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Violent brawl at soccer game caught on camera in Irvine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:31 GMT

The Irvine Police Department is investigating a brawl that broke out over the weekend between two soccer teams that led to spectators, parents and family members coming onto the field and joining the melee.The fight took place at Great Park in Irvine on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 21, following a game between Club Garrafones from South Los Angeles and Irvine Zeta FC II — both of which are part of the professional development United Premier Soccer League.  The nearly four-minute video obtained by KTLA shows the two teams and others in a violent altercation that moved back and forth across the field, with several people taking blows to the face, as well as one person ganged up on and kicked while they were down. Bryan Wallace, head coach of Irvine Zeta, believes his lower-ranked and younger team’s upset victory over the undefeated Club Garrafones is what sparked tempers and led to a dispute between two players that eventually turned into an out-and-out fight that cleared the st...

Bay Area News Group high school football predictions: Week 10, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:31 GMT

Earlier this season, ESPN’s Bill Connelly named his best high school football teams of all time.No. 1 on Connelly’s national list was De La Salle, circa 2001, an undefeated and dominant team that featured future NFL star running back Maurice Jones-Drew, now an assistant at the Concord school.Our football expert Mike Lefkow, who has followed the local high school scene for many years, remembers that era of De La Salle football well.But that didn’t stop Lefkow from dropping a bombshell during this week’s picks video.Lefkow was asked about Serra’s ongoing ascent in the aftermath of the Padres’ 53-7 rout of Archbishop Riordan on Saturday, a result that improved the record of Northern California’s No. 1 team to 8-0.“They’re a great football team,” Lefkow said. “In fact, they might be the best team in Bay Area high school history.”“You believe that,” I asked.“Really?” Joseph Dycus added.“...

Jerusalem Coffee House opens in Oakland with Palestinian-inspired drinks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:31 GMT

Ever heard of a coffee drink called “Bebsi”? It combines cardamom with the fizziness of soda and richness of espresso, and it’s on offer right now at the new Jerusalem Coffee House in Oakland’s Temescal district.The cafe opened this month at 5443 Telegraph Ave. in the space previously occupied by organic eatery The Well. It’s been nicely redesigned and amenable to people working or just hanging out. Right now, there is a short but intriguing menu of drinks – featuring coffee beans from Tanzania roasted in small batches in Berkeley – inspired by Palestinian culture. So you won’t find just Bebsi but also Arabic coffee, shai karak and a date-tahini latte, which “captures the essence of Palestinian tradition by marrying two flavors that represent centuries of food indigenous to the Holy Land,” says founder Abdulrahim “Raheem” Harara.The cafe’s menu features organic ingredients that are native to Palestinian culture, and t...

Barbayani Taverna, a new Greek restaurant, debuts on the Peninsula

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:31 GMT

A new restaurant in Los Altos aims to help its visitors feel — and eat — like they’re on a Greek isle.Barbayani Taverna, which held its grand opening Oct. 10, features Greek decor and dishes such as branzino, lamb chops and octopus, as well as live music on Friday and Saturday evenings.The location — 388 Main St. — has seen several restaurants turn over in recent years, most recently the Peruvian-inspired restaurant and lounge Flora Los Altos. Flora closed in May,  just months after it opened.Pan-pried Kefalograviera cheese, brandy and lemon are served at Barbayani Taverna, a new Greek restaurant in Los Altos. (Courtesy Mike Norquist/Barbayani Taverna) The new Greek restaurant is owned by Dino Tekdemir and executive chef Allen Isik. Tekdemir also runs the Turkish Anatolian Kitchen in Palo Alto and the Austrian Naschmarkt restaurants in Campbell and Palo Alto, while Isik, who hails from Istanbul, previously led the kitchen at Nemea Taverna in San Jose.Grilled, ...

Oakland is counting on millions from the sale of the Raiders training facility — but no one wants it

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:31 GMT

OAKLAND — The athletics compound that once served as the headquarters for multiple professional sports teams, including the Raiders, has been sitting empty for months, with no one willing to buy it.That could spell trouble for Oakland, where officials are expecting the sale to yield millions of dollars by next year. The revenue would help patch up what city leaders call the largest budget deficit in Oakland’s history.After an auction in the summer saw zero bidders step forward, officials in Alameda County and the city of Oakland — the agencies that jointly own the property — won’t disclose much about their plans, saying only that they are “discussing next steps.”The compound sits on 16 acres divided into two parcels on Alameda’s Bay Farm Island, a stone’s throw from the coast and a few miles from the Oakland Airport.It includes a slick athletics training facility, some offices that once served as the Raiders headquarters, multipl...

