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If the government shuts down, air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers will continue to work, but they will not be paid until the shutdown is over.

OAKLAND — The Lake Merritt Rotary Nature Center suffered some damage from a fire Tuesday night, officials said.

The fire started about 7:25 p.m. Tuesday at the center at 600 Bellevue Avenue near Lake Merritt. Some 20 firefighters had the fire under control by about 7:45 p.m. No injuries were reported.

Fire Department spokesman Michael Hunt said the fire burned some of an exterior wall, a staircase and roof area and caused some interior water and smoke damage.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. A damage figure was not available.

It was not immediately known when the center would reopen.

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The nearby Oakland Junior Center of Art and Science, 558 Bellevue Ave., remains closed from a March 2021 fire that authorities believe was started by a homeless person.

The Rotary Nature Center has been a popular attraction since it opened in the early 1950s. According to its website, it handles “natural science presentations, environmental education, summer camps for youth and urban wildfire issues.”

A pile of burned rubble from an overnight fire sits near the Lake Merritt Rotary Nature Center in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. The back of the structure was damaged during the fire Tuesday night. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

By Faith Karimi | CNN

Eric Ulis was only 5 when a dapper man in a suit and sunglasses boarded a commercial flight in Portland, Oregon, ordered a bourbon and soda from his seat in 18E and then handed a flight attendant a handwritten note saying he had a bomb.

It was November 24, 1971, and the unidentified man, who later became known as D.B. Cooper, had a one-way ticket on the flight to Seattle.

Cooper opened his carry-on bag to reveal a jumble of wires and red sticks and demanded four parachutes and $200,000 in cash. After the plane landed in Seattle he swapped three dozen passengers for the cash and parachutes, then ordered the pilot to fly to a new destination: Mexico City.

RELATED: Was D.B. Cooper from Santa Cruz? Netflix series explores hunt for famed hijacker

But soon after takeoff, Cooper did something incredible: With the money strapped to his waist, he parachuted out of the rear of the plane and into the night, vanishing over the vast wilderness of the Pacific Northwest.

Cooper has not been seen or heard from since. His audacious stunt made him a folk hero, triggered an FBI investigation, led to tightened security at airports and inspired dozens of books and TV documentaries. It remains the only unsolved hijacking in US aviation history.

When decades passed without any solid new leads, the FBI officially closed the case in 2016.

But Ulis is still searching for clues. Now in his 50s, he says he’s spent countless hours scouring tens of thousands of FBI documents on Cooper for any details federal agents may have missed.

Cooper’s story resonates with a lot of people because it has a “James Bond-esque element to it,” Ulis says.

“It’s real. He was real. This is not a … Bigfoot legend,” he says. “No one was physically harmed. Of course, the crew endured some stress, but even they admit he was quite polite, all things considered. He exhibited grace under pressure.”

Ulis keeps a notebook next to his bed in his Phoenix, Arizona, home, just in case a new thought about the case strikes him in the middle of the night.

In the meantime, he’s pursuing a lead – related to Cooper’s clip-on necktie, which was left behind on the plane – he believes could possibly help amateur sleuths like himself figure out who Cooper was.

And to gain access to the necktie, he’s suing the FBI.

Ulis runs a CooperCon and is leading a search in the woods Eric Ulis in Clark County, Washington, near where a portion of DB Cooper’s ransom money was found.( Eric Ulis via CNN) 

For decades, law enforcement and amateur investigators alike have wondered: Who was the mysterious hijacker? Did he survive the plunge? Was his name really Dan Cooper, as his boarding pass indicated, or was that an alias inspired by a French Canadian comic book hero – as the FBI later speculated?

RELATED: How ‘D.B. Cooper’ hijacked a plane, took $200,000 ransom and escaped

Even Cooper’s name added to the intrigue. A journalist at the time mistyped it as D.B. instead of Dan, and the name stuck.

“For 52 years, everybody’s continued to call him D.B. Cooper. D.B. is just a more badass name than Dan,” Ulis says. “Back then, you didn’t have to go through a metal detector at the airport. You didn’t have to be checked. You didn’t have to provide a driver’s license to get an airplane to get a ticket. You could give a fake name.”

Ulis describes himself as a crime historian and aviation geek. For the past decade, he has devoted much of his time to seeking answers to the many questions surrounding D.B. Cooper.

He took part in a 2022 Netflix series titled, “D.B. Cooper, Where Are You?” and has hosted a History Channel show on the hunt for evidence about Cooper. He’s also written an e-book, “Silver Bullet: The Undoing of D.B. Cooper,” one of nearly 40 books on the elusive hijacker.

Since 2018, Ulis also has held an annual CooperCon, at which fans of the hijacker gather to discuss elements of the case in granular detail.

And next month he’ll lead a team of volunteer searchers to explore an area near Tena Bar, a stretch of beach along the Columbia River in Washington state where $5,800 of Cooper’s ransom money was found in 1980.

Ulis says he has spent a lot of time in the area, trying to figure out how close the ransom money was to where Cooper may have landed. He’s viewed old news footage, studied FBI photos and familiarized himself with landmarks so he can guide searchers to specific areas.

RELATED: California man accused of being D.B. Cooper: A life ruined or a case solved?

He hopes to find important clues, including the parachute Cooper used that night.

“I firmly believe that D.B. Cooper’s parachute is lying in that area somewhere. It’s stashed away somewhere under some blackberry bushes or a thicket of trees or something of that nature,” he says. “It’s been sitting there for 52 years.”

He’s also focusing on a clip-on tie the hijacker left behind The FBI has said it used DNA from items Cooper left behind to see whether it matched DNA from potential suspects.(FBI) 

Before he became a D.B. Cooper expert, Ulis says he was a professional blackjack player, a skill he says helps him focus on facts and avoid conspiracy theories.

“That’s the world I came from. And it actually played a big part of shaping how I think,” he says. “Because that’s a world where you’re really just focused strictly on the math. You try to remove emotion as much as possible.”

Some friends consider his fascination an “eccentric hobby,” he says, but he tries not to bombard them with minutia on the case. He saves that for when he’s around like-minded people at CooperCon and other events.

Ulis says Cooper’s cigarette butts were initially recovered but later disappeared – a crucial piece of lost evidence that may have been useful given today’s advancements in DNA technology, he says.

But he has recently zeroed in on another piece of evidence: A clip-on necktie from JCPenney that Cooper left behind before he jumped off the plane nearly 10,000 feet over southern Washington.

