He also passed a local law that allows him to speed up contract approvals for projects related to homelessness, mental health and drug addiction. And he increased police enforcement along corridors in the South of Market and Mission neighborhoods in response to worsening public drug scenes, while rolling out more street ambassadors to complement the work of law enforcement. Lurie, though, backed off a signature campaign promise to build 1,500 shelter beds during the first six months of his term. His administration framed the move as a decision to focus on more targeted efforts to get help to people struggling with addiction, mental illness and homelessness. Lurie's homelessness proposals have triggered some political resistance from those to the left of the moderate mayor. Progressive Supervisor Shamann Walton blasted Lurie when he pressed ahead with plans to expand a shelter in Walton's district instead of providing safe parking spots for RV dwellers that were originally planned at the site. The mayor also faced opposition from a handful of progressive supervisors when he successfully sought permission to more easily spend up to $19 million in future proceeds from a business tax that funds homeless services. 'Every dictator states that they just want additional authority once — and then they keep pressing,' Walton said of Lurie's homeless tax proposal at a recent supervisors' meeting. 'Our mayor already has a lot of power in this city … without this body allowing more.' Additionally, Lurie has drawn scrutiny over his approach to President Donald Trump, whose name he carefully avoids uttering as he tries to stay focused on local matters — and as he seeks to keep the president from focusing his vengeful politics on San Francisco. While some have questioned the mayor's Trump strategy, the Chronicle poll found that 50% of respondents thought it was the right one. Just 29% agreed with the statement that Lurie should help lead the opposition to Trump. 'Democrats are struggling with that question nationally,' said Cook, the political scientist. 'I think it's fascinating that's where San Francisco voters are right now.' Brown, the pollster, said that due to the severity of San Francisco's problems and voters' 'desire to see them remedied,' they are 'comfortable that Mayor Lurie is prioritizing local issues as opposed to national issues.'
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
The first Southwest flights with assigned seating launch next year. Here's when
Southwest Airlines, one of the largest carriers at Bay Area airports, has finally set a date for when its new assigned seating policy will take effect. The Dallas-based carrier will begin assigning seating on flights departing Jan. 27, 2026, company executives said Monday. Starting July 29, customers can begin selecting seats for next year's flights when they are booking, officials said. Southwest is the largest carrier at Oakland International Airport and San Jose Mineta International Airport, accounting for 83% of total passenger volume and more than 50% of passenger volume respectively, according to a Chronicle report last year. It is the fifth-largest carrier at San Francisco International Airport, with a 5% passenger share, the Chronicle reported. 'Our Customers want more choice and greater control over their travel experience,' said Tony Roach, Southwest's executive vice president of customer and brand in a statement. 'Assigned seating unlocks new opportunities for our customers — including the ability to select extra legroom seats — and removes the uncertainty of not knowing where they will sit in the cabin.' Customers will be able to choose from a variety of fare bundles, some of which will offer them a chance to select a seat at the time of booking, in addition to access to three different seat types: extra legroom, preferred and standard, officials said. Cardholders of the airline's Rapid Rewards Credit Card will be able to select a seat at booking or within 48 hours of departure, depending on which card they have, officials said. A-list and A-list preferred customers will be able to select a seat at booking regardless of the fare they purchase, the company said. Under the current open-seating process, Southwest passengers must check in for their flights 24 hours before departure to be assigned a specific number in either the A, B or C boarding group. Passengers can pay extra, about $30, to skip to the front of the A line, the Chronicle reported. The new boarding process will place customers into groups based on their seat location, with extra legroom passengers boarding in groups one and two, officials said. People who purchased premium fares, along with tier members and credit cardmembers will also board earlier in the process, officials said. Choice and basic fare holders will board last unless they purchase priority boarding, which will be available 24 hours prior to departure, officials said. The change marks the first time in its more than 50-year history that Southwest will offer assigned seating to its customers. The transition was announced last year as the airline eyes more revenue and after 80 percent of surveyed customers said they preferred assigned seating to the current policy. Assigned seating is one of a few changes Southwest is making to its flights to increase profits. The carrier eliminated its longstanding free checked baggage policy for passengers, now charging for the service, in alignment with other major carriers and began operating overnight flights earlier this year.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Before alleged Bay Area post office crash, brother of Pat Tillman documented own unraveling online
Just days before Richard Tillman, brother of the former NFL star and fallen Army Ranger Pat Tillman, allegedly crashed his car into a San Jose post office, he said in a rambling 11-minute YouTube video that he was going to 'take down the system,' including the U.S. government. 'What I need to do is absolutely prove who I am and I will do that,' said Tillman, referring to himself as Yeshua, the Hebrew name for Jesus, and the son of God. 'As far as the next phase of the game, I know what needs to be done.' The cryptic video was among dozens that Tillman, a 44-year-old San Jose resident, posted in recent months documenting his own apparent unraveling. The videos, other social media posts and public records reviewed by the Chronicle show a record of legal trouble, mental health issues and isolation from friends and family in recent years. Tillman was arrested early Sunday after allegedly crashing into the Almaden Valley post office, sparking a fire that caused significant damage. His YouTube channel, which had 1,700 subscribers, was taken down after the incident. It was not immediately clear Tillman's remarks in the video posted last week were directly connected to the alleged post office crash. In the latest video, which has since been removed, Tillman recorded himself talking from inside a parked vehicle as traffic cruised past his window. He wore sunglasses and sported a long beard streaked with gray. He spoke about the 'spiritual realm,' ascension and making the planet evolve, while referring to Richard Tillman in the third person and laughing between bizarre statements. 'I'm not going to harm anyone physically, so there's nothing to worry about,' Tillman said. 'You guys will find out what I'm laughing about one day.' Richard Tillman is the younger brother of Pat Tillman, who left the Arizona Cardinals football team to serve in the U.S. Army after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire in 2004 during a chaotic firefight in his platoon while on duty in Afghanistan. Richard Tillman has pursued careers in acting and stand-up comedy. He also wrote a children's book series in 2015 meant to teach kindness and empathy. In 2019, his wife filed for divorce, which turned into a protracted and contentious legal battle, according to Fresno County records. The couple had two children. At one point during the divorce, a hearing was delayed because Tillman was 'in a mental health facility,' according to court records. A judge granted a temporary restraining order against Tillman to protect his ex-wife, records show. The court gave the wife sole custody of their children in 2021 and granted weekly supervised visits for Tillman. The judge also ordered Tillman to attend counseling for a year after finding that it 'would be in the child's best interest,' records show. Several Facebook posts suggest that Tillman became antagonistic toward friends and family members in recent months and years, even as they offered to assist Tillman in getting mental health treatment. 'I'm here to end you…And all your worthless friends,' Tillman apparently wrote in a message to a family member, according to a screenshot of the exchange he posted on Facebook earlier this year. In the crash on Sunday, fifty personnel from the San Jose Fire Department responded to the post office on the 6500 block of Crown Boulevard shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday and extinguished the fire within two hours, according to the agency. There were no injuries reported. Tillman was arrested at the scene on suspicion of arson and booked into Santa Clara County Jail. He remained in custody as of Monday morning on $60,000 bail, according to county records. It was not the first time Tillman had faced criminal charges. Fresno County court records show that Tillman racked up a series of misdemeanor charges starting in 2023, including for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol, trespassing and twice disobeying a domestic relations court order. Judges issued warrants for his arrest in each case because he failed to appear in court, records show. Before that, local court filings indicate, his record included only a traffic infraction in 2015.
