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Westlake High football player dies after severe asthma attack

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:57 GMT

The Westlake High School community is mourning the death of 17-year-old varsity football player Julius Poppinga.Principal Jason Branham announced the death in an email to the school community Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles Times.Poppinga, a junior at the school in Thousand Oaks, had been hospitalized after a severe asthma attack last week, the Ventura County Star reported. Westlake football player Julius Poppinga is seen in an image posted to the football team's Facebook page.The 6 foot, 1 inch tall, 220-pound lineman apparently suffered a collapsed lung during his stay in the hospital and never recovered. He died Wednesday, the newspaper reported."Words can not even begin to describe the immense amount of love, kindness, compassion, humor, athleticism, knowledge, trustworthiness, consideration for others, sincerity, loyalty, and friendly characteristics Julius holds," his sister Jasmine Poppinga posted on her Instagram account. The Westlake football team offered condolence...

Empowering Communities and Fostering Young Talent: Metamelanin’s Journey of Giving Back

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:57 GMT

MetaMelanin CryptoSingers rises to prominence as a formidable proponent of the future-forward ideal of technological and artistic fusion in our contemporary world. It’s more than just games; it’s a cultural shift changing how we think about things like music and video games and the liberating potential of creative expression.MetaMelanin CryptoSingers invites everybody, presenting them with a wide range of benefits by combining the magic of Unreal Engine, innovative partnerships, and a forward-looking approach to fashion. The platform has embarked on a mission to give back to communities and mentor young talents, leaving an indelible mark on the music industry and beyond.Unveiling the Impact of MetaMelanin CryptoSingers’ Innovative Music WorkshopThe influence of MetaMelanin CryptoSingers isn’t confined to the online world. From a deep desire to support new musicians, the platform has developed an innovative Music Workshop that can be used as a launching pad fo...

Koji Day at The Lonely Oyster and All Chill At The Jazz Festival – Here’s What’s Popping Up

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:57 GMT

It’s Koji Day at The Lonely Oyster on Wednesday, Sept. 6, at noon, starting with a hands-on Koji-making workshop (free for industry professionals,) followed by a 1:30 p.m. sake and mirin tasting with Lonely Oyster small bites. Dinner featuring koji seasoning dishes starts at 4 p.m., reservation via RESY. Koji, a national fungus of Japan, is used in everything from soy sauce to sake and everything in between in Japanese culinary culture. Japan’s top fermentation specialists will be on hand at Echo Park’s lively seafood restaurant to demonstrate how to make koji.Nick the Greek will celebrate National Gyro Day and the opening of the brand’s location in La Mirada on Friday, Sept. 1, with a buy one gyro, get one 50% off, at all of its locations, including the recently opened outposts in Long Beach and Marina del Rey, along with the brand’s other SoCal locations in West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Fullerton. Nick the Greek will be opening the doors t...

Sofia and Silvia: Sofía Valdés releases super-personal EP Silvia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:57 GMT

Sofia and Silvia: Panamanian musician Sofía Valdés isn’t particularly happy right now. When we chat with her via Zoom, she’s professional and polite, friendly even, but you couldn’t call her vibe “happy.” All becomes clear when we ask about her move to Los Angeles from Panama.As it turns out, she’s been here for about two years, but she properly moved all her stuff to L.A. a year ago. When we ask her about the transition, her initial response is to say everything you’d expect — that this is the place to be for musicians, everything happens here, all of the producers and writers are here, etc. But then, in a flash of frustration, she decides to be totally honest.“I have to be here, honestly,” she says. “I want to be home in Panama. I don’t want to be here, but whatever. That’s the truth. I’m not homesick; I moved out of home when I was 15, so I understand. I get how it goes. But I’m definitely very bored. I have good friends. Great friends. But they’re very busy people. I don’t have ...

7 incredible Bay Area things to do Labor Day weekend, Sept. 1-4

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:57 GMT

Fans of bagpipes, chickpeas and Fremont — this is the weekend for you. For everyone else, we have some fun suggestions for you, too. So let’s get to it, shall we?As with everything these days, be sure to double check websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines. Meanwhile, if you’d like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.com/newsletters or www.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.1 SEE, HEAR & PLAY: Fun shows and fests are all overThe holiday weekend is just packed with cool recitals and stage productions as well as some awesome festivals, including the annual Scottish Games in Pleasanton. Here are some of your best options.A falafel sandwich at Falafel Drive-In in San Jose (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) 2 EAT Fabulous falafelSure, hamburger joints and pizza parlors hog all the fast-food headlines. But when was the last time you succumbed to the the crispy, savory call o...

