Latest news with #SanRafael
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Westamerica: Q2 Earnings Snapshot
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (AP) — SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (AP) — Westamerica Bancorp (WABC) on Thursday reported net income of $29.1 million in its second quarter. The San Rafael, California-based bank said it had earnings of $1.12 per share. The holding company for Westamerica Bank posted revenue of $67.8 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $64.6 million, beating Street forecasts. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights ( using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on WABC at Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
New York Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Martin Cruz Smith, Best-Selling Author of ‘Gorky Park,' Dies at 82
Martin Cruz Smith, a novelist whose Soviet detective, the nonchalant and world-weary Arkady Renko, found his way into the hands of millions of readers and onto the screen, died on Friday in San Rafael, Calif. He was 82. His publisher, Simon & Schuster, said in an announcement that he died of Parkinson's disease in a hospice. Mr. Smith's surprise 1981 best seller, 'Gorky Park,' was a publishing phenomenon that startled critics, readers and the book industry. The book's antihero, Renko, was a citizen of the Soviet Union, which was then America's mortal enemy, and his uncertain path through a fraught murder investigation revealed his country as a corrupt paper tiger. Mr. Smith gave Renko habitual human weaknesses — a fondness for beer, suspicion of his superiors, fraught relations with his wife. But above all, Mr. Smith evoked grim Cold War-era Moscow and its bureaucrat denizens with a bracing verisimilitude. He conjured 'a cafeteria where there was a buffet of whitefish and potatoes awash in vinegar'; a chief prosecutor, Iamskoy, whose 'skull was shaved pink, a startling contrast to his uniform, dark blue with a general's gold star, especially tailored for his oversized chest and arms'; and the Moscow evening, 'a maternal black, windows small and bright, the faces on the street bright as windows.' Mr. Smith brought Russia alive for readers in a way that numerous books and a slew of journalists and political scientists had failed to do. 'Its outstanding virtue is the conviction with which the Moscow settings are rendered, and the assurance with which they are given to us in detail,' the British mystery writer Julian Symons wrote in The New York Review of Books, in a review that was otherwise critical — one of the few such that Mr. Smith received. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CBS News
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Martin Cruz Smith, bestselling author of "Gorky Park" and other thrillers, dies at 82
Martin Cruz Smith, the bestselling mystery novelist who engaged readers for decades with "Gorky Park" and other thrillers featuring Moscow investigator Arkady Renko, has died at age 82. Smith died Friday at a senior living community in San Rafael, California, "surrounded by those he loved," his publisher, Simon & Schuster, said in a statement. Smith revealed a decade ago that he had Parkinson's disease, and he gave the same condition to his protagonist. His 11th Renko book, "Hotel Ukraine," was published this week and billed as his last. "My longevity is linked to Arkady's," he told Strand Magazine in 2023. "As long as he remains intelligent, humorous, and romantic, so shall I." Smith was often praised for his storytelling and for his insights into modern Russia; he would speak of being interrogated at length by customs officials during his many trips there. The Associated Press called "Hotel Ukraine" a "gem" that "upholds Smith's reputation as a great craftsman of modern detective fiction with his sharply drawn, complex characters and a compelling plot." Smith's honors included being named a "grand master" by the Mystery Writers of America, winning the Hammett Prize for "Havana Bay" and a Gold Dagger award for "Gorky Park." Born Martin William Smith in Reading, Pennsylvania, he studied creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania and started out as a journalist, including a brief stint at the AP and at the Philadelphia Daily News. Success as an author arrived slowly. He had been a published novelist for more than a decade before he broke through in the early 1980s with "Gorky Park." His novel came out when the Soviet Union and the Cold War were still very much alive and centered on Renko's investigation into the murders of three people whose bodies were found in the Moscow park that Smith used for the book's title. "Gorky Park," cited by the New York Times as a reminder of "just how satisfying a smoothly turned thriller can be," topped the Times' fiction bestseller list and was later made into a movie starring William Hurt. "Russia is a character in my Renko stories, always," Smith told Publishers Weekly in 2013. "'Gorky Park' may have been one of the first books to take a backdrop and make it into a character. It took me forever to write because of my need to get things right. You've got to knock down the issue of 'Does this guy know what he's talking about or not?'" Smith's other books include science fiction ("The Indians Won"), the Westerns "North to Dakota" and "Ride to Revenge," and the "Romano Grey" mystery series. Besides "Martin Cruz Smith" — Cruz was his maternal grandmother's name — he also wrote under the pen names "Nick Carter" and "Simon Quinn." Smith's Renko books were inspired in part by his own travels and he would trace the region's history over the past 40 years, whether the Soviet Union's collapse ("Red Square"), the rise of Russian oligarchs ("The Siberian Dilemma"), or, in the novel "Wolves Eats Dogs," the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. By the time he began working on his last novel, Russia had invaded Ukraine. The AP noted in its review of "Hotel Ukraine" that Smith had devised a backstory "pulled straight from recent headlines," referencing such world leaders as Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine,Vladimir Putin of Russia and former President Joe Biden of the U.S. Smith is survived by his brother, Jack Smith; his wife, Emily Smith; three children and five grandchildren.
