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Taste-Off: The best gluten-free penne pasta — and the worst

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:20:33 GMT

Pasta salad, carbonara, lasagna, mac and cheese — whatever the shape, pasta is the base of so many comforting, delicious meals that it’s always in season. But what about pasta for those who can’t eat gluten?Thanks to food scientists who refuse to give up, store shelves are packed with more non-wheat, gluten-free pastas than ever before. These gluten-free options — made with brown rice, lentils, amaranth, quinoa, corn or various combinations of gluten-free flours — come in myriad forms, including that pasta salad workhorse, penne.Despite the generous options, the struggle to find gluten-free penne worth eating is real. Many versions are simply horrendous — dense, slimy, crumbly, dry or mushy. Adding to the confusion is the sad fact that companies rarely excel at all pasta shapes; their spaghetti may be terrific, for example, but the penne is inedible.The best gluten-free penne boils cleanly, leaving little residue in the water. The flavor is fresh, and the texture is ever...

AG Bonta will review decision not to charge San Francisco security guard in the fatal shooting of a suspected Walgreens shoplifter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:20:33 GMT

By Veronica Miracle and Taylor Romine | CNNThe California attorney general’s office will review the decision not to charge a security guard in the fatal shooting of a suspected shoplifter last month at a Walgreens store in downtown San Francisco, it said Tuesday.The review comes after the San Francisco district attorney’s office said last week that security guard Michael Anthony would not face criminal charges because he acted in self-defense when he shot Banko Brown on April 27.Brown’s family attorney John Burris, who previously described the guard’s actions as “way beyond what was reasonable and necessary,” sent a letter to the attorney general’s office last week requesting the investigation.“We can confirm that our office has agreed to review whether the San Francisco District Attorney’s decision not to file charges was an abuse of discretion,” the California attorney general’s office told CNN in a statement.The killing and lack of charges spurred protests in San Francisco amid a...

California poet Amanda Gorman’s Biden inauguration poem moved out of Florida elementary school library after a parent complained

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:20:33 GMT

By Andy Rose | CNN“The Hill We Climb,” the poem written by Amanda Gorman for President Joe Biden’s inauguration, was moved out of the elementary section of one Miami-Dade County public school, the district confirmed Tuesday. It remains available to older children.A parent of a student at Bob Graham Education Center – a kindergarten through eighth grade school in Miami Lakes – objected to the poem, for which they erroneously listed Oprah Winfrey as the author/publisher, documents obtained by the Florida Freedom to Read Project show.It “is not educational and have (sic) indirectly hate messages,” the complaint said, adding that the poem would “cause confusion and indoctrinate students.”The same parent made similar complaints about “Love to Langston,” a poetry-based biography of Black poet Langston Hughes; “The ABCs of Black History” and two books about Cuba, complaints obtained by FFTRP show.A materials-review panel at the school declined to remove the books from the school entirely, ...

35+ festivals, fairs and things to do in the Bay Area this summer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:20:33 GMT

The time for summer fun is upon us, and there’s no shortage of Bay Area happenings to add to your calendar!World’s Largest Dinosaurs: opens May 26, 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco. The California Academy of Sciences presents an awe-inducing exhibit on the largest land animals to ever walk the planet. Some of these huge-o-saurus creatures were up to 140 feet long, ate unbelievable amounts of trees and plants and weighed up to 90 tons. $28.75 to $42.50. bit.ly/CASdinosaursBottle Rock: May 26-28, Napa Valley Expo, 575 Third St., Napa. This annual Wine Country music festival features a fabulous lineup of live entertainment, singers and bands — the 2022 lineup of 75 bands, for example, included Metallica, Pink and Luke Combs — as well as gourmet food, wine and beer stalls, a culinary stage, a spa, and a silent disco. $189. bottlerocknapavalley.comCarnaval San Francisco: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 27-28, Harrison St. between 16th St. and 24th St., San Francisco. The 45th an...

Will I-680 be closed on Memorial Day weekend?: Roadshow

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:20:33 GMT

Q: Will northbound Interstate 680 still be closed over Memorial Day weekend? The Caltrans website has not been updated recently and signage only shows information through April 30. One would think Caltrans information would be current before a holiday weekend.My son will be married in Dublin May 27 and several of us will drive from the South Bay. Please also confirm if 680 north will be open Friday afternoon. Rehearsal dinner!Carolyn Tiernan, MilpitasA: There will be no I-680 closure now in the Sunol/Pleasanton area Memorial Day weekend.There will be one more weekend closure in the area and Caltrans will provide advance notice about it, once the date has been set.For more information, visit 680paving.com.Q: There’s a 55 mph road construction speed limit sign on 17 south between I-280 and Hamilton Avenue, but I see no evidence of any active construction work in the area.Where does the construction end? I don’t see any additional signs for several miles as I travel south o...