Gov. Newsom plans to transform San Quentin. Lawmakers and the public have had little input

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:57 GMT

By TRÂN NGUYỄN | Associated PressSACRAMENTO — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has ambitious and expensive plans for a dilapidated factory at San Quentin State Prison where inmates of one of the nation’s most notorious lockups once built furniture, and lawmakers have given him the greenlight to start with little input or oversight.He wants to spend $360 million demolishing the building and replacing it with one more reminiscent of a college campus, with a student union, classrooms and possibly a coffee shop. It’s part of his desire to make San Quentin, once home to the nation’s largest death row and where the state performed executions, a model for preparing people for life on the outside — a shift from the state’s decades-long focus on punishment.And Newsom wants it all to happen by December 2025, just before he leaves office.A 21-member advisory council Newsom selected to help shape the new facility’s design and programming does not have to follow open me...

San Francisco homicide: Clerk dies after attack during store robbery

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:57 GMT

A clerk at a market in San Francisco’s Richmond District died after being attacked during a robbery, authorities said Wednesday.The attack happened around 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 24 at Richmond Market, 3950 Balboa St. Officers found a 60-year-old man on the ground unconscious. He was taken to a hospital, where he died on Tuesday, Aug. 29, according to San Francisco police.The victim has been identified as Yohannes “John” Tewolde, said Supervisor Connie Chan, who represents the Richmond District on the Board of Supervisors.Police have not made an arrest in the case or released any suspect details. Anyone with information about the attack is asked to contact the SFPD tip line at (415) 575-4444 or to send a tip by text message to TIP411 with “SFPD” at the start of the message.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City New...

Canada warns LGBTQ residents of the risks of traveling to the US due to some state laws

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:57 GMT

By Jessica Xing and Paula Newton | CNNThe Canadian government is warning its LGBTQ citizens of risks they could face when traveling to the US, citing new laws in several states.“Some states have enacted laws and policies that may affect 2SLGBTQI+ persons. Check relevant state and local laws,” reads the updated advisory posted on Tuesday.“2SLGBTQI+” is the acronym used by the Canadian government, with the “2S” referring to Two-Spirit, according to the government’s glossary of terminology.RELATED: California conservative groups promote anti-trans bills as state AG sues school district over anti-trans policy“Since the beginning of 2023, certain states in the U.S. have passed laws banning drag shows and restricting the transgender community from access to gender affirming care and from participation in sporting events,” Global Affairs Canada said in a statement to CNN.Neither the statement nor the travel advisory single out specific states or laws.The updated travel advice comes after U...

Former NBA star Kevin Johnson to open a soul food kitchen in Oakland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:57 GMT

Kevin Johnson, the former NBA player and mayor of Sacramento, is planning to expand his soul food empire to Oakland.Called Fixins Oakland, the full-service restaurant is scheduled to open next spring near Lake Merritt. There are other Fixins Soul Kitchens in Sacramento, Los Angeles and Tulsa, and an upcoming one in Denver. Johnson will formally announce the new location on Sept. 6 at a private event in Oakland, with city mayor Sheng Thao and Fredrika Newton, widow of the Black Panther Party’s Huey P. Newton, in attendance.Related ArticlesRestaurants, Food and Drink | Boichik Bagels forecasts October opening for first South Bay shop Restaurants, Food and Drink | Habit Burger Grill comes to new Hayward apartment village Restaurants, Food and Drink | Celebrity chef Chris Cosentino comes to West Marin Restaurants, Food and Drink | Bungalow on Rose opens in a quiet Danville spot Restaurants, Food and Drink | ...

Rare Sunday game will get San Jose State back on CBS for first time in 41 years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:57 GMT

SAN JOSE — The last time San Jose State appeared on a nationally-televised regular season game on CBS, the No. 1 song in America was “Abracadabra” by the Steve Miller Band and the highest grossing movie was “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”The Spartans play No. 18 Oregon State on Sunday in their first nationally televised regular season game on CBS since 1982.“It’s our first time being on CBS national in 41 years, so it’s obviously very important for our program and for the visibility for our brand,” said SJSU athletic director Jeff Konya. “We’re all super excited to be featured in a TV window that has no other football going on.”A worker puts finishing touches on the balcony in this view of the football field from the new San Jose State University Spartans Athletics Center soccer lounge in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)The 12:30 game against Oregon State is the second in a CBS...