The tie and the found ransom money are the key pieces of physical evidence in the case, Ulis says. While the FBI has already tested the tie for traces of DNA, Ulis believes the tie knot has a metal spindle that may still have undiscovered DNA on it.

In March of this year, Ulis filed suit against the FBI for access to the tie, which he says is being stored at FBI headquarters in Washington, DC. In his suit, Ulis asks that he and a DNA expert be allowed to collect swabs from the spindle.

Ulis says he would enter any DNA found into genealogy databases in the hopes of finding a match that would help unravel Cooper’s identity.

“That’s all I’m trying to get – access to that spindle to open it up. Have the DNA expert kind of swab it, and let’s just see what we come up with,” he says.

The FBI has not responded to CNN’s repeated requests for comment on Ulis’ request.

Larry Carr, a former FBI agent who worked on Cooper’s case, tells CNN he doesn’t believe the FBI took the spindle apart to process it. But whatever DNA found on the tie may be compromised, he says.

“The tie was never collected and handled by today’s standards. It was collected and handled by standards in 1971. And so who knows whose DNA is actually on the tie,” says Carr, a speaker at this year’s CooperCon event in Seattle in November. “That’s still another hurdle we have to jump because we don’t know if that, in fact, is Cooper’s DNA.”

However, he adds, “anything’s possible.”

Armchair criminologists have speculated about the case for decades The hijacker’s plane ticket had his name as Dan Cooper, but authorities think that may have been an alias.(FBI) 

Cooper’s story has spawned a community of armchair criminologists who have spent five decades trading theories and speculating about his identity.

The FBI’s public bewilderment about the mystery has only fueled interest.

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The bureau considered hundreds of potential suspects. Was it Richard McCoy, a man who hijacked a plane a year later and parachuted over Provo, Utah, with $500,000 in ransom money? No, he was home with his family around the time of Cooper’s hijacking, the FBI later found out. Was it Duane Weber, who claimed on his deathbed to be Cooper? Federal authorities used DNA evidence to rule him out.

Carr, the former FBI agent, lists several reasons why he believes Cooper didn’t survive the jump. He didn’t appear to be an experienced skydiver and didn’t know where he was when he jumped because he never asked the pilots for a location update or gave them a flight path. It also was dark, stormy and cold – poor conditions for skydiving.

Carr said the Cooper case is one of the most popular cases he worked on and he still thinks about it today.

“It’s a great story. And the story remains untold. And so everybody wants to know what the final chapter is,” he says. “We’ve all read the book to the final chapter, and it’s blank. And that’s what drives people nuts. Drives me nuts. I want to know what the final chapter is, just like everybody else.”

This lack of a resolution continues to drive Ulis and other amateur investigators. Since the FBI ended its investigation, its files about the case are now available to the public online, and Ulis says he’s reviewed about 35,000 pages of FBI documents.

He says he’s determined to find out who Cooper was within the next few years. And he suspects the truth is within reach.

“I try to keep it as fact-based and as simple as possible,” he says. “I apply Occam’s razor to the situation – the simplest explanation is usually the closest to the truth.”

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By Larry Meumeister, Alanna Durkin Richer and Jake Offenhartz | Associated Press

NEW YORK — Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to federal charges accusing him of pocketing bribes of cash and gold bars in exchange for wielding his political influence to secretly advance Egyptian interests and do favors for local businessmen.

Menendez led his wife, who also pleaded not guilty in the case, by the hand out of the courtroom after the brief hearing in the lower Manhattan federal courthouse days after prosecutors unsealed an indictment alleging vast corruption by the Democrat. The couple left the courthouse clutching hands, and Menendez ignored shouted questions from reporters before giving a tight-lipped smile as he stepped into a car.

Menendez spoke in court only when each defendant stood to acknowledge that they understood the charges against them. A lawyer entered the not guilty plea for Menendez, who was forced to step down as chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee after being indicted.

The senator was ordered released on a $100,000 bond, and he must surrender any personal passports but will be allowed to keep an official passport that would allow him to travel outside the U.S. for government business. The judge ordered him not to have contact outside of the presence of lawyers with his co-defendants except for his wife.

He also can’t have contact outside of the presence of lawyers with members of his Senate staff, Foreign Relations Committee staff or political advisers who have personal knowledge about the facts of the case, though it’s unclear how those restrictions would impact his work.

A defiant Menendez has said allegations that he abused his power to line his pockets are baseless. He has said he is confident he will be exonerated and has no intention of leaving the Senate.
Still, calls for Menendez to resign continued to mount on Wednesday with Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, saying “he should step down.” More than half of Senate Democrats have now said that Menendez should resign, including fellow New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who said the indictment includes ” shocking allegations of corruption and specific, disturbing details of wrongdoing.”

It’s the second corruption case in a decade against Menendez, whose last trial involving different allegations ended with jurors failing to reach a verdict in 2017.

Authorities say they found nearly $500,000 in cash, much of it hidden in clothing and closets, as well as more than $100,000 in gold bars in a search of the New Jersey home Menendez, 69, shares with his wife.

Charged alongside Menendez is his wife, Nadine, who prosecutors say played a key role in collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bribes from three New Jersey businessmen seeking help from the longtime lawmaker. An attorney for Nadine Menendez entered a not guilty plea for her on Wednesday, and she was ordered to be released on $250,000 bond secured by her Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, home.

Prosecutors allege repeated actions by Menendez to benefit the authoritarian government of Egypt. They say Menendez also tried to interfere in criminal investigations involving associates, in one case pushing to install in New Jersey a federal prosecutor who he believed he could influence to derail a case.

Two of the businessmen, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes, also were arraigned and pleaded not guilty. The third, Wael Hana, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges including conspiracy to commit bribery. Hana was arrested at Kennedy Airport on Tuesday after returning voluntarily from Egypt to face the charges, and he was ordered freed pending trial.

Menendez, in his first public remarks after last week’s indictment, said on Monday that the cash found in his home was drawn from his personal savings accounts over the years and that he kept it on hand for emergencies.

One of the envelopes full of cash found at his home, however, bore Daibes’ DNA and was marked with the real estate developer’s return address, according to prosecutors.

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Prosecutors said Hana promised to put Menendez’s wife on his company’s payroll in a low- or no-show job in exchange for Menendez using his influential post to facilitate foreign military sales and financing to Egypt. Prosecutors allege Hana also paid $23,000 toward her home mortgage, wrote $30,000 checks to her consulting company, promised her envelopes of cash, sent her exercise equipment and bought some of the gold bars that were found in the couple’s home.