Oakland Mayor Thao to address recent robbery crime spree

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:20:33 GMT

(KRON) -- Nine juveniles, ranging in age from 12 to 17, were arrested in connection to 35 robberies throughout the City of Oakland, the Oakland Police Department said Tuesday. The nearly three dozen violent robberies have occurred citywide, often in broad daylight.Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao will hold a news conference Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. to address the recent arrests.On Sunday, May 21, Oakland PD officers spotted a vehicle wanted in connection to one of the recent robberies. The vehicle was tracked to the 100 block of 14th Street. Officers observed multiple occupants exit the vehicle and enter a nearby establishment. 1 killed, 4 injured after carjacked vehicle plows into SF bus stop Before entering the building, officers "methodically coordinated a plan," police said. Just as officers arrived, the vehicle in front of the building took off at a high rate of speed.The vehicle was monitored by OPD helicopter ARGUS and tracked to the area of 6th Avenue and East 15th Street. Four occu...

Police: Student fatally shot by another student outside Pittsburgh school

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:20:33 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A student shot and killed another student early Wednesday outside a school in Pittsburgh, authorities said. The alleged shooter was soon captured after a foot chase.The ages of the students involved were not immediately clear. According to the city school district’s website, Oliver Citywide Academy is a full-time special education center serving grades 3-12.It wasn’t immediately clear what spurred the shooting, which The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said happened around 7:25 a.m. on the steps outside of the school. No other injuries were reported, and police said they found a gun at the scene.The names of the victim and the shooter have not been released, but authorities said both attended the school. Authorities said the wounded student was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.It wasn’t immediately clear how many students and staff witnessed the shooting. Maria Montano, a city spokeswoman, said most students were still on thei...

German soccer clubs reject selling stake in media rights to investors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:20:33 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — German soccer clubs rejected a proposal to sell a one-eighth share of future worldwide media rights to investors in a vote Wednesday, following anger from fans. At a meeting of the 36 clubs from the Bundesliga and the second division, 20 voted in favor of the proposal, said Hans-Joachim Watzke, chairman of the supervisory board of the German Football League, known as the DFL, which oversees the top two leagues. There were 11 clubs against and five abstained, he added.The plan needed 24 votes, a two-thirds majority, to allow the DFL to pursue a sales process with investors on behalf of the clubs.There has been widespread criticism from fans, who have displayed banners for weeks at games decrying the plan to sell a 12.5% share of domestic and international TV and media rights for the top two divisions over the next 20 years.Proponents of the deal said cash is needed now to modernize the Bundesliga’s marketing and stop it falling further behind rival lea...

German central bank scales back HQ revamp, citing costs and home working

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:20:33 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s central bank is scaling back plans to revamp its Frankfurt headquarters, citing a sharp rise in construction costs and the fact that many of its employees want to continue working from home.The Bundesbank started work on modernizing its 50-year-old main building in 2022. It said Wednesday that it is “recalibrating” plans to create more room for employees, and will now add only one new building — an office block with about 5,000 square meters (nearly 54,000 square feet) of space.Bank President Joachim Nagel said that “after the experience of the pandemic, many employees find the idea of being able to continue working flexibly in terms of location appealing.” He said in a statement that, starting in June, the Bundesbank will allow staff to work up to 60% of their working hours from home — reducing the need for office space at the bank itself by about 40%.The bank also pointed to “the sharp surge in construction costs as a result of pandemic-related supply...

PSV coach Van Nistelrooy resigns with 1 match left to play in Dutch league

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:20:33 GMT

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (AP) — PSV Eindhoven coach Ruud van Nistelrooy resigned with only one match left to play this season because he did not feel enough support within the team, the Dutch club said Wednesday.The former Manchester United striker had been in charge only one year and led his players to victory in the Dutch Cup final.PSV travels to AZ Alkmaar in the league on Sunday and will secure a second-place finish behind champion Feyenoord with a draw.Following a meeting with Van Nistelrooy and the board of directors, PSV wanted him to remain in charge until the end of the season.“On Wednesday morning, Van Nistelrooy told the first-team squad and coaching staff that he would be stepping down with immediate effect, due to a lack of support within the club,” PSV said. “At the request of the board, Fred Rutten will now take charge of the AZ game on Sunday.”If PSV finished second, the team would enter the Champions League in the third qualifying round, needing to beat two opponents ...