Authorities say the body of a man who was apparently abducted in Tracy last week was found at Lake Berryessa.
Avtar Singh was reported missing on Feb. 17, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office says, from the Sikh temple in Tracy.
Surveillance video reviewed by detectives showed Singh being put into a white SUV, apparently against his will, by three unidentified people earlier that day.
The sheriff’s office says detectives believe Singh wasn’t the original target of the suspects.
Then, on Feb. 20, the Napa County Sheriff’s Office alerted that a body had been found near Lake Berryessa matching the description of Singh.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office has since confirmed that the body was indeed that of Singh’s.
No cause of death has been released by authorities at this time, but detectives noted that the incident appeared to be isolated and there was no threat to the public.
Detectives have not made any arrests in connection with Singh’s death.
Singh leaves behind a wife and triplets under the age of one, the sheriff’s office says.
Ronnie Selleaze notches triple-double to lead San Lorenzo past Heritage. Mission San Jose, Piedmont roll. Moreau Catholic girls cruise to second round.
California wine giant Gallo is set to close one of its Bay Area production facilities, laying off nearly 100 workers there and at four other wineries and tasting rooms in Napa and Sonoma counties, the company announced.
Gallo, the largest wine producer in the world by volume, announced the cuts in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice filed with the state. The company will permanently close its Ranch Winery in St. Helena, resulting in 56 workers losing their jobs. Other layoffs at the Louis M. Martini Winery and Orin Swift Tasting Room in St. Helena, and at J Vineyards and Frei Ranch in Healdsburg, will total another 37 positions.
The notice was filed on Feb. 12 and will be effective by April 15.
“GALLO is aligning parts of our operations with our long‑term business strategy to ensure we remain well‑positioned for future success,” a Gallo spokesperson told CBS News in an emailed statement. “As part of this process, we made the difficult decision to reduce certain Wine Country operations. These changes are driven by market dynamics, evolving consumer demand, and available capacity across our wineries.”
All the affected employees will receive support, transition packages, and opportunities to explore other roles with the company, the spokesperson said.
In September 2025, Gallo also closed its Courtside Winery, a production facility just north of Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo County, resulting in the loss of 47 jobs. The spokesperson said the layoffs and closures “do not materially impact” its tasting rooms in Napa, Sonoma, and San Luis Obispo counties.
Founded in 1933 by brothers Ernest and Julio Gallo, the Modesto-based company is also the largest family-owned winery in the U.S. and owns over 100 different wine labels, including top-selling wines such as Apothic, Barefoot Cellars, Clos du Bois, Ecco Domani, MacMurray Estate, and Ravenswood. In 2024, the company changed its name from E&J Gallo Winery to simply Gallo to better reflect its portfolio, which includes spirits such as New Amsterdam vodka and gin, Camarena Tequila, and Diplomatico Rum.
Health officials in Napa County confirmed Wednesday that a child has been diagnosed with measles in the county’s first case in nearly 15 years.
According to the county’s Health & Human Services Agency, the case involves an unvaccinated child who became ill after visiting South Carolina, where a large measles outbreak is taking place. Officials did not provide additional details about the child.
The last measles case reported in Napa County was in 2012.
Officials said Wednesday that there is no public health threat to the general population. The county is working with the California Department of Public Health to ensure people potentially exposed are notified and are up to date on their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines.
Unvaccinated people are urged by health officials to receive the MMR vaccine, which provides lifelong immunity to the measles after two doses.
“MMR vaccines are our best defense against the measles virus and its complications,” said Health Officer Dr. Christine Wu. “Simply being in the same room with someone who has measles can result in infection for people who are not immune.”
A highly contagious respiratory virus, measles can remain airborne or on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash that begins on the face and spreads downward across the body, officials said.
Late last month, health officials in Contra Costa County confirmed a measles case and issued a health warning after the person was found to have visited several stores in Walnut Creek ahead of the Christmas holiday.
Robert Knox Thomas, the driver who ran over two pedestrians with his Rolls-Royce SUV and crashed into a restaurant in downtown Napa in November 2024, is launching his own legal battle to contest allegations he is to blame for the devastating crash.
The two injured women, one of whom was paralyzed, sued Thomas last year, accusing him of acting with “rage, aggression, and a deliberate disregard for human life” when he was behind the wheel that day, four days before Thanksgiving.
Now Thomas, 79, is suing Rolls-Royce and three other automotive companies, arguing it is they who bear the responsibility for any potential damages.
In the moments leading up to the crash, Thomas claims, his Cullinan SUV “accelerated on its own despite (his) attempt to stop the vehicle,” striking the two women before crashing into the restaurant building, according to his cross-complaint, filed Nov. 20 in Napa County Superior Court.
Named as cross-defendants along with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars are Holman Motor Cars, which sold Thomas the Cullinan; and Rolls-Royce Los Gatos and Wheels Boutique, two companies that performed modifications, maintenance and/or repair on the vehicle.
Rolls-Royce filed its answer Jan. 8, denying “each and every allegation” in Thomas’ cross-complaint.
The Los Angeles-based attorneys for the auto maker argue that Thomas’ Cullinan met prevailing manufacturing standards, and “comported with all applicable government regulations, rules, orders, codes and statutes,” including the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Rolls-Royce demanded a jury trial to settle the matter.
After investigating the crash, the Napa Police Department’s Reconstruction Team determined that Thomas “caused the vehicle to accelerate, believing he was trying to stop the vehicle,” the department divulged last July. He was cited for three traffic violations, processed as citations rather than criminal charges.
Thomas was making a right turn onto First Street from a stop sign at School Street on that busy Sunday when the Rolls-Royce accelerated at high speed and barreled over the two friends, Annamarie Thammala and Veronnica Pansanouck, as they were stepping onto the far sidewalk. Thomas then crashed into Tarla Mediterranean Bar & Grill, damaging the restaurant’s exterior.
Thammala, then 29, was thrown into the air and crushed beneath a tree that had been severed by the vehicle, according to the women’s lawsuit. She suffered multiple fractures, including spinal injuries that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Pansanouck, 31, wound up pinned underneath the vehicle; she sustained multiple spinal fractures in her back and legs, requiring several surgeries.
