Latest news with #NorthernCalifornia
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NHRA Funny Car Driver Okay After Massive Explosion at Sonoma
NHRA driver Dan Wilkerson, amazingly, popped from his Funny Car with a smile on his face following a massive engine explosion during the evening qualifying session for the Denso Nationals at Northern California's Sonoma Raceway on Friday alongside Chad Green (the driver for whom he used to be crew chief), Wilkerson managed to stay out of Green's path, hitting the wall in his own he and his own father/crew chief Tim Wilkerson took the spectacular blow-up in stride. 'I didn't know where Chad was. I didn't know where I was. It was right in my face,' Dan Wilkerson said. "I've never been so happy to hit the wall in my entire frickin' life. The worst part is scaring everybody. I hate to scare my friends, the fans, my guys. And now we've got a bunch of work to do – that's the second part that sucks.'Tim Wilkerson said, 'It had some type of mechanical failure. We'll figure it out. Daniel's OK – that's what matters. We can put the parts back in it. We know the risks. We talk about it all the time. This is a dangerous car – there's no doubt about it. That's part of this racing, unfortunately. You're going to get that every once in awhile.'
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Jared Allen's 136 sacks and fun-loving cowboy style for Chiefs, Vikings have him Hall of Fame-bound
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jared Allen will be wearing a cowboy hat next weekend in Canton for his Hall of Fame induction, the signature apparel that inspired his celebratory calf-roping act after each sack and still serves as a fitting snapshot of his off-the-field life. Raised on a horse ranch in Northern California, Allen was audacious enough at age 8 to tell his father he planned to become a professional football player. He fulfilled that vision with a relentless vengeance on the offensive tackles tasked with blocking him and the quarterbacks who tried to escape, using exceptional quickness, creative moves and pure strength to accumulate 136 sacks and four first team All-Pro selections as a defensive end over a 12-year career in the NFL. 'When you're doing what you love to do, you want to honor the game by being great, not in an arrogant way but in a way to show respect and gratitude for all those who came before you,' said Allen, who will be honored at the ceremony next weekend along with Antonio Gates, Eric Allen and Sterling Sharpe. 'I always wanted to go out there and let people know I genuinely loved playing this game.' First making his mark with the Kansas City Chiefs and then reaching another level with the Minnesota Vikings, Allen was one of the most fun-loving players of his generation. That went all the way down to his routine of running away from the play, dropping to one knee, twirling his hand as if he had a lasso and pretending to catch a calf in a rodeo before extending both arms outward to the crowd. He was a showman who had plenty to show for it. The crossroads of Allen's career came upon consummation of the 2008 trade that sent him from the Chiefs to the Vikings, his promising start in the NFL tainted by off-the-field trouble that followed him from Idaho State. Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson, who drafted Allen in the fourth round in 2004, soured on the prodigious pass rusher after two different citations for drunken driving in 2006 and declared him a 'young man at risk.' Allen was irked by the lack of front-office support and asked to be dealt, absent a new contract. After accumulating 15 1/2 sacks in 14 games in 2007 after serving a two-game suspension, Allen finally got his wish. Having given up alcohol after the second arrest, he redoubled his conditioning efforts in determination to prove his worth. 'I loved Kansas City. I wanted to spend my whole career there. Unfortunately, you learn the business side of the game can be a little ruthless, and I'm just stubborn enough to want to get my way,' Allen said. The Vikings sent their first-round pick and two third-round picks in 2008 to the Chiefs, then signed Allen to a six-year, $73 million deal that at the time was the largest in history for a defensive player. He earned every penny, too, without any salary reductions or early releases that often follow big-money contracts in a league that has little patience for declining production by players with large cap hits. 'With a contract like that and a trade like that comes a lot of pressure,' Allen said. 'It's not in my saddle to rest on my laurels. The most impressive thing was I was able to play it out. I think I represented myself well.' Allen averaged more than 14 sacks per season over six years with the Vikings, including a career-best 22 sacks in 2011 that came within one-half of the record set by Michael Strahan and later matched by T.J. Watt. Allen is officially 12th on the career sacks list, a statistic the NFL didn't compile until 1982. Research by Pro Football Reference on all games played before then produced a comprehensive list that has Allen with the 16th-most sacks in history, after winding down his career with the Chicago Bears in 2014 and being traded to the Carolina Panthers the following season. While he ditched his drinking problem and cleaned up off the field, Allen never lost his thrill-seeking lifestyle, once running with the bulls in Spain, and killing a wild boar in Texas with a knife. He was a joke-cracking, wide-smiling life of the locker room with the Vikings, where he forged lifelong friendships that transcended the bitter disappointment of losing in overtime to the New Orleans Saints in the NFC championship game after the 2009 season. Picked up at the airport in Minneapolis after the trade by defensive line coach Karl Dunbar and the alpha males of the position group, Kevin Williams and Pat Williams, Allen quickly knew he was in the right place. 'I am as competitive as they come, and it was brought to another level walking into that room,' Allen said. 