The indictment alleges repeated actions by Menendez to benefit Egypt, despite U.S. government misgivings over the country’s human rights record that in recent years have prompted Congress to attach restrictions on aid.

Prosecutors, who detailed meetings and dinners between Menendez and Egyptian officials, say Menendez gave sensitive U.S. government information to Egyptian officials and ghostwrote a letter to fellow senators encouraging them to lift a hold on $300 million in aid to Egypt, one of the top recipients of U.S. military support.

Prosecutors have accused Menendez of pressuring a U.S. agricultural official to stop opposing a lucrative deal that gave Hana’s company a monopoly over certifying that imported meat met religious standards.

Richer reported from Boston.

The U.S. Justice Department filed a civil complaint against eBay, claiming the online marketplace unlawfully sold and distributed hundreds of thousands of products like pesticides and motor vehicle emission-evading devices that violate environmental laws.

2765 Ascot Drive – Google Street View

A spacious house located in the 2700 block of Ascot Drive in San Ramon has new owners. The 3,367-square-foot property, built in 1980, was sold on Aug. 30, 2023, for $2,380,000, or $707 per square foot. This two-story house offers a spacious layout with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The property is equipped with central A/C. In addition, the house includes an attached two-car garage, offering generous space for vehicles and storage requirements. The property’s backyard also includes a pool.

These nearby houses have also recently been sold:

• On Veneto Court, San Ramon, in July 2023, a 3,512-square-foot home was sold for $2,290,000, a price per square foot of $652. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
• In July 2023, a 3,649-square-foot home on Veneto Court in San Ramon sold for $2,450,000, a price per square foot of $671. The home has 4 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms.
• A 2,941-square-foot home on the first block of Chaucer Court in San Ramon sold in August 2023, for $2,125,000, a price per square foot of $723. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.

 

By Amy Beth Hanson | Associated Press

HELENA, Mont. — A Montana law banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors is temporarily blocked, a state judge ruled Wednesday, just four days before it was to take effect.

District Court Judge Jason Marks agreed with transgender youth, their families and health care providers that the law passed by the 2023 Montana Legislature is likely unconstitutional and would harm the mental and physical health of minors with gender dysphoria, rather than protect them, as supporters said it would.

Marks called the Legislature’s stated intent “disingenuous” and said it seemed more likely the law’s purpose is to “ban an outcome deemed undesirable by the Montana Legislature, veiled as protection for minors.”

“Today’s ruling permits our clients to breathe a sigh of relief,” Akilah Deernose, executive director of the ACLU of Montana, said in a statement. “But this fight is far from over. We look forward to vindicating our clients’ constitutional rights and ensuring that this hateful law never takes effect.”

The preliminary injunction remains in effect until a full trial can be held on the issue, but the state Department of Justice said it will appeal the injunction.

“We look forward to presenting our complete factual and legal argument to protect Montana children from harmful, life-altering medications and surgeries. Because of the irreversible and immediate harms that the procedures have on children we will be filing a notice of appeal today,” spokesperson Emilee Cantrell said in a statement.

Montana is one of at least 22 states that have enacted bans on gender-affirming medical care for minors and most face lawsuits. Some bans have been temporarily blocked by courts, while others have been allowed to take effect. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to rule this week on the gender-affirming medical care bans that were allowed to take effect in Kentucky and Tennessee.

All the laws ban gender-affirming surgery for minors. Such procedures are rare, with fewer than 3,700 performed in the U.S. on patients ages 12 to 18 from 2016 through 2019, according to a study published last month. It’s not clear how many of those patients were 18 when they underwent surgery.

In Montana’s case, transgender youth argued the law would ban them from continuing to receive gender-affirming medical care, violating their constitutional rights to equal protection, the right to seek health and the right to dignity.

Their parents said the law would violate their constitutional right to make medical decisions for their children and two medical providers said it would prevent them from providing effective and necessary care to their patients.

“Montana’s ban is a direct assault on the freedom and well-being of transgender youth, their families, and their medical providers,” Malita Picasso, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberty Union, said in a recent statement.

The law sought to prohibit the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgical treatments for gender dysphoria, while still allowing cisgender minors to receive puberty blockers to treat early puberty or surgical procedures to treat intersex conditions.

Treatments for gender dysphoria meet standards of care approved by major medical organizations including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, the ACLU argued in its complaint.

Allowing the ban to take effect would cause irreparable harm to transgender minors who are receiving treatment, in part by exacerbating the anxiety and depression they feel because their body is incongruent with their gender identity, Picasso argued during a Sept. 18 hearing for the preliminary injunction.

The state countered that beginning the treatments put transgender children on a “path of no return.”

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“A child cannot possibly consent to the treatment that permanently and irreversibly changes secondary sex characteristics, nor can a child consent to future infertility and sterilization, future sexual dysfunction and a lifetime of hormone treatments and other forms of medicalization and resulting complications,” Assistant Attorney General Michael Russell argued.

Legislative debate over Montana’s bill drew national attention after Republicans punished Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr — the first transgender woman elected to the state’s Legislature — for telling lawmakers who supported the bill: “I hope the next time there’s an invocation, when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands.” Initially, Republicans in the House blocked her from speaking on bills and after a protest over that decision disrupted the House, she was banned from the House floor for the rest of the legislative session, which wrapped up this spring.

The story has been corrected to show the ruling happed on Wednesday, not Tuesday; and corrected to show the order is a preliminary injunction, not a temporary restraining order

ANTIOCH — A fire that burned through the roof destroyed a marijuana grow house Tuesday night, fire officials said.

Crews from the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District responded to the 5300 block of Navajo Way about 9:50 p.m. and arrived to see the flames above the roof, spokesperson Capt. Chris Toler said. By that time, the house was destroyed.

When crews made it inside the home, they confirmed it was a grow house, Toler said.

“There were a lot of modifications done to the actual interior of the home to facilitate it being a grow house,” he said. “No residents there. No injuries. And there were a lot of signs before we went in that the home was being used that way.”

Antioch police were expected to investigate the background behind the grow house and who may have been operating it.

According to Toler, the house had bars on the windows, which were boxed in by plywood. He said those safety hazards, as well as the advanced stage of the fire caused crews to fight the fire from the outside.