Both women will require “lifelong medical care,” according to a press release distributed in mid-October by Habbas & Associates, the South Bay law firm representing them. They are seeking unspecified monetary damages.
Pansanouck’s sisters, Erica Kalah and Colicia Pansanouk — Veronnica and Colicia spell their last names differently — were crossing the street at the same time. They also are plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Thomas, alleging they suffered severe emotional trauma in witnessing the incident.
Thomas sustained physical injuries and endured emotional distress of his own, he alleges, as a result of the automotive companies’ negligence. He asks to be reimbursed for any judgment or settlements, or that any damages awarded to the women suing him be apportioned by the court among those companies, based on their “comparative negligence.” He also seeks compensation for expenses and legal fees.
The Rolls-Royce attorneys, in their response to his cross-complaint, said any “injuries and damages were proximately caused by the negligence and carelessness of cross-complainant and others, not by Rolls Royce.”
Wheels Boutique, an aftermarket automotive shop based in Florida, filed a motion a quash Thomas’ cross-complaint on the basis that California courts have no jurisdiction over the company. Wheels Boutique has no offices, garages, employees or agents in California, and does not solicit or advertise here, according to its motion.
The shop received Thomas’ SUV in February 2023, the document states, and performed body work, wheel installation and installation of a “lowering link” that makes a vehicle ride closer to the ground. Thomas paid close to $90,000 for that work and had it shipped off the lot. The 2023 Rolls-Royce Cullinan he was driving when he struck Pansanouck and Thammala had a suggested retail price ranging from $285,000 to $600,000, depending on its condition and equipment, according to Kelley Blue Book.
Superior Court Judge Cynthia P. Smith will rule on the Wheels Boutique motion Feb. 6.
Neither Holman Motorcars or Rolls-Royce of Los Gatos had filed responses to the cross-complaint by Jan. 15. Attempts to reach representatives of each company were unsuccessful.
The same day Thomas cross-sued Rolls-Royce and the others, he filed in Napa to strike punitive damages in the Thammala-Pansanouck lawsuit.
A supporting memorandum for that motion by Thomas accuses the two friends and their companions of “taking what is clearly a tragic and unfortunate matter and warping it into a claim of punitive damage.” It refers to parts of their civil complaint as “inflammatory language with no substance.”
Thomas’ attorneys refer to a number of witness statements as “hearsay,” including observations that the driver was “angry,” and that he “peeled out” and “burned rubber” after “revving his engine.” They note Thomas informed Napa police officers his Rolls-Royce sped up without his control, as acknowledged in the crash report.
“Plaintiffs’ own pleadings state at best a vehicle driven by an older gentleman that somehow sped up and was involved in an accident,” Thomas’ supporting memorandum states.
The attorney representing him, Andrew K. Murphy of Pleasanton, declined comment. The plaintiffs’ attorneys at Habbas Law did not respond to interview requests.
In order to win punitive damages, Thomas’ team argues, the plaintiffs must demonstrate that he acted with malice, oppression or fraud. The lawsuit doesn’t offer enough facts to support those claims, they say.
“At best, Mr. Thomas’ alleged conduct could perhaps be described as careless, or even reckless, but there is nothing to indicate that it reflected an evil motive to harm people,” according to the supporting memorandum.
In a Dec. 16 opposition to the motion, attorneys for the women argued that punitive damages don’t require an intent to injure.
Their lawsuit “alleges far more than speed alone,” the court response states. Thomas “knowingly violated multiple traffic laws, entered a marked crosswalk occupied by pedestrians, ignored warnings, and drove despite known impairments. All conduct that a reasonable jury could find despicable and carried out with conscious disregard.”
The known impairments likely refer to macular degeneration, an eye disorder
Smith, the presiding judge, sided with the plaintiffs at a Dec. 30 hearing, allowing the women to sue for punitive damages. A case management conference is set for March 24.
You can reach Phil Barber at 707-521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @Skinny_Post.
The second BottleRock Napa headliner that really has us excited is the Backstreet Boys, the legendary “boy band” known for such glistening pop hits as “I Want It That Way,” “Bye Bye Bye” and — ranking in as one of the finest ballads of the ’90s — “Quit Playing Games (with My Heart).”
Other top names on the bill include Dave Grohl’s Foo Fighters — which is making its third appearance at BottleRock, following headlining slots in 2017 and 2021 — as well as Teddy Swims, LCD Soundsystem and SOMBR.
Further down the bill, you’ll find plenty of other cool acts — Lil Wayne, Chaka Khan, Rilo Kiley, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, etc. — which combine to make this one of the strongest BottleRock bills in years.
The complete lineup is listed below.
Tickets for this three-day music (and so much more) festival — which runs May 22-24 at the Napa Valley Expo in downtown Napa — start at $475 per person and go on sale at 10 a.m. Jan. 14, BottleRockNapaValley.com.
No word on when, or if, single-day tickets will be released. Individual daily lineups will be announced in the weeks to come.
The lineup for the festival’s popular Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage — hosted by the amazing Liam “Foodie Chap” Mayclem — will be announced at a later date.
On Tuesday, Napa County Supervisors approved a new set of builders’ fees intended to generate money for affordable housing.
But there are some who say what they’re doing may result in very few houses of any kind being built there.
The median income in Napa County is only about $70,000, but the median home price is $977,000. It’s a big concern for a region that relies so heavily on the labor of low-income vineyard workers.
“You look at our farmworkers who are traveling from Stockton, from Lodi, to be able to come and work here, and their families are over there because they cannot afford the rental rates,” said Napa County Supervisor Belia Ramos.
So, at their Tuesday meeting, the Board of Supervisors approved a new set of developer fees to generate funds for affordable housing while putting a major cost on so-called luxury housing. Generally, homes over 2,500 square feet would be taxed $43 per square foot, with the fee starting at 50% in 2026 and escalating to the full rate over the next three years.
The current fee is only $9 per square foot. Supervisor Ramos made the motion that put the matter to a vote.
“We have to look at, what are we incentivizing?” she said. “Mandating doesn’t work, incentivizing does. We’re incentivizing those smaller types of homes, I guess that’s an opinion, if you think 2,500 square feet is small.”
The fee, for projects submitted after Jan. 15, would only apply in the rural unincorporated areas of the county
“I think all of us were, like, shocked. It was — It was, are we serious about it?” said Gianna Giovannoni.
She was at the meeting and said the size and abruptness of the fee hike took the entire construction industry by surprise. She works for Gagetta Construction, the famliy business, and said it will probably lead to less housing being built, overall.
“I don’t picture it being more, that’s for sure,” Gianna said. “And they’re probably going to be driving the wealthy developers to go anywhere else but Napa.”
Mick Gagetta is Gianna’s dad and the owner of the company. He pointed to plans for a 2,500 square foot, single family home that he is currently helping to design.
“They may rethink what we’re talking about here,” he said. “They might just pull the plug on it. They want to add 600 square feet and they might just pull the plug on it because we’re talking about approximately $60,000 additional in fees on this project.”
Right now, only about 35 homes are built each year in the unincorporated areas. But the county is under a State housing mandate, so the loss of even a few could make a big difference. Ironically, Mick said there may be a building boom, initially.
“They’re going to get pushed in right now so they can avoid this tax,” he said. “So, we’ll see a spike in construction, and then after that, everybody’s going to be very aware of what’s happening, so they’re going to take their projects and shelve them.”
With State mandates, the entire Napa area has to build more affordable housing. The county thinks the new fees may help make that happen.
“This is how we begin to create a more livable community where everyone who works here can afford to live here,” said Supervisor Ramos.
Those who work in the industry don’t seem to agree with that.
“The families won’t be able to afford to build their homes here,” said Gianna. “And you’re probably going to be pushing more people out instead of bringing more people in.”
The original fee was proposed for homes over 2,000 square feet, but it was changed to 2,500 at Tuesday’s meeting. Because of a number of amendments, it will require one more vote for final approval.
About 260 sexual abuse lawsuits were paused when the Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa filed for bankruptcy in 2023. That has been a frustration for survivors who want the actions of their abusers, and the failings of the powerful institution that obscured the crimes, dragged into the daylight.
Now, it looks like a few of those survivors may have their days in court.
The judge in the bankruptcy, Charles Novack of the Northern District of California, recently put a small set of lawsuits on the path to trial, where they are expected to set a baseline for the diocese’s potential financial liability.
It’s an important step, those involved say, in pushing insurance companies to enter into a global settlement with the diocese and the dozens of people who say they were harmed by predatory church figures. And it could offer a rare chance for claimants to speak openly of their abuse in a courtroom, and to gather additional information through the legal discovery process.
When cases are “quieted” by bankruptcy, said Dan McNevin, who is on the board of directors of the advocacy group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, it means “the public won’t have a clear read on who enabled the abuse, who covered it up and whether those people are still in power and behaving in that fashion.”
When McNevin was molested in the Oakland Diocese, he said, the bishop there told him his abuser, the Rev. James Clark, had no prior record. After he sued, McNevin found out Clark had in fact been convicted of a sex crime before moving into his parish.
“His file was sanitized. There was no record of his probation,” McNevin said. “We got the information by deposing the former chancellor of the diocese. So discovery is really important.”
Little has been revealed publicly about the cases Novack is allowing to proceed.
Should any of the plaintiffs win those lawsuits, it’s likely funds recovered in judgment would be held in trust, said Jennifer Stein, an attorney with Jeff Anderson & Associates, a Los Angeles-based firm that has represented thousands of victims of predatory priests. That money would be distributed later among qualifying survivors.
The Santa Rosa Diocese, which oversees 42 parishes reaching from American Canyon in Napa County to Crescent City near the Oregon border, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2023. Like Catholic dioceses across the U.S., the local jurisdiction said it was facing an existential threat from a massive wave of sex abuse suits.
Bishop Robert Vasa of the Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa, Oct. 13, 2025. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat
Mike Tarvid filed a lawsuit against the Santa Rosa Catholic Diocese after harboring a secret for nearly 50 years involving his abuse at the hands of North Coast priest Gary Timmons. Photo taken in Santa Rosa on Dec. 12, 2022. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
Kent Porter/The Press Democrat
Father John Crews, the former executive director of the Hanna Boys Center in Sonoma Valley, was among 39 names released in 2019 by the Santa Rosa Diocese, listing those who committed child sexual abuse or were credibly accused of such crimes. Hanna Boys Center is a co-defendant in dozens of lawsuits against the Santa Rosa Diocese. Crews resigned in 2013, when he was first accused of child sex abuse by the widow of a man who had been assaulted at a Sebastopol church. He was last known to be in South Carolina. (Kent Porter/The Press Democrat)
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Bishop Robert Vasa of the Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa, Oct. 13, 2025. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
By that time, the Santa Rosa Diocese had been served with about 160 claims of sexual abuse under a 2019 state law that opened a three-year window for survivors 40 and older to file personal injury cases for past child sex abuse cases.
By August 2023, the diocese had paid out at least $35 million in settlements, dating back to the 1990s, at the onset of a painful worldwide reckoning with sexual abuse by clergy within the Catholic church.
In January 2019, the diocese released a list of 39 of its priests and bishops who committed sexual abuse and misconduct, or had been credibly accused of doing so, between the 1960s and the 2010s.
The efforts of survivors are now moving along two tracks. There is Novack’s courtroom, the setting for one of 17 bankruptcy cases nationwide involving Catholic dioceses, including six in California — Oakland, San Francisco and Sacramento among them. Another 20 dioceses have emerged from bankruptcy since 2005.
And there’s Judicial Council Coordinated Proceeding 5108, or JCCP 5108, which consolidates hundreds of lawsuits against multiple Catholic dioceses in Northern California. That proceeding is being administered in Alameda County Superior Court.
The decision by religious leaders to file for bankruptcy demonstrates the strength of the abuse cases, according to Stein. “They would not be taking such expensive, egregious measures if there weren’t fear of liability,” she said.
Bishop Robert F. Vasa of Santa Rosa, leader of the diocese since 2011, acknowledges the gravity of the threat.