With poor start, Sharks are halfway to breaking an ignominious record

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:31 GMT

Don’t worry, the San Jose Sharks are still nowhere near the franchise record for the longest winless streak to open a season.But it might not be that long before that ignominious mark of 11 begins to feel really close.The Sharks were handed their sixth consecutive defeat Tuesday, allowing three straight goals in a 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena. Although the Sharks received some encouraging individual performances, the loss marked the fifth time that they’ve scored just one goal.Going into Thursday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Sharks (0-5-1) have hit the back of the net just eight times, the second-lowest total in the league and tied for the fewest in team history after six games (the 2003-04 team also scored eight during a 1-4-1 start).The Sharks have three more opportunities on this road trip to earn a win. After Thursday, they face the Carolina Hurricanes (3-4-0) on Friday and the Washington Capitals (1-3-1) on Sunday. The Sharks were beaten...

San Mateo police arrest 2 suspected motorcycle thieves using tracking device

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:31 GMT

(BCN) -- San Mateo officers arrested two suspected motorcycle thieves over the weekend after using a tracker that was attached to one of the motorcycles they allegedly stole, according to police.On Saturday morning, officers were alerted to a report from a man who said his two motorcycles were stolen from his gated parking garage in the 400 block of East Hillsdale Boulevard, the San Mateo Police Department said in a news release Tuesday.Officers spoke to witnesses and obtained video footage showing a red Toyota Tacoma truck arriving at the garage and leaving with the stolen motorcycles. San Jose home with meth lab goes on market for $1.5 million Officers then learned the victim had placed a tracking device on one of the stolen motorcycles. Using the tracker, they located the stolen motorcycles in the 1300 block of Veterans Boulevard in South San Francisco around 9:30 a.m. Saturday, according to police.San Mateo police arrested two men on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, after they alleged...

CHP issues Silver Alert for missing Colma man

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:31 GMT

(BCN) -- The California Highway Patrol issued a Silver Alert on early Wednesday morning for a missing at-risk senior man from San Mateo County.Kenny Tiapula, 66, was last seen Tuesday at approximately 2:45 p.m. in the incorporated town of Colma.Tiapula is believed to be on foot wearing a San Francisco 49ers beanie, a San Francisco Giants windbreaker, gray sweatpants and brown slippers.He is 5 feet 11 inches tall, 240 pounds, with brown eyes and gray hair.Anyone who sees him should call 911 immediately, the CHP said.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Girl allegedly kidnapped from her San Francisco home found safe, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:31 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- The San Francisco Police Department Special Victims Unit asked Tuesday for the public’s help to find a 4-year-old girl who was allegedly kidnapped by her relative without her father's consent. Overnight Wednesday, SFPD confirmed to KRON4 that the girl was found in good health.No arrests have been made in the alleged kidnapping, according to police.Before being located, police said Fatima Abuzahra, 4, was last seen with the suspected kidnapper, 30-year-old Enas Birawi, on the 600 block of Eddy Street in the Tenderloin. The girl's father alerted police at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday that his daughter was gone. Birawi allegedly took the girl without the father's knowledge nor consent, police said."The investigation determined that Fatima was taken from her home by a relative, Enas Birawi," Officer Robert Rueca said.Police did not say how the girl and suspect are related. SFPD wrote, "Fatima and Enas were last seen in the area of the 600 block of Eddy St. It is possib...

Long Shot World Series: Diamondbacks vs Rangers is a Fall Classic few saw coming

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:31 GMT

Tell the truth: How many people picked Arizona and Texas to meet in the World Series?A Rangers-Diamondbacks matchup had 1,750 to 1 odds when wagering opened last fall.But in an era when 12 teams make the playoffs, sustained excellence over the six-month regular season has become a boarding pass, not the journey, leading to a long shot Series that opens Friday night at Globe Life Field.“Once you get into the big dance, anything can happen,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said before Tuesday night’s 4-2 win at Philadelphia advanced Arizona to its first World Series since 2001. “Throw it all out the window. The teams that get in deserve to be in.”All the glamour teams are watching at home: the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves stumbled in the Division Series, defending champion Houston was ousted by Texas, and the New York Yankees didn’t even make it to the postseason.Instead, Major League Baseball has its third all-wild card meeting, a Grand Canyon vs. Lone Star finale ...