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“There was nothing salvageable from the home,” Toler said. “It’s uninhabitable and remains that way.”

Investigators have not determined what caused the fire to start. Toler said the electrical set-up was one of the home’s modifications.

SAN JOSE — A garbage truck driver hit and killed a man as he pulled out of an East San Jose parking lot early Tuesday morning, according to authorities.

Police were alerted to the incident at 3:23 a.m. Tuesday on the 40 block of South Jackson Avenue. The preliminary investigation revealed that a man driving a 2021 Peterbilt garbage truck hit a man while driving out of a rear parking lot, authorities said.

The man, a pedestrian, was pronounced dead at the scene. As of Wednesday morning, he was yet to be publicly identified by the Santa Clara County Office of the Medical Examiner-Coroner.

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The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation.

The death was the 40th traffic death on San Jose streets of 2023, and the 23rd pedestrian death.

Prosecutors say DNA from Gilgo Beach serial killing suspect Rex Heuermann’s cheek swab matches the DNA that authorities had previously collected from a pizza crust and used to link Heuermann to one of the victims.

Q. I have lost four of my good longtime male friends in the past two years. All were married. I am saddened and a bit dumbfounded that none of the wives have close girlfriends or a support network. In one case, a widow had no one to accompany her to pick up her late husband’s ashes and just a few people helped her spread his ashes off the pier. Can you write a column to encourage ladies not to drop their old girlfriends, a valuable support in time of need?  Best wishes, H.B.

Thank you for caring about others’ needs and concerns.

Let’s first try to understand why women may no longer have those special friendships they may have had in their younger years. We know friendships change over time because of circumstances. 

Close friends die. This particularly is the case if those close friends are of a similar age. That lends credence to the advice of having friends of different ages, stages and generations, not only for the pleasure of those friendships, but also for just being there for one another. 

Time is precious. The role of friends can become more important as we become increasingly aware that we have less rather than more time on our planet. Consequently, we may assess our friend relationships and choose not to spend time with those who are negative, toxic, insincere or with whom there is little reciprocity. At the same time, we may realize the importance of strengthening relationships that matter.

Knowing ourselves. As we age, most of us know ourselves rather well. We know what is important, our needs, preferences and values. We may distance ourselves from those who are too materialistic, have different interests and values and realize such differences are too big to overcome. We also are likely to be clearer on what we don’t want in our lives. 

Quality counts over quantity. In later life, most older adults don’t need lots of friends to be happy. What seems to count is a few good friends that may include one’s partner, longtime school friends, neighbors or more recent friendships from work, volunteering, leisure pursuits, classes or participation in faith-based organizations and more.

The benefits of having good friends in later life are even more than personal pleasure, companionship and having a good time together.   

Friendships slow cognitive decline. According to research from Northwestern University, friendships could slow decline in memory and cognitive functioning. In one study, researchers asked 31 SuperAgers and 19 cognitively “normal” older adults to fill out a questionnaire about their psychological well-being. (Superagers are men and women over age 80 with the mental faculties of people decades younger.) Compared to the cognitively “normal” adults, the SuperAgers stood out in one area: “The degree to which they reported having satisfying, warm, trusting relationships,” writes Judith Graham in a piece in Scientific American headlined, “Good Friends Might Be Your Best Brain Booster as You Age.”

Friendships may help us live longer. According to another study, people with strong connections to family and friends have a 50 percent greater chance of outliving those who have fewer social ties.

Friendships counteract loneliness. Older adults are particularly vulnerable to loneliness as they face chronic illnesses, hearing loss and more. Loneliness is feeling of being alone, regardless of the amount of social contact. It’s not the numbers that count, but the quality of the relationships. 

Friendships are good for our health. They reduce the risk of many significant health problems such as depression, high blood pressure and an unhealthy body mass index (BMI). Friendships encourage us to avoid unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as excessive drinking or lack of exercise.

Covid-19 actually has improved relationships. An AARP survey on friendships found that the epidemic served as an opportunity for older adults to reset their priorities. More than half of people ages 50 to 59 indicated the pandemic strengthened their relationships with family and friends. 

It’s never too late to make new friends. Author Shasta Nelson (“Friendships Don’t Just Happen”, Turner, 2103) notes that it usually takes six to eight meaningful interactions before women feel comfortable calling someone a friend. It may take a year to two before that person is someone in whom you confide. 

What’s the message? At some time one partner will exit the planet. So make time for those special friends and include them in your life — now! And know it is never too late to make one or two new good friends.  

Thank you H.B. for your good question. Stay well and just continue to pass on that gift of kindness.

Helen Dennis is a nationally recognized leader on issues of aging and the new retirement with academic, corporate and nonprofit experience. Contact Helen with your questions and comments at Helendenn@gmail.com.  Visit Helen at HelenMdennis.com and follow her on facebook.com/SuccessfulAgingCommunity

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Holly D. Johnson | Bankrate.com (TNS)

While rising interest rates have been a boon for savers who are now earning upwards of 5% with high-yield savings accounts and certificates of deposit (CDs), rising rates on loan products have historically played a role in slowing the economy down. But with recent rate increases from the Fed, most of us are starting to wonder where interest rates will go from here — and if a recession could be on the horizon in the coming months.

Unfortunately, an economic slowdown could impact people who are already struggling with credit card debt at today’s exceptionally high rates. According to recent data, the average interest rate charged on credit card accounts was 20.71% as of Sept. 20, 2023.

Credit expert John Ulzheimer, formerly at FICO and Equifax, says he believes banks and credit card issuers are better at predicting recessions and tough economic times than economists. Further, it’s not uncommon for banks to “clean up” their portfolios prior to economic downturns by lowering the limits on underperforming cardholder accounts and closing inactive accounts.

Does applying for a balance transfer card now make sense?

With that in mind, it could make sense to go ahead and try to consolidate high-interest credit card debt now — before a recession slows the economy down and creditors have the chance to tighten their requirements. After all, there are a range of top balance transfer credit cards available today that offer lengthy 0% intro APR timelines and very few fees or no fees.

By applying now and consolidating high-interest credit card debt while you can, you have the potential to save money on interest, pay down debt more quickly or both. Just remember that you’ll need to have a plan to pay down debt with a balance transfer, or else you could end up with even more debt in the end.

For example, Ulzheimer says you will get the most out of a balance transfer credit card if you use it for the intended purpose, which is to buy yourself some time at a 0% intro APR so you can pay the card off in full.

