There are now nine California counties in the yellow tier, which indicates "minimal" risk.

San Mateo and Mono counties moved to the yellow tier and Madera to orange in this weeks reassignment of COVID-19 restriction status.
The looser restrictions will take effect Wednesday, May 12.
There ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/11/map-of-california-covid-tiers-2-more-into-yellow/

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Officials cautioned that those low numbers, though in step with recent downward trends, likely reflect reporting delays over the weekend during scaled-back record-keeping.Los Angeles County reported no additional coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday, May 2, welcome news for officials whove seen ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/03/la-county-reports-no-new-coronavirus-deaths-sunday-313-new-cases/

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Acclaim Cos., a Bay Area developer with an eclectic portfolio of projects, has paid cash to buy a Palo Alto property that's leased to a popular restaurant.PALO ALTO A Bay Area developer has bought the site of a popular Palo Alto restaurant in a busy commercial district thats next to ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/03/palo-alto-restaurant-site-bought-bay-area-developer-real-estate-covid/

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Once one of the world's most powerful travel documents, the might of the United States passport has been diminished during the pandemic. With US Covid-19 cases now past the 32.4 million mark, some nations continue to view vacationers warily even as more Americans get vaccinated.By Forrest Brown and ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/03/find-out-which-countries-are-welcoming-u-s-tourists-back-4/

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Worker-safety advocates say encouragement is the best approach on vaccination -- plus paid time to get the shots and recoverOf the many problems confronting Bay Area companies as they move out of pandemic lockdowns and into the workplaces of the future, one issue is proving especially thorny: Do ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/03/employers-wait-and-see-on-mandatory-covid-vaccines/

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The vaccine site will close on May 23, after experiencing "a rapid reduction" in requests for first dose appointments, according to an announcement from county officials.OAKLAND The mass vaccination site at the Oakland Coliseum will close later this month, health officials said Wednesday.
...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/05/oakland-coliseum-mass-vaccination-site-to-close-this-month/

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It appeared to be the first time on record that a woman had given birth to nine surviving babies at once. The five girls and four boys, and their mother, "are all doing well," Mali's health minister said in a statement.
By Baba Ahmed and Tarik el Barakah | Associated Press
BAMAKO, Mali A Malian ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/05/malian-woman-gives-birth-to-nine-babies/

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NHL: San Jose Sharks face Vegas Golden Knights at SAP Center on Wednesday in a game that was delayed three times for coronavirus reasonsSAN JOSE After three postponements, the Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights are finally going to drop the puck on a game that was originally supposed to be played in ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/12/after-numerous-covid-related-disruptions-nhl-nears-end-of-ragged-regular-season/

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Newsom causes confusion over whether he will lift indoor mask rules after June 15Are the mask rules that Californians have been required to follow for nearly a year about to be dropped?
In the span of 24 hours, Gov. Gavin Newsom caused confusion over the issue, appearing to tell a TV reporter in Los...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/12/is-california-ending-its-mask-mandate-june-15/

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Getting vaccines to other counties is vital, one expert says, because if variants "are able to dodge the immunity we have from vaccination or previous infection, they will spread worldwide."You can go to the movies in a real theater. You can get vaccinated and buy a gallon of milk at the supermarket...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/04/30/more-dangerous-covid-19-variants-spread-as-vaccines-remains-scarce-abroad/

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"Herd immunity" to COVID-19 -- whether through previous infection or vaccination -- is within reach. But it'll be regional, say experts.More than two-thirds of Californians have antibodies to the COVID-19 virus, according to new data, offering evidence that were approaching so-called herd ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/15/two-thirds-of-californians-are-immune-to-covid-is-the-end-in-sight/

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The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday defended the decision to ease mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people, stressing that increasing political pressure had nothing to do with the abrupt shift in guidelines.By KIMBERLEE KRUESI
The head of the Centers for ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/16/cdc-director-defends-decision-to-ditch-masks/

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Critics of the state's response, including state lawmakers, epidemiologists and academics, have kicked off a battle in Sacramento aimed at forcing public health agencies to improve how they collect data and to open it to the public. But privacy advocates and the health care industry is pushing back....

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/04/california-lawmakers-demand-wheres-the-covid-data/

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Ever since "Star Wars" premiered in 1977, kids and adults alike wanted to get their hands on a lightsaber.By Frank Pallotta | CNN Business
Ever since Star Wars premiered in 1977, kids and adults alike wanted to get their hands on a lightsaber. The elegant weapon for a more civilized age is one of ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/04/disney-unveils-a-real-life-lightsaber-on-star-wars-day/

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The tech titan's Oversight Board will announce Wednesday if the former president will have his account reinstated.By Barbara Ortutay | Associated Press
Former President Donald Trump will find out whether he gets to return to Facebook on Wednesday, when the social networks quasi-independent ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/04/explainer-will-donald-trump-return-to-facebook/

