Dennis Akizuki

Before-and-after: See how huge snow storms transformed the Sierra Nevada in just a few days NASA satellite photos show a dramatic change this month.

www.mercurynews.com/2026/02/23/b...

H Mart plans flagship multi-level store with a food hall in Fremont H Mart is planning a flagship store in Fremont that will serve as a prototype for the Asian supermarket chain.

www.mercurynews.com/2026/01/20/f...

Watch: Water pours down Oroville Dam spillway as reservoir rises following big storms The 770-foot dam, America’s tallest, opened its spillway gates this week.

www.mercurynews.com/2026/01/07/w...

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Empty empires: A few Berkeley landlords are sitting on several vacant buildings A family that owns four vacant Berkeley apartment buildings is facing a $168,000 bill from the city's new vacancy tax.

www.berkeleyside.org/2025/12/30/e...

After historic ordinance sunk Japantown businesses, San Jose city officials eye reforms Even before burdensome and complex regulations plunged a prominent Japantown business owner and his family into near financial ruin, the unintended consequences from San Jose’s historic preservatio…

After historic ordinance sunk Japantown businesses, San Jose city officials eye reforms trib.al/KNwCc0Z

Tatsuya Nakadai (1932–2025)

California’s 2025 commercial Dungeness crab season delayed to protect whales Recreational fishermen get the go-ahead — but only in some parts of the state

California’s 2025 commercial Dungeness crab season delayed to protect whales trib.al/Iqau1uC

Nonprofit news is growing strong — especially local nonprofit news, a new report shows Nonprofit news outlets of all types are enjoying revenue growth — but those that focus specifically on local news, rather than state, national, or global news, are doing especially well, according to…

83% of local nonprofit news organizations have increased revenue growth by at least 10% over the last three years, compared to 71% of state and regional publications and 76% of national and global outlets.

More Americans than ever now get news on TikTok, Pew finds One in five Americans say they regularly get news on TikTok, a dramatic uptick from just 3% in 2020, according to a Pew Research Center analysis published last week. “During that span, no social…

One in five Americans say they regularly get news on TikTok, a dramatic uptick from just 3% in 2020. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/more...

Watchdog journalism’s future may lie in the work of independent reporters like Pablo Torre With past journalistic stints at both Sports Illustrated and ESPN, Torre is not exactly a pure outsider. Yet he’s far from a household name, with fewer than 200,000 podcast subscribers.

Watchdog journalism’s future may lie in the work of independent reporters like Pablo Torre www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/watc...

Cal has a quarterback phenom and a manageable schedule: GM Ron Rivera’s goal is within reach The Bears are 3-0 after beating Minnesota and don’t face any of the ACC’s top teams.

@mercurynews.com www.mercurynews.com/2025/09/16/c...

The perfect storm that upended Japantown business owners’ dreams After the abrupt closing of JTown Pizza in San Jose, the community has rallied to raise money in hopes of keeping three other business’ afloat.

The perfect storm that upended Japantown business owners’ dreams trib.al/2pkGx6V

Japan to launch fundamental review of foreign worker policy The government is set to create a task force to review its immigration plans and prevent social division between foreign nationals and citizens.

Amid a rapid rise in the number of foreign residents in Japan, the government is preparing to launch a fundamental review of its policies to prevent social division between citizens and immigrants.

A worker attaches rakugan sweets to round pillars with conical tops. The rakugan are blue, mauve, red, orange yellow, green and white.

Making buddhist altars with rakugan sweets for Obon. www.yomiuri.co.jp/photograph/k...

Apple sues movie theater chain Apple Cinemas that opened Bay Area venue and plans another Apple notes both locations are just a few dozen miles from its ‘spaceship’ headquarters in Cupertino.

www.mercurynews.com/2025/08/05/a...

‘I feel like it’s my duty’: How Palo Alto native, former NBA standout Jeremy Lin is guiding the next wave of Asian American basketball players Former NBA standout Jeremy Lin is helping the next generation of Asian American hoopers 13 years after Linsanity.

‘I feel like it’s my duty’: How Palo Alto native, former NBA standout Jeremy Lin is guiding the next wave of Asian American basketball players https://trib.al/gSn1egl

Once a retail giant, the last Sears in California lingers in Concord. But for how long? Walking through the main entrance of the store at lunchtime this past week, clothing on sale racks was neatly displayed, but you could scan the entire main floor without seeing a single customer.

www.mercurynews.com/2025/08/03/o...

San Jose’s Alum Rock Park hit by ‘BioBlitz’ Nature fans participated in a “BioBlitz” at Alum Rock Park in San Jose, where they found and identified multiple species.

www.mercurynews.com/2025/06/29/s...

Only one of Bay Area’s three main downtowns has bounced back to nearly prepandemic levels San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose are dealing with similar problems of vacant offices and homelessness, but one of them has reported foot traffic bouncing back after the pandemic as they execute …

www.mercurynews.com/2025/07/06/o...

Lake Tahoe mystery: Why aren’t the lake’s famous waters getting more clear? After decades of work, Tahoe’s beloved waters aren’t becoming more healthy, or less healthy, new study shows.

www.mercurynews.com/2025/06/16/l...

Japanese universities urged to open doors to students blocked from Harvard The education ministry has asked universities nationwide to support students affected by the White House's push against foreign enrollments at Harvard.

Japanese universities urged to open doors to students blocked from Harvard

Santa Cruz wharf collapse: Plans take shape for rebuilding as summer beach season begins Damaged landmark is open for summer, $1 million repair could begin in October.

www.mercurynews.com/2025/05/24/s...

Your Bay Area favorites have gotten much more expensive. How much higher can prices go? We looked back at early online reviews and photos to track prices since 2015.

www.mercurynews.com/2025/05/21/y...

Earth Day: How Trump’s environmental decisions are affecting California Environmentalists and Newsom administration on defense, but pledge to use state laws and lawsuits to fight rollbacks

Earth Day: How Trump's environmental decisions are affecting California www.mercurynews.com/2025/04/21/e... #Earthday2025

Sierra Nevada snowpack sees most bountiful three years in a row in 25 years After years of drought, California water supplies in good shape as summer months approach

www.mercurynews.com/2025/04/01/s...

This Bay Area city was once the egg capital of the world. Farmers are now taking desperate measures to try to keep the legacy alive. Petaluma’s last remaining commercial egg farmers face one of their biggest challenges yet — amid outbreaks of avian flu — to preserve their industry and their city’s culture.

www.mercurynews.com/2025/02/24/t...

Jaylen Brown Is Redefining the Role of Sports Sure, he wants to win another NBA title. But the Celtics’ Finals MVP is also building a legacy off the court and tackling the problem of wealth disparity.

www.si.com/nba/jaylen-b...

Flu deaths surpass COVID deaths in California for the first time since the start of the pandemic During the first years of the COVID pandemic, elevated precautions mostly suppressed the perennial flu outbreaks that typically kill between 10,000 and 50,000 people annually in the United States.

www.mercurynews.com/2025/02/11/f...

Cal’s sweep of Stanford signifies turning point in Bay Area women’s basketball rivalry After beating Stanford back-to-back in the same season for the first time since 1985-86, Cal women’s basketball basked in the glow of a promising new Big Game era for the Bears

Cal’s sweep of Stanford signifies turning point in Bay Area women’s basketball rivalry