“It’s absolutely no secret that sexual abuse lawsuits, even in the secular world, bring huge judgments in a court of law,” Vasa said. “So there’s no doubt in the case of the church they be equally large if not larger. But it’s beyond our scope to generate the money to pay for those. Regardless of whether it’s a $1 million judgment or a $2 million judgment, we don’t have the resources in a million years is to pay for those.”
Long list of co-defendants
A bankruptcy court exhibit filed in April offers detail on sites connected to the alleged abuse in the Santa Rosa Diocese.
The largest share of complaints, 60 in all, name Hanna Boys Center, the 80-year-old residential school and service campus for at-risk youth that has sought to remake itself with a retooled mission even as new suits piled up alleging long-ago abuse.
But the list of diocesan sites is long and varied.
Camp St. Michael, an outdoor ministry in Mendocino County that ceased operation in 2011, is named in 25 claims. The diocesan cathedral, St. Eugene’s in Santa Rosa, is named in 13. Nine are tied to St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Eureka, nine to St. Rose of Lima church in Santa Rosa, seven to St. Apollinaris in Napa and six to Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa.
In all, 27 diocese sites are represented.
The exhibit laying out that information pertains to a subset of 207 cases that include co-defendants. The state court is currently weighing a request to allow those suits to proceed against the co-defendants, even if they are paused against the diocese. The church is fighting the effort, arguing that because co-defendants such as Hanna Boys Center and Cardinal Newman are covered by the same insurance policies as the diocese, any legal fees or settlements they end up paying will only further deplete the money potentially available for the wider pool of survivors.
The Santa Rosa Diocese estimates the sexual abuse cases levied against it would average $2 million each in monetary demands — liability that could surpass half a billion dollars if the church were to lose all the cases. In its bankruptcy petition, the diocese reported unidentified assets valued between $10 million and $50 million.
To get a more accurate read on liability, it is common in litigation spanning multiple districts for the court to select one or more cases to proceed to trial. Novack signaled his approval in the bankruptcy, and the diocese worked with a committee of unsecured creditors in the case — made up of sex abuse survivors — to identify a handful of representative cases.
“The committee wanted several cases released for trial to kind of set a benchmark — what are these cases worth in a real trial?” Vasa said. “Just to say to the insurers, ‘If these go to trial, there may be a huge judgment.’”
Insurers called out
Insurance companies are a major player in these bankruptcy proceedings. Some of the other parties believe they are an impediment.
The insurers have been “woefully deficient in fulfilling contractual promises” to pay claims, said attorney Rick Simons, who serves as a liaison for the hundreds of sex abuse cases that make up JCCP 5108, the consolidated civil action.
“They sold these policies in the ’70s, the ’80s, the ’60s, some into the 2000s, for $25,000, $35,000 and $55,000 apiece,” Simons said of the insurers. “Now they owe, nationally, billions and billions of dollars in claims. They don’t care about rules and laws. They just want to keep saying no so they can negotiate a lump sum that’s like 8 cents on the dollar.”
Just over a year ago, the creditors committee petitioned for a two-hour court conference allowing survivors to read personal statements. “This proceeding is likely the only opportunity that Survivors in Santa Rosa will have to seek acknowledgement and justice for the decades of isolation and pain they endured,” the committee argued.
The church supported the motion. At least five insurance companies opposed it — Lloyd’s of London, Pacific Indemnity, Pacific Employers Insurance, Century Indemnity and Westchester Fire Insurance, the latter four all under the umbrella of Pacific. Novack granted the petition over their objections, and survivors were allowed to read statements during a private conference on Feb. 6.
Meanwhile, committee members have joined the diocese and its insurers in several rounds of court-approved mediation. Vasa insists all parties, including the church, are working hard to reach an agreement everyone can live with.
“It’s kind of a dance,” the bishop said. “What is a reasonable number that the committee will accept, so that survivors will see they’ve done their due diligence? We can never compensate for all the harm done. But we can manifest care and concern, and demonstrate that we are not trying to stand in the way of what is just.”
You can reach Phil Barber at 707-521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @Skinny_Post.
Pacific Gas and Electric announced that crews have undergrounded about 1,000 miles of power lines in high-wildfire-risk areas across the San Francisco Bay Area and Central California.
“A thousand miles is longer than the state of California, so that thousand miles of power lines have now kept customers safe from wildfire risk,” Dave Canny, the vice president of PG&E North Coast Region, told CBS News Bay Area.
Canny oversees several crews, including the crews working in the mountainous neighborhood of Angwin in Napa County.
“These power lines at the top of the pole, once our project is complete, those will be removed permanently, permanently removing any wildfire risks associated with those lines,” he said.
Crews are paving trenches to install power lines underground, and in Napa County, will be installing throughout 50 miles in the community.
The project began back in 2021, and PG&E crews forecast they will lay about 1,600 miles of underground power lines throughout the service region by the end of 2026.
About five miles north, Jeff Alvarez is picking up the pieces from the Pickett Fire back in August.
“This is Schwartz’s Creek right here, and we’re in the middle of the burn zone. And the fire consumed about 8,000 acres from Calistoga to Aetna Springs,” Alvarez, the president of the Biological Field Studies Association, told CBS News Bay Area.
The association runs the Cleary Reserve, which is now bare due to the fire scorching 440 acres of the property.
“We’ve had a history here for 62 years of doing environmental education work and scientific research, and much of that is sent back to zero. It’s going to be many, many years before we can get students back up here,” he said
“We lost all these great pines here, they’re really fragile when it comes to fires. This entire area was covered in willow trees, which are now essentially black sticks in the creek bed,” Alvarez added.
He started an online fundraiser in hopes that the community could jump in and help with cleanup efforts.
“The county of Napa is really requiring us to clean up the site that we already have. All of that has to be removed. It has to go to metal recycling, hazardous waste, or whatever facility for dumping, and that costs a huge amount of money,” Alvarez said. “And since we’re just a nonprofit that really operates on volunteers, we have a really steep hill to climb.”
Alvarez added that while he appreciates PG&E’s efforts to mitigate wildfires across the Bay Area, he said more needs to be done.
