Bill Granger dies at 54; Australian chef helped put avocado toast on menus worldwide

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:45:37 GMT

Bill Granger dies at 54; Australian chef helped put avocado toast on menus worldwide By Sylvia Hui | Associated PressLONDON — Bill Granger, the Australian chef, food writer and restaurant owner who brought Aussie-style food to international capitals from London to Seoul, has died. He was 54.Granger’s family said on social media Tuesday that the chef died in a hospital in London on Christmas Day.“A dedicated husband and father, Bill died peacefully in hospital with his wife Natalie Elliott and three daughters, Edie, Inès and Bunny, at his bedside in their adopted home of London,” the family statement said. It gave no further details.Born in 1969 in Melbourne, Australia, Granger was a self-taught cook who launched a chef’s career over three decades after dropping out of art school. He opened his first restaurant in 1993 in the Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst, where he soon became known for his breakfasts served at a central communal table.He and his wife then launched their restaurant business globally, opening more than a dozen restaurants and cafes under h...

Fire caused by wall furnace kills 91-year-old woman in her Oakland home

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:45:37 GMT

Fire caused by wall furnace kills 91-year-old woman in her Oakland home OAKLAND — A 91-year-old woman was killed in a fire at her East Oakland home Wednesday morning, officials said.Her name has not yet been released.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Vacant harbor master’s office at San Leandro Marina destroyed by fire Crime and Public Safety | Car catches fire in eastbound Caldecott Tunnel Crime and Public Safety | Christmas morning fire in San Leandro apartment building displaces three people Crime and Public Safety | Car fire spreads into vegetation, burns 20 acres near Pittsburg Crime and Public Safety | Letters: Ghost Ship | Vote Democrat | Who Musk is | Grand juries The fire started about 2:52 a.m. Wednesday in the 2900 block of Partridge Avenue, according to Oakland fire spokesman Michael Hunt.The woman, who lived alone, was pronounced dead in her home from burns and smoke inhalation. Hunt said the fire was accidental in nature and was caused by a ...

Drug considered 10 times more potent than fentanyl detected for the first time in US

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:45:37 GMT

Drug considered 10 times more potent than fentanyl detected for the first time in US One person has been confirmed dead in Boulder due to an overdose involving a new drug that officials say is even more deadly than fentanyl.The novel synthetic opioid called N-Desethyl etonitazene was detected this year by the Boulder County Coroner’s Office — making it the first time law enforcement has found proof of the drug’s presence in the United States. The drug, which is a type of opioid called a nitazene, is considered to be 10 times more powerful than fentanyl. According to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, nitazenes were originally developed by researchers 60 years ago as an alternative of morphine. Today the opioids, which have become increasingly lethal, are being primarily sourced from China, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.“There’s so many different constructional components to different nitazenes out there,” Cmdr. Nicholas Goldberger of the Boulder County Drug Task Force said. “We’re actively looking at two cases which reference nitazenes and of course...

Bidens head to St. Croix before a challenging 2024

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:45:37 GMT

Bidens head to St. Croix before a challenging 2024 By Kevin Liptak and Nikki Carvajal | CNNWhen President Joe Biden arrives in St. Croix on Wednesday with his wife, it will be one of the couple’s final opportunities for sunny relaxation before the heat of next year’s presidential campaign begins in earnest.It’s a familiar venue: the Bidens have vacationed in the Virgin Islands stretching back more than a dozen years, building a routine of beach days and golf outings amid the bougainvillea hedges and palm trees.It was to St. Croix that Biden escaped with his wife last year before making a final decision about running for reelection, and where he retreated in 2019 as he prepared for his first challenge to Donald Trump.This year, Biden will again be preparing for an election — his final one after more than 50 years in public life — as he soaks in the island’s 80-degree days and light tradewinds.The week-long getaway in the Virgin Islands will cap a year that brought significant challenges for the president, including two overseas wars,...

New Jersey brothers will be neighboring mayors in 2024

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:45:37 GMT

New Jersey brothers will be neighboring mayors in 2024 Associated PressGIBBSTOWN, N.J. — Two neighboring New Jersey towns may feel even closer next year when they’re governed by two brothers.John Giovannitti, 61, will be sworn in Jan. 2 as mayor of Paulsboro, one day before newly-reelected younger brother Vince Giovannitti, 57, is sworn in to a second term as mayor of Gibbstown.Paulsboro, with a population of 6,300, stretches from Route 130 to the Delaware River, across from Philadelphia International Airport. Gibbstown, with just under 4,000 people in Greenwich Township, is connected to its larger neighbor through the main corridor, Broad Street.The Paulsboro brothers describe becoming mayors as a “happy coincidence” but also a natural next step after decades serving their communities. They told The Philadelphia Inquirer that being siblings aids the necessary collaboration of mayors of neighboring towns that share certain services.“We can say things to one another,” Vince said, acknowledging that he might ...