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The daily average of new cases over the last 14 days was at 1,800 as of Wednesday, May 5.In California, 1,573 new cases of the coronavirus were reported, bringing the total number of cases so far to 3,724,903, according to Wednesdays end-of-day totals on public health websites.
The daily average of ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/07/coronavirus-tracker-california-reported-1573-new-cases-and-63-new-deaths-as-of-may-5/

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Applied Materials has spent well over $190 million in two years to buy a wide array of Sunnyvale properties that could be used for future expansion.SANTA CLARA Applied Materials has stuffed its real estate shopping basket with another Sunnyvale property, buying a big office and research building ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/07/applied-materials-sunnyvale-real-estate-shopping-cart-194-million-tech/

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Home sales in Contra Costa County, May 8

224 Buck Creek Court, Martinez; $1.94 million; 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms in 4,112 square feet; built in 2016 on 0.5 acres; house, which is located in the Alhambra Estates, boasts an open concept family room plus living and dining rooms that open to covered ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/08/home-sales-in-contra-costa-county-may-8/

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Make-A-Wish and Colorado's Arrow Electronics partnered for an 18-month project to build a fantastical creature.When Arrow Electronics heard from Make-A-Wish about a new technology project in the fall of 2019, the Centennial-based company immediately signed on.
The nonprofit had asked Arrow to build ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/08/make-a-wish-dragon-robot/

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LOS ANGELES Los Angeles residents will no longer need an appointment for COVID-19 vaccinations at city-run inoculation sites, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Sunday.LOS ANGELES Los Angeles residents will no longer need an appointment for COVID-19 vaccinations at city-run inoculation sites, ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/09/los-angeles-to-offer-appointment-free-covid-19-vaccinations/

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Im vaccinated, so what's changed? We answer questions about whether or not you must wear a mask when indoors and outdoors.Thursdays CDC announcement seems pretty straightforward. But dont toss your mask yet, because there are some complexities, including a big one: California officials havent...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/13/new-federal-masking-guidelines-for-covid-19-what-it-means-for-you/

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A who's-who of Bay Area tech giants including Google, Apple, Intel, Twitter and Adobe say foreign H-4 visa workers are crucial for the nation, while opponents say they illegally compete for jobs. Google is leading a renewed effort by Silicon Valley technology giants tohave a federal courtthrow out a...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/14/h-1b-google-leads-tech-giants-launching-salvo-in-foreign-worker-court-battle/

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The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco rejected Bayer's argument that lawsuits like Edwin Hardeman's never should go to trial because federal pesticide laws barred allegations that the company failed to warn of Roundup's cancer risks.By Tom Hals | Reuters
A federal appeals court on ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/14/court-upholds-25m-roundup-verdict-in-blow-to-bayer/

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Parents say they didn't speak up at a meeting Thursday because an agenda was not posted with enough advance notice. At the meeting, the SCVAL Board of Managers voted unanimously to keep in place their decision to opt out of a spring postseason.Nobody spoke up Thursday during the period for public ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/04/30/prep-sports-parents-outraged-over-santa-clara-leagues-decision-to-opt-out-of-spring-postseason/

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The state has its lowest weekly case average since late April 2020. It's the 27th lowest new case average during the pandemic.Two-thirds of Californians 18 and older have received at least one dose of a vaccine against COVID-19, a significant milestone as the state nears an easing of pandemic ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/15/covid-two-thirds-of-california-adults-have-at-least-one-vaccine-shot/

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Home sales in Contra Costa County, May 15

253 Remington Loop, Danville; $3 million; 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms in 3,308 square feet; built in 1977 on 0.44 acres; renovated house offers many features, including hardwood walnut planks throughout, high ceilings, triple-pane windows with blinds in between...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/15/home-sales-in-contra-costa-county-may-15/

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The California Teachers Association spent $2.85 million during the first quarter of this year -- more than twice as much as the second and third ranking lobbying interests combined -- as it pushed teachers to the front of the line for vaccines and resisted efforts to force a return to the classroom...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/16/covids-political-impact-teachers-union-outspends-big-oil-in-sacramento/

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The couple founded their philanthropic organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in 2000.By Clare Duffy | CNN
Bill and Melinda Gates are ending their marriage after 27 years, the pair announced in a statement on their verified Twitter accounts.
After a great deal of thought and a ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/03/bill-and-melinda-gates-to-divorce-after-27-years-of-marriage/

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A Texas developer has added to its Silicon Valley holdings with the purchase of a big office and research park in Fremont.FREMONT Three research and office buildings in Fremont have been bought by a veteran Texas developer, a deal that points to sturdy interest by investors in Silicon Valley despite...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/04/real-estate-big-fremont-deal-widens-developers-bay-area-holdings/

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We definitely have well over double the capacity that ended up being utilized."As the waves of people rolling up their sleeves to get once coveted COVID-19 vaccine shots continue to recede, Bay Area public health officials are ramping up community-focused inoculation clinics and making mass ...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/04/despite-dwindling-demand-for-covid-19-vaccines-bay-area-counties-plan-to-double-down-on-new-strategy/

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