'The minute I got into that car, Pat and Kevin started talking trash about how I couldn't play the run.' Allen formed the alpha center of those Vikings teams with the Williamses on one of the best defensive lines in the league. He frequently was at his best when the lights were on, including a 4 1/2-sack game on Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers when Brett Favre quarterbacked the Vikings to a 2009 victory in his first revenge matchup against the Packers. The Vikings have a long history of dominant defensive linemen, with Alan Page, Carl Eller, Chris Doleman and John Randle all enshrined before Allen in Canton. The famed Purple People Eaters — Page, Eller, Jim Marshall and Gary Larsen — helped the Vikings reach four Super Bowls and set a high standard for their successor. 'You're never going to race 'em, but I wanted people to talk about myself, Pat and Kevin,' Allen said. 'We wanted to be the fiercest, nastiest front four you could be, and that was all to pay respect to the guys who did it before us.' ___ AP NFL:
Malaysian Reserve
4 days ago
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
James S. Bostwick Named to 2025 Northern California Super Lawyers
James S. Bostwick has been selected for inclusion in the 2025 edition of Northern California Super Lawyers. SAN FRANCISCO, July 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — James S. Bostwick, Founding Partner of Bostwick & Associates, has once again been named to the Northern California Super Lawyers list, earning selection for 2025 in recognition of his work in Personal Injury – Plaintiffs, Medical Malpractice – Plaintiffs, and Professional Liability – Plaintiffs. Mr. Bostwick has been included in Super Lawyers every year since 2004, a distinction that reflects his exceptional standing among peers and his long record of success representing victims in complex civil litigation. About Super Lawyers Super Lawyers is one of the legal industry's most respected attorney rating services. Published annually, its lists highlight attorneys who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process is rigorous and multi-phased, incorporating peer nominations, independent research, and peer evaluations by top attorneys in each practice area. Ultimately, no more than 5% of practicing attorneys in each state are named to the final Super Lawyers list. About James S. Bostwick James S. Bostwick is one of the country's most accomplished trial lawyers, with a career spanning over 50 years. A Nationally Certified Specialist by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys (ABPLA), he is a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, an invitation-only organization limited to the top 100 plaintiffs' trial lawyers in the United States, and a former President of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, an organization limited to the top 500 trial lawyers in the country. Mr. Bostwick has secured record-setting verdicts and settlements in California and nationwide, including: The largest medical malpractice verdict in U.S. history at the time ($7.6M, 1978) The largest medical malpractice settlement in California history ($17M, 2019) The largest birth injury award against the U.S. Government at the time (Hawaii, 1985) Record recoveries in five states for medical negligence, birth injury, and serious personal injury Mr. Bostwick and the team at Bostwick & Associates have recovered over $1 billion for clients, earning the firm a reputation as one of the nation's premier trial practices. 'Being named to Super Lawyers is meaningful because it comes from fellow members of the legal community,' said James Bostwick. 'Throughout my career, I've been driven by a commitment to excellence and advocacy on behalf of those harmed by negligence. That work remains as important today as ever.' Bostwick & Associates Based in San Francisco, Bostwick & Associates represents individuals and families in high-stakes cases involving medical malpractice, birth injury, catastrophic injury, and professional negligence. The firm is known for its work on behalf of seriously injured plaintiffs and its ability to achieve results in complex cases that set state and national records. For more information, visit Media Contact: Allyson Wylesallysonwyles@
CBS News
5 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Safeway workers in Northern, Central California set Friday night deadline to avoid strike
Thousands of Safeway employees throughout Northern and Central California may soon go on strike, warning they could walk off the job as soon as this weekend. The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 8, Local 5 and Local 648 have issued a deadline of midnight on Friday, July 25 for a new contract. Workers are seeking higher wages and improved benefits. Both sides, along with a federal mediator, met for bargaining last week but no deal was reached. The unions are accusing Albertsons, which owns Safeway, of stalling negotiations. "The company has rejected several proposals—offering neither a rationale nor a counteroffer and has yet to offer a comprehensive wage proposal," UFCW 8 said in a statement. "We have been bargaining for months, our members have voted nearly unanimously to authorize a strike, and we're done waiting." Bargaining sessions are set to take place on Thursday. A spokesperson for Safeway said in a statement to CBS News Bay Area, which read in part, "We have scheduled bargaining sessions this week and continue to work with a federal mediator. While we are disappointed that the Unions have indicated the possibility of a strike at some of our stores, we fully respect our associates' right to engage in collective bargaining." "We are hopeful a resolution will be reached soon, as we have in other parts of the country through successful collaboration with our union partners to secure agreements that recognize and reward our dedicated associates while supporting the company's ongoing growth," the spokesperson added.