CBC
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Gorky Park, Havana Bay mystery author Martin Cruz Smith dead at 82
Martin Cruz Smith, the bestselling mystery novelist who engaged readers for decades with Gorky Park and other thrillers featuring Moscow investigator Arkady Renko, has died at age 82. Smith died Friday at a senior living community in San Rafael, Calif., "surrounded by those he loved," according to his publisher, Simon & Schuster. Smith revealed a decade ago that he had Parkinson's disease, and he gave the same condition to his protagonist. His 11th Renko book, Hotel Ukraine, was published this week and billed as his last. "My longevity is linked to Arkady's," he told Strand Magazine in 2023. "As long as he remains intelligent, humorous and romantic, so shall I." Smith was often praised for his storytelling and for his insights into modern Russia; he would speak of being interrogated at length by customs officials during his many trips there. The Associated Press called Hotel Ukraine a "gem" that "upholds Smith's reputation as a great craftsman of modern detective fiction with his sharply drawn, complex characters and a compelling plot." Beginnings as a journalist Smith's honours included being named a "grand master" by the Mystery Writers of America, winning the Hammett Prize for Havana Bay and a Gold Dagger award for Gorky Park. Born Martin William Smith in Reading, Pa., he studied creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania and started out as a journalist, including a brief stint at The Associated Press and at the Philadelphia Daily News. Success as an author arrived slowly. He had been a published novelist for more than a decade before he broke through in the early 1980s with Gorky Park. His novel came out when the Soviet Union and the Cold War were still very much alive and centred on Renko's investigation into the murders of three people whose bodies were found in the Moscow park that Smith used for the book's title. Gorky Park, cited by the New York Times as a reminder of "just how satisfying a smoothly turned thriller can be," topped the Times' fiction bestseller list and was later made into a movie starring William Hurt. WATCH | Trailer for 1983 film version of Gorky Park, based on Smith's bestselling novel: "Russia is a character in my Renko stories, always," Smith told Publishers Weekly in 2013. " Gorky Park may have been one of the first books to take a backdrop and make it into a character. It took me forever to write because of my need to get things right. You've got to knock down the issue of 'Does this guy know what he's talking about or not?'" Smith's other books include science fiction (The Indians Won), the westerns North to Dakota and Ride to Revenge and the Romano Grey mystery series. Besides "Martin Cruz Smith" — Cruz was his maternal grandmother's name — he also wrote under the pen names "Nick Carter" and "Simon Quinn." Inspired by his travels Smith's Renko books were inspired in part by his own travels and he would trace the region's history over the past 40 years, whether the Soviet Union's collapse (Red Square), the rise of Russian oligarchs (The Siberian Dilemma) or, in the novel Wolves Eats Dogs, the 1986 Chornobyl disaster. By the time he began working on his last novel, Russia had invaded Ukraine. The AP noted in its review of Hotel Ukraine that Smith had devised a backstory "pulled straight from recent headlines," referencing such world leaders as Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin of Russia and former president Joe Biden of the U.S.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Autodesk stock rises after dropping pursuit of PTC acquisition
-- Autodesk (NASDAQ:ADSK) stock rose 6% after Bloomberg reported that the company has abandoned its pursuit to acquire software firm PTC Inc. (NASDAQ:PTC). The San Rafael, California-based design software provider has decided to shelve its potential cash-and-stock deal for PTC, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg. The acquisition would have been one of the largest deals of the year, with PTC currently holding a market capitalization of $23.2 billion compared to Autodesk's $60 billion valuation. In a regulatory filing Monday, Autodesk stated it remains focused on executing its strategic priorities, including "allocating capital to organic investment, targeted and tuck-in acquisitions." The company did not specifically mention PTC in its statement but confirmed it will continue its share repurchase program. Autodesk shares had previously fallen more than 10% since July 8, the day before Bloomberg first reported the company was considering an acquisition of PTC. The market's positive reaction today suggests investors may prefer Autodesk's focus on smaller acquisitions and share buybacks rather than a major transaction. The company reaffirmed its commitment to driving long-term shareholder value through strategic priorities in cloud, platform, and AI technologies, while also optimizing sales and marketing efforts to achieve higher margins. Related articles Autodesk stock rises after dropping pursuit of PTC acquisition UBS: Tesla still overvalued, Musk's call may sway market MiNK Therapeutics stock falls after William Blair downgrade Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
