OAKLAND — The murder trial for an Oakland man started Tuesday morning with dueling accounts of a 2019 fatal shooting at a local homeless camp, as well as a protest from the defendant that his jury doesn’t, “come from the same background I came from.” Bryan Colston, 34, is charged with murder in the Oct. 9, 2019 shooting death of 23-year-old Bomani Busby, who was attacked by a group of people and stabbed in the leg as he slept in his car on the 800 block of 77th Avenue that night. During the end of the attack, video surveillance cameras show Colston pulling a pistol and firing eight shots, fata ..read more

By Patricia Oleas and Cesar Olmos | Associated Press ALAUSI, Ecuador — A huge landslide swept over an Andean community in central Ecuador, burying dozens of homes, killing at least seven people and sending rescuers on a frantic search for survivors, authorities said Monday. Earlier in the day, officials had reported 16 deaths, but President Guillermo Lasso put the confirmed toll at seven as he arrived Monday night at the scene of the disaster in Alausí, about 137 miles south of the capital, Quito. Officials also raised the number of people reported missing to 62. Lasso lamented the tragedy and ..read more

With San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan standing beside him, former Earthquakes star Shea Salinas showed he’s still got it — bouncing a Mandarin orange off his head into a delivery driver’s car in the parking lot of PayPal Park. That was a neat trick, but even better was what it represented: The pair were giving out the 70,000th meal distributed since last July by Hunger at Home through a partnership with DoorDash and the Earthquakes. There was a lot of hoopla surrounding the milestone, with Hunger at Home CEO Ewell Sterner, Earthquakes President Jared Shawlee, DoorDash Head of Social Impact Sueli Shaw ..read more

By Christopher Weber and Sam Metz | Associated Press PARK CITY, Utah — Skiers have likely noticed signs at mountain resorts across the country saying, “Know the code.” They refer to universal rules of conduct that apply to both skiers and snowboarders — people who partake in inherently risky snow sports that involve navigating down crowded slopes, often at high speeds. But whether they actually understand the code is another question. For those unfamiliar with snow sports, it’s likely something they’ve never heard of. That’s all changing as actor Gwyneth Paltrow’s highly publicized ski collisi ..read more

The Nets have ruled embattled star forward Ben Simmons out for the remainder of the year, head coach Jacque Vaughn said after Nets practice on Tuesday, ending a months-long charade revolving around the status of the oft-injured former All-Star. Simmons had missed all 17 games coming out of the Feb. 15-24 NBA All-Star break due to a combination of left knee and lower back soreness. The Nets announced Simmons would be out due to a nerve impingement on March 24, followed by Vaughn’s definitive ruling of out for the remainder of the season and the playoffs on Tuesday. “After consulting with our do ..read more

Contra Costa County has issued a new health order requiring staff in skilled nursing facilities to continue wearing masks to protect elderly patients from being infected with COVID-19. In a Monday announcement, Contra Costa Health Services said the order will take effect April 3, the same day the state’s COVID-19 masking order for healthcare settings expires. As of April 3, face coverings are no longer required in California health care establishments, such as dental offices, for patients, visitors and employees who do not need to perform clinical activities. Residents of nursing homes an ..read more

By Brian Witte and Lea Skene | Associated Press ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A Maryland court did not give the family of the murder victim in the case chronicled in the hit podcast “Serial” enough time to attend a court hearing in person that led to Adnan Syed’s release, a Maryland appellate court ruled Tuesday, and it ordered a new hearing to be held. Though Syed’s conviction has been reinstated, he will not be taken back into custody. In a 2-1 decision, the Appellate Court of Maryland ruled the state’s law provides victims with the right to prior notice of the hearing on a motion to vacate convictions ..read more

The Nets own the worst crunch-time offense in the league. If you’re looking for a reason why the Nets have lost six of their last seven games, look no further than their inability to generate offense under pressure. Four of Brooklyn’s last six losses have been decided in the game’s final minutes, with the most notable meltdown occurring in the second of back-to-back games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, where the Nets held an eight-point lead with under three minutes left and lost thanks to a series of blunders on a game-winning shot by Isaac Okoro. Crunch time is defined as the final five mi ..read more

Stanford’s Haley Jones has declared for the 2023 WNBA Draft. The 2021 Final Four Most Outstanding Player for the national championship-winning Cardinal and two-time All-American was one of 76 players that declared, which the league announced in a release on Tuesday afternoon. Another Stanford player, Ashten Prechtel, also declared. Jones, 21, grew up in Santa Cruz and went to high school at San Jose’s Archbishop Mitty, where she was a three-time Bay Area News Group player of the year. Stanford’s season ended in the second round of this year’s NCAA Tournament in a shocking 54-49 loss to Ole Mis ..read more

Up until Saturday, Jonathan Majors’s Hollywood career was “red hot,” with starring roles in “Creed III,” Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and the forthcoming “Magazine Dreams.” Then came his arrest in New York City Saturday morning, stemming from an alleged altercation with his girlfriend. On Sunday, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office filed assault and harassment charges against the 33-year-old Yale-trained actor. Even though Majors’ attorney told the media at his arraignment that the actor is “completely innocent,” and insisted they have video evidence and eyewitness stateme ..read more