What to look for in a balance transfer card

As you compare balance transfer credit cards, you’ll want to look for options that let you consolidate and pay down debt with the lowest costs possible. In the meantime, you can look out for features and benefits you might actually use.

Here’s everything you should try to find in your next balance transfer card:

—Lengthy intro offer. First off, Ulzheimer says you should always look for the longest introductory APR offer you can find. For example, you may be able to find balance transfer cards that offer a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for up to 21 months.

—No annual fee. The best balance transfer credit cards also come with no annual fee, so make sure the cards you’re considering don’t come with any fixed annual charges you can’t avoid.

—Low balance transfer fee. While most balance transfer credit cards charge a balance transfer fee on the amount of debt you transfer, this fee is usually 3% or 5% of each balance transferred. Obviously, you’ll want to look for balance transfer cards with the lowest balance transfer fees you can find to maximize your savings.

While all the attributes above are good to look for in a balance transfer card, you’ll also notice that some cards with 0% intro APR offers come with rewards. While earning cash back or rewards points can be attractive, keep in mind that you’ll have a much harder time getting out of debt if you’re still using credit cards for purchases.

If you really want to maximize a balance transfer credit card, skip over options that offer rewards, stop using credit cards for purchases for the time being and focus on working toward freedom from debt instead. If you’re entirely debt-free in the future, you can always reconsider getting a rewards credit card at that point.

Balance transfer cards to consider

As you look over the best balance transfer credit cards, consider these options with some of the longest intro APR offers on the market today:

Citi Simplicity Card

The no-annual-fee Citi Simplicity® Card comes with a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 21 months from account opening and on purchases for 12 months from account opening, with both offers followed by a variable APR of 19.24% to 29.99%. Note that only balance transfers made in the first four months of account opening qualify for the introductory offer and that a 3% (minimum $5) intro balance transfer fee applies if you transfer debt to the card within four months of account opening.

Wells Fargo Reflect Card

The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card comes with a 0% intro APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers for 21 months from account opening, followed by a variable APR of 18.24%, 24.74% or 29.99%. Only balance transfers made within 120 days of account opening qualify for the introductory offer, and this offer comes with a 5% (minimum $5) balance transfer fee. Further, there’s no annual fee.

BankAmericard credit card

The BankAmericard® credit card is another great card for debt consolidation since it comes with a 0% intro APR for 18 billing cycles on both qualifying balance transfers (made in the first 60 days of account opening) and purchases. Then, a variable APR of 16.24% to 26.24% applies. There’s no annual fee, and a 3% balance transfer fee applies.

The information about the BankAmericard® credit card was last updated on Sept. 20, 2023.

The bottom line

Whether a recession is coming or not, consolidating debt with a balance transfer card can make sense. With a top balance transfer card, you can get a 0% intro APR offer for 18 or even 21 months, letting you pay down debt faster since interest charges won’t accrue the entire time. A balance transfer fee is required in most cases and is added to your total balance, but the interest savings you get can be well worth it.

For more insight into how much you can save, consider trying out our balance transfer calculator, then make your decision from there.

*The information about the Citi Simplicity® Card and BankAmericard® credit card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.

(Visit Bankrate online at bankrate.com.)

©2023 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The high cost of housing is leaving California families locked out of homeownership and contributing to persistent homelessness, says RAND economist Jason Ward.

Yet, local policies and politics keep the Golden State from building enough homes to make housing affordable.

Obstacles range from regulation to resistance among residents who fear added housing will make overcrowding worse.

Also see: California has 6 of the most-valuable housing markets in US

“From a policy perspective, we treat housing as a societal bad,” Ward said.

Yet, standing in the way of new housing is not really in California’s best interest, he said.

“What we’ve really done is made it so expensive here that it’s not really a feasible or even desirable place to live for a lot of people. And along with that comes major problems like homelessness,” Ward said.

A better policy would make the state accessible to a diverse range of people.

Also see: Southern California tops wildfire risk rankings as insurance gets harder to find

“You know,” said Ward, “everyone moved here at some point.”

We recently discussed the housing crisis with Ward, who joined the Santa Monica-based think tank in 2019. His comments have been edited for space.

Q: What’s the most pressing housing issue in California today?

A: Lack of affordability is, to me, the issue that links everything.

Also see: Amid California market plunge, Realtors forecast rising prices, sales in 2024

Both theory and evidence point to high housing costs being the result of a lack of supply. Housing underproduction relative to demand leads to higher rents and higher home prices. … (And) the high cost of producing housing has rendered the production of middle-income housing mostly infeasible without substantial public subsidies.

Rapidly escalating home prices now exclude most Californians from having any realistic path to homeownership. It has also raised the stakes for existing homeowners to oppose anything that threatens the huge valuation of their homes, be it a new multifamily building next door or anything that might, say, increase traffic or change a view or potentially affect anyone’s perception of the value.

In the rental market, underproduction has led to millions of households doubling and tripling up in units too small for them and to ballooning eviction rates as COVID-era protections are expiring. As housing eats up a larger share of household budgets, any financial shock can be a fatal blow to remaining housed and this, ultimately drives people into homelessness.

Jason Ward (Photo courtesy of Rand Corp.) 

Q: Has any progress been made in addressing the state’s homelessness issues?

A: If progress means reducing the number of people experiencing homelessness in any meaningful, measurable way, then no.

RAND’s ongoing survey of unsheltered Angelenos shows that nearly three-quarters of people on the streets have been there continuously for more than a year and around half have been on the streets continuously for three years or more.

So we aren’t even making meaningful progress in housing people who have spent literally years on the streets.

And we haven’t done anything to address the flow of people into homelessness due to very high housing costs. We will never solve homelessness in a setting where it costs $2,000 to $3,000 per month to rent a basic one- or two-bedroom apartment and you need a $4,000 to $6,000 security deposit to even have the opportunity to try to pay those rents.

Q: Many residents say they want their communities to remain as they are. Is the push to build more housing a threat to the quality of life?

A: You know, we spent decades building millions and millions of homes, and people moved into those homes. And then it’s like, now I live here, so now nothing else should change.

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The only thing you can really do to make people stop coming here is make it a really undesirable place to live. But that’s not really a great policy.

I think in some sense, we’ve kind of done that in California already. We’ve made this a much less desirable place to live. Even college-educated people are now beginning to migrate out of California.