“PG&E and others do have to work with CAL FIRE and the state to try to make protective zones, so shade breaks, fire breaks, more access and more money, not just for firefighting and prevention of fire in these areas,” he said.
That is the collaboration that Canny is pushing for. He said that starting with underground power lines, they will be a more reliable and safer power source for customers.
“Because our men and women live and work in these communities, many of them experienced wildfire personally, and are therefore particularly passionate about our wildfire reduction risk programs,” Canny said.
The company’s goal is to install 10,000 miles of underground power lines across the state of California.
SAN JOSE — The Valkyries’ season hangs in the balance.
Down 1-0 in their first-round series against the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx, Golden State faces a win-or-go-home Game 2 at SAP Center on Wednesday.
The expansion team has lost each of its last five games against the Lynx, and most recently suffered one of their worst losses of the season in Game 1 on Sunday in a 29-point defeat.
But while the Valkyries will be clear underdogs playing in an arena they haven’t called home, the gritty first-year team is confident anything can happen in front of their favorable crowd.
“It’s win or die time,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said after Tuesday’s practice. “We understand that, but we’ve been approaching it every game since the time we played the L.A. Sparks (Aug. 9) and we made it a thing. In order to make the playoffs, it’s a must win mentality.
“We don’t think of it potentially being our last, we just think it’s a must win. And then we got to do our job. Minnesota did their job at home and we got to take care of doing our job here at home. It’s a must win.”
Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, right, drives past Golden State Valkyries center Temi Fagbenle (14) during the first half of an WBA basketball game Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Craig Lassig)
With the season on the line, the Valkyries will be playing in front of a sold out crowd on Wednesday night. Golden State opted to stay in San Jose and held practice at SAP Center on Tuesday.
Here are three keys for the Valkyries going into Game 2:
Stopping guard penetration
While Napheesa Collier is the driving force of Minnesota’s offense, it’s been the guard duo of Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, also known as the viral steaming pair called the StudBudz, that have given Golden State’s vaunted defense problems.
Williams, the steady floor general, has a knack for finding a way to get into the paint to score or dish to shooters. The veteran point guard is a threat to pull up from the 3-point line or in the mid-range as she has averaged 13.2 points per game on 40.3% shooting from the field and 38.1% from the 3-point line.
Point guard Natisha Hiedeman has torched the Valkyries coming off the bench. The sixth woman of the year candidate has scored 24, 21, and 18 points in the last three games against the Valkyries and has routinely been the spark plug for Minnesota in stopping the Golden State’s runs.
Minnesota Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman (2) reacts after making a three point shot against the Golden State Valkyries during the first half of an WBA basketball game Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Craig Lassig)
On Sunday, Hiedeman posted the second-highest plus-minus rating in Lynx postseason history with a +32.
“We really need to try to be more solid on defense, but as a unit,” Valkyries center Iliana Rupert said. “Be more aware when to shift and try to help more. Even if there’s a lot of rotations, at least not letting them get easy buckets. So we saw all of that on the video, and hopefully tomorrow will get even better.”
Make open looks
This one is simple. The Valkyries need to hit more shots.
After a hot start in which they hit nine of their first 18 shots, and five of their first eight 3-pointers in the first quarter, the Valkyries finished the game making just 11 more field goal attempts.
In the five games the Valkyries played against the Lynx this season, they shot just 36% from the field and 25.7 from beyond the arc.
A common thread in each of the five losses has been Golden State’s inability to stop Minnesota when it gets on a roll. The Valkyries have kept the game close in spurts, but the Lynx have always been able to deliver a crushing run that puts the game out of reach,
“We have to respond better,” Valkyries shooting guard Kate Martin said. “We have to know that basketball is about a game of runs, and they’re a really good team. So they’re gonna go on their runs. We’re gonna have to limit that as much as possible and make adjustments quicker.”
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – SEPTEMBER 14: Cecilia Zandalasini #24 of the Golden State Valkyries shoots against Courtney Williams #10 of the Minnesota Lynx during the first quarter in game one of the first round of the WNBA Playoffs at Target Center on September 14, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images)
A big factor going into Wednesday’s game will be if the Valkyries could get consistent scoring out of sharpshooting forward Cecilia Zandalasini.
Zandalasini will be playing in her fourth game since coming back from a calf injury that kept her sidelined for eight contests. She shot just 3-of-10 from the field and 1-of-5 from the 3-point line on Sunday.
Play off the momentum of the crowd
While the venue will be new, the Valkyries have consistently shown that they are at their best when they could feed off the home crowd’s energy.
The Valkyries have not been worried about the change in location as they have faith the home crowd will come through.
Golden State Valkyries fans watch the action during the fourth quarter of their WBNA game against the New York Liberty at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
“Someone told me the arena is smaller than Chase Center, but I’m sure the fans are going to come through,” Valkyries rookie forward Janelle Salaün said. “I just know the fans are going to come through and it’s going to be amazing.”
The Valkyries are 14-8 at home this season.
Notable
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase revealed that she was fined by the league after her comments regarding Game 1’s officiating. The first-year coach said she didn’t know how much the fine was, but said she stands by what she said.
“I heard it’s a tax write off,” Nakase said. “I moved on. We’ve already talked about the new game plan, offensively and defensively. That’s where I got to make sure my girls are at.”
Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase (35) reacts to a call during their game against the New York Liberty in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Authorities launched a homicide investigation after a man from the East Bay was found fatally shot off the side of a roadway in Napa County on Sunday morning.
According to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office, a California Highway Patrol dispatcher received a call around 9:40 a.m. about a potential fatality near the 2600 block of Monticello Road, in the hills east of Napa. A caller reported that a man with blood on his clothes was not moving.
Deputies arrived less than 10 minutes later and located the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The man was shot multiple times.
The sheriff’s office identified the victim as 20-year-old Salvador De Jesus Castillo-Hernandez, a resident of Concord.
In a statement on Monday, deputies said the motive and circumstances surrounding the shooting are not known at this time, but that a suspect was arrested.
