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Taste-Off: The most delicious fruit-flavored ice tea — and the worst

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:48 GMT

Summer hydration starts with water, but when the palate begs for a change, there’s everything right about a deep pour of thirst-quenching, fruit-flavored iced tea.Quick, easy and somewhat healthy, tea falls into the “functional beverage” category, as it’s a source of antioxidants and polyphenols and delivers a touch of caffeine to boost energy and alertness.Bottles and cans of tea come in too many flavors to count, but the most popular on store shelves are black and green teas enhanced with lemon, raspberry, mint or peach. They can be sweet or tart, bitter or bubbly, and are sometimes laced with vitamins. For this feature, we loaded up on non-citrus, fruity teas. As peach seems to be one of the most popular, we opted for that fruit whenever possible.The best ready to drink, fruit-flavored iced teas have deep brewed tea flavor and a juicy dash of authentic, aromatic fruit flavor. Whether sweet or plain, they are so well balanced that all the flavors shine. Bad bottled ice teas are no...

The Ethiopian chef behind Oakland’s Mela Bistro offers health-conscious inspiration

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:48 GMT

Punchy green lentil berbere hummus. Citrus-dotted honey wine. A homey ambiance sweet enough to feel like that special “third place.” None of this is accidental at Mela Bistro, an Ethiopian restaurant where chef Adiam Tsegaye balances warmth with complexity all while paying homage to her Northern Ethiopian and Oakland roots.“It’s a safe place to eat,” Tsegaye says of the gluten-free and vegan-friendly menu. Guests don’t have to worry about allergies or dietary restrictions when they enter the sunlit dining room at the heart of downtown Oakland – and that’s by design.When Tsegaye opened Mela Bistro in 2019, her goal was to create an establishment that her son, who has severe food allergies, would be able to enjoy.“I think the menu is inspired a lot because of him. Twelve years ago, I could not find anything gluten-free, dairy-free,” she says. “So I started going back to my roots, experimenting with ingredients.”Owner an...

Violent night in Hayward: Two homicides and 6 other people shot within 4 hours

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:48 GMT

HAYWARD — A violent four-hour stretch in the city left two people dead in separate homicides, plus six people injured in another shooting, according to the Hayward police department.The killings were among five shootings and one stabbing that left Hayward police scrambling on the Fourth of July holiday, according to Cassondra Fovel, a police spokeswoman.A person was fatally stabbed at about 7:40 p.m. Tuesday on Tennyson Road east of Interstate 880. Officers were still investigating a motive in that case on Wednesday morning.Less than three hours later, six people were injured when gunfire erupted on the 400 block of Ranker Place, Fovel said. Police suspect the gunman was among the people injured.At 11:40 p.m., another person was killed in a shooting elsewhere in the city. Few details have been released on that attack.None of the incidents appear to be related, Fovel said. Neither of the people killed was publicly identified Wednesday morning pending confirmation of their identity an...

Fatal overnight shooting in Fairfield being investigated

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:48 GMT

(KRON) -- A 26-year-old man was shot and killed outside a residence in Fairfield Tuesday night, police said. Officers with the Fairfield Police Department were dispatched to the residence in the 1500 block of Monroe Street at around 11:15 p.m. on reports of a stabbing, the department said.Officers arrived on the scene and found a large crowd gathered outside and the victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Officers rendered aid but the victim was pronounced deceased by paramedics, police said. Six people shot in Hayward on 4th of July The Solano County Sheriff's Office assisted with crowd control due to the large number of people gathered at the scene. Fairfield PD Investigations Unit detectives also responded and took over the investigation.No suspect has been identified, police said, despite the large number of potential witnesses. Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to contact the Fairfield PD Investigations Unit at (707) 428-7600.KRON On is streaming...

Man arrested for series of violent catalytic converter thefts, firearms

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:48 GMT

(KRON) -- A man was arrested in connection with a series of catalytic converter thefts over the course of several months in Alameda and Santa Clara Counties.Fremont Police Department investigators conducted an eight-week investigation into a catalytic converter theft group. Over the course of several months, the group became more violent as the thefts went on, with some instances involving firearm-brandishing towards the victims.  Fatal overnight shooting in Fairfield being investigated The suspects used a stolen car during the thefts which police were able to eventually track down to one of the suspect’s residences. On June 22, two suspects were apprehended at the residence by detectives. A search warrant revealed several high-capacity magazines, ammunition, three ghost guns and a fully automatic firearm. Nestor Lealsumale, 23, of Hayward was charged with grand theft, possession of a machine gun and possession of a large capacity magazine.KRON On is streaming news ...

Over 400 pounds of illegal fireworks confiscated in Alameda County Tuesday

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:48 GMT

(KRON) -- Over 400 pounds of illegal fireworks were confiscated across Alameda County on Tuesday's July 4th holiday, according to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office. Several units within the sheriff's office carried out a firework suppression operation from 6 a.m. through 2 a.m.Units involved included the Eden Township Substation Property Crimes Unit, Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit, Crime Prevention Unit, Crime Reduction Unit, Crimes Against Persons, Special Victims Unit and the K9 Unit. Fatal overnight shooting in Fairfield being investigated "This operation was established to reduce the potential danger to citizens within Alameda County and public safety personnel working in and around Unincorporated Alameda County due to the illegal use of fireworks and destructive explosive devices," the sheriff's office said in a social media post.The sheriff's office said it took a zero-tolerance approach and also leveraged the operation to educate the public around the danger fireworks ...

How much rain fell in your city on the 4th of July?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:48 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Many of us were looking to the sky on the Fourth of July, and not just because of fireworks. Severe weather pushed through the state and brought heavy rain and gusty winds with it.The Pinpoint Weather team was anticipating a wet end to America's birthday and issued a Pinpoint Weather Alert Day for a slight risk of severe storms. The Eastern Plains, Front Range, foothills and Denver metro received several inches of rainfall causing many Fourth of July celebrations to be delayed or even postponed. Drivers rescued from flooded Denver roads Here is how much rain fell in your backyard based on preliminary results from the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network which uses data from professional weather spotters around the state. The data is as of 11 a.m. Wednesday.Rainfall totals from July 4Arvada: 1.14 inchesAurora: 1.18 inchesBoulder: 1.12 inchesBrighton: 1.18 inchesBroomfield: 1.73 inchesCastle Pines: 0.50 inchesCastle Rock: 0.69 inchesCentennial: 0.73 i...

NATO chief: Most Wagner forces haven’t moved to Belarus

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:48 GMT

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin made a deal to go to Belarus — but NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that only a few of his mercenaries have ended up there. In an interview with POLITICO on Wednesday, the defensive alliance leader said Wagner forces do remain active in Africa and away from the frontline in Ukraine but that not many have arrived in Belarus. Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko brokered a deal for Prigozhin to head to his country following a failed mutiny in Russia, sparking fears about Wagner’s possible future presence in the region. “We have seen some preparations for the hosting of Wagner forces,” Stoltenberg said. But, he added, “We have so far not yet seen so many of them arriving.”“We are, of course, closely following what’s going on in Belarus,” Stoltenberg said. “What we have seen is that the Wagner forces continue to operate in Africa,” he noted, underscoring that while not many have gone to Belarus, “some are in Ukraine, but not a...

EU chides Poland for stagnant rule-of-law progress

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:48 GMT

The EU on Wednesday criticized Poland’s lack of progress on judicial reforms, adding fuel to the already fiery relationship between Warsaw and Brussels.The European Commission raised “serious concerns” about the independence of the Polish judiciary in its annual report on the rule of law, noting that the country ignored most of the EU’s recommendations from the previous year.With less than six months to go until Poland’s tightly contested elections, where the nationalist government risks losing power after eight years in office, the report will shed a harsh spotlight on the tensions between Warsaw and Brussels under the ruling Law and Justice party.Already, Brussels is withholding billions from Warsaw in a long-running rule-of-law dispute — a fight the Polish government has tried to spin to its political advantage but that nonetheless presents domestic challenges. There’s also a looming battle between the two over a recent migrant relocation deal Poland has vowed to boycott.In...

Orioles promote 2021 first-round pick Colton Cowser to majors

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:48 GMT

The Orioles’ strong start to the season came with one infield prospect and another in the outfield pounding on the door to make their respective debuts. In a little more than a week’s time, both will have arrived in the majors.Nine days after calling up infielder Jordan Westburg, the Orioles promoted outfielder Colton Cowser, their No. 2 prospect according to Baseball America, to the majors ahead of Wednesday night’s game at the New York Yankees. Drafted fifth overall in 2021, the 23-year-old Cowser was hitting .330/.459/.537 in 56 games with Triple-A Norfolk.The Orioles opened space for Cowser on their active and 40-man rosters with a flurry of roster moves, also optioning outfielder Ryan McKenna to Triple-A Norfolk, designating catcher Anthony Bemboom and right-hander Chris Vallimont for assignment and selecting the contract of right-hander Eduard Bazardo.They might have brought Cowser up sooner if not for Cedric Mullins’ right groin strain in late May comi...