So, the question is, (wouldn’t it be better) to simply accommodate the demand for housing and try to make this a place that is accessible to a wide range of people in the future? … You know, everyone moved here at some point.

Q: What programs have been the most effective so far?

A: LA’s Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) program — a voluntary, incentive-based program that includes large increases in density, exemption from parking minimums and other regulatory forbearance — has been a remarkable success story and is the kind of thing that should just be extended.

… You should not worry about whether (housing is)  near transit and just let people build housing with less parking and more units anywhere that they would like.

Q: Under Senate Bill 9, California property owners can subdivide lots in single-family neighborhoods and build up to four units on those parcels. Is that having an impact on the housing shortage?

A: It has yet to have any meaningful impact, and I do not believe it will until we remove exclusions that prevent professional builders from using this pathway.

Developers are the people who build housing. Saddling a property owner with living on their property or paying to move away for the years it can take to do even a duplex, let alone and lot split and two duplexes, automatically eliminates probably 95% or more of California households from possibly using this bill.

This restriction… (prevents) this bill from really having any meaningful effect on housing production.

Q: Californians voted down two ballot propositions loosening state restrictions on rent control. Will the third time be the charm when rent control is back on the ballot in 2024?

A: Time will tell. I believe most Californians realize that rent control without a substantial increase in housing production is not going to solve many problems.

Q: Do you think expanded rent control is a viable solution to the state’s soaring rent?

A: With sufficient housing production, rent control can do what it is intended to do, which is to prevent the worst excesses of some landlords.

But in an environment of unaddressed housing scarcity, rent control places the onus of the housing crisis completely on landlords, and most landlords are not large, corporate landlords. Inflation is real and many owners are struggling to make ends meet as operating costs outpace rental revenue. This can and does lead to some very perverse outcomes for housing affordability.

JASON WARD AT A GLANCE

Title: Economist, professor

Organization: RAND Corp. and Pardee RAND Graduate School

Residence: Los Angeles

Education: Bachelors, masters and doctorate in economics, University of Illinois, Chicago

Previous jobs: Recording industry audio engineer for nearly 20 years; teaching and research assistant through the National Bureau of Economic Research

By Dillon Mullan, Cassidy Jensen and Lee O. Sanderlin | Baltimore Sun

Authorities are looking for an armed and dangerous man who police say killed Pava LaPere, an entrepreneur involved in Baltimore’s tech startup scene.

Acting Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said Tuesday that police have an arrest warrant for 32-year-old Jason Billingsley in connection with LaPere’s death. Worley described Billingsley as armed and dangerous, and warned Baltimoreans to steer clear if they see him. Worley said Billingsley is a suspect in “at least one other case.”

“He will do anything he can to cause harm,” Worley said. “This individual will kill, and he will rape.”

Officers found LaPere, 26, in an apartment in the 300 block of West Franklin Street in the Mount Vernon neighborhood around 11:34 a.m. with signs of blunt-force trauma, police said, and the state medical examiner’s office said Tuesday afternoon that her death has been ruled a homicide.

LaPere co-founded EcoMap Technologies while still an undergraduate student at the Johns Hopkins University, from which she graduated in 2019. The company’s office is also in the 300 block of West Franklin Street.

“Pava was a very young, talented, devoted Baltimorean and someone I had the opportunity to get to know over the past few years, who would help anyone she could see,” Mayor Brandon Scott said.

Billingsley pleaded guilty to a first-degree sex offense in 2015 and received a prison sentence of 30 years with all but 14 years suspended, according to online court records.

Worley said LaPere was found hours after a missing person report was filed. He declined to say whether LaPere was found in her own home, citing the open investigation. “It was a secure building, where someone had to allow the individual into the building,” Worley said.

BPD announces 1st Degree Murder warrant for 32 y/o Jason Billingsley in the killing of Pava LaPere. WATF & US Marshals are actively attempting to arrest him. Billingsley is armed & dangerous. Contact 911 if you come in contact with this individual. https://t.co/6pFynzudRr pic.twitter.com/AqOZwN63sv

— Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) September 26, 2023

Hopkins spokesperson Jill Rosen said: “The Johns Hopkins community deeply mourns the tragic loss of Pava LaPere, a 2019 graduate who made Baltimore home and invested her talent in our city. Pava was well known and loved in the Baltimore entrepreneurship community and will be profoundly missed. Our solemn thoughts are with her family in this time of grief.”

EcoMap Technologies has published data maps of over 12 business ecosystems, including an overview of Baltimore’s Black-owned business community. In August, the company announced that it had raised $8 million from venture capital firms, according to a news release.

It is with profound sadness and shock that EcoMap announces the passing of our CEO, Pava LaPere. We'll honor her legacy; please keep her family and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers. pic.twitter.com/W8PKWOCKt3

— EcoMap Technologies | The Ecosystem Company (@EcoMapTech) September 26, 2023

“Her untiring commitment to our company, to Baltimore, to amplifying the critical work of ecosystems across the country, and to building a deeply inclusive culture as a leader, friend, and partner set a standard for leadership, and her legacy will live on through the work we continue to do,” EcoMap Technologies said in a statement. The public is invited to a vigil at the Washington Monument in Mount Vernon starting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, the company tweeted.

LaPere, who lived in Tucson, Arizona, before moving to Baltimore, also founded Innov8MD, a nonprofit aimed at assisting student entrepreneurs at Hopkins. She was on the board of Loyola University Maryland’s Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship and was selected to Forbes’ 30 under 30 lists for social impact in 2023.

News of LaPere’s death quickly caused ripples of grief across Baltimore’s technology industry, with many who had met or worked with her praising the 26-year-old’s impact on the community.

“Pava was brilliant, creative, compassionate, and an exceptional leader. In her 26 years on this planet, she did more with the time she had than most people do in a lifetime,” Jamie McDonald, CEO of UpSurge Baltimore, said in a statement. “Pava left an indelible mark on our community. The Baltimore ecosystem is stronger, more resilient, and courageous thanks to Pava’s personal and professional contributions here.”

Alanah Nichole Davis, the lead Baltimore reporter for technology news site technical.ly, said in a Tuesday newsletter that she had met LaPere in May, and conducted an on-camera interview with her a few months later to report on EcoMap’s plans for spending an influx of extra seed capital.

“I’ve spent the day watching bits of that interview while grieving in my own way between working,” Davis wrote. “What struck me was how Pava exuded warmth and joy over her work.”