New Melania Trump mystery: She skips family Christmas photo that features Barron, Ivanka and her own dad

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:45:37 GMT

New Melania Trump mystery: She skips family Christmas photo that features Barron, Ivanka and her own dad Melania Trump continues to keep people guessing — this time about why she didn’t join other Trump family members in a group photo that appeared to be snapped Monday in front of a Christmas tree at her husband’s private Mar-a-Lago club.While the ever-elusive former first lady is missing from the photo, pretty much every other notable Trump family member is present, with Donald Trump in the center of the group, the Daily Mail reported. Melania Trump’s 17-year-old son, Barron, stands next to his father in the group shot, towering over him at a reported 6 feet 7 inches.Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and their three children also appear in the photo, which is notable, considering that Trump’s oldest daughter and her husband, both former White House senior advisers, publicly distanced themselves from the 45th president in the aftermath of his 2020 election loss and the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner also are Jewish ...

Thousands flee as Israel’s central Gaza assault widens

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:45:37 GMT

Thousands flee as Israel’s central Gaza assault widens By Deir al-Balah, Samy Magdy and Lee Keath | Associated PressDEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Thousands of Palestinian families fled Wednesday from the brunt of Israel’s expanding ground offensive into Gaza’s few remaining, overcrowded refuges, as the military launched heavy strikes across the center and south of the territory, killing dozens, Palestinian health officials said.On foot or riding donkey carts loaded with belongings, a stream of people flowed into Deir al-Balah — a town that normally has a population of around 75,000. It has been overwhelmed by several hundred thousand people driven from northern Gaza as the region was pounded to rubble.Because U.N. shelters are packed many times over capacity, the new arrivals set up tents on sidewalks for the cold winter night. Most crowded onto streets around the town’s main hospital, Al-Aqsa Martyrs, hoping it would be safer from Israeli strikes.Still, no place is safe in Gaza. Israeli offensives are crowding most of t...

12-year-old boy killed in Antioch hit-and-run collision identified

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:45:37 GMT

12-year-old boy killed in Antioch hit-and-run collision identified (KRON) -- A 12-year-old boy who was killed in a hit-and-run crash on the Friday before Christmas in Antioch has been identified by the Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office on Wednesday. Rabb Arsenio, 12, was one of two brothers who died in the collision.Arsenio was in a blue vehicle along with his brother, Amahjè Emenike, 13, when a black SUV collided with them on G and West 6th streets. After the initial crash, the SUV collided with a fire hydrant, and the vehicle’s occupants fled the scene on foot, according to the Antioch Police Department.The two children, 12-year-old Arsenio and 13-year-old Emenike, were transported to a local hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries.13-year-old Amahjè Emenike, brother of 12-year-old Rabb Arsenio, courtesy of family.Police said speed and reckless driving were factors in the crash.Authorities are still seeking a suspect in the fatal crash.The Associated Press contributed to this report.

California police can no longer ask you this at a traffic stop starting in 2024

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:45:37 GMT

California police can no longer ask you this at a traffic stop starting in 2024 (FOX40) -- Potentially millions of California drivers have been asked the same simple question by an officer after being pulled over: "Do you know why I pulled you over?"However, starting in January 2024, officers cannot start the interaction with that question and instead must state the purpose of the traffic stop before asking any other questions. The same goes for any stops conducted on a pedestrian. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 2773 in the fall of 2022 and goes into effect on Jan. 1. California new laws for 2024: Workers get more paid sick days According to the text of the law, the only time that officers can skip stating the reason for the stop is if the officer deems it necessary "to protect life or property from imminent threat."It was created to reduce "pretextual stops," in which an officer stops a vehicle or pedestrian for something minor with the intent of searching the driver and vehicle to determine if a larger crime is evident, such as expired paperwork or possession...

Elderly man suffers life-threatening injuries in San Francisco hit-and-run

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:45:37 GMT

Elderly man suffers life-threatening injuries in San Francisco hit-and-run (BCN) -- A man in his 70s suffered life-threatening injuries in a suspected hit-and-run in San Francisco's Silver Terrace neighborhood on Tuesday, according to police.Officers responded at 6:35 a.m. Tuesday to a report of a pedestrian down in the roadway in the area of Bayshore Boulevard and Silver Avenue and determined a collision occurred.The victim was taken to a hospital and an update on his condition was not immediately available Wednesday. 12-year-old boy killed in Antioch hit-and-run collision identified No arrest has been made in the hit-and-run and no suspect details have been released.Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Police Department's 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.