The sheriff’s office identified the suspect as 22-year-old Bryna Alexis De Paz Gomez, also known as Bryan Gomez. He was arrested on suspicion of murder in Napa, around 2 p.m. According to the sheriff’s office, Gomez is from Vallejo.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Phil Tieu of the Napa County Sheriff’s Office at 707-253-6030 or by emailing philip.tieu@countyofnapa.org.
Tim Fang is a digital producer at CBS Bay Area. A Bay Area native, Tim has been a part of the CBS Bay Area newsroom for more than two decades and joined the digital staff in 2006.
7:00. REMEMBERING SIX PEOPLE KILLED IN A DEADLY CRASH WITH AN ALLEGEDLY DRUNK DRIVER AT THE WHEEL. THAT CRASH WAS OVER THE WEEKEND IN RURAL NAPA COUNTY. ALL BUT TWO OF THE PEOPLE IN THAT MINIVAN WERE KILLED WHEN THAT VEHICLE HIT A TREE. NOW THE DRIVER IS FACING MURDER CHARGES. THOSE VICTIMS ARE FROM THE STOCKTON AREA AND KCRA 3’S MARICELA DE LA CRUZ SPOKE WITH THREE OF THOSE FAMILIES. SUNDAY’S DEADLY CRASH IN NAPA COUNTY CLAIMED THE LIVES OF SIX FARM WORKERS FROM THE STOCKTON AREA. AUTHORITIES SAY 53 YEAR OLD NORBERTO CELERINO WAS INTOXICATED WHEN HE DROVE A MINIVAN CARRYING SEVEN PASSENGERS INTO A TREE. FOR GABRIEL LOPEZ, THE NEXT THREE DAYS WERE AGONIZING. LOPEZ AND HIS COUSINS SEARCHED FOR THEIR UNCLE, PEDRO LOPEZ GOMEZ, AND HIS BROTHER IN LAW, MARVIN SANTOS RUIZ, WHO HAD JUST STARTED HIS FIRST DAY ON THE JOB. WHILE THEY GOT CONFIRMATION THAT THEIR UNCLE DID NOT SURVIVE THE CRASH, SOME RELIEF CAME WHEN MARVIN CALLED FROM THE HOSPITAL. LOPEZ SAYS HE HASN’T BEEN ABLE TO VISIT MARVIN YET. BUT WHILE THE FAMILY CELEBRATES THE LIFE OF THEIR LOVED ONE. OTHERS ARE MOURNING. TODAY WE HEARD FROM THE FAMILY OF 42 YEAR OLD LORETO RICARDO HERNANDEZ. HIS DAUGHTER JASMINE TOLD US THAT HER FATHER WAS HER FIRST LOVE. HER HERO AND CHILDHOOD BEST FRIEND, SAYING HE WILL BE REMEMBERED BY MANY. THE FAMILY IS NOW RAISING FUNDS TO COVER FUNERAL COSTS. RELATIVES OF 32 YEAR OLD BAY MARIPOSA RODRIGUEZ, WHO LIVE IN MEXICO, SAY THEY’RE DEVASTATED BY HIS DEATH. NORBERTO CELERINO, NOW FACING SIX COUNTS OF MURDER, IS STILL RECOVERING FROM HIS INJURIES. HE’LL BE FORMALLY CHARGED ONCE HE RECEIVES MEDICAL CLEARANCE. MARICELA DE LA CRUZ KCRA THREE NEWS. CELERINO HAS AT LEAST TWO DUI CONVICTIONS IN SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY. AND IN FACT, A JUDGE HAD ALREADY WARNED HIM THAT HE COULD FACE
Stockton families mourn loved ones lost in Napa crash that claimed six lives
Six farm workers from the Stockton area were killed in a crash in Napa County over the weekend, allegedly caused by an intoxicated driver who now faces murder charges.Authorities said 53-year-old Norberto Celerino was driving a minivan with seven passengers when it collided with a tree, resulting in the deaths of all but two occupants.Gabriel López, a family member of two victims, described the agonizing days following the crash. “We found out that my uncle was dead, but we couldn’t find Marvin,” López said. López and his cousins searched for their uncle, Pedro López Gomez, and his brother-in-law, Marvin Santiz Ruiz, who had just started his first day on the job. While they received confirmation that Pedro did not survive, relief came when Marvin called from the hospital.”He cried and said ‘I’m alive’ and he’s at the hospital,” López said. Marvin remains hospitalized, and López has not been able to visit him yet.While López’s family celebrates Marvin’s survival, others are mourning. The family of 42-year-old Loreto Ricardo Hernández shared their grief, with his daughter Jasmin describing him as her first love, hero, and childhood best friend, saying he will be remembered by many. The family is raising funds to cover funeral costs. Relatives of 32-year-old Beymar Reynosa Rodríguez, who live in Mexico, expressed their devastation over his death.Norberto Celerino, who is recovering from his injuries, will be formally charged once he receives medical clearance to appear in court. He has at least two DUI convictions in San Joaquin County, and a judge had previously warned him that he could face murder charges if he killed someone while driving under the influence.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
Authorities said 53-year-old Norberto Celerino was driving a minivan with seven passengers when it collided with a tree, resulting in the deaths of all but two occupants.
Gabriel López, a family member of two victims, described the agonizing days following the crash.
“We found out that my uncle was dead, but we couldn’t find Marvin,” López said.
López and his cousins searched for their uncle, Pedro López Gomez, and his brother-in-law, Marvin Santiz Ruiz, who had just started his first day on the job. While they received confirmation that Pedro did not survive, relief came when Marvin called from the hospital.
“He cried and said ‘I’m alive’ and he’s at the hospital,” López said. Marvin remains hospitalized, and López has not been able to visit him yet.
While López’s family celebrates Marvin’s survival, others are mourning. The family of 42-year-old Loreto Ricardo Hernández shared their grief, with his daughter Jasmin describing him as her first love, hero, and childhood best friend, saying he will be remembered by many. The family is raising funds to cover funeral costs.
Relatives of 32-year-old Beymar Reynosa Rodríguez, who live in Mexico, expressed their devastation over his death.
