BAY AREA, CA — Vespucci, a longtime Italian restaurant in San Mateo, will close permanently at the end of the year after 11 years in business, its owners announced this week.

Dec. 31 will be the restaurant’s final day of service, according to a message shared by owners Manuela Fumasi and Francesco Zaccaro, who reflected on more than a decade of serving the local community.

“From the moment we opened our doors, this community welcomed us with a warmth and kindness we will never forget,” the owners wrote. “As Italian immigrants, far from our first home, you made San Mateo feel like our home.”

The couple described the restaurant’s run as a “beautiful adventure,” acknowledging that it was often challenging but filled with meaningful connections, friendships and lasting memories. They thanked customers for celebrating milestones with them and for supporting the business over the years.

“This decision hasn’t been easy, but we know it is the right one for us at this time,” they said.

Vespucci has been a fixture in San Mateo’s dining scene since opening in 2015, offering Italian cuisine and serving as a neighborhood gathering spot for residents and regulars alike.

Inside, all of the artworks displayed were created by Maestro Vittorio Fumasi, with several pieces having been exhibited in major art shows in Italy and internationally. While some works predate the restaurant, others — including the low-relief piece “Italy” and the high-relief portraits of Vespucci — were commissioned specifically for the space.

Fumasi has also adorned Vespucci’s dining tables with her own artwork, and said some of those pieces will be offered for sale after the restaurant closes, allowing longtime customers to take home “a piece of Vespucci,” she told the San Mateo Daily Journal.

“We are going to miss you all,” the owners wrote. “With all our affection.”

The restaurant is located in downtown San Mateo at 147 E 3rd Ave. The menu can be found here.

DENVER (KDVR) — A Pinpoint Weather Alert Day has been issued for Wednesday as fire danger increases in Denver due to strong wind gusts and dry conditions, with even stronger wind gusts to the west into the foothills.

Denver weather tonight: Mainly clear

Denver weather tomorrow: Warm & windy

Wednesday will be warm and windy.

As high temperatures climb to the mid-60s, wind gusts will pick up to over 40 mph.

A Red Flag Warning has been issued across the urban corridor as strong wind gusts are paired with dry conditions on the ground and low humidity, leading to high fire danger for the potential of rapid fire spread.

The strongest wind gusts will be west of the metro. High wind warnings are set to go into effect Wednesday morning and continue into early Thursday. During this time, gusts could reach 65-85 mph, especially for areas above 6,000 feet.

Above 9000 feet, there is a chance for light snowfall. Even though most places will only see 4″ of snowfall or less, blowing snow from strong wind gusts will lead to limited visibility and difficult driving conditions.

Looking ahead: Staying warmer through the weekend

Temperatures will drop on Thursday to around 50 degrees, which is still more than five degrees above normal for this time of year.

Friday, sunny, breezy and warm weather returns. High temperatures will climb to record range, which in Denver is a high of 67 degrees, last hit in 2023.

More dry and warmer than normal conditions will continue into the weekend, with a high in the mid-60s Saturday, then just shy of 60 degrees by kickoff of the Broncos game. Then the workweek starts with sunshine and high temperatures reaching record levels.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The NBA plans to make a decision regarding domestic expansion in the coming year, Commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday, offering the most definitive timeline since the league began exploring the possibility of moving from 30 to 32 teams.

And if there are favorites, as has long been expected, Las Vegas and Seattle are at the top of the list.

“Not a secret, we’re looking at this market in Las Vegas. We are looking at Seattle,” Silver said before the NBA Cup final between San Antonio and New York. “We’ve looked at other markets as well. I’d say I want to be sensitive there about this notion that we’re somehow teasing these markets, because I know we’ve been talking about it for a while.”

Expansion has been a topic for years in the NBA, and it’s no secret that Seattle — which had a team until the SuperSonics were moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 — and Las Vegas have long been clamoring for franchises.

“I think Seattle and Las Vegas are two incredible cities,” Silver said. “Obviously we had a team in Seattle that had great success. We have a WNBA team here in Las Vegas in the Aces. … I don’t have any doubt that Las Vegas, despite all of the other major league teams that are here now, the other entertainment properties, that this city could support an NBA team.

“I think now we’re in the process of working with our teams and gauging the level of interest and having a better understanding of what the economics would be on the ground for those particular teams and what a pro forma would look like for them, and then sometime in 2026 we’ll make a determination.”

Cup future

Silver revealed on Amazon Prime Video’s pregame show for the NBA Cup final that the title game of the tournament may move away from Las Vegas.

Among the sites under consideration: “Some storied college arenas,” Silver said. “We’re looking at other ways we can do this.”

Semifinal games in the Cup will be played at No. 1 seed home sites starting next season, so the concept of a final four in Las Vegas was going to change in 2026 anyway.

Cup viewership increases

Going to a streaming service hasn’t prevented fans from watching the NBA Cup.

Saturday night’s semifinals on Prime Video — in its first season as a league broadcast partner — averaged 1.67 million viewers, a 14% increase over last season’s semifinals.

And Saturday’s doubleheader — San Antonio vs. Oklahoma City and New York vs. Toronto — saw a 126% year-over-year increase in social media views, the league said, with more than 400 million views across all platforms.

NBA Europe plans

Silver hinted that there might be some news next month on the plans for the NBA’s project with FIBA to start a league in Europe.

That makes sense, with the league set to play regular-season games in Berlin and London next month when Orlando and Memphis go over for a pair of matchups.

“I would say we’re casting a very, very wide net right now and essentially saying to anyone who’s interested, come see our bankers, explain to us why you’re interested, how you view the opportunity, what resources you would put behind opening a team, and then we’re taking all that information back,” Silver said. “And then I think sometime in late January, or in January, we’ll be in a position to have more serious conversations with those interested parties.”

Silver said he got the news on Chris Paul being sent home by the Los Angeles Clippers the same way basically everyone else did: He checked his phone in the middle of the night.

“I will say I was dismayed just for everyone involved,” Silver said. “As you know, I’m particularly close to Chris because he was president of the Players Association many years. … I would love to see him finish off the season on another team. He’s already announced this is his last season, so I’d love to see him finish strong.”

Silver said it’s not his role “to cross-examine the participants” and added that he hasn’t talked to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer about what happened.

“It’s an unfortunate situation that it ended the way it did,” Silver said. “So, I’m focused, and I hope Chris is now, on the future.”

Silver says WNBA talks are progressing

Silver said he and NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum are available to help the WNBA and its players strike a new labor deal, if needed.

Silver said he’s “optimistic” a deal will get done.

“I’m tracking things very closely,” Silver said. “We’re integrated at the league office. I talk to the people who are at the negotiating table on a daily basis. As I’ve said before, we, the NBA-WNBA collective, acknowledged that our players deserve to be paid significantly more than they have so far based on the increased success of the league. It’s just a question now of finding a meeting of the minds in terms of what is a fair deal. It’s going to require compromise on both sides.”

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA