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Deebo Samuel brings a ‘little more’ speed, power, leadership to 49ers this season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:53 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Watching Brock Purdy fire passes at Deebo Samuel this August looks so natural and so encouraging for the 49ers’ offense.They hooked up twice to start Saturday’s preseason win over the Broncos, and they produced seven completions in Monday’s practice.It’s not as if the Purdy-to-Samuel connection was invisible last season, while Purdy ripped off eight wins before his NFC Championship Game injury. Samuel had six catches for 133 yards and a touchdown in a playoff-opening win over Seattle.But go back to Purdy’s first start, when he outdueled Tom Brady to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Samuel was carted off that game with knee and ankle injuries that kept him out for the next three weeks.Samuel’s offseason overhaul of his body has him primed for more targets, thanks to what he calls “a little more to my step, and a little more to my speed, so it’s a little more power.”A year ago, Purdy wasn’t exactly on Samuel’s radar, at least not u...

Kurtenbach: Kyle Harrison’s SF Giants call-up means the clock is ticking on Farhan Zaidi

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:53 GMT

Welcome to the show, Kyle Harrison.Now all you have to do is save the Giants’ season.Ok, ok, that might be overstating things a bit. Still, the combination of expectations surrounding the Giants’ top prospect and the desperation of a team that has lost five straight series puts the 22-year-old left-handed pitcher right into the fire when he makes his Major League debut on Tuesday in Philadelphia.No matter how it goes for the most anticipated pitcher call-up since Madison Bumgarner, the fact is that his entrance to the big leagues signals a shift for the Giants’ organization.It took much longer than expected, but welcome to Phase 2 of the Farhan Zaidi administration: the no-excuses era.The early days of Zaidi’s reign as president of baseball operations were about rebuilding a depleted farm system. He did that, and in some of the lean years since he took over — 2019, 2020, 2022 — those prospects provided hope to the Giants’ fan base.Who cares that the Gia...

Skelton: Newsom-DeSantis debate would be good for voters and governors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:53 GMT

Never mind the Republican presidential debate Wednesday. The more fascinating faceoff will likely be between the haggling governors of California and Florida in November.If it actually occurs, that is. The two are still squabbling over debate rules. But I figure they’ll settle their relatively minor differences and go at it on national television, entertaining millions.There’s too much potential benefit for both California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis for them to pass up this golden opportunity to gain national attention.A Newsom insider told me there’ll absolutely be a debate because both governors desire one. It was first proposed by Newsom last year and DeSantis has accepted. Fox TV host Sean Hannity would moderate.“It’ll be the most interesting debate in the next two years because it’ll be about the future,” the Newsom confidant said.Candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, including DeSantis, will debate Wednesday in Milwau...

SJSU eyes prominent downtown San Jose hotel tower for student housing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:53 GMT

SAN JOSE — San Jose State University is engaged in talks to enable the school to buy a prominent downtown San Jose hotel tower that the college could convert to student housing.The university is eyeing the purchase of the southern tower of the Signia Hilton San Jose, according to several sources with informed knowledge of the potential real estate deal.The south building of the lodging complex is part of the two-tower hotel at 170 South Market Street that for decades operated as the Fairmont San Jose, an 805-room hotel that is one of the city’s downtown icons.Sam Hirbod, the principal executive of the group that owns the Signia Hilton in downtown San Jose, had confirmed in April of this year that discussions were underway with a potential buyer for the southern tower.The negotiations would leave Hirbod’s group with ownership of the 541-room northern tower, which would remain a conventional hotel, Hirbod said in April.SJSU would buy the 264-unit southern tower from ...

Your Impact in Action: Changing Lives with LifeMoves

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:53 GMT

Hello, incredible donors and readers! As busy as things get at the end of summer, we’re excited to share a heartwarming update on the impact of your generous gifts to LifeMoves through the Mercury News Wish Book. Your contributions have made a profound difference in the lives of individuals, veterans, and families facing homelessness. Let’s dive into the inspiring stories of hope and resilience made possible by your support.Empowering Families at Haven Family HouseThanks to your generosity, LifeMoves has been able to support 23 families, including nine veterans as the head of households, at the Haven Family House in Menlo Park. From October 2022 to March 2023, LifeMoves provided case management support to 32 households at Haven Family House. Among them, 15 were veterans leading their families towards stability. During this period, 61 children and 58 adults received the crucial assistance they needed.Danny and Jen’s Journey to SobrietyYour support has not only provi...