Norberto Celerino, who is recovering from his injuries, will be formally charged once he receives medical clearance to appear in court. He has at least two DUI convictions in San Joaquin County, and a judge had previously warned him that he could face murder charges if he killed someone while driving under the influence.
Among those killed in the Napa crash was 42-year-old Loreto Ricardo Hernandez — a father, friend and provider. His 17-year-old daughter, Jasmin Hernandez, is now helping to organize efforts to honor her father’s memory and those of the other victims through community-led fundraising events.
“My dad was a very funny person,” Jasmin said. “He would always make the people he was around laugh—his friends, his family.”
Jasmin, who is set to graduate high school early, was helping host a fundraiser at her friend April Brado’s home, where supporters gathered to sell mini pancakes and raise money for funeral costs.
Brado opened her doors to offer comfort and practical help, providing a space for love and healing during a difficult time.
“It’s a blessing, definitely a blessing from God,” Jasmin said. “I really appreciate the local community coming.”
All six victims of the crash were identified as farmworkers from Stockton. The crash occurred on Sunday in Napa, involving a van carrying eight individuals. Only two people survived.
The driver, who has been arrested on suspicion of DUI, is now facing six counts of murder.
Despite her grief, Jasmin remains strong, embodying the values her father taught her.
“He was my childhood best friend, my hero,” she said. “The one who always taught me to keep going, get a career, and to become someone.”
Her teacher, Mike Mandujan, also came out to show support.
“I love being her teacher, her advisor for the club,” he said. “I just want to help her any way I can. This is a great family—they could really use some help right now.”
Jasmin hopes her father’s story will serve as a reminder to others about the fragility of life.
“I would like to tell them to take my dad’s story as an example and reflect their lives on it,” she said. “Because you never know what could happen tomorrow.”
Another fundraiser is planned for this Saturday in Stockton, where dinner plates will be sold to raise additional funds for the families.
Despite the unimaginable loss, Jasmin says she is choosing grace over anger. While saddened by her father’s passing, she says she is not holding any grudges.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that killed six people in unincorporated Napa County Sunday evening.
It happened around 5:50 p.m. Sunday, along Pope Valley Road, not far from Pope Valley Elementary School.
According to the CHP, a Toyota Sienna minivan carrying multiple people was headed southbound on Pope Valley Road when, for unknown reasons, the driver swerved off the road and hit a tree.
Six people were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the minivan, and one passenger were air lifted to local trauma centers with major injuries.
The CHP says the driver was placed under arrest at the hospital on charges of DUI causing injury/death.
As of 7:45 pm, Pope Valley Road remains closed.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
A winery contract worker told fire investigators that he put water on the ashes he discarded not long before the Pickett Fire broke out, according to the spokesman for the Calistoga winery at the center of the fire probe.
That fire has since burned nearly 7,000 acres, but is now largely contained.
The unidentified contract worker, who had long been employed as a handyman for the previous owner, had just prepared a newly built outdoor fireplace for routine use.
To do that he set a small, “basketball sized” fire, said Sam Singer, spokesman for the LLC owned by Hundred Acre Wines vintners Jayson and Helen Woodbridge.
“He [the contract worker] told firefighters that he removed the ashes from the outdoor fireplace, put them in a bucket and poured water on them,” Singer said. “He believed the ashes had been extinguished.”
Singer acknowledged the fire broke out “relatively soon” after those ashes had been discarded on winery property. He noted the initial fire in the fireplace was intended to “temper” or cure the bricks for routine use. The outdoor fireplace had been fully permitted when work started in April, Singer said.
Shawn Zimmermaker, Cal Fire’s Northern Region deputy chief of law enforcement, confirmed discarded ashes as one potential cause that remains under investigation. He did not detail other possible causes.
Zimmermaker noted that treating ashes with water alone is considered insufficient to render any outdoor campfire site safe. Ashes should be checked to ensure they are cool to the touch and then buried to avoid restarting a fire.
SAN FRANCISCO — If the Valkyries reach the postseason in their inaugural year, one of the biggest questions will be where they will actually play.
A scheduling conflict with the Laver Cup — an international tennis tournament that includes stars Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz as well as legend Andre Agassi as a coach — presents Chase Center’s biggest hurdle in trying to accommodate a Valkyries playoff game.
In all likelihood, the Valkyries will not get a Top 4 seed in order to host two games in the first round, meaning their possible lone postseason game will take place either on Sept. 16 or 17.
The Laver Cup runs from Sept. 19-21, but setting up the state-of-the-art tennis court and allowing players time to practice before the tournament starts is the biggest challenge. The event was booked before the Valkyries became a franchise.
Golden State officials said an update on a decision on where the team will play will be coming in the next few days.
“We are finalizing details regarding our potential playoff venue and will share a comprehensive update with fans and season ticket holders in the coming days,” the Valkyries said in a statement sent to this news organization on Thursday. “We appreciate everyone’s patience as we work through the logistics of the possibility of a historic inaugural playoff run and pre-existing scheduling conflict at Chase Center.”
A Golden State Valkyries fan wears a winged helmet while sitting courtside in the fourth quarter of their WNBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Washington Mystics 99-62. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
The Valkyries’ issues with scheduling their playoff game hasn’t gone unnoticed by the rest of the league.
“You want to think that you’re past it,” Stewart told SFGATE on Monday. “We want to think that we’re, like, better than this. Listen, sometimes it’s out of the control of everyone involved. But it’s just … You don’t see it happening with the NBA.”
The Valkyries will have other venues to consider should Chase Center not be available.
Oakland Arena, formerly known as Oracle Arena, would be an easy option as it was the Golden State Warriors’ former home. The venue does not have anything on its schedule the week of Sept. 15. SAP Center in San Jose has a concert scheduled on Sept. 15, but will have openings in the four days after.
Seating capacity won’t be a problem for Oakland Arena (19,200) and SAP Center (17,562) as they both seat over 17,000 fans.
Some reports have floated Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, home of the Sacramento Kings, as a possible venue as it is a current NBA Arena, though it would be the farthest trek for Bay Area fans.
