SANTA CLARA — Offensive players flew off NFL draft boards Thursday night, including one onto the 49ers’ roster, which still includes Brandon Aiyuk. Once their turn arrived at No. 31, the 49ers selected Ricky Pearsall, a wide receiver who finished his college career at Florida after starting it at Arizona State, which, ironically, is Aiyuk’s alma mater. Thus, the draft’s ending resembled its start: only offensive players were taken in the first 14 picks. The 49ers’ offensive choice came without the same pressing concerns that’s engulfing their NFL challengers. After all, the Niners secured thei ..read more

San Marin handed Redwood its first loss of the MCAL baseball season, 7-4, on Thursday to move into a tie for second place with Novato heading into the final week of competition before the playoffs. Anthony Scheppler homered and drove in three runs for the Mustangs, who pounded out five runs I the third inning. Matthew Balding was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Hugh Brady was 2-for-3 and scored a run for the Mustangs. Rex Solle was 2-for-3 with two RBIs for the Giants (18-2, 12-1 MCAL). San Marin and Novato, both 9-4 in league play, face each other in the final two games of the ..read more

Brock Bowers is surprised to be headed for Las Vegas. The former Napa High star and three-time All-American from Georgia was drafted Thursday night by the Raiders at No. 13 overall in the NFL Draft. The Raiders’ intent was kept pretty much under wraps. “I was shocked,” Bowers told reporters. “I wasn’t really sure what was happening. But when that phone call came in I was juiced.” Bowers was the John Mackey Award for the last two years as the best tight end in college football, and joins a franchise that included such luminaries at the position as Hall of Famer Dave Casper, Todd Christensen and ..read more

NEW YORK (AP) — The legend of Mason Miller continues to grow. The A’s closer needed 17 pitches to get the four outs, three by strikeout, averaging 100.8 mph with eight fastballs to slam the door on the New York Yankees 3-1 on Thursday at Yankee Stadium. The A’s split the four-game series, with Miller also earning a save in the opener. Thursday, Miller got Aaron Judge to fly out to right on a slider with a runner on for his first four-out save. “Obviously it’s a pretty special fastball, but he’s got feel for his slider,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “So he’s not just 80, here it comes. He ..read more

• The Smith Rafael Film Center hosts a screening of “States of Grace,” a documentary about Marin resident Dr. Grace Dammann’s recovery from a near-fatal traffic collision, followed by a discussion with Dammann and the filmmakers at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at 1118 Fourth St. in San Rafael. Admission is $8.50 to $14. Go to rafaelfilm.cafilm.org. • Osher Marin JCC screens “Avenue of the Giants,” a film about the late Marin resident and Holocaust survivor Herbert Heller, followed by a discussion with the filmmakers and Heller’s daughter Vivian Cohen at 3 p.m. Sunday at 200 North San Pedro Road in San R ..read more

• Sausalito’s City Wide Yard Sale features more than 80 booths from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the MLK parking lot at 610 Coloma St. in Sausalito. Admission is free. For more information, visit sausalito.gov. • The Marin Art and Garden Center hosts a plant swap from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and a plant sale from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 4 at 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. in Ross. Admission is $21.40 to $31.60 for the swap. To buy tickets, visit maringarden.org/plantsale. • More than a dozen local nonprofits will appear at the Community Partner Fair from 10 a.m to noon May 4 at the Marin Country Day School ..read more

WEST MARIN AT&T wants antenna inside spire at church AT&T has filed an application with the county for a new wireless communications tower inside a church steeple. The project at Sacred Heart Church in Olema calls for removing the cross from the 61-foot spire and installing an enclosure box on top with the antennas inside, according to the Marin County Community Development department. The steeple would rise to 78 feet. The project also would include a 256-square-foot steel platform for equipment, four outdoor equipment cabinets, a surge suppressor and an 8-foot-tall stone wall to ..read more

A group of Fairfax residents has launched a recall campaign against two Town Council members they say have undermined community values by promoting policies like rent control. Charles Dines, treasurer for the recall group, Committee to Rescue Fairfax, said it is seeking to recall Vice Mayor Lisel Blash and Councilmember Stephanie Hellman. Blash was elected to her first term, and Hellman her second, in 2022. The remaining three council members, Mayor Barbara Coler, Councilmember Chance Cutrano and Councilmember Bruce Ackerman, are up for reelection this year. “Democracy is supposed to be repres ..read more

By the time Stephen Dean Jr. of Marin City was 18, he had spent the majority of his youth in the juvenile justice system. “I was 10 the first time, and 17 the last time,” Dean said. “From age 10 to 18, I was only free for two years, and it wasn’t at the same time. The free time added up, like I would be out for like three months, then back. I was like, I can’t give my life away like that.” Dean, now 28, is one of the many young men who have been supported by the Phoenix Project, the Marin City-based program that targets “at risk” youths and adults and provides services to help rehabilitate and ..read more

California’s math wars are roiling the state’s educational system, with contentious debates over high school curricula. At issue is whether a “data science” course should be available as a substitute for Algebra 2. The University of California and California State University systems previously accepted data science as an advanced math requirement in place of Algebra 2. But UC and CSU both recently reversed that decision. Data science proponents cite the high failure rates of Black and Latino students even in Algebra 1. They point to the concrete, real-world applications of data science as an e ..read more