Person struck and killed by train in Belmont

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:53 GMT

(KRON) -- One person was hit and killed by a train in Belmont Monday night, according to Caltrain.The crash occurred around 11 p.m. when a northbound train struck the person as it approached the station. Emergency crews arrived at the scene around 11:35 p.m. and the person was pronounced dead. Missing Netflix employee was last seen in SF, police say Caltrain said 13 passengers were on board at the time of the collision and were moved to the platform area shortly after. Service was stopped in the area following the incident. No other injuries were reported.

A team of Kenyan officials is looking at how to help Haiti fight rampant gang violence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:53 GMT

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A team of Kenyan officials is in Haiti to explore how best to help the troubled Caribbean nation fight the scourge of gang violence, following up on Nairobi’s offer to lead a multinational force in the task.The force is meant to assist Haiti’s understaffed and under-resourced police department, with only about 10,000 officers for the nation’s more than 11 million people.Earlier this month, the United States said it would introduce a U.N. Security Council resolution that would authorize Kenya to lead a multinational police force and provide 1,000 officers. No timetable for the resolution has been given.The first meeting between Haitian officials and the 10-member Kenyan team took place on Monday, according to a government stated issued late that night.“We are here to assess the needs of the National Police of Haiti, better understand the situation and do our best to help the Haitian people,” said George Orina, with Kenya’s ministry of foreign ...

Man City manager Pep Guardiola has emergency back surgery and will miss next two games

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:53 GMT

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has undergone “emergency surgery” on a back problem and isn’t expected to take charge of the team for around another month, the club said on Tuesday.City said Guardiola has been suffering with severe back pain for some time and decided to have an operation in Barcelona, where he will spend time recovering. The surgery was successful, the club said.His assistant, Juanma Lillo, will take over Guardiola’s duties in the meantime.“He is expected to return after the forthcoming international break,” City said of Guardiola.City has English Premier League games against Sheffield United and Fulham before the club season pauses for two weeks for international matches.City’s first game back is in the league against West Ham on Sept. 16, and the group stage of the Champions League begins the following midweek.The 57-year-old Lillo is in his second stint as Guardiola’s assistant at City, having held the posi...

Dick’s 2Q profit falls, lowers full-year outlook on worries about theft

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:53 GMT

Dick’s Sporting Goods profit slipped in its second quarter and missed Wall Street’s expectations as the retailer cut its full-year profit outlook, citing worries over theft at its stores.Shares declined more than 19% before the market open on Tuesday. For the period ended July 29, Dick’s earned $244 million, or $2.82 per share. A year earlier the company earned $319 million, or $3.25 per share.Analysts polled by FactSet predicted earnings of $3.81 per share.“Our Q2 profitability was short of our expectations due in large part to the impact of elevated inventory shrink, an increasingly serious issue impacting many retailers,” President and CEO Lauren Hobart said in a statement. Many retailers have struggled with theft concerns. In May Target said theft was cutting into its bottom line and that it expected related losses could be $500 million more than last year, when losses from theft were estimated to be anywhere from $700 million to $800 million. So that means los...

Wander Franco’s stay on restricted list ends Tuesday, leading MLB, union to determine next step

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:53 GMT

NEW YORK. (AP) — Wander Franco’s seven-day stay on the restricted list is scheduled to end ahead of Tampa Bay’s homestand opener against Colorado on Tuesday night, leading to the possibility it could be extended or he could be placed on administrative leave under the sport’s domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy.The 22-year-old All-Star shortstop was placed on the restricted list for a week on Aug. 14 while MLB launched an investigation following social media posts suggesting Franco was in a relationship with a minor. The AP has not been able to verify the reported posts. Ángel Darío Tejeda Fabal, a prosecutor in the Dominican Republic province of Peravia, said an investigation into Franco was open under a division specializing in minors and gender violence.Franco was held out of the Rays’ lineup on Aug. 13 in what manager Kevin Cash said was a day off, then missed a six-game West Coast trip while on the restricted list.MLB and the players&...