Golden State Valkyries fans dress like the female warriors the name represents while cheering for their strong, bold and fierce Valkyries as they battle the Dallas Wings at the Chase Center in San Francisco on July 25, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
When reached for comment last week, Sacramento officials did not respond to questions about if Golden 1 Center would welcome the Valkyries for a home playoff game.
The Laver Cup is a relatively new tennis tournament, holding its inaugural event in 2017. The tournament pits some of the best international players against the best players from the United States.
According to the Laver Cup website, the unique black playing surface is the largest known court in the world at 49 meters long and 23 meters wide. The website claims the court is portable and can be set up in tight time frames.
Golden State has exceeded expectations this season.
BetMGM had their win total odds at 8.5 before the season started, finishing last in the league. The Valkyries eclipsed the previous highest win total set by an expansion team, previously held by the 1998 Detroit Shock, who had 17 wins in their inaugural season.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Valkyries looked as connected as they have all year on Tuesday night.
Playing the star-studded New York Liberty, Golden State made all the right plays, hit all the necessary shots and kept the visiting team’s high-powered offense in check.
The result: The expansion team played perhaps its best game of the season, defeating the defending champion Liberty 66-58 in front of its 20th consecutive sellout crowd of the season.
“I think when we’re communicating and we’re executing the game plan, I think, like I said, we’re pretty dangerous,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. “Credit to our players for believing, trusting and executing.”
Temi Fágbénlé led the Valkyries with 16 points and five rebounds. Janelle Salaun had 10 points. Kate Martin came off the bench and scored 11 points.
Monique Billings made her return to the lineup after missing the last 14 games with a right ankle sprain. She played 20 minutes, scored five points and grabbed three rebounds.
Guard Natasha Cloud was a bright spot for the Liberty, leading New York with 19 points. Walnut Creek native Sabrina Ionescu missed Friday’s game with a toe injury.
The Valkyries held the Liberty to 31.6% shooting and didn’t allow the Liberty to get to the line consistently in the first half, holding the visiting team to two free throw attempts. Breanna Stewart saw only four of her 15 shots go through the basket, but got most of her points at the free throw line.
“We stayed very connected throughout the whole game, through the ups and downs, through the runs. That’s the main thing,” Fágbénlé said. “Communicating throughout the whole game really helped us, and sticking with the schemes.”
With the win, the Valkyries now have a one-game lead over the Indiana Fever for the sixth seed. A Los Angeles Sparks loss against the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday and a Valkyries win over the Dallas Wings on Thursday would clinch a playoff spot for Golden State. The Valkyries are also a game and a half behind the Liberty for the fifth seed.
Golden State fell behind by four points after the first quarter, but an offensive explosion in the second period gave the Valkyries a comfortable halftime lead.
Martin scored all 11 of her points in the second quarter, hitting 3-of-6 of her 3-point attempts to lead the Valkyries in the first half.
The Valkyries held the Liberty to 32.3% shooting through the first two quarters and led 40-26 going into the intermission.
New York’s eight second-quarter points is tied for the fewest points a Valkyries’ opponent has scored all season.
Golden State Valkyries’ Janelle Salaün (13) celebrates her 3-point basket against the New York Liberty in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Kaila Charles (6) dribbles against New York Liberty’s Natasha Cloud (9) in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Carla Leite (0) ights for the ball against New York Liberty’s Emma Meesseman (33) in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Iliana Rupert (12) defends against New York Liberty’s Kennedy Burke (22) in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Carla Leite (0) dribbles against New York Liberty’s Rebekah Gardner (7) in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Janelle Salaün (13) scores a basket against New York Liberty’s Leonie Fiebich (13) in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Monique Billings (25) talks to teammates during their game against the New York Liberty in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Temi Fagbenle (14) tries to steal the ball away against New York Liberty’s Kennedy Burke (22) in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu (20) sits on the bench during their game against the Golden State Valkyries in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Monique Billings (25) takes a shot against the New York Liberty in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase (35) reacts to a call during their game against the New York Liberty in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Janelle Salaün (13) dribbles against New York Liberty’s Emma Meesseman (33) in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton (22), Golden State Valkyries’ Kaila Charles (6) and Golden State Valkyries’ Monique Billings (25) celebrate their 66-58 win over the New York Liberty at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Monique Billings (25) celebrates their 66-58 win over the New York Liberty at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
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Golden State Valkyries’ Janelle Salaün (13) celebrates her 3-point basket against the New York Liberty in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State ballooned its lead to 24 early in the third period, but the Liberty finished the quarter strong by forcing seven Valkyries turnovers. The home team went into the final 10 minutes of play with a 12-point lead.
But much like they have done during this home stand, the Valkyries didn’t let up in the fourth quarter.
Golden State’s inside-out attack paced its offense against a more athletic Liberty defense. On the other end, the Valkyries got timely stops and didn’t allow New York’s trio of post players consisting of Stewart, Emma Meesseman and last year’s Finals MVP Jonquel Jones to get going.
During this home stand, the Valkyries have beaten teams by average of 19 points.
The Valkyries will play their final two home games on Thursday and Saturday, starting with a matchup with the Dallas Wings followed by the regular season finale against the Minnesota Lynx two days later.
The Pickett Fire burning in Napa County since Aug. 21 is at 90% containment and holding at 6,819 acres, Cal Fire said Monday evening.
The blaze began by Pickett Road near Calistoga and about 2,441 firefighters and other first responders have been assigned to it, Cal Fire said.
Last week, damage inspection teams confirmed four outbuildings and a single-family residence were destroyed in the fire.
The single-family home burned in the fire was found within the perimeter of the blaze, according to Cal Fire, but was believed to be abandoned due to its remote location and lack of access routes.
Evacuation orders remain for zones NPA-E107-B, NPA-E114, NPA-E115, NPA-E122-B and POP-E002-C, with evac warnings for zones POP-E002-D and POP-E001-B.
Figures from a Napa County Agricultural Damage Assessment Survey begun on Aug. 25 show reported fire-related damage to about 1,500 acres, or over 3% of Napa Valley’s produce acreage, the county said.
Losses are estimated to impact growers, vintners and other agricultural producers. The majority of damage is to winegrapes and beehives.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