FOR THE RECORD

The article has been updated to correct the sentence Jason Billingsley received for a first degree sex offense in 2015 and to remove incorrect information about how he got out of prison. The Sun regrets the errors.

An intelligent dystopian blockbuster that addresses AI technology and our fear of it, along with a delightful human dramedy about an Irish mom trying to help her always in-trouble son.

Those films top our list of must-sees, along with a cute animated feature aimed for wee ones who love puppies and a cheeky Coen Brothers homage.

Here’s our roundup.

“The Creator”: The acceleration of AI technology continues to astound and inspire us, but also fuels trepidation and fear. Will AI supplant workers? Will it reduce us into lazy oafs? Those legit, and sometimes not so legit, concerns abound. And they’re part of the reason why Gareth Edwards’ stirring dystopian epic — one that’s been in the narrative cooking process for years — is so refreshing. It turns the tables on our sense that it is humans being victimized.

In “The Creator,” we look in the mirror and an American aggressor stares back at us.

It’s a turnaround that creates thicker layers and adds philosophical/ethical debates to this big-budget thought-provoker, a sobering and entirely satisfying experience that balances grandiose visual effects with emotional heft. (Get ready to tear up).

The serpentine plot hinges on former American mercenary Joshua (John David Washington, in his best performance to date) who gets summoned back into action five years after the death of his wife Maya (Gemma Chan). His assignment is to chase down the enigmatic Creator, an architect of AI intelligence that American politicians and military officials blame for a nuclear bomb that wiped out much of downtown L.A. The infiltration of AI into life produces different reactions across the globe, with Americans wanting to annihilate AI beings and the Eastern world willing to coexist in a peaceful way.

Joshua hesitantly joins a military mission — Alison Janney is unforgettable as a rabid vengeance-seeking colonel — with a goal to eradicate the architect, and AI, overall. Joshua’s search propels him deep into East Asia, where townspeople have been terrorized by soldiers — those scenes serve as a powerful metaphor for the Vietnam War and how history often repeats itself. When Joshua learns that the assassination target happens to be an child (Madeleine Yuna Voyles, in an awards-worthy performance), he questions the ethical boundaries being crossed. With an added incentive that Maya might indeed be alive, Joshua faces a crisis on numerous levels.

While “The Creator” does lack the gut punch of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” it’s merely a few rungs below that film in narrative vision. It’s a visual head trip that will move you and begs to be seen more than once — and on an IMAX screen. Details: 3½ stars out of 4; in theaters Sept. 29.

“Flora and Son”: Watching a film from Irish director John Carney (“Sing Street,” “Once,” “Begin Again”) is akin to falling in love with a soulful yet sweet song about the beautiful messiness of life. Carney’s done that again with this just-edgy-enough heart-warmer, a lovely story about single mom Flora (Eve Hewson) and her troublesome but musically talented son (Orén Kinlan), whom she strives to steer away from his habitual crimes. In the process, she winds up taking online guitar lessons from an easygoing L.A. instructor (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). The brass Flora charms and offends him. But he sees something special in her and she sees something special in him. What makes Carney’s films such a joy to experience is that they celebrate working-class people who realize an unexpected dream. From “Sing Street” to “Once,” Carney’s distinct style gives you just the right amount of genuine feels. Hewson is a delight and Gordon-Levitt is a charmer. If you’re feeling low, try “Flora and Son,” it’ll take a load off anyone’s weary shoulders. Details: 3½ stars; streaming Sept. 29 on Apple TV+.

“Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie”: After the vulgar antics in the irritating pup comedy “Strays,” it’s comforting to hang out with Nickelodeon’s batch of well-behaved animated pooches, junior-league canine do-gooders intent in being kind and saving humankind. Devoid of product placement and stripped of sitcom-like put-downs, director Cal Brunker’s “Paw Patrol” sequel, based on the popular TV series, outshines the first film. The plot moves along at a faster clip and the message is even better.  A meteor crashes near Adventure City, and takes out Pup Tower. Its crystals, though, instill all but one pup with superpowers. Naturally, there’s a villain, a crackpot scientist (voice of Taraji P. Henson), and she teams up with corrupt former Adventure City mayor Humdinger (Ray Pardo). “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie” is nicely animated and reminds kids to celebrate their qualities and power from within. It won’t win awards but it is certain to delight its target audience. Details: 3 stars; in theaters Sept. 29.

“Head Count”: The Burghart Brothers’ twisted Kansas-set Western noir feature debut tips its cowboy hat aplenty to the Coen Brothers, but does so with wit and respect.  Aaron Jakubenko — who also helped dream up the kooky screenplay — stars as Kat, a con who’s escaped into the fields after a critter attack. That ridiculous “attack” leads Kat into a nest of trouble that involves his brother and an old flame who has moved on to another guy. Swiveling from flashbacks to Kat’s current dire predicament of having a gun pointed at his head, the Burghart Brothers keep things busy with loony twists and irreverent humor. Watch these two. They’re talented. Details: 3 stars; in select theaters and on VOD Sept. 29.

“Heist 88”: Blasé storytelling and a lack of overall energy drag down what should have been a suspenseful dramatization of a mostly real $80-million bank swindle that almost happened in 1988 Chicago. Courtney B. Vance stars as a charismatic conman out to score one last hit by capitalizing on a faulty system that relies on code verifications for fund transfers. He persuades four underpaid Black bank workers to pull it off. “Heist 88” picks up once the plan gets set into motion, but director Menhaj Huda and the screenplay give cursory lip service to the backstories and the action seems rather clunky at moments. Details: 2 stars; streams Sept. 29 on Paramount+ and at 9 p.m. Oct. 1 on Showtime.

“Megalomaniac”: Karim Ouelhaj’s unsettling award-winning horror film crawls under the skin and then rips your nerves to shreds. It’s bloody and terrifying, and should come with a warning for the faint-hearted: Stay the hell away from this. Ouelhaj’s plunge into the depraved legacy of family madness finds bullied, sexually abused  Martha (Eline Schumacher) holed up in a Gothic-looking manor with her serial killer brother Felix (Benjamin Ramon). Their father was known as the Butcher of Mons — a real-life homicidal maniac who was never captured. Ouelhaj’s button-pushing thriller lays forth — in bloody detail — what led his offspring to carry on the carnage. It’s a damning portrait of what can go so awry when the safety net of social programs is full of holes, while workplace hostility and sexism conspire to breed even more violence. It’s a tough but well-made film that raises provocative questions that are certain to make everyone in the audience uncomfortable, as they should. Details: 3 stars; available On Demand now.

Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.

A UW student created a website aimed at helping his peers gain admission to some of UW's most competitive degree programs, including computer science.

Peter Sblendorio | New York Daily News

Colin Kaepernick reached out to the Jets about a spot on their practice squad following fellow quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending Achilles tear, according to a letter shared by rapper J. Cole.

Kaepernick allegedly sent the letter to general manager Joe Douglas on Sept. 21, contending his “sole mission” would be to help prepare the Jets defense in practice, with his mobility mimicking that of upcoming opponents in Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson and Jalen Hurts.

“In a perfect world for the Jets, Zach Wilson finds his stride and shows that he is able to lead this championship caliber team that you’ve put together to the Super Bowl,” reads the letter, which J. Cole posted to Instagram. “I believe a confident Zach Wilson has the tools to do this. However, in the event that this is not the case, I would love to offer you a risk-free contingency plan.”

Kaepernick, 35, hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2016 season. That year, the then-San Francisco 49ers star knelt during the national anthem before games to protest racial injustice in America.

The letter to the Jets says Kaepernick never retired and has maintained a weekday training program the past six years. He worked out for the Las Vegas Raiders last season but didn’t sign a contract.

“Worst case scenario, you see what I have to offer and you’re not that impressed,” the letter reads. “Best case scenario, you realize you have a real weapon at your disposal in the event you ever need to use it.”

Rodgers, whom the Jets acquired in the offseason from the Green Bay Packers, played four snaps in Week 1 before suffering the injury. Wilson, the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft, has thrown two touchdowns against four interceptions since stepping in for Rodgers.

During an appearance Tuesday on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rodgers was critical of teammates having outbursts on the sideline in Sunday’s loss to the Patriots, which dropped them to 1-2. Rodgers said the Jets need to “grow up a little bit on offense” after Garrett Wilson and Michael Carter were seen expressing frustrations.

The Jets opted to add veteran Trevor Siemian to their practice squad this week, marking their first quarterback move since Rodgers, 39, went down.

Chad Henne, who won two Super Bowls as Mahomes’ backup with the Chiefs, recently told the Reading Eagle he declined a Jets offer and will remain retired. CBS Sports commentator Matt Ryan also told his network he has “no interest” in a Jets job after Fox Sports reported the team was passing on him and Carson Wentz.

Kaepernick started parts of five seasons with the 49ers, passing for 72 touchdowns against 30 interceptions and rushing for another 13 scores. He led San Francisco to the Super Bowl in 2013 and to the NFC Championship Game the following season.

Kaepernick was initially “reluctant” to let J. Cole share the letter, the rapper wrote.

“My argument was that I believe the people and all organizations should know the truth about how hard he works and how much he still wants to play,” J. Cole captioned the post. “And always has. In the end, he agreed to let me.”

LIVERMORE — Bay Area motorists worried that they’re targets for criminals looking to steal their catalytic converters drove to a Livermore college Tuesday to have the valuable car part tagged with traceable identification information and law enforcement insignia.

The anti-theft etching event — the fourth one of its kind hosted by Livermore police and the automotive department at Las Positas College over the past year — drew dozens of drivers whose catalytic converters were marked with their license plate numbers and spray-painted with the Livermore Police Department badge logo.

The purpose, Livermore police Officer Taylor Burruss said, is to deter would-be thieves who spot the police logo and make the car part traceable back to its owner if recovered by law enforcement. In some cases, a recovered part can be returned and reinstalled. In others, identified victims can help the authorities pursue charges. Burruss recalled at least three cases where etching helped identify stolen catalytic converters, a device that’s part of a vehicle’s exhaust system and contains valuable metals.

“We had a success story with CHP where they recovered a bunch of catalytic converters, and when they were inventorying them, they came across one that had our Livermore Police Department logo,” Burruss said. “So CHP contacted Livermore police and said, ‘Hey, can you give us any information on this?’ We said absolutely.”

Livermore Police Officer Taylor Burruss, center, talks with community members during an anti-theft catalytic converter event on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023, in Livermore, Calif. Livermore police and Las Positas College hosted their fourth anti-theft catalytic converter event where student technicians etched vehicle license plate numbers and police department logos onto the prized auto parts. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) 

Stealing catalytic converters is a popular crime in the Bay Area and across the state. In June, a police task force in Oakland recovered more than 200 catalytic converters as part of an investigation into a prolific crew suspected of stealing and reselling the parts, according to reporting in this newspaper. The state Bureau of Automotive Repair reported in 2021 that there were about 1,600 thefts of catalytic converters per month statewide.

One Oakland resident who had the catalytic converter on his Subaru Forester etched at Tuesday’s event said he believes becoming a victim of theft or vandalism is all but inevitable. The motorist, who requested his name not be used, said he keeps apprised of the crime happening around his neighborhood on social media and in the news.

“Not if, but when,” he said before a Las Positas College auto technology student delivered his completed Subaru.

About 35 auto students volunteered to etch and spray vehicles. They worked inside the school’s new automotive department building that includes 18 indoor and outdoor vehicle stalls. It’s one of the best exercises for students to receive real-word shop training, said Brian Hagopian, program coordinator and professor of automotive technology.

Los Positas College auto technology student William Fuller marks a catalytic converter with the vehicles license plate number on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023, in Livermore, Calif. Livermore police and Las Positas College hosted their fourth anti-theft catalytic converter event where student technicians etched vehicle license plate numbers and police department logos onto the prized auto parts. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) 

“This event — we have customer cars, we have jobs to do,” Hagopian said. “They’re working together. They have to talk to customers. And so it kind of brings the whole automotive shop experience together for them, which is something we really can’t do in normal classes.”

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Hagopian said the event — which is offered to motorists free of charge — costs around $300 total to put on. About 175 people are typically served, and they drive from places as far away as Sacramento, Fresno and Stockton.

“It’s something the public wants — it’s something the public needs,” he said. “I plan to keep doing it as long as Livermore PD wants to be involved.”

The professor said his vehicle’s catalytic converter is etched and hasn’t yet been stolen.

Analysts have raised their forecasts for oil prices, as they try to understand Saudi Arabia’s intentions with recent production cuts.

New research suggests there is "no evidence of an association between decriminalization and fatal overdose rates" in Oregon and Washington.