CBS News
6 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Northern California's mild July continues. When will the triple-digit heat return?
This July has been too good to be true. Northern California has been one of the coolest spots in the country with fall-like temperatures in what's typically our hottest time of the year. Since mid-July, there hasn't been a hint of a major heatwave. Daytime highs across the Sacramento Valley have hovered consistently in the 80s, and just this Tuesday, many spots didn't even reach the upper 80s, a rarity for a typical summer. So when will the heat return, and could we be looking at late summer? It's possible. The driver for our mild weather lately has been a consistent weather pattern. Northern California has been sandwiched between two areas of high pressure, one to the north in the Gulf of Alaska and one to the southeast over the Four Corners region. This setup has created just enough space for troughs of low pressure to dip in, enhancing the coastal marine layer and fueling a strong Delta Breeze. This Delta Breeze acts like nature's air conditioner, a steady, onshore flow of cool air that not only brings relief in the mornings and evenings, but has been strong enough lately to keep even our afternoons mild. Keeping us out of any summertime heat. Patterns like this are stubborn, and current trends suggest it may hold through early August. So if you've been enjoying this cool-down, there's a good chance it will stick around a bit longer. Typically, July is one of the hottest months of the year in Northern California, often bringing multiple heatwaves and triple-digit temperatures across the Valley. But this year? Not the same. In 2024, Sacramento saw 16 days of highs at or above 100 degrees in July alone. Meanwhile, this July has so far brought only one day of 100-degree temperatures to Sacramento, on July 11. During July, Sacramento averages a high of 93 degrees. Looking at this July, we've only seen eight days at or above that number, with more than half the month below average. Historically, Sacramento's hottest stretch of the year runs from July 9 through August 5, when average highs peak at 93 degrees. So yes, we're technically in our summer prime, but it certainly hasn't felt like it. If we keep our stretch of mild highs through the end of the month with no other triple digits, we could tie a three-decade record. As the last time Sacramento saw only one 100° day in July was back in 1993. Expect highs in the low 80s to continue across the Valley through the rest of the week and into the weekend. In the Sierra and foothills, temperatures will stay comfortably in the 70s and 80s over the next seven days. Starting Wednesday afternoon through Saturday, daily thunderstorms are likely across the Sierra thanks to growing atmospheric instability. The best chances will be along the Sierra crest and eastern slopes. With best chances along the Sierra crest and eastern slopes. These storms will not be big rain-producers, yet storm threats will mainly be dry lightning, small hail, gusty winds and brief heavy rain. The dry lightning risk will keep fire danger elevated through the weekend. If you have any outdoor plans in the mountains, Sunday looks to be the best day with fewer storms expected. Temperatures begin to climb again toward the end of the month, with highs returning to the low and mid-90s by July 28–29. But even as we warm up, the overall pattern through the end of July and early August keeps California among the coolest regions in the country. According to the latest outlook from the Climate Prediction Center, below-average temperatures are likely to continue over the next 6–10 days. Make sure to stay with the CBS Sacramento First Alert weather team for updates to our mild summer pattern.
